A Chaotic World

"Aid you in taking back Frostguard Mountain?" Lu Tianzi frowned. "I'm afraid that will be a little difficult..."

He might already be involved in this matter by helping with the recovery of the Piercing Wind Overlord, but attempting to retake Frostguard Mountain along with the Frost Guards was a whole other matter altogether.

To have driven even the Piercing Wind Overlord out of his home, the enemies of the Frost Guards were definitely no weaklings. And if Lu Tianzi wanted to help them retake Frostguard Mountain, Lu Tianzi would likely have to face these enemies in direct combat.

Lu Tianzi was truly reluctant to put himself, and Nanlan Qianxue, in such danger for no particular reason.

"I understand your concerns, Young Sir Lu, but please don't make your decision just yet," Nanshen Qin added. "Even though I am asking a favour of you here, I naturally do not expect you to do so for nothing either. Once we retake Frostguard Mountain, I'm sure Master will reward you accordingly. Why don't you let me talk to Master first and hear out what we have to offer? It won't be too late to make your decision then. With your help, we will definitely be able to take down those traitors without a problem!"

"Mm, I can do that much," Lu Tianzi agreed.

In any case, there was no harm in just hearing them out for now.

"Hahaha, good! Now then, let's quickly return!" Nanshen Qin laughed before leading the descent back to the ground.

When the two finally descended to the ground, they were met with a group of slack-jawed Frost Guards. They had yet to recover from the shock of seeing such an unexpected display of strength from the Fourth Cycle Origin Core realm Lu Tianzi.

It was Nanshen Qin who broke the silence first. "Keep whatever you saw here to yourself. Don't breathe a word about it to others."

"Understood, Senior Apprentice Brother," the rest of the hunting group nodded as though in a trance. Then again, even if they did mention it to others, who would choose to believe them?

"Are you all right?" Nanlan Qianxue asked when Lu Tianzi walked over to her. "Don't worry about the fact that you couldn't beat him. The difference in cultivation level might be a little too big this time."

This was the first time that she had seen Lu Tianzi being pushed back time and again despite having activated his beastial bloodline, so she could not help but feel worried about him.

Lu Tianzi obviously did not suffer any injuries, but what about his conviction in himself – his martial heart?

In a way, that could result in a more serious issue than any physical injuries.

Lu Tianzi smiled and patted Nanlan Qianxue lightly on the head. "Don't worry, I'm fine. This is a good lesson for me as well. Now, I finally have a rough estimation of where I stand as compared to those on the Heaven's Warrior List."

"Are you sure?" Nanlan Qianxue asked while carefully observing Lu Tianzi's expression.

"Haha, I really am fine!" Lu Tianzi laughed. "However, what is up with the Pure Snow Serpent King?"

Lu Tianzi looked past Nanlan Qianxue at the Pure Snow Serpent King that was sticking closely behind the young lady.

"Who knows? She has been sticking to me since earlier," Nanlan Qianxue shrugged. "It seems that she might have taken a liking to me."

Lu Tianzi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "...I see."

The Pure Snow Serpent King, a powerful beast with strength at the Ninth Cycle Origin Core realm, actually started following Nanlan Qianxue around because it took a liking to her?

How absurd.

Then again, Lu Tianzi did not know much about beasts and how they behaved, so he could not really say for sure that there was something wrong with this situation. Since the Pure Snow Serpent King did not seem to mean Nanlan Qianxue any harm, Lu Tianzi was not too worried about it.

After returning to the cave, Nanshen Qin hurriedly went to find the Piercing Wind Overlord while Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue went back to their assigned ice hut.

"Why did you refuse?" Nanlan Qianxue suddenly asked when they were finally alone.

"What are you referring to?" Lu Tianzi asked in return.

"You know what I am referring to," Nanlan Qianxue said.

Lu Tianzi looked at Nanlan Qianxue, then let out a helpless sigh. "It is far too dangerous."

"Is it because of me? Are you worried that I will be in danger if we go?" Nanlan Qianxue probed further. "If that is the case, I can simply not go. But you should not miss such an opportunity."

Helping with this matter was definitely dangerous. However, it was without a doubt that there were benefits to it as well. If anything, just establishing a good relationship with an Overlord rank influence was a great advantage to any martial artist.

Lu Tianzi looked at the young lady, who was matching his gaze with a determined look in her eyes. Even though Nanlan Qianxue had never said it explicitly, how could he not know just how much she hated being a burden to others?

It could almost be said that this had become something like a complex of hers, especially after having spent much of her time travelling with someone like Lu Tianzi.

"Don't worry, it is not just you. This will be dangerous for me as well," Lu Tianzi explained. "To be able to shake the foundations of the Frost Guards, the opponents this time has to be on the level of Overlords. Against such enemies, even I will not stand a chance of winning. That is also one of the reasons why I wanted to test myself against Nanshen Qin earlier, to try and determine my own limits."

"But you matched him even without your Spiritual Essence cultivation," Nanlan Qianxue pointed out. "Doesn't this mean that you should be able to beat him in a serious fight?"

"Just like how I hid that side of mine, he might not have shown all of his trump cards as well," Lu Tianzi pointed out. "And even if that is not the case, it will mean that I have to go all out just to beat a Ninth Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist. That alone proves that I'm beneath an Overlord, which means that this battle will still be dangerous."

To speak so lightly of defeating a Ninth Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist – these were words that no one would have expected to come from a Fourth Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist, but Nanlan Qianxue did not find anything odd about it whatsoever.

"...but you still want to do it, don't you?" Nanlan Qianxue said after a short pause.

Lu Tianzi looked at her again, then let out a smile. "You know me well. The danger is just one part of it. What matters is that there needs to be a reward that matches the level of danger."

"So that's why you refused? To make them feel obliged to raise the level of reward?" Nanlan Qianxue asked in disbelief.

Lu Tianzi shrugged. "On top of that, there must be a reason why the Frost Guards are considered indisputable masters of Frostguard Mountain. If we can learn what that is, perhaps we will be able to apply it elsewhere too."

"Maybe you can just ask them about it. They are the ones inviting you to join them after all," Nanlan Qianxue suggested.

"That exactly what I intend to do," Lu Tianzi nodded.

Just then, someone stopped outside their ice hut. "Young Sir Lu, Master is inviting you to have a chat in his hut."

Lu Tianzi smirked. "Now then, let's go hear them out."

***

The Piercing Wind Overlord looked much better than he did a month ago.

While there were no apparent differences in his outward appearance, a vibrant light had returned to his eyes, testament to the fact that much of his inner strength had recovered since then.

When he saw Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue entering the hut, he immediately stood up to welcome them with open arms.

"You are here, Young Sir Lu!"

Just like most others, the Overlord powerhouse had changed his way of addressing Lu Tianzi as well. "Please take a seat!"

Lu Tianzi shot a glance towards Nanshen Qin who was standing beside the Piercing Wind Overlord, then shook his head lightly. "Perhaps it is more appropriate for me to stand this time."

"Young Sir Lu, aren't you being a little too serious?" Nanshen Qin said with a bitter smile.

"I see you already know why I asked for you," the Piercing Wind Overlord, on the other hand, was not surprised.

Lu Tianzi merely smiled in response.

"I see," the Piercing Wind Overlord nodded understandingly. "In that case, I shall get straight to the point. Is it true that you fought Qin'er to a draw earlier?"

"That might be the result, but it does not reflect the process," Lu Tianzi said. "It is obvious that Brother Nanshen has been dictating the pace of the fight since the start. Even the result being a draw is only possible because Brother Nanshen chose not to go all out."

The Piercing Wind Overlord nodded in satisfaction. "It is good to have self awareness, but it is still commendable that you were able to fight on his level. Then again, I must say that I am not too surprised. When we first met and I saw that you were unfazed by my aura, I have already guessed that you must be much stronger than you look."

Lu Tianzi did not know whether to be happy or sad.

Did that mean he looked weak?

"Are you from one of the ancient sects?" the Piercing Wind Overlord continued to ask.

"No, I am not," Lu Tianzi answered truthfully.

"I thought so as well," the Piercing Wind Overlord nodded. "If you came from any of the ancient sects, your name would have spread far and wide by now. Since that is the case, let me ask you something. What do you think about joining the Frost Guards?"

Lu Tianzi clasped his fists towards the Piercing Wind Overlord. "I thank Senior for the invitation, but I am afraid that I will have to decline."

"In that case, what about joining as an honorary member?" the Piercing Wind Overlord did not seem bothered by Lu Tianzi quick rejection. Perhaps he had already expected such a reply from the start.

"An honorary member?" Lu Tianzi revealed a look of surprise this time.

Honorary members of an influence enjoyed benefits from the influence without being bound by its restrictions, and were usually brought in because the influence wanted to rely on their help for certain matters.

Because of that, those invited as honorary members of an influence were usually extremely accomplished individuals with much to their name.

That said, Lu Tianzi was a mere Fourth Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist. To be invited as an honorary member of the Frost Guards which was an Overlord rank influence, that alone was testament to how much the Piercing Wind Overlord valued him.

The Piercing Wind Overlord smiled when he saw the surprised look on Lu Tianzi's face. "Please don't misunderstand. This is separate from helping us retake Frostguard Mountain. I know that it will not be easy to convince Young Sir Lu to put your life on the line for us, so how about this? If Young Sir Lu is willing to aid us in this battle, I can allow you into the core of Frostguard Mountain as a reward."

"What?! But Master!" Nanshen Qin exclaimed in shock, and was about to step forward when the Piercing Wind Overlord raised a hand and signalled him to stop.

As if the invitation to be an honorary member was not enough, Lu Tianzi was once again astonished by the Piercing Wind Lord's offer.

While reading up on Frostguard Mountain, he had also come across a few mentions about the core of the mountain.

If Frostguard Mountain was considered a cultivation sacred ground, then its core was where the essence lay. Access to the core was restricted even among members of the Frost Guards, and only those with great merits were allowed to enter.

As for those who did cultivate at the core of Frostguard Mountain, almost every single one of them enjoyed a great leap in their cultivation, or at least received some sort of epiphany.

To be allowed into the core of Frostguard Mountain was almost synonymous to receiving a huge boost to one's cultivation. That was a priceless reward!

"Does that include the both of us?" Lu Tianzi tried to negotiate, signalling towards Nanlan Qianxue.

"...both of you it shall be," the Piercing Wind Overlord agreed after a brief hesitation. "But before that, I would like to see for myself just what you are capable of."

"Naturally," Lu Tianzi nodded. "How does Senior want to do this?"

"You have gone against Qin'er earlier," the Piercing Wind Overlord said with a meaningful smile. "Now, it is time for you to face me instead."