Return of the Mythic Bloodline-Chapter 353: Hellish Training

"I refuse," I said calmly before shutting the door in his face.

Just as I was about to turn away, the door was knocked on again.

"What is it now?" I asked, my voice sharper with annoyance as I opened the door.

"W-why would you refuse to train me?" Thorin demanded, utterly confused. "I’m the heir of the Thunderbane Sect. By helping me train, you will have the support of the entire sect."

"Do you think I need the backing of the Thunderbane Sect?" I asked, my face unreadable.

He flinched at my question, disbelief and confusion evident on his face. The Thunderbane Sect was the sect that once produced the mightiest warrior of the continent. How could an outsider with no background ask such an arrogant question?

He was about to voice those thoughts aloud, but just as the words reached his lips, realization struck him and they dissolved in his mouth.

The Thunderbane Sect was the sect that ’once’ produced the mightiest warrior of the continent.

Not now.

Not anymore.

They were merely an empty shell of their former glory. Aside from their historical achievements, they had nothing to their name. The sect was crumbling. They lacked power, protection, and resources. Not to mention they were being defeated year after year by the disciples of other sects in the Azure Sky Competition.

Thorin clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white and muttered in a low voice, "We might not be of any value to you for now, but we will rise again and reclaim our former glory. I will make sure the Thunderbane Sect becomes the mightiest sect once more."

Fixing me with a deadly glare, he continued, "So do not dare disrespect the Thunderbane Sect."

The corner of my lips rose, but I quickly suppressed it, maintaining my cold facade.

"Apologize to Sister Lyra."

"Huh?" My demand caught him completely off guard.

With a frown, I repeated, "Apologize to Sister Lyra."

Then I closed the door again.

"Thank you, Brother Lucifer," his excited voice echoed from outside. In a softer tone, he murmured, "I had already decided to ask for her forgiveness even if you had not told me."

His footsteps slowly faded as he left my abode.

After taking a short half hour nap, I left and returned to the Core Court training ground. For the Court Disciples, a separate abode with a large luxurious room and a training ground was provided. Since I had only recently become one, I had not yet moved to the Core Court.

The training ground where Lyra trained under me fell under my abode and should have belonged solely to me.

However...

When I arrived, not only were Lyra and Thorin present, but the other Thunderbanes were there as well, chatting leisurely as if they were attending some sort of gathering.

"Greetings, Junior Brother Lucifer," Lyra said, the first to notice me.

The others turned and greeted me as well, following her lead.

A frown formed on my face as I asked, "What are you all doing here?"

"We came to train under you, Brother Lucifer," Rowan said. He was also among the group.

Among the Thunderbanes, I could see several annoyed faces and sharp glares from those who were clearly here against their will. Cedric, Thorin’s younger brother, was among them.

It did not take me even a second to realize who was responsible for the presence of all these troublesome Thunderbanes. Thorin’s smug, irritating expression from the center of the crowd was enough to confirm it.

Ignoring his bratty behavior, he was still the heir to become the next Sect Master of the Thunderbane Sect. The other Thunderbanes looked up to him as a role model. Now that he was here, the others would follow my orders without objection.

With deliberate steps, I walked to the center of the training ground and asked, turning to Lyra, "Did that idiot apologize?" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Her brow twitched at my question, and the gentle smile she usually carried disappeared.

"He did," she snorted. "But that does not mean I have forgiven him."

Casting a sharp glare at Thorin, she continued, "And now that I have learned the apology was because you told him to, I will never forgive him."

"L-Lyra, you misunder—"

"Hmph!" Lyra retorted sharply, turning her face away.

Thorin looked at me with pleading eyes, silently asking me to help him clear the misunderstanding. I completely ignored him and shifted my focus to the Thunderbanes gathered before me.

"Let me clear up one major misconception you must all be having by gathering here for this training session. This session is not led by Thorin, nor does he have any authority or say in its intensity or methods."

Several gasps rippled through the fifteen Thunderbanes standing before me.

Some were shocked by how I addressed their idol, the heir of the sect. Others were stunned by the realization that Thorin was not here as a trainer, but as a trainee.

He must have informed them beforehand that I would be leading the session, but they likely assumed he was merely being humble.

Once their murmurs settled, I continued, "The session will begin with physical exercise early in the morning before the first ray of sunlight touches the mountain. At noon, you will spar with me. The evening will be spent in meditation, consolidating all the gains you earned throughout the day. While you are on this training ground, my words will be absolute law. If anyone dares to disobey, they will answer directly to Master Robert."

Another wave of exclamations surged through the crowd. How could I, an outsider who had arrived at the sect only a week ago, wield enough authority to invoke Master Robert himself?

Most of them did not believe what I said...None of them did.

Before I could continue, a sharp voice laced with Soulforce echoed across the ground.

"You should take his words seriously."

The voice was old and calm, yet it sent shivers down the spine of every disciple present as it belonged to none other than Master Robert.

They swallowed hard, their bodies breaking into sweat. Their gazes shifted from rebellious to fearful and obedient.

Thank you, Master Robert, I sighed inwardly before continuing, "The training session will continue for one month, until the Azure Sky Competition."

My eyes narrowed, my voice grew heavy, and a wild, demonic smirk curled across my face as I continued, "Any disciple who returns defeated at the hands of another sect’s disciple will receive such a beating that they will wish they had died in the tournament instead."