Super Gene Ⅱ: Evolution

"Stop fussing... I'll just take this blade as it is..." Lin Shen tried to prevent Dao from ruining the sword.

"Absolutely not, how could I forge a blade that can't even be sharpened? What would that do to my reputation?" Dao completely ignored Lin Shen's opinion and threw both the sword and its scabbard into the furnace, determined to melt them down and forge a new one.

"It really isn't necessary, I think this sword is quite good," said Lin Shen weakly.

Its high durability was perfect for self-defense, and he didn't really need a sharp edge since he wasn't adept with swords to begin with.

Whether stabbing or bludgeoning someone, a sharp edge made little difference.

However, Lin Shen also knew that if Dao were the type to listen to others, he wouldn't have stayed in this godforsaken place for so many years forging a sword for a swordsman who was no longer of this world.

While Dao was set on melting down the sword and reforging it, the sword and scabbard showed no signs of melting despite being in the furnace for a long time.

They hadn't even begun to glow red.

"How can this be?" Dao stared blankly at the sword and scabbard, filled with confusion.

"Maybe this is fate, the heavens had you create a sword like this for a reason. Why insist on destroying it?" Lin Shen said as he used tongs to extract the sword and scabbard from the furnace: "Besides, I quite like this sword, so it's settled."

Dao remained silent and did not stop Lin Shen.

Though Lin Shen expected them to be extremely hot, even if not glowing red, as he brought his hand close to the sword and scabbard, he felt no scorching heat. Quickly touching them, he found they were not the high temperature he had imagined; the blade and scabbard remained cool to the touch.

"Truly a fine sword," said Lin Shen, holding the hilt and scabbard in his hands, feeling their substantial weight, yet not so heavy that he couldn't handle it.

The combined weight of the sword and scabbard was about the same as the automatically sharpening scrap sword that Dao had forged before, perhaps even lighter.

"The sword is your creation, so you should name it," Lin Shen said as he sheathed the sword, playing with it in his hands, drawing it several times and finding it very smooth.

While the sword didn't hold the terrifying intent of the Ten Directions Ghost God Slaying Blade, every inch of it was the culmination of Dao's peak understanding of sword forging.

It might not be the strongest blade, but it was certainly suitable for use.

Even for someone like Lin Shen, who never trained with swords, it felt incredibly smooth to wield, and it offered little resistance cutting through the air despite its unsharpened edge.

You name it," said Dao, shaking his head. In the realm of swordmaking, he was an extreme perfectionist.

A blade forged from impure material that could not be sharpened, no matter how special it was, was hard for him to accept, and he had no desire to name it.

"I've never been good at anything, and was always considered the dregs among people, so being a scum with a Scrap Sword seems fitting. Let's call it Scrap Sword," Lin Shen said, fondly fiddling with the Scrap Sword.

"As you wish," said Dao, uninterested in what Lin Shen named it. He carefully placed the Ten Directions Ghost God Slaying Blade into a prepared box, strapped it on his back, and said to Lin Shen, "You're the Dean of the Celestial Master Institute now, right?"

"That's right," Lin Shen nodded.

"Good, let's head back to the Celestial Master Institute together then." It seemed that Dao remembered something and said to Lin Shen, "Don't call me 'Dao' all the time. My name is Tian Zhixia, and from now on, you are my brother. You can call me by my name or 'big bro' or whatever you like. I owe you a favor; feel free to ask me for help anytime."

"Okay, big bro," Lin Shen tried several ways of addressing him, but none felt quite right, so he simply settled on 'big bro', "Let's forget about the favor; you've already helped me forge the Scrap Sword, which I really like. We're even."

"That's your business if you like it," Tian Zhixia said as he packed up his things, preparing to leave.

...

Today, the Celestial Master Institute was particularly lively—not just today, but for the past several days.

The Celestial Master Institute had amassed a considerable amount of debt, and in the past, without anyone responsible at the helm, there weren't many people coming to collect.

But now that the Celestial Master Institute had a Dean, a figurehead had emerged, and creditors had been knocking at the door these past few days, each waving their IOUs and insisting on seeing the Dean; they weren't willing to leave without meeting him or getting their money back.

An Sai and the others paid them no mind, letting them do whatever they wanted, move whatever they wished, since there was nothing of value left in the Celestial Master Institute. They had seen this scenario before, many times.

"Thank goodness the Dean went out; otherwise, being cornered by them would really be troublesome."

"You can say that again. These guys seem to have conspired together, coming to our Institute to demand payment. It doesn't affect us, but if they were to corner the Dean, he'd really be in for it."

"What good would cornering him do? The Dean doesn't have a penny. He would be seeing ghosts before he could pay up."

"Maybe they're not actually here for the money."

Sect leaders and vice-deans chatted while playing cards, not minding the situation at all as long as the creditors didn't flip their table.

While knitting on the side, An Sai chimed in, "I hope the Dean doesn't come back now."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Lin Shen pushed the door open and walked in. An Sai's face instantly changed. She dropped her knitting and quickly walked up to Lin Shen, pulling him outside while whispering quietly, "My little ancestor, why didn't you come earlier or later? You had to come back right now, when the creditors nearly trampled the Celestial Master Institute flat.

Hurry up and leave, hide outside for a while and come back after they have gone."

Unfortunately, it was already too late; some sharp-eyed person had already spotted Lin Shen, and without waiting for them to leave, a swarm of them surrounded him.

"Dean of the Institute, right? You are the Chief of the Celestial Master Institute; our Electrical Department is owed over three hundred years of electricity bills by you. Now our Electrical Department can barely issue salaries. There are hundreds of people in the department counting on this money to support their families. Dean, please show some compassion and pay the overdue electricity bills..."

"We in the Water Department haven't been paid for several months. Dean, you must resolve this issue with our money no matter what..."

"Dean, over the years, your Celestial Master Institute has taken so much equipment and materials from the warehouse. We've been shouldering this deficit for over two hundred years, and we can't bear it any longer. If you don't resolve this today, then we'll take our complaint to the Celestial Court..."

Seeing himself surrounded by aging creditors, both old men, and women, Lin Shen felt utterly overwhelmed.

The Heavenly Emperor hadn't allocated any funds to him, nor had he provided any opportunities to raise money; where was he supposed to find the money to fill this pit?