Life In The Sect (1)

Gareth sat in the lotus position. Cultivation had never been so relaxing. The accumulation of his world energy which had been inching up slowly before was now like a tsunami. The perfect three star cultivation technique showed its unstoppable might. It reinforced the fact that techniques could be a true dividing line.

Sitting on the cushion, his mind in an hyper focused state, he cultivated diligently. Passing the night in such a state.

This had been his new routine in the recent week. Most likely, it was the same for the other new disciples.

He had gotten the perfect three star technique on the day of the induction ceremony. He could also choose any other technique he wanted for free. This was one of the special benefits the sect gave him.

He walked out of his new home. A house with a small yard. The house only had the space for his living and a place to take care of his hygiene.

His white robes fit perfectly on his body, Gareth looked at the houses of his neighbors which had no activity. The outer court had been quiet in recent times, everyone in a state of intense cultivation.

The hall where an elder would be giving guidance on their cultivation was deserted at this time. It was an hour before the lecture started, and Gareth felt it would be a time as good as any to grab a good seat. There was also the feeling which the large empty space evoked in him, the quiet and calm washing over his mind.

He had started with practicing an attack technique, it was one of the more famous techniques in the sect. He knew not to spread his focus too thin. When he reached a suitable proficiency, he would practice another type of technique. Maybe a movement or defense technique.

He knew that his body could tank a lot of damage. He had been through the attack of an initial completion cultivator before. Even now that he found that the sect had a different standard for an initial completion cultivator of the Awakening Realm, even an average one. He found that he could still take a few beating.

He had found this out at one of the challenge grounds in the sect, where training dummies were available. Even if he could fight the dummies at the initial completion, they easily overwhelmed him in no time. The speed at which they cast their techniques, aura pressure, reaction speed, the way they moved in tune with the world, it made him know that he had been underestimating the cultivators at this stage. If Mira and he had met sect cultivators at that time, their endings wouldn't have been good.

Even the dummies at the peak of the accumulation phase were not so easy for him to steamroll like he could with those at that stage he had met before.

Even though he had the raw power to. His lack in technique mastery was glaring, and this was something he would make sure to rectify.

He was brought out of his musings by the footsteps ringing in the hall. Someone sat beside him as a voice rang clear in his ears.

"Good morning, brother Gareth."

The voice, clear as the rousing call of spring, matched a face so pure with eyes as bright as pools of flawless dew. Her scent, a light of touch of jasmine, refreshed Gareth's nose.

"Good morning to you too, sister Jasmine." She was also one of the new disciples. One of the early risers. On the first day Gareth had arrived in the hall this early in the morning, he had met her sitting there on a bench. Her white robes billowing. Her elbows on the desk, her hands supporting her chin as she stared ahead, with an absent gaze.

"Brother Gareth, how are you progressing with your technique? My Water Chain technique is really unpopular." She was frustrated by this fact. "I would have loved to choose another of the more popular techniques since there would be many guide on them in the library, but I just can't bear to."

"Why, sister Jasmine. Since you have chosen it, and you love the technique so much, you will definitely progress since your passion is there. The elders are also there to help us, an Awakening Realm technique like this won't be a bother for them."

"Brother Gareth, it is like you to talk so. The elders aren't so free, and consulting them privately costs merit points." She gave him a pointed look.

Ah, that was true.

Gareth coughed.

"My Valiant Heart technique is going well. I have the feeling that I will be able to reach the entry level in a few more days."

"Wow. That's fast." She couldn't stop her lips from forming a pout. "And here I am, still struggling to grasp my technique."

"It is nothing like that. I am just learning from the seniors."

'Fast? That is too slow.' Gareth thought in his mind. Even he had his frustrations.

Their conversation continued, most of it centered on cultivation.

Time trickled slowly, and more disciples entered the hall. The hall that had the quiet conversation of two, now filled with the boisterous chatter of many.

Cultivating nonstop can be very tiring, moments like this eases the stress on one's psyche.

The time for the lecture was near. It was this time that the young master, Qian, and his entourage arrived. Despite the hall being almost occupied, there was an empty row of bench near the front of the hall.

They had somehow established this place as a reserved spot on the first day there was a lecture here. Qian had shown his might, and no one could argue with that level of power.

The elder arrived. He was clad in red robes, a contained aura emanating from him. He was an outer court elder. The main thing the elder taught the new disciples were the basics of how to manipulate their world energy in more efficient manners. A basic knowledge for the effective use of techniques.

Gareth listened to the points he made, noting them. Those he was not clear on, he would read more about them in the library. If he was still confused after that, there was the elder himself. The special benefits the sect gave him was truly amazing.