“Your brother and I were beat pretty badly, but once we’d recovered we found our power had increased quite a bit. Me especially. My Discipline rank was very low, and the effects were stronger on me. I thought maybe I was wrong, and this was the best thing that could happen to me. And so I show up day after day, hoping he’ll beat on me some more.”
“Later, when your brother and I were formally accepted as his Disciples, the Master asked if we were willing to tear everything down and start anew. I said I was. That was when he gave me a very sobering opportunity, one that at the very least endowed me with the belief that I can accomplish my goals. I want to be strong… to be able to protect my sister, and my family. I want to make them see that I, Jin Tao, am not garbage. All I ever need is an opportunity.”
Excitement was alive in his eyes. Already he was like a different man, bucking the expectations and assumptions of his classmates.