anwhile, in another part of the world, just beyond the veil, on the holy land, Nora had adjusted a fair bit to her current status. Although she was still branded a slave, she was not like the others. After all, she had been handpicked by the heir of a virtue family.
She only had one duty, and that was to absorb as much as she could. Apart from the regular cultivation books that Eunid was aware of, Old Fang also did other things in secret. Such as today. Nora was led into a particular room underneath the estate by Old Fang. This place was so ancient and inaccessible to normal people that the only way to see within was to use a regular candle. Old Fang explained that runed candles or any other form of light would not work here.
The atmosphere was misty and oppressively robust. The air was thick with an ancient, almost malevolent energy that pressed down on Nora, making her feel small and vulnerable. The walls were lined with strange, archaic symbols, barely visible in the dim light of the candle.
"Where are we?" Nora asked, her voice echoing slightly in the confined space.
Old Fang smiled, his teeth glinting eerily in the candlelight. "The Deligence family is the toughest of all the families, and because of their virtue of diligence, the more diligent they are, the tougher they beco. The old ancestors of the family invented the most chaotic, painful, and stubborn ans of training, even employing forbidden strategies from the demons. And this is that place."
He gestured around the room, the shadows dancing ominously. "This place is divided into seven levels leading down into the earth. Each level has seven sub-levels."
As he spoke, he walked around the room, and Nora followed him closely. The oppressive atmosphere grew thicker with each step. She was so focused on Old Fang’s words and the strange environnt that she didn’t notice the hole in front of her until it was too late. With a swift, unexpected movent, Old Fang pushed her into the hole.
Nora’s scream echoed through the darkness as she fell, the candlelight flickering out above her. The fall seed to last forever, the air rushing past her ears. She landed with a thud on a hard, uneven surface, the impact knocking the breath out of her.
Gasping for air, she looked around, but the darkness was impenetrable. Her body ached from the fall, and the oppressive atmosphere seed even more suffocating down here. She could hear faint, eerie whispers in the darkness, the voices of those who had suffered in this place before her.
Old Fang’s voice echoed down from above, calm and unyielding. "This is where your true training begins, Nora. Rember, diligence is the key. The tougher you are, the stronger you will beco."
Nora shivered, fear and determination warring within her.
Old Fang’s voice reached her from above, "We will start slow..." As he said this, Nora could hear hissing sounds coming from all around her. The oppressive darkness seed to close in even tighter, and her heart raced as the eerie noises grew louder.
"I present to you, the dwarf earthen Purple Venom Thunder Scorpion. A yellow core beast known for its very small size but extrely poisonous sting. So venomous that its sting can actually kill Enjoy, a blue core double horned elephant, even though it is still a yellow cored beast. I’ll be back for you by lunch!"
With that, he closed the hatch above, cutting off her only source of light. Her screams echoed in the confined space, but were soon muffled as the hatch sealed shut, plunging her into complete darkness. From above, Old Fang whispered lowly, "Get stronger. We need you!" Then, he turned and left.
In the suffocating darkness, Nora strained her ears to locate the source of the hissing. The sounds were coming from all around her, growing louder and more nacing. The walls seed to co alive with the creaking and scraping of tiny legs moving over the rough stone surface.
The dwarf earthen Purple Venom Thunder Scorpions erged from the shadows, their small, almost translucent bodies glinting faintly in the dim light. Each scorpion was no larger than a coin, but their presence was terrifying. Their exoskeletons were a dark, iridescent purple, making them nearly invisible in the low light. Tiny legs moved with a deliberate, almost chanical precision, and their segnted tails curled upwards, ending in a sharp, glistening stinger.
The scorpions’ eyes glowed faintly with a malevolent light, and their mandibles clicked together, producing an eerie, chittering sound. They moved swiftly, scuttling over the ground and up the walls, their movents creating a chorus of creaking and hissing that filled the room.
Nora backed away, her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to find a safe spot, but the scorpions were everywhere, closing in on her from all sides. The oppressive atmosphere seed to press down even harder, making it difficult to breathe. She could feel their tiny legs brushing against her skin, sending shivers of fear through her body.
And then ca the stings as the scorpions attempted to enjoy the al that had been offered to them.
She scread in pain, but no one would hear her. The relentless sting of the scorpions tore through her, each one a new wave of agony that echoed in the darkness. Hours passed in this tornt, each second dragging on like an eternity.
Just as promised, the hatch opened up, and a sliver of light revealed Nora’s figure. Any person with a fear of a cluster of holes would not be able to look at her at the mont.
Old Fang held two candles in his hands. He threw one down into the hole, and sensing the flas, the scorpions all rushed to hide away.
"Co out," Old Fang called to her as he threw down a rope. Nora stood up weakly, her body more a mass of purple veins dancing on her skin than it was of flesh. She was obviously very weak, yet she still managed to climb out. As soon as she erged, Old Fang helped her check her body for any lingering scorpions, then closed the hatch.
On the side was her lunch. However, when she looked at the food on a huge plate presented to her, she frowned and then looked back at Old Fang. "This... it’s not cooked," she complained.
Old Fang nodded, explaining, "This is a 1,000-year-old green spirit ginseng root. You will be allowed to eat three daily, plucked right from the soil. You will eat everything, including the clay around it."
Nora was shocked by his words, but there was no room to argue with him. Besides, for a reason she did not understand, there was a deep hunger within her. If not for the terrible pain and her aversion to the sight of scorpions, she was almost on the verge of eating them too. Imdiately, she dug in. However, Old Fang smacked her hands and pointed to the cutlery set.
"We will not forfeit etiquette in the pursuit of strength."
She nodded and did as he instructed. The ancient ginseng root was gnarled and covered in a thick layer of clay. It tasted earthy and bitter, each bite filling her mouth with a gritty texture. But she chewed thodically, using the cutlery with as much grace as she could muster, else a beating from old fang would follow.
The ginseng root, though unappetizing, seed to fill her with a strange, revitalizing energy. She could feel its ancient power coursing through her veins, mingling with the pain from the scorpion stings. Her body was a battlefield of sensations, each one vying for dominance.
Old Fang watched her closely, his expression unreadable. He knew the importance of this training, the necessity of the pain and the strength it would forge within her. As she ate, he nodded approvingly, seeing her determination despite the tornt she had endured.
When she finished, Old Fang took the empty plate and placed it aside. "Rest now," he said. "You will need your strength for the next level."
Nora nodded, feeling the exhaustion pull at her eyelids. She lay down on the hard ground, her body still aching. What she did not know was that the Ginseng had already began its work in her body.
Old fang knew how this worked. He had read and researched a lot just for her sake. The cauldron was broken. but that did not an that what was left of it could not be strengthened.
And that was his goal. He was going to push her on the path of growth the only way he was confident would help her the most, and that was through the hard way.
First ca the breakdown and then the heal, and then the break down again, and then the heal. He hoped that sohow, he was going to strengthen her enough that she would be able to take back what was stolen from her.
After all, Danger Builds the Senses and builds the success of the Cultivator.
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