This was Zhou Wen’s second time at the An family home. Although An Tianzuo didn’t like him, what had that got to do with him?
Zhou Wen sat beside Ouyang Lan and focused on eating. He had a great time chatting with Ouyang Lan.
An Tianzuo and An Jing sat opposite him and focused on eating as well as though they couldn’t see him.
After dinner, Zhou Wen planned on bidding them farewell and leaving when Ouyang Lan pulled Zhou Wen’s hand and said, “Don’t be in a rush to leave. Have a walk with me.”
Zhou Lingfeng got up and was about to accompany them when Ouyang Lan said with a smile, “It’s rare for Tianzuo to return. Help me nag him to get married and have children so that he can carry on the family line. Also, teach him how to coax women. You are the best at that.”
Zhou Lingfeng said with a bitter smile, “Can you not sully my reputation when you’re getting me to help?”
“This is me praising you,” Ouyang Lan said with a giggle as she headed out while holding Zhou Wen’s hand.
The An family home was really big and beautiful. As they walked on the stone trail inside the garden, Ouyang Lan said, “Little Wen, there’s something troublesome that I took the liberty of pushing the matter on you. Can you help me?”
“What is it?” Zhou Wen asked in surprise.
Ouyang Lan sat on a bench by the side of the lawn and said in thought, “When you were in school, you must have heard of the story of the Six League Heroes, right?”
He nodded. “It’s how humanity first slew a Mythical creature. It was also them who established the League government and ended the darkest and most chaotic period of humanity.”
Ouyang Lan said with a smile, “Establishing the League government is real, but it’s not necessarily true that darkness and chaos were ended.”
Zhou Wen’s knowledge of this was limited to his textbooks, so he waited silently for Ouyang Lan to continue.
“Currently, the League appears to be stable and flourishing, but there are dark undercurrents surging. Something can happen anytime that develops into a cataclysm for human society,” Ouyang Lan said with a sigh.
“Is the cataclysm related to dimensional creatures?” Zhou Wen asked.
“The dimensional zones restrict the region of activity of dimensional creatures, but no one knows how long such restrictions can last. However, this isn’t the most pressing cataclysm at the moment.”
Ouyang Lan paused before continuing, “In fact, the greatest cataclysm now is humanity itself. The Six League Heroes established the League and on the surface, it promotes democracy and freedom, but in fact, the ones in true power are the Senate and President. And the selection of these people comes from the families of the Six League Heroes. Therefore, the League is in fact no different from an autocracy.
“And an autocracy needs absolute central power. But in this era, to have absolute rule clearly isn’t an easy task. At the very least, the families of the Six League Heroes do not have the absolute strength to control all of the Earth League. Even though they have been working hard for a number of years, it’s noticeable from the outcome, that their control over the League is constantly weakening. Currently, the League is more of a fragmented nation with rival factions.”
Upon saying that, Ouyang Lan cast her gaze on Zhou Wen and asked with a smile, “Do you know why the League remains stable and doesn’t completely collapse despite reaching such a state?”
“I don’t,” Zhou Wen said with a shake of his head.
“That’s because, in the League, only the families of the Six League Heroes have experts at the Mythical stage.”
Zhou Wen was surprised. “Isn’t it said that no one in the League has broken through to the Mythical stage?”
“If one relied on themselves, it’s true that no one has been able to break through to the Mythical stage, but there’s a shortcut that allows humans to first obtain Mythical Companion Beasts and then by nurturing them, use their powers to advance to the Mythical stage. That’s why Mythical experts are born amongst the families of the Six League Heroes,” Ouyang Lan said.
“Then what’s the shortcut?” Zhou Wen asked curiously.
“You were chased into Small Buddha Temple by the Inspection Bureau. You should have seen the stone monument and temple hall. Engraved on the stone monument was a Primordial Energy Art. If you can master it, you can enter the temple hall and directly receive the mysterious powers from the dimension; thus, obtaining a Mythical Companion Beast.”
“Really? Then as long as Small Buddha Temple is controlled, wouldn’t we be able to obtain a Mythical Companion Beast just like the families of the Six League Heroes?” Zhou Wen said, feigning surprise.
Ouyang Lan shook her head. “It’s not that simple. To master the Primordial Energy Art on the stone monument, one needs a special physique. And people with such bodies are one in a billion. In a place like Small Buddha Temple, there are far more than one or two that have been discovered in the League. However, the number of people who can truly master the mysterious Primordial Energy Art is a pathetic number.
“The six heroes all had special physiques. Furthermore, they found the mysterious lands that matched their bodies and mastered the mysterious Primordial Energy Arts, obtaining their Mythical Companion Beasts.” After a pause, Ouyang Lan continued, “However, the special physiques of their bodies weren’t innate, but obtained from a mysterious dimensional zone. There are still mysterious creatures inside it that can make other humans obtain special physiques like the six heroes; thus, obtaining a chance to acquire a Mythical Companion Beast.”
“With such a place, the hero families probably do not wish to share it with others, right?” Zhou Wen asked.
Ouyang Lan curled her lips. “If they have the strength to suppress the entire League, they naturally won’t share it with others. Unfortunately, even if they have Mythical experts, it’s only limited to a few people. To suppress the massive Earth League is impossible. Besides, there are terrifying enemies overseas, beyond the League’s jurisdiction. The hero families can’t just put all their efforts on their own members.”
“Enemies overseas?” Zhou Wen was puzzled.
“The Earth League only controls the land. Overseas, there are other human factions in existence. I’ll tell you about them in detail in the future. To prevent the League from fracturing, the hero families have given the bigwigs of the various lands certain candidate spots, allowing the descendants of these bigwigs to have a chance of entering such mysterious lands. They will vie with the descendants of hero families for the chance to obtain special physiques. This temporarily stabilizes the League’s peace on the surface. As for the An family, it possesses one such spot.”
“Don’t tell me you gave me the spot?” Zhou Wen suddenly realized something as he looked at Ouyang Lan in disbelief.
She nodded and said, “That spot was meant for Little Jing, and with her talent and capabilities, she had a very high chance of obtaining a special physique. Unfortunately, she was born with an ailment. As her mother, I don’t wish for her to take further risks. Therefore, I wish for you to replace Little Jing in this competition and obtain the special physique, thereby obtaining a Mythical Companion Beast.
“I will need to ask for your forgiveness for changing our nominee to you without obtaining your permission. Furthermore, it can’t be changed again.” Ouyang Lan patted Zhou Wen on the head and said with a smile, “You don’t have to feel too pressured. I never planned on sending An Jing to begin with, so this spot would have been a waste. That’s why I changed it to you. So don’t worry if you aren’t willing to go.”