Jeremy's brows knit together and his lips curled down as his frown deepened.
Was this how one of the High ranked sects of the Sutra Empire acted? Was this the Pride Sect which he himself had unimaginable pride in? Was fighting like monkeys honestly how Immortals acted?
Jeremy had noticed the commotion from afar, starting disciples beginning to surround the cafeteria leaving what they were doing and letting their curiosity get the better of them more and more galloped over.
Having arrived with his group, Ally and the others, he had the rest of them follow Ally to find her brother whilst he would personally see what had occurred.
The masters and instructors of the Pride Sect had left the instructing of the starting disciples to the outer and inner disciples so they had to make sure to properly 'instruct' the starting Disciples as they along with themselves were the future of the sect.
On entering the cafeteria, he was met with an onslaught. Blood scattered everywhere, walls crushed and multiple disciples bruised, two of which he recognised: junior disciple Link and junior disciple Tun, his fellow outer disciple.
To the starting disciple's shock, Jeremy abruptly slapped the side of his head. The disciples that looked on assumed that he was disappointed thinking that it was a facepalm due to his disappointed demeanour but in reality, he was punishing himself. It was his job to instruct his juniors and he had clearly done a poor job of it. If this were to continue, not only would the older disciples lose face but so would the Sect.
Sending an icy cold gaze upon the disciples, Jeremy aloofly stepped away from the entrance of the cafeteria. Each and every disciple could feel the difference in power, someone who was on the brink of the 3rd stage cultivation was not someone a mere 5th stage cultivator could handle.
All the disciples turned their eyes to the ground not daring to stare Jeremy in the eyes, the suffocating atmosphere made their bodies tense up and sent chills down their spines, even those who were extremely new to the sect that didn't know of his status or about how favoured he was by the elders still felt that it was impossible to gaze up.
Jeremy looked around at the understanding disciples who all sent proper respect his way but his eyes stopped at one disciple that stared at him with malice as if he were the predator, as if he were the dominant force, as if Jeremy was nothing to him.
---
Deno could feel his body freeze up. As if it was annoying enough for his body to be absolutely demolished but the fact that he was also frozen in fear annoyed him like hell.
The new outer disciple was obviously powerful as all the other disciples including Tun could be seen trembling in fear.
He was a handsome kid, nothing that would capture the hearts of girls around the world or anything but still quite handsome. The boy was older than Tun but nonetheless still a child.
Deno didn't need to read his dantian to know that he was stronger than him especially in the state he was in, although he had zero chance at winning, he would be damned if he went out like a coward.
Deno slowly composed himself taking a large breath expanding his trembling lungs and taking in scoops of air at a time. He had felt this cold and icy stare mixed with a pressure of a mountain falling upon him numerous times before at the laboratory and they were all at a far higher degree, so this kid's stare was something he could handle with ease.
Getting into a fighting stance, Deno tightly clenched his fists and held them out but his attempts to get into the fighting mojo were interrupted by a sharp high pitched sound in his head that kept him from reaching his flow state. That was the pain in the ass queen of dragons or whatever title she held in the past.
'Alexander, what are you doing you fool! Kneel down, genuflect and beg for mercy, I'm sure after a couple of thousand times they'll change their minds. I will not have my second chance ruined because of your idiotic rash behaviour!'
'Alright, alright, just, listen for a moment,'
Calming Adriana down, Deno quickly continued before she interrupted him.
'I'll do my best... Not to die.'
'Wha-What, no! Listen, Alexa-'
Gradually tuning her out, Deno focused his complete attention on somehow not succumbing to the outer disciple but also somehow making it out alive.
---
Jeremy clicked his tongue in irritation. He hadn't expected a disciple to combat him like that and this piqued his interest. Also, the fact that this specific disciple seemed to be more mobile than all the others, even though he was bloodied and beaten, in a similar state to Tun, his fellow outer disciple truly piqued his curiosity.
But even in this situation, Tun was gazing down, yet this kid looked up.
Jeremy placed his fingers on his chin in curiosity, his cold gaze solely directed at Deno piercing through him much too numerous disciples' relief as the weight they were experiencing began to lift off their shoulders.
'Well built body, a fiery spirit, cautious and meticulous eyes and yet he looks so young. Exactly what we need for the Pride Sect, but... He needs to be taught manners.'
Jeremy leniently placed his hands behind his back and disappeared, vanishing into thin air. All the starting disciples searched for him and were quick to find him on the target of attention, Deno.
Suddenly appearing behind Deno, Jeremy silently opened his mouth in disbelief, Deno had predicted his movement, no, followed his movement. He had expected Deno to become startled and lose his aloof composure but no, he was the one that did so.
Jeremy's eyebrows raised in surprise. He pulled himself out of his serene posture and walked in front of Deno. Jeremy lifted his palm to face Deno's face while both continued to stare. If he couldn't make Deno lose his composure physically, he would do it mentally.
Well, sort of.
'This may be over-excessive but unfortunately required.'
Jeremy thought to himself fully understanding the humiliation that was about to occur.
"What are you?"
Jeremy asked Deno with a dull voice that couldn't be read.
Deno gazed on in confusion, he was expecting something more intricate and complex but what did he expect, they were a child after all.
Kids on Earth the same age as this one who was around 10-11 were usually very boisterous and facetious so why would children of this universe be any different?
"A Disciple?"
Deno replied as if he were asking a question himself.
-Slap
Abruptly, Jeremy slapped Deno creating a slight shockwave as it was obvious Jeremy held back quite a bit. Deno's cheek reddened as his already cut and bloodied cheek turned even more cherry red.
Deno's eyes were wide open in surprise. This was one thing that he hadn't anticipated.
"Wrong, you're a starting disciple... Now, what am I?"
Jeremy asked Deno, once more, a similar question.
Deno was a mess. Physically he had been very slightly injured but mentally he felt as though he had been torn to shreds. He just been degraded by a pubescent child, he, The Unyielding Fist was made out to look like a boy getting scolded by a parent.
Losing patience, Jeremy hostilely repeated.
"What am I?!"
"..."
-Slap
Deno clenched his jaw and fist. Blood dripped out of his hand and he dug his fingernails in his palm. He knew the answer the outer disciple desired, but he wasn't going to give it to him. That was the only satisfaction he could get while so powerless, Deno wasn't sure that even if he was fully healed he could take him on so he could only verbally resist.
"What am I?!"
"..."
-Slap
"What am I!?"
Jeremy repeated monotonously.
Looking at Jeremy, Deno plainly replied with black icy eyes of his own.
"A child... You are a child."
Jeremy was infuriated and in a small fit of rage, he pulled back his slap like a cannon and blasted it at Deno but before it had reached, Deno's body went limp.
Slowly collapsing to the ground, Deno's eyes continued to stay on Jeremy even while he passed out.
Jeremy gazed down in disappointment.
'Seems his body couldn't keep up...'
He couldn't help but be curious at this brand new yet potentially great disciple. He hadn't learnt to perfectly read a disciple's potential but even he could tell that disciple wouldn't make it far.
In a nutshell, even if he found a way to gain the great Sect leader's cultivation technique, it would take him several centuries to reach the 1st stage cultivation. If he wasn't killed by then at least.
Clearing his mind of useless thoughts, Jeremy turned his focus to Tun, Ryan and Link. Each of them having seen what Jeremy did to Deno trembled in their shoes.
'Time to break this up.'
With 5 simple words, all three hurriedly nodded their heads as their hearts each jolted with fear while goosebumps surrounded their bodies.
Jeremy leisurely spun around and sauntered out of the scene leaving his prominent fingerprint on each and every disciple that was present.
***
Ryan limped over to Deno, no disciple bothering to assist him, and slumped him over his own shoulders. They were almost the same age which intrigued Ryan tremendously, how were they both so similar and yet so different, what differentiated him from Deno?
Ryan squinted his eyes as he racked his mind for answers but couldn't come up with any.
'Well, in any case, I better get us both to the infirmary.'
Limping out of the cafeteria with Deno around his shoulder, Ryan began to scan Deno body.
Deno looked in a worse condition than himself, battered and bruised couldn't begin to describe how he looked. Whilst Ryan looked as if he had fallen down a building, Deno looked like he had been eaten alive by a dragon, skewered by a demon and digested by a skaron then seasoned with purple bruises.
Ryan bit his lip, this all occurred because of his powerlessness. How could he make it up to him? He was one of the few people who had ever stuck up for him and this is what it resulted in.
'Don't worry Deno, once I reach the pinnacle of Dao I'll make them pay, and I'll save you a nice territory to stay in as thanks.'
Glancing at Deno, Ryan smirked, he knew that words were meaningless to state if never done so he would have to prove it, use his actions instead. He had learnt one thing after that encounter, that he had set his own goals too low. If Link was what he wanted to reach then he would never get anywhere so he would have to set his sights on someone greater, his saviour, Deno.
---
Arriving at the infirmary, Ryan walked in through the metal doors.
As he pushed them open, he was greeted by an old man with a crooked back stacking books on a shelf. The man was so old, that he seemed to have lived longer than the Supreme Dao himself. He wore clean white robes and a hat that almost reached the ceiling. His thick wrinkles covered his eyes and his lips were dried and broken. His neck stuck out like a crane, and his eyebrows were overgrown with stands hanging off the sides of his head.
Ryan had met this old man countless times before and was practically here half of the time. The old man's name was Old Sang and had performed a myriad of miracles that had saved Ryan's life in the past and Ryan had no doubt he could heal Deno as well.
Trodding into the room, a trail of blood was soaked into the wooden birch floors underneath them, the old man in a panic climbed down and rushed his way towards them. He didn't want to clean out the birch planks for the thousandth time.
"Welcome back, boy. Have you brought a new face along?"
"Yeah, thanks old Sang."
Ryan's throat was sore and ached only allowing him to make a swift thanks.
"Well hurry along now, sit him down. I'll get to you in a minute, I'll treat his wounds first."
The old Sang's voice was hoarse yet clear as he gestured Ryan towards the bed with a slight nod leaving through the back of the room.
Ryan abruptly dropped Deno onto the bed almost dropping him onto the floor but with a large heave he gradually pushed him on.
Old Sang hobbled over to Deno with the aid of his smooth walking stick, quickly studying Deno's body as he came closer.
Old Sang's eyes suddenly shot open in shock as sweat accumulated around his face.
'Th-This boy should already be dead... How is his heart even beating.'
Old Sang remarked in disbelief.
Disregarding the amount of blood the boy had already lost, it was incredible he hadn't died before arriving.