Shen Yuan lightly bowed. “Thank you, Elder Hua. Your praise honors me.”
‘Good, now I just need one more Inner Sect Elder and the mission will be completed,’ he thought to himself with a smirk.
“Have you considered joining the Artifact Hall? It would be a waste of your talent if you didn’t join in,” she asked.
Shen Yuan showed visible hesitation but soon replied. “I appreciate the offer, but I have many commitments at the moment.”
‘Like hell I will join that sinking ship, it would be better to open my own Refining Hall at that point so I won’t be below anyone,’ he inwardly shook his head as he remarked at the situation of the Refining Hall.
“Understandable,” she said with a nod. “But do consider it. The Sect could benefit greatly from your skills. After all, there are not many blacksmiths in our Sect.”
“I will, Elder,” Shen Yuan promised with a serious look on his face.
As she moved on to see some of the other weapons, whispers spread among the disciples.
“An elder noticed him!”
“He’s really going places.”
But before the whispers could even spread among the entire crowd, a voice rang from the door.
“Oh my, is Little Brother Shen Yuan becoming a Blacksmith?” A playful voice echoed from the gates with a hint of flirting in it.
Shen Yuan turned his head to see Elder Lan Rui entering inside.
“Ah, Elder Lan Rui, long time no see.” Shen Yuan smiled as he welcomed her.
“Good, good. You are really doing well in the Inner Sect, even becoming a Blacksmith.” She nodded her head and came in front of him.
“Thank you for the praise, Elder Lan Rui.” Shen Yuan modestly smiled.
“Show me something good, let me appreciate what you have,” Elder Lan Rui winked and suggestively said.
Some of the disciples felt their faces burning as some others turned their heads in embarrassment.
Shen Yuan coughed and said, “Yes, please come this way.” He hurriedly turned around and led her to one of the swords displayed at the center of the garden.
“What a beautiful sword,” Lan Rui commented as she looked at the pure white sword put on display in the center.
It was a white long sword with little carvings of snow over the blade and a phoenix carved on the handle.
“This is the best sword I have crafted till now, it’s a High Tier 3 sword, it is suitable for those Cultivators who are proficient in Ice abilities,” Shen Yuan slowly explained as Lan Rui listened.
“Do you mind if I try it out a bit?” Lan Rui looked at Shen Yuan with fluttering eyes.
Shen Yuan felt his lips twitching at her act, but he nodded his head as she was already quite familiar with him, “Yes, be my guest. Who knows, you might like it and buy it from me.”
“Hehe, we will need to see about that,” Lan Rui softly giggled before moving forward to grab the sword and check its balance.
“The balance is exceptional, the edge is finely sharp. Hmm, and its durability seems to be quite good as well.”
She raised her head and looked at Shen Yuan for a second, “I didn’t know you were such a good blacksmith. Good, I want to buy this sword.”
Shen Yuan smiled proudly and nodded his head, “Let this one be a gift from my side, thanks for helping me and my Big Sisters when they were absent.”
Lan Rui looked at him in surprise, then smiled mischievously as she moved forward to stand in front of him, “Why did I never realize how handsome you are? You are really considerate to your seniors.”
She paused and leaned forward as she whispered softly in his ear, “No wonder the two of them fell for your charms.”
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow as he didn’t expect her to know about it. He smirked and replied back, “Then be careful, or you might as well fall for my charms.”
Lan Rui smirked and walked back, “I will be taking this then, but as to thank you, you can come visit me anytime for ‘any’ kind of help.”
Shen Yuan smilingly shook his head and moved towards other disciples to attend to them.
By the end of the day, Shen Yuan had sold nearly all of his weapons, even the lower-level ones as the disciples said they wanted to buy them as collections.
The four girls rejoined him as the last of the disciples departed after buying weapons from Shen Yuan’s mansion.
“That was a huge success,” Chen Yue said, stretching her arms.
“Thanks to all of you,” Shen Yuan replied. “I couldn’t have managed without your help. I didn’t expect so many disciples would be joining us.”
“Don’t forget about our custom weapons,” Zhao Lian reminded him with a grin.
Shen Yuan laughed. “Don’t worry about it, I will make them whenever you guys want.”
[Congratulations,] Yue Lan’s voice chimed in his mind. [You’ve exceeded the mission requirements.]
‘Excellent,’ Shen Yuan thought. ‘And I’ve made some valuable connections from all this hassle as well.’
As the sun began to set, the group settled under the cherry blossom tree, enjoying a moment of relaxation with tea.
“You know,” Wan Ling began, “I think you’re going to become quite famous in the Sect.”
“Hmm? You think I wasn’t already famous in the Sect?” Shen Yuan chuckled. “But that doesn’t matter; fame isn’t my goal.”
“Then what is?” Ling Mei asked.
He looked up at the blossoming tree. “To forge my own path and support those important to me.”
The girls exchanged glances, a mix of admiration and affection in their eyes.
[Touching,] Yue Lan teased. [But don’t get too sentimental. You might seduce these young maidens’ hearts.]
Shen Yuan smiled inwardly. ‘Just sleep peacefully and leave me alone.’
As night fell, they each took their leave, thanking him once more.
“Goodnight, Senior Brother,” they said in unison.
“Goodnight,” he replied. “Rest well.”
As he stood alone beneath the cherry tree, Shen Yuan reflected on the day’s events.
[You’ve made quite an impact,] Yue Lan noted.
‘Yes, but this is just the beginning,’ he thought. ‘I still need to get stronger, and…’ He got silent as he remembered his dream.
[…]
Yue Lan grew silent as she saw Shen Yuan lost in thought.
[Are you thinking about your dream again?] she softly asked.
“…Yes,” Shen Yuan muttered softly as he went on his chair to sit down.
Taking out a gourd of wine, he started drinking directly from it.
[You don’t need to focus too much on your dream, whatever it was. If it was something in the past then it has already happened and there is no point thinking about it, or if it’s something for the future then let it come. We will face it together.]
Shen Yuan stopped drinking the wine as he heard her words. He smiled fondly and nodded his head, “True, we shall face whatever comes our way, no point brooding over it.”
[Good, thats the spirit, you need to move forward continuously, otherwise you will be buried in this world. Now why don’t you see your rewards?]