Chapter 58 (1/2)

“Wait! What do you mean you won’t be my disciple!?”

“It means exactly what it sounds like,” Kid Vremya said. Currently, he was standing in the plaza of the Moon Lotus Sect. The trip to the Moon Lotus Sect was uneventful; he was cultivating the whole way there. In fact, he was already on the verge of breaking through to the fourth stage of qi condensation. As the crane got closer and closer to the center of the continent, the spiritual energy in the air became thicker and thicker. If his cultivation speed didn’t increase, he would’ve demanded a refund on every single cultivation technique he had bought from the marketplace.

“But you agreed!” Elder Formation said, practically shouting. She took a moment to recollect herself, and did her best to put on a friendly smile. “Don’t you remember what your grandmother told you? Wasn’t there the story about the horse and the gift? She told you to become my disciple, didn’t she? Come, tell everyone the story.”

Kid Vremya looked around before nodded. The new disciples were gathered in the plaza with him, and all the available elders were at the front, sitting in chairs that towered above the children. Kid Vremya straightened his back. “There once was a poor farmer. One day, while he was working in the field, a horse came up to him and dropped a bag of gold by the farmer’s feet before running away. The farmer was surprised but happy. The next day, the horse came back with another bag of gold. It once again dropped it by the farmer’s feet and ran away. The next day, the farmer brought his family outside to show them the money-giving horse. However, the horse didn’t show up. Bandits came instead, looking for their lost gold. They killed the farmer and his family and took back their gold. The moral of the story is to never trust anyone bearing gifts.”

Question marks filled the space over the elders’ heads. Elder Formation slapped her armrest. “Then why did you agree to become my disciple? If you didn’t trust me, you should’ve declined!”

“If I said no, you would’ve thrown me off the crane,” Kid Vremya said. “I had to trick you to prevent you from killing me.”

“He’s right,” an elder said and nodded. “Elder Formation has a bad temper. If this child refused to become her disciple, she definitely would’ve disposed of him. What a smart lad.”

“However, declining her right here in front of all of us, what does he plan on doing?”

Kid Vremya crossed his arms. “I’ve heard the Moon Lotus Sect is a place where the talented can grow without being oppressed by the older generation regardless of status. Their rank shall be determined by their talent and not by their connections or wealth. As long as one’s talent is great enough, they can even step on the heads of their elders without fear of repercussion.”

“Hah!” An elder let out a laugh, her eyes twinkling. “Where did you hear that from, child? The Moon Lotus Sect is nothing like that at all! We value tradition greatly, and—”

“Shut up.”

A sword appeared by the elder’s neck, drawing blood. She stopped speaking, her mouth frozen in place. Cold sweat ran down her back, and she resisted the urge to swallow, afraid the action would push the sword deeper into her flesh. Rachel was holding the other end of the sword, her eyes like those of a tiger. She slowly pulled the sword back, sliding it along the cut flesh of the elder. The motion didn’t cause the wound to worsen, but the elder wished the sect leader would’ve retrieved the sword in any other way.

Rachel sheathed her sword and nodded at Kid Vremya. “You’re exactly right. That’s the kind of place the Moon Lotus Sect is striving to be. Even though you’re a male, you’re more than qualified to choose your own master. Pick wisely.” She gave Kid Vremya a thin smile. Of all the disciples gathered, he was the only boy. In the first place, the Moon Lotus Sect was very selective. They had gone around the whole continent but only accepted four hundred disciples this time around. Of course, there were a few other talented boys, but they were sent to the Sun Cactus Sect because none of the elders wanted them as their personal disciples.

Kid Vremya nodded at Rachel, causing the sect leader’s smile to slightly widen. The next words out of Kid Vremya’s mouth, however, caused her face to become stone cold. “None of you are qualified to be my master,” Kid Vremya said. He was the incarnation of a god! These people were just lower lifeforms trapped in his bellybutton. If he wanted to, he could eliminate all of them with a simple thought. How could he possibly lower his head and call one of them his master?

“Your arrogance is higher than the sky! You think you’re the only talented child to ever exist?” Elder Formation asked with her nostrils flared. She stood up in her seat. “You might have great potential, but you’re a moron! Do you think any sect would want you with an attitude like that?”