A few days blurred together. Jin spent those days tempering his body even further, taking his limits up a notch. With every session of cultivation, his torn muscle fibers grew back even stronger.
He repeated each regimen of stances till he lost count of it. Each repetition felt like his entire body was lit up, making his bones groan. But with each cycle, his control over Lian's body grew further, strengthening his fundamentals like an iron fortress.
Meeting Nathaniel had both been a good and a bad experience for him.
The good being that he finally got to see how much catching up he had to do before he could truly call himself strong. Not only that, but meeting him had lit up a flame inside him that had extinguished long ago, urging him to grow.
But he also got to know that his path was much more restricted than it was supposed to be. The Acropolis was riddled with internal matters and conflicting beliefs. The last thing he needed was to get noticed by the major forces of the cities.
And he had gone ahead and done just that.
'What I do now is what matters. I can't simply stand idly as they settle their gazes over me.'
Jin knew that he was going to get caught in between politics sooner or later, so he didn't mind his decision of rushing over to the Hope guild.
Before he could channel the demonic qi to his meridians, his form broke, and he fell forward. The exhaustion was palpable, reminding him of his days from when he had decided to enter the central plains. Back then, his rate of growth was abnormal, but it was still understandable.
But now, he couldn't just sit around and bide his time while attempting each floor one by one. He had already reached the peak and also knew how one could reach it again.
That was why he wanted to grow faster.
Alas, not everything went as a person wished.
"This physique… has this fool been sleeping all his life? How can it lack the very fundamentals of mobility?"
The more he explored his own capabilities, the more he realized just how much he was restrained.
The problem wasn't the demonic qi, nor was it his martial arts. Jin was someone who had created his own martial arts, etching his name on the parchments of history. Not to mention, the demonic qi was far from the issue.
The problem was Lian's body. Lian had never fought before, nor had he even gotten beaten up. He was just… normal. Someone who stayed out of harm's way and went on with their life. Perhaps it was the right decision for someone like him, who simply wanted to provide for his family.
But for Jin, his body was akin to a corpse, its joints held together with metal wires, and his brain clogged with emotions clashing against his own. It was as if his own body were rejecting him, doing the opposite of what he commanded it to.
Yet, he had found his way past those hurdles one way or another. Repeating the same stances countless times, doing the same movement drills enough times to get sick of them, and conditioning his body till it refused to follow him.
He spent the entire day replacing Lian's instincts with his own. The emotions and thoughts that once troubled him during tense situations barely showed up anymore. His body, which used to give up with just a few drills, could now follow him as long as he kept pushing it.
"Still, this is not enough. This is barely the first step, the step that will open the door for martial arts."
When it came to martial arts themselves, he wasn't much concerned. After all, he had to first get his body to listen to his every instruction. Until then, even thinking about martial arts was taboo for him.
Exhaling sharply, he looked at the box kept on his table. It was opened, and the equipment inside was visible. He examined the equipment as his heart returned to a controlled pace.
Outside the window, the streets were getting busier by the minute. The sun was not yet up there in the sky, but there was enough light for people to go about their business.
'It is about time.'
Instead of taking another bath, he started putting on the armor Morgan had sent him.
In his world, armors were much different, crude, and inefficient. But he quickly understood which part went where, giving a certain importance to their existence.
It was a layered armor, fitted to serve him well. There were visible scratches on its surface; it was clear that Morgan had sent something that he had used himself once. It prioritized mobility over defense, being much lighter than what one would expect.
The lustrous plates guarding his thighs only looked heavy, the military shoes reminding him once again that a government agent had sent him the set of armor.
He performed a few quick movements, testing his mobility. To his surprise, he barely noticed any restraint in his actions, as if he barely had a single piece of armor on his entire body. It was partly due to his own training, as well as the considerable quality of the armor.
'This will do. I don't intend to get hit, but this works well as insurance.'
Today was the day Jin was supposed to attend the little test Nathaniel had prepared for him. He was told to report to another branch of the Hope guild, somewhere near the outskirts of the city. Even further than the lower districts themselves.
Stretching his limbs, he let out a restrained groan.
"If I stay in this room longer, I'll go insane. It is about time I did something useful for once."
With the passing time, his family members became accustomed to his new behavior. It was more like they didn't have a choice but to accept. They knew that entering the tower changed a person. Not just metaphorically, but also mentally. It left its imprint on the challengers, haunting them even after they had long succeeded in their trial.
It only made it easier for him to slip away without having to tell anyone. Everyone had their own duties to accomplish; they couldn't simply focus on his every action.
He mixed in the crowd effortlessly, weaving his way through the countless people. He didn't run, nor did he rush. He took his time, making sure that his every step brought him closer to his destination.
Unlike the inner part of the Acropolis, where he was headed today, he didn't need to go past a giant gate or any sort of security check. He just needed to walk against the flow of the people, moving further and further from the city.
His mind was calm and tranquil, having been exhausted after a strenuous session of physical training.
After an entire hour, he finally reached his location.
He hadn't reached the actual outskirts yet, but it was enough to show him just how bad the situation here was.
The crowd had been cut in half, with the people only heading toward the city. He could spot a few malnourished children sitting in a dark alley, their skin sticking closely to their bones. Their eyes had lost focus, as if they had already given up on life.
They were far too young to be dying of starvation. They weren't the only ones, either. Wherever he looked, people seemed like their souls had been sucked out of them. Their skin was pale, and their eyes red; the sight itself jarring
Nevertheless, he couldn't do anything about it. Jin was poor himself; his family barely survived on the incomes of the adults in the house. He was a lot of things, but being a benevolent hero was not one of them.
'Helping these people is like a drop in the bucket. No amount of help can bring them salvation.'
Shaking his head, he stepped inside the one-story building in front of him. The building itself was nothing stellar, resembling a corporate office more than a guild. There was nothing to signify that it was a branch of the Hope guild, operating in these desolate parts of the city.
At the same time, it was the only place significant enough for the guild to establish its branch.
As he was about to enter, a subdued voice approached him from behind.
"You're rather early, don't you think?"
Evelin's words were meant to be taken sarcastically. But Jin couldn't help but give her a faint smile.
"As they say, the early bird gets the worm."
Passing by him, she scoffed.
"If you keep being this late, the only thing you'll ever get will be worms."
Instead of continuing the banter, he followed her inside.