At this moment in, Elder Pan Hai hand appeared a robe and jade, covered in red demonic qi, slowly floating over to Tian Mo, it was like in the distance, something stirred.
"This," Elder Pan Hai began, his voice laced with quiet authority, "This robe is an outer disciple. And the sects jade… Once you unlock your qi, mark your name into it. It will bind you to the sect… in body and soul."
Tian Mo's gaze flicked to the robe, identical to Xing Lin's, his stomach churning. There was no backing out now, was there?
His fingers curled around the icy spinning jade, it's qi seeped into his skin, felt like frost spreading through his veins. His heart screamed at him to throw it away, but his survival instincts locked his grip.
Swallowing a lump in his throat, he cupped his fist. "Thank you, Elder Pan Hai," his voice steady, still his trembling fingers betrayed him.
Elder Pan Hai's gaze sharpened, a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth betraying a hidden edge. "Hmm… From now on, be sure to bow properly when addressing me,"
The words weren't merely a reprimand but a calculated move. For Elder Pan Hai, controlling rebellious disciples began with enforcing the norm of submission. Bowing was one such courtesy it was also a test of loyalty. Those who resisted the act of deference often harbored disobedience, and disobedience was a seed Pan Hai would gladly crush.
Tian Mo nodded stiffly. He didn't bow further he gave him no choice. You may chain my body to this sect, but respect? That will remain mine to give or withhold. Least of all to you. 'None of them deserve respect for that.'
Xing Lin, watching the exchange, felt his jaw tighten. Though he, too, disliked bowing to the sect elders, he understood its necessity. Bowing had earned him small victories positions, resources, and, most importantly, survival. Yet his gaze lingered on Tian Mo. The boy's defiance might one day cost him everything, but… it was oddly admirable.
What makes this boy so different? Why does he resist the very thing that keeps us alive?
As Elder Pan Hai swept from the room, his robes billowing like black smoke, Tian Mo let out a shaky breath. The oppressive air left in Pan Hai's wake lingered, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead.
Turning to Xing Lin, he managed a small smile despite the heaviness in his chest. "So… I guess you're my senior brother now," he said lightly. "My name is… Xun Min."
Xing Lin raised an eyebrow. 'He's lying about his name' Xing Lin thought, his mind turning over the implications. A smart move, certainly. Hiding one's true identity in a place like this wasn't just cunning, it was survival. But the question lingered, gnawing at the edges of his curiosity. What's he hiding?
With this in mind, he had a darker realzation. To shed my past and get revenge, no one not even myself can know my true name. Not yet. Likewise it was using anonymous to create something before reclaiming it.
'They will speak of the legend before they know the man,' he mused, his resolve hardening. He had to show the world his power the power to kill both demon and god before they ever learned his name.
"Out!"
While in thought tia mo flew ou the room, xig lin kicked him out, but Tian Mo barely noticed the pain. He felt a little bit of anger but he couldn't take it out on him because he saved him.
Clutching his sore tailbone as he spun around glaring at Xing Lin. "Senior Brother! What's wrong? Why are you kicking me?"
"Go into that hut!"
Inside his room, Xing Lin leaned against the door, his mind whirring. Elder Pan Hai's sudden decision to spare that tia mo was too suspicious. 'Why would he go out of his way to offer him a place in the sect? Something doesn't add up… And why was he wandering here from the human realm? Completely unharmed?' he had to find out it's cause of it he was undecided aout Tian Mo.
Tian Mo rubbing his sore backside, frustration bubbling up. "He didn't have to kick me…" His eyes wandered to the other six stone huts around him.
Glancing at his hut, while taking in the oppressive darkness of the demon realm. The sky was shrouded in black, and demonic essence flowed unnaturally, a sight no human should witness. The sect's heavy concentration of soul cultivators made it both a dangerous and protective haven. Tian Mo would soon discover why
He entered the hut Xing Lin had pointed out. Inside, had sparse furnishings mirrored Xing Lin room, though with even fewer items. This was the norm for all outer sect disciples unless there own there own money able to buy either.
On the other hand, earning money without the backing of a sect was perilous. Disciples who tried often faced dangerous odds, venturing into risky work that few survived. High-grade sects helped their members avoid such fates by providing rewards for completed tasks or offering daily essentials. But here, survival was a solitary struggle, and any mistake could cost far more than comfort.
He placed the robe down carefully, eyeing it like it might bite, and lay on the stone slab that served as a bed.
"Very uncomfortable"
The jade lay heavy in his palm, its frigid qi slithering through his veins to his bones.
His reflection stared back at him, hollow-eyed and alien.
This is what I've sworn to kill. But now… am I one of them?
'I guess this is tomorrow I being what sworn to kill…killing them before was wishing thinking maybe now__' Tian Mo reflected, staring at his distorted reflection in the dark jade. His face looked foreign, his eyes hollow.
"What is a demon but one who survives at any cost? Humanity and monstrosity just masks we wear, interchangeable and meaningless in the grand scheme."
"Argh…" He groaned, clutching his pounding head. "Let's sleep it off. Maybe this is all a dream… If not…"
He didn't finish the thought. Instead, he closed his eyes, clutching the jade as if it held the answer to his future.
…
The next morning, Tian Mo awoke with a sharp exhale the realization that it hadn't been a dream. He truly was in the eternal soul sect, deep within the dark demon realm he hated it wish to return to his normal life. Still he reflected. What won't he give to have that wish come true?
Yet, he knew there was no escaping now.
Tian Mo donned the dark robes of the outer sect disciples. The demonic qi embedded in the fabric seemed to cling to him like a second skin. He stepped outside, bracing himself against the cold gust of wind. The sect felt like a gateway to the underworld, where the living and the damned coexisted in a precarious balance.
"Dark Demon Realm"
Tian Mo's eyes swept over the area, settling on Xing leaning effortlessly against a stone wall, eyes closed. From a distance, he seemed at ease, his posture lazy and unbothered. But Tian Mo's instincts flared, Beneath that calm exterior, his senior brother was waiting watching. He felt wavering unto trust because of that.
Xing Lin's presence wasn't accidental. He understood the dangers of the sect better than most. New disciples, especially ones like Tian Mo, were easy prey for others seeking to climb the ranks through bloodshed. Moreover anything happened to him, Elder Hai would likely place the blame on Xing Lin. But they underestimated Xing Lin's intelligence. He grew up with a very intelligent race.
Tian Mo approached cautiously, cupping his fist. "Greetings, Senior Brother."
Xing Line eyes opened, cold, calculating glint sent a shiver down Tian Mo spine. Without a word, Xing Lin began walking away.
Tian Mo hesitated, unsure if he'd done something to offend him. Then he remembered, he heard that outer disciples are not suppose to make puppet while he didn't if he did, still remember him questioning if Tian Mo was a puppet.
What the issue with puppets and what do they do?
On the other hand while curious, if its something that he shouldn't deal with he won't, however if it benefited him be won't, for now he was undecided.
He quickly followed, bowing slightly. "Senior Brother, I'm sorry if I caused you trouble."
However, Xing Lin continued still one eyebrow perked up, he wasn't surprised by this as he already saw Xing Lin coldness, he wasn't going to forgive so easily. Still so he followed, hope that his apologize work, walking he ran into mutiple sect dicples around. Each radiated a sinister, demonic qi, though none were as oppressive as Elder Pan Hai.
"Do all demonic cultivators have such an aura?" he muttered under his breath.
His eye sweep over Xing Lin, noticed for the first time that he emitted no discernible qi. He seemed ordinary, almost human. Perhaps it was a trick, a skill honed through years of cultivation or maybe his demonic species as he also spent alot of past time in the dark it seems like natural cover, or perhaps it was something far more dangerous.
Moving forward, Tian Mo became aware of stares from other disciples. Their gazes were filled with greed and hostility.
'They all look like they want to kill me,' He noted, his heart pounding. 'But with Senior Brother here, it's like they don't dare.' He didn't know about Xing Lin yet but it seem like there scared of him.
He wasn't wrong. Xing Lin's reputation spoke volumes. With over thirty victories in the sect's combat grounds, he had solidified his status as a formidable opponent. While some still challenged him, most were quickly humbled, and Xing Lin used each fight to refine his body even further. Having reached the Realm Origin Awakening, fifth stage of early pulse condensation.
Within Ark Continent, Pulse Condensation marks the end of the Physical Training Stage. That realm is all for laying the foundation for core foundation realm. That process symbolized the true beginning of the essence gathering system. The Body Refining Realm is essentially gathering energy in your body to evolve. Each time you break through a layer, it feels like a weight or shackle has been lifted from the body.
As Xing Lin led Tian Mo through the sect, his mind raced, Elder Hai's sudden shift in demeanor had been too quick to be trusted. For someone so methodical, Elder Pan Hai's favor toward Tian Mo didn't sit right with Xing Lin. He knew the elder well enough to sense when something was off.
He'd seen enough to know that trust in the Dark Demon Realm was as fragile as glass. The elders, especially someone like Hai, were not prone to acts of kindness or leniency without a hidden agenda. With that in mind, Xing Lin caution had served him well in the past, and he wasn't about to let his guard down now.
When Tian Mo, Xing Lin walked further into the sect, the desolate atmosphere weighed heavier on Tian Mo's shoulders. The air was dense with sinister energy, and the distant wails of tortured souls echoed louder in the background. He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
"Senior Brother." Tian Mo said hesitantly,
"What's is that sound? It feels like..."
"Spirits." Xing Lin answered curtly, his tone calm yet firm. "The sect is built on an ancient battlefield where countless cultivators died. Their souls never moved on. Instead, their resentment fuels the formation that protects the sect."
Glancing around. "Are they dangerous?"
Xing Lin chuckled darkly. "To the weak? Always. To us? Only if you falter. Keep moving. Fear invites them."
As they continued forward, Tian Mo's gaze settled onto a crumbling stone archway covered in twisted vines. Beyond it, he glimpsed a grotesque sight a massive, skeletal creature dragging a chain made of human bones. Its hollow, glowing eyes scanned the area, searching. He froze, unable to look away.
Xing Lin grabbed his shoulder, pulling him forward. "Don't stare at it. That's a Wraith Beast. It hunts those who lose control of their qi in fear. The sect keeps it as both a guardian and a lesson."
A Demon Beasts or Spiritual Beasts are animals or creatures that have the ability to absorb qi granting access to greater powers, abilities, intelligence, sentience and longevity.
In other words, Demon Beasts evolve much in the same way as humans evolve through cultivation. Like cultivation stages, Demon Beasts have increasingly higher grades that rival cultivators.
Tian Mo swallowed hard. "This place is... insane. Do you ever get used to it?" He was overtaken by how different the world is outside.
Xing Lin smirked, a faint glimmer of amusement in his usually cold eyes. "No. That's the point. Fear is a tool here, Junior Xux Min. It will either sharpen you or destroy you. Which will it be for you?"
Before Tian Mo could respond, they reached a clearing where he saw the sect's central hall resembles a massive, pulsating heart crafted from dark stone and bone. It's veined with glowing, crimson soul energy that pulses like a heartbeat. Souls are funneled into the heart via skeletal chains that stretch across the valley, siphoning energy directly into the citadel.