Chapter 1597: Not Energetic, Can You Still Call Yourself Young?

Zhao Xiaodie specifically targeted Zu'an today because she had heard that her father's influence had been severely damaged because of him. Moreover, her brother once had his leg broken by Zu'an. She had long put him on her blacklist and frequently cursed him.

Now that she saw him in person, she naturally wanted to teach him a good lesson. Little did she know, she failed to teach him a lesson and was instead tricked by him.

She was of noble birth, her father being the Prince of Qi, second only to one person and above ten thousand. Even within Lihantian, she was celebrated and surrounded by admirers. Highly confident in her appearance, she had never been so insulted before.

"You brat, what did you say?" Zhao Xiaodie rose to her feet, looking as if she wanted to devour him.

Zu'an sighed, "I can't believe a young lady like you already has hearing problems. I truly feel sorry for you."

Everyone present had strange expressions, thinking that he truly showed no respect to Princess Caidie. Chu Chuyan and Xie Daoyun had odd expressions; they were arguably the most familiar with Zu'an's sharp tongue among those present. Back in Mingyue City, countless people were nearly infuriated by him. They didn't expect that after so many years, this skill of his hadn't regressed in the slightest.

Yan Xuehen was a bit dazed, recalling how much he had infuriated her when they first met. This brat sometimes made people's teeth itch with irritation, making them want to bite him. Suddenly, her heart chilled, and she quickly reverted to her icy expression to avoid others noticing anything unusual.

"Ahhh!" Zhao Xiaodie was so furious she nearly exploded.

Rage points from Zhao Xiaodie: 777,777,777...

Just as she was about to draw her sword, a young man beside her restrained her.

"Your harshness towards a lady is hardly the act of a gentleman," the young man said, looking coldly at Zu'an.

Zu'an observed him, having to admit the man was somewhat handsome: fair-skinned, tall, with single eyelids and thin lips. He looked like the type who would make women swoon but be despised and disliked by other men. However, seeing him in white clothes, white trousers, and a wide, luxurious cape, dressed like a noble young master, Zu'an couldn't help but secretly scoff, 'Why does he look so much like Ji-ge from my previous life? I really want to throw a basketball at him.'

"And who might this 'gentleman' be?" Although Zu'an called him a gentleman, everyone could hear the sarcasm in his tone.

The young man's face darkened. Rage points from Zhiyin: 222,222,222...

At this point, Zhao Xiaodie said, "This is my Senior Brother Zhiyin, the most talented disciple of Lihantian for decades. He is also humble and conducts himself like a true gentleman, certainly not someone of low character like you can compare to."

As she spoke, her gaze towards the man beside her held a hint of admiration.

Hearing his junior sister's praise, Zhiyin's mood improved considerably. He instinctively looked towards Chu Chuyan, wanting to see her reaction. He had heard that the White Jade Capital's Master Yan had recruited a talented disciple, and he secretly harbored competitive thoughts. But after seeing her once, he completely abandoned those ideas, utterly captivated by her exceptional grace and beauty. He even thought losing to her would be a blissful experience, and he wished for her to step on him with her jade-like feet.

Unfortunately, Chu Chuyan's expression showed no ripple of emotion, which left him somewhat disappointed.

Noticing his gaze, Zu'an paused. 'This brat is punching above his weight,' he thought.

"This is considered Lihantian's most talented disciple in decades?" Zu'an asked, a look of surprise on his face. "They say that back then, our Great Zhou recruited all the world's talents into the imperial court, causing a decline in talent among various sects and factions. I used to think it was an exaggeration, but seeing it today, it seems to be true."

Yan Xuehen's expression was odd. This brat truly had no filter. Weren't they, the White Jade Capital, also implicitly criticized? The decline in talent was indeed a sore point for various sects and factions in recent years. Although they had worked hard to cultivate and recruit some promising young individuals, it was far from the glory days of the sects several centuries ago. In another century or so, after the older generation of various sects passed away, the new generation, both in quantity and quality, would be considerably inferior to the previous one.

As expected, upon hearing this, the Lihantian side immediately erupted in an uproar, shouting reproaches. A string of rage points instantly flooded Zu'an's backend display.

At this moment, the middle-aged man seated at the first table to the right of Prince Yan slowly spoke, "Young man, don't be too arrogant."

Zu'an glanced at him. The man wore a loose robe, had a striking beard around his mouth, and well-defined features, a typical handsome middle-aged man with a roguish charm. Coupled with a self-satisfied, devilish smile at the corner of his mouth, he gave off an overall unctuous impression: cunning and roguish, yet subtly seductive.

However, some people fell for this demeanor, especially the Grandmaster's aura constantly emanating from him, which added a significant halo, intimidating many upon first sight.

Yan Xuehen and Chu Chuyan's ki transmissions simultaneously sounded in his ears once more: "Be careful, he is Guan Chouhai, the sect master of Lihantian."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Zu'an smiled, nodded at both of them, and then said to Guan Chouhai, "If a young man isn't arrogant, can he even be called young?"

Yan Xuehen: "???"Chu Chuyan: "???"

How can you expect us to be at ease now!

Guan Chouhai was also startled, never expecting a young man to dare speak to him like that.

Prince Yan, standing nearby, had an odd expression, thinking, 'This fellow is truly courting death. But this is good; getting rid of an enemy with Sect Master Guan's hand will also be a way to vent my anger over the Yunzhong Commandery affair.'

Sun Xun felt a moment of self-doubt. Earlier, he had deliberately humiliated Zu'an, and Zu'an hadn't reacted at all, making Sun Xun think he was a pushover. Yet, facing Prince Yan and the Lihantian Grandmaster, he dared to be utterly ruthless? Was it because he simply didn't see Sun Xun as significant enough to even warrant his anger?

The officials in Yi Commandery were both pleased and concerned. Pleased because this person wasn't the coward they initially thought, and perhaps his strength could be used to suppress the locally powerful Prince Yan. Concerned because he was so impulsive when facing a Grandmaster, appearing to be an unreliable partner—merely a reckless man.

Xie Daoyun, however, was filled with worry. In the academy, she had naturally heard of the prestige of the sect masters of the Nine Daoist Sects. Although Brother Zu was formidable, he would likely be at a disadvantage against these senior masters who had been famous for decades.

Hearing Zu'an's words, Guan Chouhai's gaze instantly became dangerous. "Very well," he said, "Zhiyin, go and 'learn' from this gentleman. Let's see just how arrogant he is."

Rage points from Guan Chouhai: 100,100,100...

Given his status, it was naturally impossible for him to attack a junior. Wouldn't that make him lose face in front of Xuehen? He would simply let his disciple teach him a good lesson. Surely, Xuehen would praise his magnanimity, right?

He gazed at Yan Xuehen with a hint of infatuation. After all these years, she was still as exceptionally graceful and beautiful as when he first saw her.

Zu'an frowned slightly. 'What's going on? The young one is a love rival, and the old one is too? Having too many female confidantes certainly comes with these kinds of troubles.'

"Yes, Master!" Zhiyin bowed respectfully to Guan Chouhai, then turned to Zu'an and said, "Sir, please enlighten me!"

He could sense his master's anger and thought he must teach this ignorant brat a good lesson, simply leaving him alive afterward.

Zu'an glanced at him indifferently, then shook his head. "You're not worthy."

"What?" Zhiyin initially thought he had misheard. Once he realized, his polite smile instantly vanished, and his pale face flushed crimson.

Rage points from Zhiyin: 666,666,666...

The arena erupted in an even greater uproar. Almost everyone shared the same thought: 'Has this Zu fellow gone mad?' Zhiyin was Guan Chouhai's personal disciple, hailed as Lihantian's most talented disciple in recent decades. His cultivation was already comparable to a Grandmaster's. Such a person would not be at a disadvantage even when facing older generation masters. Compared to him, a young cultivator like Zu'an was like dirt compared to clouds. Objectively speaking, it was Zu'an's gain that Zhiyin was willing to fight him. How dared he say such a thing?