Why Did You Look... Different Somehow?

Lin Tian looked at the experience he had accumulated with the Mountain-Shaking Fist in his mind.

Something stirred in his heart.

His experience had been rising steadily every day.

But ever since he had mastered the Cultivation Technique,

Lin Tian had felt something change.

The more experience he gained,

the heavier the punches he threw became.

Even the speed and number of his punches were declining.

It was not that he lacked effort.

Rather, as he practiced the Cultivation Technique to greater depths,

it demanded more than just comprehension.

It also demanded strength from his body.

After all, the Cultivation Technique itself was meant to temper him.

Feeling the weakness spreading through his body,

Lin Tian knew there were only two ways out of his current predicament.

Pills and nourishing food.

His body had to keep pace with his Cultivation Technique.

But both required a great deal of silver.

For now, he could manage.

After all, he had gotten thirty taels from Zhuang Qiang.

But that money would run out sooner or later.

Finding somewhere to take up a position had become his most pressing task.

Time passed.

Another ten-odd days soon went by.

Since Lin Tian had received those thirty taels from Zhuang Qiang,

the food at home had improved greatly.

His body had visibly grown sturdier.

Even so,

his body still could not keep up with the pace of his Cultivation Technique.

Lately, Lin Tian had therefore been leaving the Martial Academy a little earlier.

His body had already reached its limit.

Training past that limit would not increase his experience in the slightest.

Instead, it would wear him out prematurely and affect the next day's training.

Of course, "earlier" was only relative to his own routine.

To everyone else, Lin Tian was still the last to leave the Martial Academy.

He simply left a little earlier than he used to.

But in the eyes of the Martial Academy's disciples, his actions told a different story.

In an instant,

another wave of discussion broke out.

Today, Lin Tian left even earlier.

He departed at almost the same time as the other Martial Academy disciples.

After all, he had received an invitation from his childhood friends in Jinghe Bend.

Someone had arranged a gathering.

They had all grown up alongside Lin Tian.

But as they grew older,

their families had sent them to work in different places.

In times like these, children raised in the Outer City had to find some way to put food in their mouths.

Lin Tian had originally been meant to go out and work too.

If Zhuang Qiang had not come to his home to propose marriage, or if he had not awakened his Fate Grid,

perhaps he would be hauling cargo at some dock right now?

Lin Tian shook his head and put the thought aside.

He went straight through the crowd toward Jinghe Bend.

Behind him, the Outer Academy disciples saw him leave.

Almost instinctively, they began pointing at him and talking.

"I told you. How long could he keep it up? He has Inferior Bone Quality, no matter how determined he is."

"But reality is reality. Once he saw how slowly he was progressing, didn't he give up?"

"Heh. I'd say Senior Brother Xiao Tian's breakthrough a few days ago shook Lin Tian into accepting reality."

"The two of them entered the Martial Academy just one day apart. Now, after only a month, there's such a vast gap between them."

"That sudden difference must have made him see things clearly."

"Heh. See? That's what happens when someone thinks too highly of himself."

"He actually compared himself to a heaven-blessed talent like Senior Brother Xiao Tian? He didn't know his own limits! Now he's had a taste of the consequences."

Click to view.

In the distance,

inside a carriage,

Zhou Ya had been quietly watching the scenery beyond the window.

But Lin Tian's figure suddenly quickened its pace, catching her attention at once.

The carriage was not far from the Outer Academy disciples.

She could clearly see them pointing at Lin Tian behind his back.

Now and then, one of them let out a scornful chuckle.

One glance was enough for her to understand what was happening.

To be honest, she had little regard for someone of Lin Tian's inferior aptitude.

In her eyes, a good-for-nothing ought to stay quietly where he belonged.

He should not struggle pointlessly.

Otherwise, he would only make others despise him!

And Lin Tian's daily toil at his punches in the courtyard

was precisely that sort of pointless struggle to her.

A faint sneer crossed her face. "Heh. Junior Brother Xiao Tian, look outside. See who that is."

At Zhou Ya's words,

the young man in the carriage opened his eyes.

It was Xiao Tian.

Zhou Ya had invited him on this trip to the Lin Family to accept their support.

A talent like him naturally had no shortage of people seeking to win him over.

Xiao Tian looked in the direction Zhou Ya had indicated.

He spotted Lin Tian.

A moment later, he closed his eyes again.

He plainly had no interest.

He had heard about Lin Tian.

Not only had they entered the Martial Academy just one day apart,

but both had been summoned early to the Inner Academy for their master's assessment.

But after Lin Tian was found to have Inferior Bone Quality,

he had been driven straight out of the Inner Academy.

To Xiao Tian, he was nothing more than a good-for-nothing.

He had even heard

that Lin Tian seemed to be comparing himself to him.

Heh. He truly has no self-awareness!

Does a good-for-nothing dare compare himself to me?

Is he worthy?

Does he think entering the Martial Academy around the same time as me

puts him on my level?

At first, Xiao Tian had been angry.

He had wanted to go out and use his overwhelming strength to make Lin Tian face reality!

But on second thought, that would be beneath him.

Why should he personally deal with a good-for-nothing?

With his talent, all he had to do was let time pass.

Lin Tian would see for himself the chasm that lay between them!

That would be the most direct and effective blow to a good-for-nothing like him!!

Heh.

It seems my recent breakthrough has already had that effect.

Zhou Ya saw that Xiao Tian paid Lin Tian no further attention.

She could more or less guess what he was thinking.

So after a couple of cold chuckles, she did not bring it up again.

Lin Tian soon returned to Jinghe Bend.

As he arrived,

he saw a broad-shouldered young man standing by the head of his bed.

Wang Qi.

He was one of Lin Tian's childhood friends.

Lin Tian had heard that Wang Qi had gone to learn carpentry at a Carpenter Shop in the Inner City.

He immediately went over and greeted him.

They had only been apart for half a year.

Their old childhood warmth soon returned.

Before long, they fell into conversation.

"Xiao Tian, what have you been doing lately? Why do you look... a little different somehow?"