Gu Yu’s arrival interrupted the chess game between Gu An and Lu Lingjun. Lu Lingjun was also interested in Xuan Tianyi, so she asked Gu Yu a few questions.
After chatting for a while, Gu Yu finally left.
Gu An noticed Lu Lingjun’s drifting thoughts and knew she was thinking about Xuan Tianyi.
He stood up and turned to leave.
Lu Lingjun suddenly said: “After the New Year, you should go listen to the teachings too. It’s a rare opportunity, as Great Cultivators are not often seen.”
Gu An turned back to look at her, seeing her face full of longing. He chuckled lightly without saying more.
The influence of a Mahayana Realm cultivator’s teachings was immense. As winter approached, more and more disciples returned, and cultivators from other sects also came.
Xuan Tianyi’s name spread throughout the Immortal Cultivation World, and his cultivation achievements were revealed and widely circulated.
Supreme Sect’s strongest genius since ancient times: Core Formation at twenty, Nascent Soul Formation at forty-two, Divinity Transformation at seventy, Void Crossing at one hundred, and Unification at two hundred!
Due to his extraordinary talent, Supreme Sect hid his true age before he reached the Unification Realm. When he attained the ninth layer of the Unification Realm, he went south to seek immortal fate directly. This made Supreme Sect even more cautious about mentioning his talent, fearing great calamity.
He searched overseas for immortals for three hundred years, and upon his return, he had already reached the Mahayana Realm!
With Supreme Sect’s grand promotion of Xuan Tianyi’s legendary life, his name shook the world in a short time, overshadowing the Nine Cultivators.
The vast majority of cultivators found his achievements unbelievable, even thinking Supreme Sect was exaggerating.
Gu An heard about Xuan Tianyi’s deeds in the Outer Gate City and also thought it exaggerated.
But on second thought, it made sense. No wonder someone in the sect said as long as the true inheritor wanted the sect leader position, Lv Baitian would have to step down within a day.
In the face of such talent, no matter how great Lv Baitian’s contributions were, he had to concede.
Although Xuan Tianyi’s growth trajectory defied the understanding of ordinary cultivators, his return indeed boosted Supreme Sect’s morale. Even before the New Year, the Outer Gate City already had a festive atmosphere.
Amidst the vast winter snow, Gu An arrived at the Third Medicine Valley from Mystic Valley.
As soon as he arrived, he sensed two auras, one of which was unmistakably at the Mahayana Realm.
Xuan Tianyi was here!
Gu An’s expression remained calm as he walked towards his loft.
Upon pushing open the door and entering the room, he saw two people inside: the vice sect leader Ji Hantian and a man in green robes.
Xuan Tianyi, dressed in green robes, looked youthful, making it hard to imagine he was a Mahayana Cultivator, more like a young disciple.
“Gu An, you finally arrived. Close the door and sit down for a chat,” Ji Hantian said with a smile, as if he were the master of the loft.
Gu An didn’t mind. After closing the door, he came forward and cupped his hands in respect.
Before Ji Hantian could introduce him, Xuan Tianyi spoke first: “You are Pan An?”
[Xuan Tianyi (Mahayana Realm, Sixth Layer): 598/4800/5000]
Seeing Xuan Tianyi’s lifespan, Gu An was secretly astonished.
Five thousand years, the extreme lifespan cultivation reached so quickly?
Looking at it this way, Xuan Tianyi would surely undergo Nirvana within forty-five hundred years. By then, breaking the Heavenly Destiny would achieve another extreme lifespan.
Based on Gu An’s experience, Xuan Tianyi’s spirit root qualification should be equivalent to the five-thousand-year extreme lifespan level. At least his physical qualifications weren’t as good as Ji Xiaoyu or An Hao, but his comprehension must have been astonishing, combined with extraordinary opportunities to achieve his current state.
Gu An pretended to hesitate and looked towards Ji Hantian.
Ji Hantian smiled: “Speak truthfully, this is our sect’s true inheritor, Xuan Tianyi. He is not an outsider. He is Supreme Sect’s most prized disciple.”
Ignoring the compliment, Xuan Tianyi continued to curiously observe Gu An, his eyes bright.
Gu An immediately responded: “Indeed, I have a pen name called Pan An.”
Xuan Tianyi smiled, saying: “Your Investiture of the Gods is very good. Someone gave it to me earlier, and I enjoyed it very much. I even had it mass-produced and spread overseas. Your book is widely popular on the seas, much more so than my own writings.”
“Thank you for your appreciation, senior. May I ask what book you wrote?” Gu An cupped his hands in thanks and inquired.
Xuan Tianyi coughed lightly and said: “I just wrote something casually. It doesn’t compare to Investiture of the Gods.”
“His book is not worth mentioning,” Ji Hantian shook his head with a smile.
This made Gu An even more curious about what Xuan Tianyi had written.
However, Xuan Tianyi didn’t want to talk about it and instead started discussing Investiture of the Gods.
Facing his inquiries, Gu An had to answer each one, and Ji Hantian didn’t interrupt anymore. He got up and left, closing the door behind him.
Xuan Tianyi didn’t have the pride typical of a Mahayana Cultivator. When he talked about some of the plots in Investiture of the Gods, he became indignant, especially over the story of Nezha cutting his bones to return to his father and flesh to his mother, which greatly angered him.
Gu An couldn’t remember Investiture of the Gods word for word, so he expanded many stories in the book, like Nezha cutting his flesh to return to his parents and Yang Jian rescuing his mother at Peach Mountain, making the characters more three-dimensional. This was also why Investiture of the Gods became so popular.
Xuan Tianyi was very curious about how Gu An wrote such an extraordinary book.
Gu An replied that he met an immortal in his dreams who touched his forehead, suddenly enlightening him.
It was sudden because he could never write another divine work like Investiture of the Gods afterwards.
“Your Supreme Immortal Venerable and Shattering Void are also good, but I still think they fall short of Investiture of the Gods,” Xuan Tianyi said with lingering interest.
Gu An didn’t argue, but asked what book he had written.
Xuan Tianyi suddenly looked embarrassed and mumbled.
Gu An seized the opportunity, constantly asking questions, and finally, Xuan Tianyi revealed the book’s title.
“What? Green Hero Travel is your work?” Gu An exclaimed, slapping the table in excitement.
Whether it was Xuan Tianyi’s illusion or not, he felt an inexplicable panic for a moment, unsure if he was scared by Gu An or had a guilty conscience.
He nodded reluctantly.
Gu An raised his hand and took out a copy of Green Hero Travel from his storage bag, which made Xuan Tianyi emotional upon seeing it.
“I love Green Hero Travel! I’ve read every copy at least a hundred times…” Gu An went on and on about his love for Green Hero Travel.
Xuan Tianyi listened, feeling unprecedentedly moved in his heart.
Finally, someone appreciated his talent!
He immediately felt as if they had met too late.
On the way back, lying on the deck, each time he read Investiture of the Gods, he felt more of a connection with Pan An. This feeling of anticipation even surpassed the thrill of returning to save the sect.
Sure enough, Pan An was the soulmate he had been seeking all his life!
The more Xuan Tianyi thought about it, the more excited he became. He suddenly stood up, grabbed Gu An’s shoulders with both hands, and said: “Pan An, no, Gu An, let’s become sworn brothers. From now on, I’ll be your elder brother!”
Gu An was stunned.
What kind of logic was this?
Wasn’t the pace too fast?
Seeing his hesitation, Xuan Tianyi said boldly: “Brother, I tell you, with my cultivation level on this continent, I am undoubtedly invincible. Swear brotherhood with me, and no one will dare to bully you anymore. I heard that Lv Baitian wants to take you as a disciple? Don’t listen to him. His Defying Fate Divine Skill is dubious and sinister. I can teach you my divine skill.
With our brotherhood, I won’t say I’ll help you defy heaven and change fate, but leading you to the Unification Realm won’t be difficult!”
Initially, Gu An wanted to refuse, thinking it absurd to become a younger brother to him, a wandering immortal.
But Xuan Tianyi’s latter words tempted him.
He was worried about how to live for a thousand years in the future. Normally, once he reached the Divinity Transformation Realm, people wouldn’t consider him ordinary anymore.
Now, if he reached the Unification Realm with Xuan Tianyi’s help, people would at most admire him and not see him as a threat.
However, Gu An decided to put on an act.
So, he pretended to decline. Xuan Tianyi didn’t give up, and after several attempts, Xuan Tianyi got angry, forcing him to agree.
“Since brother appreciates me, I’ll call you Brother Xuan from now on,” Gu An said helplessly.
Xuan Tianyi smiled broadly, taking out a jade scroll: “Here’s my cultivation technique. Take it and practice. After the New Year, I’ll send a batch of cultivation resources to you.”
“This… isn’t good, right?” Gu An said, holding the jade scroll with embarrassment.
Xuan Tianyi glared: “If you feel bad, then write a second Investiture of the Gods. Stop writing Shattering Void. It’s too absurd and tasteless!”
Gu An, holding onto the advantage, could only laugh: “Alright, I’ll definitely write it.”
“Oh? Do you already have a plan?”
“Mm, it’s called Journey to the West. I’ll tell you in advance.”
“Journey to the West? It doesn’t sound as good as Investiture of the Gods. You should think it over again.”
“Haha, you don’t understand. You’ll know when the time comes.”
Xuan Tianyi didn’t continue to criticize Journey to the West. Instead, he started talking about another book and took out a book.
“The inspiration for Green Hero Travel came from this.” Xuan Tianyi said mysteriously, raising the book in his hand.
Gu An looked down, his eyelids twitching. He then took out a book from his storage bag.
Xuan Tianyi was dumbfounded upon seeing it.
“How do you also have Daoist Xunchun?” Xuan Tianyi asked, his eyes wide with excitement.
“Elder Xu Lu from the Book Collection Hall gave it to me.”
“So you’re the descendant who keeps asking for Daoist Xunchun. Hahaha, we truly have a fated connection. I had someone bring this book back for him!”
Xuan Tianyi was overjoyed, pulling Gu An to start discussing Daoist Xunchun.
Their conversation lasted until dusk without ending. During this time, Ji Hantian knocked on the door but was driven away by Xuan Tianyi.
Only at dawn did Gu An escort him down the stairs.
Watching Xuan Tianyi’s departing figure, Gu An’s face was full of smiles.
After chatting all night, he didn’t feel tired. Both felt as if they hadn’t had enough. Had Xuan Tianyi not had other important matters today, they could have continued talking.
Lu Lingjun suddenly walked over and asked: “Is he the true inheritor?”
Gu An nodded.
Lu Lingjun examined him with a peculiar look in her eyes, asking: “You spent a day and night together, you didn’t…”
“Didn’t what?”
“It’s rumored that some Great Cultivators, after experiencing mortal pleasures, seek new interests to fill the void in their hearts, like homosexuality…” Lu Lingjun trailed off, but Gu An already understood.
Gu An rolled his eyes and snorted: “Oh? You guessed it? Then don’t ever think of me as your daoist friend!”
Lu Lingjun, seeing his expression, pursed her lips and smiled: “Looks like I overthought.”