Chapter 71 Invitation by Nanlan Qianxue

Silence fell over this entire region of the Bluenight Forest.

Every single martial artist was speechless, completely shocked by what they just witnessed. Even the Origin Core realm Elder Wanglei creased his eyebrows in confusion, unsure of what to think of this.

Under the effect of the jade pendant given to Lu Tianzi by Xihuang Yuanfeng, even Elder Wanglei had not been able to see through Lu Tianzi's cultivation realm initially.

However, when Lu Tianzi struck out earlier to take down the Bronzehorn Rhino, he had driven the Slaughter Essence in his inner world to power his sword strike. While it was necessary to ensure the kill, doing so laid bare his cultivation realm for all to see!

Advanced Essence Building realm!

He was actually an Advanced Essence Building realm martial artist!

This young man looked to be in his late teens, probably of similar age to Nanlan Qianxue.

Considering his age, being able to reach the Advanced Essence Building realm could already be considered relatively talented, but it was nothing extraordinary when placed on the level of the entire Scarlet Moon Kingdom.

However, being able to take down a Bronzehorn Rhino while at the Advanced Essence Building realm was another matter altogether!

Not just that, but he even did so with a single strike!

Everyone could not help but turn their gazes towards Nanlan Qianxue who was just standing there with her sword still drawn.

Nanlan Qianxue was said to be the greatest talent that the Nine Suns Sect had ever seen in the last century, but would she be able to do the same as what Lu Tianzi just did?

Likely not.

When Nanlan Qianxue felt everyone looking towards her, she could not help but feel an inexplicable feeling welling up within her.

Ever since she was young, Nanlan Qianxue had always been hailed as a genius.

Her life had been smooth sailing all along.

Even if she was faced with a challenge that posed quite a bit of difficulty, as long as she just tried a little harder, nothing was beyond her means.

It was with this unprecedented talent that she left all her peers behind in the dust.

As a result of her excellence, her elders held extremely high expectations of her. But even so, she had never failed to live up to these expectations.

Not just that, but she even managed to exceed expectations, shocking everyone by breaking through to the Essence Condensation realm at such a young age!

Her achievements were unparalleled, shrouding her in a glorious halo.

Yet at this moment, Nanlan Qianxue could suddenly feel this halo dimming significantly.

That was because standing right before her was a genius who most likely surpassed her in terms of talent!

Even for her, beating a Bronzehorn Rhino while still being at the Advanced Essence Building realm was something unthinkable!

It was nothing but an impossible task!

Yet this young man before her had just done the impossible.

Nanlan Qianxue had always thought of herself as one of the top geniuses even when placed on the level of the entire Scarlet Moon Kingdom. But if so, then just what kind of unimaginable combat genius was this young man?

However, instead of feeling envy or jealousy, Nanlan Qianxue actually felt a sense of exhilaration surging through her.

So this was what it felt like to have a rival!

Oblivious to everyone's thoughts, Lu Tianzi heaved a sigh of relief as he saw the fallen Bronzehorn Rhino.

In the end, he had managed to make it in time to claim the kill!

With this many people as his witnesses, surely nobody would deny him the rights to the beast core!

But now that he had finally secured a wild beast for himself, Lu Tianzi was faced with a new problem.

Where should he look to find the beast core?

Lu Tianzi scratched the back of his head as he looked at the huge carcass of the Bronzehorn Rhino.

Bringing the entire thing back to his inn was out of the question. Even if he was able to carry it all the way back, there was insufficient space in his small room to accommodate this thing!

There was no helping it. In any case, the beast core would be somewhere within that huge body.

So he would just have to carve this thing up until he managed to locate the beast core then!

"Woah, woah, calm down a little there!" Nanqing Haowen hurriedly stepped out when he saw Lu Tianzi raise his sword once again.

"What is it?" Lu Tianzi frowned.

This guy had been following him since just now, was he intending to steal the beast core from him after all?

"This…" Nanqing Haowen glanced at the raised sword in Lu Tianzi's hands suspiciously. "You have no idea where the beast core is, do you?"

Lu Tianzi was stumped for a moment before lowering his sword to reply, "Do you know where it is?"

"You really don't?" Nanqing Haowen paused for a moment before laughing out heartily. "Hahaha! You really are full of surprises!

Before Lu Tianzi could even reply, Nanqing Haowen took a step towards the head of the Bronzehorn Rhino, pulling out a small dagger as he did so.

With a quick movement of his hand, a precise hole opened up at the forehead of the huge carcass, revealing a small white pearl within.

"Here you go!" Nanqing Haowen stepped back, allowing Lu Tianzi to retrieve the beast core by himself.

"Thank you," Lu Tianzi nodded before picking up the white pearl within.

With just a single touch, he could feel the Slaughter Essence packed within it to the very brim, as if it was going to burst out at any moment. Yet at the same time, it was extremely firm, and not one bit of the energy within was able to sip out.

So this was a beast core, what the demons used to aid them in their cultivation!

But why did it feel like he had seen something like this before?

At this moment, Lu Tianzi could not help but think back to the time when he had infiltrated Shadowfront Fortress.

Back in the treasury of Shadowfront Fortress, he had discovered a red pearl that was placed within an Energy Gathering Formation, being nourished by World Origin Energy.

Could it be that the red pearl was some form of beast core as well?

Lu Tianzi stowed away the beast core in his hands, making a mental note to take a closer look at the two pearls when he had some time in private.

"Nanqing Haowen? You are here as well?"

Lu Tianzi and Nanqing Haowen turned over to look at the person posing the question, only to see Nanlan Qianxue approaching them along with the other members of the Nine Suns Sect.

"I was getting bored, so I decided to come and hang out for abit," Nanqing Haowen shrugged nonchalantly before turning to look at Lu Tianzi. "And it looks like I made the right decision."

"Are you not going to introduce me to your friend?" Nanlan Qianxue glanced over at Lu Tianzi as well.

"Oh? Did I hear you wrongly? Is the cold Nanlan Qianxue actually asking me to introduce you to a guy now?" Nanqing Haowen laughed playfully. "But too bad for you, I don't know this guy's name either."

"You don't?" Nanlan Qianxue was stumped for a moment before taking a short step towards Lu Tianzi while clasping her fists towards him. "I am Nanlan Qianxue of the Nine Suns Sect. Is it possible for me to know your name?"

Nanlan Qianxue had a gentle demeanor and was very polite in her actions, treating Lu Tianzi as a peer even though she believed that he was only at the Essence Building realm.

Her actions caused the five Outer Sect members of the Nine Suns Sect to avert their gazes in guilt.

It was not long ago when they were still laughing at this young man for having lost his tail. Yet just a few hours later, even the top genius of their sect was now treating him as a peer!

This sort of treatment from Nanlan Qianxue was something that even the five of them did not have the right to receive!

Lu Tianzi was surprised by the sudden attention from the supposed genius of the Nine Suns Sect, but his attention was more on the man standing behind her – Elder Wanglei.

He knew that as an Origin Core realm martial artist, Elder Wanglei definitely possessed overwhelming strength, sufficient to crush Lu Tianzi if a fight truly broke out between them.

But considering that this Elder Wanglei had yet to make his move, Lu Tianzi was finally assured that the jade pendant from Xihuang Yuanfeng was indeed working well!

Lu Tianzi felt more at ease now as he clasped his fists in return towards Nanlan Qianxue, "Nanlu Tianzi."

Over the past few days, Lu Tianzi had more or less ascertained that all the demons in Bluenight City had the word Nan at the start of their surnames. In order to seem less conspicuous, he took the liberty to add it to his surname as well.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Nanlan Qianxue gave a dazzling smile in response, and even Lu Tianzi could not help but think about how beautiful she was.

"Nanlu? I have never heard of the family though," Nanqing Haowen exclaimed.

"It is but a small family. There is little wonder that you are unaware," Lu Tianzi replied without losing his calm.

"But there is no way that a small family would be able to nurture a genius like you!" Nanqing Haowen retorted.

Nanlan Qianxue did not speak out blatantly like Nanqing Haowen did, but she shared similar thoughts.

If nothing else, just the fact that the Origin Core realm Elder Wanglei was unable to see through Lu Tianzi's cultivation realm, meant that the latter likely possessed some sort of charm that blocked out any perception.

It was likely to be a protective charm that allowed him to hide his presence from pursuers if necessary, and the concealing of his cultivation realm was likely to be just one of the other effects.

Considering that it was able to deceive even the eyes of an Origin Core realm martial artist, this protective charm was unlikely to be just an ordinary treasure!

How could a small family possibly provide him with such a precious item?

"Me? You are saying that I am a genius? You must be joking! I am only at the Advanced Essence Building realm, how can I compare to true geniuses like you?" Lu Tianzi sighed in self deprecation.

Lu Tianzi's words left everyone speechless.

Yes, his cultivation realm might be lower than theirs. But he just killed a charging Bronzehorn Rhino with a single sword strike!

That was a feat that just about all of them had little confidence in replicating!

In the face of such overwhelming combat capabilities, did their higher cultivation realm really make them superior over the other party?

"R-Right…" Nanqing Haowen muttered in embarrassment.

At this time, Nanlan Qianxue suddenly spoke up, "Nanlu Tianzi, there are many questions that I have for you but this is certainly not the best place to do so. May I invite you to return with us to the Nine Suns Sect as a valued guest of mine? If you are willing to, we can have a good chat in comfort rather than out here in the wilderness."

"Visit the Nine Suns Sect? As a valued guest?" Lu Tianzi was caught by surprise by the sudden offer.

Sensing the hesitation within Lu Tianzi's words, Nanlan Qianxue hurriedly added, "The Nine Suns Sect might not be infallible, but we are still considered the peak power within Bluenight City. Even on the level of the entire Scarlet Moon Kingdom, we are still one of the top factions. If you are willing to make a trip back with us, we will definitely not treat you poorly!"

Lu Tianzi was stumped at the sudden invitation.

Just how did his participation in the Beast Hunt suddenly turn into a visit to the Nine Suns Sect?