Chapter 3 — The First Battle
The early morning mist hung thick around the forest floor, wrapping the world in a ghostly shroud.
Lin Zuner moved carefully, her bare feet making little noise on the damp earth. She had spent three days now deeper into the mountains, living off roots and spring water.
She had grown sharper.
Her instincts keener.
Her movements more precise.
But even so, she knew — she was still weak.
And weakness was dangerous here.
A faint sound made her pause.
A rustling, heavy and deliberate.
Lin Zuner crouched low behind a thicket of bushes. Her golden eyes narrowed as she stared ahead.
Between the trees, a shadow moved — large, slow, but powerful.
A Silverhorned Wild Boar.
She recognized it instantly from the stories Granny Shu used to tell.
A beast known for its violent temper and iron-like hide.
Silverhorned Wild Boar — Early Bone Tempering Stage Beast.
For a normal six-year-old child, facing such a beast would be a death sentence.
For Lin Zuner, it was an opportunity.
If I can defeat it… I can truly prove my strength.
Her heartbeat quickened, but her breathing stayed steady. Her body was small, but her mind was sharp — honed by two lives worth of combat instincts.
She picked up a sturdy branch nearby — thick, gnarled, almost like a crude spear. It was hardly a proper weapon, but it was enough for now.
The boar snorted, pawing at the ground.
Its silver horn glinted dangerously under the morning light.
Speed. Agility. Precision.
Lin Zuner's plan formed in an instant.
She burst from the thicket, a small shadow flashing through the mist.
The boar noticed her immediately and roared, charging with earth-shaking force.
She sidestepped just in time, the horn grazing past her with a rush of air. Her heart pounded in her chest, but her mind remained calm.
Move with the wind, not against it.
Gripping the branch tightly, she spun and slammed it against the side of the boar's knee.
The beast grunted, more irritated than hurt, but Lin Zuner didn't stop.
Again and again, she struck — not trying to overpower the beast, but to wear it down, weaken it little by little.
Her arms burned.
Her breath came in ragged gasps.
But she refused to back down.
The boar, enraged, swung its horn toward her, a wild arc filled with brute force.
She dodged — barely — feeling the horn graze her side, tearing a shallow gash.
Pain flared across her ribs, hot and blinding.
She bit her lip hard enough to taste blood but didn't cry out.
Instead, she gritted her teeth and forced her battered body to move.
Every struggle in her past life, every betrayal she had endured, every night she had spent alone — they all screamed at her:
"Fight. Survive."
With a desperate cry, she leapt onto a low hanging branch and used the momentum to hurl herself onto the boar's back.
The beast thrashed, trying to throw her off.
Lin Zuner clung to its rough hide with every ounce of strength she had.
Raising her makeshift spear high, she drove it down — right behind the boar's ear, where its armor was thinnest.
The branch snapped.
The beast roared.
But the damage was done.
The boar staggered, legs buckling, blood gushing from the wound.
With a final lurch, it collapsed heavily onto the forest floor.
Silence fell over the clearing.
Lin Zuner slid off its back, panting heavily, her small body trembling with exhaustion and pain.
Blood dripped from her side where the gash burned angrily, but she ignored it.
Instead, she stood over the fallen beast, her golden eyes fierce and proud.
She had won.
Not with strength.
Not with cultivation.
But with willpower, skill, and relentless determination.
Collapsing onto the soft moss beside the boar's still body, Lin Zuner stared up at the cloudy sky.
The fight had left her drained.
Her body ached in ways she couldn't describe.
Every breath hurt.
But inside her chest, a spark blazed brighter than ever.
This was only the beginning.
That night, by her small fire, Lin Zuner roasted small pieces of meat from the boar.
It tasted rough, wild, and a little burnt — but to her, it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten.
Victory tasted sweet.
While she chewed slowly, she turned her gaze to the stars overhead.
Her mind, ever sharp, began to plan.
She needed a proper weapon.
A real weapon — one that could grow with her, one she could pour her soul into.
Not just a stick or a rock.
A partner for her lonely path.
In the depths of the forest, under the ancient trees, something stirred once again.
Far beneath the roots and stones, something slumbered — an artifact lost to time, waiting for a master to claim it.
Waiting for her.
Destiny was slowly beginning to move.
And Lin Zuner, though still small and frail, had taken her first real step toward becoming an Empress.
End of Chapter 3.