Ling Tian collapsed on the ground near the lake, he breathed rapidly and seemed very tired but the twinkle in his eyes showed that he was in a very good mood. He was soaked in water and his back got dirty due to the contact with the ground but he paid it no mind as the previous battle flashed before his eyes.
'Using the sword is truly a complex matter, I now understand why they call it sword art, it truly is an art. Especially when you add something as versatile as Qi to the mix... It makes it infinitely more complex!' he raised Wave Repulser in front of his face and admired its razor-sharp blade.
'Qi is so versatile, It can morph into the elements since I can morph it into water form with this technique, with other sword arts, it might be possible to morph it into lightning and fire... I have to train and see how I can achieve that. Qi can be manifested out of the body to create elements like water or it can be compressed into a solid form, maybe I can create a sword art based on these qualities of Qi? hmmm...'
He fell into deep thought, his mind working at a fast pace providing him with many ideas inspired by the battle.
"Hey! Why didn't you wait for me?!" the voice of Lian Qiu broke him out of his internal musings.
The young cultivator was panting heavily as he reached the shore, he had run out of Qi mid-way and had swum the rest of the way behind Ling Tian.
Ling Tian snorted, "You are a grown man; Catch up!"
Lian Qiu collapsed next to him, "Brother Ling, that's harsh. I didn't know there would be so many of them..."
Ling Tian sighed, "It's my fault, I was stupid and followed you into this mess;" 'I might have lost my life due to stupidity again, I have to plan ahead from now on and be extra cautious.'
Lian Qiu chuckled nervously, "Don't say that brother Ling, It was my fault... In any case, I am sincerely grateful; I would have lost my life if not for you being here."
He stood up and bowed, "Brother Ling, you are a true son of heaven. A great genius capable of battling so many ghosts when still in the Xiantian realm... I have not heard of such a feat yet! This has been an eye-opener for me."
Ling Tian also stood up, "It's nothing special. by the way, aren't you a core disciple of the greatest sect around here, why are you so weak?"
Lian Qiu's lips twitched and he said unsurely, "You surely jest, I use wind and plant arts to battle and am very weak inside water..."
Ling Tian nodded in understanding, "I see, well, farewell; Go back to your sect since your mission is over and good luck!"
He turned around to leave. Lian Qiu immediately stepped in front of him, "Please wait; I still have a matter that I wish to discuss with you."
Ling Tian saw that the conversation was going to a long one based on Lian Qiu's expression so he sat under the shade of a nearby tree, "Okay!"
Lian Qiu nodded and sat in front of him, "Let me introduce myself again. I am the 4th son of the grand elder of the profound Dao sect and the 18th disciple of the sect master. My name is Lian Qiu. Can I ask fellow Daoist to introduce himself as well?"
'He is someone with a great background huh?' he thought and said in a carefree manner, "My name is Ling Tian."
The atmosphere grew awkward as Lian Qiu asked another question, "I see, Brother Ling, are you interested in joining a sect?"
Ling Tian said casually, "Maybe..."
Lian Qiu smiled, "I originally took this mission not only to see the world and gain experience but also to gain contribution points in the sect. Meeting Brother Ling must be fate, I have some say in the sect so I can put a word in and have you accepted as an Inner disciple."
Ling Tian shook his head, "If I want to join, I will do it with my own ability. There is no need for you to put a word in."
Lian Qiu said frantically, "Don't be offended brother Ling. You see, to join my sect you need to be invited, there is no such thing as an entrance exam or such since devils will infiltrate the sect that way. If I invite you, you will directly become an inner disciple, that's what I meant!"
Ling Tian considered his words and the memories of Xia clan and Xuanyuan Wenhao's confusing circumstances flashed in his mind, 'I won't exterminate them just yet; I will go and see what kind of people they are and if they are still hunting me, then I will kill them. I don't want to be a cold-blooded murderer but I can't be stupid and let threats live, god knows, the son of that Xia Ju guy might find a cheating artifact and hunt me, the mysterious killer... I need to investigate the situation first since I was also at fault there; As for Wenhao, It is very strange how he died... He was a crown prince and he died so easily? Unimaginable things must have happened behind the scenes or the memories are incomplete, in any case, that one can wait since it is not my personal matter, I will do it when I am invincible.'
he stood up, "I have some things I must do so I can't join your sect at the moment."
Just as he turned around to walk away, he felt a pair of arms grasping his leg. "Don't, Senior Ling! Please accept!"
'What the Fu*k?! Is he seriously begging me to join?' he thought as he used his other leg to lightly kick Lian Qiu to let him go.
The latter refused as he held on with all his life, "Senior Ling, Actually, I ran away since father wouldn't let me leave the sect grounds and I was bored. If I return I will be punished by my father even if I had completed a mission; If you return with me, I can convince him it was to meet a friend and lighten my punishment!"
Ling Tian was surprised by the sudden change, "Why would you run away when you knew you would be punished?!"
Lian Qiu answered hurriedly, "I never planned to travel this far! I got lost in a forest for a few days and ended up sensing ghost Qi nearby so I found my way here."
"There was no mission? Why would you lie?" Lian Qiu answered hurriedly, "I didn't, this area's ghost was set in the sect as a mission so I decided to complete it and return to lighten my punishment..."
Seeing Lian Qiu fearing punishment so much, Ling Tian couldn't help but ask curiously, "What is this punishment anyway? You seem to fear it very much. Also, let go of my leg, I won't run away!"
Lian Qiu let go of his leg and shuddered as he answered with a fearful tone, "I think father will make me spend a day on Temper Refining stage. It is a place where one's cultivation will be sealed and one will be tossed into a human-sized sack then sect members will come to vent their frustrations in various ways, from beating one up as if one is a punching bag to cursing and insulting; As long as they don't permanently injure one, they are free to kick and punch. The worst part is, one can't identify who is beating them and the ones beating won't know who they are beating so they are quite vicious."
Ling Tian's eyes widened, 'What a unique place!'
A question entered his mind, "Hey, Will girls also be punished this way?!"
Lian Qiu nodded, "Indeed, there is no exception! An evil woman once cheated on her lover and killed him for unknown reasons thinking she would go scot-free but she was caught and I hear she is still there after years."
'How terrifying! I wonder how she looks after so long... She is a cultivator so she would heal perfectly with Qi; They must feed them somehow if their cultivation is sealed, whatever, doesn't matter.' thought Ling Tian.
"I still don't understand, why would I joining with your invitation help change anything?!" Asked Ling Tian suspiciously.
"If I bring back a genius I will get a lot of contribution points that I can use to escape punishment. Also, I can tell father I wanted to visit a friend that I brought back so maybe he won't punish me at all. Besides, don't you want a backer? Our sect is the strongest around and background is very important. Our sect can provide you with great opportunities to grow. There is no shortage of Sword arts and sword cultivators there who you can learn from! We even have several secret realms..."
Listening to his explanation, Ling Tian smiled, 'It seems like a good place to be in. If a person like him is there, it can't be that bad. He doesn't have the arrogance one would expect from someone of his background. I will check it out later...'
"Okay, I will come to your sect later when my business is finished."
Lian Qiu sighed in relief, "Great!"
Ling Tian shrugged as he began walking away only to notice he was following him. "What now?!" Ling Tian asked with annoyance.
Lian Qiu's face was determined, "I will follow you and return with you to the sect."
He sighed, 'Having a companion won't be bad I guess... At least, I won't get bored.'
"Sure, but stay out of my way and don't slow me down..."
Lian Qiu smiled, "You don't have to worry, I will do whatever I can to repay you. I was told my company is pleasant by those who are usually around me in the sect."
Ling Tian nodded and silently walked toward the village. Many thoughts going through his head, 'Now I just need to use the points I gained smartly and a journey to Dark Demon City is at hand. Xia clan, I am coming to settle scores, even If I don't exterminate you, I will at least rob you dry.'