Unparalleled Artist: Unlikely Hero
Following his father's murder, Wu Ling's mother returned to the life of a courtesan, disguising her young son as a girl to take refuge in the Bamboo Silk House, a women's only sect dedicated to the arts. Now, as his powers awaken, he'll find himself torn between protecting his family and the goals of powerful cultivators who see him as a means to an end. "Wu Ling, I've accepted a marriage proposal on your behalf," the bewitching Hall Master of the Bamboo Silk House declared. "When you enter the Inner Sect, you'll enter under the name 'Hua Qianhu', fiancee of a young lord of the Liang family." "Hall Master, that's impossible!" Wu Ling protested. "Even if you ignore my relationship with Meifeng, I might have dressed well enough to hide as a mortal woman but I could never..." "So you truly didn't realize what you were doing," the Hall Master said, a dark smile on her lips. "Little Ling, you're a natural-born Shapeshifter. I'll teach you what you need to know," she said, her features shifting until she looked like a mirror image of the stunned Wu Ling. "As long as you follow my arrangements and learn my techniques, it isn't impossible for you to reunite with Meifeng..." "But you should consider Young Lord Liang carefully," the Hall Master added. "His affection for you is genuine. Perhaps, one day, you'll even feel the same for him..."
Tempering a Soldier
In a training ground deep within the Inner City of Silver Sword City, Liang Xiong moved swiftly from one stance to the next, a heavy training spear flickering like lightning with his every movement.
Spring had all but come to an end and the late morning sun beat down on his bare back and shoulders like the searing flames of a hearth. Sweat poured from his lightly bronzed skin as he pushed himself faster and faster through the repetitive movements.
All around him, several junior Soldiers of the Inner Sect toiled under the watchful eyes of a senior brother. While each of them worked with dedication, polishing their skills step by step, Liang Xiong pushed himself considerably harder than his peers. With each movement of his body and his training spear, he imagined powerful foes like the Broodmother of the Corpse Devouring Locust Swarm and shaped his techniques to defeat the imaginary foe.