Elder Marth's loud laugh resounded throughout the area and from its volume and tone, it sounded like an evil laugh and many students had many different imaginations of Damian being tortured as the rumours around the academy became more and more exaggerated.

"I like you kid, but that still doesn't mean that I can let you off. Every other student that has disturbed me has had to work under me until their bodies can no longer work and you are no exception" said Elder Marth.

All the students that had been taken in by Elder Marth had been left drained and weakened and they wouldn't ever speak a word about what they experienced inside, which created an element of mystery and fear for the students and was why the rumours about Damian and the blacksmith were so wild.

"I don't think that's how it works, you won't force me into doing anything and I haven't done anything. If you want to make an exchange, give me a bow and I may work for you for a while" refuted Damian confidently.

Elder Marth was used to students trembling in his presence and he had expected somebody as small and young as Damian to be completely afraid, but inversely he seemed to be calm and unfazed by his size and power.

"I can't tell whether your brave or just stupid and crazy," said the blacksmith to himself.

"Probably both, but how about we make a fair deal. I am not like the other trashy students and you are clearly confident in yourself, so we can make a deal" stated Damian directly as the large blacksmith was amazed by Damian's bravery and tone of speech when talking to an elder of the academy that surpassed him in age, power and status.

"He, what deal are you speaking of," asked the blacksmith, amused by Damian and curious as to what Damian would put forward.

"I will work for you for 3 days, then you will give me a bow as a payment for my labour" proposed Damian, knowing that he had 3 more days until his mission that he accepted, began.

Elder Marth didn't know how to react to Damian's proposal and it was the first time that he was genuinely impressed by a student's courage and attitude for a long time.

"Alright I will accept your terms, but if your work is not satisfactory or I am not satisfied, not only will you not get a bow, but I will make you pay" stated the blacksmith with a slight smile that made Damian slightly worried.

The blacksmith had nothing to lose and it would be amusing and entertaining for him to toy with Damian, but he was only out for his own gain and if he was to be giving him one of his prized weapons, he would have to work extremely hard for him.

"Before we begin, I need to see how strong you are and with that, I can determine whether or not you will be of any help. You are obviously an Internal Cultivator and it is rare for an Internal Cultivator to be a skilled blacksmith" said the blacksmith as he seemed to be able to see through Damian easily and was reading him like an open book.

[Such incredible perceptivity and despite his large and burly appearance, he seems very skilled, intelligent and analytical] thought Damian to himself as he looked straight into the blacksmith's dull brown eyes.

{He will obviously be very perceptive and sensitive to everything around him. In order to become skilled and follow one of the cultivation professions, which are Weapon Forgery, Alchemy and Rune Scribing, one must be extremely perceptive and intelligent. All of them require incredible control and are very mentally and physically straining} informed him Utsusu within his mind.

While Damian was staring into the blacksmith's eyes, the blacksmith was also staring into his eyes and was also trying to read what he could from Damian's eyes.

'His eyes are so bright and filled with so much confidence, determination and ambition. I wonder who exactly this kid is, and what is fuelling him so much' thought Elder Marth to himself.

Elder Marth was clearly an External Cultivator from his size and physique, but despite his burly figure and rough appearance, that one would expect from somebody that was middle-aged, he was only in his late twenties.

He was quite talented at External Cultivation, but Elder Marth had always felt that his mind and perceptivity, that surpassed the rest of his body, were more suited for an Internal Cultivator.

But he eventually gave in to the pressure of those around him that pushed him towards pursuing External Cultivation, which was more suited to his body and was what he was more talented in.

He came from a poor family and he was the biggest pride of is family, that had placed all their hopes on him, as he was the only one that had been born with a good enough talent for cultivation to pursue it.

Cultivation required lots of resources and without a good enough talent grade, it would require too much time and resources for most people to afford to pursue, despite its benefits, and he didn't want to disappoint his family that were relying on him.

Becuase of that, he focused on his External Cultivation and on strengthening his body.

He joined Akegria Academy, which welcomed him despite his poor background, and he soon made a name for himself with his unusual size and above-average talent that led him to reach rank 8 within 5 years.

After he reached rank 8 of External Cultivation, Elder Marth made sure to take on as many lucrative missions as he could and he provided enough for his family to give them a good life and allow them to create a business for themselves, that would be carried on and grown over generations.

At that point, he felt as though there was nothing left for him to do and the only reason he had pursued External Cultivation was in order to help his family.