https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-12-Foundation-Building-Stormy-Night/12573974/
Chapter 13: All I Remember is His Lightning-Fast Legwork
Chapter 13: All I Remember is His Lightning-Fast Legwork
Gu An did not rejoice at his rapid breakthrough; instead, he remained vigilant, fearing the arrival of others.
Tai Xuan Gate was vast, and it was rare to encounter anyone within a hundred li of Medicine Valley. Surely, his actions wouldn't alert any major cultivators?
As Gu An pondered, he suddenly sensed two powerful auras approaching from afar, even stronger than Chu Jingfeng's had been.
What you fear will come to pass!
He was currently in the process of advancing from the fourth to the fifth layer of the Qi Refining realm, and it was inconvenient for him to move. Even if he ran now, it would be difficult to shake these two pursuers.
Things just got complicated!
Gu An anxiously sensed the two approaching auras. When the distance between them narrowed to less than a hundred zhang, the two pursuers halted, separated from him by a mountain peak.
He stood in the dim forest, clad in a deep cyan robe. The swirling dust around him made it difficult to discern his true appearance.
Sensing that the two cultivators did not forcefully charge towards him, Gu An breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that they were also wary of him and dared not disturb him rashly.
Gu An's cultivation continued to grow, but the commotion he had caused was too great, and with a mountain separating them, he couldn't hear the conversation between the two cultivators. This kept him on edge.
Even after he broke through to the fifth layer of the Qi Refining realm, the pair on the other side of the mountain remained inactive.
As Gu An's cultivation progress slowed, he raised his right hand and placed it on the tree trunk behind him. He connected his spiritual power to the tree, and a cyan light appeared, swirling around his palm.
When the cyan light formed a complete loop, he retracted his hand and tore a piece of wood from the tree trunk.
He placed the wooden mask over his face and then used his fingers to carve out two eyeholes. The wood peeled away, revealing a complete mask.
Spiritual energy continued to surge within him, but he was now able to stand.
Just then, as if sensing the calming of the spiritual energy in the world, a loud voice rang out:
"I wonder which fellow Daoist is breaking through here? Why aren't you doing so in your own cave abode?"
The voice was stern, clearly suspecting that Gu An was not a disciple of Tai Xuan Gate.
Gu An hesitated, unsure whether to respond.
He was merely a servant disciple, and if it were discovered that he had successfully built his foundation within a few years of joining, he would attract unwanted attention even if he managed to smoothly enter the Outer Sect. There would still be risks ahead!
The ruckus he had caused tonight was too much. If these two knew his identity, surely there would be a third and fourth person who did as well. What if someone harbored ill intentions towards him?
No wonder Gu An was so worried; having grown up as a servant, he had seen the ugly side of human nature.
As Gu An bound the mask with vines, his eyes glinted with a cold light, shining brightly in the night.
No, I can't be exposed!
Gu An didn't want to get entangled in trouble. Even if he became an Outer Sect disciple, it wouldn't be a good thing for him.
Tai Xuan Gate didn't support their disciples without expectations. Outer Sect disciples had to undertake sect missions, which inevitably put their lives at risk.
Once his cultivation stabilized, Gu An stood up. With his face partially hidden by the mask, only his eyes were visible, and his body was still surrounded by swirling cyclones.
At that moment, he sensed two auras rushing towards him from the mountain, clearly having identified him as an intruder.
The reason Gu An dared to remain silent was that he judged that the cultivations of these two weren't too high. If he had sensed that they were overwhelmingly powerful, he wouldn't have hesitated so much.
He immediately turned and rushed deeper into the forest.
Whoosh!
A piercing sound came from behind Gu An. He turned to see a cold light slicing through the dim forest, accompanied by the sound of snapping branches. Following close behind this streak of cold light was a female cultivator.
Dressed in white, she extended her right arm, her palm connected to the hilt of her sword, channeling her spiritual power. The sword blade burst forth with a fierce sword aura, unstoppable and graceful, like a startled swan flying through the trees.
In an instant, her sword reached Gu An, less than half a zhang away.
Gu An's left foot landed, and his body twisted backward, his left leg dropping low in a crouch. The sword blade whizzed past him.
The white-clad female cultivator's eyes widened, her face hidden in the darkness of the night, but the sword light illuminated her eyes, which were filled with astonishment.
In the blink of an eye, Gu An's right leg lashed out, kicking the woman's abdomen with a force she had never experienced before. Her consciousness went blank, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Bang!
The white-clad woman flew backward, crashing into a large tree before falling to the grass, her fate unknown.
"How dare you!"
A furious shout rang out, and Gu An saw a figure racing towards him, leaving a trail of afterimages in its wake.
So fast!
Gu An's eyes struggled to keep up with the figure's movements. In a panic, he immediately unleashed the Hurricane Shadowless Kick.
Lacking combat experience, Gu An's previous encounter with the Greedy and Hateful Demon had only involved a simple slap. Now, facing such formidable opponents, he dared not get too close.
Spiritual power surged into his right leg as he took a step back and then forcefully kicked out.
With this kick, a hurricane sprang forth, rushing towards the figure trailed by the cyan light.
Within the cyan light was a man holding a sword, his pupils dilated as his vision filled with a flurry of legs.
Dust flew, rows of trees toppled, and the man was engulfed by a torrent of legs, his body swept away for more than ten zhang, creating a spectacular scene.
Gu An retracted his leg and turned, melting into the darkness.
The forest gradually returned to calm, and when the dust settled, the sword-wielding man lay motionless on the ground.
In the early morning hours, Ye Lan emerged from her room and, as was her habit, glanced towards her senior male disciples' courtyard. Peering over the not-so-tall wall, she spotted them and thought to herself, "They're so diligent. I mustn't let them outpace me." With that, she quickened her steps.
Upon reaching the courtyard, she approached Gu An and greeted him respectfully, "Senior Brother."
Gu An smiled and nodded at her.
"Senior Brother, are you going to work today?" Ye Lan asked curiously, noting that he had changed into his old clothes, which he only wore when harvesting.
"Yes, I plan to go to the mountain this afternoon," Gu An replied.
Ye Lan didn't think much of it and continued, "The wind was strong last night, and I was afraid to cultivate. I was worried that the spiritual energy would be disrupted and affect my cultivation. Senior Brother, I heard from Senior Brother Meng that you encountered a demon attack. What happened then?"
As Gu An watched Xiao Chuan and Lu Jiujia practicing the Broken Wind Leg, he recounted the events of that night.
He was always patient, no matter who he was talking to.
Half a shichen (1) later, the junior disciples left one by one, and Gu An finally had some time to relax. He lay under a tree, reading the 'Qing Xia Adventure' with one hand while playing with the white spirit mouse in the other, thoroughly enjoying himself.
At that moment, his thoughts kept drifting back to the two people he had encountered the night before.
He had already retracted his power, so he hoped he hadn't killed them. Gu An felt a bit anxious, as he had no grudge against them.
Without any enmity, Gu An didn't want to take a life.
Carrying this worry, Gu An endured a rather torturous day.
As the sun set and the moon rose, it was already noon the next day.
Gu An, who had been reading by the wooden fence, suddenly noticed figures at the valley entrance and focused his gaze. He saw a man and a woman.
"A man and a woman!" Gu An secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "At least they're not dead."
He used the Dragon Vein Divine Power to suppress his cultivation base to the third layer of the Qi Refining realm, so he wouldn't be recognized.
Soon, Cheng Xuandan emerged from the loft and quickly approached the two, bowing and greeting them. Standing before him were a man in blue named Shi Yang and a woman in white named Li Xuanyu.
The white-clad woman had a stunningly cold and beautiful face, with skin as pale as alabaster. Her eyes were like almonds, and her eyebrows were like delicate willow branches. She held a sword hilt in her right hand, exuding an aura that warned others to stay away.
The blue-clad man was also handsome, with a tall and straight posture. He wore a gorgeous brocade robe, but his face was somewhat pale.
They were both outer disciples of Tai Xuan Gate.
Facing Cheng Xuandan, Shi Yang smiled and stated his purpose for coming.
After hearing him out, Cheng Xuandan replied, "No one else has come to our Medicine Valley in the past two days."
Having lived for a hundred years, Cheng Xuandan had experienced all sorts of things, so he remained calm and collected.
Shi Yang looked towards the Medicine Valley and asked, "Can you gather all your disciples here?"
Cheng Xuandan had no objections and turned to gather his Qi in his dantian. He called out loudly, and upon hearing him, Gu An and the others ran over.
"Xiao Chuan, go and get Meng Lang as well," Cheng Xuandan instructed.
Xiao Chuan immediately turned and went to find Meng Lang.
Shi Yang and Li Xuanyu began to scrutinize Gu An and the other two, their brows furrowed but silent.
Cheng Xuandan remained silent, waiting for Meng Lang to arrive.
Gu An took this opportunity to probe the two outer disciples' lifespans. The night before had been too urgent, and he hadn't had time to do so.
[Li Xuanyu (Foundation Establishment, 4th Layer): 24/245/1670]
[Shi Yang (Foundation Establishment, 5th Layer): 25/298/1304]
Wow!
They're both geniuses, having achieved the Foundation Establishment realm in their twenties, and their lifespan limits reach over a thousand years. Moreover, Li Xuanyu's lifespan limit is even higher than Li Ya's.
They're both surnamed Li. Could this woman also be from the royal family?
Gu An was secretly startled and grateful that he hadn't revealed his identity the night before.
Before long, Xiao Chuan returned with a disgruntled-looking Meng Lang in tow.
Shi Yang narrowed his eyes upon seeing Meng Lang and transmitted his voice to Li Xuanyu beside him, "Li Xuanyu, this boy's spiritual energy is chaotic, and there are signs of qi deviation. Although his cultivation is low, he may be related to the person we're looking for."
Li Xuanyu fixed her eyes on Meng Lang, her cold and clear eyes as if trying to see through him.
Meng Lang felt the weight of their gazes and, noting their unusual attire, he composed himself and stood next to Gu An, with Xiao Chuan close behind.
Cheng Xuandan spoke up, "The night before last, there was a mysterious cultivator breaking through about ten li from the Medicine Valley. He is suspected to be a spy from the Demon Path. Have any of you seen anyone else in the past few days?"
Wow! Even a spy from the Demon Path has shown up! Gu An thought to himself, his face now creased with worry.
Meng Lang's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Don't tell me there's another demon invasion?"
"Another? What do you mean?" Shi Yang asked, his eyes fixed on Meng Lang.
Meng Lang couldn't hold his tongue and immediately blurted out the previous incident involving the Greedy and Hateful Demon. Upon hearing that it also involved an inner disciple, Shi Yang's expression changed slightly.
Is this place so dangerous? Shi Yang suddenly lost his enthusiasm for the investigation.
Gu An seized the opportunity to ask, "Seniors, did you encounter that spy from the Demon Path? Can you give us some clues?"
The others nodded, their faces tense at the mention of the Demon Path.
Shi Yang frowned and said, "It was too dark that night. I only remember that his legwork was incredibly fast."
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
