Tim found the past two weeks quite relaxing, spending his time trying to improve his proficiency with his Dao's, practising various combat manoeuvres and going through 'A brief history of the evolution of cultivation' for any information that could help his present situation.

Putting aside his personal differences, he had also gone to Indranath in hope for some information relating to passing his tribulation. Unfortunately he was flatly refused, as it was against the damn rules. What Tim found interesting though, was Indranath said something about 'an explaination being pointless anyway'.

The process of triggering a tribulation though, was laughably simple. Completing the quest had given him enough experience to get to reach the peak of level 9, and he'd gotten a bunch of notifications at that point which he was too tired to care about back then. For the first rank, the system would initiate the process for him as long as he agreed to take it. Advancing was not a forced compulsion, but a choice.

However, there was a catch. The ideal scenario would be to pass the first time, because each failure would greatly intensify the difficulty on the next attempt. The system advised not to hastily run into the first minor tribulation, only to make future advancement far difficult then it had to be.

At this point, Tim didn't see any reason in deferring the inevitable further. There was no way to prepare for a tribulation when he didn't know the details, and the clock was ticking. Soon, the invaders would be here. Advancing in the midst of an hostile invasion didn't really seem like the most ideal of circumstances.

"Tribulation" he muttered out loud.

[Are you sure you wish to commence the first initiate level minor tribulation? Yes/No]

"Yes"

Tim's body jolted, feeling like someone had just yanked his soul out of his body. He found that he had reflexively closed his eyes, and was tightly gritting his teeth waiting for this jarring sensation to pass. A second later, his pleas were answered. He slowly opened his eyes, unsure of what monstrosity awaited him this time.

Instead... he opened his eyes to a scenic landscape by the side of a lake. The grass was the colour it was supposed to be, a pleasant breeze blew at his face that made him refreshed, and the beautiful sound of nature's symphony could be heard in the background. The problem was, Tim knew this place.

"Timothy" a voice called out from behind him, with an authoritative tone that he was used to listening to.

Tim felt goosebumps on his arm as he realized who the man behind him was. He was getting a bad feeling about the trial now, as he quickly turned around to face the owner of the voice.

He saw his father, dressed casually in a black tank top and grey shorts, as if he'd just walked out of the gym. His robust body and bulging muscles were proudly on display, which the young him used to find embarrassing as it attracted too much attention their way.

"Dad?" asked Tim, in an shaky tone.

"To be precise, I am the version of James Quill that exists within your memories. Does that make me any less real? Perhaps you would know the answer to that question better."

Tim had guessed the truth to be somewhat like this, but it still hurt to see his father in front of him like this, safe and sound, while the reality could be far grimmer.

"The tribulation is simple, Timothy. All you need to do is defeat this old man of yours here".

Tim's expression grew dark at this revelation, but he still couldn't decide what to do at this moment. His 'father' had indeed said that, but took no initiative to attack, simply crossing his arms and standing there instead.

"You see, I know what you've done to get this far. Everything. And what I want to ask you is, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND SON? Why are you doing all this? Why would you attempt this suicidal trial? Fuck, do you realize how lucky you are to survive!? Everyone else who attempted it is DEAD."

Tim's shoulders trembled as he heard himself being chastised by his father. The tone, mannerisms and pitch were completely replicated. More than that though, this was exactly what a Tim believed his father would say if he got to know the truth. A wave of unsuppressable guilt washed over him as he saw his father get increasingly more enraged at his actions.

James saw Timothy's expression and slightly simmered down, trying to regain his composure.

"Why did you do it. Answer me?"

Tim maintained his silence at this question.

"At least have the gall to explain your crazed actions, Timothy. Give me a reason at the very least."

"I.... "

"I did it to become powerful enough to fight the invaders"

"Fight the invaders?" James mumbled to himself, as if he couldn't understand what was being said.

"FIGHT THE INVADERS? Son...... what kind of crappy joke is that. Who are you, even? You've lived a sheltered life, each and every need of yours taken care of without question. I built this empire so YOU would never have a single thing to worry about, never want for anything and never have your hopes shattered..... like I did. And is this..... Is this how I get rewarded for my efforts?"

Timothy had no rebuttals to offer, because his father spoke the truth. He had nothing but immeasurable respect for how much his father had worked and sacrificed to get this far in life.

"I don't know what's gotten into you son, but give it up. What do you think you are? Some sort of hero? Don't make me laugh. Face the reality, you're not suited to fighting off some 'invaders'. Do you think everyone on Earth is so weak and hopeless that they're last line of defence is.... Timothy Quill, a pampered kid who's never gotten into a fight before."

"Father.... you may be right, but I'm still going to do this" Tim croaked out an answer, voice slightly wavering.

"Son since you refuse to listen, then let me give it to you straight. You've been a liablity these past few years Timothy. All you've been doing is creating problems for me, hurting me and expecting me to clean your mess up. Just....just give it up son. If you want to advance so that you can go get yourself killed at the invader's hands, then I will not let you."

When he heard the words liablity, despite knowing this was part of the tribulation, he could not help but feel deeply ashamed and distraught. His father did so much for him, while all Tim gave him in return seemed to be misery, worry and stress. His mind was a mess, forced to think about memories he had been avoiding for a long time.