Pan Yun looked up into Pan Hongqing's eyes, a flicker of realization dawning in his gaze—yes! How noble was the status of the Patriarch? Even if the Master of the War Hall himself arrived, what of it? Ordinary warriors were merely an inferior caste beneath the Bloodline Warriors, always.

“An Adjudicator of the Torrent Fortress?” Pan Hongqing sneered, watching the retreating figure of Pan Yun. “What kind of entity is that? They don't even qualify to see me, and they dare ask for an audience with the Patriarch? Tell those who don't know their place to scram! If they refuse to leave, beat them out with sticks! If they still won't go, just kill them! Our Pan Family can certainly handle the consequences of taking a few lives.”

Qian Jin offered a bitter smile at the identity token thrown back into his hand. The solemn look Pan Yun had worn when first accepting it was utterly gone, replaced by an expression of sheer contempt. It seemed, in the eyes of the Snake Emperor Family's upper echelon, the Torrent Fortress held little weight.

“Our Elder said your status is insufficient to meet the Patriarch,” Pan Yun said, looking at Qian Jin’s wry smile. For some inexplicable reason, the pride he had just cultivated felt somewhat deflated. His voice, initially arrogant, had unconsciously shifted to a tone of deference: “If you must see someone, you can only meet with an Outer Hall Adjudicator of our family.”

Outer Hall Adjudicator? Qian Jin chuckled. This position must be for those elders whose powers had failed to awaken, or perhaps failed entirely, within the lineage of the Elf King Qian Family—the stewards below the main elders, perhaps?

The authority of such an Adjudicator was actually less than that of a mere innkeeper. They were essentially errand runners for the Outer Hall Elders, whose power was also limited, mostly revolving around household management. These roles were typically filled by warriors who had been at the First Level of Awakening for decades with no further potential for advancement.

“An Adjudicator? Can such an important matter be decided by an Adjudicator?” Qian Jin asked Pan Yun with a light laugh. “Someday, if the Patriarch wishes to find me, remember to tell him there’s someone named Pan Mengzhi who knows where we are staying.”

Pan Yun watched Qian Jin smoothly mount his horse and depart without lingering hesitation, his mind filled with confusion and doubt. Where did this person derive such confidence? On what grounds did he so firmly believe that the lofty Patriarch must seek him out?

Duanfeng Bu’er, riding beside him, looked at the bewildered Pan Yun. “You failed in Awakening your power, didn’t you?”

The bewilderment on Pan Yun’s face was swiftly replaced by crestfallen depression. If his father hadn't been a warrior who had activated his bloodline power and made significant contributions to the Pan Family, he would surely be working as a stable boy or serving drinks somewhere right now after failing his Awakening last year.

“Since you failed to Awaken, are you interested in taking a gamble?” Duanfeng Bu’er beckoned. “Get on the horse with me. Perhaps I can help you activate the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline power.”

Activate the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline power? Pan Yun froze, staring blankly at Duanfeng Bu’er. Was this person joking? The Family Altar was the place with the highest chance of awakening bloodline power; even there, he had failed. Now, only natural awakening remained as an option.

“Gamble, or not?” Duanfeng Bu’er held out his hand from horseback. “I see that you haven't yet been stained by the incurable arrogance of those who have power. You treated Qian Jin with a degree of civility, which is why I’m offering you this chance.”

Gamble? Gamble what? Pan Yun glanced around. In this Infinite City, it was unlikely that anyone would dare abduct a member of the Nine-Headed Serpent Family. Unless these youths wished to die, not even the Elf King Qian Family could protect them.

Abducting a member of a bloodline family was tantamount to declaring war on that bloodline family. This unwritten rule had been firmly established for years among the Demon Race and the True Strategy Dynasty; no one dared cross this boundary.

“Pan Yun, what are you doing?” (Support Gao Lou, click to subscribe and vote.)

“I’ll take the gamble,” Pan Yun said as he settled onto the position behind Duanfeng Bu’er on the warhorse, his face showing seven parts unwillingness and three parts resolution. “I don't want to spend my entire life stuck at this gatehouse! I want to be a warrior, a great Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Warrior!”

“A great Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Warrior? Wake up, you’ve failed the Awakening; it’s impossible…”

“I want to gamble one more time,” Pan Yun sighed. “Pan Mang, a gatekeeper is, frankly, just a watchdog that can speak human words. I have never felt the glory or authority you speak of. All I’ve felt these past days is humiliation. I don’t want to live like this anymore.”

“Interesting,” Duanfeng Bu’er looked back at Pan Yun. “Hold tight to the saddle; we need to speed up. Hya!”

The warhorse kicked up a faint swirl of dust, the rhythmic clatter of hooves against the ground echoing as they swiftly disappeared down the long street.

The vast Infinite City contained all manner of establishments, including the so-called Warrior Guilds. However, those Warrior Guilds located within the territories claimed by Bloodline Warriors were typically much weaker.

The decay and ruin of the Infinite War Fortress far exceeded Qian Jin’s imagination. This guild hall, which possessed a semblance of grandeur from the outside, had cobwebs hanging in its main lobby. The wooden counter used for reception exuded an aura best described as 'antique.'

Qian Jin suspected that if this ancient-looking counter were taken to an antique market, it might actually fetch a few gold coins.

Behind the fortress counter sat a warrior with a head full of white hair and reading glasses perched on his nose. He slowly raised a face etched with the (cāngsāng - vicissitudes of life), cross-hatched with nearly a hundred wrinkles, and spoke in a voice that seemed to carry from a distant shore. “Young people, what troubles must you resolve that require the aid of our Infinite War Fortress?”

Qian Jin stared, momentarily stunned, wondering if he was hallucinating. He had merely intended to borrow some space at the War Fortress, expecting better, but the state of the place suggested the Torrent Fortress was doing quite well, managing to be one of the major powers in the city.

“Do you need bodyguards? Or protection? Or perhaps you wish to join our Infinite War Fortress?” The old warrior smoothly rattled off various inquiries. “Or do you require long-term house guards? Our Infinite War Fortress boasts old warriors with years of combat experience…”

The old warrior puffed out his chest slightly as he spoke. Qian Jin swallowed. The experience was indeed rich, but the age… Was someone planning to open a retirement home?

“Actually…” Qian Jin reached into his robe and produced the Adjudicator token from the Torrent Fortress. “Elder, I am from the Torrent Fortress. I’m hoping to borrow an empty space here.”

The old man’s eyes narrowed to thin slits. He carefully examined the token in his hand, nodding repeatedly. “Indeed, this is a genuine identification token. Young man, our Infinite War Fortress is severely overbooked, and we are quite crowded. As for your request for an empty space, I fear…”

Clang! Qian Jin slapped a gold coin directly onto the counter. The crisp collision echoed in the empty hall, seemingly questioning where the ‘crowded’ people were that allowed such a clear sound to rebound. “Uh… uh…” The old man looked earnestly at the gold piece and nodded gently. “It seems… I seem to recall there is one small empty spot.”

Qian Jin stared at the old warrior with interest. This elder was quite amusing; at least in the art of acquiring wealth, he was quite capable. Beneath the aged exterior hid a world-weary shrewdness. If taken back to assist Luo Qingqing, he might actually prove useful.

“However…” The old man fixed his eyes on Qian Jin. “This spot is very small; it won’t fit all of you…”

Clang! Another gold coin landed on the desk. The old man’s withered hand slid across the surface, smoothly grasping the coin and nodding slightly. “I remember now… Ah! I am old, my memory fails me…”

Qian Jin had to admire the thickness of the old man’s skin, comparable to that of Lu Lin and Duanfeng Bu’er beside him. Despite the high probability that every room was empty, he insisted the place was fully booked. Being a warrior was truly a waste of his talents.

“Elder, are you interested in changing careers?” Qian Jin leaned on the counter, looking at the old man. “For instance, joining a merchant guild?”

“Merchant guild?” The old man shook his head stubbornly. “I am a warrior.”

“If you do well, you could earn quite a lot of gold.”

“I. Am. A. War. Rior.”

A warrior… Qian Jin pouted. Warriors were indeed a simple-minded group; wasn't he one of them? Once they fixated on a goal, they had to pursue it, stubbornly persisting even when the odds were almost nil.

Glory! The glory of a warrior—invisible, intangible, yet undeniably real within every warrior! The glory and dignity of a warrior! These concepts weren't even formally written into the Warrior's Code.

It wasn't that warriors were unaware of glory and dignity; it was that writing these terms into the code would be meaningless. True warriors did not need a code to remind them; they would automatically and proactively guard the glory and dignity of the warrior.

Clang! The third gold coin was placed on the desk, but the old man didn't even glance at it. A hint of disdain for Qian Jin flickered in his eyes.

The first two coins were for securing space; those were acceptable. This one? To buy information?

“This gold coin is for inquiring about something,” Qian Jin pushed the coin forward with his finger. “I recall that Warrior Guilds sometimes compete with Adventurer Guilds for business, trading in intelligence, right?”

The old man wiped his palm across the counter, and the coin vanished as if by magic!

“How many people are in this War Fortress, exactly?”

“Thirty-three…”

Qian Jin looked up at the vast, empty hall and the high ceiling, murmuring his admiration. This number was indeed unusually low.

Thirty-three? That’s the entire membership for a city’s Warrior Guild! The influence of Bloodline Warriors in their respective cities was too immense; people would seek out Bloodline Warriors for any problem.

Even if the price was much higher, hiring a Bloodline Warrior for assistance felt safer! A Bloodline Warrior! (To be continued. Support the author, support genuine reading!)