The burly disciple was now the center of attention.
He held the perfectly fine coat. He had no idea what he was supposed to be feeling.
But this kid was staring at him, the proud vendor was glaring, and the whole crowd was waiting.
He didn't want to look like an uncultured fool who couldn't sense "fighting spirit."
He held the coat for another moment, then his eyes widened just a little. "Whoa..." he said, playing along. "You know... now that you mention it... they do feel a little... hollow."
A collective gasp went through the crowd.
Gray turned back to Linny with a look of solemn pity. "See? A true warrior understands."
Linny was trapped. She knew it was complete, utter nonsense.
But a random disciple from the crowd had just "verified" Gray's ridiculous claim.
If she argued now, she wouldn't just be calling Gray a liar; she'd be calling the big, axe-wielding disciple a liar, too.
She'd look like a sore loser in front of everyone, unable to accept that her craft lacked "Soul."
Trembling with a rage she couldn't voice, she snatched the coat and shoved it into Gray's chest. "You won."
"Don't feel too bad," Gray said softly, for only her to hear. "You have the skill. You just need to find the passion."
"As for this coat, I don't want it. Items that don't have 'Soul' are meaningless to me." Gray shook his head and returned the coat.
However, this removed the doubts Linny had for Gray.
Truth be told, she still felt like Gray was simply scamming her for the coat. However, now that he returned them, it was clear he truly placed no value on them.
Gray slowly walked away. As he turned to leave, a hesitant voice called out from behind him.
"Wait!"
'Success! That made me nervous.' Gray exhaled a sigh of relief.
He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. Linny was standing there, her face a complicated mixture of anger, humiliation, and a desperate, burning curiosity that seemed to win out over the others.
"That... that concept you mentioned… soul." she said, her voice tight.
"My Wang family has been master craftsmen for five generations. We've studied all the ancient texts on enchanting and smithing. Why have we never, ever heard of it?"
Gray turned back fully, his expression calm and unreadable, like a deep well.
"Let me ask you something, Linny. Is your Wang family the finest craftsmen in the city?"
Her pride flared instantly. "Of course."
"In the entire province?" he continued, his voice even.
"…Yes," she said, a little less certain.
"In the entire continent?"
Linny hesitated, her pride clashing with the honesty of a true artisan. "...No," she admitted reluctantly. "The Grandmasters of the Moonshade City are said to be far superior."
"And in the whole world?" Gray asked, his final question landing with quiet weight.
She looked down at her hands. "No."
"Then there you have it," Gray said softly.
"No matter how good you are, there's always someone better. There's always a bigger mountain to climb. You can stand on your family's little peak and think you see everything, or you can humble yourself and realize you're still in the valley. If you close your mind because of pride, you'll stay a skilled craftsman forever. If you open it to the things you don't understand, you might one day become a true master."
The words struck Linny with the force of a physical blow.
Gray had perfectly dissected her greatest weakness—her pride—and framed it not as an insult, but as a barrier to her own potential.
Her anger melted away, replaced by a dawning, humbling realization.
She bowed her head slightly, a gesture of true respect.
"I... I understand," she said, her voice now quiet and sincere.
"Thank you for the lesson... Senior."
Gray gave a slight nod.
"You have potential," he said, his tone now magnanimous. "And a genuine desire to improve. I'm willing to help you."
Linny's head snapped up, her eyes wide with hope. "You will? How?"
"This concept of 'Heart' is complex. It must be tailored to the specific techniques of the creator," Gray explained, improvising brilliantly.
"I'll need to study your family's specific craftsmanship techniques and material treatments to see how it can be integrated."
He gestured back at her stall. "Give me three coats. I will take them to my master for analysis. We will deconstruct them to understand the core of your craftsmanship. I'll come back once we're done then I'll give some pointers to you."
The mention of a mysterious "master" sealed the deal. Linny, now fully convinced she had stumbled upon a secret prodigy from an ancient lineage of master craftsmen, didn't hesitate for a second.
She eagerly bagged up three more coats which were worth 2,000 Spirit Stones each and handed them to him with both hands, as if presenting a tribute.
"Please, take them!" she said earnestly. "And please, give my humble regards to your esteemed master!"
Gray took the bag which contained three premium coats, all obtained for the grand price of zero.
"I will," he said with a solemn nod.
He turned and walked away, not even bothering to look back.
…
"Grandpa, grandma, I'm back." Gray said as he returned.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to be back so early. I'm still cooking our dinner." Grandma Cena said in surprise.
"Child! I've been waiting for you, come over and let's go fishing in the pond!"
Grandpa Meno, still polishing his cherished Eternity Severing Blade, called out to him.
Gray blanked out for a moment as he was still unused to experiencing the warmth of what it was like to have a family that actually loves and cares about him.
He couldn't help but feel touched by the kindness of his grandparents as a tear quietly fell down his eye.
"Eh? What's wrong child, why are you crying?" Grandpa Meno asked worriedly.
"Child! Did this old man bully you?! Let me know and I'll give him a good beating." Grandma Cena ran over worriedly when she saw Gray crying.
"What the— why is it me again? Can't you be the reason why he's crying?!" Grandpa Meno retorted.
"Of course it's not me, Gray loves me so much, how could I make him cry?"
"So are you saying he doesn't love me?!"
"Grandma, grandpa, it's nothing. Thank you for everything." Gray said with a warm smile.
The old couple were confused for a few moments, not understanding why Gray would suddenly thank them out of nowhere.
"...you don't need to thank us for anything, child. You're our precious grandchild." Grandma Cena said warmly.
She didn't understand why Gray was acting differently ever since the accident, but she was still glad that Gray was alive, and that his injuries were recovering. She had been worried sick about him.
"Grandpa, grandma, I got you these as a gift," Gray said, handing over a large, neatly wrapped package. "I realized that the clothes you were wearing were already quite old and tattered."
"This..." Grandpa Meno and Grandma Cena were shocked. This was the first time their grandson had gifted them something so thoughtful. They carefully opened the package to reveal not just a pair of high-quality, expensive-looking robes, but also two pairs of exquisitely crafted gloves.
Grandma Cena gasped as she touched the fine fabric of the robes. Grandpa Meno's eyes, however, widened as he noticed the small, embroidered seal near the collar—a pair of twin phoenixes.
"Cena... look at this seal," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "This... this is the work of the Wang family! One of the most famous craftsman families on the continent!"
"The Wang family?" Grandma Cena's hands flew to her mouth. "But their work... an enchanted robe like this costs a small fortune! At least 1,500, maybe even 2,000 Spirit Stones!"
Their initial joy was immediately replaced by worry. They quickly tried to wrap the gift back up.
"My child, this is too much," Grandma Cena said, her eyes turning red. "We can't accept such an expensive gift. It's far too valuable."
"She's right," Grandpa Meno added, his face stern. "Gray, where in the world did you get the money for something like this? You must take it back."
Gray just smiled calmly. "It's okay, Grandpa. I didn't steal it, if that's what you're thinking." He paused, then delivered his carefully crafted lie.
"Actually, I'm sort of friends with the young apprentice from the Wang family. The one who makes these things."
His grandparents stared at him, stunned.
"She was impressed by some of my... insights," Gray continued with a shrug.
"So she gave me a very generous 'friends and family' discount. Think of it as a gift from her, too. It would be rude to refuse."
The tension in the room instantly melted away, replaced by pride. "Friends with a Wang family apprentice?" Grandma Cena whispered.
"Child, you… you actually have friends?"
"…" Gray suddenly felt pity for the previous Gray.
Just how miserable was he that his grandparents were skeptical about him having a friend?
Grandpa Meno, now that his conscience was clear, snatched the robes from the box with a smug grin.
"Well, if it's a gift from a friend, it would be rude not to accept! Hah! We'd look like some immortal grandpa and grandma when we're walking down the streets!"
"I'm glad you both like it," Gray said, his smile warm and genuine.
"Alright, before you two go fishing, I've cooked some grilled bear meat for us three, let's eat first." Grandma Cena smiled and offered.
The three of them sat down and started eating the meal that Grandma Cena prepared.
"Grandpa, grandma, I came across an outer elder giving lectures earlier and he mentioned something about the 4 Great Sects."
"Oh? What about it?" Grandpa Meno asked.
"I want to join a sect."