"A Grandmaster level assassin doesn't necessarily mean their power has reached the Xiantian Grandmaster level. Some might only possess the strength of peak Houtian or Half-step Grandmaster. However, with their terrifying assassination techniques, they are capable of assassinating true Xiantian Grandmaster level experts." As if afraid Zhang Fan wouldn't understand the terrifying power they represented, Si Youyou explained further.
"Oh," Zhang Fan nodded.
Si Youyou kept her gaze fixed on Zhang Fan, noticing that his expression hadn't changed in the slightest from beginning to end. She asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid?"
"Afraid?" Zhang Fan chuckled and shook his head, a hint of disdain in his eyes. "I don't care what this 'Heaven's Gate' is. If they dare to provoke me, I'll make them disappear from Earth."
Si Youyou was astonished. When Zhang Fan uttered those words, he did so with such ease, such casualness, as if 'Heaven's Gate' were as insignificant as an ant he could crush with a flick of his wrist.
After a long pause, she nodded in agreement. "That's true. At your age, you cultivate both martial and magical arts, and have simultaneously reached the Grandmaster realm. Your backing must be comparable to, if not greater than, Heaven's Gate. Naturally, you wouldn't fear them."
Having spoken, her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhang Fan.
"Miss, if you have something to say, just say it. No need to beat around the bush to trick me," Zhang Fan glanced at Si Youyou, a hint of mockery on his lips.
Seeing that she had been seen through, Si Youyou couldn't help but smile wryly. "The way you speak, I really don't see you as a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy. Could it be that some old monster has possessed you?"
"You guessed right," Zhang Fan smiled mysteriously. In a sense, it was indeed his future self from a thousand years later who had possessed his current body.
"Alright, I won't mince words with you either," Si Youyou said. "You killed people from the Heavenly Fiend Sect, and you also possess the 'Half-Moon Phoenix Jade' they need. They will come looking for you sooner or later."
"Once you're targeted by the Heavenly Fiend Sect, even a Xiantian Grandmaster's life would be in danger."
"That suits me perfectly. I've been getting restless from not having any experts to spar with. I hope the Heavenly Fiend Sect can send a few capable fighters, otherwise, if I finish them with one punch, it'll be too boring," Zhang Fan said.
Hearing Zhang Fan's words, Si Youyou was suddenly at a loss for words. She had said all this to make Zhang Fan feel threatened, and then use that opportunity to propose cooperation. However, she hadn't expected that after hearing about the terrifying reputation of the Heavenly Fiend Sect, Zhang Fan would not only not be afraid, but seem somewhat excited. Si Youyou suddenly realized that she seemed to understand this young man very little.
She said no more, deciding to spend more time interacting with Zhang Fan. Once she understood him better, she would make her next move.
Although with her methods, she could access Zhang Fan's profile and find that his family background was ordinary and he hadn't joined any sect, she speculated that Zhang Fan must have a formidable power behind him, otherwise, how could such a genius be nurtured?
The fact that she couldn't find anything only meant that the other party was deeply hidden. Therefore, she decided to stay by Zhang Fan's side and investigate personally.
"Are you done speaking?" Zhang Fan asked when Si Youyou fell silent.
Si Youyou softly hummed in affirmation.
"Then, may I ask you a question?" Zhang Fan looked at Si Youyou and smiled. "That Half-Moon Phoenix Jade should have another half, right? Who has it?"
Si Youyou had expected Zhang Fan to ask about her identity, but she didn't expect him to be completely uninterested in her background and directly ask this question.
Si Youyou was shocked inwardly, but she feigned calmness on the surface. "How did you know, classmate Zhang Fan, that the jade pendant has another half? Could it be from its half-moon shape?"
"Heh heh, you don't need to test me," Zhang Fan chuckled and shook his head. "Even if you don't tell me, I already know. The other half of the jade pendant is probably in the hands of the Heavenly Fiend Sect, isn't it?"
Hearing Zhang Fan's confident tone, Si Youyou could no longer conceal her shock. Her beautiful eyes gazed at Zhang Fan, filled with disbelief.
With just a few words, Zhang Fan had revealed Si Youyou's trump card for negotiation. How could she not be shocked?
"It seems I guessed correctly," Zhang Fan said, seeing Si Youyou's reaction. He had confirmed his suspicions and was now even more eager for the people from the 'Heavenly Fiend Sect' to come find trouble with him soon. That way, he could follow the trail and find the other half of the ancient jade.
After chatting with Si Youyou for a while, Zhang Fan sensed that she seemed to know the secret hidden within this ancient jade. However, Zhang Fan didn't ask further. He believed that once he held both ancient jades in his hands, he might be able to unravel the secret himself.
...
The next day, Zhang Fan arrived at the classroom and found that everyone was looking at him with peculiar gazes, which left him somewhat bewildered.
"What's going on, everyone?" Zhang Fan sat down at his seat. He nudged Zhuo Tairan, who was pretending to read a book, with his elbow and asked.
"Sigh, everyone heard you took those beautiful girls to the cafeteria yesterday. They all think you've got problems. They unanimously agreed that you must have been stimulated by your breakup with Qin Luoshui, and that's why you did such a barbaric thing," Zhuo Tairan put down his comic book and sighed, as if helpless.
Zhang Fan chuckled upon hearing this. So that was it. He shook his head and said nothing more.
The first class was Chinese. The Chinese teacher was a middle-aged man around fifty years old. His lectures on each text followed a basic formula, lacking novelty and being dry and dull, which made Zhang Fan drowsy.
After the torture of waiting for class to end, Zhang Fan was just about to get up and stretch his legs when he saw Qiao Ruxin walk over and block him.
"This girl, why does she keep coming to strike up a conversation with me after Luoshui left? Could it be she's always had a crush on me?" Zhang Fan thought. However, what Qiao Ruxin said next made him realize he had clearly been overthinking.
"The grade-level basketball tournament starts this afternoon. I've already signed you up," Qiao Ruxin said directly, without consulting Zhang Fan's opinion, but rather informing him.
"Miss, even if you're the sports representative, you should still seek my opinion. Besides, I'm not very good at basketball, and my body is frail. How am I suited for a basketball game?" In his past life, Zhang Fan had enjoyed playing basketball, but he didn't have much time for it, and his skill level was average. For grade-level basketball tournaments, Zhang Fan usually had no role.
"I know you're not very good, but you're strong, so you should be able to take some hits. After discussing with a few classmates from the class basketball team, we've decided to have you play forward this time, focusing on boxing out, grabbing rebounds, and interior defense. You should be good at that," Qiao Ruxin's blunt explanation made Zhang Fan roll his eyes. This girl was actually making him do the grunt work.
...