I spent three days in bed recovering.
Not by choice. My body simply refused to cooperate. Every muscle ached. My arm, despite the healing potion, was still tender and scarred. And my cultivation base felt bruised, as if I'd pushed it too hard too fast.
"You nearly died," Sharanga reminded me when I tried to get up on day two. "Rest isn't optional. It's necessary."
Listen to the ancient weapon, Kala added. She was coiled around my wrist, also recovering. Growing to fifteen feet and fighting had taken more out of her than she'd admitted. We all need time to heal.
So I rested. And while I rested, I studied.
The Codex Pendant around my neck contained vast amounts of knowledge – not just techniques, but history, theory, and secrets about cultivation that the modern world had forgotten or deliberately suppressed.
I learned that the cultivation realms weren't arbitrary. They were based on fundamental transformations of existence:
Body Foundation – Strengthening the mortal flesh to handle spiritual energy.
Spirit Awakening – Opening the connection between body and soul, allowing energy to flow freely.
Core Formation – Creating a stable center of power that generates endless energy.
Soul Manifestation – Projecting your will and energy outside your body, affecting reality directly.
Domain Creation – Establishing a territory where you control the rules of existence itself.
Law Comprehension – Understanding and manipulating the fundamental laws that govern reality.
Heaven's Defiance – Breaking those laws, operating outside natural order.
Divine Ascension – Becoming something beyond mortal, beyond even natural law. Essentially, godhood.
The gap between each realm wasn't just power – it was a fundamental difference in what you were. A Soul Manifestation cultivator could project energy outside their body. A Domain Creation cultivator could literally rewrite reality within their domain. The difference was like comparing a candle to the sun.
And I'd just learned that the Demon Emperor was at minimum Divine Ascension Realm. Possibly beyond even that, given he'd been cultivating for six centuries.
"We're supposed to fight that?" I said aloud to the empty room. "With what, strong feelings and determination?"
With preparation, allies, and time, Sharanga replied. The Calling doesn't expect you to fight him tomorrow. You have years to grow.
"Unless the apocalypse happens sooner."
Then we die heroically. There are worse ways to go.
"That's not comforting."
I never claimed to be comforting.
On the third day, I finally felt strong enough to move around. My arm was healed, though a pale scar remained where the wolf's teeth had pierced flesh. The Raksha Kavach seal on my back had regenerated partially – the formation slowly rewriting itself using my cultivation energy as fuel. Master Bholenath had been right about it being self-repairing, but it would take another week before it was fully functional again.
I examined my cultivation base carefully. Despite the trauma, I'd actually progressed. All that combat, all that desperation, all that survival instinct had pushed me further than months of safe training would have.
I was now Body Foundation Level 5.
Not impressive by sect standards. Most prodigies reached Spirit Awakening by age sixteen. But for someone who'd been completely powerless five weeks ago? Not bad.
Four more levels until Spirit Awakening, Kala observed. At your current rate, maybe a month if you train hard. Two weeks if you face more life-or-death situations.
"Let's aim for the month. I'd like to keep my limbs attached."
Boring, but practical.
A knock at my door interrupted my meditation. "Come in!"
Priya entered, carrying a tray of food and looking concerned. "You look better. Less like death."
"Thanks. I think."
"I brought news. And food. Eat while I talk." She set down the tray – rice, curry, and some kind of grilled meat that smelled amazing. "The Imperial Tournament has been officially announced. Five weeks from now. Every noble family, sect, and merchant guild is sending their best young cultivators. Age twenty and under, any cultivation level."
I started eating while she continued.
"The prize pool is insane. First place gets automatic inner disciple admission to any of the top five sects, fifty thousand gold, and a legendary-tier spirit beast egg. Second place gets outer disciple admission, ten thousand gold, and premium cultivation resources. Even top ten gets significant rewards."
I nearly choked on my rice. "Fifty thousand gold?"
"And a legendary spirit beast. Do you understand what that means? We're talking phoenix bloodline, true dragon lineage, qilin descendants. Creatures that could match Divine Ascension cultivators when fully grown."
My mind raced. With that kind of money and resources, I could accelerate my cultivation dramatically. Buy protection for my family. Secure my position so Aditi couldn't touch me.
"What's the catch?"
"The catch is that you'll be fighting the best young cultivators in the empire. Prodigies from major sects who've been training since they could walk. Noble heirs with access to premium resources and ancient family techniques. And anyone who's desperate or ambitious enough to risk it all." Priya sat down on my bed. "Aanya, you're Body Foundation Level 5. Most tournament participants will be Spirit Awakening at minimum. Some will be Core Formation."
"So I'll be the weakest person there."
"By cultivation level, yes. But you have advantages they don't – a divine weapon, a Divine Beast companion, and techniques from an ancient sect. You could place in the top hundred, maybe even top fifty if you're smart about it."
"Top fifty out of how many?"
"Usually around three to five thousand participants."
I stared at her. "That's... that's insane. How do they even organize a tournament with that many people?"
"Elimination rounds. First stage is a survival challenge – they dump everyone into a dimensional realm filled with beasts and obstacles. You collect tokens by defeating beasts or stealing them from other participants. Only the top thousand token holders advance. Second stage is one-on-one matches, knockout style. Third stage is the final battles where the real prizes are won."
"So I just need to survive the first stage and collect enough tokens to place in the top thousand." I laughed weakly. "Easy."
"It's not as impossible as it sounds. Most participants will target each other for tokens rather than hunting beasts. If you're smart, you can avoid combat and just hunt efficiently. Your archery and Kala's abilities give you advantages in that kind of scenario."
She had a point. Ranged attacks meant I could pick off beasts from safety. And Kala's camouflage would let me avoid stronger cultivators.
"What about you? Are you entering?"
"Of course. Soul Manifestation Realm gives me a decent shot at top hundred, maybe top fifty if I'm lucky. We could even coordinate – watch each other's backs in the first stage."
"Allies are allowed?"
"Teams are encouraged, actually. The survival stage is designed to teach cooperation as much as combat. Most participants form temporary alliances." She grinned. "Though those alliances usually collapse the moment tokens are on the line."
We spent the next hour planning strategy. What kind of beasts might appear in the survival realm. How to maximize token collection while minimizing combat. Which areas to avoid and which to target.
"There's one more thing," Priya said as she prepared to leave. "Rumors are spreading about someone called the 'Shadow Archer' who defeated the Unknown Trial. Lady Yamini has been very careful not to reveal your identity, but people are speculating. Several sects have sent recruiters to the Underground Arena looking for you."
"That's... both good and bad."
"Very bad if the wrong people figure it out. Aditi's been asking questions. She knows someone from the Suryavanshi family has been frequenting the Lower City. She hasn't connected it to you yet, but she's looking."
My blood ran cold. "How do you know this?"
"I have connections. The Chandrasen family has spies everywhere. Perks of being a major noble house." She looked at me seriously. "Aanya, you need to be more careful. The secret trial completion put you on people's radar. If Aditi learns you can actually cultivate, she'll escalate. Poison and thugs will become assassination and hired cultivators."
"What do you suggest?"
"Lay low until the tournament. Train in complete secrecy. Don't go to the Underground Arena. Don't go to the Night Market. Stay in your estate, practice your techniques, and prepare. Then debut at the tournament where there are rules and officials watching. Make it public, make it spectacular, and make it clear that you're under sect protection."
It was good advice. But staying hidden for five weeks felt like cowardice.
It's not cowardice, Sharanga said. It's strategy. Tigers don't announce themselves before they pounce.
I like that metaphor, Kala added. Be the tiger.
After Priya left, I spent the rest of the day organizing my resources and planning my training schedule.
Current Assets:
30 gold, 0 silverSharanga (divine weapon)Kala (Divine Beast, currently juvenile)Spatial ring with storageSpirit-binding dagger (already used for Kala)2 healing potions remaining1 energy recovery draught remaining3 Spirit Awakening Pills (for breakthrough when ready)Mirror Soul Technique (untested)Phantom Step (basic proficiency)Codex Pendant (knowledge repository)Gupta Sect token (outer disciple admission in 2 weeks)
Goals:
Reach Body Foundation Level 9 before tournament (4 levels in 5 weeks)Master Mirror Soul Technique (at least basic proficiency)Improve Phantom Step to advanced levelTrain Kala's combat abilitiesSynchronize better with Sharanga
Problems:
Aditi hunting meUnknown enemies watching (Marked by destiny)Resources running lowTime pressure
I pulled out one of the Foundation Consolidation Pills I'd bought weeks ago. Three left. One per week for the next three weeks would help stabilize my cultivation and speed up progression.
But I needed more than pills. I needed actual combat experience that didn't almost kill me.
"Sharanga, can we create a training scenario? Something that simulates combat without the real danger?"
The Mirror Soul Technique can help with that. You create a clone and fight against it. The clone matches your abilities, so it's perfect training. And if the clone gets destroyed, you just lose some energy, not your life.
"Perfect. Let's start tomorrow. For now, I need sleep."
But sleep didn't come easily. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw visions from the trial. The Demon Emperor destroying armies. The Time Walker dying over and over in endless cycles. The warning that I was Marked, that great powers knew I existed.
What did that mean? Who was watching me? The Celestials? The Demon Emperor himself? Or something else entirely?
Stop overthinking, Kala murmured sleepily. You're spiraling.
"I know. I just... what if I fail? What if I become like the Demon Emperor, trying to save the world and destroying it instead?"
Then we stop you, she said firmly. But you won't. You know why?
"Why?"
Because you're scared of it. The Demon Emperor probably wasn't. He probably thought he was right until the very end. But you're already questioning yourself, already worried about becoming a monster. That self-awareness is your protection.
Sharanga hummed in agreement. Monsters don't worry about becoming monsters. Heroes do. And then they make choices that ensure they stay heroes. Trust yourself, little archer. We do.
Their faith in me was almost overwhelming. I didn't feel like someone worthy of trust. I felt like a fraud, a transmigrator pretending to be a cultivator, desperately trying not to die while cosmic forces played games with her life.
But maybe that was okay. Maybe I didn't need to be confident. I just needed to keep moving forward.
One day at a time. One level at a time. One choice at a time.
I finally fell asleep to the warmth of Kala coiled around my wrist and Sharanga's reassuring presence in my mind.
Tomorrow, I'd start serious training. Tomorrow, I'd become stronger.
But tonight, I could rest.
The next morning, I woke to sunlight streaming through my window and the smell of breakfast wafting up from the kitchen. For a moment, I felt almost normal. Just a girl in a room, waking up to a new day.
Then Kala stirred, Sharanga hummed in my mind, and reality crashed back.
Divine Beast companion. Divine weapon. Cosmic destiny. Apocalypse possibly incoming.
"Right. Normal is dead. Long live weird."
That's the spirit, Kala said cheerfully. Now feed me. Growing Divine Beasts need lots of food.
I'd bought dried spirit meat from the Night Market, but Kala had already devoured most of it. She was growing fast – already she was the size of my forearm permanently, not just when expanded for combat. According to the Codex knowledge, Divine Beasts grew through combat, cultivation energy absorption, and eating spirit-rich foods.
"I'm going to go broke feeding you, aren't I?"
Probably. But I'll be worth it when I'm big enough to eat your enemies.
"Comforting."
After breakfast, I went to the family training yard – the old, unused section that no one visited. It was perfect for secret practice. High walls, no windows, and far enough from the main house that no one would hear anything unusual.
"Okay, let's try this Mirror Soul Technique."
According to the Codex knowledge, the technique required me to visualize my own existence, then split my consciousness temporarily into two forms. The clone would be real enough to fight and train, but tethered to me. If it got "killed," it would disperse harmlessly and I'd recover the energy after a few minutes.
I closed my eyes, focused on my cultivation base, and visualized myself standing in front of me. Not just an image, but a complete copy – thoughts, skills, everything.
Energy flowed out of me, forming a shape. The shape solidified.
I opened my eyes and saw myself standing five feet away, staring back at me with an expression of curiosity.
"This is incredibly weird," we both said simultaneously.
The clone smiled. Then it drew a bow that wasn't there – a phantom copy of Sharanga. "Ready to train?"
"Bring it."
The clone moved first, faster than I expected. It knew every technique I did because it was me. Phantom Step to close distance, then a strike with the bow's limb aimed at my shoulder.
I blocked, barely. We exchanged blows, neither able to gain advantage because we were perfectly matched. Every time I tried a technique, the clone countered with the same technique.
After ten minutes, we were both breathing hard. The clone grinned. "You're sloppy. Your Phantom Step wavers when you're tired."
"You're sloppy," I shot back. "Same weakness."
"That's the point." The clone shifted stance. "Let's fix it. Again."
We trained for two hours. The clone was a perfect sparring partner – knew all my moves, exploited all my weaknesses, never held back. When it finally dispersed, I was exhausted but exhilarated.
That was impressive, Sharanga said. Your technique execution improved significantly just from that session. Fighting yourself is excellent training.
"It's also humbling. I have way more weaknesses than I realized."
Everyone does. The trick is recognizing them and fixing them.
I practiced the Mirror Soul Technique three more times that day, each session revealing new flaws in my combat style. By evening, I was completely drained but satisfied.
My meridians ached from the constant energy use. Creating clones wasn't cheap – each one cost about twenty percent of my total cultivation energy. But the training value was immense.
You're growing stronger, Kala observed. I can feel it through our bond. Your energy flow is smoother, your techniques more refined. Keep this up, and you'll reach Level 6 within a week.
"Good. I need every advantage I can get."
As I cleaned up and prepared for dinner, a servant knocked on my training yard door.
"Princess Aanya? There's a visitor for you. He says he's from the Gupta Sect."
My heart jumped. The sect? Already?
I made myself presentable and went to the main hall, where a young man waited. He wore the distinctive silver and blue robes of the Gupta Sect, with three stars on his collar indicating outer disciple rank.
"Princess Aanya Suryavanshi?" He bowed formally. "I'm Rajan, outer disciple of the Gupta Sect. I've been sent to deliver your admission package and answer any questions you might have about joining."
He handed me a sealed scroll and a storage pouch. "The scroll contains information about sect rules, facilities, and expectations. The pouch contains your initial resource allocation – cultivation pills, spirit stones, and basic equipment. As someone who completed the Unknown Trial, you're being admitted with special consideration. Elder Yamini personally recommended you."
Lady Yamini was a sect elder? That explained her power level.
"When do I need to report?"
"Two weeks from today. The sect is located in the Heavenly Peak Mountains, about three days' journey from the capital. You'll need to arrive by dawn on the fifteenth day for the orientation ceremony." He paused. "I should mention – there are many outer disciples, around three thousand. Competition for resources is fierce. Inner disciples number only three hundred. Advancement requires either exceptional contribution or tournament placement."
"The Imperial Tournament?"
"Exactly. Top fifty finishers are automatically promoted to inner disciple status, regardless of current sect affiliation. It's the fastest way to rise through the ranks."
So the tournament wasn't just about prizes. It was about status, recognition, and advancement. Suddenly, placing in the top fifty seemed even more important.
After Rajan left, I opened the storage pouch. Inside:
20 low-grade spirit stones (used for cultivation, worth about 1 gold each)10 Foundation Consolidation Pills (better quality than what I'd bought)5 Energy Recovery PillsA jade slip with basic sect techniquesA token identifying me as outer disciple
Not a fortune, but definitely useful. The spirit stones especially – I'd read about them but never actually held one. They were crystallized spiritual energy that could be absorbed to speed up cultivation dramatically.
With those stones and pills, you could reach Level 6 in days instead of a week, Sharanga calculated. Use them wisely.
I locked the resources in my spatial ring and returned to my room, mind racing with possibilities.
Two weeks until sect admission. Five weeks until the tournament. And somewhere out there, forces that could destroy cities were watching me.
"No pressure," I muttered.
You keep saying that, Kala noted. I don't think it means what you think it means.
"It means I'm terrified but doing it anyway."
Oh. Then yes, accurate.
I pulled out a spirit stone and began absorbing it, feeling the pure energy flow into my cultivation base. It was like drinking liquid light – intense, powerful, overwhelming.
This was going to be an interesting five weeks.