The morning sun painted golden streaks across the inner courtyard as Jiu Mei sat cross-legged on her favorite patch of grass, humming a tune she'd made up while watching the clouds drift by. At five years old, she had the kind of bright, eager energy that made the other orphans either gravitate toward her or give her a wide berth—there was rarely any middle ground.
'Today's the big day!' she thought excitedly, bouncing slightly in place. 'The Awakening Ceremony! I wonder if I'll get to shoot lightning from my fingers or maybe grow wings!'
Her mismatched eyes—one warm like a sunset, the other cool like a starry night—sparkled with anticipation as she surveyed the sprawling courtyard. It was basically just a giant field of grass and dirt, big enough for way more than their six hundred kids, but Jiu Mei had always thought it was perfect for running around and practicing her "secret ninja moves."
'Well, okay, maybe not secret anymore since Yu Sheng caught me pretending to be a shadow assassin last week,' she admitted to herself with a giggle. 'But he promised not to tell anyone or else I would've told everybody that he still eats his boogers!'
The other children were scattered around the courtyard, chattering like excited birds about what might happen during the ceremony. Some of the kids were trying to act all cool and confident, while the more naive ones looked like they might throw up from nerves. Though these children were all the same age, the stark contrast between them was evident.
Jiu Mei fell somewhere in between—she was definitely nervous, but the good kind of nervous, like right before opening a present.
Her serpentine tail twitched beneath her standard black and white robes, a dead giveaway that she was thinking hard about something. Every child was given mandatory robes that they must wear. Female and male robes differed, with males having shorter ones and longer pants, and the females having longer robes with shorter pants.
She'd gotten really good at hiding it over the years, wearing extra-long robes she had stitched from other pieces of stray cloth she found around the sect, that dragged on the ground around her.
Her arms and legs had grown more rainbow scales now too, creating pretty patterns that shimmered when light was cast on them. Sometimes she'd sneak peeks at them when no one was looking, because to her, they were actually kind of beautiful.
The only thing she couldn't hide were her eyes, but surprisingly, nobody seemed to care much. Apparently, when you lived in a place where people regularly practiced cultivation techniques that could make their eyes glow red or turn completely black, having slit pupils was just a regular Tuesday.
'I guess that's one advantage of growing up in this demon sect',she mused cheerfully. 'Everyone's already expecting weird eye stuff!'
Jiu Mei knew that the sect she was currently affiliated with was one on the demonic path. Actually, it was the number one demonic sect underneath the heavens! However, she didn't care about what the rest of the world thought about them, she just wanted to accomplish her own goal of growing stronger within the Sect.
A group of kids ran past her, playing some version of tag that involved way more tackling than she remembered tag usually having. She watched them with interest, automatically noting how they moved and where they stumbled. She'd gotten really into physical training over the past year, treating it like the world's most important life-or-death game.
The sect's curriculum consisted of two parts: Physical training, and general knowledge studies. The physical training was just having the children run laps around the grounds and strength building through exercises like push-ups and sit-ups. Some of the chubbier kids would have a difficult time during this, and they would be taken out of the group to have 'personal training' with one of the instructors and come back more fit than ever!
General knowledge studies taught them about history, science, mathematics, and most importantly - cultivation theory. Cultivation theory was the basic information a cultivator needed, like what Qi was, how it affected your body, and the most common terms and vocabulary used in the cultivation world; like formations, arrays, and the elements.
The current known elements were: Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning , Wind, Metal, Poison, Light, Darkness, Yin, and Yang. These are the set elements of the world that are the basis of reality and foundation of the Dao. However, some of these elements can be combined to create new affinities like Wind, water, and lightning creates storm, and Fire and Earth create lava.
And Jiu Mei was pretty good at her sect's education too! Well, mostly.
On the physical fitness test for the children, Jiu Mei had come in a whopping ninth place. It was a guaranteed fact that her physique was greater than the other kids, possessing higher stamina, strength, and speed from normal human children. But somehow, eight more kids had placed higher than her! This fact genuinely puzzled her.
She possessed a smaller scale of a photographic memory, which helped her pass by with average grades while being able to daydream. The first place on all of the exams however, both physical and intelligence-wise, belonged to a child named Lin Zhao. He was dark and mysterious and never spoke to the other children of the sect. The instructors also highly favored him, with him getting various special privileges and permissions.
She'd spent a lot of time watching Lin Zhao, partly because he was really impressive and partly because she was trying to figure out his secret. He did not appear to work twice as hard as any of the other kids and wasn't someone enthusiastic about learning either. Everything seemed to just come so naturally to him.
'With just a bit of talent, that has made him into a true prodigy.' She jealously thought.
As she began ruminating over this strange boy, an exciting thought sparked inside her mind. Since he was number one, and top of the food chain here, her new goal should be to surpass him in every single way possible! Only then could she become the absolute strongest!
Jiu Mei herself didn't know where this ambition to dominate the world with her strength had come from, but ever since she could form her first sentence, she had always wanted to be the best at everything.
It could be from her environment in the Demonic sect where they trained the children to dominate and oppress the world.
Or Maybe it was just genetics...
"Mei'er, why are you sitting by yourself?" A little boy that was a bit pudgy ran up to Jiu Mei. Though he was heftier than most, it never affected his strength, stamina, nor speed in the slightest. In fact, he could be seen as one of the more athletic ones In the class.
His name was Yu Sheng, and he was one of the only people Jiu Mei could call a friend, she had made over the course of her entire life. He had brown hair, and round cheeks. His eyes were a mix of purple and red and always lit up with excitement, never ceasing to dull.
As she looked at the little boy, a small smile spread across her face for a moment, than it disappeared, leaving only a scornful scowl.
"Do not address me as Mei'er. I am your senior sister here and you shall address me as such, okay!?"
Yun Sheng raised his hands in defense and began earnestly apologizing. "I'm really sorry Mei'er- I mean senior sister. It won't happen again!" He then put a fist to his palm and bowed in front of her, showing the etiquette necessary to those older or higher in status than oneself.
Jiu Mei nodded approvingly at this.
This interaction was the normal dynamic between the two kids. A little more than two years ago, she had bumped into him in the dining halls and he didn't apologize, even going as far to antagonize her for not watching her surroundings.
And with her personality, she completely let the disrespect get to her and punched him out cold - sending him flying into the wall. To make a longer story short, she was properly punished and he was hospitalized, and ever since then she became his 'senior sister' and bossed him around incessantly, although Yun Sheng was the older one.
"Are you ready to awaken senior sister? You're probably going to have some awesome talent and a super cool martial spirit! I wish I could be as cool as senior sister."
Jiu Mei happily accepted his praise and slyly rubbed her finger under her nose. "You're probably right Sheng, but you should give yourself much more credit. After all, who else would someone as awesome as myself choose to be my sidekick?"
Hearing what he interpreted as thoughtful and heartfelt commendations from her, his eyes began to slightly water. "Thank you Senior Sister!" He said while trying to hug her but was met with a stiff arm to the face.
A sudden commotion near the main building immediately caught both of their attention, and Yu Sheng perked up like a curious puppy.
Seven instructors emerged from the great hall, their ornate dark robes swishing dramatically behind them. They then called for the children to line up, and Yu Sheng sprinted there - leaving Mei in the dust.
'That's all there is for your senior sister? I will definitely remember this later!' She thought as her cheeks puffed in anger.
The other children began gathering around the instructors too, and the nervous excitement in the air became thick enough to taste. She then quickly realized what was happening and her anger was rapidly replaced with joy.
'It's starting!' Jiu Mei thought, hopping to her feet with obvious enthusiasm. 'This is it! This is really it!'
She brushed dirt off her robes as she made sure her tail was properly tucked away.
As she walked toward the other children near the entrance to the main hall, she began wondering what types of tests would be conducted for the awakening ceremony.
Several of the other kids glanced at her as she practically skipped along. She caught a few looking at her eyes with that familiar mix of curiosity and wariness she'd grown accustomed to. It used to bother her, but now she just smiled and waved—interpreting their gazes as recognition of her natural superiority. Some waved back; but others looked away quickly.
'Being different isn't too bad', she had long ago decided. 'At least people remember me! That's got to be better than being completely forgettable, right?'
The morning air carried the scent of incense mixed with something else she could never quite identify—something sharp and metallic that always seemed to cling to the sect buildings. As they approached the main hall, Jiu Mei could feel her heart racing with anticipation.
She paused at the entrance to the great hall, taking one last look back at the green courtyard where she'd spent countless hours playing, practicing, and daydreaming. The other children pushed past her in their eagerness, but Jiu Mei wanted to savor this moment.
"Goodbye, normal life," she said aloud with an uncontrollable grin.
With that happy thought, the five-year-old girl stepped through the doorway and into whatever came next.
As she crossed the opening threshold, she suddenly felt someone's forehead collide with her back, slightly knocking her off balance.
"I'm sorry," came a small, quiet female voice from behind her.
Jiu Mei turned around to look at the girl who had bumped into her, and her eyes widened in shock. The girl was incredibly malnourished!
Though they were all five years old with heights just over a meter and a half, this girl stood barely a meter tall. Her skin was deathly pale, stretched taut over thin bones. Despite the girl's frail appearance, Jiu Mei couldn't recall ever seeing her before—which seemed impossible given her extroverted and outgoing personality.
Holding back her disrespectful and nosy thoughts, Jiu Mei spoke kindly. "It's fine. We all sometimes don't watch where we're going. What's your name? I'm Jiu Mei." She extended her hand in greeting.
The little girl lifted her head slightly, revealing a sad expression as she spoke barely above a whisper. "I'm Zhao Yue." That was all she said before dropping her gaze and speedily walking away.
Jiu Mei retracted her hand, feeling awkward and slightly irritated that the girl had the audacity to walk away without accepting her handshake. This was basic courtesy, after all! She took a deep breath and continued walking.
The long hallway gleamed with cleanliness, its floors made of what appeared to be precious marble. The walls displayed flags and banners representing the Thirteen Great Halls of the sect.
Jiu Mei didn't know their specific purposes, but she assumed each division had to be amazingly exceptional to even qualify as a hall. As the six hundred children approached the front where seven instructors waited, an enormous stone statue came into view—a demon with six arms and three faces.
The entire sculpture was carved from black stone, adorned with intricate gold markings and numerous symbols. The demon's three faces each bore different expressions: a neutral face at the front, an angry face with its tongue protruding on one side, and a sorrowful face with carved tears streaming down its cheeks.
Most of the children began displaying expressions of terror and fright, while others simply admired the craftsmanship. Jiu Mei grimaced slightly at its appearance, but her attention was quickly drawn to the head instructor's booming voice. As he spoke, she could practically almost see the soundwaves that originated from him.
"I suppose you all already know why you're here today. Today, right now, this glorious moment will mark the day you awaken as cultivators of the great Heavenly Demon Pavilion!" The thunderous voice echoed through the halls, silencing all conversations and whispers.