CAULDRON RUN.

Shuu was up before the day broke. He wasn't comfortable sleeping easily in an unknown environment. The lack of beds also made sleep a bit uncomfortable, not to mention the cold night air high up in the mountains made someone with Shuu's high endurance and durability long for cover of some sort. His body was fine but the feeling was not pleasant after all. Shuu walked up the narrow path and then arrived at the plateau on the mountain. 

There were small buildings here and there and equipment all around the plateau. 

"I see you are an early bird or you are just nervous."

Shuu turned around quickly to know who entered his space without him detecting a single trace beforehand at all. When he became a ghoul he passively trained his heightened senses back at the mansion to be able to keep tabs on the Tsukiyama family employees and their movement. This was something he wasn't able to do before being forcefully transmigrated into this world. Back in his world only dolphins, bats, and a few other animals were able to track and monitor living beings in a wide diameter. 

Shuu on the other hand is now an S-rank ghoul at the peak of the rank, he was by no means weak even though he considered anything S-rank and below canon fodder.

"…Good morning master, I didn't know you were here. Did you perhaps come to teach us this morning?" Shuu asked and gained composure when he found out that the person who was able to bypass his radar was none other than the 'annoying' Tian Jr.

"Haha, you wish. I don't teach disciples of this level anyway. A senior will come along soon and begin the usual training. The disciples here have had more than a year training their bodies so now they will be training something else. Oh, and the graduation exam is in a few weeks. Do try to survive long enough for me to teach you." Tian jr laughed and rubbed Shuu's head which infuriated him a bit but he turned his head and moved away from him. 

"Oh, and how do we eat here?" Shuu turned to ask Tian Jr but all he saw was empty space like the person he was talking to didn't even exist in the first place.

'How is he able to just vanish and appear at will like that? Is that a wind technique? I am sure Sachi doesn't move like that but moves well anyway.' Shuu pondered about what had just happened but chalked it off till he reached a discipleship level where things would be made clear to him.

Two hours and a complete workout later, the outer disciples began shuffling and yawning as they made their way to the plateau. The shirtless disciples looked at Shuu with a frown but he soon understood that he hadn't taken off his shirt since joining the clan. Shuu immediately removed his shirt and got the attention of the fully clothed female disciples and some shirtless male disciples.

He had the face of a Television male idol and a dream body to boot. His torso was filled with sharp lines that defined each muscle group in his body clearly as the sun began to rise and made his body glisten from the sweat he had worked up a bit earlier. His black gold bracelets with gold inscriptions of a rose on his arms and ankles made him look like he was from money and had good taste in fashion.

"Okay, okay!"

Shuu turned around to find where the voice was coming from and found a male disciple with a grey training Gi with a red belt. He had black air and wore an annoyed expression on his face. The outer disciples immediately formed lines in accordance with their height in columns.

'Eh? Is that the new disciple that was rumoured to have broken Cheryl's ankles? He may have a good body but rumours are ruomours.' The disciple in gray training gi looked at Shuu and approached him immediately.

"I am Bob Li. I am your senior here." Bob addressed himself as he confronted Shuu.

"Oh, I am Tsukiyama Shu-" Shuu said in response but was interrupted by a strike from Bob that was readable but Shuu just let it happen since he didn't want to start having problems the first day he arrived. Bib struck Shuu across the face and smiled arrogantly.

"You don't speak back to me unless granted permission." Bob thought that his morning could be brightened up by crushing this rookie. Bob had been one of the geniuses in his set and was known for understanding the balance between wind and body the quickest. He had always looked up to those who were more exceptional than him. One of those happened to be Cheryl who entered the clan before him and was exceeding expectations easily in the clan.

He didn't have any other feelings for her other than respect even though she is one of the beauties of the clan. Anytime it was Cheryl's turn to train or supervise his set he would always ask for pointers here and there and compare what he did before and what he could do better with her, they were about the same age but his respect for her was as if she was an elder in the clan. 

Bob came back from a clan-assigned mission late last night only to hear loud chattering on the plateau his set resided in. Normally, they would be relaxing around a fire, comparing techniques, having light discussions or preferably sleep since rest was always needed. He was surprised to hear that a new student/disciple caught Cheryl off-guard and took her ankles with him as his mates joked but later emphasized that he only broke her legs. Bob was furious and beside himself that his mates would engage in such inane banter instead of pursuing strength. 

Now he was in front of the person and decided to test Shuu and was satisfied but disappointed that Shuu couldn't even read that slow strike.

'Another one goes in the book.'

  Shuu thought as he looked at Bob and mistakenly activated his pressure manipulation skill for half a second. Bob had turned away from Shuu but soon stopped in his tracks and wondered if another senior was around in the outer disciple's mountain.

'Who was that? Is there another senior here? But I am supposed to take this class today. It couldn't have been from that worm, could it? Of course not and even if it was it's a fluke he is just an outer disciple if it was that freakishly huge outer disciple then maybe.' Bob paused to think then made his way forward to the front of the disciples. 

"Today we are running down the mountain with those cauldrons filled with water till noon, you have that miscreant there to thank. Oh, and you better get in line miscreant!" Bob said as he gave Shuu a glare and tried to pressure him.

"Senior Bob, you seem to be having a misunderstanding here let me clear that for you." Shuu said from the back of the line he was since he was the tallest in that column. The outer disciples turned their heads back in shock. The clan has its fair share of delinquents and disciples who try to disobey sect laws, but they were kept in check by seniors with their strength since the seniors usually had access to higher clan techniques than the current class they taught or supervised. And these seniors that are selected are usually one of the most active and battle hardened seniors in the clan so they can enforce the laws of the clan efficiently. So even Bob was not a pushover or someone to be looked down on since he is one of the best in his set.

"My name is Tsukiyama Shuu, not miscreant Senior Bob." Shuu continued irrespective of the glares and sweaty expressions he was getting from his mates.

"Hmm, seems like I am a little too soft. Your training is extended to evening!" Bob exclaimed.

Noises and groans could be heard around the plateau until a six-foot-six-inch boy with blonde hair and a thick muscular frame spoke.

"But Senior, our graduation is only in a few weeks time. Shouldn't we be given the time to ourselves to hone our skills and prepare?" The tall blonde asked even if he knew he spoke without permission.

The reason why one can fail the graduation a few times without immediate repercussions, especially for outer disciples is that they are allowed to keep on trying until they are eighteen years of age. If they failed again at the age of eighteen, drastic measures would be taken hence why the blonde didn't fail to voice his opinions.

  Bob looked at him but expected this, the blonde had failed the exam twice now and was on his last try, of course, he would be nervous. But Bob was not going to take that disrespect lying down.

"Well you see, we have a new disciple amongst us, it would be nice to teach him the training methods for outer disciples even though he might not have much of a chance in the upcoming graduation. And as for you, you are going to show him the ropes. Begin!" Bob ordered and moved from his position towards Shuu once more.

Bob instructed Shuu to ask the tall blonde about certain things that any outer disciple should know by now and pointed Shuu to a cauldron that was filled with water. He saw other male and female disciples approach each cauldron and went along.

'This is going to be a long five years.' Shuu thought.

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Someone just reached out to me recently and sent me a donation. Now that donation will be put into the graphic novel illustration projects that will come out sooner and faster if you all could just decide to patreons. Who doesn't want to see their favourite fanfic illustrated? 

This Heavenly One blesses the anonymous donator.