"WHAT IS THAT IMPERIAL PRECEPTOR AND HIS CHILDREN DOING NOW?" Lily asked as she leisurely sipped her tea, seated with royal grace on the estate's vast training grounds. The cushion beneath her was plush, and her parasol cast a dappled shadow, giving her the appearance of a sovereign overseeing a court of warriors.
She sighed. The last several days had been quiet—unnaturally quiet. Like a calm sea beneath darkening skies before a raging storm. It was peaceful, yes, but no one in the Pei Family dared to drop their guard.
"Children?" Ji Mei echoed blankly, blinking in confusion. "What children? Elder Leo has kids?"
Lily laughed and rolled her eyes, lifting her cup again. "Not literal children," she clarified, swirling the tea. "The people who passed the assessment. The ones he's taking under his wing. I heard they've started training—has Ji Lei sent back any updates?"
Out of sheer boredom, Lily had casually tasked Ji Lei with spying on Elder Leo's training sessions. The results had only amused her. The venerable preceptor had such weak spiritual awareness that he hadn't even noticed someone watching from the shadows. And to think he'd be guiding the so-called future elites of the empire.
"Oh, right," Ji Mei muttered as it clicked. "According to Ji Lei's latest report, there are five trainees under Elder Leo's guidance. The crown prince, apparently, has a fire attribute. Prime Minister Carna's daughter has earth. The other two are water and wind users. And the last one—well, he's got a storm attribute. He's apparently a good fit for medicine, so he's going straight into the Medicine Sect. He won't be participating in any of the upcoming competitions."
"Are they any good?" Lily asked without much hope. Those recruits had only recently been introduced to magic, like Prince Zak. She didn't expect them to pose a threat, but one could never be too cautious. If one of them had outrageous talent, they might become a problem.
Ji Mei scoffed. "Ji Lei says they're all useless. Not a single one stands out."
Lily gave her a flat look. "You know, I really shouldn't have asked you that."
Ji Mei blinked. "Why?"
"Because with you and Ji Lei's level, anyone who's not at death-defying heights of cultivation is automatically trash in your eyes," Lily replied dryly. "Of course you'd think they're weak."
Ji Mei didn't bother to deny it. Her expression remained placid, but the faint upward twitch of her lips confirmed the truth.
Lily leaned back and glanced at the training field, where her 'disciple' was currently enduring hell under Guohua's instruction. Her tone turned thoughtful. "Then tell me—what do you think of Prince Zak?"
The question had barely left her lips when the sharp sound of a body slamming against packed earth echoed across the courtyard.
"STAND UP!" Guohua's voice boomed like thunder. His eyes, glowing faintly red, bore down on the struggling boy. His grip on the lance was tight—so tight that his knuckles had turned white. Anyone with eyes could tell the man was clinging to the last threads of his patience.
Prince Zak groaned and spat out dirt before forcing himself upright. His hands trembled as he reached for the lance beside him.
"He's being too gentle," Ji Mei commented blandly, shaking her head.
Lily blinked, astonished. "That's gentle?" she asked incredulously, pointing toward Guohua, who just sent Zak crashing into the mud again. "He's literally knocking the child into the ground!"
Ji Mei nodded as though stating the obvious. "When Ji Lei and I trained under him, it was worse. He used to beat us black and blue. Once, he tossed us into the demon-infested forest back home. I was ten and nearly became beast food."
Lily shivered. She had always believed her grandmother's training was the harshest anyone could endure. Clearly, she'd been wrong. If her grandfather had ever assigned Guohua to train her, she would've died in the first week—not from wounds, but from sheer indignation.
"I suppose he doesn't like the prince very much," Ji Mei added casually.
Lily tilted her head. "What makes you say that?"
"Guohua only trains people he cares about with that vicious intensity," Ji Mei replied. "He believes that unless you push someone to the brink of collapse, you can't make them truly strong. If he's holding back, it means he doesn't care. He's doing this because he was ordered to, not because he sees potential."
That gave Lily pause. She looked at the prince again—his face bruised, his clothes torn, blood staining the once-clean training ground. Until now, she thought Guohua was simply tempering Zak's physical endurance, but he hadn't taught him any foundational techniques, no basic footwork or defensive forms.
"…What should we do?" she asked, frowning.
Ji Mei remained silent for a moment. "Let Guohua make that decision," she said at last. "If Prince Zak wants to be accepted as a student, he has to prove himself. We know you don't like forcing loyalty—you want people to follow you because they choose to. Guohua's the same. If Zak earns his approval, I'll be the first to respect him."
Lily sighed and looked away. Her heart softened. She'd just finished healing Zak's leg injuries the day before, and now… he was on his way to getting crushed all over again.
Aye!
Being a supportive master was hard work. All she could do now was pray—to the heavens, to fate, to anyone who'd listen—that her poor disciple would somehow survive this ordeal and earn Guohua's trust.
---
Three days passed. The situation, rather than improving, had worsened. The rain had begun to fall in heavy, steady sheets, soaking the training grounds and drenching everyone in sight. Still, Guohua showed no signs of stopping.
Even in the middle of this downpour, the sounds of impact and gritted teeth echoed under the stormy skies.
Lily, wrapped in a drenched cloak, remained sitting beneath the same parasol—now useless against the rain. She didn't care. Her gaze never left the training field. She had chosen to be a supportive master, and she would not abandon that post.
Shadow Guard Loid stood beside her, his expression unreadable.
"The prince looks like he's dying," he commented dryly, watching the battered boy stumble again.
Lily agreed, but she didn't voice it. What she did see, however, was Guohua's hesitation. His movements were slowing. There was something different in his eyes—something that hadn't been there before.
Guohua was softening.
Lily's eyes twinkled with joy.
'That's right, Prince Zak! Keep going. Don't give up. Win him over!'
Shadow Guard Loid noticed the giddy expression on her face. His lips twitched. Was she… pleased that the boy was being pummeled?
He sighed.
Truly, the Young Miss had a mind all her own.
---
"ARE WE THERE YET?" a sharp voice echoed within a lavish carriage, breaking the otherwise quiet atmosphere.
"One more day, milady," the attendant replied respectfully. "In one day's time, we'll arrive at the Immortal Dragon Empire."
Inside the moving carriage, a white-haired woman reclined on a velvet couch, her arms crossed in impatience. She let out a long, aggravated breath. "If it weren't for Senior Brother Lance, I wouldn't waste my time in such a small, irrelevant backwater like the Immortal Dragon Empire," she muttered.
"You're absolutely right, milady," the man seated before her agreed. As he poured tea into a porcelain cup, his voice was gentle. "But as you know, the Immortal Dragon Empire is Master Lance's birthplace. I also heard Elder Leo personally acknowledged his sister as his disciple."
The woman scoffed in disdain. Her elegant features twisted into a look of utter repulsion. "A disciple? Hah! If she weren't Lance's sister, you think she would've stood a chance? The girl only dreams of being an empress in a powerless kingdom. She doesn't deserve to set foot in our sect, let alone be acknowledged by Uncle Leo."
Years ago, Elder Leo had invited the girl to join their sect. She declined, choosing instead to chase some ridiculous fantasy of marrying her childhood sweetheart—the crown prince. From that moment onward, the woman's impression of Lance's sister had dropped to the lowest depths.
She couldn't believe that such an extraordinary man like Senior Brother Lance had such a simple-minded sister.
Ugh!
She detested women who were driven solely by romance, with no aspirations of their own. To her, it was shameful.
"The elder has his reasons," the man said with a diplomatic smile. "He wishes to establish our sect's foundation within the secular world. If other sects take over first, it could hinder us later."
The white-haired woman narrowed her eyes. She still didn't understand why Elder Leo was so determined to anchor their sect in such a weak, unremarkable empire. It wasn't like the Spirit Sword Sect's territory—now that was fertile ground. That place had produced talents like Senior Brother Lance. But this empire? It had nothing. No powerful spirit veins, no notable prodigies… just ambition-driven royals and politics.
She clicked her tongue, sipping the tea he handed her with clear distaste.
She could only hope that this trip—however aggravating—would be worth it for the sake of the Medicine Sect's mission.
At the very least… she hoped not to die of boredom.