interesting take. the shift of pace in the novel and the sudden need to find supporting items instead of helping his student get his foundations steady is slightly bugging me. but overall a good read so far.
I kind of understand. For Markus to get better he has to work day and night just to get by which isn't heathy. So instead, the MC compensates by giving Markus a magical gun or something.
Which like you said is good, but relying on crutches misses the point of cultivating.