Punishment

"Tang Tang? Is something the matter?"Questioned Lang Yue as she saw her son walking up to her and Tang Ziran.

"Where are the others?" Questioned Tang Ziran as he found it hard to believe they would leave him alone so soon, especially his little girl Na'er.

"They are training right now." Said Tang Wulin as he came to a stop in front of them.

"What is wrong Wulin?" Questioned Lang Yue as she felt something was amiss with her baby.

"I met my biological father in that year and a half I went missing." Said Tang Wulin causing Lang Yue and Tang Ziran to freeze.

"We talk. We talk about many things from why I was sent away to why he came back to take me away." Said Tang Wulin causing Lang Yue's body to tremble.

'No...'

"He told me he told you guys some things." Said Tang Wulin causing Tang Ziran to flinch but Lang Yue's head was still down.

"Tang Tang... We were going to tell you but." Tang Ziran tried to explain but he sufficiently realizes he didn't know how to.

He didn't know when it typically started but he and Lang Yue long since started to treat Wulin as their own son. In fact, they secretly hope that man didn't come back in genuine fear of him taking away Wulin from them.

Yet was it fair to Wulin? Tang Ziran didn't have the answer at all, but Tang Wulin did not change his expression as he began walking towards them.

He moved his hand to Lang Yue's chin and lift it up to see tears streaming down her lovely face.

"...T-Tang Tang-"

"I'm not mad." Said Tang Wulin causing both his parent's eyes to widen.

"Never at you guys." Said Tang Wulin.

Lang Yue and Tang Ziran watch as Tang Wulin envelop them in a hug. Lang Yue couldn't hold back anymore as she grasps onto Tang Wulin and cried on his chest.

Tang Ziran smiled as he began embracing his family.

All three of them embraced each other under the sunset and all of them had faint smiles on their face.

No words were uttered after that, as it wasn't needed.

#

"Pathetic." Said Wang Tong as he stared at all of the youths lying down.

Wang Tong was not expecting any of them to be able to find the way out on the first day. This says a lot about how difficult the maze was but he at least hopes some would make it to the half waypoint.

'Yet, not one of them made it.'

Wang Tong was finding it hard to believe none of them could make it to at least halfway through the maze but he knew the reason from the recordings in the other room. He saw everything that transpired in the maze and could only think.

'Devil.'

'The sect heir really is a devil.' Thought Wang Tong in disbelief.

The maze was accurately made to strike at the weakness of a soul master or one who is inexperienced. From the moment those youth step inside and didn't summon their martial soul, they were already at a terrible disadvantage.

Even after seeing the Lacrima suddenly appearing, they took no steps to take caution or bring out their spirit just in case.

'Most of the time, a person will be killed or defeated because of their negligence and underestimating their opponents.'

Tang Wulin's words rang inside of Wang Tong's head as he moved his gaze through the crowd.

'I have no interest in babysitting or having them learn step by step. So, this maze will gladly teach them to always be on guard to the point. It becomes itch in their body.'

Wang Tong had to admit, this maze might just work. As all of the Lacrima was punishing all of the youths inside who weren't careful. Not only that, but the Lacrima never gave them the time to recover or rest.

'It never even gave them time to escape.' Thought Wang Tong as he recalled, every time they woke up from being knockout. The Lacrima would rain down hell on them as to signify the terror of being at your enemy's mercy.

"B-But senior i-"

"Silence."

All the youths fell silent at Wang Tong's words and his glare.

"All of you would have been dead if this was a dungeon with an inheritance! Did none of you think to be on guard when you enter the maze! Was it because of me saying it was a pre-test? Are you all idiots!"

Wang Tong held nothing back as he digs deep into the youths. After he was done, some of them had their head down in shame, others had a red face and the rest were still dazed from what happened.

"Now then, time for your punishment." Said Wang Tong causing everyone to flinch.

"Since none of you could exit out of the maze, then you all will be running without any soul power. You will have to run ten kilometers and those who can't finish it will not get any food. That also includes the last 20 percent of people who finish later than everyone." Said Wang Tong causing most of them to look at him with questioning glances except for the body sect cultivators.

No food for the day? That was the punishment?

Some of the youths found it was an easy punishment that they were given but Wang Tong thought differently. He could see the frightened faces of his fellow body sect members and knew they understand.

'You will learn soon enough.' Thought Wang Tong with a sigh.

"You are allowed to do and use anything to reach the end of your run. Even attack each other but you are not allowed to kill anyone." Said Wang Tong causing most of them to be confused.

He lined them all up and then told them to go.

It wasn't a surprise that the body sect disciples ran like their lives were on the line. This surprised the other recruits but that didn't seem to make them very suspicious.

They would later come to bitterly regret their decision.

#

A week passed by as Tang Wulin was finishing up with cultivation. Something he hasn't done in a while and even when he came back, he was so busy working on other stuff. Right now he was at rank 58, close to becoming a Spirit King.

He was finishing absorbing the leftover energy from the Gold Tree and was opening up more of his extraordinary meridians. From what Old Tang said, it was possible for him to brute force it by controlling his soul power.

Although at most he only has about half of them open up.

"I wonder if they're done?" Questioned Zeref as he appeared next to Tang Wulin.

"You mean the recruits or my friends?"

"Your friends." Said Zeref as he knew they have been suffering unimaginable pain for the past week when Tang Wulin used his time magic on them.

With his time magic, Tang Wulin was able to unlock the full potential of their spirits and themselves. Back in Fiore, that spell was used to open a mage second container that is unused and granting them a massive boost in magic.

But with the help of Zeref and some modification. They were able to create a spell that would bring out the full potential of his friend's spirit. While it was similar to a Second Awakening, this method wasn't only restricted to a body spirit or one bloodline. The boost would also be on par with Gold-Rank, maybe even higher.

But the requirement is to go through hell to attain that power. Zeref had warned him before he used the spell and so he had the workers construct special rooms for his friends.

For the whole week, they have been screaming in agony and wringing in pain from the process. But at least the upside, they would be vastly stronger than before.

BOOOOM!

"I guess they're done." Said Tang Wulin as he saw an enormous pillar of flames.

"Right." Said Zeref.

#

"Get out of the way!"

BANG!

"Xie Xiao, you bastard!"

BANG! BANG!

Xie Xiao was questioning his life choices at the moment.

He was a thirteen-year-old kid with long hair and purple eyes. He wasn't overly handsome, but his eyes were said to be pretty enough to draw someone in.

Similar to everyone, he thought it would be easy to make it through the maze but how wrong he was. The cruelty of the maze was something out of this world as it wouldn't even give them a chance to run away or stay awake.

'First Soul Skill: Shocking.'

"Curse you!"

Then the punishment for not finishing the maze was to run for ten kilometers. Now, this wouldn't be so distressing except if they didn't finish within a certain time or they finish in the last twenty percent.

They would get no food for the day.

'Third Soul Skill: Explosion.'

Now some people might think that wasn't much of a punishment. Xie Xiao would have punch those people in the face and pierce them with his Soul Breaking Spear.

What the hell do they know! About the suffering of trying to move through a maze that rains down hell on you with nothing in your stomach! The pain of watching everyone but you eat! And it was good food too!

It took two days for everyone to throw away their pride and another day for everyone to do whatever it takes to not be in the last twenty percent.

'Second Soul Skill: Pierce'

Xie Xiao thrust his Soul Breaking Spear straight through the wall of earth that one of the people who was running beside him created and easily destroyed. Then he instantly jumps over ice spikes that were formed under him.

The ten-kilometer run was not a normal punishment anymore. It became something akin to a war, as everyone fought like their life was on the line.

Considering the hell they have to endure, that wasn't off the mark.

'I refuse to go back to that hell of hunger.' Thought Xie Xiao as three yellow soul rings lit up behind him.

"Come on you bastards!"

#

"...Elder. Are you sure we are developing humans?"Questioned one of the people next to Wang Tong as they were watching over the ten-kilometer run.

It wasn't wrong to say the youths on the field, look more like demons than actual people. Whether it be from them screwing over each other or from them using each other as a stepping stone.

From them letting out all of their soul skills to them learning how to adapt and deflect their competitor's attack. Wang Tong sometimes wonders if someday these youths might get sick of all this and try to rebel.

It wasn't like he could blame, to be honest. As this was borderline abuse and not even their own body sect cultivation method was this cruel.

'...Good thing I made a no-killing rule.' Thought Wang Tong as watched over them. He thought back to Tang Wulin words when he questions him about this punishment.

'Don't worry. After this punishment, they will gain the motivation to want to finish that maze in no time.'

"Elder, I think our Sect Heir is a demon in disguise." Said another person beside him.

'...Well, you're not incorrect.'