A Chaotic World

Chapter 378: Best Case Scenario

Ruan Ling saw Lu Tianzi shoot a glance at her, and could not help but scoff. "Don't even say a word. I feel tired just thinking about what you are imagining in that head of yours."

"Hmm? What's the matter?" Young Master Xuan Hao looked at Ruan Ling in confusion.

"Ahem! It's nothing," Lu Tianzi cleared his throat. "But honestly, I don't see how my presence would change anything."

"This" Young Master Xuan Hao hesitated for a moment, seemingly unable to find the words to say.

"This will be hard for Brother Xuan Hao to say, so I will help him say it instead," Ruan Ling interjected. "In the Timeless Flame Sect, Brother Xuan Hao is not the only heir candidate. Not surprisingly, there has always been an intense rivalry among the heir candidates, and everyone is constantly trying to outshine the others be it in terms of cultivation level, occupational skills, or sheer influence. Brother Xuan Hao has never cared about this matter until recently, so he has never really tried to gather support from others. This has put him at a huge disadvantage as compared to the others."

Lu Tianzi nodded.

From what he understood about Young Master Xuan Hao, Lu Tianzi truly did not think that the other party would care too much about amassing influence to vie for the heir candidacy.

"However, things changed recently. In order to not look too shabby when being compared to the others, Brother Xuan Hao has no choice but to start improving his standing," Ruan Ling continued. "Cultivation level and occupational skills are not things that can be obtained in a short period of time. Therefore, Brother Xuan Hao is intending to first focus on showing off his connections."

"I see," Lu Tianzi finally understood. "But I am just a Third Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist. Surely that is nothing in the eyes of one of the ancient sects?"

"Brother Tianzi is being overly humble," Young Master Xuan Hao finally spoke up. "Your talent is the real deal, and I am sure that everyone will be able to see that as well. The potential within you is far more valuable than any form of wealth!"

"Brother Xuan Hao is exaggerating," Lu Tianzi waved his hands politely. "What about Qianxue? Are you intending to ask her too?"

"We initially wanted to wait till Sister Qianxue is around before inviting the two of you together, but we figured that convincing you will be the same as convincing her anyway," Ruan Ling shrugged.

Lu Tianzi smiled before turning his attention back to Young Master Xuan Hao. "To be honest, I still have to discuss this with Qianxue before coming to a decision. How long do you need us to be there for?"

"Not for long, just a month or so will be more than enough," Young Master Xuan Hao scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "I understand that this is a hard decision, so feel free to consider it carefully before deciding. As long as it doesn't take too long, I can delay my return until then. Perhaps until after your sabre is successfully forged?"

"Thank you for understanding," Lu Tianzi clasped his fists towards Young Master Xuan Hao. "I will let you know when we come to a decision."

"Thank you, and I apologise for asking you to do this," Young Master Xuan Hao returned the greeting.

"Don't worry about it," Lu Tianzi shook his head. "But I am curious about one thing. You have never cared about this matter until recently, so what changed your mind?"

"This it's because I need to appear capable to the family of the woman I love," Young Master Xuan Hao glanced over at Ruan Ling, who smiled back at him.

***

"Master, have you had time to examine the Windfrost Dragon Halberd yet?"

A frown appeared on Grandmaster Tiequan's face and his fingers stopped tapping on the table. He looked up unhappily, wanting to see who exactly was the person who had broken his train of thoughts.

It was favourite disciple, Zhengxin Shanyuan.

If Lu Tianzi were here, he would have recognised Zhengxin Shanyuan as one of the two disciples who had gone with them to the Artificers' Conference.

Grandmaster Tiequan looked at Zhengxin Shanyuan and immediately realised that he had forgotten about something.

Oh right!

He had shown me a halberd that he forged last week, asking me for my opinions!

"I'm sorry, Shanyuan. Give me a bit more time. I will get back to you after I take a good look at it," Grandmaster Tiequan said.

"You can take your time, Master. I am not in a hurry," Zhengxin Shanyuan shrugged. "On the other hand, are you all right, Master? You look like you have something on your mind."

Grandmaster Tiequan looked at Zhengxin Shanyuan and sighed. "Do you remember Manor Lord Lu? The one who joined us for the Artificers' Conference?"

"Is this about him wanting to forge a sabre?" Zhengxin Shanyuan asked.

"You've heard about this matter too?" Grandmaster Tiequan was surprised.

"This is already rather big news in the city, so I've naturally heard of it as well," Zhengxin Shanyuan nodded. "Moonlight Metal Ore. Even I was tempted when I heard about the reward, though I heard that some artificers actually offered to forgo the reward... Is Master concerned about the fact that despite your current relationship, Manor Lord Lu did not approach you to forge the sabre?"

"Hmph! What a joke!" Grandmaster Tiequan snorted. "Who am I? I am the famous Grandmaster Artificer Tiequan! Why would I care if a mere Manor Lord Lu looks for me to forge the sabre or not? If he wants to be stubborn, then let him be! Even if he did come to me for help, I might not necessarily agree!"

Zhengxin Shanyuan let out a faint smile, having fully expected Grandmaster Tiequan's reaction. "Master naturally would not be concerned about such a meaningless affair. However, Manor Lord Lu is quite the promising junior, and the Moonlight Metal Ore is not cheap either. It would be bad if he ended up receiving an inferior equipment despite having invested such a precious material, wouldn't it? If that really happened, then as an artificer, even I would feel bad for him, as well as for the wasted Moonlight Metal Ore."

"Hmm, your words make sense. That would indeed be quite a waste," Grandmaster Tiequan pondered. "However, surely I can't just step forward and volunteer my help? Even though it is to help out a promising junior, I still have my reputation to consider!"

"Since it is to help out a junior, I believe that the well-informed will see it as showing generosity," Zhengxin Shanyuan said.

"Is that what you truly believe?" Grandmaster Tiequan raised an eyebrow.

"That is what I truly believe," Zhengxin Shanyuan nodded.

***

"I don't see why not?" Nanlan Qianxue shrugged. "I have no issues with it, so you can make the decision."

"There are dangers involved," Lu Tianzi sighed when he saw how carefree the young lady was. "This is one of the ancient sects we are talking about. Supporting Brother Xuan Hao's heir candidacy would also mean going against the other heir candidates. This could, in turn, offend whoever is backing them. We are talking about Overlord realm powerhouses here!"

"I know, but didn't he also support you despite the risk of offending the Sacred Cliff City Guards?" Nanlan Qianxue asked.

"That's right," Lu Tianzi let out a helpless sigh. "If not for that, I won't even be giving this a second thought. After all, this is not a rational choice. If we just remain in Sacred Cliff City and slowly build up our reputation, we can become much better supports for him in the future. It would be a safer option for us as well."

"Does he have the time to wait for that?" Nanlan Qianxue asked.

"It sounds like he has to return soon, but perhaps he can wait a little longer?" Lu Tianzi rubbed his chin in contemplation.

Nanlan Qianxue smiled. "You know you want to do this for him. Why are you trying to convince yourself otherwise?"

Lu Tianzi was stumped.

He looked at Nanlan Qianxue, who stared right back into his eyes.

After a short moment, Lu Tianzi let out another helpless sigh. "Aren't you afraid of the dangers?"

"I have you, don't I?" Nanlan Qianxue grinned.

"" Lu Tianzi felt the corner of his lips twitch.

This girl

"Master, I am sorry to disturb," Housekeeper Changyu's voice came from behind the door. "There is someone looking for you."

"A guest?" Lu Tianzi was surprised.

He had been receiving guests for the whole day, but it was already night time now.

Who would choose to visit at this time?

"It is Grandmaster Tiequan," Housekeeper Changyu added.

"Oh?" Lu Tianzi's eyes lit up. "Let him know that I will be at the front hall to meet him soon."

"Yes, Master," Housekeeper answered before leaving.

"Heh, it seems like things are working out just as you planned," Nanlan Qianxue grinned. "How exciting!"

"I wouldn't say that it is just as I planned. I am not omniscient after all, and there was no way that I could have predicted how Grandmaster Tiequan would react," Lu Tianzi shook his head. "However, I cannot deny that this is what I have hoped for."

Now that Grandmaster Tiequan had come of his own accord, things would go much smoother in the future.

Firstly, he could rest assured that his Moonlight Metal Ore would be in good hands. Given Grandmaster Tiequan's reputation, the resulting sabre should not be disappointing by any measure.

Secondly, he would not need to worry that his relationship with Grandmaster Tiequan would be awkward in the future because of this matter. Having one more ally in the city would always be a good thing, not to mention someone as established as Grandmaster Tiequan.

Thirdly, by deciding to leave this matter to Grandmaster Tiequan who had been one of his first few supporters, Lu Tianzi could also show to the other influences in Sacred Cliff City that he was a person who valued his current connections and did not forget his roots. This would only bring him even more allies in the future.

No matter how he looked at it, this was indeed the best case scenario!

***

A distance away from Sacred Cliff City Mount Asui.

Snake Fist Luo and the rest of the Golden Hounds Brigade stood in front of a cliff wall in deep silence.

It looked like an ordinary cliff wall, but the group knew the truth about it.

After all, they had been observing it for a while now.

Months ago, they had come across a group of four talented youngsters, and secretly followed them to this spot. They then witnessed the group stepping right through this cliff wall, as if it did not even exist.

That alone was already surprising enough. But a few months later, another group of five stepped through this exact same spot in the exact same manner. Before long, the earlier group of four emerged and left, as though they had passed on the baton.

A week ago, the group of five finally did the same and left Mount Asui.

To be on the safe side, they decided to wait and observe for a full week.

After seeing that no other groups of people had come, they finally decided to come forward and investigate this mysterious cliff wall for themselves.

"Is this really a good idea...?" someone said.

"Shut up and follow me," Snake Fist Luo snapped. "If you are really that scared, you can leave. Nobody is stopping you."

The person hung his head low and remained silent.

Turning back to the cliff wall, Snake Fist Luo stretched his hand out hesitantly.

His hand landed on the firm cliff wall.

Then the cliff wall suddenly softened, becoming as though it was made of nothing but soft mud, and his hand passed right through it.

Behind him, the other members of the Golden Hounds Brigade swallowed their saliva nervously as well.

They had already seen the earlier two groups do this, so they were mentally prepared. However, it was still relieving to see it actually work without issues.

"Everyone stay alert," Snake Fist Luo cautioned. "We don't know what is in there. If there is the slightest sign of danger, we immediately escape the way same we came, just like how we planned!"

After another moment of hesitation, Snake Fist Luo took a step forward.

Under everyone's look of amazement, he stepped through the cliff wall, disappearing right before their eyes.