Under the blazing sun, with clear skies and mountains all around, the earth and sky seemed to pulsate. A mountain breeze swept through, cooling Gu An as he stood in the garden.
Gu An wiped the sweat from his forehead, his gaze fixated intensely on the blossoming plants before him—each vibrant in color, showing no signs of withering under the harsh sunlight.
To his left and right stood two young men. The three had been accepted into the Elixir Hall under the auspices of Medicine Valley in the Supreme Sect that very day. Compared to Gu An’s excitement, the other two seemed disinterested, absentmindedly wiping away sweat.
Before them stood a plainly dressed young man of average looks but a sturdy build and bright eyes. He was Zhang Chunqiu, the senior disciple of Medicine Valley, explaining the key points of harvesting Spirit Flowers and Spirit Grass.
“The plants in this garden are all first-tier medicinal herbs. When harvesting, do not pull them out by the roots—cut them close to the ground instead. After cutting, wrap them in the Spirit Protection Paper you have, to prevent the leakage of spiritual energy…” Zhang Chunqiu’s voice was loud and energetic, unaffected by the harsh sun.
Gu An held scissors in his right hand and several white paper strips in his left, carefully noting every word uttered by Zhang Chunqiu.
Unlike the others, he cherished this position, having endured many a disdainful glance to seize this opportunity.
Others might think he was slacking off, on the path to ruin, but little did they know, this was the perfect way for him to become stronger!
“Alright, start now. Everyone pick one plant for me to check,” Zhang Chunqiu had just finished speaking when Gu An crouched down.
Gu An placed his Spirit Protection Paper down and carefully gripped the stem of a red flower before him with his left hand.
“Brother, aren’t you being a bit too nervous? Even if you cut it wrong, it’s no big deal—it’s just a first-tier herb. These are used to refine basic elixirs; I wouldn’t even bother with them back home,” said Meng Lang from Gu An’s right, his clothes luxurious, indicating a remarkable family background.
Indeed, that was the case. Apart from Gu An, who was a house servant, the other two were from wealthy families. However, even children of affluent families needed proper Spirit Root qualifications to remain in the Immortal Cultivation Sects. All of them possessed the most common type, the Five Spirit Roots, and could only stay in the Supreme Sect as Servant Disciples.
Gu An ignored Meng Lang’s words and concentrated on cutting the flower.
He pinched the stem, snipped gently with his scissors, then wrapped the base of the red flower with Spirit Protection Paper.
After finishing, he stood up and handed his work to Zhang Chunqiu for inspection.
Zhang Chunqiu took it and smiled approvingly, “Well done, you are very meticulous.”
Gu An didn’t respond, but stared intently at the red flower in his hand.
He seemed even more nervous now than before cutting it.
Seconds later, a row of text appeared before him that only he could see.
[You have successfully harvested a Red Spirit Flower (first-tier)—1 year life span]
Success!
A smile appeared on Gu An’s face, the burden lifted from his shoulders.
Indeed, only creatures infused with spiritual energy could have their life spans harvested by him.
The first time Gu An harvested a life span was when he was ten years old, accidentally bumping into a house servant carrying a pot, causing the Spirit Flower inside to spill and granting him twelve years of life.
At that time, the Court Guardian flew into a rage, insisting on cutting off one of his hands, but it was the Third Miss Ji Xiaoyu who stepped in and saved him.
This time, Gu An’s entry into the Supreme Sect was also thanks to Ji Xiaoyu, a dual Spirit Root talent seen once in a century. Many great sects courted the Ji Family, and with Ji Xiaoyu leading five members of the Ji Family into the Supreme Sect, Gu An was one of only two house servants to join.
Without Ji Xiaoyu, with his ordinary Five Spirit Roots, he could only have joined a third-rate sect.
While Gu An secretly rejoiced, Meng Lang and another young man named Li Ya had also completed their harvest.
Zhang Chunqiu placed the three Red Spirit Flowers into his Storage Bag and said sternly, “Today your task is to collectively harvest fifty Red Spirit Flowers. You are only to move within this garden area, not overstepping into other areas. When completed, bring the Red Spirit Flowers to the attic to find me.”
With that, Zhang Chunqiu turned and left.
Meng Lang waved his fist at Zhang Chunqiu’s departing back, muttering under his breath, “Such a trivial matter and he lectured for so long, has he never mentored juniors before?”
Li Ya sat directly on the ground and frantically wiped sweat with his sleeve.
After seeing Zhang Chunqiu head upstairs, Gu An turned back and said to Meng Lang and Li Ya, “Brothers, given your well-off appearance, you surely come from extremely good homes and are not used to such rough tasks, unlike me, a mere house servant. Let me take on the task. Find a shady spot to rest, and just take good care of me in the future.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Lang’s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly, “That works, brother! Very smooth. If you ever feel you can’t stay here, I’ll ensure you have food and clothes for life.”
Li Ya, too exhausted to speak, nodded in agreement.
Then, they left their Spirit Protection Paper and supported each other as they walked out of the garden.
Gu An picked up the Spirit Protection Papers, then looked back at the garden, his eyes shining brighter than the blazing sun above.
In his eyes, the garden full of Red Spirit Flowers was not merely flowers, but steps built of longevity stones that led to immortality!
He began to move cautiously, not just to complete the task but to do it well, to avoid losing this perfect opportunity.
The scorching sun radiated its mighty rays, showing no regard for the mortals below.
Meng Lang and Li Ya took refuge in a small pavilion, wiping sweat continuously and too drained to even talk. Their gazes followed Gu An.
As time ticked by, sweat poured down Gu An’s face, but he was extremely excited, his smile never fading.
Seeing the flushed face of Gu An, Meng Lang couldn’t help but remark, “On such a hot day, the kid really pushes himself. I like that. We’ll take good care of him later, ensure he’s well-fed and nobody bullies him, so he can keep working for us.”
Li Ya rolled his eyes and responded grumpily, “There aren’t many people in this valley; who’s going to bully him? If senior brother ever bullies him, would you dare talk back?”
Meng Lang coughed and looked at Li Ya, asking, “Brother, which Li family are you from?”
Li Ya replied calmly, “The Li family from Cangzhou’s Changluo.”
“Changluo? Isn’t that the imperial city? You share a surname with the Imperial Family?” Meng Lang asked in surprise, eyes widening as he spoke.
Meng Lang did not respond but quietly looked at Gu An.
Meng Lang felt uneasy, as he had not expected to encounter a descendant of the Imperial Family here.
However, upon further reflection, he thought it made sense, given that this was the Supreme Sect, the leading Immortal Cultivation Sect of the Taicang Dynasty. The common use of the character “太” in both the dynasty and the sect’s names was a testament to the sect’s exalted status. Hence, encountering a member of the Imperial Family in the lower levels of the Supreme Sect was not unusual.
After a long while,
Gu An finally finished picking fifty Red Spirit Flowers, wrapped them carefully, and placed them into a bamboo basket. He hoisted the basket onto his back, looked towards other gardens, and his face brimmed with anticipation.
There were more than fifteen garden quarters within the valley, and the one they were in was just a small corner. He speculated that the herbs in other garden quarters might be of higher value.
There was plenty of time!
Gu An did not want to reveal his Golden Finger yet, so he decided today would suffice.
He walked along the path toward the pavilion, signaling to Meng Lang and Li Ya to come, and they rose to join him.
“Brother Gu An, you’ve worked hard, let me carry that,” Meng Lang said with a chuckle, recalling each other’s names from when they had met the Valley Master.
Seeing through Meng Lang’s intentions, Gu An smiled, nodded, and handed the basket to him.
Li Ya scoffed, his eyes revealing a look of disdain.
Gu An only wanted to keep his current job, uninterested in possibly being reassigned due to overly good performance, so he didn’t bother competing with Meng Lang.
The three of them entered the pavilion and met with the senior brother, Zhang Chunqiu.
Zhang Chunqiu was engrossed in a book but put it down as Gu An and the others entered. He said, “Place the Red Spirit Flowers down. These three are Basic Sorcery books left by Master. Make good use of your free time to practice them, striving to leap from here to become true disciples of the Supreme Sect someday.
Five years ago, one disciple received Master’s Spirit Pill, succeeded in Foundation Establishment, and became an Outer Disciple of the Supreme Sect.”
As he spoke, he waved his right hand, and three secret books flew from his sleeve towards the trio.
Gu An caught one and read the title.
Spring Wood Skill!
It sounded so rudimentary!
Yet, Gu An was not disappointed, considering he was at the lowest level of the Supreme Sect.
Zhang Chunqiu added a few more words of caution and then instructed them to find rooms in the adjoining courtyard to settle down. The courtyard was specifically reserved for Servant Disciples, and currently, only the four of them were disciples there. The Valley Master was away and would not return for another couple of years, leaving Zhang Chunqiu in charge of the Medicine Valley.
Thirty minutes later,
Gu An lay on a wooden bed, gasping for air, his face flushed, having just endured a long exposure to the sun.
With a thought, rows of text appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Gu An]
[Life Span: 15/151]
[Spirit Root: Ordinary Five Elements Spirit Root (can invest life span to evolve in cultivation)]
[Cultivation Level: Nonexistent (can invest life span to evolve in cultivation)]
[Cultivation Technique: Fire Control Art (unmastered) (can invest life span to evolve in cultivation)]
…
Gu An had seized a total of eighty-eight years of life span in one breath!
Before this, his life span was sixty-three years, twelve of which he had gained at the age of ten by breaking a flower pot, meaning he originally only had a life span of fifty years.
First-stage herbs could only provide one to two years of life span, but for a mortal, a single year was immense!
Gu An looked at his attribute panel, growing more and more excited. In such a short time, he had earned eighty-eight years of life, making this job incredibly worthwhile!
He wanted to become a permanent fixture of the Medicine Valley!
He scorned the idea of being either an Outer or Inner Sect Disciple,
As it was said that becoming an Official Disciple involved going to the Mortal World to fight demons and dangers.
From childhood to adulthood, Gu An had never killed even a chicken, and in his previous life, he was just an ordinary person on Earth. He couldn’t bring himself to engage in such violence.
Staying in the Medicine Valley was far better, almost free of danger and capable of crazily accumulating life span!
Who says Immortal Cultivation must be a fierce struggle?
Gu An indulged in delightful daydreams, unable to extricate himself.
Overnight passed.
Gu An awoke early the next morning, and after a quick wash, he went to find Zhang Chunqiu to receive his tasks.
Zhang Chunqiu had not slept; he was practicing Energy Absorption. Pleased by Gu An’s diligence, he smiled appreciatively, rose from his seat, moved to the door, and pointed towards a patch of land, saying, “You may pick the Spirit Heart Grass in that garden quarter. Once done, just leave them at the door, no need to knock.”
With that, he waved his sleeve, and several Spirit Protection Papers fell into Gu An’s hands.
Zhang Chunqiu, seeing Gu An struggling to contain his excitement and after a moment of hesitation, revealed a friendly and kind smile and said, “Junior brother, work hard and endure hardships, and you will undoubtedly make it through.”