Zuo Lin’s words suddenly made Di Xie’s expression unnatural, but his next sentence left him both amused and exasperated:
“You must be a genius, I have never been mistaken in judging someone’s talent and destiny.”
Zuo Lin wore a proud expression, he raised his chin, signaling Di Xie to look at Gu An, and said, “Don’t underestimate this young fellow just because his cultivation level is at the Foundation Establishment Realm. He is not simple. In fact, my judgment has proven to be correct, as he is now a Golden List Genius.”
Gu An came over and said helplessly, “What kind of genius am I? My entry into the Golden List was mostly due to good luck.”
Zuo Lin pulled Gu An over to sit down, and then had Di Xie and Gu An introduce themselves to each other.
Di Xie behaved very calmly, showing a pleasant demeanor towards Gu An without any traces of arrogance that a Guest Elder might have.
Zuo Lin was very interested in Di Xie. Upon hearing that Di Xie wanted to learn about Sword Venerable Fudao, he did not hold back and began to narrate the deeds of Sword Venerable Fudao.
Di Xie listened attentively.
Before coming here, he had heard that the foremost cultivator of the Nine Dynasties was either the Taoist of Immortality of the Three Pure Ones Mountain or Sword Venerable Fudao of the Supreme Sect.
Among these, Sword Venerable Fudao was the most mysterious; though he had intervened on behalf of the Supreme Sect numerous times, no one knew his true identity.
Gu An listened to Zuo Lin boasting about his other identity, finding it quite amusing.
Simultaneously, he was also observing Di Xie.
In the subsequent hour, Gu An did not sense any ill intention from Di Xie, prompting him to momentarily suppress his suspicions.
The Great Demon calamity was imminent, and a mighty demon of the Mystic Heart Realm had infiltrated the Supreme Sect, but his purpose remained unknown.
Fearing Di Xie would suspect him, Gu An found an opportunity to slip away.
There would be other days to observe Di Xie, as he planned to comprehend the Sword Intent of Sword Venerable Fudao at the Heavenly Repair Platform.
In the days that followed, Gu An would daily observe Di Xie using his Divine Sense.
The more he observed, the more he believed Di Xie harbored no ill intentions; he seemed purely interested in learning the sword.
Previously, Di Xie had scanned his surroundings with his Divine Sense, probably searching for Sword Venerable Fudao.
…
Seasons changed, and two years passed by.
In these two years, Gu An’s life span increased rapidly; the Star-Master Cave had provided him with a vast amount of life span, and his life span had now surpassed six million five hundred thousand, drawing closer and closer to the ten million mark.
One day, Gu An went to the Outer City’s Book Collection Hall under the name of Pan An to release his new book “Shattering Void.”
The Elder Liu Chang, who was in charge of receiving Pan An years ago, had passed away; Gu An was now received by the Book Collection Hall’s Great Elder, Feng Shang.
It was the first time Feng Shang received Pan An, and he was very excited; he showered Gu An with many flattering words and guaranteed that he would handle the follow-up of the book carefully.
Having stayed in the Book Collection Hall for an hour, Gu An was finally able to leave.
Feng Shang was really too enthusiastic!
In Feng Shang’s eyes, Gu An was a tremendous opportunity; as long as he managed Pan An’s new book well, he could ascend to great heights in the future!
After leaving the Book Collection Hall, Gu An wandered around the city. As the Supreme Sect grew stronger year by year, this Outer City became extremely bustling. Every street was crowded, and stalls even appeared on the streets selling all sorts of curious and rare items. Over the past year, Gu An had grown fond of strolling through the city to watch the hustle and bustle.
As he walked, Gu An spotted a familiar face.
“Du Ye.”
Gu An approached to greet him. As both were house servants of the Ji Family and had joined the Supreme Sect together, although their relationship wasn’t close, they would chat if they bumped into each other in the Outer City.
At a stall, Du Ye was fiddling with a small gourd. Hearing Gu An’s voice, he put down the gourd and stood up to look at Gu An.
As Gu An approached, Du Ye smiled and asked, “Are you here to hunt for treasures too?”
Gu An replied with a laugh, “There aren’t that many treasures to pick up; I just came to stroll around, watch the lively scene. How have you been recently?”
At ninety-two years old, Du Ye looked just over forty; he hadn’t taken Youth-Preserving Pills in his youth, unlike Gu An who still looked young.
In the world of Immortal Cultivation, not all cultivators pursue a youthful appearance; some feel that a mature appearance can be more imposing.
“Ah, don’t mention it, I recently tried to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and failed, and I also wasted a Foundation Establishment Pill,” Du Ye said dejectedly.
He was truly one of the lower tiers of the Immortal Cultivation World, with mediocre talent, and had to run errands for the scions of noble families to obtain cultivation resources.
Gu An comforted him, then pulled out a small medicine bottle containing two Foundation Establishment Pills.
“This…” Holding the medicine bottle, Du Ye hesitated, not wanting to accept Gu An’s charity but also reluctant to refuse.
For cultivators like him at the bottom, the Foundation Establishment Realm was a lifelong goal.
Gu An said with a smile, “Please, don’t be shy. After all, we grew up together. I want you to live a few more decades. When we’re old, we can catch up and reminisce about our youth.”
On hearing this, Du Ye felt warmth in his heart, recalling the past when he had told Gu An that if he ever ran into trouble, he could come to him for help, and he would never refuse.
Half a lifetime had passed, and Gu An had never sought his help; instead, it was he who was indebted to Gu An.
Du Ye gently thumped Gu An’s shoulder and no longer refused. He placed the medicine bottle into his storage bag.
“By the way, I recently heard something, our Third Miss has already become betrothed.” Du Ye suddenly mentioned this softly.
On hearing this, Gu An was startled and curiously asked, “Engaged? To whom?”
Upon hearing of Ji Xiaoyu’s engagement, ripples of emotion stirred in his heart.
Perhaps, it was because Ji Xiaoyu had saved him when he was a child.
As he grew older, Ji Xiaoyu treated him kindly, more like a friend than a house servant, and had given him many things to aid his cultivation.
Could a girl of Heavenly Pride like her not escape a marriage alliance?
At this thought, Gu An felt quite emotional.
Du Ye shook his head and said, “How would I know, but it seems they have only arranged a marriage engagement, and the date of the actual wedding is yet undecided. I saw the Young Master and his group quite happy, so I guess the other party must be someone significant.”
“That’s inevitable. To form a marital alliance with the Ji Family is beyond our imagination,” Gu An chuckled.
After a few more exchanges, Gu An bid farewell to Du Ye.
He didn’t return to Medicine Valley but continued to wander around the city.
…
The actions of the Book Collection Hall were swift; in less than a month, “Shattering Void” appeared in the Book Collection Halls across various cities.
Riding on the reputation accumulated from “Investiture of the Gods” and “Supreme Immortal Venerable,” Pan An’s new book triggered a storm, sweeping across the Taicang Immortal Cultivation World.
A month later, the name “Shattering Void” had spread throughout Taicang Immortal Cultivation World and was reaching the other eight dynasties.
Lu Lingjun also bought the book, and right after reading it, she sought out Gu An immediately.
“It’s written quite well. The male protagonist harbors a Great Demon within him and starts on the path of Immortal Cultivation with his ordinary talents, but…” Lu Lingjun furrowed her brows as she spoke.
Gu An asked, “But what?”
“Why is it called ‘Shattering Void’?”
She stared intently at Gu An, as if trying to see through him.
Gu An puzzledly asked, “Didn’t you say that Ascending is your pursuit in your homeland? Isn’t Shattering Void appealing then?”
Lu Lingjun nodded upon hearing this and said, “Indeed, it is very appealing. Then, keep writing it well.”
She mocked herself inwardly, thinking how could this young man possibly guess that she was an Ascender?
Following that, the two discussed “Shattering Void,” with Lu Lingjun making many requests. Gu An was initially resistant, but as soon as she produced a pile of heavenly treasures, he changed his tune and agreed to consider them.
Lu Lingjun was amused by his greed.
After Lu Lingjun left, he took out the “Daoist Xunchun” and began to read.
“Shattering Void” was only written upon request; the true classic still had to be “Daoist Xunchun!”
As Pan An published the book, the Servant Disciples from Mystic Valley and the Third Medicine Valley also began discussing the book, and Pan An’s name had a greater impact than Gu An had imagined.
Half a month later.
When Gu An returned to the Third Medicine Valley, he sensed Lv Baitian’s presence.
After counting the days, it had been over ten years since they had last met.
Gu An entered the loft where Lv Baitian had been waiting for a long time, closed the door, and then approached Lv Baitian to perform a salute.
Lv Baitian looked the same as he had years ago and gestured for Gu An to sit.
Once Gu An had sat down, Lv Baitian finally asked, “Why did you suddenly think of writing a book?”
“It was a spur of the moment. Have you read it?” Gu An replied.
“I have, but it’s not as good as ‘Investiture of the Gods.’
“That is true,” Gu An said sincerely, agreeing with his own thoughts.
Lv Baitian changed the subject and asked, “Is Su Han your disciple?”
Upon hearing this, Gu An feigned tension and asked, “He was, what about him?”
Lv Baitian stared at Gu An and said, “He too has cultivated the Defying Fate Divine Skill.”
“What?” Gu An was startled.
He hurriedly explained, “It wasn’t me who taught it to him, I haven’t even met him in these years.”
Since Lv Baitian had passed the Defying Fate Divine Skill to Gu An, he hadn’t practiced it much because he couldn’t simply abandon his previous Cultivation Level and start over.
Lv Baitian snorted and said, “I, of course, know it wasn’t you who taught him. In fact, the Defying Fate Divine Skill wasn’t my creation either; I too received it from someone else.”
“I can directly tell you that the Defying Fate Divine Skill comes from the Ephemera Sect. Now that Su Han has also learned the Defying Fate Divine Skill, it shows the remnants of the Ephemera Sect have not been completely eradicated.”
Gu An widened his eyes, his face showing disbelief.
In his mind, he thought of the Nine Nether Thirteen Evil and the Ghost Mother of Ephemera; could it be that they had contacted Su Han?
“Sect Leader, you…” Gu An looked at Lv Baitian, unsure of what to say, various emotions displayed on his face.
He wanted to reveal, “I also have an identity related to the Ephemera Sect.”
“I am the Sect Hierarch of the Ephemera Sect!”
Lv Baitian chuckled and said, “Don’t worry; I have a karmic relationship with the Ephemera Sect but am not truly from the Ephemera Sect. In my younger days, I formed a Daoist friendship with a woman from the Ephemera Sect, who, on her deathbed, passed the Defying Fate Divine Skill to me. It is because of this skill that I have achieved my current level.”
“Do not speak of this past to anyone; should it become known, I certainly cannot keep my position as Sect Leader. Ever since the Supreme Elders returned, my position has become increasingly unstable.”
Toward the end, he laughed self-mockingly.
Immediately, Gu An said, “I naturally won’t speak of it, as long as you do no harm to the interests of the Supreme Sect.”
Lv Baitian glared at him, feigning annoyance, but his heart was filled with satisfaction.
Truly a Sect Leader I recognize!
Lv Baitian then said, “Su Han has inherited the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword, and now the Defying Fate Divine Skill. His growth will be rapid. How close are you to him? If you are close, you should be cautious. It’s clear that Su Han has a mastermind behind him, and I fear they may come to harm you, pushing Su Han to further resent this world.”