2 weeks passed quickly following this monotonous routine.
Class was grueling for Andrew, who felt that he wasn't allocating his time properly for scraps of knowledge.
His training continued with Master Quazo and Zachary at night, and during the day after school, he would solely focus on refining his body.
He experienced a major breakthrough in his innate energy utilization, moving from conscious activation to bring forth its power into unconscious continuous activation.
Through this, he learned to attach specific movements and feeling in order to stimulate the art, simply punching and kicking would stimulate its power further and concentrate it into its optimal path, fear becoming a catalyst for full body activation to increase his defenses.
He felt that as he grinded for further progress, he was definitely slowing down in terms of getting stronger.
After all, the martial arts he practiced were some of the lowest grades, with low requirements but also a much lower ceiling compared to higher grade arts.
He was somewhat frustrated with it, but he knew that his time would come soon, and that once he got his hands on something greater, his intelligence and comprehension would fully begin to shine through.
Zachary also hadn't fallen behind in the slightest, even gaining a slight edge over Andrew with his shockingly precise swordsmanship.
His development had been explosive, beyond any other students at this stage after awakening.
Andrew sat motionless in his room, his chest rising and falling in a rhythmic fashion, his breathing fully under his control.
He opened his eyes, releasing a deep breath.
"Status," he muttered. …. [Status: Andrew Clancy
Strength : 45–>75 (Average = 5) Intelligence : — (Average = 10) Endurance : 45 –> 80 (Average = 5) Agility : 45 –> 75 (Average = 5) (Locked) (Locked)…
Talents: Talent : Low Grade - Level 1 Space-Void Body - (2X ALL Stats, Low Affinity to the Space-Void dimension)
Skills: Full Body Manipulation (Mastery –> Low Achievement Conceptual), Meditation (Mastery), Pain Tolerance (High), Lowest Grade Innate Energy Arts (Mastery —> Low Achievement Conceptual) (upon conscious utilization +15 Strength and Agility, +20 Endurance), Basic Swordsmanship (High—>Mastery) ] … "I can definitely feel a difference compared to 2 weeks ago…. But I'm not quite sure what my real fighting ability is yet…" Andrew muttered to himself, his finger stroking his chin in thought.
Just then, it was as if a lightbulb went off in his head.
He quickly opened up the web browser on his phone, and upon a quick search, his eyes lit up.
"Yes! How could I have forgotten!" …. Somewhere deeper within the suburbs, Andrew stood in front of a quite magnificent architecture.
It stood out from the rest of the buildings in the surroundings, mainly being pharmacies and shops meant for martial artists.
"Dojo Of The Flying Fist"
"This is definitely the place," Andrew thought with a slightly nervous expression.
Just as he was about to walk into the building, he heard a few voices coming from behind.
"No way! Is that who I think it is?"
"This gotta be like the 4th time this week…"
"This kid never learns, he's gonna end up getting carried out by paramedics eventually." …
Just as Andrew was about to turn around to see what the commotion was about, he saw a figure walk past him with resolute determination.
As he was watching, he felt a strong confidence that seemed to encapsulate this young man, watching him disappear into the building.
Not even 15 seconds later, he heard a loud bang before something shot out of the automatic doors that hadn't yet closed.
The figure rolled on the ground a couple of times, before coming to a halt as he lay on the ground seemingly unconscious.
"uhhh…" Andrew thought, as he immediately recognized what was now laying face down on the pavement.
The figure suddenly began to crawl to his feet with immense struggle.
"Goddamn it… I swear I will be back!! You will let me join this dojo!" The young man yelled towards the doors.
"Hmph, keep dreaming kid. You're gonna need a lot more than that to join us! You still haven't even become a body tempering martial artist yet, what makes you think we'd ever let you join us!" said a hoarse voice with a mocking tone.
Just then, a burly figure suddenly emerged from the doors, he was wearing a white robe and a blue belt wrapped around.
He was of massive stature, even causing Andrew to double take out of surprise.
"How am I supposed to become a body tempering cultivator if you won't even let me through the front doors! This is bullshit!" The young man responded, with slight anger and unwillingness.
The burly man crossed his arms, his voice resounding once more: "Sounds like nothing but excuses to me… point being you're not welcome here, go back to school jackass. Awaken a talent and then maybe we will welcome you in 10 years!"
"Damn…. This will not be the last time you see me!" The youngster howled before turning around, about to make his way back from where he came from.
The burly man, hearing this, scoffed, before turning around and disappearing deeper into the complex.
The young man muttered some words to himself, with a sense of resignation mixed with unwavering determination.
However, just then, he felt a hand placed on his shoulder.
He turned his head slightly to the side, and standing before him was an exceptionally good-looking young man.
"What is it…? Are you gonna start making a fool of me as well?" The young man spoke half-heartedly, with a resigned sigh.
"Nah, I'm just trying to gather a little information before I walk in there myself and end up the same as you." Andrew laughed, patting his shoulder.
"What's your name by the way?"
The young man cleared his throat, "I'm Christian, what about you?"
"I'm Andrew, so let me know, what's the situation inside like?"
"For me, not good. This is a body tempering to early Qi refinement dojo. The elders have the power of 2nd realm Qi refinement, and the dojo's master has the power of the 3rd level, half step to the mid grade Qi refinement…"
Christian clenched his teeth before relaxing, "The man who just kicked me out has the power of 5th grade body tempering. He's pretty much middle of the power ranking inside, which is why he is guarding the door."
"This was my 4th time in the past 4 months trying to become admitted into the dojo, and the 4th time I've been thrown out like a rag doll…"
"Hmmm, quite interesting… So what's your story? You haven't awakened a talent yet, so why even try your luck?" Andrew said, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
"Sigh, it's because I got kicked out of my school… Not because I was mischievous, but because I broke their expensive testing crystal…" Christian said, looking away embarrassedly.
"Oh? Did you actually? That is indeed quite interesting…"
Andrew quickly thought to himself, taking advantage of this opportunity.
"View Status"
A transparent screen appeared before him, as he took a quick glance.
He quickly did a double take though, and then a triple take, before he began to feel condensation building on his back.
[Status - Christian Valentino Stats - unavailable Talent : High Grade - Level 7 "Armament Constitution" (7X (Strength, Agility, Endurance, Regeneration); Unique Ability of Mutated Beast Armament through consumption (7 Beasts))(Unawakened) ]
Before anything else could be said, Andrew quickly put on a resolute expression, slightly tightening his grip on his shoulder, giving a big thumbs up towards this young genius.
"Don't worry! I understand your situation… wait here, I shall get revenge for you…"
Andrew didn't waste any time—quickly setting off towards the entrance with a fiery conviction.
Christian wiped a stray tear falling down his face.
"What a brave, understanding guy…"