Chapter 613: Chapter 606 Tian Hao and Gu An
The embodiments of beings from the Three Thousand Worlds all once pursued the Path of Cause and Effect, exhausting their lifetimes of energy and time. Although Gu An was unclear how long they had lived or what realm they had ultimately reached, their insights into the Path of Cause and Effect, when gathered together, were incredibly vast.
Gu An looked at Tian Hao, whose future rapidly unfolded before his eyes.
Two hundred million years!
Three hundred million years!
Five hundred million years!
Suddenly, Tian Hao’s billion-year life span was all within his sight.
Gu An saw countless destiny lines on him, among which one shone the brightest. That was the destiny undisturbed by the power of the current Great Worlds, a life path predestined by the heavens. Following this line, Gu An could see all that would come to pass for him.
Tian Hao would become the strongest fighter in the Celestial Spirit Great World. He would travel the Path of the Great Dao, he would challenge other Great Thousand Worlds, and he would even venture into realms above the Great Thousand Worlds.
This was the path of a legend, and he had never known failure.
Feeling Gu An’s gaze, Tian Hao was very nervous. He lowered his eyes, not daring to look back.
The others also sensed a sharp aura emanating from Gu An, and none dared to speak, thinking they might have been too noisy and disturbed him, causing his displeasure.
Everyone was tense. It was their first time seeing Gu An angry.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the chill on Gu An’s face dissipated.
“Why are you all looking at me?” Gu An asked with a smile.
Seeing his familiar smile, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and followed suit, smiling.
Senior Sister Anxin was the first to ask, “Master, did you just have a moment of sudden enlightenment?”
Gu An replied, “Hmm, an epiphany indeed. Alright, disperse now. You don’t expect me to discuss my insights into this realm with you, do you?”
Upon hearing this, everyone showed an embarrassed look. They dared not probe, especially since they didn’t know what realm Gu An was in.
They paid their respects in turn and took their leave.
However, Tian Hao stayed. He leaped over a stream and came to Gu An’s side, asking, “Master, the Dao Court is holding a grand event of peerless prodigies that claims to take place only once every ten thousand years. Do you think I should participate? I want to, but the Elders in the Sect fear I might encounter danger. The Dao Court is the common master of the world; they wouldn’t do such a thing, right?”
Many famous prodigies had trained at the Dao Court, and it hadn’t schemed against them.
Gu An answered, “One must always guard against others. Your biggest problem now is that you haven’t faced hardship or defeat. That’s also a good thing. Your master hopes that you never face defeat.”
Tian Hao’s eyes widened as he said loudly, “That’s not true. I’ve only ever lost to you!”
“You brat, still talking about winning and losing with your master?”
“Then how about you try losing to me?”
“Hmm?”
“I was wrong, I was just spouting nonsense!”
Tian Hao quickly apologized after being glared at by Gu An.
After that, Gu An asked about his experiences over the years, and he answered truthfully, his spirits high.
Gu An understood Tian Hao’s thoughts; the kid had always been looking for an opportunity to spend quality time with him. Before coming of age, although both were in the dojo, Gu An didn’t accompany him in play the entire time.
Of course, what the kid wanted most was Gu An’s praise.
Yet Gu An just wouldn’t satisfy him.
This kid is already proud enough, he must leave some room for improvement, lest his tail lift up to the sky.
While chatting, Tian Hao leaned against the rock, looking up at Gu An. He did not sit beside Gu An.
He was indeed very conceited, but he was filled with reverence for Gu An. He did not want to break that attitude, he hoped he would always revere his master, so he would have a goal.
So many seniors had been surpassed by him, making him feel that the path of Immortal Cultivation was very simple. Only when compared with his master did he feel motivated and full of anticipation. He hoped his master would always be stronger than him so that he wouldn’t feel alone on the path of Immortal Cultivation.
From Tian Hao’s words, Gu An could feel his sense of belonging to the Qiankun Sect, and that his achievements had not led to any contempt for his own sect, which made Gu An all the more satisfied with him.
The Sect Hierarch of the Qiankun Sect, Yi Qingshan, was the reincarnation of his disciple, Lu Jiujia. Gu An had his reasons for letting them establish karma, but if the Qiankun Sect were to stray from the right path, he would not blindly support it.
Whether the Heavenly Dao or the Great Dao should be sentimental, Gu An didn’t know; he only knew he wanted to follow a path of sentiment.
He didn’t want to set too many rules and restrictions for himself; he would simply follow his heart.
If he wanted to pity all living beings, then he would pity them.
If he didn’t want to get close to someone, he would keep his distance.
The greatest kindness he could offer to all things was not to kill indiscriminately.
“By the way, Master, they told me a lot about your past. Out of the many disciples you’ve taken, who is your favorite?” Tian Hao suddenly asked out of curiosity.
Gu An glanced at him and he quickly added, “Other than me.”
“You wish, how could it possibly be you?” Gu An replied, a little irritated.
Tian Hao didn’t feel embarrassed, just chuckled.
Gu An then said, “My favorite disciple should be An Hao. He was the first disciple I truly took to heart to teach, and also the first I adopted. He is just like you, born with the strongest talent.”
Tian Hao’s eyes lit up and he asked, “Is that Senior Sister Anxin’s brother?”
He had heard An Hao’s name before, but the people in the dojo did not talk much about him, as if they were apprehensive.
“Um, they come from the same village…” Gu An began to recount An Hao’s life.
Tian Hao listened intently. This time, Gu An spoke at length, which made Tian Hao feel very happy, feeling closer to his master.
They talked until dusk.
The sky was streaked with crimson, and the celestial vault was desolately beautiful.
After hearing An Hao’s life story, Tian Hao’s mood was hard to calm for a long time.
Gu An looked at Tian Hao and asked, “Where do you think you are better than An Hao, and where do you fall short?”
Tian Hao pondered and said, “I wouldn’t abandon my kin like he did, but I don’t seem to have his resolve either. He could sacrifice himself for the people of the world, but I can’t do it. I would only give my all for the Qiankun Sect.”
Gu An smiled, not judging Tian Hao’s thoughts.
He looked up into the twilight sky and said softly, “Hao’er, I gave you the name Hao indeed because of An Hao. I hoped you would go further than he did. As your teacher, I won’t demand anything specific from you. You may choose not to sacrifice yourself for all living beings, but never, by virtue of your own strength, wantonly bully the weak. You must realize that no one can stay strong forever.”
Tian Hao smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Master. If you inquire at the Qiankun Sect, you will find out I never bully others. I only uphold justice.”
As he spoke, he raised his right hand, used his palm as a sword, and made a few gestures in the air.
Only in front of Gu An and the Ghost Mother of Ephemera did he show his childlike side. To others, he was the proud, reticent senior disciple of the Qiankun Sect.
Gu An watched him and asked with a smile, “Do you know how vast Outer Heaven is, how many worlds like the Celestial Spirit Great World are there?”
Tian Hao’s interest peaked. He eagerly asked how large and how many Great Worlds there were.
Gu An began to tell him about the existence of other Great Thousand Worlds, as well as the most talented and fortuitous prodigies of various Great Worlds, which aroused his passion, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit.