"Liqin, I hope you do better than the first part," Yang Qing muttered to himself as his gaze fell on her.
Of the areas he thought they would struggle with; he didn't expect them to stumble at the first test. After interacting with them for quite some time Yang Qing thought they'd both be able to get through, though he thought they may struggle with it for a bit, he thought it wouldn't be enough to stump, however both their performances had surprised him.
Zou Yi performed excellent and Zou Liqin would have failed had Yu Mei not stepped in and saved her using her physique's latent abilities.
The first test involved the participant passing through the heart-cleansing waterfall. This was a natural Dao treasure. In terms of grade, one could classify it as an ascendant grade treasure, however, its worth was much more than that as it approached saint grade treasures in terms of importance.
One of the key reasons Yang Qing chose this location was because of its existence.
The waterfall had the ability to dig out one's own desire as long as you stepped through it, your deepest wants would be brought to the surface by it. It would use those desires and wove a phantasm world around it, and then it would drag your soul into that world.
The thing you held deeply would be dug out by that waterfall, and it would use other things within the person's heart to supplement the main feeling.
Yu Mei's advice to the team before they stepped into the waterfall though simple, highlighted the main aspect of it, which was sincerity. The sincerity of the heart.
From his interaction with the Zou siblings, he felt as though they had been deeply affected by the loss of their parents, and in the manner in which they lost them, they seemed to have come to terms with it, even though it still saddened them, it did not seem to have a negative hold on them.
Thus, in the first part of the test, Yang Qing had a feeling they would see their parent's in there and though it may be hard for them, they would eventually get through it. However, things went a completely different route for the two of them.
Yang Qing had expected a bit of bitterness, and anger before finally coming to terms with everything, which would finally allow them to pass the test, however when it came to Zou Yi, there was no anger, bitterness, or the negative emotions Yang Qing had expected.
About the only thing that seemed negative was the solitude, which Zou Yi seemed to have handled splendidly, and when it came to his heart's desire, what he wanted most was closure. To have a proper goodbye with his parents and for him to tell them he and his sister were okay.
When he had that, the test ended. Yang Qing was genuinely surprised by it, and then when it came to Zou Liqin, she also went outside his expectations. She was silent, and seemed more composed than Zou Yi when they first met, so Yang Qing expected she'd have an easier time in the heart-revealing waterfall than Zou Yi, but that wasn't the case.
The deepest sentiment for Zou Liqin was brought to the surface, it was fear. Fear of losing her one living relative, Zou Yi. In the illusion created by the waterfall, both Zou Yi and Zou Liqin passed their test. It was so vivid that Zou Liqin couldn't tell it was an illusion.
After the test, Zou Yi insisted they go deliver the news in person to their grandfather, which Zou Liqin happily agreed to. However, that was when things went wrong. They got attacked as they were making their way over to the Zou clan's main family grounds.
The attackers critically injured Zou Yi who put himself in danger to ensure Zou Liqin's survival. Zou Yi died soon after and Zou Liqin was forced to escape by herself. She was on the run for months before finally, she lost her pursuers, whom she still didn't know their identities.
They were dressed as bandits but they moved as cultivators who had been well trained, which was why despite the protective measures they had on them, courtesy of the Order, they still suffered a loss.
She was on the run for a year before she finally managed to get one of the Order's branches. There she quickly asked for help on behalf of her brother. When they went to the site they had been attacked, there was no body or any evidence that they had been attacked.
Zou Liqin almost went mad with grief, and then that's when flames of vengeance were ignited in her. She hid it well, but she used the Order's resources to investigate her brother's murder. After one and half years, the investigation led her to an assassin organization that had ties to an elder of the Zou family.
She was in shock when she found out, which then turned to unrestrained fury. The Zou clan killed her parents and now her brother. She restrained herself and planned for months on how to exact her revenge, starting with the assassin organization responsible for her brother's death.
For whatever she had planned, she decided against involving the Order. She researched hundreds of taboo and fiendish arts belonging to different nefarious organizations, which she then used to massacre the assassin organization and left breadcrumbs that would lead to the dark organizations whose skills she used in the act.
The plan was well crafted and meticulous. She had even conveniently left a few survivors and witnesses that would report the news to the Zou elder with ties to that organization. The plan worked well, and the Zou clan elder used his pull within the clan to attack the dark organizations he thought were responsible, who retaliated in return and soon a large-scale battle ensued.
However, it wasn't chaotic enough, so Zou Liqin schemed and had one of the young talents of the Chu clan get killed in the skirmish between the two sides. The Chu clan was a rank 2 family at the same level as the Zou clan, and the two clans had the worst of relationships that dated back to their third ancestor.
