Hei Lou Lan sat cross-legged on her stone slab bed, immersed in cultivation.
After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes.
She lowered her gaze and saw a totem emblazoned across her chest.
The totem was crude—just a few strokes, yet the lines were powerful and deliberate, rendering the image of a black cat in minimal detail.
The cat was small and youthful, its posture endearing. Its tail stood erect as it crouched low, front paws gripping the ground, poised as if about to spring forward at any moment.
"Huang Ji Zi lent me a complete set of Gu insects. With these insects, the first form of my totem killer move has taken shape."
Hei Lou Lan silently calculated the passage of time.
From her arrival here to completing the first form of the totem, exactly thirty days had elapsed.
During those thirty days, she had not set foot outside. Aside from eating, drinking, and relieving herself, she did nothing but cultivate.
She had not relaxed for a single moment, pushing herself to the extreme.
Suddenly, the sound of an argument drifted in from beyond the tent.
"Clan Leader Lan Feng, you've gone too far!"
"Exactly! How many supplies from the clan treasury have you consumed these past days—all for your illegitimate daughter?"
"From the very beginning, you used the meat of an ancient Desolate Beast, the single-horned roe deer, to brew soup just to whet her appetite. Then you made snake-and-rat nest soup, using nothing but snakes and rats from ancient Desolate Beasts, all just to determine the most precise recipe! In the days that followed, you've practically emptied our clan treasury. Every ingredient you touched was at least Desolate Beast grade."
"We elected you as clan leader, yet you abuse your office for personal gain! You are a disgrace to the trust the entire tribe has placed in you!"
Hei Lou Lan's expression shifted upon hearing this.
It seemed the tribe's elders were rising up en masse to confront Clan Leader Lu Tong Lan.
"Come to think of it, the immortal-grade materials I've consumed these past days are indeed considerable. Could it be that Huang Ji Zi has lost control of the situation?" Hei Lou Lan speculated inwardly.
The next moment, Lu Tong Lan's voice rang out: "Honored elders of the tribe, there is no need for anger. I did this with the tribe's best interests at heart. Ah Lan, come out."
Hearing these words, Hei Lou Lan finally stepped out of the tent where she had sequestered herself for a month, making her first official appearance.
The setting was a valley lush with green trees, a river flowing not far away.
Surrounding them were tents of all sizes, forming a tribal settlement.
Hei Lou Lan's tent stood at the center of the settlement—the safest location. It was also the largest tent.
In the clearing before the tent's entrance, a group of people stood facing off against Lu Tong Lan.
They too wore garments of beast hide, exposing most of their bodies. The majority were elders, and all were Gu Immortals. What drew Hei Lou Lan's gaze most was the various-colored totems adorning their bodies.
"Ah Lan, come here." Lu Tong Lan beckoned.
Hei Lou Lan walked over in silence, taking her place at Lu Tong Lan's side.
The elders' eyes all converged on Hei Lou Lan. No—to be more precise, they fixed upon her chest.
The elders' expressions began to shift.
Some wore looks of disbelief. Others began to tremble with excitement.
"This… is that?"
"Are my old eyes deceiving me?"
"Someone tell me—is that the You Du Li Hu!?"
Lu Tong Lan smiled. "That's right. This is the You Du Li Hu totem!"
The tribe's elders fell into stunned silence, every one of them trembling from head to toe with excitement.
Lu Tong Lan continued: "I know what you want to ask. Since my daughter possesses the You Du Li Hu totem, you should all understand—she is a Holy Body! Only a Holy Body can cultivate the You Du Li Hu totem."
The elders erupted in clamor.
Lu Tong Lan waited quietly. Only once the noise had died down did she speak again: "Now, do any of you still believe I was abusing my office for personal gain?"
"Absolutely not!" One elder shook his head repeatedly, his tone resolute.
"This is a Holy Body—one who can advance directly in the Myriad Tribe Festival and challenge the predicament!" Another elder stared at Hei Lou Lan with a gaze burning like fire.
"As long as the Holy Body survives the Myriad Tribe Festival, our entire tribe will receive preferential treatment and become one of the candidates for a Holy Tribe." Yet another elder had already begun to envision a radiant future.
"A Holy Body? Does that refer to my Great Strength True Martial physique?" Hei Lou Lan's mind settled, for she now understood that the entire situation had been within Lu Tong Lan's control all along.
Lu Tong Lan's lips curved upward. "Why should we settle for being mere candidates? Why can't we become a Holy Tribe outright?"
The elders' expressions froze, then they began shaking their heads one after another.
"Clan leader, you mustn't be so hasty!"
"Your daughter may possess a Seventh Transformation cultivation base, but to become the ultimate victor of the Myriad Tribe Festival, her cultivation is still insufficient."
"We must be patient. If she grows to the Eighth Transformation in the future, there will be no need for any challenge—by custom, she will be the Holy King!"
"All we need to do is protect her and nurture her, and we can become a Holy Tribe. Why take the risk?"