New Beginning.

Zhang Lee could hardly find the heart to deliver the news to Zhang Lin about her husband's demise. He stood before her, and she seemed to possess expectant eyes. It would be cruel of him to break the news to her about her husband's death, but unfortunately, he had no choice.

"Answer me, where's Zhang Feng?" she asked, her eyes growing teary as she could somewhat anticipate what was transpiring but refused to accept it. She began to quiver, her eyes now bloodshot, filled with tears.

She placed her head on Zhang Lee's chest and struck him repeatedly, each hit with diminishing power.

"No. No... nooo..." she cried. Like her daughter, Zhang Xiu had sensed the somber atmosphere; she, too, began to cry. Zhang Lee gazed at the weeping mother-daughter duo, and a deep sigh escaped his lips.

"Though my son is gone, he has paved a path for us to follow. We can no longer remain in the open, so we must ensure we stay out of sight," he declared before producing a vial containing a black liquid. He opened the vial and poured its contents into the weeping Zhang Xiu's mouth. She swallowed it reluctantly after a few gurgles. "This will keep them from sensing us for now. We'll need to remain completely out of sight."

Zhang Lin was too absorbed in her sorrow to listen. She had just lost the man she had always loved, and she felt an indescribable pain – the kind that comes when you know the person you loved so dearly is never coming back.

Seeing her weeping daughter, she decided to wipe away her tears and put on a resolute expression. "I'll protect Zhang Xiu with all that I have. We must train her when she comes of age. After all, she's the one to free us from this oppression," she stated, and her father-in-law nodded. The duo then gazed toward the mushroom cloud of fire; the immense energy emanating from the place could only be described as a transcendent level of destruction.

*************

TWENTY YEARS LATER

Sitting in a lotus position, a young girl with long, smooth black hair meditated. Her face exuded calmness, her eyes closed. Her raven-black, silky hair floated as she cultivated, her breathing remarkably steady. She concentrated her mind, and a faint whitish smoke emerged from her body – her spiritual energy.

A few minutes later, she opened her eyes, which now glowed bright white, with smoke emanating from the corners. She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, then closed her eyes again and exhaled deeply. When she reopened her eyes, they were back to normal, revealing bright, starry blue eyes. She was so beautiful and womanly that no man could look at her without feeling an attraction.

She appeared to be in a room resembling a traditional Asian setting, adorned with a few antiques, including an old suit of armor and carefully placed swords on a rack. The room was softly illuminated by candles.

"Xiu Xiu!" she suddenly heard her name called by a familiar voice, making her startle. Her eyes widened, and she grimaced.

"Coming, mother..." she responded before swiftly getting to her feet and rushing out of her room. This was Zhang Xiu, now around twenty years old. It had been two decades since the Dragonoids arrived on Earth, and Zhang Lee had used this time to train Zhang Xiu. After twenty years of intense training, she was now in the High-Level Body-Strengthening Realm, on the cusp of entering the Elemental Realm. She could already feel her spiritual energy taking form.

"You haven't finished the chores I asked you to do," Zhang Xiu's mother, Zhang Lin, complained. Zhang Xiu frowned and turned aside.

"I was about to do them. I just needed to cultivate a bit. After all, I need to carry on the family's legacy, right?" she remarked with a slight smile, met with an annoyed look from her mother.

"That's no excuse, young lady. Now get in there and finish those chores," she ordered, prompting Zhang Xiu to begrudgingly head into the kitchen. While this small drama unfolded, a special visitor knocked on the door.

This person had a distinctive way of knocking that was a household marker. It wasn't like he needed prompting; it had simply become a habit.

"Wow... wasn't expecting him here so soon," Zhang Lin commented, slightly taken aback, before going to the door and opening it. Waiting behind the door was a young man with short black hair, a round face, and brown eyes resembling a desert. He appeared quite young, about the same age as Zhang Xiu.

He smiled at Zhang Lin, causing her heart to flutter, as she found this young man rather handsome.

"Nice to see you, Wang Chen," she greeted, and the young man bowed slightly.

"Thank you, aunty. Is Zhang Xiu inside?" he inquired, but just as Zhang Lee was about to respond, his daughter interjected from behind.

"Where else would I be, fur brain?" She uttered nonchalantly. Wang Chen beamed at her.

"Nice to see you too," he replied. Zhang Xiu scoffed and turned to head back to the kitchen. With Zhang Lin's unspoken consent, Wang Chen entered the house and followed Zhang Xiu to the kitchen.

"I don't mind helping with the chores," he offered. Zhang Lin clasped her hands together and gave a heartfelt smile.

"That's very kind of you, young Chen," she praised. Zhang Xiu rolled her eyes at her mother.

"He's my best friend, not yours," she muttered under her breath, but her mother heard her and shot her a stern look, prompting Wang Chen to chuckle. He assisted her with the chores, and they chatted constantly.

"By the way, where's Shi fu Zhang?" Wang Chen inquired.

"Gramps should be in the basement, cultivating," Zhang Xiu replied. "We're supposed to see him after we finish the chores. We've got training to do." Wang Chen nodded, and they swiftly completed the household tasks.

Once they finished, they made their way to an underground basement. They opened a door within their new mansion and ventured through a dark passage until they reached a small field. One part resembled a metal bunker, while the other was mostly rocky, resembling an underground cave more than a basement.

The duo approached a particularly large rock and both bowed, not to the rock, but to the person atop it.

Sitting on the rock was an old man wearing a white robe, his long, white mustache swaying. Part of his hair was tied in a bun, secured with a hairpin, while the rest hung free. A colorful spiritual energy surrounded him, emanating from his body. He exuded a calm but also unsettling aura, as though he were a Buddha at times and a demon at others.

While Wang Chen felt apprehension, the girl beside him didn't see it as much. Zhang Xiu had an impulsive and carefree attitude.

The old man was none other than Zhang Lee, Zhang Xiu's grandfather.