Evil Samurai In Cultivation World

"Here, catch!" David pulled out a scroll from under his sleeve and threw it over to Claude, who caught it with a confused expression.

"And what might this be?" Claude asked as he pulled the small string and opened the scroll and David replied to his question, "The Headmaster called it a gift; he said that it'll help you reach the goal that you were aiming towards."

Inside the scroll was the detailed information about the Grand Astral Faction's disciples; including everything from daily routines to secret techniques that they've mastered as of late. Claude, surprised by the Headmaster's 'gift', turned to look at David, who simply grinned at him. "You do know that the Headmaster expects you to win the sparring contest, right? Now, I might not be so sure about your victory, but I do think this will help you get closer to that goal."

"I can see that the Headmaster is very concerned about the results of the sparring contest," Claude let out a short chuckle as he began reading through the scroll, and David simply shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back on the wooden chair. "I wouldn't say he is concerned, but he definitely is expecting great results from you, Mr. Claude Rayforth. And although this scroll might help you gain a better understanding of your opponents, it is still going to be a difficult task to clutch the first rank. I hope you understand this."

"Are you perhaps insinuating that I am not up for the task, Mr. David Lector?" Claude asked with a raised eyebrow, and David flashed a smile in response to his question. "I am not insinuating anything, Mr. Rayforth. I am confident that even though you might be at a disadvantage when it comes to ranks and cultivation techniques, you can easily make up for your disadvantages by utilising your mind and your raw skills."

"If you already have all this information about me, then why do I feel like you're questioning my abilities, Mr. Lector?" Claude asked as he folded his hands, and David scratched his chin, let out a sigh and began speaking with a bitter smile. "I'm afraid you have misunderstood, Mr. Rayforth. I am not questioning your abilities, but your loyalty."

-------- EVIL SAMURAI IN CULTIVATION WORLD --------

Claude narrowed his eyebrows and stared at David with a cold gaze on his face, and David paused for a second to look at Claude, which led to a brief but uncomfortable silence that filled the entire room.

"I understand why you are looking at me with such a cold gaze, Mr. Rayforth.." David tilted his head sideways as he spoke. "But you can understand my concerns, can't you? I mean, you are a disciple who betrayed his former master in order to gain the acceptance of the new Headmaster. I'm sure you understand why I would be having doubts about your loyalty, right?"

"I betrayed my master for the greater good. I was loyal to my master, but I am also loyal to my country. And in the end, I chose my country over my master. So, I'm sure you would understand why you shouldn't be having doubts about my loyalty unless it involves the safety of our country, right?" Claude decided to retort with a question of his own, but he knew that the man's suspicions would not go away. 

"Perhaps you are telling the truth. However, your actions still make me unable to trust your words. As a result, I remain unconvinced of your loyalty and the truth in your words." David replied and then turned to look at Claude's face, which remained the same. However, he was fuming inside of his mind.

Of course, Claude didn't betray his master to protect his master. He only did it to protect himself. He was a reincarnated soul, and he wasn't about to let his second chance be wasted so easily. Not when he hasn't accomplished anything. He knew why, but he couldn't reveal his reasons to David. That would be an extremely foolish decision on his part, and would only place him on an even greater disadvantage.

After a short period of silence, Claude let out a sigh and responded with a desolate expression on his face. "For what reason would I even betray the Headmaster, may I ask? As it stands, it would only put me at a disadvantage if I do decide to betray the Headmaster. I'm sure you know this, Mr. Lector. Of course, I understand why you would have a hard time trusting my words, but what you can trust are the cold, hard facts, and facts do not lie."

"And, if you don't mind me asking, what happens when this so-called disadvantage disappears, Mr. Rayforth?" David leaned forward and held his chin up with his hands. Claude did the same as well as he replied to his question. "Well then, I'm sure that the Headmaster must have thought about it and might have already prepared a plan to stop that from happening!" 

Another brief period of silence. David was looking at Claude with an intrigued expression, which made Claude feel uncomfortable.

"You know, for someone who has just turned nineteen, you seem awfully calm about everything," After staring at Claude for a good amount of time, David spoke with a grin. "In fact, you're so calm about everything that it makes me feel as though something's off!"

"Well, we are living in the martial world," Claude shrugged his shoulders and replied almost immediately. "It would be better to get accustomed to everything sooner rather than later, in my opinion."

"So you're saying that you're simply just ahead of the curve?" David asked and Claude shrugged once again. "You can call it whatever you want. I'm just telling that I'm a bit more understanding of my surroundings and the situation that I'm in."

"Hm, interesting… ha ha ha ha!" All of a sudden, David leaned back and laughed out loud, which was so completely unexpected that it even caught Claude off guard. 

"Ha, I had read the reports, but honestly, I didn't feel as though you were worthy of investment," David waved his hands and corrected himself. "Ah, don't get me wrong, I'm not telling that you don't have any abilities. You definitely do, and you're incredibly skilled as well. It's just..."

David scratched his cheeks, contemplating on how to convey his words for a second before continuing, "The Headmaster was describing you as someone who had the ability to topple the martial world, and from what I read, I simply couldn't envision that."

He then turned his gaze towards Claude, who was looking at him with a confused expression on his face, and he let out a sigh. "But after meeting you, I can see why the Headmaster would think that. You certainly have... something. I don't know exactly what it is, but I feel as though you are someone who can bring about change. Now, I don't know whether it's a good change or a bad change, but I guess that's the risk you take while investing on something so uncertain."

"Are you telling me that you're satisfied with my answer?" Claude looked at him and asked, and David let out a short chuckle and nodded his head. "Oh I am. I am definitely satisfied. It was a good decision to meet you, Mr. Rayforth. We'll probably be seeing each other again, so I hope we'll get along well."

As he finished speaking, he stood up from his chair and walked towards Claude, who stood up in response. David stretched out his hand and said, "I am hoping that you achieve complete victory in the sparring contest, Mr. Rayforth. And I hope you'll maintain a cordial relationship with the Headmaster."

"I will try my very best, Mr. Lector," Claude responded as he shook David's hand. He then continued, "And it was good to meet you as well, although I don't know about seeing each other again."

"Ha ha ha… I like your sense of humour," David said with a smirk on his face as he patted Claude on his shoulder, and then he left the room waving his hands, shouting loudly, "I will see you later, Mr. Rayforth!"

He then exited the room, leaving Claude standing alone in the guest room.

'So the Headmaster is wary of me, huh..' Claude smiled as he sat down on the wooden chair and began reading through the scroll once again. 'I did expect that, but to think he'd be so straightforward about his wariness..'

Claude narrowed his eyes as he massaged his forehead, before letting out a heavy sigh. 'Well, it isn't like I have another option to lean on right now. So I guess I'll have to be on my best behavior,' Claude let out a bitter smile and he decided to focus on the sparring contest first.

'For now, it's better to study the information about the other disciples first and plan out strategies in order to counter them,' Claude thought to himself as he began going through the scroll.