Lily's two friends—who had been so giddy just moments ago—shifted uncomfortably. Their excitement dimmed, and they glanced at one another guiltily.
Next year would be their first awakening attempt. They'd talked about it endlessly, fantasizing about soaring straight into power.
But cultivation?
They had always brushed it aside.
It was hard. It was boring.
Day after day of slow breathing methods, long hours of body training, straining to move even a fraction of an inch forward. And for what?
Sure, cultivation gave strength… but aside from that, what did it do in daily life? None of them had ever heard of cultivators landing glamorous jobs. The best they could picture was becoming a bodyguard.
And if you failed to enter a cultivation academy, wasn't that the end anyway?
So they had quietly agreed: better to save their energy and pin their hopes on awakening. At least that carried the chance of something great.
