"Why?" Sheng Tian asked.
Wu Di snorted, "Your strength may be nearly unrivaled at the Foundation Stage, but your combat experience is lacking. A seasoned veteran with plenty of experience can easily bridge the gap in strength"
Sheng Tian was silent, but he knew that the old man was right. He went over the battle against Yue Ling'er and thought about how he easily could have overpowered her, only for them to fight to a standstill.
"That woman is quite talented. If she can break away from her mental shackles and ascend to the next realm, then her future will be near limitless. Her disciples too, are quite talented as well"
Sheng Tian's eyes grew resolute, "What will I have to do if I want to better control my power"
Wu Di smiled, "I shall train you personally"
Whoosh!
Sheng Tian landed in front of a huge building meant for the Sky Sword Sect to stay. He took out a blank jade and inscribed his message with his spiritual sense. Once he had finished, he suspended the jade at eye level before flying to a mountain within the area.
Bang!
With a simple punch, Sheng Tian drilled a hole into the side of the mountain. Then, using the Devouring Sword, Sheng Tian cut out a stone room before shutting the entrance with some rocks, making sure to leave some holes for air.
From his spatial ring, he took out a bed, some lamps, and a large hourglass that takes a month for all the sand to fall.
"Alright"
Sheng Tian opened his sea of consciousness and Feng Wu Di came out.
Before Sheng Tian could react, Wu Di waved his hand and a flash of light enveloped the 2 of them.
"Ugh!"
Sheng Tian rubbed his head and opened his eyes. Instead of the cave where he just was, a vast grassland stretched out as far as the eye could see.
"This is the mental world that I've created"
Sheng Tian spun around to find Wu Di, not as a spirit, but with a proper physical body.
"This body isn't actually real," he said after noticing Sheng Tian's expression, "I merely made it seem like one"
Swish!
Out of thin air, an ordinary steel sword appeared in his hands. After playing with it for a moment, Wu Di entered a fighting stance.
"Fight me"
Sheng Tian raised an eyebrow and snorted. He picked up a sword that had dropped on the ground next to him.
Whoosh!
Sheng Tian dashed towards Feng Wu Di, only to find that his steps were heavy and slower than what he was used to.
Swish!
Wu Di slashed down his sword vertically the moment Sheng Tian entered his range. Sheng Tian frowned at the odd feeling in his body and moved his sword to block.
Whoosh!
Sheng Tian's eyes dilated. Wu Di's sword moved like a mirage, bending and twisting in an unnatural manner.
Swish!
He felt a sharp pain along his neck before blacking out the next moment.
Thump!
"Ack!"
Sheng Tian groaned in pain as he fell face first into the ground. He quickly opened his eyes and picked himself up with a bit of difficulty.
"Ha... ha.. ugh"
He gulped and placed a hand lightly on his neck. Intact.
"So..."
Sheng Tian swiveled his head and stared at Wu Di, still in the same spot acting careless.
"How does it feel to 'die' once"
Instead of answering, Sheng Tian took his time to assess his situation. It was at this moment that Sheng Tian found that he was like a complete mortal, without any sort of cultivation.
"I took away your cultivation inside this mental world so you can start from the basics," said Wu Di.
Sheng Tian flexed his arms, "No wonder I felt unfamiliar in this body, my cultivation is gone"
He looked around the vast expanse of grass, "What is this 'mental world' you speak of?"
His Master displayed a wide smile, "This is a world formed by my mental energy. Once you have sufficient spiritual sense, you can form one too"
Sheng Tian rubbed his neck, "Couldn't you have gone easier though? I think-"
Whoosh!
Clank!
Sparks flew as Wu Di's sword made contact with Sheng Tian's sword. Sheng Tian grit his teeth and growled slightly at being interrupted.
Bang!
"Argh!"
Wu Di kicked Sheng Tian right between his legs and made contact with his... sword... Rendering him unable to stand up straight before going in for the kill.
Swish!
Once again, Sheng Tian felt a sharp pain in his neck as he blacked out.
Thump!
The moment Sheng Tian felt his senses come back, he picked himself up and readied his sword. Wu Di stood several meters away and pointed his sword at him.
"Starting today, we will fight as if it were a life and death situation as complete mortals without cultivation until you can kill me, no matter how many times you die in the process. Once you do so, we'll move onto the next level"
He smiled, "Don't worry about time. Time here flows differently"
And with that, he dashed forward and swung his sword.
"3"
Swish!
...
..
.
Swish!
"27"
Thump!
Whoosh!
The moment Sheng Tian felt the ground, he grabbed his sword and created distance between him and Wu Di.
"Ha... ha.. ha"
Sheng Tian breathed heavily as sweat beaded his face. He clutched his sword with shaking arms and jumped back as Wu Di tried to strike him.
While he was physically in peak condition, dying 27 times was a huge hit to Sheng Tian's mental strength. Every move made him recall the past 27 deaths and bring back the pain, further burdening his body.
Meanwhile, Wu Di was still in peak condition, in fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself greatly.
Sheng Tian grit his teeth, at this point, there was little chance that he could win. Every time he tried to attack Wu Di's blind spot, his sword would change directions like flowing water. This was also the case every time he'd try to defend one of Wu Di's strikes. The direction of his sword seemed ever changing and hard to predict.
Sheng Tian steeled himself, this was a fight he could not run from.