There was a mystery in the air, with hooded figures meeting at a dimly lit roof, mumbling words in whispers like those sent with the shadows. Ancient symbols on the walls went deep into the stone with carvings of extreme detail and an atmospheric heaviness clings with unnerving tension. They were men who knew the secret sources of power that flowed through the world, and all their talkings were dangerous, filled with intrigues and half-lies and guesswork.
Have you heard of the brilliant minds of Eldenwood? one asked, his voice almost a whispered secret, full of mystery.
He leaned forward, his eyes glinting with curiosity. They think of themselves above all that's ordinary.
But listen well and understand, they are nothing but children playing at power.
They nodded and listened intently as he continued: "Chen family, Ma family, Zhang family, and that girl from the Qing Ye family. All of them show promise, but none of them are at the level worthy of fear.
The Chen boy's fourth stage of Qi Condensation, the Ma boy's fifth. That's all they are fourth and fifth stage cultivators."
Another sneered. "And don't forget Bai Cheng," they taunted. "No spiritual energy to speak of, nothing extraordinary. That boy is a waste of space. An ant in the world of real cultivators."
The first figure coughed a dark cloud. "Yes, that Bai Cheng, little more than a wretched orphan, without one drop of spiritual energy to his name. Miraculous he endures as long as he does. But here's too much in saying all this; he wouldn't last too long longer in the competition anyway. If anything, the talented ones will overpower him."
In the corner, a figure stood. His frame was shrouded in darkness. But suddenly he started talking. "You keep mentioning talent, but none of you can predict what's next. Talent can be honed. Strength can arise from nowhere. You shouldn't dismiss them so easily, least of all him."
The group fell into somber silence, their eyes scanning toward the strange man.
His face was still indistinct from shadows, and his figure was indistinguishable against the darkness that surrounded him. "What do you mean by that?" one of the figures tentatively spoke into the conversation, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and interest.
The figure muffled in shadow laughed low and menacingly. "Actually, the dark of Eldenwood is where the real power is—the dark of things that this place keeps covered up. The web behind the academy exam is a lot bigger than that.
The point is not that these four geniuses pass their exams but what secrets that act reveals when they do. That boy, Bai Cheng. Has a role to play—a very much grander one than you would ever have imagined. And this. Eldenwood. There's so much to it than you think."
This moment stood silent over the group, searing uneasiness in its wake. The air seemed sharper, the weight of his words suspended there between them in silence.
"But we've been preparing for this moment," another figure interjected, attempting to take charge of the conversation once more.
"We know the fragilities of these households. Their leaders are just at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. The Zhang family, the Ma family, and the Chen family are so weak compared to the cultivators in the city that we have met. We will destroy them on the test level. Their power is irrelevant if they do not have the muscle behind it to back it up.
" The figure in the shadows spoke one word more for a long time after that. Then, in a low malevolent voice, "Do you think you can crush them?
Be careful. Not all battles are won by strength alone."
It was then that the conversation screeched to an unscheduled halt. The figure had spoken in hushed tones with authority and finality that had caused a shiver down the spines of the others.
The tension was ripe in the air; the room charged with invisible energy.
Suddenly, a voice pierced the silence from out. It is a messenger whose words are carried through the shadows.
"The royal convoy of Lord Zhang is coming here."
Here, at this, the group shifted uncomfortably, and whispering grew louder in intensity. "Lord Zhang's son and daughter. are indeed coming to participate in the Eldenwood Academy exam, aren't they?"
---
Meanwhile, a handsome landau traveled down the road to the academy from outside the city of Eldenwood. The white horses pulling the carriage were as white as the gilded front of the vehicle. Inside, Wei Zhang and Miss Li Zhang, Zhang's children, sat with royal reserve.
Both were dressed finely with their robes closely embroidered with symbols of wealth and power. The son, Wei, was a tall, handsome young man. He had defined features and cold calculating eyes. Li, the daughter was equally impressive-elegant, poised, with sharp wit to rival her beauty.
Among those waiting to watch the passage of the royal procession into town was a scrappy little lad with clothes unkempt and worn. His sleeve frayed, and the laces of his shoes broke and were pieced together to make do, but a light burned within his eyes.
An orphan boy he was, for no one in the city ever gave him a chance. And as the royal carriage swept by, it was then that the boy's heart beat fast in his chest.
His lord's heir, the farmer, was destined for greatness, but all of this. Would be something else, to say nothing of that.
The boy straightened, still shivering in his seat, as the son of the Lord, Young Master Wei, emerged from his carriage.
"You!" Wei exclaimed, his voice slicing through the air and startling the boy.
"You have stained my clothes. Just look at them! They're completely ruined!"
The boy's heart sank at the glance of Wei. The wealthy cultivator narrowed his eyes in disdain. The boy opened his mouth to say something, but Wei spoke a word before him. He went forward with a sneer on his face.
"You will pay for this, little beggar."
Just out of the blue, Wei jerked his foot up and with the great leg slammed the boy to the ground. The crowd went hysterical but no one would step in. For the side of whoever this man was, to the crowd, he was some person who felt entitled to whatever he wanted.
Do you have something to compensate for the damage you've done? Wei asked the question coldly, looking down upon the boy who now shuddered on the ground.
He lifted tear-stained eyes to look at him, gasping for air. "I. nothing, I have. So sorry,"
Wei laughed, a harsh, cruel sound. He bent down and delivered a series of slaps to the boy's face, each one more painful than the last.
"Pathetic," Wei muttered, before stepping away.
He lay stretched out on the ground as Wei remounted his horse. Tears ran down the boy's cheeks and mixed with the street dust. His two hands were balled into tight fists. Between the ache and embarrassment, a single name slipped from his lips: trembling yet imbued with an unusual resolve.
"Bai Cheng will teach you a Lesson," he growled between clenched teeth, "and then he'll show you his true powers. He'll make you truly regret this. He's going to destroy your face!"
The crowd stood silent, stunned, unable to believe what it saw. They had never witnessed such cruelty from somebody of such power. Yet it was the boy's words that were hung so in the air.
*Bai Cheng?*
They had heard the whispers, and rumors that said he was exceptional. But could he really do what the boy said?
Young master Wei and Miss Li, sitting atop their horses, exchanged smirks, completely unfazed. "That boy. Bai Cheng, was it?" Wei chuckled darkly. "We'll crush him too. It'll be just like crushing an ant."
The boy's words also hung in the air long after the royal caravan had disappeared from view.
However, no one could have foreseen what was to come one had an inkling of the darkness that hid Eldenwood, or of the unseen powers gathering, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. ---
Far away at the training grounds, Bai Cheng threw himself into his intense training with no notion of the ominous storm brewing outside the protective walls of Eldenwood.
Concentration alone was what he could think of perfecting movement, wholly focused on personal development. But the winds of destiny were changing and soon he'd face trials that even his developing strength might not be strong enough to surpass.
The stage was set, and Eldenwood sat at the precipice of becoming the backdrop for something much greater than anyone could ever have imagined.