Chapter 56: Not Letting Heaven Get Its Way

  As soon as he came out of the small shop, it was a bustling street. Compared to those pedestrians coming and going, Fang Li seemed somewhat out of place. Listening to their voices by his ear, it seemed that they were talking most about the opening of the Xuanyang Sword Sect's mountain gate.

  "Tang Yi, this time you've joined the Xuan Yang Sword Sect, how much hope do you think you have?" Two young cultivators passed by Fang Li's side, also discussing the matter of the grand opening of the mountain gate.

  All he saw was the man's confident smile, and he said magnanimously: "At least there is a 90% chance of success. With my qualifications for cultivation, how could the Xuan Yang Sword Sect refuse me?"

  "Oh, Brother Tang Yi, why are you so confident? As far as I know, the Xuan Yang Sword Sect is very strict in recruiting disciples. Any cultivator who is selected can basically enter the Foundation Building stage, and even those inner sect disciples have a chance to break through to the Golden Dan stage. This immortal gate is one of the best in our Da Qian country. Moreover, it's said that all the elder generation in there are Yuan Ying stage great cultivators, nobody dares to provoke them."

  "Brother, don't worry so much. You should know that every time they recruit new disciples, their age cannot exceed twenty-five years old. How many people under the age of twenty-five can compare to us? Moreover, I entered the sixth level of Qi refining at the age of eighteen. This talent is top-notch anywhere."

  As Fang Li walked down the street, he inadvertently overheard their conversation. His originally calm face suddenly showed a hint of arrogance, thinking to himself: Entering the sixth level of Qi refinement at the age of eighteen is nothing, I was three years earlier than you, and I even used the Dragon Bone Purple Gold Pill to temper my bones, reaching the best ninth rank.

  At this thought, Fang Li suddenly stopped in his tracks, a hint of unwillingness flashing across his eyes. He had better advantages than others, and they all dared to face challenges and seek breakthroughs, so why did he shrink back? He still vaguely remembered the expectation on the face of the Supreme Elder when he handed over the Dragon Bone Purple Gold Pill, as well as the words that the Clan Master Fang Han had repeatedly told him: The family can do without me, can do without Fang Feng, and can even do without the Supreme Elder, but absolutely cannot do without you!

  Grow stronger, this is one's own responsibility!

  Fang Li slapped himself hard and suddenly roared: "I don't want to be a coward, I want to be a strong man. Heaven has brought me calamity to break my ambition, but I won't let it have its way. My family was destroyed, my mother and sister are unknown whether they are alive or dead, I can't sink even more, one day I will become so powerful that heaven will tremble, any setbacks and disasters can no longer affect me in the slightest!"

  Fang Li's sudden loud roar startled the people around him, and many of them cursed him in a low voice as a madman. Some timid ones even deliberately kept a distance from him, fearing that he would suddenly go berserk and hurt someone.

  "The grand opening of the Xuan Yang Sword Sect is imminent, and some cultivators must have been under immense pressure and unable to vent their emotions, so it's only natural that they would suddenly go mad. Don't mind him." Some young men who looked like cultivators showed a hint of disdain in their eyes, thinking that Fang Li's behavior was too ridiculous.

  Fang Li ignored the idle chatter from the people around him and suddenly turned around, walking back to the small shop. Originally confused, he now only had one thought in his mind: become stronger, stronger, and even stronger, so strong that everyone would fear and dread him, and naturally no one would dare to provoke him again.

  With a loud crash, Fang Li pushed open the door, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's, scanning the surroundings before locking onto the shopkeeper.

  At this time, the young shopkeeper had returned to his youthful appearance and was sweeping the floor with a broom. Seeing Fang Li suddenly push open the door and enter, he couldn't help but look up at him. However, in an instant, the shopkeeper's gaze suddenly froze, looking somewhat incredulous.

  Just a moment ago, Fang Li left the small shop with an aura like that of an old man in his twilight years, decadent and rotten. But now, after just a short while, he has transformed into a rising morning sun, strong and resolute. Even the young shop assistant couldn't help but feel moved as he looked at him, and he was very curious about what had caused Fang Li to perk up so quickly, it was really too strange.

  Fang Li didn't have the mood to guess what he was thinking, and coldly said: "I promise you, I will join the Xuan Yang Sword Sect, and take care of that young lady of yours."

  The shopkeeper looked at him with a serious expression, and smiled slightly in his heart. "Talk is cheap. If you just want to rely on this one sentence to get me to give you the antidote, it seems unlikely."

  Fang Li's eyes stared at him, saying disdainfully: "What I, Fang Li, say will definitely be fulfilled, even if it's under duress."

  "I'm curious, since you clearly know you're being coerced by me, why are you still yielding?" The shopkeeper said with a hint of a smile.

  "Because I'm not stupid," Fang Li replied without hesitation: "In this world where strength is everything, having no strength means having no human rights. Even if you don't give me the antidote and let me die from poisoning, I won't blame anyone else. If there's anyone to blame, it can only be myself for being incompetent."

  The shopkeeper burst out laughing after hearing this, and the young man in front of him was becoming more and more interesting. He immediately took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom and threw it to Fang Li, saying: "Although what you said made me look at you with higher esteem, it's still impossible for me to completely remove the poison from your body all at once. This bottle contains an antidote, which can keep you safe for a month after taking it, but after a month, you must take another pill, otherwise the poison will still be fatal. Do you understand what I'm saying?

  "Understood, which means my life is temporarily in your hands." Fang Li pulled out the wooden stopper and swallowed the medicine pill from the porcelain bottle without hesitation. Suddenly, he felt that several vital parts of his body were like worms crawling, numb and itchy, presumably those Gu poison.

  Looking at the young man in front of him, so resolute, the shopkeeper's face couldn't help but reveal a few threads of admiration. He continued to say: "You also don't need to harbor resentment, although I coerced you into taking care of my family's young lady, but from now on, I absolutely won't let you suffer any losses, this is something I can guarantee. Let me reveal a bit to you, the big shot behind me, even the elder of the Xuan Yang Sword Sect doesn't dare to casually provoke him, so naturally there will be benefits for you in the future."

  Fang Li didn't say yes or no, he just shrugged and said calmly: "If there's nothing else, I'll leave first."

  The shopkeeper furrowed his brow, "Alright, but don't forget, in two days' time, the Xuanyang Sword Sect will be opening its mountain gate. Even if I didn't coerce you, this is still an opportunity for you. The Xuanyang Sword Sect is a powerful and prestigious sect that only recruits disciples every thirty years; being able to encounter them can be considered a kind of good fortune."

  "Since ancient times, good fortune and disaster have been interdependent. Great blessings will definitely be accompanied by great calamities." Fang Li said this sentence and didn't stay any longer, walking straight out of the store. In two days, it would be the day when Xuan Yang Sword Sect recruits disciples, and he still needed to prepare a few things.

  The shopkeeper was taken aback at first, but seeing Fang Li had already walked far away, he couldn't help but smile slightly and say: "This kid really sees through things."