Cai Renxiang

> *"The world does not allow us to have mercy for bandits, but the world does not need to be one where bandits exist. The world is far from that state, and to protect those who you come to rule, you will be forced to confront your failures and the failures of your neighbors, but you must remember. We can improve. The world is ours to shape, and just as vice arises from vice, virtue arises from virtue." - Cai Renxiang*
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   Cai Renxiang is the Heir Apparent to the Cai clan, the current holders of the Duchy of the Emerald Seas.  The liege lord of Ling Qi, the protagonist of Forge of Destiny, she is dedicated to creating a system where order and justice are paramount.

Daughter of Cai Shenhua, the Duchess of the Emerald Seas, Cai Renxiang believes herself to be a tool crafted by the Duchess to fulfill specific purposes, and to that end has an extremely distorted view of her place in the world and believes herself to be a monster. Her cultivation began at the age of six, an age that not even the Bai begin cultivating at. This was also the first time that she met her mother and was fitted for her dress.

"...*a stern faced girl with luxurious waist length black hair and a disproportionately long sword, sheathed and leaned on her shoulder," - Third Test, Part 1.*

## Style

Cai Renxiang's political position, resources available to her, and cultivation advantage relative to anyone else makes it so that the player-base colloquially refers to her as a "Monster." Exceedingly strong, she is capable of defeating almost all of the outer sect in single combat.

Indeed, she can be even more terrifying in group combat. Having focused more on abilities that grant strong benefits to her supporters, Cai Renxiang has also demonstrated the ability to activate a single technique and have at least twenty three other lesser Outer Sect members submit and yield nearly instantly. She used this technique to devastating effect in the Outer Sect Tournament.

The composition and appearance of her techniques is heavily light and Heaven element themed, using bursts of light and energy, similar to her mother. Also like her mother, her preferred melee weapon is the saber, though most described arts and effects used by Renxiang only lightly involve it.

She is also supported in her battles by her spirit dress, Liming, which provides flight and armor along with more esoteric abilities.

## Story

Cai Renxiang's main ambition in the story, it seems, is to prove to her mother that she is a worthwhile heir. To that end, while in the Outer Sect, Cai Renxiang created a pseudo-governmental council after the three-month safe period. The said purpose of the "government" was to establish rules of fair play and enforce those rules for the Outer Sect in order to promote safe dueling and cultivation. All of the 1st year outer sect members who were at least yellow were invited to the initial meeting.

While initially successful, this council eventually broke down when Sun Liling declared that she was attempting to dissolve it. The resulting conflict was called the Thunderdome Redux, and while Cai Renxiang was successful in maintaining the authority of the council, it would be a long year of battle between the forces that Cai Renxiang had gathered to her side and those that flocked to Sun Liling's banner.

While marginally successful in defending and harassing Sun's faction in the beginning, the true turning point in the conflict was when Ling Qi single-handedly broke the power base of one of Sun's supporters, Yan Renshu, in a single night. After that, Ling Qi gave critical information regarding Sun's defenses on her primary fortress, and then incidentally provided the perfect distraction for Sun Liling, which created an opening for the forces of Cai Renxiang to crush the fortress.

After that, the capturing of Sun Liling's primary lieutenant Ji Rong was enough for Sun Liling to capitulate and agree to be under the rules of Cai Renxiang's government, along with a significant settlement to demonstrate her honest intentions. However, at this point, the sole source of authority for the government was Cai Renxiang, as Bai Meizhen had no desire to actually take parts in governance at the time.

For Cai Renxiang's success in demonstrating the superiority of the Cai, the Duchess gave a potent cultivation aid to Cai Renxiang and her supporters. Called the White Room, this cultivation aid greatly assisted many of Cai's supporters in preparing for the tournament, including Ling Qi. It provided benefits to the opening of Meridians, allowing Cai supporters who could use them to more easily open the later and normally more difficult Meridians.

Ling Qi agreed to become the vassal of the Cai clan, and a part of the retinue of Cai Renxiang herself at around this time.

## Bound Spirits

Cai Renxiang has one bound spirit, Liming. Liming is an object spirit taking the form of a dress worn by Cai Renxiang. Its voice is a susurrus of whispering hungry voices.

Liming appears to be an artificial spirit woven by the Duchess through some unknown method. Seemingly somewhat aware of its environment, it is a potent tool in Cai Renxiang's arsenal. Allowing her to fly and cast incredibly potent abilities it is unknown if Liming posses something akin to true intelligence, or merely acts on instinct and directions. Concerningly, most of Liming's strongest abilities can only be activated with Cai Renxiang's blood.

Due to Liming's nature and power, Cai Renxiang has not demonstrated any need or desire for other spiritual companions, and as such has bonded with no other.