C59 The Veil of Illusions

At the entrance of the Moonfall Sanctuary, the leaders of the five great families and the seven cities had departed. Some headed to the City of Silvermoon for rest, while others returned to their respective clans.

A contingent of soldiers remained on guard.

An elderly general with clouded eyes sat before a massive water tank, the contents of which shimmered in a kaleidoscope of colors.

Other generals stood scattered at a distance, all except for General Lee Yuchan, who stood erect before the tank like an unsheathed sword.

She occasionally glanced at the tank, within which the water continuously morphed, revealing bizarre scenes and vivid images.

Lee Yu was deep in meditation within the sanctuary, Yan Lu orchestrated his kin in a thorough search, Su Yan lingered at the bottom of a crater with a fragment of cloud, Lin Zhuyun delved into the arcane secrets of Winter's Bite under the cover of night, and Van Le periodically gazed up at the starry sky.

The Veil of Illusions intermittently projected the trial-takers from the five great families and seven cities as they navigated the sanctuary.

This Veil of Illusions, a marvel crafted specifically for the Moonfall Sanctuary, worked in concert with the sanctuary's lynchpins, allowing those outside to witness even the subtlest of changes within.

The water tank, a vessel for the Veil of Illusions, was also meticulously crafted for this purpose.

"Hmm?"

A flicker of curiosity crossed Lee Yuchan's face as her mind whirled with thoughts.

The ever-shifting tableau of the Veil of Illusions paused on a particular scene: Zhao Yafu's abrupt assault on two Sillserine youths, dragging one before Yu Yuan for his cruel amusement.

Watching the dark-skinned boy's face contort in agony under Yu Yuan's torment, a hint of interest sparked in Lee Yuchan's eyes, her lips curling into a faint smile.

"The Zhao family girl carries the essence of a dragon whelp in her vitality and three souls."

The old general, appearing to nod off, was nestled in an oversized recliner, draped in a plush blanket to ward off the night's chill. "The Zhao family has longstanding ties to Dragon Lake. That young lady has been imbued with the spirit of a dragon whelp since her infancy."

He lay in the chair, seemingly oblivious to the water tank before him. Yet, he was intimately aware of every image and scene reflected within it.

Lee Yuchan understood that the scenes projected by the Veil of Illusions were directly linked to his Heart Lake.

"Zhao Yafu, right? I've looked into her as well," Lee Yuchan nodded, then suddenly proposed, "Could it be because the dragon whelp's body has matured? The dragon whelp's sudden surge in power could have fed back into her, propelling her to rapidly advance and skyrocket her combat abilities?"

"No," the old general countered, shaking his head.

"Could it be that she's absorbed the dragon whelp's spirit?" Lee Yuchan asked, somewhat astonished.

"I can sense that the dragon whelp's spirit, which was implanted in her, has been completely assimilated by her," the old general replied, still sounding exhausted.

Lee Yuchan was taken aback. "The Zhao family has taken quite a risk."

"You've yet to grasp my point," the old general paused, his voice now earnest and grave, "That young lady from the Zhao family is truly extraordinary. In fact, without the dragon whelp's spirit, she would have distinguished herself much earlier. She was meant to be on par with the likes of Lee Yu, Yan Lu, and Su Yan, but was held back for years by the dragon whelp's spirit."

Upon hearing this, Lee Yuchan was visibly affected. "Is Zhao Yafu's talent that exceptionally rare and astonishing?"

"I've seen it with my own eyes," the old general affirmed with a nod. "The Dragon Attendant of Dragon Lake recognized her innate gifts and potential, agreeing to accept the Zhao family on the condition of implanting a dragon whelp's spirit within her. It's fair to say that the Zhao family's connection to Dragon Lake is solely due to her, not because of their own prominence."

"This young lady, destined for the spotlight, was wronged by the Zhao family's poor judgment and suffered at the hands of Dragon Lake and a dragon whelp."

"Fortunately, the dragon whelp must have perished outside, and she succeeded in the Dragon Devour."

"From now on, she will rise to be among the strongest of the new generation, alongside Lee Yu, Yan Lu, and others."

The old general offered his precise assessment.

Throughout the conversation, he never once brought up Yu Yuan.

At this juncture, Yu Yuan simply did not merit the general's attention or warrant an evaluation.

"The envoys from Sillserine will be arriving shortly," Lee Yuchan said, pushing down the shock in her heart caused by Zhao Yafu. She watched Yu Yuan continue to torment the emaciated, dark-skinned boy and remarked, "Who would have thought that the first fierce battle in the forbidden area would take place in the weakest Sillserine."

"Keep an eye on it," the old general said, squinting his eyes. "That young lady from the Zhao family is destined to be a pillar of the empire. She must remain unharmed."

His implication was clear: Yu Yuan, Yu Feifei, Yuan Ting, and the others were mere pawns, unlikely to ever reach the higher echelons of power. Their fates were inconsequential to the grand scheme of the empire's future.

"And what of the young man from the Yu family?" inquired Lee Yuchan.

"He possesses a Primal Body, which is commendable, but unfortunately, he awakened too late, missing many opportunities," the old general assessed, drawing from his experience. "Even with the Yu family's full support, his potential would peak at the Subtlety level. He has no chance of ascending to the Lunar Spirit level, nor of influencing the empire's fate."

The Lunar Spirit was the true backbone of the empire, the very core of a nation.

Reaching only the Subtlety level was insufficient. It wasn't worth the general's time, much less the empress's early investment.

With that, he let out a deep sigh. "Ah, his father was a young man I had great hopes for in his generation. Such a shame, truly a shame."

He discreetly monitored every child in the Silvermoon Empire who displayed a hint of talent.

Those who earned his attention and were selected by him, if they survived, would fulfill his predictions—either becoming rulers in their own right or shining brightly beyond their homeland.

The Silvermoon Empire's rapid rise to power in the Aetherius Continent owed much to his discerning eye.

Over the past century, many of the promising youths he had spotted had become the empire's elite and the pillars of the major families.

Others were taken by the sects of the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea, where they thrived in the expansive world beyond.

Before they had a chance to make their mark or unfold their grand ambitions, he had already demonstrated ample sincerity and goodwill on behalf of the Silvermoon Empire and Her Majesty the Queen.

It was precisely this approach that allowed the Lee family and the Silvermoon Empire to forge beneficial alliances, garner widespread support, and rise steadily.

He saw great potential in Zhao Yafu, who had successfully completed the Dragon Devour. She was destined to become a Lunar Spirit and possibly ascend to even greater heights. She had earned the attention of both him and the Empire. Yu Yuan, on the other hand, had not.

...

"Yu Yuan, that's enough," Yuan Ting urged, a sense of urgency in his voice. He observed the youth from Sillserine, his face nearly unrecognizable from the torment. Anticipating the imminent arrival of others from Sillserine, he quickly added, "We have plenty of time ahead. There's no need for such desperate measures at the outset."

Yu Yuan understood his concern and smiled at Yu Feifei. "Are we finished?"

Yu Feifei, her anger subsided and now feeling directionless, simply nodded in agreement.

"Very well," Yu Yuan conceded, releasing his grip. He gazed down at the contorted face, the eyes brimming with unspoken grievances and deep-seated resentment. In a gentle tone, he said, "Little brother, consider yourself fortunate. This is just the beginning. Had this occurred four months after the forbidden area opened, when killing is permitted, well..." He chuckled softly.

Standing up, he acknowledged Zhao Yafu with a nod. "We're done here. Let's move on."

While Yuan Ting had been speaking, Zhao Yafu hadn't paid him any mind, continuing to pin the young man down. But at Yu Yuan's word, she complied immediately, then confidently boasted, "Brother Yu, I've kept an eye on those from Sillserine. Even if some of them are more advanced than me, I'm not the least bit afraid."

"I know," Yu Yuan acknowledged with a nod. "That's enough for now. Our paths will cross again."

"Let's get going," Yuan Ting pressed, choosing a stone path that would avoid any encounter with the trio they had come across earlier. He took the lead.

Everyone quickly caught up.

The trio of men and the woman from Sillserine, brimming with frustration and fury, still didn't dare to pursue. The power Zhao Yafu had demonstrated was simply too fearsome; they were left with no choice but to take a beating, utterly powerless to fight back.

...

As dawn broke, the sky lightened.

Yu Yuan and his companions left the deep pit where the Sillserine trio had been and followed the stone path to another location. They hadn't even exited the stone path when they heard the intense clamor of battle outside.

Zhao Yafu dashed by in a blur.

"The Van family is present. I request that other teams refrain from descending."

At the bottom of the pit, where a Moon Shard was likely located, someone called out loudly.

"..."