Chapter 453 - 247: Nullified
Chapter 453: Chapter 247: Nullified
’If that’s the case, Li Chuyang’s background must be even more formidable than I imagined. No wonder he dared to constantly oppose Jiang Fan.’
"Offended him? I suppose you could say that."
Xu Yang lowered his cupped hands and straightened his back. He understood that things with the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had probably fallen through.
He wasn’t too concerned. He had originally agreed to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s recruitment offer mostly to gain the privileges of an Honored Guest Elder, which would allow him to purchase the ingredients for the Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pill.
Now that his Marrow Cleansing was nearing Perfection, it didn’t matter if the deal fell through. Cyan Yang City had more than just the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. He had only continued doing business with them because he was familiar with them.
He just never expected that the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, which prided itself on only doing business, would renege on their agreement over his conflict with Li Chuyang.
"The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and the Li Family have very close ties," Fang Xinghai said. "Young friend, if you wish to continue cooperating with us, you must go and apologize to Young Master Li. Only then can we give you the Dragon Ascension Resources. Otherwise, the agreement you made with Tao Hujin will be void."
Xu Yang’s expression was cold. "Then let it be void."
He would never bow his head and apologize to Li Chuyang. Besides, it wasn’t as if he had been begging to work with the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion; Tao Hujin was the one who had actively recruited him.
Since Li Chuyang’s family was connected to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, there was no way he could become their Honored Guest Elder anymore.
"Xu Yang, don’t be rash. We’re doing this for your own good," Tao Hujin said gravely. "Li Chuyang is not someone you can afford to provoke. Letting the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion mediate this conflict will be of great benefit to your future."
"Young people truly don’t know their place. If Shopkeeper Tao hadn’t already made an agreement with you, why would the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion bother with your trivial affairs? You really don’t know what’s good for you," Fang Xinghai snorted.
After learning that Xu Yang had already achieved Marrow Cleansing Great Success, he had actually wanted to undermine the agreement between Xu Yang and Tao Hujin himself. However, when Xu Yang voided it without a moment’s hesitation, giving him no face at all, he still felt a surge of anger.
’How can someone from such a dirt-poor background have so much backbone?’
"Shopkeeper Tao, I appreciate the kind thought, but I must take my leave."
Xu Yang gave Tao Hujin a slight bow, then turned and left without another word. As for Fang Xinghai, he paid him no mind, treating him as nothing more than a dog barking on the side of the road.
"Xu Yang, it’s just an apology! A wise man knows when to yield!" Tao Hujin called out anxiously.
He didn’t care in the slightest who was right or wrong in the conflict between Xu Yang and Li Chuyang. All he knew was that Xu Yang was his ticket back to Yun Province. If Xu Yang refused to back down, he would have to wait another five years.
"Let him go. He’s so arrogant before he’s even entered the Celestial Strategy Academy, completely tactless. Even if a person like that achieves something in the future, he would be of no use to our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
When he fails his Dragon Ascension and is left broken and bleeding, he’ll understand the true cost of his impulsiveness today," Fang Xinghai sneered.
Xu Yang stopped in his tracks. He turned and looked coldly at Tao Hujin and Fang Xinghai. "We have no formal partnership. I have received no benefits from your Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Yet you demand that I apologize to a man who oppresses me. If I truly became one of your people, would you not cast my life aside whenever it suited you?
The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion has no sense of right and wrong. I am better off not joining.
And one last thing. Don’t act as if I can’t survive without you. You need to get one thing straight: you came to me. You saw my potential and wanted to recruit me in advance. I was not the one begging to join the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion."
With that said, he strode away.
Fang Xinghai’s face was livid. A mere Inner Sect Disciple of the Purple Sun Sect dared to show him, the Steward of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s northern branch, absolutely no respect.
"Xu Yang, without the help of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, your Secondary Dragon Ascension will be fraught with difficulty!" Tao Hujin shouted after him.
Reaching the Celestial Essence realm was merely the prerequisite for a Secondary Dragon Ascension; it didn’t guarantee success.
This time, Xu Yang ignored him, disappearing from their sight after just a few steps.
Tao Hujin stood there, bewildered. ’It’s just an apology to Li Chuyang. What’s so bad about resolving the conflict? Why did he have to refuse?’
’That’s Li Lingdu’s son from Yun Province! Without the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion mediating, they wouldn’t even give you the time of day if you tried to reconcile on your own.’
"A frog in a well. He probably has no idea what a behemoth the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion is, nor does he understand Li Chuyang’s status," Fang Xinghai sneered.
Xu Yang certainly had talent, but the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion wasn’t about to antagonize Li Lingdu’s son and offend Li Chuyang for someone like him.
Tao Hujin looked like he wanted to say something, but held his tongue.
’He was still counting on Xu Yang to get out of Cyan Yang City and return to Yun Province. Now that they’d had a falling out, did that mean he was stuck here?’
Zhou Yong had been observing coldly the entire time without saying a word. He, too, had never expected Xu Yang to refuse to apologize to Li Chuyang.
"Next time you’re choosing someone, remember to pick one who’s obedient. Don’t bother with the kind who gets a little talent and suddenly thinks their nose is in the air," Fang Xinghai said before striding away.
’Does he really think he can best Li Chuyang just because he can withstand a few of his moves?’
’All he had to do was lower his head and apologize to get the Pavilion’s resources and resolve his conflict with Li Chuyang. Why did it have to be like this?’ Tao Hujin sighed, then also strode away.
Though he wanted to rely on Xu Yang’s talent to leave Cyan Yang City, he was also keenly aware of the terrifying power backing Li Chuyang.
Offending Li Chuyang might not seem like a big deal within the Purple Sun Sect’s territory, but the moment he left, there would be countless people willing to teach him a lesson just to curry favor with Li Chuyang.
The fact that a behemoth like the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion demanded Xu Yang reconcile with Li Chuyang before they would even dare provide him with Dragon Ascension Resources spoke volumes. It showed just how frightening the power behind Li Chuyang was—so frightening that even the Pavilion was unwilling to risk offending him by appointing his enemy as an Honored Guest Elder.
...
Xu Yang returned to Li Fire Peak.
’In the end, I can only rely on myself!’
He had thought the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion would be a good backer, but before their partnership had even begun, they were already trying to use him to suck up to Li Chuyang.
If he had foolishly gone with Fang Xinghai to apologize and grovel before Li Chuyang, his life would have been in their hands. The only regrettable part was that now he had to find a new channel for acquiring resources.
’Power, factions... it’s so damn hard for someone from the dirt to get ahead.’
Even though he had achieved Marrow Cleansing Great Success, in the eyes of these great powers, he was still just a peasant.
A cold, sharp light glinted in Xu Yang’s eyes.
’No need to rush. I am immortal, forever at my peak. Sooner or later, I will settle all scores.’
His emotions quickly settled, and he took out the Li Fire Technique to continue his study.
The annual Outer Disciple competition had already begun. Xu Qing hadn’t registered, and Xu Yang couldn’t be bothered to watch.
A few days later, the competition concluded. The top three were names he had never heard before. However, he heard this year’s competition had been particularly brutal, with some participants even being crippled.
The reason was that no Bone Marrow Cleansing Masters had emerged, so everyone thought they had a shot at the top three and fought desperately for it.
SCREECH!
One day, as Xu Yang was in his courtyard studying the Li Fire Technique, a sharp eagle’s cry suddenly pierced the air.
He looked up to see Lu Tianchen’s giant eagle mount flying from Beast King Peak toward Li Fire Peak like a dark cloud. On its back, he could faintly make out the figure of Lu Tianchen, standing with his hands clasped behind him.
In an instant, the giant eagle was hovering over Li Fire Peak. Lu Tianchen’s resonant voice echoed from its back: "Huoyun, Tie Fu, Gong Shu, it’s time to go."
The next moment, the figures of Elder Huoyun, Tie Fu, and Gong Shu—the three Elders of Li Fire Peak—shot into the sky and landed on the great eagle’s back.
The giant eagle let out another sharp cry, then flapped its wings and soared into the heavens. In the blink of an eye, it had carried Lu Tianchen and the three Elders beyond the horizon.
’Time to go? Go where?’
Xu Yang wondered. He noticed the entire Li Fire Peak was in an uproar as disciples poured out of their residences, all speculating about where Lu Tianchen and the three Elders were going.
"They’re probably going to deal with a Blood Lotus Sect stronghold."
Soon after, Xu Yang heard this theory from Gao Lin: it was suspected that Elder Huoyun, the other two Elders, and Lu Tianchen were on their way to deal with a Blood Lotus Sect stronghold.
Of course, this was only Gao Lin’s speculation; there was no way to know if it was true.
The news, however, put Xu Yang on high alert. Elder Huoyun was his greatest protector. Now that the Elder had left the Purple Sun Sect, his backer was gone.
But for all his vigilance, there was nothing he could do to change the situation.
The day after Elder Huoyun, the other two Elders, and Lu Tianchen departed, someone knocked on his courtyard gate.