Chapter 57: Leaping Through Dragon Gate

  Qing'an City is more than one or two times more prosperous than Yanjing City, and at the very least, the second-grade elixirs here are still readily available for purchase, unlike in Yanjing City where they are scarce.

  After killing the Flying Cloud Village's head, Fang Li obtained over 10,000 crystal stones. These crystal stones wouldn't be worth much if he just kept them on him; only by converting them into his own strength would they be substantial. The mindset of a miser is unacceptable, otherwise he would end up like the Flying Cloud Village's head, accumulating wealth for a lifetime only to benefit Fang Li in the end.

  "Dan medicine and Lingfu are both very practical things, need to store more, as for weapons and artifacts, with Xuan Tie sword and Wu Gui Tonghuan on hand, temporarily enough. By the way, swordsmanship is still scarce, now that Bodhi tree species have disappeared, can't trigger sword intent again, if still using basic swordsmanship it would be a bit awkward."

  The swordsmanship has always been Fang Li's weakness, but thinking carefully, there is no need to rush out and buy it now. He will soon be entering the Xuan Yang Sword Sect, this sect dares to call itself a sword sect, so naturally there are many top-notch swordsmanship inside, maybe the swordsmanship he bought outside at a high price will become rubbish compared to those inside.

  At this thought, Fang Li immediately dispelled the idea of buying sword techniques. As for whether he could join the Xuan Yang Sword Sect, he wasn't worried at all; even if joining the Xuan Yang Sword Sect required going through treacherous mountains and scorching seas, he would do so without hesitation. Fearless in the face of any danger, this was where his confidence came from.

  After much consideration, the only things worth buying for myself are Dan medicine and Ling symbols.

  Fang Li didn't walk for long before finding a shop that sold Dan medicine and Ling symbols, called Baoxuan Pavilion. The Baoxuan Pavilion had five floors, covering a vast area, and was one of the landmark buildings in Qing'an City.

  In the Baoxuan Pavilion, everything was available for sale, and almost all items related to cultivators were on offer. Fang Li first came to the area selling elixirs, looking at the various types of elixirs, and couldn't help but feel a little dizzy.

  "Surprisingly, there are even a few Sanpin Dan 'medicines'!" Fang Li was somewhat surprised. The Longgu Zi Jin Dan that the Taishang Elder had risked his life to obtain was also on the list, but the price of 30,000 crystal stones made Fang Li secretly gasp in shock.

  Fang Li shook his head and stopped wasting time, starting to select the dan medicine he needed.

  Huoluo Yangxue Dan is a sacred medicine for treating injuries, and some need to be purchased. Fang Li didn't hesitate at all, and bought ten pills in one breath, spending two thousand crystal stones. Immediately afterwards, he spent another two thousand crystal stones to buy ten pills of Peiyuan Dan. Peiyuan Dan and Juling Dan are similar, both being auxiliary elixirs for cultivation, but the former is a second-grade elixir with better efficacy, while the latter is a first-grade elixir with much poorer efficacy.

  Spent 4,000 crystal stones in one breath, Fang Li's eyebrows didn't even wrinkle once, and then turned to the spiritual symbol area, continuing to make purchases.

  After purchasing ten Wind Chasers and three Golden Light Amulets, Fang Lin's crystal stock finally hit rock bottom. The Wind Chaser was a first-grade spirit symbol that, when attached to the 'legs', could make one's feet move with the wind, making escape and pursuit top-notch, worth 300 crystals. The Golden Light Amulet was a second-grade spirit symbol that, when ignited, could form a golden light shield around the body, resisting damage.

  Suddenly, there were so many spiritual symbols and elixirs in the Qiankun bag that Fang Li's confidence increased greatly. At this time, as long as he didn't encounter a cultivator above the foundation-building period, Fang Li was confident that he could escape, or even counterattack.

  ……

  More than 300 li east of Qing'an City, there is a mountain range that soars into the clouds, called Longteng. The reason for this name is that from high above, it can be seen that the ups and downs of this mountain range are like a rising giant dragon. Moreover, on the mountain peak at the mouth of the dragon's head, there is also a waterfall that flows straight down.

  Unfortunately, the amount of water flowing down from this waterfall is not much, otherwise it would be a standard dragon-absorbing-water pattern. Nevertheless, this place is still a blessed land with a strong spiritual atmosphere.

  The mountain gate of Xuan Yang Jian Zong is located here.

  Today, the scorching sun shines brightly, making it hard to bear the heat, but at the foot of the mountain, more than 2,000 people have gathered. These 2,000 people are mostly cultivators, with the majority being young people under the age of 25. Fang Li, Liu Cai 'Yu' and that old man named Shi Tou are also among them.

  "It's been two hours since the opening of the mountain gate, why hasn't anyone from the Xuan Yang Sword Sect arrived yet? Could it be that they're not going to open the mountain gate today?" From morning till noon, many people started complaining, standing under the scorching sun for several hours, even cultivators with lower cultivation levels felt a bit unbearable.

  "Could something have happened to the Xuan Yang Sword Sect?" Liu Cai Yu was also getting impatient. Today's opening of the mountain gate was announced by the Xuan Yang Sword Sect itself, but for some reason, there had been no movement so far.

  "Easily alarmed and hard to calm down." The old man said calmly, then glanced at Fang Li beside him, finding that he was holding a long sword motionless, and couldn't help but nod slightly.

  Two more hours passed, and still no one from the Xuan Yang Sword Sect appeared. The crowd was filled with murmurs of discussion. If it weren't for the importance of joining the Xuan Yang Sword Sect, those impatient cultivators would have left long ago.

  "It's possible that the Xuanyang Sword Sect has something going on today, or else we can come back tomorrow." The cultivators who had arrived together started chatting idly, seeing the sun gradually setting in the west, already almost entering dusk, and couldn't help but feel a desire to retreat, not wanting to wait any longer.

  There were countless people who shared the same idea with him, and one by one they became impatient.

  "In the past, the Xuan Yang Sword Sect had never encountered such a situation when opening its mountain gate. What's going on this time?" Some of the elderly who accompanied the family juniors furrowed their brows and pondered the reason for this occurrence.

  "Could this be the first trial?" Someone suddenly spoke out, and the cultivators at the foot of the mountain immediately fell silent. It was only then that they reacted, and indeed, there was such a possibility. Thinking of this, no one dared to complain again, and they all fell silent, continuing to wait.

  After waiting for several more periods of time, the sky had completely darkened, and the cultivators who wanted to join the Xuan Yang Sword Sect became anxious once again. Some people's legs ached from standing, and they sat down on the ground in a rush.

  Liu Cai's heart was also anxious, she didn't really want to join the Laborious and Mysterious Sun Sword Sect in the first place. Seeing many cultivators sitting down beside her, she thought about following suit. But just then, Fang Li suddenly grabbed her arm and said indifferently: "Stand up, it's best not to sit down."

  Jian Fangli's face turned cold and icy, and Liu Caiyu suddenly became angry: "Little brat, what business is it of yours?"

  Fang Li furrowed his brow and said coldly, "Then sit down." After that, he ignored her and started meditating with his eyes closed.

  Liu Cai 'Yu' let out a cold hum, but ultimately didn't sit down. Her eyes rolled around Fang Li's body twice, and it was unclear what she was thinking in her heart.

  "I've just received news that the Xuan Yang Sword Sect has changed the date of opening the mountain gate to tomorrow, let's go." At this time, it was already midnight, and an old man in the foundation-building period suddenly ran down from the mountain and walked up to a young cultivator, saying this. The two seemed to know each other.

  The old man spoke to the monk, but he didn't intentionally lower his voice. Everyone present had keen ears and sharp eyes, so they naturally heard it, and suddenly, all of them turned their gaze on him.

  "Can what senior said be true?" a young monk asked aloud.

  "It's only natural, I wouldn't deceive you all. My nephew is an inner disciple of the Xuan Yang Sword Sect and just received news from him that tomorrow, a rare phenomenon will appear in the Long Teng Mountain Range - the 'Fish Leaping Dragon Gate'. This is a great auspicious sign. To respond to this sign, we have decided to change the date of opening the mountain gate to tomorrow." The old man said seriously, which made people somewhat convinced.

  "Dragon's Gate! Will there really be such a strange phenomenon in the Dragon's Spine Mountains tomorrow?" Some of the more knowledgeable cultivators couldn't help but open their mouths wide, revealing their astonished expressions.

  "This matter, I dare not speak rashly. It is the master of Xuan Yang Jian Zong who personally predicted it, and he was delighted for a long time." The old man continued, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

  "With a leap, 'Dragon's Gate' transforms into a dragon. Could it be that among the cultivators who have entered the Xuan Yang Sword Sect this time, there will be a true dragon emerging?"

  The phenomenon of the 'Dragon's Gate' has appeared several times in the history of Da Qian, and all of them occurred when certain sects were recruiting disciples. However, it so happened that every time the 'Dragon's Gate' phenomenon appeared, a disciple of the sect would rapidly rise to prominence, even if they had the lowest achievements, breaking through the Yuan Ying period and entering the Tai Xian realm. The Tai Xian, that is already half a step into immortality!

  Those two thousand cultivators who were about to join the Xuan Yang Sword Sect heard this and suddenly had a gleam in their eyes, thinking that the strange phenomenon was an omen for themselves.

  "Let's go, come back tomorrow morning. No one dares to speak recklessly about such things. The Xuan Yang Sword Sect may indeed have to wait until tomorrow to open the mountain gate." The old man who had been standing behind Liu Caiyu suddenly spoke up. Having lived for over 140 years, he naturally knew about the Fish Dragon Gate incident as well.

  "It's already nighttime now, and in just two more hours it will be tomorrow." Fang Li said quietly, without moving her feet, still standing there.

  The old man suddenly stared blankly and exclaimed in surprise: "You're saying that the Xuan Yang Sword Sect will open its mountain gate at midnight?"

  It's not impossible, and the cultivators who stayed behind after hearing that the Xuan Yang Sword Sect would open its doors tomorrow must be determined individuals. If I were the sect master of the Xuan Yang Sword Sect, I would definitely choose to recruit disciples during this time period." Fang Li said calmly.

  "It makes some sense, so let's just keep waiting then. We've already waited a day, what's a few more hours?" The old man seemed to agree with Fang Li's statement.

  Liu Cai didn't complain either, she wasn't a foolish person. Fang Li had already made things clear, if she opposed it now, it would seem unreasonable and making a fuss over nothing.

  In just a moment, the monks at the foot of the mountain retreated like the tide, and more than half of them left immediately. Some people complained as they walked away, saying that the Xuan Yang Sword Sect was too arrogant, and even on such an important day, no one came to notify them, leaving them waiting in vain.

  As this group of people left, the foot of the mountain suddenly became quiet, and there was no more disturbing noise.

  "There are still over two hundred people left, a bit more than I expected." Fang Li glanced around and muttered to himself. The remaining monks were at least one or two levels higher in terms of their 'nature'. Some were meditating with their eyes closed, some were practicing breathing exercises, while others stood motionless.

  It was unknown how long it took, but suddenly a golden light burst into the sky from the Tenglong Mountains, and immediately spread out, illuminating the entire dark night.

  "Open the mountain gate!" Along with a sound that seemed to come from nowhere, five old men with extraordinary bearing appeared, riding their swords. The cultivators who were still at the foot of the mountain suddenly opened their eyes and revealed a hint of joy on their faces.

  "It's exactly midnight!" Liu Cai 'Yu' softly exclaimed, immediately turning her head to look at the young man beside her.

  At this moment, Fang Li stared at the old man who flew with his five swords without blinking, and a strong yearning flowed out of his eyes. This must be a Yuan Ying period cultivator!