Under the bright rays of the morning sun, Ikasa was undergoing the trial of temptation in his bedroom.

‘Would it really matter if I add 10 points now? I have added 3-4 CPs every day for the past few weeks. I can surely persist for three more days.’

As much as he tried to convince himself, the 220/230 on his cultivation screen made his hands itch.

‘But advancing early also has its perks. In these turbulent times, it is better to be in the strongest possible condition I can be in….’

He tried to justify his urge and then just stopped trying. He gave in to what his heart wanted even though his mind said otherwise.

“Oh, screw it! I am going to advance to the Sense Realm today!”

Ikasa added the required 10 CP to complete 230 on his Mobile Network Symbol.

The symbol lit up like New York’s skyline, and he felt a rush of euphoria.

[Congratulations, you have successfully fulfilled all the conditions to break through to Sense Realm! Please choose a Sense Realm Technique to cultivate.]

“Shit! How could I forget this? I have no Sense Realm Manuals!”

Ikasa looked at the notification with regret. He was unwilling to quit when he had already acted on his instincts once before.

‘What’s one more time?’

He contemplated as he looked at his remaining 58 CP and his hand moved to check the Targeted Print option on its own.

[Would you like to use 2 CP for Targeted Printing?]

Ikasa replied with a ‘Yes’ before he could rethink his decision.

[Cultivation Manual [The Power of Exercise] is ready to print.]

Ikasa picked up the book and quickly skimmed through it.

“Bah! A High-Grade Path Forging Realm manual that is worse than Dumb Belle’s Guide to Strength!”

Exclaiming in disappointment, he threw the book on his bed. He rubbed his hand as he readied to try his hand at drawing a manual once again.

After two more unsuccessful attempts that gained him Mid-grade Path Forging methods, he clicked on the button for the last time and sighed with regret.

“Damn, am I getting an adrenaline rush through this?”

He shook his head as he picked up the latest manual.

It had a picture of a human body wrapped in chains and a bright title, [Unbound your Organs].

He quickly skimmed through the book, and the smile on his face widened as it introduced concepts he had never seen before.

“A Sense Realm manual at last!”

With a cheer of joy, he immediately toggled to the Cultivation screen and chose the manual.

[Do you want to use the Mid Grade cultivation method, Unbound your Organs, for breaking through to the Sense Realm?]

‘What the hell? That’s just Mid-Grade?’

Ikasa immediately answered with a ‘No.’

His eyes kept on darting to the 50 CP. He had vowed to keep these many points in reserve for emergency situations where he might need to print some new manual urgently.

‘No, I can’t touch them….’

‘But you have already come so far. Just a little more, and you will be a Sense Realm Expert!’

He hesitated when his hand was just about to click on the Print button. And then Pei Yuan’s voice calling for him solved his dilemma.

“Brother Ikasa, are you ready yet? You have to leave for the Blacksmith’s soon. Uncle Feng is waiting for you in the hall.”

Tension released from his body, and he wiped the lone drop of sweat on his forehead.

Letting out a deep sigh, he replied to the question.

“I’ll be out there in a minute. Ask Uncle Han to prepare the carriage.”

He quickly packed the three new Path Forging Realm manuals with Dumb Belle’s Guide to Strength.

‘At least now I can raise the price of this top-notch manual and stop being a one-trick pony.’

He tried to find a silver lining for his wasteful splurges.

——

After half an hour of traveling, Ikasa and Feng Yan got down from the carriage. They had reached the Smithy.

The interior was quieter today. There were no sounds of metal hitting metal, nor were they assaulted by the heat wave opening the door. But the acrid smell of smoke and half-burnt charcoal was ever-present.

As soon as Ikasa entered, Gu Dan’s eyes zeroed in on him. Expectation and wariness were seen in equal amounts on his face. When Feng Yan followed Ikasa inside, the forger’s face lit up.

“As promised, I am here with the manuals and the Sense Realm Expert who can provide you with the necessary guidance.”

Ikasa said, spreading his manuals on one of the empty countertops.

Gu Dan gulped as he rushed to take a look at the manuals. Ikasa introduced them one by one.

“These two are just Mid Grade Manuals, but they still outshine all the other Cultivation methods you can buy. The Power of Exercise is a bit weaker than the other High-Grade Manual. Still, its benefits include nimble fingers, which the other manual cannot provide.”

Looking up and down on Gu Dan’s form, Ikasa recommended him this latest manual over Dumb Belle’s Guide to Strength.

“To be honest, for an artisan like you, the precision that comes with dexterity would be much better than the raw power of my other manual.”

The Blacksmith was like a child in candy land. He couldn’t decide what to pick, the manual or the guidance from the expert. Even if he decided to pick the manual, which one he should take.

He was confident yesterday because no one in the city could put out what he asked for. Those that did would not come to him. Now, he was doubting his ability to craft a dagger that would be worth the manual or the guidance.

His gaze alternated between the two high-grade manuals, the mysterious expert and Ikasa, who was staring at him, waiting for his decision.

He didn’t want to let either of them go.

With a putong, he shamelessly fell on his knees and grabbed Ikasa’s ankle.

“Old Man, what are you doing?!”

Flustered by the unusual behavior, Ikasa tried to raise the man.

Gu Dan refused to let go and grabbed even tighter.

“Respected guest! My current dagger’s quality cannot be compared to either of these. But once I advance to the Sense Realm, my Metalworking will improve by leaps and bounds! I can guarantee you a Superior grade weapon if you give me this chance!”

Feng Yan opened one of his eyes and took pleasure in Ikasa’s predicament.

‘It’s been so long since I saw this kid flounder for words!’

Ikasa took a few seconds to regain his composure. In his entire Business career, he had dealt with backstabbers, schemers, and shameless ones; Never had one of them got on their knees literally.

He was unsure how to deal with this guy who was twice his age.

‘And twice as shameless as well, it seems. If I have to deal with such people in the future, it’s better to use this guy as a trial run.’

He had formulated a plan in his mind. It was time to execute it.

“Blacksmith Gu, it is not impossible for you to have both.”

“Really?”

The rugged man’s head whipped up to look at Ikasa’s face. His mustache quivered, trying to suppress the smile.

“Of course, there is a price for it.”

The young man replied with a confident smirk.

Gu Dan felt goosebumps form on his body when he saw the smirk. He had based his whole plan on Ikasa’s naive sense of fair exchange, which did not exist in this world, and now that naivety was gone.

“I will make sure you advance to the Sense Realm if you become my employee.”

The man immediately got up and stepped back as if repulsed by the suggestion.

“Become your servant? Impossible! I, Gu Dan, the only Blacksmith of this Birch City, cannot abandon my pride!”

The rugged man declared with a righteous expression, without a single speck of embarrassment.

Ikasa’s lips twitched while Feng Yan was unable to hold his laughter any longer.

“Ha ha ha!”

He approached the forger and swung an arm around his shoulder.

“We will get along well! Do you want my sincere advice?”

Gu Dan was intimidated by this Sense Trainer’s impulsive behavior as if they were friends who had met after a long time. In such close proximity, he had no choice but to answer positively.

“Employee is different from a servant. I am the Commander of his Private Force. So, I can also be considered his employee, and it has been going well for me. Even my daughter is under his employment.”

Feng Yan’s words changed the way the forger looked at Ikasa. Previously, he judged this young man as an inexperienced young master from his promise of returning with proof.

When he did return, the Blacksmith was impressed by his wealth. He thought the Sense Realm expert was some Elder from the young man’s family accompanying to protect the Manuals.

After Feng Yan’s revelation, his respect for Ikasa skyrocketed. He fell into deep thought.

‘A Sense Realm Expert would be welcomed anywhere as a VIP, and yet he is willing to serve this man along with his daughter.’

When he looked at the young man’s calm and collected face, a doubt planted itself in his mind.

‘Maybe I am wrong? Maybe his beliefs are not because of the ignorance of the worldly ways but a much broader vision?’

Feng Yan smiled when he saw his words have the intended impact. He patted the man on his shoulder. Before taking a step back to give him space, he whispered, “Choose well.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep