After the memory ended, the reflections began to change once again.
This time, each reflection showed a different scene—a different moment in time—portraying fragments of his darker history. In particular, events that had taken place long before he became Sect Master or even the Great Elder.
For example, one scene showed Xu Tao sitting at the peak of the tallest tree at the base of Kunlun Mountain. There, he seemed to be cultivating the Earth Qi around him… but in truth, he was simply peeking at the lake ahead, where a few female sect members were taking a dip. Right—he was just a voyeur.
Another scene showed a time when he had just shattered his cultivation to restart for the second time. He was running away from loan sharks from whom he had borrowed money to buy a powerful cultivation root. To escape, he hid under the long skirt of a passing nun…
