"How is Lilian's training proceeding," the Astral Emperor asked, his eyes glued to the scroll in his hand.
"Very well," Zeras replied to his father. "She is almost ready to break through to the Heaven Tribulation Realm, and her advancements in her four innate Dao's have improved considerably as well, especially her grasp of the Dao of Space. She seems to be favoring that one as of late."
"The Dao of Space?" The Astral Emperor mused. "Is she thinking of running away? A foolish notion," he scoffed.
Even if she could flee, there was nowhere she could hide from his gaze. The soul-seal revealed her location to him at all times.
"She has requested leave for a few days, to explore our empire beyond the royal capital limits," Zeras chimed up.
"Leave?" the Astral Emperor repeated, and raised his gaze to meet Zeras'. He nodded his head after a moment's thought. "Approved. She might know of her fate awaiting her, but she is still a child. Pushing her too hard will only break her before she is ready to be used. Perhaps this exploration of hers will calm her heart and mind. But make sure it is no more than a few days, and make sure she is guarded at all times."
"It will be done, father," Zeras said.
"That is all. You may leave," the Astral Emperor dismissed Zeras, who bowed and left the palace throne room.
…
After her training lesson with Hilea, Lilian spent the next few months proceeding with her life as usual, at least to the outside eye. A plan had hatched in her mind at the end of that lesson, one she was working towards ever since.
Lilian was currently outside the royal capital limits, in the massive city that surrounded the royal capital. The city sprawled for hundreds of miles, appearing like a never-ending sea of buildings, fields, stadiums, and other facilities.
The buildings closest to the mountains surrounding the royal capital were large, grand, and ornate. They belonged to the highborn families of the Astral Empire, who were not royalty, but were very powerful and highly respected. The city lessened in grandness as one traveled farther away from the royal capital, until it was no more than farm fields and small buildings several hundred miles away.
Lilian was currently in the middle of this city, in a densely populated trade district. It was the first time she had stepped foot in such a place, and would have normally found it interesting to explore, but she had no such interests at the moment.
She wore a plain dress and a face veil, masking her identity. She strode through the trade district, going from building to building, purchasing various things. As a princess of the Astral Empire, money was not an issue for her.
Two powerful guards, both in the World Expansion Realm followed her from a distance, which she was fully aware of. She had instructed them to follow her from a distance, as she did not wish to be disturbed. The guards had agreed, but made sure to keep her within their range of detection.
Like this, Lilian spent the next few days in the city, visiting various trade halls and acquiring many different things. The sun eventually set on the city, bringing night to the land. Lilian found a hotel to lodge in for the evening, and settled into a room for the night. She had made sure to find a hotel that had rooms with meditation chambers; chambers that were effective for shielding against disturbances.
Her guards purchased a room next to hers, making sure she never left their presence.
"I will be meditating in my room for the next two days," Lilian said to the two guards before she entered her room. "Do not disturb me during that time, and do not let anyone else disturb me. I am about to make a breakthrough in the Dao of Life."
The mention of her making a Dao of Life breakthrough brought a serious expression to the guards faces, who nodded sternly. They did not know why, but the Astral Emperor had put great emphasis on Lilian's Dao of Life training. They knew if they allowed anyone to disturb her and break her meditation session, they would not hear the end of the matter, and would most likely face severe punishment.
"It will be done, Princess Lilian," the guards said, and watched as she entered the room and closed the door. They stationed themselves outside her door, making sure she was not disturbed.
Lilian inspected the room, but had no interest in it, and strode across the large room to the other side, where the meditation chamber was. She pressed her hand against the formation on the wall, which opened a thick door to the chamber. The chamber was twenty feet long and wide, and was lined with relatively powerful formations.
The formations served to limit disturbances traveling both ways through the walls, making it so that others would not affect her meditation, and she would not affect others in the hotel. Lilian nodded her head with satisfaction, and entered the chamber. She placed her hand against a formation within the chamber, and the door closed, enclosing her within.
She sat down and remained silent for quite some time, calming her mind and building her resolve. After an unknown amount of time, she opened her eyes, her gaze brimming with determination.
"Father might think himself smart, but he's a fool to think his soul-seal is all encompassing," Lilian scoffed. She had found a loophole to the condition that restricted her from killing herself. She intended to live with what she was about to do, but if she failed, death would most likely claim her. That small difference was enough to not activate the soul-seal's restrictions.
At this time, she was quite happy with her father's arrogance. It had made him too comfortable. That arrogance would lead to his failure to hold her hostage.
"At worst, I die, which is better than what the future currently has planned for me," Lilian said, and steeled her mind for the pain to come as her power began to climb.
