Time went by as Jin changed his ways. Now, months later, it was once again the time for the sect to enroll new disciples. As Jin saw the crowds of kids beyond the gate, he couldn't help but smile lightly, remembering his own entrance... Then, he went on his way towards the arena.

Many things had changed throughout those months. More than anything, Jin changed. If we compared him to a caterpillar back then, he was now a butterfly. He had done a lot in the past months.

First, he took the time to build the knowledge he lacked and was very joyful to learn that he didn't mess up with the core. After that, he spent more time going to the outer court, joining as many lessons as he could. He had truly embraced the status of a student and was now taking cultivation as a brand new world to learn about.

What's more, he had reached the fourth stage of refinement. Forget the requirement to get to the second stage, he had gone further and he would never again face the danger of expulsion for low cultivation. He was still a long way from the true powerful cultivators but he was walking on the right path. He knew what to do and was aware of a lot more things.

As he walked towards the arena, he took a slightly roundabout way. It brought him in front of a sculpture of a young man... Him. Having himself carved in stone in front of the arena had remained a goal of his and he went through with it. He had inquired about what he would need to do and managed to do it. Rather, he succeeded twice. Not only the statue, his robe had two more pins.

One achievement required to successfully chain a hundred battles of at least the same stage and win thorughout. He had waited until reaching the thrid stage before fighting a hundred duels one after another. It wasn't hard for him to overpower another disciple at his level. While cultivators could create miracles, those who only started on this path could not. During the body refinement stage, while stronger than a random man, they were not much more.

They couldn't use the spiritual energy as it was solely used to reinforce their bodies. As such, the battles were uneventful. How could the youths beat an experienced fighter like him? The danger had been the stamina. Fighting a hundred opponents was no easy feat which was why it was rewarded. But he found a solution quite easily. Thanks to Chong-Oh.

That guy was in love with Seung-Ja and an alchemist. After some weeks, Jin was very much aware of Seung-Ja's character. She enjoyed betting a lot. So, he bet with her. If he won the challenge, she would go on a date with Chong-Oh. He hadn't even talked with the fatty beforehand, nearly scaring him to death. But the beauty agreed right away as she didn't believe the kid would make it.

Through a few random fights, Jin convinced Chong-Oh that he had a chance and soon enough, he was sponsored with a batch of pills. Pills that he could use at his realm and restored stamina.

Was it considered cheating? No! It was part of one's strength. And that was one of the rules of this world. External equipment? If you could get them, then use them. Those are part of your strength and your ability. In the end, it had been rather easy.

The fatty was satisfied too as he went on his date. Though Seung-Ja considered it more like a penalty and was doing it for fun. No romantic developments happened but that was expected... Only Han-Bi had been sulking throughout those days. Jin had missed her afternoon tea for more than a week because of this...

The second achievement he made was about quantity. Winning ten thousand battles with no loss. Since he never lost and spent all his afternoons here, it wasn't too difficult. The battles were quick and there were disciples queuing to fight him. Being able to fight against someone stronger was what they came to the arena for. Even though his strength was oppressive, he never lacked opponents.

And so, this afternoon, he was once more at the arena. Most disciples here knew him by rumor and he was easy to recognize. He was the only inner court disciple to come here after all. Also, the three pins on his robe were obvious to all. A golden fist, a yellow chain and a yellow symbol " X " .

As he walked towards the fourth stage area, he was quickle joined by someone. It was a petite girl with a bright smile. It was Soo-Hyun. The girl that he fought twice at the entrance exam back then. They had become a lot closer by now since he always hung out with her clique during the lessons and she took it upon herself to be his manager in the arena.

As he saw her, he could only sigh. She was still stronger than him in cultivation and he had been unable to bridge the gap. She was at the peak of the refinement stage now. As he recalled all of this, a question appeared in his mind and he asked her: "Soo-Hyun, how did you come to be an examiner for the entrance exam back then? The sect only admits those of at least second stage and you couldn't have spent a year at that stage, right?"

The girl answered him as if it was nothing: " Hm~ There are a lot of people in sect, right? Those people end up having kids and those kids aren't born at the second level, are they? The sect still takes them in and they help with the exam when they reach the second stage. That's about it "

Jin was quite surprised. Even after all this time, he hadn't even thought about asking her origins. Turned out she was born in the sect...