Humiliation

A deafening silence kept the air inside the punishment hall captive. It was a silence so deep that everyone present felt the awkwardness creep inside their souls as they sent glances at each other. All except, Surrdon.

   Four elders, including Elder Li, sat on their majestic wooden chairs on the raised platform. All were dressed in the sect's respected white robes.

Their eyes at one point kept falling on the two disciples who were on their knees on the lower floor. Shanteng's head hung low in shame. He cursed and scolded himself for being defeated by a new disciple whose internal force was only a mere two.

Two!

He scorned in his mind and sent a secret glare at the young man beside him.

The silence was about to lengthen some more when all of a sudden, the double doors a distance behind the disciples creaked as they opened. The hall was immediately filled with a heavy pressure that seemed to be coming from above.

Whoever was walking in possessed a powerful aura. So powerful that Surrdon felt as if his chest was being pounded by a large hammer to the point of instilling fear in him.

"Chief," the elders chorused respectfully as they rose off their seats.

Surrdon looked back, curious about the chief. But he was shocked when he saw a girl no older than nineteen walk in the hall, dressed in expensive purple robes.

Her black hair was held up by the most attractive golden snowflake hair pins that swung about to her steps.

She looked like royalty, from her clothes, to her flat expressionless face.

In graceful steals, the young chief walked past the two kneeling disciples, her robe seeping behind her.

"Chief," Elder Li smiled ushering her to the head chair. "You look charming and graceful as always," he praised sheepishly.

The chief chuckled. A laugh that lasted only a second before her cold aura slipped back on. She had better things to do than oversee a stupid internal conflict.

"Begin," the Chief spoke out after lowering herself on the chair in a noble manner.

But that majestic demeanor was broken fast when she swung her left knee to rest on her right, exposing her smooth thigh from the high thigh split of her robes.

Surrdon stared at the soft-looking feminine thigh for a few seconds but forced his eyes up to her stone-cold expression. This had to be the first time he could see a girl's thigh without the girl recoiling in disgust at his appearance.

Elder Li explained the incident.

But the report had been made by Shanteng, which of course painted Surrdon as the offender instead of the victim. Shanteng had accused Surrdon of bullying the girls and attacking him.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Surrdon?" The Chief asked glaring at him.

She wondered why the Demon Lord had recommended such a waste to join her sect. If it were up to her, she'd have locked him up in a dungeon and let him stay there for a whole week. She hated weak men.

They disgusted her to her core.

And it didn't help that he had an appealing face, he still disgusted her.

Surrdon stared back quietly.

He had a feeling that no matter what he would say, she would still punish him.

"Guilty."

His plain response infuriated the girl. So much that she cursed at him, "You brat!"

"He should be punished as an example to othe-"

"Shut up!" She bellowed at Shanteng and a powerful aura of mana escaped her. It struck everyone in the form of brutal wind while it knocked Surrdon over. He fell on his back, bruising his buttocks in the process.

The elders retreated further into their seats. They were afraid of facing the harsh wrath of their Chief.

She had a reputation.

One that other sects tried their best to avoid.

"You two, see yourself to the cell. You will each receive twenty canes," another elder barked, hoping to calm the chief down and impress her as well.

"He stays!" The Chief pointed at Surrdon.

"I'll punish him myself. You may all leave."

The elders exchanged surprised gazes.

The cluelessness was imprinted on their wrinkled faces, betraying their supposedly wise statuses.

"Leave!" The Chief cried out angrily.

Her hands were trembling with rage. She wanted to wrap them around Surrdon's neck and squeeze it hard till his eyes rolled back. She could no longer control her despise for the weak attractive young man.

The elders scurried out of the hall, their eyes to the floor to avoid meeting with the chief's blazing scowl.

"What can I do for you?" Surrdon asked, his tone bled of disinterest and his eyes held some arrogance. The only assurance he had that she wouldn't kill him that instant was the lie he had created. He was the Demon Lord's guest. If anything happened to him, the 'Demon Lord' would level up Timen Gate Sect in a minute.

How would he revenge himself if he was already dead?

The Chief waved her hand to the right and the doors shut themselves in a loud bang.

A strange smile spread on her red-painted lips as her red eyes started filling with an evil flicker. There were so many cruel punishments racing through her mind, but she held herself back. After all, the Demon Lord surpassed her power in every aspect.

He was a being that one couldn't afford to trifle with. A man of great powers.

The thought of her helping him educate this worthless excuse of a man made her center tingle with excitement.

She was waiting for the glorious day he would visit the sect. She was willing to offer him her body and soul if he wanted her.

"Get up."

Surrdon obeyed, dusting his robes as he pulled himself off the cold floor. His eyes met with the chief's. The way she was looking at him made him feel uneasy. She appeared to be consumed by a strange dark aura which didn't feel dangerous but still made Surrdon alert.

"I heard there a beautiful ice phoenix was spotted deep in the northern forest. I want you, to go hunt it for me. The task should be accomplished within a week and shall only be done by you. Nobody is allowed to help you."

There it was.

The punishment.

Surrdon stopped to think. Ice phoenixes? They were a high-ranking phoenix species that ranked second only to the fire phoenix. They were hard to come by, and even harder to tame. At least, one had to be above level five to overpower a hatched ice phoenix.

What this was, was a suicide mission.

He frowned. "I'm only a level one."

The chief suddenly laughed running a slender finger up her thigh in a sexual tease. "I don't care. As a disciple of Timen Gate, you're bound to obey my every order without any hesitation."

Surrdon breathed in. Was it time to use the Demon Lord's name?

No.

"Here!" The chief tossed something at Surrdon. It banged softly on the floor, stoping at his feet.

Surrdon looked down and saw a golden token with the name, Shihan engraved on it.

"Use it only when you're about to die. If you dare use it when you're not in serious danger, I will punish you very harshly."

Surrdon's heart clenched. She was mocking him. Looking down on him. Deep resentment glimmered in her red eyes like poison.

He squatted to pick it up when the chief suddenly appeared kneeling next to him. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and shoved him down on the floor. "Pick it with your mouth. That token is worth more than your worthless life."

Surrdon's jaw clenched from the humiliation. This feeling felt like acid was being poured on a fresh wound, so painful.

He opened his mouth and bit the golden token with his teeth just as Shihan wanted.

Only then did the Chief release him.

"At least you have an obedient bone in your body," she mocked rising.