Ever since Zuo Lin taught Gu An sword training, every time they met, Zuo Lin would gaze at him with a look of resentment, which made Gu An quite uncomfortable. Luckily, with Li Ya around, Zuo Lin didn’t dare to pester him.
Days passed by, one after another, and there were always Cultivators flying over the skies of Mystic Valley.
Every time someone flew past, Gu An would use Life Span Detection to gauge their realms. He even captured the presence of those in the Nascent Soul Realm, but he couldn’t discern which sect or faction they belonged to.
Spring gave way to summer, and Gu An turned twenty-eight.
Ever since he reached the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul Realm, he had halted his daily routine. He feared wasting his life span and planned to break through forcefully using his substantial life span later on.
Beyond hard work, he also believed in metaphysics.
The scorching days of summer arrived.
In the woods, Gu An lay under a tree reading a book, while Wuxin was directing Tang Yu, Su Han, and Zhen Qin to weed, and Xiaochuan and Ye Lan were cultivating in the valley.
Tang Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead and cast a curious glance toward the Green Hero Travelogue in Gu An’s hands.
What exactly is that book?
The valley’s biggest secret was what the Green Hero Travelogue contained.
The three disciples also wanted to read it, but unfortunately, Gu An had kept the entire set of the Green Hero Travelogue to himself, and they couldn’t find it in the Book Collection Pavilion.
Suddenly, a large White Spirit Rat darted out from the bushes and ran into Gu An’s arms—it was indeed the White Spirit Rat.
Gu An noticed something in its mouth and straightened up just in time to see it spit out an egg the size of a chicken egg. The eggshell was bluish-white with brown wave-like patterns on it.
He could feel the fluctuations of Spiritual Power inside.
Was this the egg of a Demon Beast?
Gu An had encountered Demon Beast eggs before in the Outer City and seen their varying prices. The most expensive ones were astronomical figures that made his scalp tingle.
While Wuxin and the others were not paying attention, he quickly threw the Demon Beast egg into his storage bag.
The White Spirit Rat lifted its head, looking proud, and Gu An, amused, embraced it and gave it a good stroke.
After weeding, Wuxin and the others began to sow seeds. Once everything was done, they all walked back to Mystic Valley together.
Tang Yu walked beside Gu An, asking him about the difficulties of the Residual Wind Leg technique. He didn’t like swords, so he was the only disciple among the three who diligently practiced the Residual Wind Leg technique.
Gu An gave patient guidance, all the while holding onto the White Spirit Rat tightly, not letting it escape.
When they returned to Mystic Valley, Li Ya, who had gone to the Outer Sect in the morning, had already returned. However, Zuo Lin had not, which was a relief for Gu An.
Li Ya came to Gu An and said, “The conference of the Outer Sects has ended, and now is the time for exchanges between the sects. During this period, there will be disciples patrolling nearby, so I should head back.”
Upon hearing this, Gu An immediately showed a look of reluctance and said, “Then I won’t keep you any longer. You are determined to follow the Immortal Path, and I can’t hold you back. If you ever miss this place, you can come back anytime. As long as I’m still alive, I will always be here waiting for you.”
Li Ya nodded. Then he pulled Gu An up to the attic, closed the door securely, and took out three White Jade Bottles from his storage bag, placing them on the table. “These three bottles of Elixirs are the Foundation Establishment Pill, Top-Grade Spirit Elixir, and Soul Cleansing Pill. Take good care of these and don’t reveal them carelessly, especially the Foundation Establishment Pill.
You must save one for yourself, and don’t trust your disciples too much. There are many who would kill their master for an Elixir, and people’s hearts can change.”
Gu An was stunned and quickly waved his hands, “I can’t accept this. Even if I were the Valley Master for a hundred years, I won’t have enough Spirit Stones to repay…”
“Repay what? You are my junior brother, and besides, I will be coming back to bother you again. If you don’t accept, I won’t come back!” Li Ya glared and spoke sternly.
Hearing this, Gu An had no choice but to reluctantly accept. He was deeply moved.
More than the valuable Elixirs, he cared more about Li Ya’s feelings toward him.
Li Ya continued, “Last night, a hundred miles away, there was a battle between Demon Cultivators, resulting in several casualties. These were all geniuses from various sects. Their deaths will certainly provoke investigations from their sects. You better not leave the valley these next few days.”
Gu An nodded, about to say something when Li Ya turned and left.
He didn’t take the main door but jumped out of the window instead. He soared with his Sword Control Technique, cutting across the sky over the mountain peaks and disappearing without a trace.
Gu An turned to look at the three bottles of Elixirs on the table, remaining silent for a long time.
Finally, he sighed and swept the three bottles into his storage bag with a wave of his sleeve.
…
Late at night, Gu An went to the Eight Scenic Caves and made his way to the Green Vine Tree.
Jiang Qiong was still meditating in front of the Pill Furnace. Her aura was growing stronger and she wasn’t far from the ninth layer of the Elixir Formation Realm. Gu An was happy for her.
She was about to depart!
“Dear disciple, it’s been a long time since you came to see me. I thought you nearly forgot about me,” Jiang Qiong’s voice rang out.
Gu An stepped forward and performed a salute, saying helplessly, “Martial Master, could you please not add the word ‘dear’? Your disciple really can’t handle it.”
A Demon Cultivator is a Demon Cultivator, never serious in their words.
Jiang Qiong pursed her lips in a smile but didn’t pick up the conversation.
Gu An took out the Demon Beast egg from his storage bag and brought it to Jiang Qiong, asking, “Martial Master, what kind of Demon Beast is this?”
At that, Jiang Qiong opened her eyes. She glanced casually at the egg in his hand, seemingly unconcerned at first. But as she was about to look away, something struck her, and she suddenly widened her eyes in shock.
She turned around and snatched the egg from Gu An’s hands.
She examined it closely, her gaze as if trying to see through the eggshell.
Seeing this, Gu An grew inwardly tense.
Indeed, there was something extraordinary about this creature!
When he heard from Li Ya about the battle between Demon Cultivators last night, he suspected that the White Spirit Rat had found the egg in the aftermath of the battle. Having lived in this area for so many years, not to mention seeing a Demon Beast egg, he hadn’t even seen a single Demon Beast.
“It really is the Holy Beast of the Ancient Sky Sect,” Jiang Qiong murmured to herself.
Holy Beast?
Gu An’s eyelids twitched. Suddenly, he wanted to strangle the White Spirit Rat for bringing him this trouble.
Jiang Qiong handed the demon beast egg to Gu An and said, “This is a Sky Dragon, a rare beast in the Mortal World with True Dragon Blood Lineage. It can grow into a ninth-layer demon beast with immense potential, possessing the fierce might to level mountains and overturn seas. Revered as a Holy Beast by the Ancient Sky Sect, this creature will be loyal to only one master throughout its life.
It is gentle and subdued towards its master, but to others, it is extremely ferocious. Should the master of a Sky Dragon fall, it will go mad and slaughter indiscriminately.”
Upon hearing this, Gu An quickly said, “With such power, it’s better to give it to the Martial Master, who also needs assistance in the Immortal Cultivation World.”
“Really?” asked Jiang Qiong with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
Gu An nodded, his expression sincere.
Seeing this, Jiang Qiong’s expression softened, her heart moved.
Upon reflection, from the moment they met, this young man had always been courteous and respectful to her, carrying out her orders meticulously. His words now might truly be sincere.
Jiang Qiong had faked her death for seventy years, falling into this state due to betrayal. Over the years, she had hated many people. When she first met Gu An, she was full of caution, so after recovering her body, she made her move to test him.
Jiang Qiong forcefully stuffed the Sky Dragon Egg into Gu An’s hand. Their hands touched, making his feel a trace of coldness.
“No more refusals, it just so happens that the Green Vine Tree requires a powerful presence to guard it. If you raise the Sky Dragon here, there’s no fear of exposure,” Jiang Qiong said earnestly.
Gu An felt that made sense upon hearing this.
That way, it would also prevent people from stealing plants and flowers.
Gu An sighed and said, “Alright, then.”
Jiang Qiong began to narrate the legend of the Sky Dragon and its habits, allowing him to understand more.
The more Gu An listened, the more excited he grew, and he began to look forward to the Sky Dragon.
Finally, he left the Sky Dragon Egg under the Green Vine Tree for Jiang Qiong to nurture.
…
Over the next month, the number of cultivators passing over Mystic Valley in the sky gradually decreased, and for three consecutive days, none were seen coming and going. Only then did Gu An leave the valley.
He still had a part-time job to do, which also provided him with a significant Life Span income that he could not miss out on.
Compared to fighting and killing, Gu An preferred to earn Life Span in a steady and down-to-earth manner.
In the middle of the day, he first went to Chen Li’s cave. Finding Chen Li not inside, he spent 30 minutes tending to the herbs before leaving.
Next was Li Xuanyu’s cave.
Li Xuanyu was also absent from her cave, so Gu An started to get busy.
True to being a princess, Li Xuanyu had recently planted a batch of fifth-layer herb seeds, which made Gu An quite expectant.
Fifth-layer herbs needed at least five years, or even ten or more, to mature. Fortunately, Gu An could afford to wait.
However, just as Gu An was about to finish, Li Xuanyu unexpectedly returned.
“I greet Senior Li,” Gu An hurriedly came forward, clasping his fists in salute.
Dressed in white, Li Xuanyu was still as cold and holy as ever, but Gu An could sense that her aura was unstable.
She’s injured again.
She really is combative!
In a soft voice, Li Xuanyu said, “You and Li Ya are fellow disciples, there’s no need to call me senior. You may call me Martial Sister.”
Upon hearing this, Gu An had no choice but to do so, addressing her respectfully as Martial Sister.
Li Xuanyu glanced over the cave and said, “You’ve done a good job. Do you need me to recommend you for this part-time work? If I speak up, those employers will show me some courtesy and won’t treat you unfairly.”
“I do need it, thank you, Martial Sister Li!”
Gu An quickly replied, as he was still looking forward to accumulating a hundred thousand years of Life Span to break through to a realm above the Nascent Soul Realm, and naturally wouldn’t refuse.
Li Xuanyu nodded and said, “Come back in a month.”
Gu An made his salutations and then took his leave.
After he left, Li Xuanyu went to the bed and began to cultivate energy to heal her injuries. Her complexion quickly grew pale, devoid of any color, followed by a spit of black blood that sprayed onto the ground.
Outside the cave, Gu An felt her aura suddenly fluctuate wildly, presumably due to her injuries flaring up, but he did not halt his steps on account of it.
He couldn’t heal injuries, and besides, he didn’t want to get too involved with Li Xuanyu.
…
After the conclusion of the Outer Sect Great Assembly, time in Mystic Valley resumed its rapid pace as before.
When Gu An saw Li Xuanyu again, her injuries had largely healed. Under her guidance, he was introduced to five Outer Disciples. With that, he was simultaneously managing the caves of seven Outer Disciples.
Since each cave was different, he had to leave the valley every three or four days. To make traveling easier, he elevated his apparent cultivation level to the sixth layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm, employing Sword Control Technique for each journey, as the Spiritual Power of the fifth Energy Cultivation layer was insufficient for him to travel back and forth in a single day.
He did not reveal the Heavenly Residence Sword, instead stepping upon an ordinary Flying Sword. This was a common Magic Artifact exchanged from the Outer Sect, meant to keep his travels incognito.
Summer passed, autumn arrived, and the fallen leaves blanketed Mystic Valley.
After the autumn colors, winter snow came, plunging Mystic Valley into a vast expanse of white.
One day, Gu An was engrossed in writing in the attic.
Having read enough of Green Hero Travelogue, he wanted to write a book himself. Coincidentally, on his last visit to the Outer Sect, he discovered he could earn Spirit Stones from writing, though the vetting process was very strict.
With his background as a reincarnated Earthling, Gu An decided to give Supreme Sect a bit of a shock.
Earn more Spirit Stones, and he could buy more seeds!
Engrossed in writing, he suddenly sensed something and furrowed his brows.
The sky outside darkened as billowing thunderclouds rolled in from the horizon. A terrifying celestial might enveloped the heavens, earth, and forests.