Chapter 11: Chapter 8: Practice Area No. 1

Translator: 549690339

First Cultivation Ground

In the early morning, before the mist had dispersed, over a dozen silhouettes of varying heights stood upright in the center of the training ground. Instructor Tang Bin, accompanied by two of his younger brothers, stood at the front of the assembly.

Since they bore the surname Tang, they were required to report to the First Cultivation Ground for instruction and cultivation once they entered the Martial Hall. Only instructors of this cultivation ground were authorized to teach the Heavenly Pathway Technique and the Tongtian Domination Scroll techniques.

The instructor’s name was Tang Bin, a biological younger brother of the current clan leader and was responsible for guiding the cultivation efforts of the Tang Clan disciples in the Martial Hall.

Although the character ‘Bin’ was in his name, he was a sturdy man standing at two meters tall, giving off a powerful aura. With his thick, black eyebrows and serious eyes, the sight was intimidating indeed.

At their first meeting, Tang Xing was somewhat frightened of this towering relative, while Tang Luo was filled with curiosity. He was drawn to the number 9999 (13148) floating above Tang Bin’s head, enclosed within parentheses.

As per tradition, upon entry into the Martial Hall, members of the Tang Clan would introduce themselves in front of their fellow disciples, after which they would commence their training. Whether they managed to develop good relationships with their siblings or find training partners was of no concern to Tang Bin.

The current situation was akin to an introductory ceremony for the two brothers, formally introducing them to the brothers and sisters already in the Martial Hall.

Bucketed as someone with a mature mindset, this was a rather small situation to handle.

Tang Luo stepped forward nonchalantly, completely unperturbed by the pair of curious eyes, and spoke calmly, “Tang Luo, thirteen-years-old, Mortal Realm.”

Impressed by his concise manner, Tang Luo completed his introductions before the brothers and sisters could even recover. He stepped back, even somehow managing to surprise young Tang Xing with his succinct introduction.

Since his elder brother had finished his introduction, it was now Tang Xing’s turn. He had previously been rehearsing various words in his heart, about his likes, fears, goals, and similar things. However, seeing his elder brother’s brief address, the little guy seemed to have received a template.

Just like his elder brother, he stepped forward, speaking somewhat nervously, his voice quivering slightly, “Tang Xing, ni…nine-years-old, Foundation Building complete.”

After making his statement, he quickly retreated, giving his brother a side glance that seemed to say ‘I did good, didn’t I?’. Tang Luo was almost speechless, feeling like he had set a bad precedent.

“Good, welcome Tang Luo and Tang Xing to the Tang Clan’s Martial Hall,” responded Tang Bin, frowning slightly after listening to the brothers’ introduction.

Many rumors surrounded the young prodigy Tang Luo within the clan, most of which portrayed his aloof and snobbish nature. The instructor had originally thought that Tang Luo had decided to join the Martial Hall because he had adjusted his mindset after losing his cultivation. But now it seemed like nothing had changed. His introductions seemed less like greetings to his clan brothers and sisters and more like the casual introductions of wandering warriors brought together for a mission.

Unsurprisingly, the lackluster applause showed that the clan members were not satisfied with the brothers’ introductions, apart from a few young ladies who clapped a few times. Five children standing in the first row crossed their arms, coldly staring back, as if they were not the least bit welcoming to the two.

Tang Luo shook his head secretly. He knew his reputation in the clan wasn’t good, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad. Looking at the row of crossed-armed youths in front of him, it seemed that he won’t have it easy in the Martial Hall.

Because those standing in the first row were the representatives of the Tang family’s generation.

After the short welcoming ceremony, Tang Luo and Tang Xing were positioned in the assembly.

“Tang Xing, go to the furthest right of the last row.” Tang Xing trotted all the way to the end of the line, his small figure buried in the crowd.

However, Tang Bin was somewhat hesitant about Tang Luo’s placement. If placed according to his current level of cultivation, Tang Luo should be positioned in the middle, along with fellow Mortal Realm practitioners. However, he was, after all, a young prodigy who had entered the Mortal Realm at thirteen. Considering his arrogance today, placing him according to his cultivation level could agitate the proud youth.

After a long period of hesitation, Tang Bin made a decision, “Tang Luo, stand at the last position of the first row.”

If he could maintain his speed and return to cultivation, then this first row was where he deserved to be. If he couldn’t cultivate anymore, he probably wouldn’t stay due to his proud nature.

No matter what Tang Bin was thinking, Tang Luo only saw a bleak future before him.

“Uncle, you’re not playing with me, are you?” He thought to himself. He almost doubted his own hearing. He had been prepared to quietly stand in the middle and start a low-key life buried in the crowd. He did not expect Tang Bin to actually place him in the first row.

Even though it was his first encounter with this kind of arrangement, Tang Luo could see the intricacies of the formation. The reason? He could see the amount of spiritual energy above the heads of those standing in the front row.

The five youths standing in the first row, besides being the oldest, were all at the peak level of the Mortal Realm. And Tang Peng, standing first on the left, had already attained the Metamorphosis Realm.

With him just having reached the Mortal Realm and being placed in the first row, wasn’t this practically setting him up? Tang Luo stood silently at the end of the queue, left somewhat speechless.

“Those at the Foundation Building level remain here, the rest are dismissed for individual cultivation,” Tang Bin’s voice echoed boldly across the cultivation ground.

With the exception of the children in the last row, the youngsters in the first and second rows grouped together with their familiar partners. They moved to the edges of the cultivation ground. Judging by their familiar demeanor, it seemed that even within the same family, several small groups had already been formed.

No one came to greet him. A small twitch appeared on the corner of Tang Luo’s mouth, just as he had expected.

It appeared as though life in the Martial Hall was going to be very “interesting”.

……

“At this rate, I’m afraid it will end in disaster.”

At the end of a day’s training, Tang Luo lay on his bed, mumbling to himself. It wasn’t due to psychological issues like feeling isolated, but there was something even more serious.

The training divided by levels of cultivation. For children who have just completed the foundation-building phase, the main focus is on familiarizing themselves with the Heavenly Pathway Technique and the moves of the Tongtian Domination Scroll, which is relatively relaxed.

But for disciples who have reached the Mortal Realm, the emphasis sharply shifts to honing physical skills and martial arts mastery.

This is really ridiculous, Tang Luo felt like cussing when he saw the clan members being able to regain their energy after just a short meditation session.

People really are different. Tang Luo wasn’t sure if it was due to the Star Core, but his control over Spiritual Energy was astonishingly strong. Others had to practice a move for tens or even hundreds of times, but as long as Tang Luo was familiar with the energy operation method, he could perfect any move in a single practice. He could even derive various changes of energy, for instance, controlling the output size of Spiritual Energy to adjust the intensity of moves.

This had reached a level of martial skill that some instructors could not achieve.

However, his extraordinary control came at a cost: Tang Luo lost his Spiritual Energy recovery ability. Every time he performed a martial skill, he would lose some Spiritual Energy. After a day of cultivation, he would lose more than a dozen strands.

You should know that he can only absorb six strands of Spiritual Energy in a day. This deficit is severe. If this continued, his cultivation would regress.

“What am I going to do?” Tang Luo was truly distressed. If he quit the Martial Hall after only one day, his second uncle, Tang Bin, would probably break his legs.

Tang Xing had no idea about his brother’s internal struggle. He was still immersed in his brother’s god-like performance in the morning and was full of admiration for his big brother.

“Brother, you’re so talented. You can perform martial skills after just one practice. Can you teach me?” His eyes were sparkling.

Tang Luo looked at the little imp who had rushed to his bedside and was speechless.

He might have gained some minor fame in the cultivation ground today, but the loss of his Spiritual Energy recovery ability was a huge setback. No matter how you look at it, he suffered a great loss in the end.

Seeing this little imp poking at his sore point when back in their room irritated him. Annoyed, Tang Luo pinched his brother’s face and said whilst rubbing it, “This is talent, you know? A mediocre kid like you wouldn’t be able to learn it. Go cultivate.”

The little imp seemed oblivious to his brother’s irritation and headed to the cultivation room cheerfully.

It seemed like he had no other choice. Tang Luo’s face distorted in frustration as he made up his mind.

Between offending the clan members and starting all over again, the decision was obvious.

……..

The next day, the First Cultivation Ground

“Now, begin practicing the martial skill ‘Wind Attack’. Alternate in pairs with breaks. Six sets of practice, each set five times. Begin.” Tang Bin instructed the remaining ten young men and women, setting out the morning’s training task.

‘Wind Attack’ was one of the moves in the Tongtian Domination Scroll. He had taught this killer move yesterday. After today’s practice, they would be able to incorporate the killer move into their combat training.

Regarding the training and improvement of martial arts, Tang Bin had his own insights. Judging from the results, he was considered the top instructor in the Tang family.

However, today was not his lucky day.

“Wait, instructor. I have something to say.” Before they disbanded, Tang Luo suddenly spoke up. He took a step from the line-up and boldly said, still under the stern and grim gaze of Tang Bin.

What does this kid want this time?

“Speak.” Tang Bin wasn’t very fond of Tang Luo. A disciple who could perform a move after just hearing the energy operation method didn’t reflect well on his teaching skills. Furthermore, he, who cherished cooperative combat, didn’t like Tang Luo’s aloof personality.

“I don’t want to participate in martial skill practices.” Tang Luo looked right into Tang Bin’s eyes and stated firmly.

The youth who were about to disperse were stunned and all eyes focused on him instantly.

This was absolutely confrontational. Just a bit of talent and he’s lost sight of himself.

“Do you think you don’t need to practice martial skills?” Tang Bin’s gaze was even more stern. He liked talented children least of all. So high-minded. He only came for a day and he was so arrogant. If he wasn’t one of his own people, he really wished he could slap him into the ground.

“Yes, mentor.” It’s not that he didn’t realize the anger in Tang Bin’s eyes. However, he had his own difficulties. Should he tell him that his Spiritual Energy couldn’t recover? That would make him appear weak. He had no choice but to proudly insist, replied Tang Luo with a firm tone.

“Hmph. He doesn’t know how high the sky is or how thick the earth is.” Tang Bin hadn’t expressed his opinion yet, but Tang Peng had already snorted in coldness. This clan brother was really too unrestrained.

Tang Bin waved his hand to stop Tang Peng and stared seriously at Tang Luo’s eyes. Although he didn’t like this child, he saw the confidence and calmness in his eyes. He didn’t seem to be an arrogant person, so why would he say such things?

Tang Bin didn’t understand and the atmosphere turned weirdly silent. The two of them stood their ground, neither giving in. The children who were already scattered earlier had also gathered around to watch.

“Do you feel that as long as you can perform martial skills, you’ve mastered them? So, you don’t want to be part of these practices.” After a long time, Tang Bin asked in a low voice, breaking the silence.

Tang Luo remained silent, in Tang Bin’s view, it was as good as admitting.

“How naive!” Tang Bin sighed internally. Perhaps it was because they had praised this young genius too much before that he developed such an arrogant personality. However, as an instructor, it was his responsibility to teach the clan the utmost truth in combat. He had to make this kid understand the meaning of cultivation.

“Tang Peng, Tang Hong, Tang Xin, step forward.” Tang Bin turned his head and issued an order to the three who were standing in the first row.

“Aim at the giant rock and execute ‘Wind Attack’ in three stacks.”

Following Tang Bin’s hand, people saw a giant granite rock in the distance. It was referred to as the “huge rock”; it looked like a giant artificial mountain, almost three meters high.