“You certainly work fast,” the senior examiner in charge of the evaluation couldn’t help but remark after the session ended.
“Do I?” Nie Shiyun asked, somewhat surprised. When the assessment began, the senior had simply sat there, nodding to signal that he could start the furnace, and had remained silent throughout. Nie Shiyun had almost begun to wonder if the man was mute.
“When faced with unexpected exam topics, many crafters who have spent their lives practicing in seclusion within their families get nervous and proceed with extreme caution. You, however, are clearly very experienced. Where did you practice crafting before?”
Faced with the senior’s friendly inquiry, Nie Shiyun felt it would be rude not to answer. He replied vaguely, “I used to stay in a small sect. Now… I just travel around, selling the magical treasures I craft to make a living.”
The senior nodded, seemingly having no intention of prying further, and signaled for Nie Shiyun to leave.
The female cultivator waiting outside saw Nie Shiyun emerge with his tokens and congratulated him with a smile. “It seems the senior examiner said a few words to you.”
The two spoke as they walked back toward the guild’s main hall.
“Yes, but he just asked me a couple of casual questions,” Nie Shiyun replied.
“The examiners rarely strike up conversations with cultivators. After all, there are so many Level 1 and Level 2 assessments; they’ve seen it all. You must have some extraordinary qualities,” the woman said with a smile.
“Oh, by the way, please be sure to keep your tokens safe. Your identification number is engraved on the back with spiritual energy. Even if another cultivator gets ahold of them, they cannot use them here at the guild. However, if you lose them, we do not provide free replacements. It will cost you another two hundred immortal crystals to reissue them…” Knowing Nie Shiyun was a newcomer, she kindly reminded him.
Nie Shiyun hadn’t had many immortal crystals left before boarding the ship, and his current situation was even worse. The mere mention of “immortal crystals” gave him a headache.
Upon returning to the hall, Nie Shiyun originally intended to leave immediately, but his gaze caught the wall covered in small wooden plaques he had noticed earlier. He couldn’t help but ask, “Thank you for the reminder. By the way, what is that wooden board wall over there?”
“Those are commissions we receive from cultivators and engrave onto the plaques. Crafters are free to take down any request they like and simply register it at the counter.”
Nie Shiyun’s spirits lifted. So there was a mission board here! Although there would certainly be a processing fee compared to a direct person-to-person deal, this meant he wouldn’t have to run back and forth between the town and the wilderness every day. These families and sects were actually doing some good while they were busy collecting wealth.
Walking up to the wall, Nie Shiyun carefully examined each commission. There weren’t many, and the prices weren't particularly enticing, but the advantage was that most of the requests were for Mortal or Mysterious Grade items, which suited Nie Shiyun perfectly.
This made sense. Most magical treasures below the Immortal Grade were used for practice or as transitional gear; one could simply buy finished products at a shop. For treasures at the Mysterious Grade and above, cultivators were hesitant to leave them to the Crafters’ Guild. Even if it meant spending a fortune and waiting several years, they would only feel at ease commissioning a renowned master with a reputable name.
Nie Shiyun scanned the board and, with a series of clacks, pulled down several plaques for Mortal Grade treasures. He noticed that many of the commissions provided double the necessary materials, specifying that the crafter would only have to pay compensation if both sets were ruined. For Nie Shiyun, who rarely made mistakes, this was a guaranteed profit—he could simply keep the extra materials if he succeeded on the first try.
“Eh? You want to accept all of these? This is too many; it’s better to take them one by one.”
The woman behind the counter gasped in surprise when she saw Nie Shiyun approach with a pile of wooden plaques, dumping them onto the counter with a loud clatter.
“Ah, is there a limit on the number?” Nie Shiyun asked. “As you know, I’ve just arrived in the Middle Layer, so I’m not very familiar with the rules…”
“There isn’t a limit, per se. But since the materials must be handed over to the crafters first, we have a regulation that you must use the Earth Fire rooms here and cannot leave until the crafting is finished,” the woman said as she counted the plaques. “Crafting so many items in a row is too exhausting and will likely lead to poor performance.”
“I see. I should be fine,” Nie Shiyun said, unmoved. These were all the Mortal Grade commissions available. If he had to follow the procedure one by one, moving back and forth between the front desk and the Earth Fire rooms, he might lose out on several jobs in the meantime.
The woman looked at Nie Shiyun with a trace of worry. Nie Shiyun was handsome, well-spoken, and polite without being distant. In just this short time, she felt a strange sense of rapport with him. Combined with his lack of pretense regarding his status as a newcomer, she felt an inexplicable urge to look out for him.
“Twenty-six items in total… Truly, there’s no need to rush for success. If you do this, you’ll be stuck in a dim Earth Fire room for months. And some of these have deadlines. Look, it’s written right here.”
Nie Shiyun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. “I know about the deadlines. Please, just leave it to me! I don’t have many special talents in crafting, but I am quite fast. It won’t take anything like several months.”
“Alright then…” Seeing Nie Shiyun’s persistence, the woman had no choice but to match the wooden plaques with their corresponding records one by one and then lead him to collect the materials.
As she handed over the twenty-odd sets of materials, she repeatedly warned him that it was easy to mix things up. If he had second thoughts, he could still back out now.
“It’s no problem! I’ve handled more than this before,” Nie Shiyun said with a smile.
“You certainly like to joke…” Seeing that Nie Shiyun’s mind was made up, the woman placed the materials into a storage ring and stopped her admonishments, leading him down to the underground Earth Fire rooms.
“…” Nie Shiyun didn't bother to explain further. He was telling the truth.
The Earth Fire rooms on the basement level were different from the ones used for assessments. Here, one could set up restrictions, and there were no onlookers. It was a bit small, but Nie Shiyun was satisfied. As long as the previous conditions were met, he could simply close the door and shift his base of operations.
