Li Changseng swept his gaze across the room with an indifferent expression. In the hall, several groups of guests were chatting and putting on a show. The guests laughed joyfully throughout the party. The occasion celebrated the birth of an heir for the Li family; many people had come to offer their best wishes and celebrate this happy event.
But if Li Changseng was unhappy, it was because he had made a calculation error: as soon as he had determined the child's birth date, he had immediately scheduled a party for the following day. At that time, the child had not even been born yet.
Of course, rumors would soon spread; it wasn't something that could be kept secret. He no longer had the heart for the festivities.
While he was moping, a man approached. He had a mole on his face and prominent teeth; the man had drunk a bit too much.
"The Li family is prestigious indeed, organizing such a grand feast for a child just born! The child will surely be a great man in the future! A woman? Uhhhg…"
"Now that I think about it, no announcement has been made. We, the guests, don't even know the child's gender, tsk tsk! Won't the young lady be here? We must present her with our congratulations and wishes…"
The man wasn't exactly speaking softly. He spoke as if he were having a conversation, but his mind was not steady, so he spoke openly, which drew the attention of several people. His mood shifted with every word that left his mouth.
"Could it be that the rumor is true?"
Around him, other guests from prestigious families or renowned individuals grew increasingly curious about this bold young man.
The family members all had a somber mood, though it was hard to tell; those close to him felt like slapping this chatterbox. For now, the man was merely rambling, but they couldn't help being on edge—worse still was hearing a certain rumor mentioned in the very hall of an event they were hosting. It was certain that the moment he crossed the line, his head would roll on the floor.
[5 years later]
Martial arts were designed and improved over centuries to fortify the body.
Thanks to martial arts, one could defy the natural cycle of things and live a bit longer than normal, or maintain a youthful physique for a long time.
But martial arts had their limits, which is why the great masters were desperate at the thought of passing on their skills: as they aged, no one could defy time. One could neither avoid death nor go back into the past; a martial art that allowed such a thing did not exist.
Even Li Wushou, who possessed numerous martial arts, each more extraordinary than the last, could not have imagined the possibility that such a thing existed: returning to the past.
"I remember it as if it were yesterday: the entire Murim against me, and those lords who came from the Upper Realm... But against all odds, I survived! I, Li Wushou, have defied my fate. Despite all the trials I've endured, here is joy within misfortune... Though it is sad that I am in such a state."
Li Wushou, lying on the bed, acted as if he were raising his hand; of course, he didn't have any. He was born without arms. Although he spoke of defying his fate, he knew more or less why he had been born this way.
Cultivators were indeed terrifying monsters: he had lost his arms in the battle of the Western Desert, and when he returned to the past, he was born without them.
Although he was glad to be alive, he couldn't help but be indignant. In his heart, cultivators were objects of fear.
"Despite ruminating on the question day and night, I don't understand where it went wrong and why everyone turned their backs on me."
"Hmph, it doesn't matter now. I have a second chance."
"Power puts you at the summit and safe from everything. I, who was at the top if I fell, it was simply because there was a power greater than mine."
"If you are powerful and you fall, it's quite simply because you weren't powerful enough."
With all the memories of his martial arts, he was indeed a dangerous individual. While in his previous life he had been manipulated and betrayed, in this one, he was the one who could pull the strings.
He was aware of the major turning points of the next sixty years, as well as the arrival of the problematic guests from the Upper Realm; the same applied to the disappearance of one of the pillars of the Central Plains.
But despite all these resolutions, he faced a problem—no, several. To begin with, he had no arms, which put him in a difficult situation. In his past life, he was hailed as the future of the family; in this one, he was ignored. This was why he was alone in this large pavilion with only a few servants.
In the eyes of everyone, he couldn't learn martial arts. His future looked grim: not only was he born without arms, but his body was covered in marks resembling lightning burns, which stigmatized him in everyone's eyes. Rumors that he was cursed were a dime a dozen.
But for Li Wushou, who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, it was all just a matter of time. He was sure that in a few years, no one would dare look him in the eye. But before that, he had to endure.
"A few more years."
With his current constitution, he couldn't rush into martial arts; he would risk ruining everything. That was why he decided to do nothing until he was ten. Unlike other geniuses who practiced early, he was going to start with a significant delay.
All he could do was create the martial art that would be perfect for him. By training his mind, he pushed his brain to the limit day after day in simulations, thereby increasing his mental strength.
He was ready. He looked to the other side of his bed; his body was so weak that he couldn't sit up on his own. At that moment, a servant entered his room.