A stick of incense's time, by the measurement Meng Fan was familiar with on Earth, was quarter an hour.
quarter an hour of cultivation every day, in his view, was nothing at all.
He even felt he could try cultivating for an hour.
Elder Lin was a man of action. After speaking with Meng Fan, he immediately took him to the Cliff of Remorse.
***
The Shu Mountain Sword Sect was vast, Shu Mountain even more so, and as for the Cliff of Remorse, though called a cliff, it was in fact a valley at the bottom of the cliff.
"Remember the way. Starting tomorrow, you'll come here on your own. I've already notified the person in charge of the Cliff of Remorse. You'll have unimpeded access and are free to come and go!" Elder Lin instructed Meng Fan on their way to the Cliff of Remorse.
"I understand, Master."
Soon, Elder Lin and Meng Fan arrived at the Cliff of Remorse.
The area of the Thousand Catty Fall formation that Elder Lin mentioned was in a chaotic forest at the bottom of the Cliff of Remorse.
Within this chaotic forest, there were many disciples dressed in the Shu Mountain Sword Sect's attire, each with a fierce and pained expression.
Clearly, they were being punished!
And they were all disciples of the Heavenly Origin Realm, because those of the True Martial Realm couldn't withstand the formation's pressure and would collapse.
As for disciples of the Condensation Pill Realm, this level of formation posed no threat or effect on them.
"This is the place. Try entering the formation to cultivate and see what the effects are like," Elder Lin said to Meng Fan.
Meng Fan nodded and walked directly into the formation within the chaotic forest.
The moment he entered, Meng Fan felt an immense force bearing down on him.
It was as if a small mountain was pressing down on his head, causing his back to involuntarily begin to bend slightly.
For cultivators of the Heavenly Origin Realm, the only way to withstand this pressure was to circulate True Qi.
But Meng Fan remembered Elder Lin's words; he was here to cultivate!
If he used True Qi to counter the pressure, wouldn't that just be tantamount to being punished?
Elder Lin had said that the fifth layer of the Supreme Dominance Body could withstand this pressure, and Meng Fan had to trust Elder Lin.
Meng Fan did not use True Qi, but instead relied on his physical body to bear the pressure.
He then tried to circulate the Pure Yang Thunder Cultivation Scripture and began to cultivate.
It was very slow!
The astonishing pressure not only slowed Meng Fan's movements but also the speed at which the cultivation technique operated within his body.
However, Meng Fan's eyes lit up.
Elder Lin was right; cultivating under such conditions indeed helped to condense True Qi.
For those in the Heavenly Origin Realm, as long as one could withstand the pressure, the cultivation would indeed be twice as effective with half the effort.
Meng Fan, undistracted, continued to cultivate.
The pressure from the Thousand Catty Fall formation came in waves, easily distracting Meng Fan.
And even though he had cultivated the Supreme Dominance Body to the fifth layer, his body was indeed in great pain within the formation.
It was like mortals slapping each other's faces and pinching one another; it wouldn't cause any injuries, but it was especially painful!
***
After one-quarter hour, Meng Fan was exhausted and felt weak all over.
He couldn't bear it any longer!
Elder Lin was right; one-quarter hour was indeed his limit.
It goes to show that experience does count for something.
After the time was up, Meng Fan stopped cultivating, no longer using his physical body to resist the pressure, and began to activate True Qi for protection.
Then, in an instant, his body felt relaxed.
What a relief!
A bitter smile appeared on Meng Fan's face. To be honest, this method of cultivation had a bit of a masochistic tendency.
But as long as it was within his tolerance, for the sake of improving his cultivation level, such minor pains and hardships were nothing at all.
***
On the other side, Elder Lin had already left the Cliff of Remorse.
During Meng Fan's cultivation, Elder Lin observed for about ten minutes. Once he was sure Meng Fan could withstand the pressure without any problems, he went straight back to the Sword Pavilion.
***
Meng Fan looked around; after finishing his cultivation, he lost interest in this place and prepared to leave.
However, someone took the initiative to come over and greet Meng Fan.
"Brother, what did you do wrong to be punished here?" A young man dressed in the attire of a core disciple approached Meng Fan and asked familiarly.
Meng Fan frowned slightly.
This guy seemed rather frivolous.
In the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, disciples usually addressed each other as senior brother, senior sister, junior brother, or junior sister.
To call someone "brother" right off the bat indicated that this person was rather "informal."
Such people were also the most likely to make mistakes, so it was no surprise to see him at the Cliff of Remorse.
"What did you do wrong to be punished here?" Meng Fan asked in return.
Since the other party had taken the initiative to greet him, it would be rather rude to ignore him and leave without saying a word.
Meng Fan was not that kind of person, nor did he wish to become one.
The young man showed a helpless expression upon hearing Meng Fan's question, "Actually, I didn't do anything wrong. I just confessed to someone I liked, and then I was thrown into the Cliff of Remorse for solitary confinement."
Surprise appeared on Meng Fan's face.
Just for a failed confession, to be punished at the Cliff of Remorse seemed somewhat far-fetched.
Love and romance are natural human emotions; everyone has the right to pursue love.
If not interested, a simple rejection would suffice. How could one retaliate for such a matter?
Meng Fan felt sorry for the young man in front of him; he seemed to be quite unlucky.
Curious, he asked, "Who did you confess to that they would be so unreasonable? Even if they didn't like you, they shouldn't retaliate like this?"
Meng Fan thought that the person the young man confessed to must have a powerful and influential position within the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
At the very least, her family elders held a significant status!
"You think so too, right?" The young man suddenly became excited, as if he had found a kindred spirit.
"Who did you confess to?" Meng Fan asked again.
The young man said dreamily, "My Master!"
Meng Fan's expression froze, looking at the young man in astonishment.
Master?
Was this guy's taste really that peculiar?
"I think you deserve it!" Meng Fan blurted out.
What kind of place is this?
The Shu Mountain Sword Sect!
The leader of the Righteous Path!
And you're trying to start a romance with your Master?
Even in Meng Fan's previous life on the open-minded Earth, such relationships were taboo.
And here, in a place like the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, you entertain such thoughts?
No, it's not just thoughts; he had already taken action and confessed.
Being punished at the Cliff of Remorse was light; more severe consequences could include being stripped of cultivation and expelled from Shu Mountain, which wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Although I think you deserve it, I admire your courage," Meng Fan said to the young man with a smile.
Meng Fan's mindset was relatively open.
If it were someone else, they would surely think this guy was committing a grave offense.
But Meng Fan found him quite interesting.
If this guy could eventually win over his Master, Meng Fan thought it would be quite a story!
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan