Cultivation Chaos: Superheroes In The Realm Of Immorals

Spark thought he understood the limit of pain. He thought he could withstand pain. He believed his will could triumph over pain. But he was wrong — very wrong.

Lu Ming took his time enlightening him, showing him layers he had never conceived to even exist, layers of pain he never thought possible. Whenever Spark believed he had seen the worst, the lunatic just kept unearthing more.

The metal clamps around his limbs shone with an ethereal hue, corresponding to the rods that had been lodged all over his body — his eyes, his abdomen, his knees, and many more.

The brighter these instruments of doom glowed, the higher the intensity of pain. By now they were emitting such blinding light one wouldn't even be able to open their eyes. The intensity of pain Spark was in right now was so agonizing and searing he couldn't even pass out, or process thoughts. What was worse, he couldn't scream, he couldn't move, he couldn't see… he was just there, trapped in an abyss of endless torment. At this moment, every second felt like hours and every minute like days.

Suddenly, the endless pain subsided, replaced by a refreshing feeling of nothing. Right now Spark's mind appreciated anything that didn't hurt — even the pitch-black darkness of unfeeling nothing was countless times better than the pain.

And then Lu Ming's frigid, patient voice came: "Are you ready to speak now?"

A brief silence rang out. The caked blood across Spark's face cracked as his mouth moved, barely letting out a whisper: "F-fu…ck… y..yo..u."

Though his words were barely audible, Lu Ming heard them loud and clear. He nodded, his expression betraying nothing, and moved forward. In his hands was a syringe-like instrument.

"This elixir is called Days in a Second, Years in a Minute. As its name states, it prolongs the perception of time on the human body. Cultivators use it to hasten comprehension and understand laws…

But for you, this will be a trip into an endless abyss of pain. Don't worry, I rationed it properly. You'll only be affected for ten minutes… we don't want to waste my time now, do we? Ten minutes — though for you, it will be ten years.

Ahh, I feel I'm talking too much. Anyways, till you return."

Lu Ming spoke casually, as though his words weren't sinister jabs aimed at breaking Spark's psyche.

Spark shivered in horror as the prickling sensation of a needle pierced him. His mind was so numb he didn't know where, but he surely felt it. He tried to wail, but it was futile — the clamp juts were already buried bone-deep into his neck.

And then, slowly but surely, he felt it — the confusing distortion of his mental cognition, his perception of time being altered. And then came the pain.

Pain so overwhelming, so encompassing, he wanted nothing but to die. But that was impossible, and he knew it. After all, what scientist would let their prize subject perish?

And so he endured. Was it for days? Years? He couldn't count. All he knew was darkness and pain. His mind went numb, his thoughts grew chaotic. Where am I? How did I end up here? he questioned as his mind slowly broke under the constant pressure of the encompassing pain.

Slowly but surely, his brain activity dwindled… just when he was on the cusp of becoming a vegetable, everything froze. The now alien and long-forgotten feeling of relief set in.

Then, suddenly, for the first time in forever, a voice resounded in his ears: "Are you ready to speak now?"

The voice was like a trigger. A flood of memories engulfed Spark's mind — his identity as a hero, his home Earth, his banishment by his father Gravon, his encounter with the sect masters… all his experiences from infancy till now flowed into his mind.

His pale, bluish lips cracked as a raspy chuckle escaped. He had to give it to this bastard Lu Ming — the man sure knew his stuff. His torture methods were outstanding, to say the least. Even Spark himself found his will at the cusp of breaking.

Well, that was his regular will. Unfortunately for Lu Ming, Spark was a freak of nature — a lunatic with a will he kept at bay, one that hungered for death, battle, and gore.

Meanwhile, as Spark's mind underwent an invisible change, a faint smile crept onto Lu Ming's face. He assumed he had won. After all, no matter how resilient Spark was, he would break after years of torture. His eyes gleamed with excitement. If he could uncover Spark's origin, it meant he could possibly study other mutations. His supply of premium genes would broaden.

From his thought process, one could see how deranged and crazed Lu Ming was, and why he had such a fearsome reputation. To think he was torturing Spark so much just for the mere possibility that more like him existed…

Suddenly, his smile froze. He felt a shift in the atmosphere, as though it had dropped by several degrees. He frowned as he noticed a change in Spark.

The rods jutting through Spark's eyes rattled as they went from dull to radiating a sanguine hue.

Lu Ming frowned. He didn't know what had happened to Spark, but from the feeling he got from his captive, he instinctively knew: This doesn't feel like a man with a broken will or mind.

His frown deepened as the realization struck. It seems I underestimated this man severely. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt that no matter what he did to Spark, he wouldn't have his way.

Interesting. To think a human mind could be so resilient… this man just keeps fascinating me, he muttered beneath his breath. He wasn't sad that he couldn't break Spark. Yes, he felt it was too bad he didn't — but that was all.

I guess I can't be too greedy then. We'll make use of what we have to the fullest, he resolved, reaching for a token.

"My dear disciple, bring in the equipment. It's high time we started your tutelage… oh, and make sure to bring enough human subjects. We are working on human trials from the get-go," he instructed casually, as though the previous session of hell he had put Spark through never mattered.

Glancing at the bloodied figure of Spark, he seemed to recall something and added into the token: "Oh, and bring as much Recast Elixir as we have… we can't risk losing such a valuable subject now, can we?"