A Chaotic World

"Hah! You are asking us if there is something wrong?" Elder Cuixiong scoffed as he repeated Young Master Xuan Hao's words. "I don't understand how you can be the heir candidate and still not be able to see what's wrong here!"

"If a junior doesn't understand something, a senior like you should be enlightening him, not mocking him. Just listen to yourself. Are you words even fitting of your position as an elder?" Taomie Lianhe berated immediately.

"Hmph! I am just saying the truth!" Elder Cuixiong sneered.

"Enough," Xuan Qinshang said, silencing the two. "Hao, let me ask you something. Why did you bring your friends back to the Timeless Flame Sect this time?"

"I wanted to introduce them to the seniors here," Young Master Xuan Hao answered frankly. "I believe that be it Sister Ruan Ling, Brother Tianzi, or Sister Qianxue, they are all excellent talents and will certainly become exceptional characters in the future! It will only be beneficial for us to build a good relationship with them."

"Your eyes are pretty sharp," Xuan Qinshang nodded. "We have looked into your friends, and they are indeed quite talented, especially this Brother Tianzi of yours. His background is rather lacklustre, but his individual talent more than makes up for it. Bringing them back is a good move."

"Thank you for the kind words, Faction Leader," Young Master Xuan Hao said.

"However, you need to be careful not to have your own plans turned against you," Xuan Qinshang continued. "Right now, others will see your Brother Tianzi as a part of your connections, which will in turn help you in your endeavour to be the heir. But what do you think will happen if he decides to go under Grandmaster Xiqin as a student?"

"This..." Young Master Xuan Hao hesitated.

Now that Xuan Qinshang had put it that way, Young Master Xuan Hao finally realised what he had failed to understand before.

"That's right," Xuan Qinshang nodded. "Grandmaster Xiqin is the Head Inscription Master of the Yellow Spark faction, and it is no secret that he has always wanted to join Wen's camp in this bid for the heir position. Any student of his cannot escape this connection to Wen."

Young Master Xuan Hao frowned.

Was this the real reason why Grandmaster Xiqin wanted to accept Lu Tianzi as his student?

In that case, was this part of Xuan Wen's plan yet again?

"If you understand this, then I believe you don't need us to tell you what to do next," Xuan Qinshang said. "Go and do what you must."

"Understood, Faction Leader," Young Master Xuan Hao said before leaving the Grand Ember Hall, his heart now slightly heavier as compared to when he first entered.

***

At the True Fire Tavern, Xuan Wen was seated in his usual room, sipping wine as he patiently waited for his guest to arrive.

It did not take long before the door slid open, and a suave looking young man entered.

"You are finally here, Junwei," Xuan Wen gestured towards one of the chairs. "Come, take a seat."

"May I know the reason why Senior Apprentice Brother Wen is looking for me?" Xuan Junwei sat down nervously.

Xuan Junwei might be a proud character himself, but he still felt a certain amount of pressure when facing Xuan Wen.

If Xuan Junwei was largely considered the leader of the younger generation within the Blue Ember faction, then Xuan Wen was the leader of the younger generation throughout the entire Timeless Flame Sect!

Perhaps only the genius Linye Caixia herself could compare favourably in terms of prestige, but she had never cared about the administration of the sect.

In fact, many already see Xuan Wen as someone on the same level of the elders, which was why most people believed that he would be the eventual victor in this fight for the heir position.

Compared to him, Xuan Junwei was definitely lacking in comparison!

"I heard that the Blue Ember faction has decided to seriously push for Hao as the heir candidate?" Xuan Wen asked.

"Junior Apprentice Brother Hao has always been our heir candidate," Xuan Junwei answered carefully.

"But he has never been serious about the role, and there are many people who feel that he doesn't deserve this role too. Is that not the case?" Xuan Wen asked in between sips of his wine.

"I have indeed heard of such rumours," Xuan Junwei replied. "But we can't possibly stop others from thinking what they want."

"To tell you the truth, I kind of feel that way too," Xuan Wen said nonchalantly. "Even though Hao is my younger brother, I honestly believe that you are far more deserving to be the heir candidate of the Blue Ember faction."

"Hmm?" Xuan Junwei looked up at Xuan Wen in surprise. "Does Senior Apprentice Brother Wen really think so?"

"Haha, is that really a surprise?" Xuan Wen laughed. "As I said, I am not the only one who thinks this way. Be it influence, talent, or cultivation level, you are far above Hao. It is only right for you to be the heir candidate, so why don't you do something about it?"

Xuan Junwei forced a smile. "What can I do? The elders have already decided. There's only so much that we of the younger generation can do."

"That I do not agree," Xuan Wen shook his head. "The elders have lived for a long time and are indeed experienced, but sometimes this experience serve as a double edged sword, hindering them from understanding the contemporary ways of this world. If they are confused, it is our job as part of the younger generation to help them see the light."

Xuan Junwei did not reply, instead smiling bitterly as he reached for the wine cup to down a mouthful.

"I heard about Hao's altercation with the servants earlier," Xuan Wen continued. "Going after the servant girl was the right move from your end, but it was executed wrongly."

"I don't quite understand what Senior Apprentice Brother Wen mean," Xuan Junwei narrowed his eyes.

Did Xuan Wen already find out that he was the one behind the servants' ill treatment towards Bo'er?

No, Xuan Wen had to be bluffing!

Xuan Wen probably made a wild guess, and was trying to bait him into admitting it!

"I think we both know what I am talking about," Xuan Wen sounded as confident as ever. "But you need to remember that the servant girl is just a side character. Hao is still the main issue here, so any plan you make has to consider him as the end point."

Xuan Junwei hesitated yet again, downing another cup of wine before finally saying, "Senior Apprentice Brother Wen probably already know this, but Junior Apprentice Brother Hao is now under constant supervision of the elders. Wherever he goes, an elder will accompany him. It is impossible for anyone to do anything to him."

"If anyone feel that it is impossible, then they are just not thinking hard enough," Xuan Wen said with a smile. "You had the right idea when you made your previous move, but it's still not quite on point. Still, when one method fails, you just have to try another. With Hao's soft-hearted disposition, it is easiest to impact his psyche by targeting the people around him. When he realises that his decision to vie for the position of heir is only going to harm the people around him, he will naturally give up."

"Please elaborate, Senior Apprentice Brother Wen," Xuan Junwei quickly asked.

"Hahaha, you are a smart man, Junwei. You should be able to figure out the rest yourself," Xuan Wen laughed. "To give you a bit of advice, I heard that you are on pretty good terms with the Jade Shadow Gate?"

Xuan Junwei swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

The Jade Shadow Gate was a powerful influence subordinate to the Timeless Flame Sect. Xuan Junwei was the main person responsible for liaising with them, so it was not a secret that he was on good terms with them.

But that was not important.

What's important was that the Jade Shadow Gate specialised in assassinations!

They were definitely not needed if it was only to deal with a mere servant. So by mentioning the Jade Shadow Gate now, what was Xuan Wen really trying to say?

Right, didn't Xuan Hao bring back a few friends this time?

"That's all I have to say, Junwei. Why don't you go back and think about your next step?" Xuan Wen said. "There are two paths that geniuses can take. Either fight for their beliefs and aim to become a peerless character, or concede that they are inferior and be a mere follower to those who are fearless. Whether you want to be the former or the latter, it is up to you."

Xuan Junwei did not respond immediately, but looked at Xuan Wen seriously.

How could he not know that if he really went against Xuan Hao, Xuan Wen would be the ultimate winner?

Despite that, he knew that Xuan Wen's words made sense as well.

The only way he would ever stand a chance to rise up from his current position was to take a chance right now.

If he failed to even fight for his right to be an heir candidate, there would be no need to think about who would benefit from what, because it would have nothing to do with him anyway.

He would become a mere bystander, unable to do a thing but watch as the others fight it out to realise their ambitions!

Fighting for the heir candidate position did not mean that he would be the victor in the end. But by doing nothing, he would certainly be the loser!

Just thinking about this made Xuan Junwei understand what he must do right now.

After Xuan Junwei left the room, Xuan Wen's loyal steward Old Zheng entered.

"Young Master Xuan Wen, aren't you afraid that he will point the finger at you after sabotaging Young Master Xuan Hao?" Old Zheng asked in concern.

"With just him?" Xuan Wen shook his head with a carefree smile. "I'm afraid you are overestimating him a little!"

***

After the talk with the elders, Young Master Xuan Hao thought about it for a while before deciding to pay Lu Tianzi a visit.

The one week deadline that Grandmaster Xiqin had given Lu Tianzi was almost up, so Young Master Xuan Hao wanted to hear what Lu Tianzi's decision was.

"I never considered it. Why would I agree to such a thing when I don't even know who he is?"

Those were Lu Tianzi's words to Young Master Xuan Hao, and the latter could not help but feel mixed feelings about it.

On one hand, he was glad that Lu Tianzi would not be going under Grandmaster Xiqin's tutelage.

On the other hand, Grandmaster Xiqin was a respected inscription master in the Timeless Flame Sect. For Lu Tianzi to disregard him to the point where he could not even be bothered to consider the offer, wasn't that kind of disregarding the Timeless Flame Sect as well?

Nevertheless, Lu Tianzi seemed really eager to return to cultivating, so Young Master Xuan Hao did not harp on the matter for long and left Lu Tianzi be.

In any case, at least he knew that he did not have to worry about Lu Tianzi being turned against him.

But as the week's deadline passed, someone else was absolutely not satisfied with Lu Tianzi's answer.

Bang-!

The servants in the room jumped in fright as Grandmaster Xiqin slammed his palm on the table, instantly reducing it into countless pieces.

"He actually rejected me? And he even asked a servant to pass the message instead of having the decency to come in person to say so?" Grandmaster Xiqin sneered at the messenger, who was trembling as she knelt down in front of him. "Did he say anything other than that?"

"R-reporting to Grandmaster Xiqin, Sir Tianzi did not say anything else..." the messenger said hesitantly while silently cursing her luck to be selected for this task.

"Good, very good! I decided to give him an easy way out, yet he chose not to appreciate it?" Grandmaster Xiqin said through gritted teeth.

Things would have worked out perfectly for him if Lu Tianzi decided to come under his tutelage. That way, it would be the best proof that he was superior to the other party, and Xuan Wen would have no choice but to acknowledge him instead of some random brat that came out of nowhere.

But since this brat refused to do it the easy way, he could only do things by force!

"You brought me your Sir Tianzi's message. Now, I am giving you a message to bring back to him," Grandmaster Xiqin said loudly to the messenger.

"Seeing that he's a guest, I went personally to extend my invitation. By refusing to meet me, and then rejecting me without even coming in person, this is akin to having no eyes for the deep heritage of the Timeless Flame Sect, and no respect for our prestige. Seeing that he is acting in such an arrogant manner just because he has some attainments in the art of inscriptions, I have no choice but to put him in place! Go back and tell him that I am hereby challenging him to an open competition of our inscription skills. Two months from now, we shall decide who is the better inscription master!"