Though on the surface, things went smoothly for me but that wasn't the case.
There were four monthly class evaluations and in every class evaluation, I ranked first. That wasn't easy. I was improving, and so were the others.
I had to increase the intensity of my training. So I increased the weights, thereby straining my body a little more. It was very effective while learning the Movement Arts and while advancing Staff Arts.
Just like skill levels, advancing weapon arts is also not easy, especially breaking through the barrier between stages. Within a month and a half I reached Intermediate level 10 in Staff Arts but to advance to Advanced level 1, it took three months to do so.
The only reason why I was able to keep was because of the points that I gained. Every time I gained a few points, helped me earn more points, which helped me to retain my number-one status.
