Severing Time & Space

Zhou Lihua's Birthday, Part I

There was a lot that went into choosing attire for someone's sixteenth birthday. No matter who you were, whether you were from a clan or just a normal family, someone turning sixteen was an auspicious occasion. It was tradition for the entire family to celebrate, but of course, celebrations differed greatly if you were from a clan.

Whenever someone turned sixteen in the Wu Clan, the entire clan would gather together and celebrate that person's entrance into adulthood. This was especially true if the person turning sixteen had a measurement of over five thousand on their previous strength test, since someone who achieved such strength had a good chance of breaking through to the Hunger Realm.

When it was a person like that who turned sixteen, the whole clan would gather in the testing grounds and encourage the young man or woman who was attempting to break through. If they succeeded, a huge party was held in honor of their success.

This was a world that celebrated strength.

There was a lot of pressure placed on those who were attempting to break through. Success or failure meant the difference between someone who was honored and someone who was shamed. While those who failed were not kicked out of the clan, it wasn't unusual for them to be ignored in favor of those who succeeded. A person's entire life basically hinged on whether or not they could break through to the Hunger Realm. They only had one chance.

Of course, this was only for people who belonged to clans.

The strength of a nation lay in the strength of its foundation, and the strength of its foundation lay in the strength of its clans and sects.

Weak countries were often mercilessly taken advantage of. Some were even subsumed by larger, more powerful nations. Any nation that wished to avoid such a fate needed to be strong.

This was also why strength was revered and weakness disgraced. Any clan or sect worth their weight in spirit stones knew better than to waste precious resources on a failure.

Since the person whose birthday they were preparing for was Zhou Lihua, the heiress of the Zhou Clan, nobody except Wu Jian, Wu Meiying, Hou Jingshu, and the elders and head of the clan were involved. This did not mean their preparations were any less thorough. If anything, they were even more thorough than if this party was for someone inside of the clan.

"Are you sure I need to wear something so stuffy?" asked Wu Jian.

"I'm positive. I'm sure all the members of the Zhou Clan will be wearing something similar. I hear they hail from the Ten Kingdoms Alliance. This is the latest fashion from there... or so I heard," Mother said.

"Or so you hear," he sighed.

Wu Jian looked at himself as he stood before a large mirror while his mother helped him put on his clothes, which consisted of several layers of black and red fabric. The inner layer was black. The outer red. All of it was tied together with a golden sash. Not only were there two layers of clothing, but both layers were considerably thicker than what he normally wore. It felt like he was being tied down with led weights.

He did not like these clothes. They were too stuffy, too warm, and the style seemed to er on the pompous side. He looked like a peacock.

His mother was adamant, however, and so he had no choice but to comply.

"There. All done." Mother stood up, stepped back, and cupped her chin, releasing a thoughtful hum. "Yes, I think you look very dashing in this. Maybe we should make it your casual attire."

"Let's not," Wu Jian said with a sigh.

Since he was done getting dressed, Wu Jian made his way out of his bedroom, his mother following close behind him, and traveled toward his father's reception room. There he found Father already dressed for the occasion. His father looked even more stern than usual, but Wu Jian thought his sour expression might have something to do with the man's current attire. It was the same as Wu Jian's, but his was purple and black.