The interior of the mansion was very spacious, designed in a traditional style with most of the furniture crafted from spiritual wood. Calum calmly explored the entire estate before stopping before a vast courtyard. It featured a dedicated combat training field equipped with wooden spiritual puppets and a garden brimming with spiritual plants.
Impressive. It's surreal that all of this is at my convenience. Even as the nephew of the Seren patriarch, I've never received such treatment. Then again, the difference between the Seren Clan and the Demonic Saint Sect is like that of Heaven and Earth.
As he pondered the vast gulf between these powers, his gaze fell upon a beautiful gazebo situated on the west side of the courtyard, near the garden. Approaching it, he noticed it was constructed from a mysterious purple material. A plaque next to it read:
Outer Meditation Gazebo
Hmm...? It's used for cultivation. Well, I might as well try the cultivation method created by the Saint. Though from our conversation, it should be incredibly painful. Nevertheless, for me, pain is merely an illusory concept. It shouldn't affect me.
Calum adopted a lotus position in the center of the gazebo. The words of the scripture flowed freely in his mind. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and frowned slightly, a mixture of excitement, curiosity, and deep focus lingering in their depths. He stood up, returned to his chamber inside the mansion, and retrieved his father's sword.
Returning to the gazebo, he resumed his previous position, except this time, the sword rested flat across his palms. He began running the mantra of the Treasure Assimilation Scripture through his mind.
There was a pause. Then his awareness plunged inward, manifesting a projected form within his conscious mind. He found himself floating above a boundless sea that reflected his past experiences, memories, knowledge, and thoughts.
Floating directly in front of him was the projection of his father's sword.
Wondrous! This is my conscious mind? It looks like an entire world! And the projection of the sword... it's exact, just as described in the scripture.
Schooling his features, he drifted toward the sword, reached out, and grasped the hilt. The moment his fingers closed around it, a tingling sensation rippled through his form. He paused, puzzled for a split second, before his eyes shone with realization: this was supposed to be the moment he doubled over in agonizing pain. Instead, he let out a hearty laugh and turned his gaze back to the blade.
The sword projection grew increasingly illusory before completely popping out of existence.
As the sword projection vanished, the true Saint snapped his eyes open from meditation in a darkened chamber. A surge of joy—so potent it nearly triggered a deviation in his cultivation—rushed through him. Quickly halting his practice, he stood up, scarcely believing what had just transpired.
I sent my consciousness clone to monitor this kid and see if he could actually cultivate the scripture. But who would have thought he would succeed so quickly?
When the Saint's clone had sensed the activity of an impending breakthrough coming from the boy's courtyard, it had been so startled that it instantly dissipated. That was why the true Saint had jolted out of his meditation in such an unseemly fashion; up until now, the Saint Calum had met was nothing more than a clone. The true body had never left its secluded retreat.
Disregarding his usual composure, the Saint blinked directly into Calum's courtyard in person. Naturally, no matter how careless the Saint was, Calum was far too low in cultivation to detect his arrival.
The Saint observed the boy in the gazebo. Calum's body was floating mid-air, surrounded by a razor-sharp aura. He still looked as delicate as a porcelain doll, but an added edge now sharpened his bearing, enhancing his charm manifold.
Suddenly, Calum's eyelids twitched. His eyes snapped open, and his very figure projected a torrent of sword energy that violently whipped through the air. The gazebo would have been shredded instantly were it not for the immensely sturdy material of its construction.
He truly succeeded. I can feel my obsession melting away. My cultivation boundary is advancing, and the barriers blocking my path have finally disappeared. Terrific! What a kid! I wasn't joking when I warned him about the pain he would have to endure. Sigh... I almost want to take him as a personal disciple. Sadly, I am not long for this world; according to the heavenly secrets, I should ascend in less than a decade. Still, for as long as I remain, no one had better dream of touching him!
Having resolved himself, the Saint cast one final, deep gaze at Calum and vanished as if he had never been there.
Calum landed gracefully on the floor of the gazebo, looked down at his ruined clothes, and offered a self-conscious smile.
I should have changed into the sect-issued spirit robe first.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he flourished his token and directed his consciousness inside. As expected, a vast internal space opened up before him, containing a book, several scrolls, tens of spirit stones, and a black robe embroidered with golden patterns. The latter was precisely what he wanted.
A thought.
That was all it took. In an instant, the garments swapped, leaving his ruined robe stored away inside the token. He slipped the token into his new attire and headed toward the combat training field.
He was filled with anticipation regarding his newfound prowess. He could feel it—a total transformation. More than mere growth, the process he had undergone was a true evolution. As he walked toward the field, a keen, piercing force accompanied every motion and every thought. It was a sensation he had never experienced before: the pure elation of a breakthrough. For the first time, he truly understood why people embarked on the perilous path of cultivation despite all its hazards.
Before long, he stood before a wooden puppet. Its craftsmanship was intricate and detailed, resembling a valiant general of a hundred battles. As he pondered how to activate it, it dawned on him that instead of standing there guessing, he could simply consult the guide stored within his token.
Summoning the guide with his consciousness, he perused it quickly. Cultivators certainly had it easy; as he was demonstrating, they could leverage their consciousness in myriad ways to produce supernatural results. In record time, Calum found the exact instructions he needed, closed the mental book, and set it aside.
He turned his focus back to the puppet, channeling his consciousness into the inscriptions embedded within its frame. But before he could test his new state, a sharp bell chimed.
Pulling his token from his robe, he injected his consciousness to activate another of its functions. A mental projection materialized in his mind's eye: before the gates of his mansion stood a middle-aged man with an ordinary face, white hair, and his hands clasped behind his back.
Calum instantly recognized Elder Heris—his father's old friend who had brought him to the sect. With a single thought, the courtyard gates swung open.
Elder Heris stepped into the courtyard and took in Calum's appearance, genuine surprise flashing deep within his eyes. Although only four days had passed since they last met, Calum's transformation was staggering. He had already leaped straight to the Mastery level of the 1st state of foundation, entirely skipping the Initial level.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as the Saint himself personally welcomed him and fast-tracked him to core disciple status. Still, this rate of progression is fast enough to give someone whiplash!
Despite his shock, Heris felt a profound surge of happiness for his late friend's son.
"Greetings, Elder Heris. Thankfully, I didn't disappoint you," Calum greeted with a light smile.
"Indeed you didn't. Tell me truly, do you have any idea how startled I was when I saw the Saint leading you to your lodgings himself?" Heris asked, a playful glint in his eye.
"I imagine I was just as surprised as you when the Saint appeared at the conclusion of my trials," Calum retorted wittily.
"Oh, you...!" Heris chuckled, then his expression shifted slightly. "Nevertheless, you are now a core disciple of the strongest demonic sect in the Luo Empire. You can dispose of that uncle of yours however you please. If not out of consideration for your own agency, I would have reduced that piece of trash to nothingness myself."
For a fleeting second, the ordinary-looking elder radiated a chilling, malevolent aura, reminding Calum that he was, in truth, an elder of a demonic sect. His unassuming appearance was entirely deceiving.
"Don't worry, Elder. The day my cultivation surpasses his is the day he dies. For now, he can enjoy his remaining time," Calum replied coldly.
Elder Heris nodded with gratification, his terrifying aura instantly receding back into a placid facade.