Just as Progenitor Lourdes said, for the next year, I was confined to her personal dimension while I underwent special training to learn how to manipulate my Immortal Will better, though, in all honesty, she hardly taught me anything. All she did was spread her Immortal's Will to encompass the entire dimension as its potent power bore down upon me; thankfully, the pressure wasn't as overbearing as the first time, though it was still quite difficult to withstand, not to mention I was required to withstand it every waking moment without a single respite.
I won't say it's the most challenging training I've ever done, but it's definitely up there; obviously, Progenitor Lourdes did give me hints and advice on how to improve my control, but other than that, I spent most of my time learning how to resist her Immortal Will to the best of my ability. After about a month of slow but steady improvements, I could finally resist her Immortal will. Granted, it was a difficult endeavor, and if it weren't for Progenitor Lourdes's advice, I'd probably still be stuck at square one, but either way, I still did all the hard work, so I was quite happy.
Now, I was finally able to start cultivating again without having to worry about Qi deviation happening; though my satisfied days didn't last for long since Progenitor Lourdes began to increase the pressure slowly, thankfully, it wasn't fast enough to the point where it ever managed to break through my own Immortal will, but it did force me to refine my control constantly; otherwise, such a thing would occur.
A few days after the first month of my year-long training, I advanced to a Divine Lord, which was quite surprising if you ask me; I thought I was still several months away from advancing, but it seems having used that forbidden technique immensely helped in my comprehending of the Dao, at least, that's what Progenitor Lourdes said, and I didn't doubt her words, besides I was thinking the same thing.
A few more months passed by as I continued to cultivate while steadily refining my control over my Immortal will, yet seemingly out of the blue, Progenitor Lourdes sent me far away with a gentle slap, and after flying hundreds of thousands of kilometers, I eventually ended up crashing into the middle of the forest.
___
___
"Tch, what's wrong with her? Saying, 'Here's the second part of your training' and then suddenly flinging me all the way over here! So much for teaching me anything." Said Elif while grumbling in annoyance as he exited from the crater with minor injuries while cleansing himself with Qi.
Since I didn't know where I was, how far I was, or whether I was in a dangerous location, I was about to use my divine sense to get a rough estimate, but before I could, I heard a loud roar that shook the very ground, causing me to turn around and see a large spotted saber-tooth tiger emerging from the vegetation.
'Your objective is to return to me; this is your second part of the training. Also, you're not allowed to use your Qi.' Said Progenitor Lourdes via divine sense, her voice resounding directly within Elif's mind as all of a sudden, he felt his Qi vanish from his control.
"Are you kidding me?" Asked Elif, his eyes twitched as he gazed at the approaching saber-tooth tiger, which had a cultivation base of an early Divine King.
___
___
Thanks to Progenitor Lourdes's suicidal training regime she had for me, I was forced to spend several months without my Qi as I wandered through this dangerous forest, where the weakest beast had a cultivation base of an early Divine King, which was my limit without the use of my Qi. Of course, I knew what she was trying to do; she wanted me to use my Immortal will to defeat every enemy as I made my way back toward her, but such a thing was easier said than done.
What made it worse, because of my pride, I refused to run away from any battles I engaged in, which ended up with me almost dying on multiple occasions, though I won't lie; constantly being pushed to my limits on nearly every occasion, increased my understanding of the dao faster than usual. It wasn't by much, but it was a big enough improvement that I could notice. Still, that didn't mean I was happy with this devolvement; after all, I nearly died on multiple occasions!
Thankfully, Progenitor Lourdes was kind enough to allow me to cultivate still, and as surprising as it may seem, that's what I spent most of my time doing. I was never once in a rush to return to Progenitor Lourdes; I mean, what was the point? I would get injured after almost every fight, and engaging in another fight while still injured was borderline suicide, so I would just spend my time in the territory of the beast I had killed and cultivated.
Just as Progenitor Lourdes intended, I did use my Immortal Will when fighting against most beasts; I was forced to, after all; otherwise, I'd end up dead, and I had a strong feeling she wouldn't do anything about it. However, other than the occasions where I was injured to the point where I was truly fleeting on the verge of life and death, most of my fights ended up with me winning without much trouble; there was hardly any in-between for me; it was either I'm one tap away from dying, or I've got a few minor flesh wounds.
A few months after I was forcefully flung into this forsaken forest, I sensed the awakening of an Immortal will, causing me to look at the sky as I felt it faintly pass over me. Though, as if that was the start of something, within the next three days, I would sense the awakening of four more Immortal Wills, each with a different emotion tied to it; however, I wasn't worried; in fact, I was rather excited to meet these people.
___
___
"Anger, joy, Love, Lust, Tranquility; haha, I've already got an inkling who the love belongs to, but what about the other four? I wonder who they are. Oh well, I'll meet them in due time; after all, they should also be intending to join the Realm sect." Declared Elif with soft laughter as he looked towards the sky while sitting on a tree branch and smiling, having just finished a challenging fight.
___
___
After that small but massive occurrence, I continued with my training with even more vigor than before; after all, they may have Immortal wills, but I still wouldn't allow inferior beings to surpass my might; such a thing was inexcusable.
___
___
"Well, my descendant, your training has come to an end, and I must say, your talent is just as immeasurable as your pride; within one year, you achieved the same thing that took me nearly three decades to accomplish." Said Lourdes with a slight smile as she looked at Elif sitting opposite her while the two drank some tea.
"Such a thing is only natural; I'm Elif August, of course. Although, while you didn't provide much direct assistance, I wouldn't have anywhere near as much progress if it wasn't for you, and I do thank you for that, Progenitor Lourdes." Replied Elif with a prideful smirk before looking at Lourdes with a thankful expression, a rarity for him.
"Haha, I will say, though, I will miss speaking with you. Besides those other old fogeys, you're the only one who I can comfortably speak to; I may be the Progenitor, but that doesn't mean I dislike speaking with my descendants, yet they always act so reserved around me. I love each and every one of you, even the ones that have done some heinous things." Remarked Lourdes with a soft smile before lightly shaking her head.
"Anyways, I have a strong feeling I'll be seeing you much sooner than I should, my descendant." Added Lourdes as she glanced at Elif, and the instance he blinked, he had disappeared from her home, now sitting on his throne.
'Tsk didn't even give me a chance to respond; annoying Progenitor.' Mused Elif, though a slight smile was adorned on his face as he thought about Lourdes.
"Elif?" Said Marcus and Maria in surprise as they ignored the nobles standing below them and looked at Elif.
"Mother, Father, it's good to see you both after such a long time. How is everything? Nothing crazy has occurred within the Empire, has it?" Asked Elif with a gentle smile as he glanced at Maria and Marcus, though when he blinked again, he was sitting on Maria's lap while being tightly embraced by her.
"Hehe, my little boy is back!" Said Maria happily, having no contact or even information about him for the last year, which worried her despite knowing he was fine.
Although sitting on Mother's lap was incredibly uncomfortable, especially considering I was now slightly taller than her, I quite enjoyed the hug, so I opted to stay quiet; besides, she would've most likely ignored my pleas anyway.
'Still, though, I'm the Crown Prince; I've still got an image to uphold.' thought Elif as he glanced at the silent nobles watching everything from a distance before shaking his head and looking at Marcus.
"Don't tell me you're also going to make me sit on your lap, Father?" Asked Elif with a smirk, while Marcus merely chuckled as he looked at Maria and Elif with a small smile.
"Ho, it depends. Do you want to? Just because you've grown a little doesn't mean you're not my son." Replied Marcus with an amused grin.
"No, I think I'm good, Father; Mother's hug is already uncomfortable enough. Also, where is-" Said Elif with a twitch of the eye as he lightly shook his head, though before he could finish speaking, the throne room doors busted open.
"BROTHER!!" Yelled Elaine excitedly as she swiftly flew toward Maria and Elif, practically crashing right into the two, though luckily for Maria, or I should say Elaine, Elif cushioned the blow.
"Ouch, i-it's great to finally see you as well, Elaine." Remarked Elif with a slight wince of pain as he affectionally rubbed Elaine's head, causing her to happily smile while she soaked up his touch.
"Eh, well, It would be more awkward if I didn't join." Muttered Marcus as he stood up and wrapped his arms around the three, a family reunion in the middle of an important meeting.
'Uncomfortable.' Thought Elif in annoyance, though he didn't voice his problems and just enjoyed his family's love.