Li Hua was having a very bad day. Dropping thousands of Li from the sky would do that to you, add in losing Zhang Shen along the way and it was just pure hell. The forest she found herself in made it even worse; she had encountered spirit beast after spirit beast the constant onslaught was wearing her down.

She was strong but it was too much, she barely got enough time to rest and cultivate between the constant encounters and searching for Zhang Shen.

When she was told she would be representing the clan in the imperial sect she didn't imagine it would lead to such situations.

Li Hua sighed, feeling a sense of helplessness wash over her. It was as if the universe itself had decided to test her patience and resilience.

She sat down on a nearby rock, staring at her reflection in the water. "Pull yourself together, Li Hua," she muttered to herself. "You're stronger than this."

Her second life had started out so promising too. A daughter of a noble clan, with peerless talent and beauty beyond compare. Her days had been filled with luxurious ease and constant admiration, a stark contrast to her current predicament. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

She was supposed to take over the Li clan and lead it to a golden age as Matriarch, but no, her great-grandfather and conspiring uncles had other plans.

They saw her potential and feared it. They petitioned the clan patriarch to have her represent the clan in the imperial sect to sideline her, hoping the endless competition and power struggles would break her spirit.

Being scared of a mere child? Couldn't be me. She thought with an unladylike snort.

She would ensure Zhang Shen rose to his rightful place as emperor, and she by his side as empress then would see the shameless schemers reap the whirlwind. But first, she had to survive this wretched forest and find him.

They had gotten separated when that damnable Elder Chen Zhiyuan activated the array that had them teleported away from the barge and into the skies. She tried to reach him when she realized what was about to occur but it was no use.

At least she was certain he was alive; he was not as skilled as her, but he could hold his own. A fall like that shouldn't have been fatal for him.

She took a moment to cycle her qi, feeling the familiar energy flow calming her nerves and revitalizing her weary body.

She had unlocked her twelfth meridian a week ago and just needed some time to start making inroads into the 8 extraordinary meridians, they were more like miniature cores than vessels and she was glad the sect had taught them the method of opening them.

Her advancement had slowed down as a result of the constant fighting and lack of rest but she reckoned she was still ahead of her fellow disciples except maybe Zhang Yue.

The bastard probably landed somewhere safe and advantageous knowing how over half the sect elders sucked up to him cause he was the only child of the empress.

Just thinking of his smug face made her want to break something. He was too arrogant in the ‘everything is beneath’ me way, expecting all to just come to him with a snap of his fingers. It didn't help that some disciples lacking backbone regardless of their talent caved and flocked to his side.

Of his siblings, Zhang Shen was the only one who was passable by her standards. Zhang Yue was too pompous and she would not subject herself to such arrogance lest consider the thought of marrying him. There was no guarantee of becoming empress with him and she could see herself getting sidelined.

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For now, he was an enemy to look out for in the future.

Zhang Xiaohui was even worse, a typical young master if she were to label him. With manners akin to a common thug than a prince of a mighty dominion. His huge ego only exacerbated his insufferability.

Zhang Mingzhu would been passable but the girl was unfortunately too mild-mannered and naive for the immense responsibility of being a reigning Empress. Besides Li Hua had no interest in taking a passive role as a minister or general.

Zhang yuhan was too green, lacked the backing of a maternal clan and she held no desire to compete with that sister of his who decided to bow out as a contender. He held potential but his faction appeared to be doomed from the start.

Li Hua needed an equal, someone who could match her ambition and intellect. Zhang Shen did not fit that profile perfectly but he could be molded into the right leader with her guidance. He would also ensure she was Empress.

She didn't get murdered and have her life cut short just to stall in the ranks in this new life. She would achieve the pinnacle regardless of which path she took even if took a million years.

Suddenly, a rustling in the underbrush snapped her out of her thoughts. Li Hua spun around, her hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of her sword.

Out from the shadows emerged a sleek, silver tiger, a spirit beast, its eyes glinting with predatory intent. Li Hua's heart raced, but she did not falter. With a practiced motion, she drew her sword and faced the creature head-on.

The spirit beast lunged, its claws slashing through the air. Li Hua sidestepped the attack with a dancer's grace, her sword flashing in a deadly arc.

The blade connected with the beast's flank, drawing a deep gash that oozed dark, viscous blood. The beast howled in pain and fury, but she was already on the offensive.

“Foolish creature, know your place,” she said, eyes blazing with fury.

She pressed her advantage, her movements a blur of speed and precision. Each strike was calculated, aimed at weak points she had learned from years of sword practice.

The spirit beast fought back ferociously, but Li Hua's spite fueled her every move. With a final, decisive thrust, she drove her sword through the beast's heart.

As the spirit beast collapsed at her feet, Li Hua took a moment to catch her breath. Her pulse thundered in her ears, adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

She wiped the blood from her sword and sheathed it with a sense of grim satisfaction. Another obstacle overcome, another step closer to finding Zhang Shen.

Her strength had increased by leaps and bounds over the few weeks in the forest, she would've struggled facing the tiger weeks earlier. Now she was confident in her ability to slay the beasts.

It seemed the baptism-by-fire method the sect was employing was useful to a degree, they just had to survive.

She glanced around the forest warily, she knew she couldn't afford to linger unless they were particularly strong spirit beasts tended to congregate. Harvesting the core was not going to be feasible.

The pills she could've crafted with the sheer amount of spirit beasts, she had slaughtered. The thought threatened to make her qi deviate.

She was saving the Two Rivers pill in her storage ring for when she was about to break through to the foundation realm, but she was sure would have made more just from the resources in here.

She gave the tiger one last annoyed look then let out a heavy sigh. All that material was useless if only she brought her cauldron and pill furnace.

“What a waste,” she muttered aloud.

Li Hua shook her head, pushing aside thoughts of missed opportunities. Survival was her priority now.

With a deep breath, she leaped into the trees and hopped through the dense foliage, moving as fast as she could manage without getting winded.

She needed a vantage point, somewhere to survey the terrain and hopefully catch sight of Zhang Shen or a landmark that could lead her in the right direction.

After hours of bounding from tree to tree, she spotted an ancient towering oak ahead, she decided it would serve her purpose well.

With a burst of qi-enhanced speed, she ascended its sturdy branches, finding a comfortable perch amidst its broad leaves.

From her elevated position, Li Hua scanned the dense foliage below. The forest stretched endlessly, a sea of green broken only by occasional clearings and winding paths of sunlight filtering through the canopy.

It took some squinting even with her enhanced sight for her to find it, a distant peak east. It stood mighty in the valley and it would take more than a month to get to but she was sure that would be a landmark people would congregate to if they had sense.

“East,” she murmured making up her mind. “That's where I'll go.”