Gods of Destruction was ranked second in the China Server, just below the first, Candle Dragon. They were the strongest in the Floating Ice City region, so everyone must have thought championship really would fall into their hands!

Unfortunately for them, the Suzhou-Zhejiang-Shanghai region was full of heroes. All kinds of large organizations appeared. The Shadow Clan, the Friendship Clan, and so on. Mad Dragon aside, even Snowy Cathaya and Bloody Mercenaries’ main teams would be enough to deal with Dominating Heaven Blade. I really didn’t understand what gave him confidence to make such bold claims.

……

After dinner, Lin Yixin called me.

"Lu Chen, you saw the Who Will Fight Me tournament? We can register after 12 tonight. What do you think?"

"What do you mean ‘what do I think’?" I asked.

Lin Yixin laughed. "How about we join together. Join my team and we’ll definitely get the Floating Ice City’s championship!"

I turned back to look at Beiming Xue's earnest gaze. My heart trembled and I said, "Beauty Yi, let’s not. I am the Bloody Mercenaries workshop’s leader. If I joined under Snowy Cathaya’s name, it would be a miracle if I wasn’t looked down on!"

"Oh, so that's the case...” Lin Yixin's tone was disappointed. She said with a smile, "Then never mind, I can only search for another strong player to join Snowy Cathaya if you don't come.”

"Oh? Another strong player... you have a candidate?"

"I do!"

I was shocked. "Who is it?"

"Purple Marquis!"

"?!" I was even more surprised. "Purple Marquis is a member of the Shadow Clan, how will you get him?"

Lin Yixin laughed softly. "Just watch!"

Then Lin Yixin quickly hung up on me. This conversation had not been very pleasurable.

……

A few minutes later, there was another phone call. This was from Murong Mingyue—

"Lu Chen!"

"Sister Mingyue!"

"I have something...”

"Who Will Fight Me?"

"Ah! How do you know?" Murong Mingyue laughed softly and said, "Just now, Eve confirmed the five people from Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls who will participate!"

"Oh, who? You and Xu Yang were selected?"

"Yes, I and Xu Yang along with three high-level players the guild has recruited. They are all pretty strong, about equal to Xu Yang. Eve wants us to get at least into Top 8 and make Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls famous in Floating Ice City. Otherwise, our guild's ranking will never increase!"

I laughed. "Since you have confirmed the candidates, Sister Mingyue, why did you phone me?"

"Oh, just to tell you...” Murong Mingyue said quietly. "I kept on thinking if you could return, with a Heavenly King expert like you, Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls can definitely reach the Top 3 of Floating Ice City, no?"

I thought for a moment and said, "Wait a bit more. I still can’t return. It would be too sudden, we have not prepared...”

"Yes, I know. That’s why I’m calling you to complain!"

……

After chatting for a while, Murong Mingyue reluctantly hung up. She said she was going with He Yi and Xu Yang to eat. Recently, they’ve established the Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls workshop. It was said to take up an entire floor of an office building. Eve was extremely charismatic and had invited many experts from China's VR games to help. In reality, on the Guild Ranking, Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls had recently broken into the Top 100, and was much better than the second-rate faction it used to be.

I took a deep breath and looked at the darkness outside. I was filled with longing. If nothing had happened to my body, maybe I would be with He Yi and eating street food right now? What kind of fortune that would be, a good fortune I didn't even dare to dream about.

In the night, I continued to grind Greedy Wolf Forest for wolf pelts. Mobs there were pretty high-level, so I could get good experience as well.

I was busy for most of the night but didn't reach Level 63. Experience needed to level up has become pretty ridiculous, and it would only be worse as time went on.

At least Yamete was happy. I bought some high-grade ores from Xu Yang at a low price. Having received a large supply of ore and pelts, it only took two nights for Yamete’s Armorsmithing to reach Rank 6. He was the first to do so in Floating Ice City.

I managed to make it to three in the morning. I still hadn't reached Level 63 and could only go to sleep.

Falling into deep slumber, I didn’t wake up until noon.

Doo doo...

The phone sounded. It was Lin Yixin's number—

"Hey, what is it, Beauty Lin?"

"Come out.”

"What is it?" I rubbed my eyes and asked lazily.

A murderous air came from the speaker. "Don't waste your words. Would I ask you out to eat you? Stop asking and come out!"

"Ugh, alright...”

I quickly got out of bed, took a shower and changed into fresh clothes.

On the street, the sunlight was bright and exceptionally painful when it shone on me. I was very uncomfortable with the waves of burning pain.

……

Silver Fir Cafe.

When I entered, I saw two beautiful girls sitting by a round table nearby. It was Lin Yixin and Sun Qingqing. There was also a man of about 25 years old with hick brows.

Sun Qingqing was already standing up and waving at me. "Handsome, over here~~"

I quickly walked over, my gaze sweeping past Lin Yixin and Sun Qingqing before landing on this man. Who would be with Lin Yixin?

"Oh, you came?" Lin Yixin said with a smile.

I nodded. "When a beauty summons, I dare not to disobey. As a condition of the summoning, will you pay for lunch?"

"Yes.”

Lin Yixin nodded and smiled. Then she pointed at the man and introduced, "Lu Chen, this is the new expert joining Snowy Cathaya, Purple Marquis!"

"What, Purple Marquis?!"

I paled. Purple Marquis also looked in surprise at me because Lin Yixin was introducing, "This is Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand, Top 3 expert of Floating Ice City!"

Thunder roared and lightning flashed as me and Purple Marquis stared and tried to kill each other with our eyes. In the end, nothing happened to either of us. Lin Yixin shut us down.

"Stop glaring, sit down!" Lin Yixin ordered.

Purple Marquis was a member of Snowy Cathaya and sat down. I stood proudly by the table. I wasn't a member of Snowy Cathaya and didn't have to obey.

Lin Yixin stood up and pulled at my arm to sit down. She said with a smile, "Look at you, just because you fought a few times? What, you’re a man but can’t smile and let bygones be bygones?”

I whispered, "Yes, but you’ve just recruited Purple Marquis yet already met up with him in real life. Aren’t you afraid of being deceived?"

Lin Yixin grinend and whispered, "I've known a Little Cheat like you for many days and have not been deceived. What can Purple Marquis do to me?"

I smiled helplessly. Lin Yixin was amazing to be able to recruit a proud expert like Purple Marquis. This was definitely not something that beauty could accomplish. It required intelligence paired with beauty. So I asked in a low voice, "Yiyi, how did you win him over?"

Lin Yixin poked out her tongue and laughed. "I didn't. I convinced Shadow Chanel to join Snowy Cathaya and he followed...”

"What? Shadow Chanel, isn't she an expert of the Shadow Clan?"

"Yes.”

Lin Yixin nodded and smiled. "While we fought before, there was no conflict of life and death. The Shadow Clan had considerable friction with Mad Dragon and Gods of Destruction recently, so I recruited their entire clan. From now on, you cannot kill the players of the Shadow Clan you see, because they are my people...”

My gaze moved to Purple Marquis. He had been glaring at me this whole time. Clearly, the hatred between us runs very deep, and could not be easily resolved by Lin Yixin's words.

"Stupid Lu Chen, you don't give me any face...” Lin Yixin looked resentfully at me and whispered, "I'm the leader of Snowy Cathaya. Previously, I promised Purple Marquis that I would resolve the conflict between the Bloody Mercenaries and the Shadow Clan. If you don't give me face now, you’re dead meat...”

I laughed and looked up. Facing Purple Marquis, I said honestly, "The Shadow Clan and I had clashed at Fruit Forest, but please believe me when I say they were the ones who threw the first punch. Later on, I interfered because the Shadow Clan attacked Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls’ Hot Sun and Murong Mingyue. Coincidentally, both of them are my dear friends, so I had to intervene!"

Pausing, I said with a smile, "So, Brother Purple, I only hope that you can forgive everything that occurred before. Since you are joining Snowy Cathaya today, and this girl Wind Fantasy and I have an extraordinary connection, we have to resolve our differences. As long as the Shadow Clan doesn't challenge Bloody Mercenaries and Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls in the future, we will pretend none of that ever happened. What do you say?"

The speech was decent and appropriate. But Lin Yixin clenched her fists under the table and said angrily, "Dammit Lu Chen, ‘this girl Wind Fantasy and I have an extraordinary connection’?"

I smiled in dismissal.

Purple Marquis was not a vengeful person and nodded refreshingly. He took a cup of beverage from the table and said, "Since this is the case, then I will represent Shadow Chanel, and the Shadow Clan of Snowy Cathaya to shake the hands of Bloody Mercenaries in peace. The past matters were merely misunderstandings. I hope that Brother Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand will not keep them in mind!"

I raised the cup in front of me, touched the cups together and drained mine.

I licked my lips and clicked my tongue. "Damn, this red wine is so sweet...”

Lin Yixin looked at me with large eyes. "Hmph, this is my watermelon juice, who told you this is red wine?!"

"...”

It required apology, juice, and some nice words to finally calm the beauty down.

Purple Marquis saw this and laughed. "I thought that our leader Wind Fantasy is a very strong and independent woman. I had not expected her to be like this...”

"Like what?!"

Lin Yixin raised her eyebrows. Her domineering presence flared up. In a flash, she turned from a cute girl into the beautiful leader of Snowy Cathaya, Wind Fantasy.

Purple Marquis was stunned by the sudden shift. "Leader is wise! Leader is amazing!"