The girl blinked at him.
Then raised an eyebrow.
"Are you… a scammer?"
Nathan choked on air.
This was going to be harder than he thought.
----
Nathan stood rooted to the spot, staring at the girl as if she were a rare treasure that had fallen from the heavens into a vegetable basket.
The girl, in contrast, stared back with the unimpressed expression of someone who had just been approached by a suspicious salesman.
"…Are you some kind of scammer?" she asked bluntly.
Nathan blinked, offended.
"S-Scammer? Me? Absolutely not! I am—"
He straightened his robe, trying to look taller and wiser.
"Someone of… refined standing."
She looked him up and down.
"You look like a traveler who got lost, tripped, and accidentally wandered into the city," she said casually.
Nathan choked on air.
This girl's tongue is sharper than a sword.
But he didn't react.
He couldn't.
Not when she had a potential rating of 72 — a once-in-a-generation talent.
He took a deep breath and put on his most dignified expression — one he hoped looked mysterious and not constipated.
"I approached you because I saw something in you."
She frowned.
"What? A future victim?"
"No. Talent."
Nathan's tone turned serious.
The girl's face froze for a moment before hardening instantly.
"…Don't say that," she muttered, turning her gaze away.
Her voice wasn't annoyed this time.
It was pained.
Nathan's sharp eyes caught it immediately.
"What's wrong with saying you're talented?" he asked softly.
She hugged the basket closer.
"Because people throw that word around without meaning it. Because it hurts to hear something you can't live up to."
Nathan said nothing, letting her continue.
"When I was young," she whispered, "a traveling cultivator passed through my village. He tested a bunch of children. When it was my turn… he said I had good talent. Real potential."
Nathan felt a spark.
He wasn't wrong — but someone else had noticed long before.
"So my parents sold livestock to send me to a small sect," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
"But when I got there… the sect elders said the traveling cultivator must have been wrong. They said I was average. Slow. Not suitable. They dismissed me the next day."
Nathan clenched his fists.
He knew that feeling — the cruelty of being abandoned by a place you hoped would accept you.
Lia continued quietly, "And when I returned home, everyone mocked me. 'The girl even a sect didn't want.' 'The disappointment.' I don't want to hear about talent ever again."
Nathan inhaled slowly.
In her eyes, he saw the same loneliness he once felt.
He took a careful step closer — not forceful, not imposing.
"Tell me your name," Nathan said gently.
"…Lia."
Nathan smiled softly.
"Lia. That name suits someone strong."
She looked at him with suspicion, but the hostility had softened.
"You may not believe me," Nathan said calmly, "but I have seen more things than you can imagine. And I can tell when someone carries extraordinary potential."
Her brows furrowed.
"You're just saying that."
"No."
Nathan shook his head, eyes sharp and steady.
"I don't speak empty words. I don't flatter strangers. And I don't approach people without a purpose."
Lia swallowed nervously.
Nathan continued, his voice low and confident:
"You weren't abandoned because you lacked talent. You were abandoned because their eyes couldn't see it. Some sects are blind. Some elders are fools."
Her grip tightened around the basket.
"You…"
She hesitated.
"You really believe that?"
"I don't believe it."
Nathan smirked.
"I know it."
Lia's eyes widened slightly.
There was no hesitation, no doubt, no pity in his tone — only certainty.
A certainty she hadn't heard directed at her since childhood.
Nathan stepped back, giving her space, not wanting to overwhelm her.
"I didn't come to trick you," he said simply. "And I'm not asking you to trust me right now."
Lia blinked.
"…You're not?"
"No."
He shook his head with a gentle smile.
"Trust isn't something you demand; it's something you earn."
She looked stunned.
"So this is what I'll say," Nathan continued. "If you ever want to test your talent again… if you want a path that won't be cut off because someone judged you too early…"
He paused, letting the moment settle.
"Come find me."
Lia swallowed.
"…Find you? Where?"
Nathan pointed to the southern edge of Ian City, where the river curved along the horizon.
"By the riverbank. At sunset. I'll be there."
Lia stared at him, uncertain, conflicted, and slightly hopeful.
A hope she clearly didn't want to admit.
"I… I'll think about it," she whispered.
Nathan nodded, his expression warm.
"That's all I ask."
She turned and walked away, her steps slow, her shoulders lighter than before.
Nathan watched her disappear into the crowd, then let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
A soft chime echoed inside his mind.
DING.
> [Potential Disciple Identified: Lia (Potential: 72)]
[Status: Considering]
Nathan cracked a small smile.
"One genius found," he murmured.
"Two more to go."
He turned toward the bustling marketplace, determination burning in his chest.
"I'll build a sect that rejects no one… and proves every fool wrong."
His journey had only just begun.
Nathan took a slow breath, steadying his thoughts. The city around him buzzed with energy—children laughing near fountain edges, vendors shouting deals, the aroma of grilled skewers drifting through the wind. Life pulsed around him in a rhythm both chaotic and comforting.
Yet, even in all this noise, his mind kept drifting back to Lia's eyes—eyes that carried years of disappointment buried beneath a quiet determination she herself didn't realize she still possessed.
"A talent like that tossed aside… what a foolish world," Nathan muttered.
He looked down at his hands, curling them into fists.
He had promised her a chance—a real one. And now the weight of that promise settled on his shoulders. Strangely, it felt right. Almost familiar.
"This is exactly the kind of disciple I want," he said firmly. "Not someone spoiled or arrogant… someone who understands struggle. Someone who values every opportunity."
He stepped toward the main street with renewed purpose.
"If she comes… I'll make sure her path shines brighter than anyone ever allowed."
As the wind brushed his robe and the late afternoon sun warmed his face, Nathan felt something stir within him—a quiet confidence growing bolder with every step he took.
This new world… this new life…
It wasn't just a second chance for him.
It was a chance to build something lasting, something powerful, something that would shake the foundations of every continent.
Nathan's lips curled into a subtle, unshakable smile.
"Just wait," he whispered to the world around him.
"My sect… my disciples… everything starts now."