It rested inside a small bed made from many different and vibrantly colored herbs, a beautiful flower with petals that looked to have been crafted from crystal. Each petal glistened as the light from chandeliers struck them.

There were fifteen petals in total, denoting its age. This particular flower gained more petals the older it was. That meant this flower was quite old indeed.

The entire room had grown still as they waited to see what present Wu Jian had bequeathed to her, but Zhou Lihua said nothing for the longest time, making the many people watching begin to whisper.

“What do you suppose he got her?” asked one person to another. He was a man with glimmering silk robes. They were far more extravagant than anything Wu Jian had ever worn in his life.

“Hmph. He’s from the Wu Clan, right? They’re a small clan from here, so I doubt it was anything good.”

“A normal gift for someone of Zhou Lihua’s stature is expensive jewelery from the Imperial Capital or alchemy pills. I doubt a small clan like his could afford to give her anything good. It’s probably just some cheap trinket.”

Wu Jian tried not to pay the whispered words any mind, but they were speaking just loudly enough for him and his group to hear. It was like they wanted him to hear, Like they wanted him to know how little they thought of him.

Hou Jingshu’s face was bright red as she listened. She looked like she might leap on those people, but she held herself back admirably.

Finally, Zhou Lihua seemed to remember she needed oxygen to survive. She took a deep breath that sounded more like a gasp.

“This is a sacred lily! And judging from the number of petals it has, it is at least over one thousand years old! These are so rare you could search the whole continent and never find one!” Zhou Lihua looked from the flower to Wu Jian, her eyes wider than he had ever seen them. “Where did you find this?!”

It looks like we managed to surprise her.

Zhou Lihua did not strike him as the kind of woman who surprised easily. Rather, she seemed the sort who enjoyed surprising others.

Wu Jian felt a burst of pride at having put such an expression on this woman’s face. She looked rather fetching this way.

I wonder if Mei knew this would happen? Either way, I should make it a point to surprise Zhou Lihua more often.

The commotion caused by her surprised shout reached a fever pitch as everyone tried to crowd around the group while pretending they weren’t attempting to sneak a peek at her gift. Even Zhou Zu and the elders were gazing at the flower in shock.

“A sacred lily? Seriously?! How did the Wu Clan find something so rare?!”

“It must have come from the Twin-Fang Mountains, but we’ve already scoured every li of the surrounding area and found nothing.”

“Do you think they traveled further up? To the peak?”

“Don’t be absurd. We all know the Twin-Fanged Beast would never allow a human into its territory. Mayhaps they discovered a secret grotto where the sacred lily resides.”

“What a splendid gift! Marvelous! It’s simply marvelous!”

The conversation around Wu Jian flowed over him like wine. He felt vindicated as the people who once derided him and his gift suddenly did a one-eighty. Standing next to him, Hou Jingshu and Wu Meiying puffed out their chests. They looked like a pair of peacocks preening their feathers.

Now, how should he answer her? Zhou Lihua was gazing at him with an expectant look. He couldn’t just refuse to respond. Should he play up how dangerous it was to get that sacred lily? No. He couldn’t take most of the credit. He might have found it, but Wu Taohua was the one who acquired it.

In that case, he would just be humble.

“I was just lucky enough to stumble upon it,” Wu Jian answered with a mysterious smile.

Zhou Lihua gazed at him stupidly for a moment, but then an amused smile lit her face like sunflowers in full bloom. “Oh, my. Is that so? Well, I am certainly surprised. I have been given hundreds of gifts already, but I somehow do not think a single one of them will top this. Thank you very much for this wonderful birthday present.”

“You are welcome.” Wu Jian executed a traditional bow. “I hope this will help make your breakthrough to the Hunger Realm go more smoothly.”

“A good choice of words. Had you said you hope it will help me breakthrough, I would have been quite cross with you, but you’re saying you hope it goes smoothly. You, sir, will be a very good negotiator in a few years.”

Wu Jian shrugged. “I merely said that because I’m aware of your talent. You won’t need help breaking through, but a little aid to make the transition go better is always welcome.”

“Indeed it is.” Zhou Lihua nodded several times before spotting Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu. Her eyes began sparkling again. “Jian, why don’t you introduce me to your two lovely companions? I have already had the pleasure of competing against Wu Meiying, but we never had the chance to speak properly.”

He wondered if introducing the two would be improper. This would have normally been the part where he backed off so Zhou Lihua could greet other people coming to wish her success in her breakthrough, but they had already thrown tradition out the window—and he wasn’t given much choice. Before he could suggest waiting, Wu Meiying dragged Hou Jingshu with her into the circle.

“It’s great to see you again. You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to speak with you after my defeat at your hands. By the way, I hope you don’t take your victory as a sign that you’ve beaten me. Once I reach the Hunger Realm, I plan to challenge you again. I hope you’ll accept it at that time,” Wu Meiying spoke boldly, without a hint of shame.

The people surrounding them murmured as they stared at Wu Meiying with clear disapproval. She had broken etiquette. Father looked like he was seconds away from screaming at her. Mother was doing what she could to calm him down.

But no reaction was more prominent than Zhou Lihua’s. Her eyes shone even more as she responded in kind. “Of course. I would be more than happy to accept a challenge from you, though I will probably be much stronger once you break through. Why, I might even have reached the Anima Realm by the time you breakthrough to the Hunger Realm. Are you sure you wish to challenge me again, knowing this?”

“All the more reason to challenge you again. Of course, that’s only if you reach the Anima Realm. If you haven’t, you might not even be worth the challenge.”

“Oh ho ho ho. You don’t hold back, do you?”

Uf fu fu fu. Of course not. I’ve never held back against anyone. Just ask Jingshu and Jian. They’ll tell you what kind of person I am.”

As the two girls talked and laughed like old friends, Wu Jian stood back with Hou Jingshu as something strange seemed to happen. It was probably just a figment of his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw two apparitions appearing behind them; one a jade hare and the other a fox with nine tails.

“Are you seeing this?” Hou Jingshu asked in a whisper.

“If you are talking about the hare and the fox… then yes,” Wu Jian answered back.

“Good. It’s not just me then.”

Zhou Lihua all but demanded he, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu remain by her side during the party. Zhou Zu had suggested that maybe she meet with other important people, but one glare from her put the man out of commission. It seemed the true power behind the Zhou Clan was not Zhou Zu but his daughter.

Food was served not long after they arrived. The veritable feast was filled with all kinds of delicacies from around the continent. All of it was cooked to perfection and so delicious that Wu Jian probably ate more than he should. He sat with Wu Meiying, Hou Jingshu, and Zhou Lihua—who engaged the other two girls in conversation. Even the somewhat shy and easily embarrassed Hou Jingshu found herself enthusiastically talking about cultivation with some prodding from the other two.

Wu Jian was aware of the nasty looks he was receiving for being able to sit with three beautiful girls, but long experience allowed him to ignore the hatred. He sat in silence, only offering the occasional input when one of them asked him a question, and focused mostly on the food. Soon enough, dinner was finished and it was time for the main event.

“Now that we have all been fed, it is time for the two main events,” Zhou Zu exclaimed as he stood up and gestured grandly toward the table filled with presents. “First, my lovely daughter shall open her birthday gifts, and then she shall breakthrough to the Hunger Realm, thus becoming an adult in the eyes of society.”

Zhou Lihua was soon forced to sit on the throne of honor as she was handed presents to open one at a time. There were all kinds of extravagant gifts from alchemy pills to rare silks, but though all the gifts were indeed expensive and grand, Wu Jian thought what he had given her was the best. Once the presents were opened and everyone was thanked, the main event began.

A large space in the center of the dining hall was cleared out and Zhou Lihua sat in the very center of the room. Zhou Zu and the Zhou Clan elders erected a powerful barrier around her. It was translucent like a bubble, but one of the elders threw a rock to test it, and the rock was vaporized into nothingness, proving its strength.

“We now ask that everyone remains silent while Zhou Lihua breaks through. Anyone who speaks out will be asked to leave,” Zhou Zu said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Zhou Lihua steadied her breathing as she sat with her legs underneath her bum. She opened the box with the sacred lily, tore off one of the petals, and stuck it underneath her tongue. Afterward, she closed her eyes and made a seal with her hands.

Even though Wu Jian was not yet sensitive to chi, he could feel something stirring in the air as the woman concentrated. Tension so thick it could be cut with a knife permeated the chamber.

Zhou Lihua’s brow had furrowed. Minutes past in silence. Everyone was waiting on baited breath, wondering how long it would take for her to break through. From his experience with such things, it took the average person about half an hour, but this girl was a genius. He figured it wouldn’t take nearly that long.

It only took Zhou Lihua five minutes.

Power exploded from Zhou Liha’s body, which began glowing a vibrant orange. The barrier prevented anyone from feeling what was happening. Yet even though he couldn’t feel it, the hairs on Wu Jian’s arms were prickling as he watched the girl burst with chi. Her entire body looked like it had erupted with light. It gave her an appearance that was almost divine.

Zhou Lihua didn’t stop there. She stuck another petal underneath her tongue. The light surrounding her brightened. It looked like her entire body was being engulfed in flames.

Another petal. More flames.

Zhou Lihua repeated this process until all the petals were gone.

By this point, her body was almost invisible, the flames had grown so potent.

The light soon died down and Zhou Lihua sagged forward. Zhou Zu ordered the barrier down, then rushed to her side with the elders of the clan. While Zhou Lihua tried to wave them off, that did nothing to stop them from crowding around her. One of the elders took her hand and placed two fingers against her pulse point. Wu Jian wondered what he was doing.

“F-fifth subrealm! Zhou Lihua is at the fifth subrealm of the Hunger Realm and has opened one-hundred and fifty acupoints!” the elder exclaimed in shock.

The crowd once more exploded into chaos.