Chapter 147: Center Of Attention

Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Center Of Attention

The moment the two of them entered the arena, they attracted the attention of over eighty percent of the attendees. Sui Sui had already gained a certain degree of notoriety after the recent incident involving Elder Shan Li, and although most people still couldn’t put a face to his name, however, his snow-white hair was eye-catching enough to make him stand out in a crowd.

More importantly, he hadn’t come alone. He was walking alongside Yizhou.

Among the younger generation of cultivators, there was hardly anyone who hadn’t heard of Yizhou. For the younger generation of cultivators, If there was peoplr they all looked up to, it would definitely be those genius who had surpassed their peers by a considerable margin. And if one were to speak of geniuses, Yizhou was undoubtedly a genius among geniuses.

If Sui Sui remembered correctly, one of the reasons Yizhou had secured such a distinguished status within Wenjian Sect was the extraordinary result he had achieved during the talent assessment.

When the sect recruited new disciples, every candidate had to undergo two tests: one to determine the quality of their spirit bone and another to measure their Soul Force. These results would help the sect assess each candidate’s potential for cultivation and decide which disciples were worth nurturing.

When Yizhou’s Soul Force was tested, the result surprised everyone. The testing stone shone purple, a color that already signified exceptional talent in the cultivation world. There were eight ranks of Soul Force in total, with purple occupying the sixth rank, only two levels below the highest, eighth rank.

Such talent was more than enough to attract the attention of the sect’s elders. At the time, several elders from the Soul Force Division had tried to recruit the young genius for themselves, eager to claim such a promising disciple before anyone else could.

However, what truly astonished everyone was the result of Yizhou’s spirit bone assessment.

At first, many had assumed that since his Soul Force was already so exceptional, his spirit bone would be comparatively weaker. After all, according to the natural law of the cultivation world, one could rarely excel in both areas. If one possessed extraordinary talent in one, the other would usually be mediocre at best.

But Yizhou shattered that expectation.

The moment he placed his hands on the testing stone, it began to glow with a brilliant golden light. Yet before anyone could determine the result, the stone failed to display any rank. Instead, it developed cracks before suddenly shattering with a small explosion, leaving everyone present utterly bewildered.

To this day, no one knew Yizhou’s exact spirit bone level. The testing stone had broke before it could reveal the answer, of course they had tried to test again, however the results was still the same with the stone breaking, and so the sect had no way to determine just how far his talent extended. Nevertheless, many believed that his spirit bone was extraordinary enough to surpass even the Divine Bone level.

After the assessment, Yizhou was immediately accepted as an inner disciple. His talent for the Dao of the Sword soon distinguished him from his peers, eventually earning him a place as the closed-door disciple of Sword Venerable Yuxin.

Yet his achievements did not end there, he astonished everyone with his quick progress in cultivation, reaching Qi Refining to Foundation Building in less than a year and at the age of sixteen, Yizhou successfully formed his Golden Core, becoming the youngest cultivator to reach that realm in the past ten thousand years.

With such a remarkable record, he quickly established himself as the most talented young cultivator of his generation. His name spread far and wide, and many believed he was the one most likely to ascend to the Divine Sovereign level and become a true immortal, becoming the object of admiration for many and envied by even more.

Yizhou’s humble beginnings also made his accomplishments more inspiring. Having grown up as an orphan with little to his name, he had relied on his own talent and perseverance to rise to such heights. To countless young cultivators, he was the very embodiment of a golden son of heaven, someone whose existence made even the seemingly impossible feel within reach.

But of course, we knew how that ended. Even the Heavens grew jealous of its son’s brightness so it struck him down from his throne.

Anyway, the point is that in this place, almost no one knew who Yizhou was.

That was why seeing the two of them together, especially with Yizhou standing right beside Sui Sui, many people was shocked.

Some even, immediately recalled the rumor they had heard some time ago. It seemed the rumor was true after all!

When they had been investigating the identity of Elder Shan Li’s disciple, they had come across an interesting piece of gossip. Apparently, this disciple named Sui Sui was infatuated with Senior Brother Yizhou. Not only was he clingy, but he would even follow Yizhou everywhere, practically stalking him wherever he went.

At the time, some had dismissed the story as an exaggeration. But looking at the scene before them, they couldn’t help but reconsider.

After all, Yizhou had only just returned from his mission, and it hadn’t even been a full day since his return. Yet here was Sui Sui, already glued to his side! If this wasn’t proof of his infatuation, then what was?

As Sui Sui walked alongside Yizhou, he could feel all kinds of gazes falling upon him. Some were curious, others scrutinizing, while a few carried an unmistakable hint of disdain. At first, he tried to ignore them and continue walking as though nothing was amiss.

However, the longer they looked, the stranger their expressions became. One by one, their gazes shifted, their eyes widening as if they had suddenly discovered something astonishing.

Soon, nearly every pair of eyes in the vicinity was fixed on the person walking just behind Yizhou, Sui Sui.

No, to be more precise, they weren’t looking at him at all. Their attention was firmly fixed on the clothes he was wearing.

The robe was simple yet resplendent blue, its edges delicately embroidered with black and gold silk threads. The colors complemented each other beautifully, lending the garment an air of elegance without making it appear overly extravagant.

However, what truly caught everyone’s attention was the embroidery near the bottom hem. A familiar name was stitched into the fabric, and the moment they recognized it, their eyes widened.

Wasn’t this Senior Brother Yizhou’s clothing?!

Naturally, the sight was more than enough to set the busybodies’ imaginations running wild. With such a suspicious detail right before their eyes, how could they possibly resist conjuring up all sorts of secretive scenarios? Before long, whispers began spreading through the crowd, growing louder as more people joined in.

"Huh? Why is he wearing Senior Brother Yizhou’s clothes?"

"I don’t know. Maybe he stole them?"

"Stole them? Do you think he’s that bold?"

"Then could Senior Brother have given them to him?"

"How is that possible? Why would Senior Brother do that?"

"Wait a minute... Could it be that those two are actually—"

"Absolutely not! Don’t even think about it! Senior Brother is devoted to cultivation. He’s always focused on improving his strength. How could he possibly have time for something like that?"

Yizhou, meanwhile, continued toward one of the seats as though he hadn’t noticed the commotion at all. His handsome face wore its usual polite smile, his every movement composed and unhurried, as if the whispers filling the arena had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the person following behind him.

Unlike his senior brother, Sui Sui wasn’t nearly thick-skinned enough to remain unaffected by so many stares. He could feel countless eyes following his every step, some openly curious, others filled with suspicion and barely concealed excitement. The more he walked, the more uncomfortable he became, until he finally realized what an idiotic decision he had made by agreeing to come out wearing Yizhou’s clothes.

"Uhhh... Senior Brother, how about we go back first? I think I forgot something," Sui Sui suggested cautiously, stealing a glance at Yizhou as though hoping he would understand his predicament.

Yizhou turned his head to look at him, the faint smile on his face never wavering.

"Since we’re already here, it doesn’t seem reasonable to go back now, does it?"

"..."

Sui Sui was speechless. He glanced at the disciples around them, whose gazes were still fixed on him, then lowered his head to look at the robes he was wearing, then looked back at Yizhou.

Although what Yizhou said made sense, why did he have the sense of being pitted?

The thought made Sui Sui feel as though he had fallen into a trap. However, when he looked at Yizhou’s calm expression and polite smile, he couldn’t find any evidence to support his suspicion.

In the end, he could only swallow his doubts and follow Yizhou, enduring the curious stares and whispers along the way.

Meanwhile, among the gathered disciples, a familiar-looking young woman watched them with a dark expression. Her gaze was fixed on Sui Sui, her eyes filled with undisguised jealousy.

Why could this fool be so close to her Senior Brother? Not only could he follow Yizhou around, but he was even wearing his clothes!

The young woman clenched her fists, unable to bear the sight.

It should have been me!