Gu An entered Mystic Valley and observed the practicing disciples along the way. He saw Chu Jingfeng meditating under a tree, with a wooden sword erect in front of him.
He suddenly became interested and turned to walk over.
“Brother Chu, what are you doing?” Gu An asked curiously.
Chu Jingfeng opened his eyes and replied, “I am contemplating my own Sword Dao, hoping to create a new Swordsmanship.”
“Create Swordsmanship? That’s quite impressive. Why use a wooden sword? If you need a sword, you can just tell me!”
Gu An exclaimed and then took a magic sword out of his storage bag.
Chu Jingfeng’s storage bag had long been confiscated, and the spirit stones he earned from his daily chores were kept in his room.
Facing Gu An’s offer of a sword, Chu Jingfeng shook his head, “No need, I want to comprehend a pure Swordsmanship, to understand the sword through heart, not through the sword itself.”
That sounded quite profound.
Gu An retracted the sword and smiled, “Then if you need anything, just let me know.”
After speaking, he headed towards his own loft.
Chu Jingfeng looked at Gu An’s departing figure, sensing his cheerful mood.
“Though he is weak, he always seems happy.”
Chu Jingfeng watched Gu An’s retreating figure and thought to himself, feeling a trace of envy.
He was born into a wealthy family but ended up as a prisoner due to family infighting. If given a choice, he too would want to start as a servant disciple, unburdened by much.
Chu Jingfeng stopped pondering and continued his Sword Enlightenment.
After practicing the Daoist Expansion Skill, he couldn’t increase his cultivation level and was lazy to practice other spells, planning to solely focus on the Sword Dao.
Just like the Mad Swordsman, Han Ming of Great Yu, once he understood the Sword Dao, his momentum was unstoppable.
Meanwhile.
Gu An returned to the loft, sitting at his desk and bringing up his attribute panel.
He had gained over three hundred thousand years to his lifespan.
This also indicated that when he destroyed the Ephemera Tree, he had killed thousands of Ephemera Sect cultivators.
Gu An suddenly realized why there were so many demon cultivators; he tried to calm his emotions, keeping his original heart, not falling into the Demon Path.
Planting flowers and grass was preferable, and the lifespan a Great Cultivator at Mystic Heart Realm brought was equivalent to a fifth-tier herb.
For him, the benefit of slaying enemies was not much different from harvesting herbs but could bring potential troubles.
Gu An took out ‘Green Hero Travelogue’ to shift his attention.
Soon, he was immersed, experiencing the love and hatred between the Green Hero and his beloved.
At the same moment.
In the Dustless Barrens, numerous cultivators navigated through the sky; some were arriving while others escorted away the captured Ephemera Sect cultivators.
On a cliff, Ji Hantian stood behind a white-robed elder, respectfully narrating the previous battle.
“That’s the situation, Ancestor, thanks to Sword Venerable Fudao. Who exactly is he among the Supreme Elders? The Great Cultivators at Mystic Heart Realm are powerless against him,” Ji Hantian, trying to contain his excitement, asked.
The intervention of Sword Venerable Fudao had pleasantly surprised him and allowed him to feel triumphant.
Thinking back to the stunned expressions of other faction leaders, his heart was exceptionally gratified.
The white-robed elder before him was none other than Xuan Quan, the recently returned Supreme Elder.
Xuan Quan remained silent, his eyes also closing.
Ji Hantian did not disturb him, thinking the Supreme Elder was pondering who Sword Venerable Fudao was.
Little did he know, Xuan Quan was filled with shock.
There was no such powerful Supreme Elder in the Supreme Sect!
However, he had heard about Sword Venerable Fudao soon after returning, which at least indicated that the person was loyal to the Supreme Sect, most likely one of its members, just not a Supreme Elder.
He had encountered such situations overseas as well; those exceptional sects would often produce remarkable talents who would step forward during crises, known as the great luck of the sect.
Could the Supreme Sect also have such luck?
Xuan Quan slowly opened his eyes and said, “Sword Venerable Fudao prefers to stay hidden, surely wishing not to be disturbed. The more so, the less we should try to uncover his identity, even considering ways to protect his information, but we must extensively promote his deeds to strengthen his sense of belonging to the Supreme Sect.
Otherwise, as time goes by, he might leave, feeling that the Supreme Sect brings him no benefits, only holding him back.”
“Ancestor, I think the same. I have already sent a message to the Sect Leader to promote this matter,” Ji Hantian said with a smile.
The Supreme Sect had survived another calamity. After difficulties come great advancements, a pattern established since ancient times!
“You can go now. I will check the entrance to the Nine Nether Road; maybe this path will become an opportunity for the Supreme Sect.”
Xuan Quan left these words and vanished into thin air.
Ji Hantian turned and left, preparing to discuss with other factions on how to handle the Nine Nether Road.
…
As the year’s end approached, Gu An went to the Outer City to find Wu Jue, bringing along fine wine and roast chicken.
When Wu Jue saw him, he was very pleased and pulled him into the house.
After closing the door, Wu Jue exclaimed excitedly, “Brother Gu, what brings you here?”
This was the first time someone had visited him voluntarily; how could he not be delighted?
“Just checking on you, didn’t want you to get bored,” Gu An said with a chuckle. He actually wanted to see if Wu Jue had achieved any further Path Enlightenment.
Unfortunately, he had not.
Gu An still hoped to witness Wu Jue continuously gain Path Enlightenment and surpass the talents of the Supreme Sect.
For himself, Path Enlightenment was more of a luxury; he could always increase his life span.
He reflected on Path Enlightenment for two reasons, one being out of boredom, and the other to see if he could devise a way to extend one’s ultimate life span to help those around him.
As it seemed, achieving Path Enlightenment was extremely difficult, not something that could be accomplished merely through profound experiences or rich emotions.
Wu Jue brought the bowls and chopsticks to the table while Gu An placed down the fine wine and roast chicken. He looked around the room and saw that nothing had changed.
Wu Jue’s cultivation level had risen from the second layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm to the fourth layer since he had last attempted Path Enlightenment. How long had that taken?
Why did his talent seem even higher than the limits of life span?
But judging from his living environment, Wu Jue hadn’t sought a new master.
“Speaking of which, have you heard about the deeds of Sword Venerable Fudao? He single-handedly defeated the Ephemera Sect, which is incredible. The Demon Lord, whom no Great Cultivator of the Nine Dynasties could defeat, was killed by him in just two moves. That’s more impressive than Gu Yu in the ‘Supreme Immortal Venerable’!”
While pouring wine for Gu An, Wu Jue laughed.
The deeds of Sword Venerable Fudao had spread throughout the Supreme Sect. Not just Wu Jue, but even the Servant Disciples of the Third Medicine Valley and Mystic Valley were discussing it.
He had been to Tianya Valley a few days ago, and even that scoundrel Luo Hun had gotten wind of it and had inquired about it.
“Of course, I’ve heard of it, he’s indeed formidable. I really wonder what he’s like in person,” Gu An said with a grin.
The two of them started talking about Sword Venerable Fudao, sharing drink after drink, quickly finishing a jar of wine.
Wu Jue took out a manuscript from his bosom and said, “Brother Gu, I traded all my savings for this fist technique manual. Take a look and memorize it. You should practice it when you get back.”
Gu An hastily declined, “How could I do that? No, I can’t take advantage of you!”
“What do you mean ‘take advantage’? You’re my only friend, and besides, learning more combat skills can never be a bad thing. I’ve come to realize that peace in the Immortal Cultivation World rarely lasts for decades; conflicts between the righteous and the demonic are bound to erupt,” Wu Jue said earnestly.
Upon hearing this, Gu An could only accept and began perusing the fist technique.
Sunset Fist!
After browsing it once, Gu An had memorized it all. He returned the manual to Wu Jue.
Wu Jue was taken aback and asked, “That fast? You didn’t like it?”
Gu An replied, “I’m not fond of fighting, and this technique is too lethal for me.”
Wu Jue sighed in resignation, “For cultivators, fighting is a matter of life and death, unless you plan to stay in the Supreme Sect forever.”
“Hey, I actually do want to stay for a lifetime.”
“Alright then.”
Gu An didn’t want to take unfair advantage, so he took out a sword technique manual and said, “I have a swordsmanship manual here, would you like to take a look?”
“No need, even though I respect Sword Venerable Fudao, I don’t like swords, or rather I don’t like using magic artifacts in battle. I only believe in my fists and feet,” Wu Jue said, waving his hand while he flexed his robust arm.
Gu An laughed and then took out a manual for the Gale Shadowless Leg, asking, “How about this one then?”
Wu Jue glanced at it and couldn’t look away.
“It sounds really powerful. Must be quite valuable, huh?”
“Don’t worry, take it. If you become someone important in the Supreme Sect one day, just don’t forget about your brother here,” Gu An said.
Hearing Gu An put it that way, Wu Jue no longer hesitated, picked up the manual, and started browsing it carefully.
Gu An held his bowl of wine, watching Wu Jue who was absorbed in the book.
He wondered what he would be like a thousand years from now?
…
As the New Year arrived, this year’s snow season extended, continuing until the Spring Festival without stopping.
The Third Medicine Valley became very lively, the attic area was decorated with lights and colors, and the disciples were all busy, their faces full of smiles.
Gu An sat at a long table in the courtyard, happily watching the disciples busy themselves.
Having many people around was beneficial; he didn’t need to worry about anything.
Gu An looked at Lu Lingjun, who was cutting paper. Surrounded by female disciples, she appeared extremely virtuous and gentle, which made it hard to imagine she had a cultivation level of the ninth layer of the Unification Realm.
Xiaochuan came over and sat next to him, excitedly saying, “Brother, they are building a statue of Sword Venerable Fudao next to the Heavenly Repair Platform. It looks magnificent; you should definitely see it next time.”
He had also started practicing the Daoist Expansion Skill, but he clearly wasn’t as diligent as Chu Jingfeng or Lu Jiujia. He had accepted his mediocre talents and chose to simply enjoy life, a choice that Gu An respected, as he couldn’t force someone to cultivate.
After all, even with serious practice, one would still eventually grow old and die, merely delaying the process.
“Really? I definitely need to check it out,” Gu An said, raising his eyebrows with a smile.
He was satisfied with the attitude of the Supreme Sect, at least they gave him enough respect.
Xiaochuan continued talking about changes in the Outer City when suddenly, Gu An sensed that Lv Baitian was flying toward them.
It wasn’t long before Lv Baitian landed.
As soon as he arrived, Xiaochuan stood up and left, not daring to disturb them.
“Let’s talk inside.” Lv Baitian dropped this remark and went toward the attic on his own.
Lu Lingjun sent a curious look their way.
What exactly was Gu An’s identity?
Why did this Great Cultivator of the ninth layer of the Unification Realm always come to find him?
Could it be that Gu An was hiding his true cultivation level?
And was not as weak as he appeared?
With this thought, Lu Lingjun decided she would find a time to talk with Xiaochuan.
Meanwhile.
Once inside, Gu An closed the door, and Lv Baitian promptly activated a restriction and sat down, saying, “I have a great opportunity; are you interested?”