Return of the Mythic Bloodline-Chapter 334: Teaching the lesson

"I haven’t seen you here before. Are you a new inner disciple?" a curious voice called from behind as I momentarily stopped to see what the ruckus around the bulletin board was about.

Turning toward the source of the voice, I saw a young man around my age wearing a light blue robe. He had short cyan hair and eyes of a similar color. On his forehead was a slit, diamond-shaped mark.

"A Thunderbane?" I muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Haha, surprised to see one?" the young man chuckled with a smug smile.

"My name is Rowan El Thunderbane," he introduced himself.

He was not the only one. There were a few other disciples nearby who carried the same slit mark on their foreheads, clearly revealing their identity as Thunderbanes.

This must be the younger generation of Thunderbanes who had been cultivating in the sect when the massacre occurred.

"So we are not completely extinct," I sighed inwardly in relief.

"Hey, you know it’s rude to stay silent when someone introduces themselves," Rowan muttered, his voice slightly sharp.

"I’m Lucifer Morningstar, a new inner disciple," I replied before turning toward the Treasure Hall, my original destination.

"Since you are a new inner disciple, you must greet me the next time we meet and address me as senior brother, since I have been an inner disciple longer than you," Rowan said, quickly following behind me.

"That is the culture of the East," I replied in a cold tone. "Moreover, we are both inner disciples, so it makes no sense for me to call you senior brother."

"Ack! You are a rude one!" Rowan gasped, his mouth wide open. "I don’t mind, but if you show the same attitude toward other Thunderbanes, they will definitely punish you."

I chose not to respond and continued walking toward the Treasure Hall.

---

"Why do you keep following me?" I asked after reaching the Treasure Hall.

"Where did you come from?" Rowan asked in a curious tone, completely ignoring my question. "I have never seen attire like yours before. Since you are not wearing an outer disciple’s robe, you must have passed the Trial of Sky Mountains scheduled for today. And since the trial should still be ongoing, that means you earned the Examiner’s acknowledgment and directly became an inner disciple."

I narrowed my gaze at Rowan, slightly impressed by how much he had deduced from my attire in such a short time.

"I am from a fallen family in the north of the Western Continent," I replied, entering the Treasure Hall.

Inside, I presented my jade token to an old man seated behind the counter. After briefly scanning the token, he took out a space ring from beneath the counter and said, "This space ring contains your robes and one thousand kilograms of Grade Three Mid-Tier Soul Stones as your monthly allowance."

"Senior, can I use these Soul Stones to buy something?" I asked while taking the space ring.

"Yes, you can."

"Then how much do I need to buy the Thunderbane swordsmanship manual?"

The old man could not help but burst into laughter, as if I had said something absurd.

"To learn the swordsmanship of the Thunderbanes, you must possess Sword Aura," the old man replied. "This is not something a new disciple like you should even ask."

"Just tell me the price," I retorted, releasing a tired sigh.

"Y-you rude brat!" the old man snapped, veins bulging on his forehead.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and muttered in an irritated tone, "You cannot directly purchase the Thunderbane swordsmanship. There are two conditions you must fulfill.

First, you must become a core disciple of the Thunderbane Sect.

Second, you must exchange something of equal value to the sect in return for the manual."

"In terms of Soul Stones, how much would it be?" I asked.

"Hmph, no less than five thousand kilograms of Grade 1 Mid-Tier Soul Stones," the old man scoffed. "Do you dare buy it?"

"You surely jest, elder," I replied with a playful smirk. "How could a new disciple like me possess such wealth? Not to mention, I am only an inner disciple."

With that, I took the space ring and left the Treasure Hall. Moments later, a loud thud echoed from inside, followed by a furious roar.

"Don’t you dare come here again, you mannerless brat!"

"You certainly have guts to offend the Treasure Hall Master on your very first day," Rowan laughed, having silently observed the entire scene from the entrance.

"So, will you enter the Core Disciple Selection Competition?" he asked a moment later.

"Why would I?" I shrugged.

"But about the swordsmanship—"

"I do not possess any treasure to exchange for the manual," I replied instantly before he could finish.

As we walked away from the Treasure Hall, a group of four disciples passed by us. The moment they drew close, Rowan immediately bowed and shouted, "Greetings, senior brothers!"

"Hey, they are real trouble. Bow if you don’t want to become their target," Rowan whispered, tugging at my sleeve.

However he was too late to warn me. The group’s focus had already shifted towards us.

"Huh, who is this hooligan you are hanging around with, Rowan?" a handsome young man with long blue hair and a slit mark on his forehead asked from within the group.

Judging from his presence alone, he was clearly their leader.

"Are these the typical arrogant young masters who need some face-slapping?" I thought inwardly, scratching my forehead.

"Senior Brother Cedric, he is a new inner disciple," Rowan replied nervously. "He doesn’t understand the hierarchy yet—"

Before Rowan could finish, a sharp slap landed across his face. It came from another Thunderbane in Cedric’s group.

"How dare a descendant of the Thunderbanes associate with a lowborn?" the disciple muttered coldly.

"This idiot needs discipline," another shouted, driving a punch into Rowan’s stomach and forcing him to his knees.

The three disciples began punching and kicking Rowan while Cedric turned his attention toward me.

With a look of pure disgust, Cedric spoke in a cold tone, "Kneel, lowborn. You stand before the mightiest warriors of the Western Continent."

I dragged a frustrated hand across my face and muttered coldly, "I don’t remember having such arrogant bastards in the sect. This won’t do. These idiots need to be taught a lesson, or they will sully the name of the Thunderbanes."

"W-what did you just say, you lowborn?" Cedric roared, his face flushing red with rage as he unsheathed his sword.

"I will kill you for such disrespect."