Chapter 193

Chapter 193: A Thought Arises

It was hard for Kalphala to pinpoint exactly when things had changed.

She was born in a small town in the south of Cangcui. From a young age, she was quite intelligent and physically agile. The elders in the town often remarked that if only she were a boy, things would have been different. Girls, after all, were meant to get married.

At the time, she felt indignant. Later, she followed a local Extraordinary Being and learned some knowledge. Thanks to her natural talent, she easily became a Sequence 1 Extraordinary Being, which greatly encouraged her. She wanted to further her studies in the city.

However, her parents began to hesitate, as attending school in the city required significant expenses, and their family wasn’t particularly wealthy. But the elders in the town persuaded her parents to let her go, reasoning that it would provide better opportunities for her future, whether she got married or pursued other paths.

Her parents eventually agreed, and she was overjoyed. As the smartest and most talented child in the town, she fantasized about her future, full of hope and anticipation.

After entering the city, she entered one of the best schools accessible to commoners, where she excelled academically and had her tuition partially waived. She was well-liked by her teachers, performed at the top of her class, and got along well with her classmates. Everything seemed perfect.

But one day, she had an argument with a classmate who said something to her.

“What do you have to be proud of? This school is just a place for us lower-class people to gather. The true geniuses are in the noble schools. Your best fate will be to become a concubine to some noble or rich person, nothing more than a pretty plaything.”

Unlike the West Wind region, nobles in Cangcui could take concubines, and what her classmate said was indeed a reflection of reality.

As if awakened from a dream, Kalphala began to understand the situation at the noble schools. It wasn’t until last year’s graduation competition for the recommendation slot to Emanas that she realized there were so many formidable peers in this world.

She failed in the competition and was no longer the center of attention at school. A new prodigy had arrived.

When she returned home, her parents urged her to marry early, but she didn’t want to give up. Diligence and effort were the only lifelines she had left.

Grass.

She often quarreled with her family but still ran to the outskirts every day to exercise, and studied under lamplight at night.

One day after another, one week after another, two months passed, enduring the cold winter, stepping into the warm spring, passing through the scorching summer, crossing the crisp autumn. The iron sword she used for training and fighting broke 7-8 times, each time being welded back together by the blacksmith uncle, until finally, she switched to an iron rod.

Day and night, she thought only of how to improve herself. In this frenzied state, her strength finally made great progress.

At the end-of-year regional tournament last year, she appeared again and immediately stunned the crowd, advancing straight to the final four.

In the end, she was defeated by a young boy from a minor noble family. She thought that would be the end of her, but soon it came out that the boy had been caught in bed with the daughter of a high-ranking noble, which caused the noble family to immediately revoke his qualifications. But to protect their daughter’s reputation, they kept the matter quiet.

Thus, the crowd saw the selection officer announce that the original champion, due to unknown reasons, had lost his qualification, while a commoner girl took his place, securing a rare spot. Various speculations arose, malicious conjectures spread everywhere, and her rebuttals were ignored.

Even her parents secretly asked her if it was true.

If a young and beautiful girl achieved a high position, people couldn’t help but suspect she had used her beauty, this was the view of many, and daily occurrences in life further confirmed their beliefs.

She thought such rumors would only circulate in her hometown, and things would get better when she came to school.

But reality slapped her hard; like indelible clouds, those malicious speculations still hung over her head.

Worse still, upon entering Emanas, her previous lack of foundational knowledge was fully exposed, and all her classmates were geniuses.

Not only were they more talented than her, they received education earlier, had名师 guidance, and some worked even harder than she did.

Kafra struggled tirelessly, day and night, yet could only reach the level of others taking a leisurely stroll. Meanwhile, external malice and ridicule spread like a flood, gradually drowning her, plunging her into darkness, making it hard to breathe.

‘It turns out, I am just an ordinary person.’

People.

Yes, I don’t have any special talent, no bloodline or background, nor a strong heart and confidence. Words of harsh criticism can shake me to my core, and now I’ve lost the will to keep going.

This is just the beginning of the school term. It’s like walking through a desert, with a hazy dust storm in the distance, no direction to follow, and the path behind me buried under sand. There’s no water or food to sustain me, and my feet are deeply mired in the sand, unable to move.

Kafra sat呆呆地坐在餐厅的座位上, tears slowly streaming down her face, not knowing when they started.

Should she go back? Sorry, Mom and Dad, your daughter has let you down.

Kafra was conflicted, wanting to stand up but unsure where to go. Although this school was beautiful and vast, there seemed to be no place that could make her feel warm.

Her vision blurred, and her heart sank.

“Hello, may I ask your name? My name is Lolan.”

A familiar voice came from ahead. Looking up, she saw the person standing in front of her just as before.

“My name is Kafra.”

Mixed with sobs, tears finally broke free and streamed down her face.

The pent-up sorrow and depression from days past, misunderstandings, slanders, and insults, all poured out, regardless of the surprised looks from those around her. Only because of that warm embrace, like a harbor at night, everything was accommodated; the dark night illuminated by a lighthouse, the surging tides coming to a halt.

Gently stroking her back, Lolan Hill silently comforted the weeping girl. The reasons for her crying didn’t need to be questioned, for it’s hard for someone else to truly understand another’s struggles and pain.

All she needed to do was stand quietly here, accompany her in solving problems and overcoming difficulties, and gradually, the wounds in her heart would heal.

—

“Then let’s form a small club related to learning.”

In the park of the school, after quietly listening to Kafra’s confession, Lolan Hill suggested, for the first time, she had the idea of changing something.

Let this small club be the beginning of everything.

—

(End of Chapter)