After confirming that the new Focus Shards worked almost as well as the first ones I had made, in terms of meeting energy needs, I continued trying to make as many of them as I could.

The problem was the new recipe to make the Focus Shards wasn’t as efficient as the original, since it took me even longer, and required even more physical effort for me to make a good amount of them.

There was no way I could make, the amount I wanted to make, in the time I had allotted myself.

While I thought of a solution to my problem, I continued to soldier through to the best of my ability.

After having made dozens of the Shards, I started to notice a change within me.

After every bath of Focus Shards I completed, my concentration, Inner Energy Manipulation, and Inner Energy Capacity, increased by several folds.

As it turned out, making Focus Shards actually helped me improve in Inner Breath training.

It always felt satisfying to be able to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

I was actually getting worried Yupow would start to scold me for slacking off on my training.

But because of this unintended benefit, I didn’t have to worry about it anymore.

Thinking of Yupow gave me a sudden flash of inspiration.

I stopped making Shards and set aside all the animal fat I had, after which I set out to find as many Pure Crystals as I could collect in my wooden Wagon.

***

The Slum street Yupow lived in was starting to get dark as Dusk started to set in.

But from afar one could hear the noise and growl of an engine.

A Luxurious looking Autoroller was driving down the Slum, towards Yupows residence.

The Inhabitants of the Slum only looked wonderingly at the passing vehicle, as they were not accustomed to seeing too many Autorollers in their neighborhood, especially ones of such high quality.

As soon as the Vehicle stopped in front of Yupows house, a tall, elegant man, with shiny silver hair, and dressed in an expensive looking Martial Robe, stepped out from the Autorollers front door.

With a powerful looking presence, and knowledge of the kind of person Yupow was, none of the residents of the Slum dared to go up and bother the man.

Soon the man entered the front court of the house and found that the door was already open.

The man stopped himself in front of the door and modestly projected his voice.

“Hello Master Yupow are you home, I apologize for my disturbance, but there are some important matters I wish to discuss with you, if you'd be so willing?”

There was a good moment of absolute silence that made the man nervous, but right when he was about to attempt his next plan of action, a powerful and deep, but also calming voice, emerged from within the house.

“Come in.”

The elegant man sighed in relief, and carefully walked through the front door, and made his way to the courtyard of the small dilapidated house.

There he saw an old raggedy looking man, sitting on a stool, leaning against the wall of his house, doing absolutely nothing, other than what appeared to be dozing off.

The elegant man straightened up and put both his hands up against his chest.

“Master Yupow it's an honor for me to be able to see you again, and to have the pleasure of being invited within your lovely home.”

Yupow raised his eyebrow, thoroughly surprised at the elegant man's shamelessness and thick skin, knowing that the man was fully aware that he had shown up uninvited.

“ What Business do you have with me Lofen, surely you didn’t just come here to lie to me about my house.”

“Not at all, not at all Grandmaster, I would never dare to lie to you. Indeed I have come here to discuss important matters related to your talented disciple Yupow, I found it proper to give you an update on matters occurring within the City, that could affect your disciples safety.”

Yupow finally opened his eyes and looked directly into Lofen’s eyes, a clear indication that he had taken an interest in what he had to say.

“Where are my manners? How could I leave the Citadel Mayor standing and not offer him a seat? Come make yourself comfortable, relax and tell me what’s in your heart.”

Yupow pointed Lofen towards an extremely worn out wooden chair that was in the middle of the courtyard.

Clearly Yupow had long abandoned the need for materialistic desires while traversing his Martial Path.

“Grandmaster Yupow, you honor me with your kindness. I would have been more than happy to stand where I was, but since it would be rude of me to reject your hospitality.”

Lofen made himself comfortable on the wooden chair, making it seem as if he was sitting on top of a seat made from the most expensive furs in the world.

It was obvious Lofen had much respect for Yupow, even despite his position as the Citadel Mayor.

“Grandmaster I'll try not to waste your time and get straight to the point, forgive me for my sincerity, but I'm sure you are aware that despite having sponsored the kid as your disciple, because of the kids relationship to Kemoro, there is no way certain powers will ever give up on finding a way to get their revenge.”

Yupow stayed silent for a while before he responded.

“Yes I'm well aware that there are many foolish and dangerous idiots within these City Walls, but having gotten to know the kid better, the time spent with him has led me to believe that, whether I'm with him or not, the kid is more than capable of taking care of himself. He honestly isn’t the most talented person I've seen, not even close, but the unpredictability of what this kid can achieve through sheer grit, ingenuity, and willpower has managed to surprise even me. After his time under my tutelage comes to an end, I really can’t help feel no worry, in the end he has proven himself to me, to be a tried and true Expert, worthy of anyone’s respect.”

“That’s exactly the heart of the matter I've come to discuss with you, you say he has little talent, but to the eyes of most of the City, including myself, this kid is an unprecedented Genius. According to my sources this kid is not only a Rising Martial Talent, regardless of what any of the old coots say concerning his fighting method, but he’s also an Ace in matters concerning Hunting, Business, and Crafting. That alone would make him respected among any circle in Potestera, but there are rumors that also frighteningly claim that he is also Proficient in Magical Arts and Poison Arts.There have been many Experts who have tried to master multiple paths in the past, but few have ever succeeded, and most plunged themselves upon a path of mediocrity, but from what I can see young Guso’s future looks brighter as the days go by. How you and Kemoro found such a monster is truly a testament of your status and wisdom.”

“Lofen I am well aware of all that you have told me, indeed young Guso pursues multiple paths and has found a good amount of success in most of them, but my job is to solely help him get further in his Martial Arts and Inner Energy journey, and as long as his progress isn’t affected, I care not what else he pursues. Is this really the concerning news you wanted to make me aware of? If so, I'm sorry to say I can't help but be annoyed and disappointed in your meddling.”

“As expected of the Grandmaster, who would know his disciple better than his Master, but of course that isn’t the sole reason why I'm here, I dare not waste the time of a top Expert such as yourself. As I'm sure as the powerhouse that you are, you have noticed young Guso has managed to attract the unwanted attention of not only Kemoro’s enemies, but also of a variety of Institutions from the City. Primarily and most worryingly from the Firebrun Martial Clan, the Majority Owners of Great Inner Fire Weapons Company, it seems they want to uncover whatever secrets Guso holds. And knowing them they’ll use whatever means necessary.”

Yupow looked at Lofen in an intrigued fashion as if he couldn’t believe what his ears had just heard.

“How low have the Firebrun Clan fallen, that they would bully a youth for some homebrewed creations. Although I could observe that Guso has a knack for crafting, surely they are not on the same level as the sophisticated forging methods they have perfected over hundreds of years. I have no qualms destroying a small overrated Clan like theirs, if they truly wish to go after my legacy, surely they should know that themselves.”

“I'm sure they do Grandmaster, but without insinuating any disrespect, as I'm sure you have long disregarded the matters of this world, there is truly more to it than what you perceive.”

“Tell me then Lofen, I am neither Prideful nor Arrogant, what is it that i’m missing?”

“Master Yupow, you have seen the great economic and social struggles this Citadel has experienced in this last decade, and this isn’t something that’s recent, since long ago now this City has progressively been on the decline. What the source of this ailment is, many have different hypotheses, but one of the definite ill symptoms we have constantly suffered from because of this, is the lack of nurturing Items for both Experts and Rankers. I have tried to remedy this situation by making deals with Companies from Mystic City, Will City, and even Merchants from the UKM; in order to try to spur more homegrown talent and in consequence attract talent from afar. But I underestimated how little prestige this City has left on the global stage, all they ever trade with us is their leftovers, I expected that from the UKM, but the way Mystic City and Will City has treated us was uncalled for, considering we belong to the same Nation. But your disciple, Master Yupow, has the potential to be the solution to such a problem.”

“But how! He’s nothing but an amateur Craftsman and Hunter, has the City really reached such a state where the belongings of a low level Ranker are a means of gain. Even so! In the end it doesn’t matter, these are his belongings, nobody has a right to take what belongs to him, if anyone dares to try something I'll make sure they surely regret it!”

Yupow gave the Mayor a knowing glare, letting Lofen feel his powerful presence.

“Master I would never have any devices towards your disciple, you need not worry about me or this Citadel, yet I cannot say the same in regards to the other Powers of this City. This Cities hunger for accessible quality weapons is more than you can imagine, and that can specially be said about Magic Weapons. Despite the trash we get from Mystic City and UKM, that same trash sells for exorbitant prices within the City. Indeed Guso is just a low level Ranker, but the Items this kid can craft have been qualified all the way up to High tier, Unranked, Common Magic weapons, with the Mark of a Ranked Crafter; in terms of Unranked Common Build Weapons, that’s about as high a qualification as you can get without reaching ridiculous levels. In fact many crafting Experts debated on whether his weapons could qualify as Special Build or even High Level Build weapons, but the materials he uses aren’t that complex. And that is precisely the beauty of his craftsmanship, whatever Magic Forging Method he has is as efficient and cost effective as it can get, and yet despite that he’s managed to make Magical Items that are many times better in quality than even UKM Magical Items. This is something that has yet to exist throughout the land, Yupow, I might be wrong, but if your disciple continues having success down this path, he could become this country’s next Master Treasure Crafter, the significance of that goes without mention.”

Yupow sat there for a moment in deep thought, visually uncomfortable with the information he had just received.

“ I’ll be honest with you Lofen, I had observed the Kids Crafting ventures with one eye open and the other one closed for most of the time he's been with me, in my opinion they were a waste of his time, but him being a full fledged Ranker and Expert gave me no right to intrude in his path, so I ignored it and payed it little attention, despite the annoying messes he would make, but if what you’re saying is true than perhaps I should have payed more attention. Kemoro truly has an eye for people, i’m sure this wasn’t something that had escaped his awareness, he was fully aware of what this kid could do. Even after his departure the fate of Martial Citadel remains tied to his actions. “

He adjusted himself and his stool, and glanced towards Lofen knowingly in a mischievous fashion.

“Tell me Lofen, what course of action have you decided to take? Surely you're not going to stand to the side as this goldmine passes before you? I’m well aware of the struggles you’ve endured being at the helm of the City’s leadership, and to be quite honest with you, you’ve impressed me with your competence and resilience. We’re it not for you this City would’ve met misfortune long ago, don’t think I have forgotten your wisdom and kindness toward me and my desired lifestyle; you’ve really removed many annoyances from my path. Be sincere with me Lofen after all you’ve earned my respect, I know you bare my house no malice.”

Lofen flinched for a moment as if he was seen completely true, completely naked before the experienced eyes of the powerful Master before him.

In the end he just sighed and relaxed before Yupow, knowing anything more than completely honest words would only anger the man in front of him.

“You’re not wrong Master Yupow, Guso could potentially mean a lot to the future of the City and its Citizens, but I'm more realistic and understanding, knowing fully that Guso has yet to reach the level to where he could truly make a great and meaningful impact to the situation as a whole. I have no intention to coerce or manipulate a man in charge of his own destiny, but I do think it’s important he becomes aware of the impact of his business ventures throughout the Citadel. Because of him the City's markets including the Black Market has been inundated with his stuff and selling at astronomical prices. All of the businesses have been affected from the food industry to the apothecary industry to the weapons industry. Many are trying to replicate his creations and methods mostly to no avail. There are even Items out there that have caught the attention of the few foreign powers we have within the City. In my opinion it's always better for Guso to be informed than to be kept in the dark, of course I would definitely appreciate it if you communicate with him on the extended hand of friendship I offer to him. Despite your powerful presence you can’t be with him at all times, I could definitely help out in that aspect.”

Yupow lowered his gaze and contemplated for a while, eventually he relaxed himself and closed his eyes again.

“So thats how your going to handle it, very well then, I can’t say I disagree with your approach, Lofen you are indeed a wise man, do not worry about Guso anymore I’ll handle things on this side, you can go ahead and do as you please, it was nice seeing you again Lofen, one day I’ll repay your kindness accordingly.”

“No, of course not, do not worry about it, it is my honor to host such a Eminent Master within my City walls, thank you for your hospitality and advice Grandmaster Yupow, I will be taking my leave now then. If ever you or Guso need anything of me you know where to find me. Until next time!”

Lofen, noticing and acknowledging Yupows cues that he was done with the conversation, bid his farewells and departed from Yupows home into his Autoroller.

Soon the luxurious looking vehicle was nowhere to be found within the streets of the Slums.