I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Chapter 235: A Master’s Visit, A New Apprentice

The morning mist still clung to the tiles of the Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce’s private villa. In the courtyard, Shen Xian sat amidst the vapor, a cup of spirit tea steaming in his hand.

Heavy, measured footsteps broke the silence, stopping just outside the gate.

“Master Wang,” a voice called out—deep, resonant, yet laced with a suppressed tremor of excitement. “Junior Ai Xiao requests an audience.”

Although the speaker was also a Rank 4 Refiner, the gap in their perceived skill made him willingly lower himself to the status of a junior.

Shen Xian didn’t even look up. A pulse of Divine Sense swept out, stripping the visitor’s secrets bare in an instant.

“Enter.”

The gate creaked open. A middle-aged man in grey robes stepped through. He looked to be in his forties, with a jaw like granite and a wildness in his brow that spoke of a rogue past. Several Storage Bags hung at his waist, and his robes, though simple, were immaculately pressed.

Ai Xiao’s heart hammered against his ribs like a war drum.

He had spent half the night agonizing over his wardrobe, changing repeatedly to ensure he wouldn’t offend the mysterious master.

He stopped one zhang from the stone table and bowed low. “Forgive this junior’s presumptuous visit.”

Finally, he dared to look. The man before him was young, handsome, and radiated an effortless, aristocratic indifference.

It’s true, Ai Xiao thought, his pulse quickening. He has the bearing of a scion from a Hidden Sect.

Shen Xian noted the man’s deference. He wants something.

“Sit.” Shen Xian flicked a wrist, sending a cup of spirit tea sliding across the table.

Ai Xiao caught it with both hands but remained standing. Instead, he reached into his robe and produced a brocade box. “A small token of this junior’s respect. I hope Master will accept it.”

Inside the box lay a pill white as mutton-fat jade, swirling with cloud-like patterns. Its immense spiritual pressure was perfectly contained.

It was an “Infant Transformation Pill”—a treasure that could help a Golden Core cultivator break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

“I heard Master’s Dao Companion is approaching a critical juncture,” Ai Xiao said earnestly. “This might smooth the path.”

He had done his homework. Last night, he had grilled his old friend Chen Min for every scrap of information available. This gift was a calculated strike at Shen Xian’s needs.

Shen Xian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Smart. He knows how to curry favor without being obnoxious.

Shen Xian didn’t need the pill, but Qiu Ruoli certainly did. She was on the precipice of her breakthrough; with this pill, her odds of success would skyrocket.

“Speak,” Shen Xian said, cutting to the chase. “What do you want?”

Ai Xiao took a deep breath. Suddenly, he dropped to one knee, his knee hitting the stone with a thud.

“I beg Master to allow me to serve by your side! I wish to study the Dao of Refining!”

His voice was forceful, ringing with absolute determination.

Shen Xian swirled his tea, his expression unreadable.

In Azure Nether City, Rank 4 Refiners walked with their noses scraping the sky. For one to kneel like a common servant… this was unprecedented.

“I don’t take disciples,” Shen Xian said coolly.

He had agreed to the meeting assuming Ai Xiao wanted to commission an artifact. He had no interest in babysitting a student.

“I dare not ask for the title of disciple,” Ai Xiao said quickly, lifting his head. His eyes burned with a fanatic’s light. “I only ask to observe. To be an apprentice. I will haul coal, sort ore—anything.”

Ever since he had examined the internal structure of that shield, Ai Xiao had made up his mind. He would follow this man, no matter the cost.

Shen Xian fell silent, weighing the pros and cons.

The man was sincere, intelligent, and skilled enough to be useful. A Rank 4 Refiner as an assistant?

Shen Xian had a massive order of Spirit Treasures to fill.

A free laborer delivered to my doorstep… why not use him?

“What are you really after?” Shen Xian asked, his voice dropping an octave.

If word got out that a Rank 4 Refiner was acting as a servant, it would be a scandal. For Ai Xiao to debase himself this much, the prize had to be worth it.

Ai Xiao met his gaze without flinching. “I want to see the true Great Dao.”

“I am a Rogue Cultivator,” Ai Xiao confessed, his voice raw. “I have no sect, no background. I reached Rank 4 only because I found a fragmented inheritance in a ruin thirty years ago. But that fragment has become my cage.”

“Without a complete lineage, my path ends here. I tried joining major sects, but they see Rogue Cultivators as tools. They would never share their core secrets with an outsider.”

He looked at Shen Xian with desperate hope.

“But you are different. Chen Min suspects you are from a Hidden Sect. The legends say Hidden Sects teach without discrimination. You have no arrogance, only skill. This… this is my only chance.”

Shen Xian tapped his finger on the table.

Another soul willing to abandon dignity for power.

“Get up,” Shen Xian finally said. “You can stay. But I have three rules.”

Ai Xiao’s face lit up with ecstasy, though he kept his posture respectful. “Master, please speak.”

“First, never disturb my rhythm while I forge. Second, what happens in this courtyard stays in this courtyard. Third…” Shen Xian gave him a sharp look. “I will observe your performance for one month. If you are useless, you leave.”

Ai Xiao slammed his head to the ground. “This junior will obey!”

Inside the Refining Chamber.

Shen Xian summoned the Burning Heaven Cauldron. It slammed onto the floor, the bronze resonating with a deep hum, radiating a terrifying heat.

Ai Xiao’s pupils shrank.

A True Spirit Treasure.

Even in Azure Nether City, such items were counted on one hand. He really is from a Hidden Sect.

Shen Xian began. He moved with efficient, practiced grace, sorting materials and tossing them into the furnace. He channeled his Spiritual Energy, igniting the thunderfire.

Ai Xiao stood in the corner, holding his breath, his eyes glued to Shen Xian’s hands.

When Shen Xian began to melt the first ingot, Ai Xiao gasped.

This technique… it’s completely backwards!

Standard Northern Region refining called for blasting heat to soften the metal. Shen Xian, however, used a low, gentle flame to warm the core, then—without warning—flooded the chamber with biting, glacial Spiritual Qi.

“This…” Ai Xiao’s throat bobbed.

He had never imagined materials could be processed like this.

Thermal shock.

What shocked him most was the control. Shen Xian wielded fire and ice simultaneously, switching between the two opposing energies with the fluidity of flowing water.

This was a unique advantage of Shen Xian’s Ren Water Spirit Root, which, after blending with Qiu Ruoli’s Gui Water, had evolved to possess potent ice properties.

As the forging continued, Shen Xian’s movements became a blur of art and violence.

The mastery of a Rank 5 Refiner was on full display.

Watching from the shadows, Ai Xiao felt a crushing sense of inadequacy. It wasn’t just a difference in skill level. It was a difference in dimension. Their understanding of the Dao wasn’t even in the same universe.

He bit his lip until he tasted iron.