Conflict

"What did you say?" Kieran questioned, he was stunned. He looked at Ethan, wishing he could tear him down where he was standing at.

"Oh? Don't you have ears? Should I repeat myself? Okay, listen carefully now brother. I said you are so dull, it's not that I'm saying you are stupid, but you are just giving the world "stupid" a very bad name. Do you hear me now?" Ethan responded indifferently.

"You... How dare you?" Kieran was enraged and he immediately lunged in Ethan's direction, his face was icy-cold and he was determined to get a chunk of Ethan's flesh.

Elder Felix watched this and his eye flashed coldly. "Insolence!!" Elder Felix cried out in a cold voice.

Elder Felix looked at Ethan and continued. "You boy, you have violated the clan's rules and regulations for trying to foolishly instigate your fellow brother into a fight. As the disciplinary elder of the clan, I hereby sentence Ethan Hastings to receive 50 lashes, and for you to undergo two weeks of reflection and introspection through solitary meditation. You are to face the wall for two weeks without moving an inch." Elder Felix said maliciously, and immediately everyone in the Martial Hall cried out in uproar.

"What the...?"

"Elder Felix is so cruel, what has Ethan done to deserve this kind of punishment?"

"Has he forgotten that Ethan is the precious son of the clan leader? What the hell is going on here?"

"It serves him right. Why would Ethan be talking to his elder brother in that manner?"

"Hahaha" everyone started clamoring, they were all surprised about how vicious Elder Felix suddenly turned out to be.

"Felix, you dare?" Victoria was enraged, she stood up and gazed coldly at Elder Felix.

"Why won't I dare huh? I'm only carrying out my duty as the clan disciplinary elder and making sure justice is served rightly for the bullied disciples." Elder Felix smiled coldly while he replied with a sneer.

"Elder Felix, what do you mean by this?" Jonathan Hastings asked in a low voice, he was so angry that he could barely control himself from exploding.

Elder Felix looked at Jonathan Hastings and replied. "I must bring out justice and make sure the disciples follow the rules and regulations of the clan, I'm only doing my job as it is my duty, don't be offended clan leader." Elder Felix said with a cold smile. [See how are you going to walk directly into my trap today Jonathan Hastings. He-he] Elder Felix thought inwardly.

"They are both my son and I have every right to punish any of them, I will discipline Ethan after today's Spirit Roots test on my own." Jonathan Hastings said coldly.

"Husband, you must not spoil Ethan too much, let him reflect on his mistakes after he has received the 50 whips in the Disciplinary pavilion." Precious Hastings suddenly said from the side, she was also supporting that Ethan should receive his punishment.

"Yes, yes let him receive it," Rowan Ashford said silently.

Kieran watched as everything was going to his advantage and he was excited immediately. He walked straight to the front of the special seats where the guest and the powerful members of the Azure Crane Clan were sitting and bowed, then he turned to face Jonathan Hastings and said. "Father, Ethan has no good morals nor did he have good manners and it's obvious that he doesn't care for anyone, he has always looked down on others, and he had a vile tongue. Father let him receive this punishment so that he would be able to turn on a new leaf and turn from his vile ways." Kieran said pitifully with a wronged expression.

"Kieran, shut up your mouth now." Victoria Hastings cried out coldly.

"And what right do you have to ask my son to shut up his mouth, Victoria? I'm not surprised, like mother like son." Precious Hastings replied while smiling mockingly.

"Ethan, do you admit your crime now?" Elder Felix ignored Jonathan and Victoria's cold gaze and said coldly while looking at Ethan with a malicious gaze. But before Ethan could reply, a mocking voice beat him to it.

"What bullshit crime? My brother here has done absolutely nothing wrong for him to receive this punishment, if there is anyone to be punished then I think that person should be Kieran. He has been on Ethan's nerve since we all arrived here and he was even the first to call Ethan a bastard, so tell me who has the nasty tongue now? If I should call you a bastard what are you gonna do?" Fatty said absentmindedly and everywhere immediately went deadly silent.

Fatty noticed that something was wrong, that he has said something that he shouldn't have said and he quickly said "What are you all looking at? You haven't seen someone as handsome as me?" he asked shamelessly when he noticed how everyone was staring at him with a stunned face, some were even looking at him with their mouth widely opened.

"What??"

"Who's handsome?"

"Fatty, your face is so thick"

"You're too shameless, haha" Everyone blushed and started berating him.

"Insolent!" Kieran and Elder Felix cried out immediately as they both snapped out of their grand stupor.

"Who is this lowly person? How dare you?" Elder Felix was enraged and immediately heavy pressure descend upon Ethan and Fatty. They both felt as if a big mountain was pressing down on them and immediately some weaker disciples started dropping to their knees as they couldn't endure the pressure even though it was not directed at them.

Ethan gripped his hands tightly and gritted his teeth under but he refused to bow or knee.

"Humph!" an old, ancient voice suddenly sounded in Ethan's sea of consciousness, and the pressure that was pressing down on Ethan disappeared immediately. Ethan was alarmed, [What? Who is that? I heard a voice in my sea of consciousness just now and the voice seems to have traveled from ancient times.] Ethan thought inwardly as his mind was in chaos and he can't get his mind off the ancient voice he just heard, and he decided to probe his sea of consciousness when he was suddenly interrupted by his father's cold voice.

"Felix, you have gone too far." Jonathan Hastings stood up and exploded, and he suddenly sent out a palm strike.

An explosive burst of lightning suddenly burst out and Elder Felix's eyes changed immediately. Elder Felix sneered and sent out his fist technique.

"Cyclone Punch" he grunted coldly and a great whirlwind suddenly appeared, he looked cold and said, "Go!" then immediately the whirlwind moved at lightning speed to face the incoming burst of lightning.

"That's Elder Felix's ultimate technique, Gale Fist Technique." someone suddenly cried out among the group of disciples.

"This is the medium level of Gale Fist Techniques, the Cyclone Punch. I didn't know that Elder Felix would have already mastered it. He is as strong as the clan leader now." another disciple said.

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'BANG!!!!'

With a loud bang, the burst of lightning collided with the whirlwind and immediately the whirlwind dispersed with the lightning piercing through it with powerful momentum, but the lightning has already weakened significantly.

'SCHWING'

Elder Felix unsheathed his sword and slash out immediately when he noticed the incoming lightning.

'BANG!!"

Elder Felix was knocked back and he slammed into the Hall wall. He grunted and tried to stand up again but then he noticed a sweet scent coming up from his throat.

'WAH'

Elder Felix immediately vomited a mouthful of blood while looking at Jonathan venomously with fear and anger.

"Impossible!" he cried out immediately.

"How is this possible? Why is he so strong? I don't believe it. Argh!!!" He let out a loud voice that was filled with bitterness and anger while wiping the blood that was coming out from his nose.

"This is your last warning Elder Alex." Jonathan Hastings looked at Elder Felix and declared coldly. "The next time you forced my hand, I would make sure you lose an arm and your legs." Jonathan continued then he walked back to his seat.

"Wow! Clan leader is so strong."

"I thought the clan leader is just a little bit stronger than Elder Felix but I was gravely wrong."

"Clan leader is so cool." the disciples burst out in uproar as they were excited about the fighting prowess of Jonathan Hastings, they were all looking at Jonathan Hastings with reverence. The other Elders and the people from the main family were also stunned.

Wow, Dad is so strong. Is this the strength of people in this world, this is stronger than the collision of a random bomb on Earth." Ethan muttered inwardly.

"Uncle is so strong?" Alexander was surprised.

Richard Crane was also surprised, he raised a brow and muttered inwardly. "Jonathan has already made a breakthrough into the Core Formation Realm so quickly? I knew it, I knew he was hiding something but I couldn't feel his energy."

The cultivation levels in the world of Etherea are classified into 8 levels which are; Foundation Realm, Qi Condensation Realm, Spirit Awakening Realm, Core Formation Realm, Nascent Soul Realm, Soul Integration Realm, Void Refinement Realm, and the Divine Ascension Realm. Each level represents power, status, and great significance in the cultivation world. And from the Foundation Realm to the Void Refinement Realm, they are grouped into 9 stages, and a cultivator has to achieve a minor breakthrough in each cultivation tier from stage 1 to stage 9 before they can have a breakthrough into the next cultivation level.

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The group of elders was also surprised.

"Clan leader has made a breakthrough into the Core Formation Realm! Good, good, haha." the second Elder burst out into laughter.

"The Whispering Willow Clan and the surrounding clans are in for a surprised this time, haha." Elder Alison, the female Elder said with a cold smile. [Jonathan has made a breakthrough into the Core Formation Realm? Damn it!] The first Elder thought inwardly as he looked at Jonathan Hastings on his seat, his eyes flashed with a cold light but it was well undetected.

"Congratulations Clan leader!!!"

"Congratulations Clan leader!!!" the first Elder stood up, bowed slightly, and said with the other elders and the disciples also bowed to congratulate Jonathan Hastings.

Elder Felix stood up and he was about to say something when a voice was suddenly transmitted to his ear. "Lay low for now and don't expose our plans, it is unexpected that he has reached the Core Formation Realm, we have to make another plan." the voice said and Elder Felix's eyes shimmered with a cruel light.