Long Shen stretched to loosen his stiff muscles, then strode forward with a determined gait. His piercing gaze swept over the surroundings, pausing on the plants of varying colors and levels that grew nearby. He knew that these spiritual plants, in addition to their medicinal value, could be utilized as currency in the world of cultivation. He harvested a few, taking care not to damage them, and stored them in a cloth bag that he had received from the old elder during the selection process. This bag, seemingly ordinary, was in reality a magical artifact capable of containing a limited storage space, a highly useful commodity for a budding cultivator. Long Shen pondered what awaited him within the clan. He suspected that life would not be easy, that rivalries and intrigues would be commonplace. He was aware of the necessity to prepare himself to confront the trials that awaited him, to forge alliances and to develop his skills. He knew that his path would be fraught with obstacles, but he was determined to overcome them, to rise above the crowd and to achieve his ambitions.
While Long Shen's path seemed to unfold smoothly, a storm was brewing for Suha. She, who had effortlessly charmed the hearts of so many of the children, found her influence shattered in a brutal ambush during the conference. A cabal of children, puppets of influential clan members, had turned on her, their youthful faces twisted with malice. Suha, despite her popularity, was outnumbered and outmaneuvered. Though she managed a retreat, narrowly escaping the clutches of her betrayers, her heart burned with a white-hot rage. Leading the charge was Hong Lan, a boy of equal cultivation level – the 7th layer of Qi Refinement – and a rival ranked just under her at 9th. He, along with Zihui and the others, had orchestrated the treachery, their surprise attack leaving Suha and those she sought to protect reeling. While Suha and a handful of loyal followers managed to escape, the rest, those she had sworn to safeguard, were not so fortunate. They were dragged away, their cries echoing through the hall, to be reduced to the pitiable status of slaves.
Suha's blood ran cold. She, who had believed she was leading her small band to safety, had delivered them into a fate worse than death. The weight of her failure crashed down upon her, a crushing burden of shame and guilt. She, a princess by birth, humiliated and betrayed, felt the sting of tears threatening to spill. Beneath the veneer of composure, she was still just a child, barely twelve years old, yet the crushing weight of responsibility, the agonizing knowledge of her failure, was too much to bear. She collapsed to her knees, the cold stone floor a stark reminder of her vulnerability.
The few children who had managed to escape with her watched in stunned silence, their faces etched with worry. They rushed to her side, offering words of comfort, attempting to reassure her that all was not lost, that things could still be salvaged. But their words fell on deaf ears. Suha was lost in the abyss of her despair, the image of her captured friends branded into her mind. Then, as quickly as she had fallen, she rose. Her movements were sharp, decisive. The tears were gone, replaced by a chilling resolve. Her eyes, once sparkling with youthful exuberance, now burned with an icy fire. In that instant, the capricious princess, the carefree child, vanished. In her place stood an empress in the making – imperious, resolute, and radiating an aura of unwavering determination. From this moment forward, she would become an unyielding force, an avenging angel who would reduce her enemies to dust.
Her first act was to consolidate her remaining forces. While Monarch Ling had established the groups, children were not bound to them. They could, in theory, join other factions, though their final scores would still reflect their initial group affiliation. Suha's camp, once a vibrant hub of hundreds, was now a paltry collection of barely twenty souls. Compared to the twenty thousand children participating in the trials, their numbers were laughably small. Worse, only three of them possessed even a rudimentary understanding of cultivation, their strength a meager 2nd layer of Qi Refinement. The odds were stacked against them, their situation seemingly hopeless. But Suha refused to yield to despair. She stood tall, her voice ringing out with newfound authority, a steel edge in its tone.
"Do not lose heart!" she commanded, her gaze sweeping across the faces of her small band. "Have faith in me, and I swear to you, you will survive this trial. I will not abandon you. I will not fail you. I will sacrifice everything, if necessary, to ensure your safety. This I vow!"
Her words, spoken with such conviction and raw power, resonated with the remaining children. They saw not the broken princess, but a leader, a force to be reckoned with. In that moment, Suha earned their unwavering loyalty. Her path to revenge, a path paved with fire and blood, had begun.