"Now, can I get another 10 minutes? I am so close to reaching the True Thunder Fist."
Vown was speechless. Only needing another 10 minutes to reach the True Thunder Fist. From what he saw, the sparks were already trying to fuse, so he should really be able to do that in another 10 minutes. 40 minutes in total to comprehend the True Thunder Fist. He needed a full week for that same achievement. 40 minutes to a week. It was obvious which result was better. And he intended to take Zayn as his student. His pride as a genius got torn apart in that instant.
"(cough) (cough)… No… we don't have another 10 minutes. We have to (cough)… Right the third test! You're not done yet"
Vown tried to cling to the last bits of his pride, using any excuse possible to hinder Zayn from reaching the True Thunder Fist. He was not hindering Zayn's progress solely for his pride.
Geniuses were always arrogant. This lied in the fact, that they performed extraordinary actions, from a child's age, and their families and the society heaped praises on them. Resulting in them viewing themselves as the best, above all others. This also happened to Vown and he lost many precious things, due to his arrogance. Only through this loss did he learn that arrogance clouded his judgement and diminished progress.
Vown's biggest fear right now was that Zayn would become utterly arrogant, due to his remarkable feats. He, as his teacher, had the responsibility to guide him. The only way, he knew of, to not let Zayn become arrogant, was to let Zayn fail at the last test.
"The last test is also in this building. Follow me."
He took him to the Illusion Chamber. The Illusion Chamber was a room with a low-level illusion formation. The formation needed to be activated from the outside. When activated the person inside would fall into an illusion. Trapped there and experiencing horror the cultivator needed to use every last bit of his mental strength to overcome the illusion and get out of the chamber. The longer one stayed there the harder it would be to differentiate real from illusion. And with every passing second, the illusion would become more gruesome than before.
The Illusion Chamber was a standard in testing the mental strength of the cultivator. Through talent and intelligence, one could climb to higher realms, but without the necessary mental strength, one could not overcome any obstacles on the road, from fights to deaths. The mental strength of a cultivator was crucial to its future. The Illusion Chamber was always used to test and raise the mental strength. The Thunder Head Academy required for new students to at least be able to stay inside the Illusion Chamber for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes every minute passing doubled the difficulty.
"We're here. This is the Illusion Chamber. You will experience many gruesome illusions. If it becomes too hard to bear you can always leave the chamber. Fainting will result in a loss and the illusion will stop. You only need to stay inside the chamber for half an hour. Listen, what you experience inside the chamber isn't real. Remember that."
"Illusion? NO! Just no! Why the hell should I do that?"
"Don't you want to test your mental strength?"
"NO!"
"…" "It's the last test, after that you will become my student."
"Do I have to experience fucking horrifying illusions for that?"
"… How about I gift you the Thunder Fist Scroll. Then you can learn it at any time you want."
"In retrospect, these are only illusions, nothing too hard. I think I can do that for you."
"…"
After shamelessly taking the scroll, Zayn went inside the Illusion Chamber. Vown waited outside and activated the chamber, then he again sat down in front of the door.
As Zayn went inside he noticed that the chamber was really small. It was only room for him. Any other person entering would make the chamber look full. He went to the center of the chamber, sat down, and pulled out the Thunder Fist Scroll.
'This shit will be worth it. The True Thunder Fist will be fucking amazing. After the illusions, I can learn it and complete it. I hope Vown has more of these Martial Skills.'
.
5 minutes later.
'Good. I thought so. If he couldn't even achieve that, then his talent would be useless'
10 Minutes later.
'No way! Impossible, by now he should be running out of the chamber and crying. This boy really is a special case. This mental strength shouldn't be possible for the Body Refinement Realm. I wonder what he had to experience for achieving that mental strength. Still, he shouldn't be able to endure another 15 minutes inside the Illusion Chamber.'
5 Minutes later.
'He shouldn't…. he shouldn't… be able… able… endure…'
10 Minutes later.
'NO!!! Something has to be wrong. No. The Illusion Chamber is working and if he fainted the chamber would stop. Wait… What if he died? Is that possible? Would the chamber stop then? I have to check it out!'
He immediately stopped the Illusion Chamber and opened the door. Inside the chamber, he saw Zayn. Zayn was in the middle of the chamber and laid there.
"ZAYN! NO! WHAT HAVE I DONE?"
Seeing Zayn laying there, he thought that Zayn was dead. The only one responsible for his death would be Vown himself. He forced Zayn to stay inside the chamber for half an hour. Half an hour inside the chamber was not possible for a Body Refinement Realm Cultivator. He hoped that Zayn would just flee after experiencing the illusions. It should then work as a lesson for him. But never would he think that Zayn would forcefully stay inside and die there. This was something unheard of. It was the first time ever happening.
'What have I done?!? Only because I wanted him not to do the same mistakes I did. He was so talented and now it is wasted.'
"You don't have to scream. Geez."
"Zayn…you…are alive!"
"Yeah I was just laying here and… ehm… waiting for you."
"…" "How the hell did you stay inside the chamber for that long. That shouldn't be possible!"
"Well… yeah… I guess my mental strength is good."
"…"
What Zayn did not tell Vown was that when he entered the chamber he did not experience any illusion at all. He waited at the beginning for a few minutes, but nothing really happened. He knew if he would tell Vown that, Vown would restart the chamber or anything like that and then Zayn had to experience the illusions for real. So, Zayn decided to take out the Thunder Fist Scroll and study it. After around 10 minutes he achieved the True Thunder Fist and completed the scroll. He felt such a thrill again and was in an endorphin rush. But then it hit him, he still had to wait for another 15 minutes, doing nothing. That was the reason why he laid there and waited for Vown to enter.
The Illusion Chamber was actually working perfectly. Any other person entering it would experience gruesome illusions. The reason Zayn did not experience any illusion at all lied in his cultivation technique. Cultivating the Infinite Star Arts, the cultivator would achieve a special kind of qi. The Infinite Star Qi. One of its many characteristics was that any illusion that affected the cultivator through their qi would be useless. They just would not get affected by the illusion. The Illusion Chamber was an illusion which used the qi of the cultivator to deceive them.
"So, I am now your student, right?"
'… He… He's a monster in nearly every aspect. Only his cultivation is lagging behind. But he is still young. He could catch up to his peers given enough resources. I may not be able to teach him much, but I am the only one in the school fitted to teach him.
So, he's the candidate, huh? I can see why. Thanks, Vernon! I will definitely come back.'
"From this moment on you will be my student! I will teach you everything you need to know about cultivation. It seems your knowledge is really lacking in that regard."
"Cool, cool, cool, cool… So… Also new Martial Skills for me?"
"…You really are one of a kind. Listen, Zayn, even though you have comprehended six sparks of the Thunder Fist, that doesn't mean you can use it. Right now, you are in the Body Refinement Realm. In this Realm a cultivator uses qi to refine his body, making it stronger and more importantly able to store qi. Reaching the 1-Star Body Refinement Realm means that you have a small amount of qi inside you. This amount only gets bigger by reaching the next bigger Realm. The Qi Gathering Realm. The Thunder Fist requires large amounts of qi to use it. Using it, in your current Realm, would result in your whole qi storage being not only depleted but overdrawn, meaning you would faint at best. Displaying it is possible, as the qi doesn't leave your body. But attacking is a different story. Right now, you should focus on your cultivation."
"Cool, cool, cool, cool… So… No new Martial Skill for me?"