https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-100-The-Wuji-Free-Step-and-the-Supreme-Elder/12575263/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-102-The-Ephemeral-Wind-Arch-Nemesis/12575266/
Chapter 101: The Divine State Scripture, the Fear of the Union Realm
Chapter 101: The Divine State Scripture, the Fear of the Union Realm
Gu An had no idea what Yang Ni was thinking. He chose Lu Jiujia solely because there was no one else available.
As for Yang Ni, in his opinion, this woman would eventually have to leave, so he didn't even consider making her his chief disciple.
Late into the night, after the banquet had dispersed and everyone had returned to their respective rooms, Gu An quietly made his way to the Eight Scenic Grotto-Heavens.
Lately, he had been diligently studying the Myriad Gu Xuan Gong, and his efforts had borne fruit.
He arrived at the base of the azure vine tree and with a thought, a figure emerged from one of the cave entrances, moving like a gust of wind and kicking up debris along the way.
It was Meng Lang, who had transformed into a Gu corpse.
Gu An manipulated Meng Lang with his mind, directing him to pluck a ripe herb.
After Meng Lang had picked the herb, Gu An waited for a long while but still did not receive any indication that the lifespan stealing had been successful.
Plan failed!
Looks like I'll have to do it myself in the future!
Gu An felt a twinge of regret, but he was not disappointed. With the Third Medicine Valley and the Distant Valley now bearing fruit, his annual lifespan income had reached at least a million years and was still growing.
In less than a hundred years, he would attain a lifespan of a thousand million years!
Gu An was very satisfied with this speed. After all, for an ordinary cultivator, how many realms could they cultivate in a hundred years?
Gu An ordered Meng Lang to return to the cave and then took out the Tian Su Sword, beginning to cultivate the Wood Spirit Sword Technique.
...
Early the next morning, Gu An descended from the tower and led his disciples in their morning exercises. Yang Ni joined them, and after the exercises were over, she quickly rushed into the mountains.
Gu An felt that her demeanor was amiss and that her behavior today was unusual, so he decided to observe her. He saw Yang Ni scattering seeds in the mountains, and his eyebrows furrowed.
Those seeds looked unfamiliar!
As a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator with a photographic memory and keen observation skills, Gu An immediately recognized that the seeds in her hand were of a type he had never seen before.
He walked over and stood behind Yang Ni.
"What are you planting?" Gu An asked curiously, taking advantage of Yang Ni's momentary pause to send a lifespan probe into her palm.
【Lotus Flower (Sixth Rank): 0/120/5000】
A sixth-rank spirit flower?
And its name was Lotus Flower!
Gu An couldn't help but associate it with the Lotus Flower Sect.
Yang Ni replied, "I obtained these seeds from an enemy's storage bag a long time ago, but I'm not sure what they're called. These seeds have been in my bag for decades, and I only thought to plant them today."
"Is that so?" Gu An said thoughtfully.
Yang Ni observed his expression and said, "Yes, is there a problem with planting them?"
"Go ahead and plant them," Gu An smiled. He did not reveal his knowledge of the flower's origins.
How could he refuse when Yang Ni wanted to plant a sixth-rank spirit flower?
After all, he would be the one harvesting the herbs anyway.
Immediately, Gu An encouraged Yang Ni with a few words and then turned to leave.
Yang Ni watched his retreating figure, feeling even more perplexed by him.
"I was actually intimidated by a Foundation Establishment brat," Yang Ni thought to herself, then crouched down to continue planting the Lotus Flowers.
Regardless of Gu An's suspicions, as long as he gave her the opportunity to plant the Lotus Flowers, she would do it!
She glanced at Gu An's back and thought, "Once I've made my mark, I'll save your life, and then I'll recommend you to join the Lotus Flower Sect."
After spending so much time together, she had grown rather fond of Gu An and felt that it would be a waste for such a talented junior to perish in the struggle between sects.
Someone like him would be better off shining in the Lotus Flower Sect.
...
After the spring, as all things revived, the Tai Xuan Gate once again bustled with activity.
In early March, Gu An and Shen Zhen were discussing a book in the tower when they suddenly sensed something and put down their books.
Gu An cleared his throat and said, "Put all these things away."
Shen Zhen's cheeks turned slightly red, and she quickly put all the papers on the table into her storage bag.
After they had tidied up, the two of them descended the tower.
They arrived at the open space in front of the tower and saw a group of cultivators flying toward them. Gu An recognized one of them—Ji Xiaoyu.
There were eleven cultivators in total, and Gu An continuously probed them with his lifespan technique.
Aside from the leading cultivator, the others were all under a hundred years old, with the lowest cultivation base being the eighth layer of the Golden Core realm. Two of them had even reached the Nascent Soul realm.
A Nascent Soul realm cultivator under a hundred years old—their talent was terrifying.
The maximum lifespan of these geniuses was at least two thousand years.
The leading cultivator was named Lu Chen, and he was at the second layer of the Void Crossing realm. After landing, he cupped his hands toward Gu An and said, "These ten people are the disciples that the Sect Master has instructed to cultivate their hearts. They have been entrusted to your care, Valley Master."
He was very polite to Gu An and did not carry the air of a superior that Void Crossing realm cultivators usually had, which made Gu An curious about how Lu Baitian had managed to get him to cooperate.
The Lu family sure knew how to handle people!
Gu An returned the greeting and said, "Thank you, Senior."
Lu Chen saw that Gu An was courteous and smiled, nodding his head before taking his leave.
Gu An looked at the ten geniuses of the Tai Xuan Gate, and they, in turn, sized him up.
"Miss Shen, what are you doing here?" A man in blue clothes frowned and asked, his expression displeased as he saw Shen Zhen standing behind Gu An.
This person was named Liu Yu, and he was at the ninth layer of the Golden Core realm, with a maximum lifespan of two thousand four hundred and nine years!
Shen Zhen did not pay him any heed but instead said to Gu An, "Since you have guests at your Medicine Valley, I shall take my leave. We can spend time together again next time."
After saying this, she leaped into the air and quickly disappeared behind the mountains.
Spend time together?
The crowd's gazes toward Gu An became strange, and a cold light flashed in Liu Yu's eyes.
【Liu Yu has developed hostility toward you and intends to attack you. Do you want to use the Lifespan Probe on him?】
Attack me?
How deep is this hatred?
Gu An opened his mouth and said, "Miss Shen and I merely share an interest in books, and we occasionally discuss them. There is nothing else between us. She has told me that her goal for a dao partner is Fu Dao Sword Immortal."
Hearing this, the young geniuses couldn't help but burst out laughing. Liu Yu smiled awkwardly and gave Gu An an apologetic look.
They weren't fools. Since Lu Baitian had personally named Gu An to guide them, Gu An must have something extraordinary about him. Even if he didn't, he was still Lu Baitian's man, and they couldn't afford to offend him.
Geniuses were doted on by the Tai Xuan Gate, but that didn't mean they could do whatever they wanted. At the very least, if Lu Baitian wanted to discipline them, their families would have to consider the consequences.
Ji Xiaoyu opened her mouth and asked, "Valley Master, what should we do? Please give us your instructions."
As soon as she spoke, the others sobered up and looked expectantly at Gu An.
The sect master had mentioned coming here to cultivate their hearts, so they subconsciously assumed that cultivating their hearts would aid their cultivation.
Gu An smiled and said, "Then follow me. Don't complain about being tired or bitter, and don't stop halfway. Only weaklings give up halfway."
Upon hearing this, the geniuses became even more eager, their gazes toward each other crackling with electricity as their competitive spirits ignited.
All geniuses had a drive to excel!
Subsequently, Gu An led them to a mountain forest dozens of li away, where he instructed them to clear the land, taught them how to sow seeds, and then took them around to inspect the medicinal herbs.
Although these were mundane tasks, the ten disciples took them very seriously, even paying attention to every stone along the way.
After several days, one of the disciples, Chang Cang, couldn't contain himself any longer.
He stopped and looked at Gu An, his voice low as he asked, "Are you playing with us? Is cultivating our hearts just about making us your herb gatherers?"
The others turned to look at Gu An as well, even Ji Xiaoyu furrowing her brows.
Gu An knew that this matter was unreliable, but he had no choice but to go along with Lu Baitian's insistence.
Sighing, he took out ten books from his storage bag and threw them to the ten disciples.
The group's faces lit up, and they eagerly caught the books.
"The Divine State Scripture?" someone said, their eyes sparkling as they read the title.
The name alone suggested that this book was no ordinary text.
Turning around, Gu An said, "Figure it out yourselves."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the group to begin perusing the book.
Liu Yu flipped open the first page and read, "'The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name...'"
Gu An's back was turned to them, but a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
The Divine State Scripture was not the Tao Te Ching; it was a mishmash of famous quotes from ancient Chinese classics that he had pieced together from memory, creating a hodgepodge book that would be good enough to bluff them.
He couldn't bring himself to write out the Tao Te Ching. What if someone really comprehended something from it? That would be a disaster.
...
Ever since receiving the Divine State Scripture, Ji Xiaoyu and the others had been finding their own places to meditate on it, not disturbing each other, and the normal rhythm of the Third Medicine Valley remained undisturbed by their presence.
Five days later.
Ji Xiaoyu closed the Divine State Scripture and looked toward the busy junior disciples at the foot of the mountain. She thought for a moment, then stood up and headed downhill to help them.
A genius sitting on the opposite mountain peak seemed to realize something as he watched her actions, and he, too, began to descend the mountain.
They couldn't comprehend the profound meaning of the Divine State Scripture, but the book did seem incredibly profound, and they connected it to Gu An's initial arrangement for them, thinking that perhaps they could gain some insight while working in the fields.
Another ten days passed, and the other genius disciples all threw themselves into the work of the Medicine Valley. Every day, they diligently tended to their tasks, and in their free time, they studied the Divine State Scripture, only cultivating their qi at night.
This pleased Gu An greatly. Indeed, these were the top ten geniuses chosen by Lu Baitian. Setting aside their talent, not one of them was a fool. As long as they believed something was the right thing to do, they would truly commit themselves to it and persist.
In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.
Gu An turned fifty-nine, and on this day, he was in the Faraway Valley, having just finished harvesting herbs. Suddenly, he sensed something, and his expression changed. He immediately tossed the herbs to Sun Da, who was standing nearby, and swiftly left the Faraway Valley.
This left Luo Hun and the other two disciples in the valley perplexed, but they didn't think too much of it.
Ever since learning that Gu An had cultivated the Black Tortoise Shocking Wave Palm, Lu Xian had stopped harassing him and even left the other disciples alone, shutting himself away in seclusion to cultivate. He was like a demon possessed, and his cultivation improved at a startling pace. At this rate, it wouldn't take more than a few years for him to reach the Nascent Soul stage of Qi Condensation and form his Yuanying.
After leaving the Faraway Valley and traveling a hundred li away, Gu An vanished into thin air, taking three steps to traverse a distance of tens of thousands of li to arrive at the Mysterious Valley, and then he used the teleportation formation to reach the Third Medicine Valley.
As he stepped out of the formation, he quickly made his way toward the Xuan Qing tree.
The Xuan Qing tree was still there, and in front of it stood a man, gazing up at it.
From a distance, Gu An sent out a lifespan probe:
【 Zong Ying (Fourth Layer of Fusion Realm): 860/2,800/3,100 】
This guy had cultivated a special technique, and his apparent cultivation was only the second layer of the Nascent Soul realm.
Gu An's interest was piqued by the cultivation technique this person was using. Although his Great Vehicle Realm spiritual sense could tell that Zong Ying was hiding his true cultivation, he couldn't see through it completely.
Gu An approached the Xuan Qing tree and said, "I am Gu An, the master of this Medicine Valley. May I ask who you are..."
Zong Ying wore a Daoist robe, and his face was sharp and gaunt, with small eyes and a goat-like beard that made him resemble a sly and cunning individual, giving off an aura of ill intent.
He smiled and raised his hand, saying, "I am an inner disciple named Zong Ying. I happened to pass by this place and sensed that this tree is extraordinary. Could it be the legendary Xuan Qing tree?"
Gu An stepped forward, gripping Zong Ying's wrist with his right hand and applying a slight amount of force, using the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He smiled and said, "It is indeed the Xuan Qing tree. Do you want it?"
Zong Ying found this secretly amusing. How dare a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator lay hands on him?
The Tai Xuan Sect must be desperate to send a Foundation Establishment cultivator to plant the Xuan Qing tree.
Then again, that would make sense, as it wouldn't attract attention.
Zong Ying prepared to break free from Gu An's grip, using the strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator, thinking that it would be enough to make Gu An lose face.
However, the next second, his expression changed.
His eyes narrowed, and his brows furrowed as he began to struggle in earnest.
His expression changed again, and he looked at Gu An with surprise, which quickly turned to fear.
Impossible!
Thank you to "Only Seeking Great Freedom" for the 200 site currency reward, "Book Friend 20230711191309972" for the 100 site currency reward, "Book Friend 20230112652-CA" for the 100 site currency reward, and "Xue Rengui" for the 100 site currency reward~~
Fourth update!
As promised, four updates from 0:00 today. Some people suspected that I was lying about the four updates, but I also updated three chapters yesterday, and the update times are listed in the directory. I wouldn't lie to you about this~~
This is also the 100th chapter, so please give me a monthly vote!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
