Cleanly cut branches and leaves were strewn across the grounds of Ikasa’s villa. A number of trees and bushes had been cut haphazardly, ruining the efforts of Caretaker Han and the gardener.

“Hahaha! This is a good sword but it is not as good as my Bloody Eye Halberd.”

Feng Yan laughed as he handed the Yijian back to Gu Dan. The face of the latter twisted when his Spiritual Weapon was compared to a Mortal Weapon. After all, the two were not even in the same league!

As he sheathed the sword, the forger mockingly muttered,”How can a Sense Trainer unleash the might of a Veined Weapon? This is like expecting a donkey to appreciate the taste of jaggery.”

Feng Yan’s eyes narrowed and he immediately grabbed Gu Dan in a headlock. Knocking his head with his knuckles, the old man menacingly growled.

“You have grown quite bold, Xiao Dan. Using idioms to mock your Senior, huh? Should I knock some sense into you?”

Just as Gu Dan was preparing a snarky remark, the old man tightened the grip. Gu Dan choked on his words as he tried to get Feng Yan to loosen the grip on his neck.

“I… am… sorry, Senior Feng.”

The Blacksmith barely managed to spit out words. Satisfied, Feng Yan let the man loose. Gu Dan took deep breaths as he glared at Feng Yan with fear and frustration.

During their scuffle, the scabbard had slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Yan Xiao picked it up and noticed a mark on the pommel of the sword.

Two hammers were crossed against each other and a tiny lightning bolt struck their hammer-heads. The workmanship was a little crude but Yan Xiao could clearly feel the protrusions and the grooves as he traced it with his finger.

“What is this, Teacher?”

Yan Xiao asked, indicating the mark on the Sword. His question drew the attention of Gu Dan and others present there.

“That is my mark of identity.”

Gu Dan spoke proudly as he received the Sword from Yan Xiao. The young lad and the other teens were still confused.

“Every Master Blacksmith leaves his personal mark on the weapons he creates. This will be the mark of your teacher in the future.”

Gu Dan explained, causing Feng Yan to chuckle.

“You sure dream big, Xiao Dan. You haven’t even made a single decent Spiritual Weapon and you are already thinking of yourself as a Master Blacksmith.”

Feng Yan teased, making Gu Dan fluster with frustration. Their childish display came to a stop when Ikasa arrived.

“Blacksmith Gu, are you sure you don’t want to come to Elm City?”

Ikasa asked the middle aged man for the last time. He had already decided on the group that would be leaving for Elm City.

Xin Ruo was a permanent member of his excursion group. From the kids, only Luo Qiqi, Chu Qing and Yan Xiao expressed any interest in accompanying Ikasa.

Hei Ying stayed back to learn under Uncle Chu while Pei Yuan was training with Yin Ying. Moony was conflicted as to who he should go with but he ultimately chose to train with Pei Yuan and Hei Ying.

Feng Yan also stayed back as Ikasa had instructed him to recruit a few more members into the Gold Heart Guardians and expedite their training.

Surprisingly, there was a new member who decided to join them. Bu Fan, the culinary genius. He expressed his desire to travel in order to experience new cuisines and enrich his palate.

Ikasa had no reason to refuse his request. His inclusion meant Luo Qiqi would have a partner on her foodie adventures.

The last person left was Gu Dan. Ikasa wanted the Blacksmith to accompany him as he was the only expert on metals and ores under his employ.

In case, Ikasa met a merchant who had a few extra Weapon grade ores for sale, Gu Dan would prove to be very important in determining their quality.

Gu Dan shook his head, refusing to accompany Ikasa once again.

​ “You are bringing Yan Xiao with you. After awakening his Spiritual Hearing, that little guy can differentiate the trash from the good better than me. There is no need for me to waste my time on this trip. I might as well make one more Veined Weapon while my inspiration is still flowing!”

Ikasa looked at the youngest Sense Trainer with a hint of astonishment. He had no idea the young boy had progressed to such a level even after missing lessons for a month.

Yan Xiao shied away from his Teacher’s praise and Ikasa’s gaze and modestly tried to deny it.

“I am not as good as you say…”

Gu Dan patted his shoulder and with a loud chuckle assured him.

“Believe in yourself. You don’t lack skill, you just need some confidence.”

Ikasa smiled at the advice Gu Dan offered Yan Xiao. He had noticed the same but he would rather let Yan Xiao stumble along the path and realize it himself.

After all, the confidence built from experiences was stable and not fickle.

Ikasa clapped his hands once and led everyone back to the front yard of the Villa. Three carriages were waiting for them.

In one of the large carriages, Zhong Xi and his family sat with Bu Fan. The other carriage was reserved for Ikasa, Xin Ruo, and the Kids.

The last small carriage carried the luggage belonging to Zhong Xi and his family.

Once everyone was settled, the gates of the Villa opened. As the orange glow of the morning sun became golden, the carriages pulled by two horse beasts each exited the gates.

When they passed the Western Gate of the City, a nervous excitement began to flash in Ikasa’s eyes. This was the first Tier-2 City he was going to visit. From the things he had heard from He Ling and other merchants, Ikasa was curious to know just how advanced a Tier-2 City was as compared to a Tier-3 City.

Ikasa looked in the direction of his final destination for this journey and quietly muttered,

“Elm City. here I come!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep