Sect mission

Luriel woke up to warm sun rays illuminating his face. Mumbling under his breath, he stood up and rubbed his eyes before opening them. Shortly after that, his eyes widened in shock and he staggered backwards, falling on the bed.

The reason for that was simple.

"I know that my face isn't exactly handsome but your reaction was a bit extreme, don't you think?

The young man that was staring daggers at him the night before was inside his room, sitting comfortably at the corner.

'Wait, sitting?'

There was no chair in Luriel's room. Hans was sitting on air, with one leg over the other, looking comfortable, as if he wasn't supporting his whole body with a single leg.

Luriel immediately tried to imagine himself doing it but no matter how much he thought about it, it seemed inpossible.

Seeing how the boy ignoring his cool entrance, Hans felt slightly disappointed. Seeing Luriel's expression trying to make sense of what was happening however, made him chuckle.

"It's not that hard to do similar stunts when you reach the seventh stage, althought you're still quite far from that level."

"What do you mean 'seventh stage' ? Is it like the martial arts grandpa has mastered? But the peak of martial arts is the fifth realm, how could the seventh realm exist?

Battle arts created by mortals to enhance their strength are called martial arts and they are divided in five realms, namely the beginner, advanced, master and grandmaster realm. The last one is called the quasi-immortal realm and it is considered a myth among mortals.

"Right, I guess you're too young to know that. Alright kid, time for a general knowledge lesson!"

Having said that, Hans clapped his hands and Luriel saw his surrounding blur and shift as they ended up in an area full of trees, presumably the nearby forest.

"Now then without further ado, it's time to start the lesson. The martial arts mortals created are nothing more than a simple imitation of the cultivation manuals we cultivators utilize.

Even the weakest cultivator can beat one of the strongest martial artists without breaking a sweat."

Hans gave Luriel some time to process the information. Seeing how ignorant he was of these matters, he was prepared for a long and tedious session. That's when he remembered something.

"Right, you mentioned your grandfather Thul, right? He is a formidable mortal indeed. He doesn't fall in the cathegory of martial artist I mentioned before. To understand it better, I'll give you an overview of cultivation."

At this point, Luriel was actively listening and comprehending the things Hans said. Althought his head was spinning for a while after they insta travelled, he quickly stabilized his mind and was listening attentively.

"The cultivation realms are as follows: Broken Vessel realm, Chaotic Harmony realm, Tranquil Sea realm and Core Formation realm. There are more but those are the only ones you need to know for now."

In truth, those were all the realms he knew but how could he tell that to the boy? He should appear as all-knowing to leave a profound inpression on him!

Luriel suddenly raised his hand like a school student trying to ask a question. Finding it a little funny, Hans nodded.

'This boy is the embodiment of 'A wise man succumbs to circumstances'. He was ready to throw countless curses at me when I appeared but shut his trap after I showed the difference in power.'

"What realm are you in?"

Having anticipated such a question, Hans answered truthfully.

"I am at the seventh stage of the Broken Vessel realm and you..."

Sensing a change in his playful demeanor, Luriel unconsciously stood straight and tensed up a little.

"Are at the third stage of the Broken Vessel realm, something I find greatly disturbing considering your ignorance on these matters."

Luriel could feel that the statement was actually an inquiry. And that bad things might follow if he didn't give the right answer. However, he himself was more confused. How could he cultivate when he had no manual or even basic knowledge about it? He was as clueless as Hans.

It was true that he was abnormally strong but he thought it was all thanks to his innate strength. Furthermore, he was quite talented in martial arts, so he naturally contributed his achievements to that.

"I truly don't know what you're talking about. I've only ever practised martial arts and even then my mastery over them is only at the Advanced stage at most. How could I be a cultivator?"

Hans already suspected that was the case and found his story to be most likely true. He relaxed and the amtosphere returned to the previous playful one.

"Alright no need to be so tense, I was simply curious that's all."

'Bullshit! I could feel the blatant hostility you showed! Shameless bastard! Bullying the weak me!'

Naturally, Luriel didn't say any of that out loud and simply smiled, although it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Where was I now... Right! Right, your grandfather. He really is crazy strong for a mortal. If he were a cultivator, he'd be at the second stage, only one stage below you. If he uses his martial arts at the master realm, he might even beat some of the second stage newbies.

Not many mortals could do that, you have every right to be proud of him."

"Why do you keep refering to them as mortals? Do you become immortal if you cultivate?"

Seeing Hans' change of attitude, Luriel relaxed and decided to ask what he was curious about.

"Well yes, but not exacly. It's generally something like this: Broken Vessel realm cultivators have a lifespan of about 130 years on average, only 10 years above the mortal limit.

Chaotic Harmony stage cultivators have a lifespan of 300 years, give or take.

Followed by Tranquil Sea realm with 600 years.

Last but not least! The core formation realm! With a whopping 1500 years of life!"

"1500 years..." , mumbled Luriel.

For him, it was simply unbelievabe. More than a millennium to live! His small village will be replaced a hundred times over in that span of time!

Hans revealed a beaming smile upon seeing his reaction.

"Haha, do you think 1500 years is a long time? The more of something you have, the more you wish for more of it.

Having lived a long time, they are forced to cultivate to extend their lifespan. In fact, over 80% of their time goes for cultivation, neglecting the beauty of life.

The more you climb in the realms, the more time it takes to advance. It might take you decades or even hundreds of years to improve by a single stage."

Luriel simply nodded in understanding. His mind was preoccupied with this new knowledge so he couldn't reply with words.

"There's no need to think about it so hard, since you're still just a hatchling taking its first steps.

Don't worry though, I'll make sure to guide you poperly for the next few days. After that we're going to carry out my sect mission to hunt a demonic beast nearby. "

"Wait, why should I go? What's in it for me?"

"Nothing but... the weak don't have a right to refuse the strong, do they?"

Having said that, he released his aura, frightening Luriel before lightening the mood once more with a grin.

"Besides, you're the one getting stronger, so why still complain?"

A long, long day followed after that. One filled with pain and beatings under tha banner of 'training'.