Duncan didn't know if he had to wait for his master to summon him or if he had to present himself to his master. He didn't want to make any mistake because of such confusion, so he decided to be proactive and made his way toward his master's residence.
If worse comes to worst, he could always wait there for his master's summon.
When he reported to his master's dwelling, a servant told him that his master was currently busy and he had asked him to wait. With nothing else to do, Duncan decided to wait in the courtyard patiently.
After almost an hour of waiting, the servant came back and asked Duncan to follow him. Duncan followed the servant and came to the same backyard where his master had introduced him to the cultivation world. The servant stopped at the entrance and gestured for Duncan to go in. It was clear that the servant wouldn't be following him in into the backyard.
The moment Duncan stepped into the backyard, he felt heavy pressure press down on him. Duncan struggled to maintain his footing but somehow managed to stand steady.
There was panic in his heart as he had never felt something like that before. He looked around furtively trying to see what was causing such a reaction and didn't find anything remotely related to it.
He had known there were various methods cultivators normally used to exert their dominance on others. Some were direct, and some were indirect like arrays and stuff. Duncan didn't know what was causing such a huge pressure on his body.
"What you experienced now is what happens when someone at a higher cultivation level exerts it to pressure down on you," Liang Tianye spoke nonchalantly causing Duncan to look up at him.
"It is indeed admirable that you can still stand. However, know this, I only exerted the pressure of a Spirit Sea realm cultivation. If it was anything higher, you wouldn't even be able to stand. Even this pressure has immobilized you," Liang Tianye continued as he looked at Duncan in a scrutinizing manner.
"If you are unable to move, how do you think you would fare against someone like that in a fight? Do you think you would be able to swing your sword? Do you think you would be able to even run away?" Liang Tianye's questions hammered into Duncan like hammer blows.
Duncan didn't know how to respond. The answer was clear. He would be like a fish on a chopping block. All his efforts for the past two weeks seemed incredibly pitiful. What was the difference between him and a mortal at this moment?
"Now you understand why the cultivation realm matters in the cultivation world, don't you? You can have more battle tactics; you can have superior battle sense; you can have superior cultivation technique; your martial arts could be exquisite and be a real difference maker in a fight, but all these will become moot once you meet someone out of your league. You wouldn't even be able to move, let alone fight," Liang Tianye said mercilessly.
Duncan didn't reply. He merely thought hard on his master's statements. In a way, it made sense to Duncan. If he couldn't even move, how could he fight? But, he felt that it was not the entire truth, however. He felt there must be something else that his master is not telling him. However, he didn't feel like questioning his master currently.
"You are at the age where you should be in the Spirit Sea realm at the minimum. While it is not your fault that you have just started cultivating, the outside world wouldn't be so generous enough to understand that. Your counterparts will always be stronger than you."
"Even mere children will be stronger than you. When someone who is a child challenges you to a fight, you can't obviously cite your low cultivation and back out of it. It would be disgraceful to you, your sect, and especially me."
Liang Tianye stood up and walked towards Duncan slowly.
"That is unacceptable to me."
Liang Tianye neared Duncan and placed a hand on his body. The next moment, Duncan felt something foreign intruding into his body. Duncan tried to fight it, but it was able to easily overpower him and sweep through his body.
Liang Tinaye frowned slightly as he took in Duncan's body condition. To be honest, he had expected a little bit more from the boy. He at least expected the boy to have broken through one level by now. However, the boy was only at the peak of the first level of the Qi Condensation realm.
"Did you run into any trouble during your cultivation?" Liang Tianye asked Duncan.
"Yes master," Duncan replied as the pressure on him abruptly vanished. "I followed the methods described in the cultivation technique. However, no matter what I tried, I wasn't able to expand my dantain. I was struck at the point of only being able to accumulate nine qi strands."
Liang Tianye frowned a little, but he soon composed himself.
"Your understanding of the technique is flawed," Liang Tianye said ruthlessly and walked away from Duncan. He once more took his seat and looked at Duncan disappointedly.
"What is the name of the technique you are practicing?"
"<Slaughter Demon Sutra>, master."
"How many people have you slaughtered since you started cultivating?"
Duncan stood dumbfounded. He had never thought about the technique in such a way. Liang Tianye sneered seeing Duncan standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Did you think you would be able to cultivate just by hiding in your dwelling and practicing? How naïve? Where do you think you are at? Some righteous sect, where people smiled at you politely and patted you on the back? What kind of cultivation technique are you practicing? Did your puny brain even think about it?"
Liang Tianye's barrage of questions made Duncan feel a little ashamed. He never thought about the technique in such a manner. He had been so overjoyed by receiving the cultivation technique that he had forgotten about the nature of the technique entirely.
Coupled with the fact that he didn't have much interaction with the other disciples, Duncan hadn't thought much about the kind of environment he was in. The people he had met were courteous to him based on his status, but that didn't make this place a harmonious sect.
"I am sorry, master," Duncan said lowering his head.
"It is not your fault. I shouldn't have taken an imbecile like you as my direct disciple. Obviously, you have become comfortable with your status in this sect. You even forgot about the nature of the technique you are cultivating and where you are," Liang Tianye didn't let Duncan off.
"If it was any other disciple in your place, they would have gone out and found a slave or a wild beast and tested out their prowess. But you, you were comfortable enough to sit in your dwelling and cultivate as if we are some righteous sect practicing righteous techniques," Liang Tianye sneered once more.
"This wouldn't do," Liang Tianye shook his head and looked at Duncan angrily. "I had planned something for you to grow faster. However, it seems that is a waste of effort. You obviously need a different approach."
Liang Tianye abruptly stood up and grabbed Duncan by the back of his neck like he was a chick. Before Duncan could even register what was happening, Liang Tianye vanished along with Duncan from the backyard.
The next moment, Liang Tianye arrived at a mountain region filled with caves. He dropped Duncan unceremoniously on the ground and looked at a particular cave. The disciples standing guard around it saw Liang Tianye and hurriedly paid their respects.
Liang Tianye didn't even bother acknowledging it. He stared angrily at Duncan, waiting for him to find his bearings. Duncan didn't know what happened to him. One moment his master was berating him for being a fool, the next moment he felt someone grabbing his neck. Before he could even register what is going on, he was thrown unceremoniously to the ground.
Duncan cleared his head and looked around. He was taken aback to see that he wasn't in his master's backyard anymore. He turned and looked at his master fearfully.
"It is time you started accepting what you are meant to be. You aren't a mortal anymore or a righteous cultivator. If righteous cultivators came across you, they will kill you without much thought. If you carried on with this complacent attitude, you will not live long. If that is the case, why should the sect spend its efforts to groom you," Liang Tianye said angrily causing Duncan to shrink in further.
"I am going to send you into that cave. Your task is to survive a week in there. If you managed to do that, I will take you back in as my direct disciple and continue to nurture you. If not, you will be already dead so there is nothing that could be done about that," Liang Tianye said ruthlessly turning away from Duncan and looking at a faraway cave.
"Master, I am sor…" Duncan tried to plead, but Liang Tianye kicked him hard.
"I don't need a groveling worm as my disciple. To be my disciple, you need to be able to inspire fear in others. Your current state is disgusting. You there," Liang Tianye shouted at a nearby guard. "Open the gates."
The guard's face blanched a little, but he held his tongue under Liang Tianye's hard stare.
"Yes, Vice-Sect Master," the guard saluted and hastened to obey Liang Tianye's order.
"Just so you know, the entrance to that cave will open again seven days from now at noon. Your task is to survive for those seven days and be at the entrance when the gate opens. If you fail in either of those, you can rot in there for all I care," Liang Tianye said ruthlessly and kicked Duncan hard once more.
Duncan, who had merely stood up by that time, was sent flying through the opened gates. The moment Duncan passed the gates, the gates started closing once more. By the time Duncan recovered his wits after being sent flying, Duncan heard the gates close with a heavy thud.
*****
A/N: Hey folks!
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