Chapter 118: Life 64, Age 21, Martial Grandmaster 1
After spending two months trying to learn to fight at the River’s Tributary, I walked away feeling as if there was a deep chasm between where I was and where I needed to be.
It wasn’t like I had never tried to fight before, and it wasn’t like I hadn’t watched people fight before either. I had just never been able to put the pieces together in my mind or practiced it myself. Partly, this was because I hadn’t been properly trained, but I knew it had more to do with my avoidance of the topic.
I had a choice to make. I had to decide how I should progress.
It was time for the Nine Rivers Sect’s Entrance Exam, and I wanted to participate and learn more about the place, but I felt that it would be a mistake. I wasn’t ready.
Another path I considered was signing up for classes at the Yellow Orchid Academy. Since they were the best school in the city, I should be able to make great progress there. The fact remained, though, that my time at the River’s Tributary had shown me that I didn’t have the necessary low-level experience to develop to my fullest potential as a Grandmaster.
I needed a fresh start. I needed to begin as a Disciple and slowly work my way up.
That’s what I needed to do, but it didn’t mean I needed to restart right away. Studying at the Academy would require significant funds, and I could use the rest of this life accumulating them.
Having strengthened my soul significantly over the past few centuries, I had been able to barely manage to make Perfect Rank 2 Meridian Builder Pills with only mid eight-star affinities, but if I wanted to make Rank 3 pills, I needed more.
“System, permanently upgrade my fire, wood, metal, and water affinities to peak seven-star.”