For Ruyue, passing the Trial of Self didn't hold the same meaning as it did for Damien.
Instead, it served to reaffirm her determination.
Back then, the Xue Clan was a behemoth she couldn't hope to resist. She was simply a sheep waiting to be hunted.
But looking back at it now, it didn't feel the same at all. She thought about the Xue Clan from her current perspective, and it didn't look like a mountain.
It was within reach.
All she had to do was continue walking her path as she did. Continue working hard. And one day not so far in the future, she'd be able to achieve her goal.
She smiled when she thought about it.
If someone had told her things would end up like this, her past self wouldn't believe it.
But fate was a strange thing.
She, who had been neglected and stepped on for so long, had gained people who treated her with value. People who genuinely cared about her.
She had friends and allies, even someone she was willing to die for. She had people who would help her in revenge.
She was no longer alone and pathetic.
Ruyue stood in the infinite void. Her Trial of Self had already been passed.
In fact, she could've chosen to break out from the beginning, but she didn't. She endured those years of suffering for a second time. Because she wanted to see those scenes again. She wanted the flames of vengeance in her heart to burn bright again.
The sins of the Xue Clan were unforgivable.
And she had always been taught to pay back any grievance tenfold.
Ruyue looked up into the nothingness around her. Her gaze was hazy and unfocused.
"Do you see it? Father, Mother, do you see me now? I won't let those scum who caused your death live freely. That old dog Xue Yebai…I'll allow him to feel the same pain he forced you to feel."
Xue Yebai, her biological father. He didn't deserve such a position. He was a dog and nothing more.
Ruyue clenched her fists. She could feel the ice-cold yin power coursing through her veins.
"It isn't enough yet. If it's him, he's probably already surpassed me by miles. If I can't even match him, how can I think of revenge?"
Her thoughts were on a certain man. A man who she had been yearning for for over a year now.
He was both the target of her affection and the target of her rivalry. He was the most talented genius she had ever met.
To match his pace wasn't an easy feat. For most, it was utterly impossible. Thinking about his growth rate would only cause them to doubt themselves.
But that was exactly what made him so special. That was exactly what made him the perfect goal to look up to.
Ruyue knew. If she could even follow his growth rate at a pace where she could see his back, it wouldn't take more than a few years for her to get her revenge.
If she could match him? The Xue Clan's doom was already a guarantee.
She smiled. It was a smile filled with tender love and affection.
"You bastard…even when I want to think of my revenge, you still manage to appear in my thoughts. You made me like this, so how are you going to take responsibility?"
She was speaking to herself, but her hand was resting over her heart. There, she could feel a heartbeat that wasn't hers.
It was calm and steady, beating with power and vitality. Every time she felt it, she felt an unknown sense of comfort wash over her.
She had given him her soul. Not even in a metaphorical sense, but a literal fragment of her soul.
She had suffered injury for doing so, but she didn't regret it.
Even if he already had a woman, she had seen his attitude. She knew that she already had a place in his heart.
If it was like that, then why hesitate? Ever since she decided to stop running away from her problems, it had already been decided.
Her mind, her body, her soul…everything would belong to him.
And in return, she wanted his everything too.
Whether he was prepared to give it to her or not, she couldn't control. But she would do everything she could to claim it.
She smiled once again.
How did her thoughts reach this point?
It turned out that he had become just as important to her as her revenge.
It was a mind-boggling thing to discover, but she didn't mind. It was nice to have some warmth to combat the icy ferocity she held in her heart.
"Ah, I'm thinking too much again. The trial is already over, so I should be transported to the next one now, right?"
Although she said the words, she didn't feel the nauseating feeling of spatial transportation enveloping her. Instead, a string of blue holographic text appeared in front of her eyes.
[The Primordial Undying Tree watches you with interest.]
[The Primordial Undying Tree says it notices a strange connection between you and that person.]
[The Primordial Undying Tree is expecting great things from that person, so it decides to give you a small gift.]
[The Primordial Undying Tree tells you to assist him well.]
A crack opened within the infinite void. From within it, a greenish-white essence exuding a divine aura leaked out.
Soon, it shot forward and flowed into Ruyue's mouth. It tasted like a clear and refreshing spring filled with heavenly dew water.
Ruyue was forced to shut her eyes and concentrate on the powerful mana flooding into her body, but her thoughts were still active.
'That person? From the words I saw, it can only be a single person. The great Primordial Undying Tree is personally helping me for his sake? Geez, what the hell has he been up to?'
A small smile decorated her face. A feeling of pride welled up inside of her. How could she not be proud? The man she chose was being acknowledged by a Demigod-level existence. It was an utmost honor for those at their meager level of strength.
A translucent green cocoon enveloped her not long after the essence entered her body. At this point, her thoughts were cut off. She had to focus internally rather than think of unnecessary things.
A gentle stream of energy seemed to be purifying her from within. Her meridians, her flesh and bones, and even her internal organs were purged of anything that could be considered as impurity.
Her mana capacity expanded rapidly. As it turned out, even her mana was getting purified.
Ruyue was focused on the feeling of this mana as it moved through her body. It worked on its own, with her not needing to control the process, but she still didn't take her attention off of it.
After all, she could never know whether there would be mishaps or not. This was a mana on a level that far exceeded her own.
She was being transformed.
Within the infinite void, a solitary green cocoon floated aimlessly. How long it would take for the cocoon to shatter? That was unknown.
