I Can Do Anything?

Morning.

"Come on, the sects not far from here."

Fatty Wang walks at the front of the group, energetic as ever.

"Seriously, how could you, a fatty, be this energetic?"

Zi Rougang gasps, struggling to keep up while carrying Zuo Lingxin. "We've been walking for hours!"

Xuan Wu looks away, whistling. "I don't know."

Suddenly, the group comes across a sign.

Great Whirlwind Sect, 2 KM

Fatty Wang clenches his fist, smiling. "We're going to become cultivators once we return to the sect!"

He takes a deep breath. "We can only hope we have no troubles."

Zi Rougang nods. "Me and junior brother Xuan only have low-grade talents, we'll probably be stuck in Qi Gathering for quite a while."

He starts trembling. "It's not fair, how come cultivation is based on talent and not hard-work—"

Xuan Wu waves his hand. "Calm down. Don't forget the flavored qi that tainted us at Dunespire Kingdom. Along with all the experience we've gained, you shouldn't be worrying. Talent is only half of it."

Zi Rougang nods, swallowing his saliva. "Thank you, and you're right, I shouldn't be worrying this much."

Xuan Wu's eyebrow raises. "This guy... his character has changed a bit."

They continue moving forwards.

With a little chatting and bickering along the way, the sects gate was already right in front of them.

Fatty Wang takes a deep breath. "It was only for a few weeks, but we're already back."

Xuan Wu stands at the back of the group, glancing at Zi Rougang.

"Most initiate missions take about a month or two, we're pretty early." Zi Rougang, at the front of the group smiles.

"Halt!"

Two outer disciples stand at the front of the gate, the right holds his hand out.

"We're apart of the new disciples, we've just come back from our initiate mission."

The left disciple's eyebrows raise.

"Its only been a few weeks... don't tell me you already feel like you've gained enough experience!"

Zi Rougang smirks, chucking a grey token at the outer disciple on the right.

He only takes a brief moment to examine it, nodding. "Welcome back to the sect, good luck on starting your cultivating journey."

"You too!" Fatty Wang replies subconsciously, already making his way into the sect.

The outer disciples give him a weird look, then shake their heads.

It takes a few seconds for Fatty Wang to realise what he'd said, his face going bright red. He immediately rushes to check-in.

The sect is still as active as ever, chatter and commotions everywhere around, with towering pagodas marking the place as a sect.

The group arrives at the Mission Pagoda.

Entering, the room is as lively as ever.

The disciple at the counter glances at the group as they approach.

"Welcome to the mission pagoda, which mission would you like to take?" He says lazily.

Zi Rougang hands him a grey token.

"We're back from our initiate mission."

Almost instantaneously, the disciple at the counter sits up, examining the token.

"Really? That quick? I remember my initiate mission took me 3 months!"

He takes a deep breath, handing each of them an outer disciple token.

"Welcome to the outer sect."

Fatty Wang laughs as he receives his token. "Its finally going to happen! We're going to become cultivators! Its really going to happen!"

His grin stretches wide, teeth glinting like never before.

Zi Rougang, usually nonchalant, suddenly joins in the laughter. "You're right, we'll be able to fly on swords and live for hundreds of years!"

The disciple at the counter sighs, smiling at the groups joy. "I was just like them when I finally returned from my initiate mission."

And then, with a frown he whispers, "Sadly, its not as exciting as you think."

The group exits the Mission Pagoda bidding farewell to each other.

"By the time we meet up again, we'd better spar!"

Fatty Wang chuckles.

"I'd defeat all of you!"

"Fatty, don't be so arrogant, strength is not dependant on cultivation talent." Zi Rougang excitedly responds.

"You guys would have to group up to be able to defeat me." Xuan Wu half-heartedly responds, already beginning to walk back to his sect.

"H-huh? What do you mean by that!" Zi Rougang shouts, staring at Xuan Wu's back.

Fatty Wang angrily taunts Xuan Wu. "Hey, come back, let's fight right now!"

Already being left behind by Xuan Wu, Fatty Wang and Zi Rougang sigh.

"I guess this is farewell, take good care of yourself." Fatty Wang turns around and heads towards his sect, waving his arm. He acts nonchalant as he walks, but secretly wipes a tear.

Zi Rougang waves as well. "I'll miss you, Fatty." His arm drops, turning his head to look at the still-resting Zuo Lingxin on his back.

"Let's get you back to the Serene Peak first."

And finally, Zi Rougang turns around, heading to the serene peak.

Up in the sky, the sun slowly sets, giving the ground a nice orange hue.

Under the same sky as the Great Whirlwind sect, Dong Shui is currently tied to a tree, laughing angrily.

"Great, great, getting captured by the Zero Mercy gang, what now?"

He grits his teeth. "Damn it Lei Ming, you really messed it all up for us." He shouts.

Feng Zhi, tied to the other side of the tree sighs. "Calm down senior brother. Lei Ming had only made a mistake, we all make mistakes."

Dong Shui continues laughing. "Yeah, and that mistake could cause us to all get killed!"

Feng Zhi continues sighing, a usual habit of his.

The tree that they are currently tied to is an Amber Bright tree, the symbol of the Zero Mercy gang.

The Zero Mercy gang is a mortal bandit group that quite literally shows absolutely no mercy.

They usually run around with smiles, giving loans to struggling families in mortal kingdoms.

And if the struggling families don't pay them back? They capture them, break their fingers, skin them, burn them, and show absolutely zero mercy.

It doesn't matter if you're a man, woman, or even a child, they'll still grin ear-to-ear in your face while breaking your fingers one by one.

Their hideout is an underground bunker, and each member of the gang lives luxuriously, getting paid back double interest because of their violent acts.

In the main meeting room, 8 tough looking men sit around a circular stone table.

The leader of the Zero Mercy gang, Ding Tao, has two beauties sitting on his lap as he twirls his knife around.

"Hehe, great job capturing those two brats Gao Hu."

Gao Hu, sitting opposite of Ding Tao smirks maliciously. "After some interrogation, we've discovered that they come from the Great Whirlwind sect."

Ding Tao frowns. "Sect? You know we shouldn't be messing with cultivators."

Gao Hu chuckles. "Don't worry, they can't do anything to us boss. Remember how that passing cultivator told us about the Heavenly Law?"

Ding Tao's eyebrows ease, his grin slowly building back up. "Ah yes, I remember now, the one where cultivators can't touch mortals?"

A brutish woman speaks up, her eyes crazed. "Boss! He said something about karma, hehe, we can do anything to those cultivators and they won't be able to do anything back!"

Each gang member in the room laughs, the room slightly shaking from the intensity.

An old man gets on his knees, looking to the sky mockingly. "Oh thank you, the great Heavens, for your divine laws!"

The woman chuckles. "How much gold should we request from their sect?"

Ding Tao claps his hands, the two beauties on his lap giggling.

"We should just kill em."

...