Old Man Black smiled.
"Who else would insist on the childhood betrothal? It had to be that kid from the Su Family!"
"Oh, I mean your future father-in-law."
"He and your father were close—they'd been through life and death together. Even though your father had died in the line of duty, he didn't want to break his promise to him."
"That was why he was determined to uphold the betrothal."
Ye Xiao thought of something and asked,
"What does Su Muyun think about it?"
"Does she support the betrothal, or not?"
Old Man Black gave Ye Xiao a meaningful look.
"The Su Family is far bigger than you can imagine!"
"They're a true Transcendentalist family. Even Su Muyun's father only ranks somewhere in the middle of the family."
"A family like that does everything to maximize its own interests."
"Su Muyun might not even get the chance to make her own decisions!"
Ye Xiao understood what Old Man Black meant.
So Su Muyun was in a bad mood, and that was why she'd become so cold toward him.
Was it because she was against the betrothal?
"Kid, even though you're an E-Grade Martialist, I have to say, you're one lucky bastard."
"The Su Family's girl is gorgeous, talented, and has a great profession. Unless something goes wrong, she'll become a Transcendentalist one day."
"If you marry her, you'll also get the Su Family's resources and support!"
Ye Xiao listened to Old Man Black.
A helpless smile appeared on his face.
Was Old Man Black really clueless, or was he pretending?
A Transcendentalist family like the Su Family—
how could they let one of their women marry an E-Grade Martialist?
It was like
asking a king's daughter to marry the lowliest farmer.
That kind of thing only happened in fairy tales!
"Old Man Black, stop teasing me."
"All I want right now is to cultivate. I don't want to get caught up in these family feuds."
Now that he'd made up his mind, Ye Xiao shared his thoughts.
Old Man Black's eyes lit up a little.
"Ye Xiao, that makes me think a little better of you."
It was the first time Old Man Black had spoken to Ye Xiao so seriously.
The feeling was rather strange.
But Old Man Black's next words brought things right back to normal.
"Though only a tiny bit." He held up his pinky and gestured.
Ye Xiao was speechless.
Old Man Black burst out laughing.
"Kid, cultivation is the eternal path to power!"
"Your fists are your ticket to everything!"
"If you want to marry Su Muyun, if you want the whole Su Family to accept you,"
"words won't do a thing."
"You'll need your fists!"
Ye Xiao smiled.
"Old Man Black, who said I have to marry Su Muyun?"
"What if I meet a woman who's even better and more beautiful than Su Muyun one day?"
Just then,
Old Man Black's expression grew more serious than Ye Xiao had ever seen.
He spoke with absolute seriousness.
"Kid, you weren't supposed to get a special admission slot, you know?"
"What?"
"It was Su Muyun's father who called in every favor he had to get you one!"
"That wasn't because of my father's status as a fallen hero?"
"Even your father's status as a fallen hero was secured with Su Muyun's father's help."
"..."
"Su Muyun's father is so determined to marry his daughter to you because he wants to use that connection to protect you and keep you safe for the rest of your life! Understand?"
"..."
"Kid! So even if you don't like Su Muyun, one day you still have to stand in front of her father with your head held high, kneel, and thank him for everything he's done. Understand? Your father owed him a debt. One day, you'll have to repay it to his daughter!"
"I understand..."
"Kid! I hope I haven't misjudged you. You'd better not be a coward who's afraid to die! You need to think carefully about the truth behind your father's death and the responsibility you'll have to shoulder!"
"Old Man Black, do you know how my father died?"
"...It's too soon to talk about that. When you reach the Seventh Realm, I'll tell you."
"The Seventh Realm... In the past three thousand years, the strongest Martialist only ever reached the Seventh Realm..."
"You won't become the strongest Martialist in three thousand years, and you have no right to talk about revenge! Understand?"
"I understand."
"Now get your ass back and go to sleep. Rest up. Tomorrow, you'll keep training your punches."
"Yes!"
Ye Xiao left the Gravity Tower.
He stayed silent the whole way, thinking back over everything Old Man Black had told him.
The sheer amount of information kept crashing against Ye Xiao's old understanding of things.
"So I really do have this connection with Su Muyun."
"Old Man Black knows the truth about my adoptive father's death."
"My family owes Su Muyun's father a huge debt. I'll have to repay it someday."
"Who exactly is Old Man Black? How does he know so much?"
"Forget it. I'll go get some rest and keep training my punches tomorrow!"
When Ye Xiao returned to the dorm,
he found that Fatty Wang wasn't cultivating.
Instead, he was clutching his phone.
His face looked positively murderous as his fingers flew across the screen. He seemed to be arguing with someone online.
He was so focused that he didn't even notice Ye Xiao coming back.
Ye Xiao crept up behind Fatty Wang to see what he was doing.
Post title: <Monster Freshman Spotted at the Gravity Tower! E-Grade Martialist Holds Out in the 10x Gravity Zone!>
[3521st floor]: Lin Yun is a dumbass! He's just a clown jealous of Ye Xiao!
[3522nd floor]: The post has been updated. Ye Xiao can now hold out in the 20x gravity zone!
[3523rd floor]: Someone spotted Ye Xiao cultivating in the 20x gravity zone!
[3524th floor]: Heh, Lin Yun, Ye Xiao's already cultivating in the 20x gravity zone, while you're still arguing with me on the forum. What gives you the right to mock him?
[3525th floor]: What a joke! I've already gone to the Gravity Training Tower, but it was too late and the doors were locked. I'll show you what a real genius is first thing tomorrow morning!
[3526th floor]: Hahahaha! Lin Yun, did you do that on purpose? You knew the Gravity Tower would close at night, so you went right before closing time.
[3527th floor]: Bullshit! I've hired a top hacker. Just wait—I'll dig up your real identity in no time!
[3528th floor]: You think I'm scared of you? You pathetic clown!!!
[3581st floor]: I found out who you really are! First-year student, Ordinary Class 9, Wang Hou! So the fatty next to Ye Xiao was you! I should've guessed. You've got some nerve mouthing off to me! Just wait. I'm coming to your dorm right now to have a little chat!
At this point,
Fatty Wang's face changed, and he put his phone down.
He looked up and came face-to-face with Ye Xiao.
"Brother Xiao, we're screwed."
"That bastard Lin Yun really did hire a hacker to dig up my identity!"
"What do we do?"
Ye Xiao looked over the post and saw how Fatty Wang had defended him by arguing with Lin Yun for thousands of replies.
He patted Fatty Wang on the shoulder and said with a smile,
"What's there to be afraid of?"
"Fatty, remember, you're a Third Realm professional too."
"Lin Yun's also a Third Realm professional."
Fatty Wang felt reassured at those words.
"You're right, Brother Xiao! We're at the same realm. What's there to be afraid of?"
Before you continue