[Disclaimer: Hello everyone, I had accidentally released the chapter in the wronger order so this is a future chapter. I will post release another chapter that should be the correct one. So feel free to skip this until later on.]
"What! You want me to join your Sect!?" Evi screamed in shock.
He didn't expect Yoze to offer him the chance to become his first student. He was only a simple scholar who focused on accumulating knowledge and maneuvering through politics.
Just one look at his thin body that lacked much muscle was enough to show that he had never practiced martial arts in his life. Evi had tried to learn a common martial art technique called Twin Fists before, but he found that he wasn't very talented.
Knowing that he would never get far, he stopped training in any martial arts and focused on becoming the best scholar he could be.
"Of course, I want you to join my Sect! Not only are you a good friend, but I can see the hidden potential in your body waiting to be unlocked." Yoze smiled after noticing doubt begin to form inside Evi's eyes.
This wasn't a doubt of whether Evi thought he was lying but a self-doubt that stemmed from a perceived lack of talent and worth.
After hearing that Yoze saw potential inside him, Evi felt shocked and was about to reject Yoze's advances since he felt that Yoze was just being offered the position because he was Yoze's friend.
"Yoze was just being nice and considerate when he offered me the opportunity to join his Sect. In reality, I don't have any talent in martial arts, so how can I take advantage of him and join? I would only drag his good name in the mud." Evi felt his shoulders becoming heavier, with grief and disappointment appearing in his eyes.
Just as he was about to reject Yoze, he felt a big, warm hand grab his hands.
"Evi, what I said earlier about your journey of becoming a great scholar and not doubting yourself applies here, too. The world is so massive and full of mystery that no one person can discover everything."
"Whether it is the journey to becoming the best scholar, the most powerful martial arts, or the most brilliant leader, it is often said that the journey to the top is lonely. But why is that the case?" Yoze paused his speech and looked at Evi straight into his brown eyes.
"I-I don't know?"
"The reason is that to become the best, you must have an obsessive passion for it. A hunger that will never go away no matter how much you eat."
"This kind of obsessive passion, while it sounds great and is the key to becoming the best in any field, is in reality toxic and tends to push out those who can't stomach the intense 24/7 grind." Yoze's face became stern as he continued.
"This is a trait of the human body that every human being has. However, it is locked away until they find what they are truly passionate about. But if this is the case, why do we know so many leaders, professionals, or an expert in a particular field don't seem to be lonely?"
"Because they all died!"
"They died?" Evi's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he had heard.
So far, Yoze had been hyping up this obsessive trait that allowed people to become the best in their fields. He had thought that Yoze would tell him that he had this obsessive trait as well, and only by joining his Sect could he find what he was obsessed with.
"Yes, because they didn't know when to stop and who to kick out of their life. Those who are obsessed are blind to other paths."
"They stubbornly think they can reach the top with more training, reading more books, or examining and learning from their mistakes. That thought is not wrong, but it will slowly kill them because the human body can only take on so much abuse."
After reaching this point in his speech, Yoze relaxed since he discovered that the self-doubt in Evi's eyes had stopped growing. He should be able to squash this self-doubt from growing any larger with a few more thought-provoking words.
"What they are missing is talent and companionship. People think that talent means having the potential to reach higher heights. That companionship must be abandoned to become the best."
"This is nothing but a misconception. Talent is more like a time-saver. Being talented allows for the same level of improvement in a shorter period of time. With additional time, talented people can afford to form deep levels of companionship and connections that allow them to truly reach the top."
"In other words, I chose you because you are my friend."
"..."
Evi was stunned again. This was the third time Yoze had shocked him with his words. He didn't think his heart could afford to be shocked anymore.
"Didn't Yoze say earlier that I had hidden potential? Why is he saying he only chose me because I am his friend?" Evi expected that Yoze's confession would have hurt him, but strangely, he felt more relaxed.
Once the bandage had been pulled off, it would reveal that the wound had long been healed. As Yoze stared into Evi's eyes, Evi also looked into his and felt mesmerized by faintly appearing sparkles.
Combined with Yoze's speech and complete silence, he found himself thinking more deeply about the meaning of Yoze's words. As someone talented in literature and a scholar for nearly five years, it didn't take him long to understand what Yoze wanted to say.
"I have potential, but in Yoze's eyes, that is not what is important. What he wants is someone who can help him become the best. So whether I have potential or not doesn't matter; the fact that I am the key to making his dream sect possible is what is important."
As Evi came to this realization, his self-doubt vanished, and the heavy rock on his shoulders was turned into dust.
"Okay, I am willing to join your sect!" Evi spoke with confidence after being freed from his shackles.
"Perfect! I knew you would come to an understanding." Yoze breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Evi had joined his Sect.
He had been practicing his speeches for the last few days and would have felt embarrassed if he couldn't convince Evi to join. As the first person he recruited, he felt that Evi was the perfect candidate to be his first student.
Not only was he somewhat knowledgeable about martial arts, which allowed him to understand what he was trying to teach him, but he also wasn't stuck in any particular martial arts path, so he could mold him.
As for whether he had any talent in martial arts, Yoze didn't care. At this point, he was so talented when it came to martial arts that any amount of talent others had would seem slow in his eyes.
The real challenge would come from his attempts to awaken Evi's talent for spiritual energy. Yoze firmly believed any living creature could control and manipulate its spiritual energy. Talent would only determine how easily and quickly they could improve their skill mastery.
So, he needed to have his first student be someone who could be patient with him and would have unwavering confidence in his skills. He had initially planned to have Jewel become his first student, but after seeing his long-time friend Evi, he had thrown that plan on the back burner.
Evi would be a much better first student than Jewel, even though she was more talented in martial arts.
"Thank you for believing in me. I promise I won't hold you back and will try my best to make this Sect the best in the world."
"But I forgot to ask, have you already decided what your Sect will be called? This is quite important since the name of the Sect greatly influences peoples' initial opinions."
Now that he had joined Yoze's Sect, Evi immediately began to think about the Sect's future and how they would expand in the future. Even if he couldn't be Yoze's best student, he wanted to be at least someone useful so Yoze would not regret his decision.
"Cough, I was thinking about making the Sect name something humble so that others don't think we are arrogant. So something like the Wandering Worldly Scholars or Heavenly Scholars of Justice will do."
As Yoze thought about some good names for his Sect, he wanted to rub his chin with his hand but noticed that he was still holding Evi's hands. Embarrassed, he let go and casually threw out some names for his Sect.
"I think you are right. As scholars trying to forge new paths for the world, I think we should be humble. Your names kind of suck, though, so how about we call our Sect The School of Eternal Knowledge instead."
"It not only shows others that we are scholars trying to make the world a better place, but it also tells the world we are humble," Evi said with complete sincerity.
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