Oliver closed his eyes and smiled after hearing Zac's question. 'Playing dumb, huh?'
He had done that in the past when he wanted to avoid serious conversations with his master.
"Zac, there's a big difference between the movements of a calm person and a nervous one. A person with too many things on their mind has no chance of performing at the level they would be able to if they were at peace.
No matter how good their skills are, no performance can hide a warrior's emotional state.
Their movements are nervous; their strength fluctuates without a pattern, and their interest is not there. Need I say more?" Oliver asked as he opened his eyes and looked thoughtfully at Zac.
Zac sighed. "There are indeed some school problems on my mind, Instructor Bell. But what can I do? Not come to practice? Everyone has problems."
"You're right. Everyone has problems." Oliver nodded in agreement. "But you must know how to deal with your problems, Zac. Think about your problems when you need to think about them. When you're studying, when you're helping someone, when you're training, you should focus on that. It's part of your training as a martial artist."
Oliver's eyes narrowed, and he moved a little closer to the young man sitting in front of him. "Most importantly, Zac, be careful how you solve these problems. It's straightforward for us to lose to our emotions. Don't hurt or embarrass those you care about."
Zac opened his eyes wide, feeling as if Oliver was reading his mind and knowing everything was happening to him.
Such was the power of experience!
Oliver knew nothing of Zac's life. He didn't even know that this young man was the colleague of his younger sister, Mia. How could he know about other, more profound things?
But Oliver had done enough wrong to understand someone about to make a big mistake!
He could let this young man learn from his own mistakes, but his instincts told him to advise this young man. If Zac still chose the path of pain, then that would be Zac's problem.
Oliver's words were enough to make Zac think harder about everything that was happening in his life.
"How do I do it, Instructor? Problems will follow us whether we like it or not. How do I act in the right way?"
"That's hard to say." Oliver sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "There is no right or wrong. Those are concepts created by modern society to protect the majority. But the truth is, what's right for me may not be right for you.
You shouldn't be looking for right or wrong, Zac. You should be looking for inner peace. If doing something makes you lie awake in your bed at night with too many worries, then maybe it's not the right thing for you.
If your choices make you lie down and sleep peacefully, then perhaps the choices on that path are the best ones.
Once you've done that, achieving inner peace and becoming a true martial artist is within reach. From then on, it will be easy to do what is necessary."
Oliver's words enlightened Zac and made the young man feel more confident about what he had to do.
He made a gesture of thanks to Oliver and said in a completely different tone than before. "Thank you for your guidance, Instructor Bell."
"Hmm, don't thank me. I'm just returning something another person did for me in the past...
Sigh, now go. Go back to your training. Don't forget to meditate when you get home later. A man who doesn't understand himself is a man who is lost in this world. There are many distractions that will try to bring such a man down."
Zac made another gesture of thanks before returning to the side of the other Strength Titans who were training there at the time.
...
After finishing his martial arts training, Zac returned home with Oliver's words in his mind.
He could tell that up until that morning, he still had doubts about his future journey. He wanted to take revenge and improve the situation for his sister and himself. He also had a method in mind to do this. However, he wasn't sure if this was something temporary, something he would regret later, or much more.
But after considering Oliver's advice, Kai's situation with The Vipers and Amy, and his powers, Zac finally decided what he really wanted for the future.
His choice was to continue what he had started the night before!
What was the difference between today and yesterday? Simply his commitment!
'I'm sorry, Amy, I'm not going to be the doctor you always wanted me to be.' He thought as he finished his meditation, more certain than ever about what he really wanted, and thought about his destiny.
'My powers have a much greater potential than the destiny of a doctor. As a doctor, it would take me at least 10 years to change our situation. But do you have all that time?
This city is full of bandits that no one would miss.' His eyes sparkled as he looked out of his apartment window. 'From now on, I'll be on the other side of The Vipers and all those who follow their methods!
At the end of this school year, I'll focus on that. If things work out for me, I won't return to Eastside High School next year!'
He made up his mind, fully committing himself to a path that aligned with his abilities and current possibilities.
As he stood up from where he was sitting, he felt something different in the center of his being, suddenly sensing that his abilities had reached a new level.
Each piece of furniture in the small apartment floated slightly, while lamps and electronic artifacts in neighboring apartments exhibited strange behavior as the range of his powers grew.
Meanwhile, he could see through the walls of his apartment, reaching a higher level simply by accepting and committing to it.
These things made him feel good, and he felt he could protect and honor his sister with this chosen path.
He looked at his watch and saw that it was 5:00 p.m. and quickly left a note before leaving the house.
He still didn't know how to reach The Vipers, nor did he have the confidence to take direct action against the group. However, his neighborhood and the surrounding area were teeming with crime!