Chapter 378: Time to Cultivate

Yue closed her book and stood up from the low ground table. "You must be tired after dimensional travel. You should rest for now. I will help you train your internal energy tonight once I am finished with my administrative duties."

"I am not tired at all," Solomon responded casually. "I would like to start training right now."

Yue raised an eyebrow, giving him a deeply judging look. "You are honestly not tired?"

Solomon nodded.

She chuckled softly, shaking her head. "You are right. It was my mistake to expect anything normal or reasonable from you."

Solomon squinted his eyes at her. "You are also pretty rude, you know."

Yue grinned, snapping her jade fan open. "What are you going to do about it?"

[1Fizzy: the banter is top tier.]

[James_hayes: Solo Man getting teased by the Pavilion Master.]

[GoonLord: I WISH I WAS HIM!]

[Mezz_3863: bro cannot handle the sass.]

[Foodball: they act like siblings lol.]

Solomon shrugged his shoulders effortlessly. "Since we know each other now, I will just let that slide as friends teasing each other." He tapped his boots against the floorboards. "Can we start training already? I really do not want to waste my time just sitting around."

Yue shook her head, her expression turning professional. "I am a Pavilion Master, Solomon. I have an entire pavilion to run, strict duties to perform, and thousands of disciples to manage. I will only be free after the evening meals. So, you can either rest during the day, or you will have to train by yourself until I can personally guide you tonight."

After a brief pause, she added, "I can give you some basic instructions on what to focus on if you want to train alone."

"I understand," Solomon said. "What are the instructions?"

Yue clapped her hands together sharply to summon an attendant. Solomon glanced around the open-air hall, fully expecting a servant to appear. However, absolutely no one came.

[LazyCat: ignored by her own staff.]

[User12: the disrespect is contagious in this pavilion.]

[M00N: even the servants are rude AHAHA!]

[Brerell: awkward silence.]

Yue’s brows twitched violently in annoyance. She cleared her throat. "I will send someone to guide you shortly."

"Where will I be training?" Solomon asked. "Or can I just train anywhere I want in the gardens?"

Yue looked at him curiously. "Would you just like to join the standard cultivation classes for the second-year disciples? You must already know the fundamental stages, the basic theoretical concepts, and the foundational realms of cultivation by now, right?"

Solomon simply stared at her face, his expression completely blank and entirely devoid of any theoretical knowledge. That silent stare was more than enough for her to know the exact answer.

[sgtcwby: bro skipped the tutorial.]

[Nick: Solo Man only knows how to punch things.]

[DaoistAlexkg: theory classes? never heard of them.]

[Vaelen: bro is running on pure instinct.]

"It is literally my first day officially attending this sect as a second-year," Solomon stated defensively. "How could I possibly know any of that?"

"There are mandatory theory classes and written assignments that every single student completes during their first year," Yue pointed out, rubbing her temples.

"I was a first-year who got abruptly promoted to a second-year yesterday morning," Solomon reminded her. "I haven’t taken a single theory class or completed a single written assignment since I enrolled in the academy."

Yue nodded in sudden realization. "Right. I completely forgot you were technically a first-year novice just a few weeks ago, simply because of how unbelievably fast you are progressing and learning things. It is easy to forget your actual academic rank when you have already unlocked five of your seven aura cores."

She let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. I will send someone who will teach you everything from the ground up."

"I just hope they won’t be as rude as the rest of the staff here," Solomon responded bluntly.

"Do not worry about that," Yue reassured him. She pointed her closed fan at his chest, offering a strict warning. "However, you must do exactly as they ask. They are incredibly strict when it comes to teaching and foundational training. You should not try anything funny, and do not disregard their instructions."

Solomon maintained a perfectly straight face. "I have literally never done that."

[1Fizzy: CAP!]

[Ferald: the biggest lie of the century.]

[Mezz_3863: bro literally beat up his last instructors.]

[GoonLord: Solo Man is a menace to every teacher.]

[Ron_Selby: he is going to cause so much trouble.]

Yue rolled her eyes and left the hall to attend to her administrative duties, leaving Solomon alone.

Not knowing what else to do while he waited, Solomon glanced around the serene room. He found a large, beautifully painted portrait hanging on the far wall. He stepped closer and easily identified the figures in the painting.

There was Marco looking young and serious, Yue smiling gently, Madam Alfoy looking elegant, Pavilion Leader Jin standing proudly, and a little girl with a bright smile who was obviously the deceased youngest sister. There were other extended family members and large groups of disciples depicted in the background.

However, the painting was noticeably damaged. The edges were burned from the corners, there were small holes in the canvas, and the fabric smelled faintly of old smoke. Most glaringly, there was one specific person in the family portrait who had been purposely torn and cut completely out of the painting.

"Do you like art?" a mature, melodic voice asked from behind him.

Solomon turned around and saw Yin Hua, the Vice Pavilion Master, standing near the doorway. The silver bells tied around her wrists chimed softly.

[Naturic: MOMMY IS BACK!]

[GamerGuy: the true best girl of the sect.]

[James_hayes: respectfully staring.]

[Joshua_Swofford: she is so gorgeous.]

Solomon looked back at the damaged, burned painting. "I would hardly call this art."

Yin Hua smiled warmly, stepping into the hall. "Pavilion Master Yue asked me to personally teach you and guide your foundational training today. Please, follow me."