Chapter 118: A Meathead Apology! Part 3

After entering the inner section of the Ember sect, Hiro had to constantly stop his fellow disciples from throwing Kenji out. They were all surprised to find that Hiro had invited him in as everyone just thought he had snuck back in just like he tried back when he first got kicked out of the sect.

"Okay, Itsuki lives just down this street!"

"…"

"Ugly?"

Wondering why he couldn't hear Kenji's footsteps behind him, Hiro turned around to look. Kenji was standing still while staring down off to the side. Turning to see what he was looking at, Hiro grew nervous.

"Hey, Ugly! You're not thinking of doing what I think you are?"

"Noh! Letch goh!" Kenji said as he turned his gaze away and walked past Hiro and towards his destination.

"Hey, wait up! Do you even know which house it is?" Hiro said, before running after him.

"Hm?" An elderly man pondered while feeling an odd sense of nostalgia at the two who just walked down the street.

…

Sato Itsuki's POV:

My name is Sato Itsuki and I am a core disciple of the Ember sect. Though it hasn't always been like that. I spent my early childhood in the orphanage of a nearby village, but one day.

"Feel honored child! I'll be taking you to the Ember sect!"

The Ember sect would occasionally come to pick out disciples from among our orphanage's children to work as outer disciples in their sect. It wasn't all that different at first from living in the orphanage. We had to work all day doing chores for our seniors while given slightly moldy food and were forced to sleep in a cramped room with the other disciples. The only difference would be the physical exercise they also made us do every day until we reached the qi refinement stage and became inner disciples.

The day I finally became an inner disciple I was given my own quarters to live in, while my food was still kind of gross, at least it wasn't moldy. Things were starting to look up for me until…

*Pow*

*Gag**Cough*

"Hey, loser! Go clean my room!"

"But I'm an inner disciple now! You can't!"

*Pow*

"Who cares! Do it or I'll have my master kick you out on the streets!"

Because I drew the attention of an elder's favorite disciple, I had to spend the time I was supposed to use for cultivation on being that pricks servant and punching bag. He would take my cultivation resources without permission, he would have me do the chores given to the outer disciples because he thought even just cleaning his toilet was above them, and he would even use me as a target to practice his qi techniques. And if I ever complained he would bring out his master's name and threaten to have me kicked out while he beat me black and blue.

But after years of observing his movements while enduring his harassment, I entered an annual disciple competition. Every year, the sect holds a tournament where the disciples fight one on one matches to show off their might. I knew that guy would enter because he was talking about it while using me as a footstool a few days before. So, I entered as well, with the pure intent of humiliating him in front of the whole sect. My thoughts were that if I could beat him who was an entire stage above me in front of the entire sect, then I might get scouted to become a core disciple as well, or that's what I would like to say, but the truth is I just wanted to get back at that bastard. Which is why…

*Bang*

"Ugh! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"

"Go to hell!"

*Swoosh*

*BOOM*

I had used what I learned by observing his fighting style over the years and dodged, blocked or countered his every attack with minimal effort. Finally, when he started getting tired, I dodged the sloppy swing of his blade and used my qi to stab him through his dantian, shattering his core.

I was confined by the sect elders for crippling that bastard's cultivation for an entire week. Normally, I would be banished for harming my senior, but because this was an official match where injuries were expected, I got off lightly as the event was written off as an accident in the heat of combat.

Soon after that bastard was crippled, he was kicked out of the sect and disowned by his master, and just to pour salt on his wounds I ended up replacing him as the elder's core disciple. Last I saw him was 3 years ago when they dragged him out kicking and screaming after he attempted to sneak back under the cover of night.

After that day I heard he finally disappeared from the sect's outer gate, and I have been enjoying the good life as a core disciple ever since.

*Knock*

*knock*

*knock*

I was just about to go eat from the center section's kitchen, where the freshest and juiciest meats and fruits are kept, when I suddenly heard a knock at my door. I opened the door to find my senior inner disciple Hiro along with a swollen-faced buff guy, who for some reason seemed familiar.