Mac was lying serenely in the shade of a large tree, surrounded by many spreading trees, their branches gently swaying in the morning breeze.
Mac's eyes were closed, and his arms were intertwined and placed under his head, creating a makeshift pillow. At the same time, the wind gently blew over his relaxed body.
Mac was in no hurry, he was not bothering anyone, and he was not doing anything at all.
All he was doing was lying peacefully not far from the stone road along which the students were running to their morning classes.
Like Mac, they were disciples of the Silver Blade Sect, but unlike him, they were in a hurry to go to the Sect's Education House for morning classes.
The Sect Education House was the place where all the disciples of the Sect had their general classes.
It was a place where children were taught basic skills such as writing, mathematics, and geography of their city and surrounding towns.
It also served as an educational centre for imparting knowledge of the history of the city, the state and neighbouring states, as well as teaching the basics of cultivation and other subjects that were compulsory for children their age.
As Mac lay there quietly with his eyes closed, various groups of students walked around him chatting cheerfully.
One of them was a group of his peers, Mac's classmates, who were on their way to a lesson with Miss Rosalyn, who was teaching the Cultivation Basics class in the Education Building.
One of his classmates, who was walking on the same side as the big tree, noticed Mac.
He was 16-year-old Victor, the son of one of the Elders of their Sect. His cultivation was at the 6th stage of Energy Core Formation, and although this result was not brilliant, it was not bad either. The guy stopped and shouted.
"Mac, are you going to embarrass our class in front of Miss Rosalyn again?", his face was angry and clearly unhappy with the whole encounter with Mac, not to mention the fact that the latter was lying on the ground in the shade of a large tree and clearly wasn't going to go to Miss Rosalyn's class with them.
As soon as he shouted this, all the other classmates stopped at once.
They looked in Mac's direction, waiting to see what excuse he would give them today.
After all, Mac had been skipping almost every class in the Education building for the past 2 weeks, and whenever there were any questions, Mac would say the first thing that came to mind and quickly disappear from their sight
Mac definitely heard the boy speak to him, but he pretended as if nothing had happened and continued to lie in the shade of a large tree, calm and relaxed.
Victor saw how he was being blatantly ignored and became even angrier, and now he wanted not only to get Mac's answer, but to humiliate him so that he would not dare to ignore the son of the Sect's Elder anymore.
He continued to spit out insults, his mouth spitting out spittle over and over again, his face turning even redder, and he mockingly said, "Of course you would lie in the shadows while we were showing off our talents to Miss Rosalyn in class. It's clear you have no talent whatsoever!"
Mac, on the other hand, didn't even look as if anyone had said anything to him, and not a single muscle in his body tensed. He continued to lie in the shade of the tree, enjoying the fleeting moment of silence.
His classmates were watching the situation with different emotions. Some were upset, some were disappointed, some were angry, and some simply showed absolute indifference, but no one dared to interrupt Victor or defend Mac.
After all, everyone knew who the boy was and who his father was.
But even so, everyone was surprised by the restraint Mac showed.
Noticing, or rather not noticing, any changes in Mac's behaviour, Victor became even more angry, and he involuntarily clenched his hands into fists, and his face, which had previously been red, now turned purple.
The next moment he spoke.
"Considering your level of cultivation, you are nothing but a failure! What else can we expect from an orphan like you? You have no parents or family! The only person you have is Elder Strye, but to him, you're nothing more than a stray cat that just happened to wander into his large courtyard!"
Although Mac was deeply hurt by these words, he wanted to keep his head down and continue to lie relaxed under the tree. But he couldn't stand it any longer, so he slowly opened his eyes, waved his hand lightly over his body several times, and then exhaled sadly and said.
"Oh, these flies! I am so tired of them. They keep buzzing and buzzing. They won't let me lie down in peace," he said calmly and relaxed, as if some flies had actually flown up to him at that moment and started to disturb his rest.
But after saying these words, he turned his face and body towards Viktor and continued.
"I wish I could swat this annoying fly!", saying these words, he clenched his hands into a fist, and his voice became much firmer than before, which was confirmed by his gaze, which was cold and piercing, and completely focused on Victor's figure.
The eyebrows of his classmates rose at these words, and surprise could be read in their eyes.
Even Claire, who was standing next to Victor, opened her mouth a little in surprise, but quickly returned to normal and once again her figure radiated an aura of confidence and nobility.
The same could not be said about the rest of the classmates, especially Viktor. He could not believe that such a loser as Mac could say such a thing to him!
One of the main students and the son of one of the Sect's Elders. And when he said it, he looked Victor straight in the eye.
"You bastard!" the guy shouted loudly, thus attracting even more glances from the surrounding Sect members, and continued, "How dare you say that to me! You....", Victor wanted to continue shouting, but at one point he was interrupted by the same young woman standing not far from him, it was Claire, who a second ago was as surprised as Victor himself.
"Forget about him," Claire said in a phlegmatic tone, "He's just a loser who isn't worth our time. Can't you see that he's deliberately making you angry? Let's go to class, we're already late," the beautiful girl standing next to Victor said in a cold, supercilious tone and quickly walked forward.
Claire was 16 years old and at the 7th stage of Energy Core Formation. Her father was the Sect's Right Vice Head, Roger Dono.
Mac quickly turned his eyes to the girl. His gaze was no warmer than when he had looked at the boy, despite her beauty and the noble aura that surrounded her silhouette.
Hearing her words, Viktor immediately came to his senses and calmed down, unclenching his clenched fists. His face instantly returned to its normal colour.
He confidently straightened his back and proudly lifted his chin. And in this position he said the following words, "You are right, Claire Dono! As one of the geniuses of our Sect, I should not stoop to the level of a lowlife like Mac!"
He waved his hand to his classmates and walked proudly at the head of the group towards the beautiful girl. Walking a little further, he called out, "Claire, wait for me!" and quickly ran up to the girl, as did his other classmates. And together they set off for the Education Building.
Looking at the backs of his classmates, whose figures were gradually moving away from him, Mac just laughed a little. He turned away and lay down with his back on the damp ground.
Sitting comfortably, Mac looked up at the clear blue sky. He exhaled a sad lungful of air. Mac closed his eyes, which were blinded by the bright rays of the sun, and continued his rest.
Soon after, the noisy group of people entered the Education Building, next to which was the Sect Library, which contained various books including the spiritual sword techniques of their Sect, and a little further away was the Central Ground, which was used for training and for various ceremonies.
For example, the Three Swords Competition and friendly matches with representatives of other Sects. Upon entering the Education building, which was made of mostly wood and stone, the group of students went straight to their classroom to prepare for their first lesson, taught by Miss Rosalyn.
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As soon as they entered the classroom, they noticed that one young lady was already waiting for them. She was Miss Rosalyn, a young woman of 25-28 years old with long black hair, a calm look and a small smile that made it hard to tell if she was angry that the students were late or happy that they had come to her class.
The students were instantly frightened and dumbfounded when they saw the teacher, but Claire was not confused and quickly bowed to Miss Rosalyn and said "Student salutes Teacher!"
The other children, who had not yet recovered from their stupor, immediately followed suit. They bowed and said, "The students greet the Master!" Miss Rosalyn just smiled and waved her hand, inviting the students to take their seats.
The students quickly ran. Each one ran to his or her desk and sat down as if they had not been late at all. Miss Rosalyn looked around and noticed that two children were missing.
"Where are the other two? Maybe they are running late and will come now?", the teacher's face became concerned.
"No, they're not coming," one of the students quickly replied.
"Why aren't they coming?" Miss Rosalyn wanted to ask, but after looking around the room she realised that Trevor and Mac were not there.
Looking thoughtfully at the empty desk at the front of the classroom, Miss Rosalyn remembered that last night Elder Re had told her that his student Trevor would be absent for a private lesson.
Personal lessons were those given by the top of the Sect, i.e. the elders, vice-chapters and the head of the Sect to their personal students.
Turning her attention to another empty seat at the very back of the classroom, Miss Rosalyn asked.
"Where is Mac and why isn't he in class right now?", her gaze was still calm, and she still had a small smile on her face, only her displeased tone betraying her true attitude to the situation.
"He's lying under a big tree near the stone road," one of the students answered immediately.
"What do you mean he's lying down? Has something happened to him? Is he injured?", she looked anxiously at the disciple who answered.
Although fatal combat between disciples was forbidden in the Sect, there were cases where one of the disciples had been seriously injured in a training sparring match.
"No." Claire replied coldly, not wanting to talk about Mac, but even more so not wanting to waste the lesson's time discussing the loser. And he's lying there to bask in the sun", saying the last phrase, the disdain in her eyes flashed like a flame and everyone present felt her attitude towards Mac.
"What do you mean, 'basking in the sun'? Maybe he has an internal injury and just can't get to a doctor?", the concern in Miss Rosalyn's voice, though reduced, did not disappear completely.
"No. He's definitely fine! Only a healthy person could answer like that!" Victor said through his teeth, his hands clenched into fists and his eyes burning with anger.
"Oh, what did he say to you?", Miss Rosalyn asked in confusion, who found Victor's answer strange in combination with his aggressive behaviour.
"Nothing important. He just rudely told us not to interfere with his rest," said Hugo, who was sitting next to Victor and was his friend.
Miss Rosalyn's eyebrows rose, and her eyes seemed as if they would roll out of their sockets. She was very surprised by the irresponsibility of one of the personal disciples of the Sect's elder.
After all, each personal disciple was supposed to be an example for the other disciples of the Sect, both in terms of strength, skills, intelligence, behaviour and attitude to learning, but Mac was clearly not.
But when she remembered that Mac was not only a disciple to the elder, but also his own grandson, she understood.
With a wave of her hand in her heart, she decided to continue the lesson without delay.
"The subject I am teaching is called 'Fundamentals of Cultivation'. So tell me, how many levels of cultivation are there and what stages and levels are they divided into?", Miss Rosalyn began the lesson and asked the students questions.
"The main levels of cultivation are divided into: Energy Core Formation and Energy Core Saturation. The copies of the techniques or also called sword technique books are divided into the same levels. Each level of cultivation is divided into 9 stages," Claire said proudly and without a stutter.
Miss Rosalyn waved her head and continued.
"And tell me, what are the levels of knowledge of wind techniques?" She looked around the classroom and noticed only one hand raised, and asked accordingly.
"The levels of knowledge of brass techniques are: beginner, low, intermediate, high and, accordingly, complete knowledge of the technique," Claire answered, just like the first time.
"Good! Only Claire is answering today. Don't the others know the answer?", Miss Rosalyn smiled slyly, her eyes sweeping over every desk with a student at it.
"No!"
"No, it's just that... Claire was answering so well... I didn't want to interrupt her," Victor said shyly, pausing for a long time. Miss Rosalyn smiled slyly and immediately turned her gaze to Claire, who did not pay attention to the boy's words.
"No!", "No! We know everything!", "Yes, yes we know it!", the students denied the teacher's assumption, waving their heads and hands.
"Well, let's see. But tell me, what level of cultivation should you be at now and what techniques are suitable for you?", looking around the class with her eagle eyes, Miss Rosaline decided to ask Hugo, whose hands were under the desk.
"Uh... well... at our age... well... 15-16 years old, we should... be at the 5-6 stages of the Energy Core Formation. And as for the techniques... well, the books of wood and copper techniques are suitable for us", Hugo's voice paused and hesitated. Hearing the answer, the teacher's face twisted into a strange grimace.
Some students shook their heads.
"Yes, indeed," Miss Rosalyn nodded her head in agreement, "At your level, the books of the Wood and Copper Technique are suitable for you. But the 6th stage of Energy Core Formation should be completed by students at the age of 14-15. - A tense smile appeared on her face and she continued in a light melodic voice with contempt in her eyes, "But in your particular case, student Hugo, you can be at the 5th stage of Energy Core Formation at the age of 16.
Some of the students smiled, while others simply looked at Hugo with disdain.
Understanding the context of the teacher's words, Hugo lowered his head down. He looked down, because he was too ashamed to look at Miss Rosalyn, so his eyes and head were completely focused on the stone floor of the classroom.
But Hugo started muttering to himself and suddenly said in an excited voice, "But the 5th stage of the Energy Core Formation level at 16 is not so bad! Unlike Mac, who is only at the 3rd stage!"
His voice was shaking and his face was completely red with shame under the humiliating gaze of the others, but no matter how bad he felt now, he had to defend his honour, even if it was in such an unfortunate way.
"Hmm!", Claire snorted loudly. She abruptly stood up from her seat and said.
"And now you're going to compare your abilities not with the best geniuses in the Sect, but with every loser? Maybe you're comparing yourself to ordinary mortals!" the girl's loud voice echoed throughout the classroom.
Her arrogant gaze radiated great power, which made Hugo lower his head even lower, but this time out of fear.
No one had expected this from the calmest, quietest and most noble girl in the Sect. People were confused, but they all silently agreed with the girl's words.
After all, they all wanted to be the best, and therefore they had to compare themselves with the best, and therefore the loser at the last desk was not worth a drop of their attention. She sat down as abruptly as she had stood up, and without a single rustle.
"Hmm," Miss Rosalyn cleared her throat.
"And although Claire's words were rather harsh, I can't say she's wrong. What I mean is that not all of you have the necessary level of cultivation according to your age, but you, as spiritual energy practitioners, should strive for more and better wherever you are and whatever you do," Miss Rosalyn said excitedly but confidently, her aura of thirst for power filling the entire classroom and touching every student.
After standing in silence for a while, allowing the children to not only hear her words but also to think about them, Miss Rosalyn continued, "So when you move forward, there is no point in looking back at those behind you, and therefore no point in wasting time on them," this time her voice was quieter, her expression calm and her gaze cold. After a few minutes of silence, she calmly said.
"So we've reviewed the general aspects of the Cultivation Basics, and now let's get back to the topic of our lesson..."
While in the Education building, classmates were complaining to Miss Rosalyn about Mac, the latter barely opened his right eye and cautiously looked around him.
He realised that there was not a single living soul around, because all the students had already walked the stone road and were either in class or on the training ground.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, creating a playful smile on Mac's face.
He stood up slowly, shook off the rest of the earth and grass. He walked over to a tree trunk to pick up his training sword and slowly walked towards the dense forest.
In the middle of which was an old, broken-down house on the outskirts of the Sect's territory, with no other buildings nearby and almost never any people passing by.
As he approached the ruined house, it was hard to tell whether it was in the forest or at the entrance to the forest, because there were impenetrable thickets everywhere.
Mac found this house when he was walking around the Sect's territory as usual, thinking about the book he had just read, and skipping classes in the Education building.
Up close, the house looked like a long-abandoned, crumbling barn with a few rooms inside. Walking towards the building, Mac looked around to make sure no one was following him.
Turning his head alternately to the left and to the right and making sure that no one was there, he confidently entered the ruined house.
Each step he took was accompanied by the scraping and cracking of the rotten wooden floor, which should have been replaced long ago.
Mac walked forward towards the central room, which was the largest in the house and, unlike the other rooms, had at least some kind of curtain in the form of a ceiling, which helped to keep out the rain and provided shade on a hot, clear day.
Mac ducked his head and moved his body to avoid the thickets of wild plants, the debris of the house, and the cobwebs.
When he reached the middle of the room, he stopped to look around to see if anyone was in the house and to make sure he had enough room in the room.
After making sure he was alone, Mac said with a slight smile on his lips.
"I think this place is good!", and with that, Mac eagerly began...
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What exactly is this "place is good" for?