Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Being Admired by Female Cultivators Is His Fate
The deep, melodious bell sound that rang out all of a sudden drowned out all other noise.

As time passed, the bell did not quiet down. Instead it grew longer, clearer, and almost deafening.

Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.

They saw a young man wearing a jade crown, full of noble air, standing in front of a bronze bell. His chin was slightly raised, his expression proud.

Someone in the crowd cried out: “Isn’t that the Young Family Master of the Si Tu Clan, Si Tu Xuan!”

Another person said: “So it is him. No wonder the bell sounds so loud.”

Someone else added: “The Si Tu Clan is the First Family of the Cultivation World. Of course the Young Heir’s strength is extraordinary.”

Murmurs rose and fell around them.

Yu Zhao understood. It was another old acquaintance.

In her last life, Si Tu Xuan had been the third place winner of the Individual Competition.

Under the crowd’s envious and jealous gazes, Si Tu Xuan took the registration token from a Wen Ding Pavilion disciple.

The disciple bowed and said: “Young Heir, you have worked hard.”

Another person hurried up to flatter him: “Young Heir, we have tea here.”

Others kept calling: “Young Heir, Young Heir…”

A few men dressed like guards popped up from who knew where, holding fans and teapots as they fussed around Si Tu Xuan.

The cultivator standing in front of Yu Zhao in the line watched with red eyes and could not help saying sourly: “What a big show. If he doesn’t take First Place in the Grand Competition, it will be a joke.”

His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Si Tu Xuan’s ears.

Si Tu Xuan turned on his heel and walked straight toward the cultivator who had spoken.

The man’s face went pale. He hurried to squeeze out a smile, his expression humble and fawning, and stammered: “Y-young Heir…”

Si Tu Xuan said coldly: “Repeat what you just said.”

The cultivator fell into a panic and begged: “Young Heir, I… I was out of my mind just now and talked nonsense. Please do not lower yourself to my level!”

With a thump, he dropped to his knees, tears and snot running down his face.

One of the guards beside Si Tu Xuan shouted angrily: “You dare speak ill of our Young Heir? Are you tired of living?”

The cultivator cried even louder and crawled a few steps on his knees, then threw himself in front of the Wen Ding Pavilion disciples who had rushed over, sobbing: “Senior, save me, Senior, save me, he wants to kill me!”

The Wen Ding Pavilion disciples’ faces changed. They looked at Si Tu Xuan with wary, guarded eyes.

One of them said sternly: “This is Wen Ding Pavilion’s territory. Fighting and harming others is forbidden.”

A guard of the Si Tu Clan quickly argued: “Our Young Heir never said he would lay a hand on him. He is talking nonsense!”

The Wen Ding Pavilion disciple said: “You have already taken your tokens. You can all leave now.” His tone was not very polite as he asked Si Tu Xuan and his group to leave.

Si Tu Xuan snorted coldly: “The grand competition never said we must leave after we register. Today I just won’t leave. A’Da!”

The guard named A’Da understood at once. He took from his Storage Pouch an exquisitely carved wooden chair, a matching table, and a parasol as big as a pavilion roof.

Si Tu Xuan sat down at his ease and tipped his chin toward the table.

Another guard brought over tea and snacks.

The series of smooth movements left everyone staring, dumbfounded.

The Wen Ding Pavilion disciple’s face flushed red. He pointed at Si Tu Xuan and was about to drive him off when a fellow disciple quickly whispered a reminder: “This is the Young Family Master of the Si Tu Clan!”

The first disciple blurted out: “The Si Tu Clan?”

His fellow disciple added in a low voice: “The Si Tu Clan that has a Divine Transformation Grandmaster sitting in town.”

The Wen Ding Pavilion disciple instantly sobered up.

The Si Tu Clan was the First Family of the Cultivation World. Not only did it have an Ancestral Patriarch who had reached Divine Transformation, the current Patriarch and three clan elders were all Nascent Soul Old Fiends. It also had nearly a hundred Golden Core cultivators. The clan’s power could not be underestimated.

If they offended Si Tu Xuan, it was like offending the entire Si Tu Clan. The consequences were not something a young disciple could bear.

But making him apologize to Si Tu Xuan in front of so many people was too embarrassing, so his fellow disciple stepped out to smooth things over and said with a smile: “The grand competition truly has no such rule. Since Fellow Daoist Si Tu wishes to sit here, we naturally will not stop you. Please go ahead, Fellow Daoist Si Tu.”

After saying this, the Wen Ding Pavilion disciples left, not forgetting to drag away the kneeling cultivator who was still wailing.

A’Da bent down slightly, murderous light flashing in his eyes, and asked in a low voice: “Young Heir, should we…?”

Si Tu Xuan sneered: “Ignore him. He is just a mere clown.”

That man had better pray he did not meet Si Tu Xuan on the Dueling Platform. Otherwise, Si Tu Xuan would make sure he learned the price of spouting wild words in front of him.

Yu Zhao had seen the whole thing, and her impression of Si Tu Xuan’s wild arrogance grew even deeper.

In her previous life, she had always focused on the Sect Grand Tournament, so she did not know much about the cultivators who joined the Individual Competition. She only roughly remembered their names and rankings.

Only a few people were exceptions, and Si Tu Xuan was one of them.

As the Young Family Master of the Si Tu Clan, Si Tu Xuan had carried many people’s hopes. Many had believed he would win first place in the Individual Competition and had bet heavily on him.

But the final result had greatly surprised everyone. An unknown man named Wu Shao Zhen took the first place. Si Tu Xuan had not even kept second and fell to third.

Si Tu Xuan had not been able to accept it. Right after the matches ended, he vanished without a trace and even gave up his spot to enter the Floating Island.

Some said he was arrogant. Some cursed him as foolish. More people felt it was a shame that he had thrown away such a chance.

Yu Zhao sank into her memories. Her mind drifted off, and her gaze stayed on Si Tu Xuan for a long time.

Si Tu Xuan frowned and looked over coldly.

He saw that it was an extraordinary-looking Golden Core female cultivator staring at him without blinking.

He could not help feeling both annoyed and pleased.

For a young genius like him, he would always be the center of attention wherever he went. That young women admired him was only natural.

It was just that this woman’s gaze was a bit too direct and lacked restraint.

He was about to tell A’Da to go and puncture this female cultivator’s foolish dreams when the female cultivator suddenly gave him a bright smile and then shyly pulled her gaze back.

Si Tu Xuan gave up on the idea.

Si Tu Xuan thought to himself: [Being admired by female cultivators is simply his fate. He knew that.]

Yu Zhao came back to her senses and realized she had been rudely staring at Si Tu Xuan. She gave a small apologetic smile.

In her last life, Si Tu Xuan had not been able to accept taking third place. She did not know if he could handle that blow in this life.

In any case, she would never waver in her resolve to fight for first place because of anyone.

For a long time after Si Tu Xuan, no bell sound as loud as his rang out again.

This made the many cultivators present understand that Si Tu Xuan’s title as the First Family’s Young Heir was not an empty name.

Just when everyone had firmly decided that Si Tu Xuan would be the champion of the Individual Competition, Yu Zhao finally reached the registration desk.

The Wen Ding Pavilion disciple behind the desk asked without looking up: “Name.”

Yu Zhao answered: “Yu Zhao.”

The disciple asked again: “Age.”

Yu Zhao said: “Nineteen.”

The Wen Ding Pavilion disciple who was bending over his records paused, then looked up in shock.

The surrounding cultivators also looked stunned.

Someone whispered: “Did she say it wrong, or did I hear it wrong? How can she be only nineteen?”

Another person said: “A Golden Core cultivator under twenty years old, who would believe that!”

Yet another person smirked and said: “She actually dares to lie here. Doesn’t she know they test bone age for registration? She is going to embarrass herself.”