https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-16-The-Seventh-Layer-of-the-Foundation-Establishment-Realm-Mysteries-of-the-Mountains-and/12573994/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-18-Myriad-Gu-Secret-Art-A-7000-Year-Lifespan/12573996/
Chapter 17: Becoming the Valley Master
Chapter 17: Becoming the Valley Master
Gu An had indeed underestimated the White Spirit Mouse's range of activity. He followed the little creature for over ten li, yet it showed no signs of stopping.
The further he ventured from Xuan Valley, the more his enthusiasm waned.
While he had ventured to the outer gates before, that was just a single route.
With Xuan Valley as the center, he felt that any area beyond a twenty li radius would be dangerous, even with his current cultivation base at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining realm.
Fortunately, the White Spirit Mouse didn't keep going indefinitely. When they were almost twenty li away from Xuan Valley, the mouse finally came to a halt.
They were still amidst mountain ranges, with a small stream flowing down from the peaks. The mouse stopped by the stream and started scurrying in circles.
Gu An approached, noticing the abundance of flowers and grass on both sides of the stream, as well as numerous rocks of various sizes.
He picked up the White Spirit Mouse and then swept his right leg across the area.
Boom—
Grass clippings and stones flew in all directions as Gu An's leg sweep cleared a large empty space.
He focused his gaze and noticed a rectangular stone slab by the stream.
Wow!
A manhole cover?
Gu An crouched down in front of the stone slab, upon which mysterious patterns were carved. Whether they were words or pictures, he had never seen anything like them before.
He could sense a faint trace of spiritual energy leaking from the edges of the stone slab, which was probably how the White Spirit Mouse had found this place.
At the Qi Refining realm, cultivators already possessed spiritual sense, an invisible and intangible power. With spiritual sense, one could see through objects and peer within.
While Gu An rarely used his spiritual sense, that didn't mean he didn't have it. In fact, one could cultivate spiritual sense upon reaching the seventh layer of the Qi Refining realm.
He immediately gathered his spiritual sense, intending to penetrate the stone slab and probe the space beneath it.
However, as soon as his spiritual sense touched the slab, it was repelled by a mysterious force that caused his body to tremble.
So strong? Even the spiritual sense of the seventh layer of the Foundation Establishment couldn't penetrate its prohibition...
Gu An hesitated. With such a powerful prohibition, was there an immense danger lurking beneath? There was spiritual energy flowing underneath, either nurturing some kind of heavenly treasure or housing someone in closed-door cultivation.
No good!
Mustn't act rashly!
I'll observe for a while first!
Gu An released the White Spirit Mouse and then moved the surrounding stones and grass to conceal the mysterious stone slab. Only after completely covering it did he pick up the mouse again and turn back towards the valley.
The White Spirit Mouse squeaked, but he ignored it.
Upon returning to Xuan Valley, Gu An didn't mention this matter to anyone, acting as if he hadn't left the valley at all.
On subsequent nights, in addition to performing his daily tasks, Gu An would also go near the stone slab to observe.
Night after night, there were no signs that the objects covering the stone slab had been disturbed.
Additionally, Gu An discovered that Wu Xin went into the mountains every night, seemingly searching for something.
He didn't expose Wu Xin, as his intuition told him that Wu Xin's identity was not simple.
Reaching only the second layer of the Qi Refining realm yet possessing a lifespan of over three hundred years, Wu Xin must have cultivated some kind of extraordinary technique.
Gu An had once used his spiritual sense to observe Wu Xin's cultivation, but he couldn't discern anything unusual; it appeared to be normal Qi absorption and cultivation.
Time flew by, and the scorching summer days gradually faded.
Xuan Valley became enveloped in a yellowish hue as Gu An cleared seventeen plots of land in the surrounding mountains, increasing his workload. Xiao Chuan and the others had to patrol these areas every day.
One evening, Cheng Xuandan found Gu An and signaled for him to follow with her eyes. Master and disciple headed towards the northern peaks.
Gu An watched Cheng Xuandan's back, feeling a mix of emotions.
Cheng Xuandan's lifespan had decreased again. When one's age matched their remaining lifespan, it meant they would soon perish.
Even though he had been tricked by Cheng Xuandan, he couldn't deny that his master had indeed made significant contributions to his progress. Now that she was nearing her end, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow.
He tried to convince himself not to be sad.
He was on the path of pursuing longevity and immortality, and the experiences of parting ways and death were inevitable. Eventually, he would get used to them.
Of course, that was assuming he could stay alive.
Wu Xin, who was watering the plants, happened to catch sight of Gu An and Cheng Xuandan's figures. He raised an eyebrow, silently noting the direction they had taken towards the mountains. There must be something mysterious in that area.
After entering the mountains, Cheng Xuandan spoke up, "I'm going to take you to the entrance leading underground. You must not tell anyone else about this place, including your junior martial brothers and sisters. They may be close to you now, but once they leave Yaogu to train in the outside world, they will become strangers to you."
Gu An didn't refute; he had always been clear about this.
As long as Xiao Chuan and the others didn't give up on their goal of becoming outer disciples, they would eventually part ways.
Gu An hesitated for a moment before asking, "Master, were you a part of Qianqiu Pavilion from the beginning, or were you chosen by them later on?"
Cheng Xuandan's footsteps grew heavier as she replied, "Your master's experience is similar to yours. My identity was passed down from my master."
Gu An fell silent.
Suddenly, he felt that Cheng Xuandan was also a pitiful figure.
"After helping my master with some tasks, I couldn't get rid of this identity. However, I don't regret it."
Hearing his master's words, Gu An wanted to say something but stopped.
He hadn't done anything yet. Could he still get out of this?
Cheng Xuandan began recounting her experiences with her master, describing how her master had a quirky temper, sometimes strict and sometimes playful, like a child who never grew up.
In her words, her master was like an old child.
They circled around to the back of the peak, where Cheng Xuandan stopped in front of a cliff covered in moss and vines.
"Master, is our ancestor still alive or...?"
Gu An couldn't help but ask, "Master, are you leaving because of that stone slab? After all, the master of Xuan Valley was a spy for the demonic path, and that stone slab isn't far from here. There's reason to suspect it has something to do with your master."
Cheng Xuandan replied, "Before his sitting and transforming, my master bid me farewell and left. I will follow his example and leave tomorrow. From now on, everything in this Medicine Valley is up to you."
Gu An's brows furrowed as he thought not of Cheng Xuandan, but of her master.
In other words, Cheng Xuandan's master might still be alive?
Cheng Xuandan took out a compass from her sleeve. She pushed aside some vines and grass on the mountain wall to reveal a small groove. Placing the compass into the groove, she infused it with her spiritual energy, causing it to tremble and emit a faint glow.
Gu An could clearly sense that Cheng Xuandan's aura had become even weaker.
He couldn't help but worry that she might suddenly pass away right there.
The mountain wall began to tremble, and soon, an opening appeared, though Gu An still had to stoop to enter.
"Go on in," Cheng Xuandan said. "I'll wait for you outside."
Gu An hesitated. "Master, why don't you give me the compass? After you leave, I'll go in myself."
Cheng Xuandan smiled and took the compass off the wall, handing it to Gu An.
A stone door emerged from within the mountain wall, sealing the entrance tightly. It fit together perfectly, looking as if there had never been an opening there at all.
Cheng Xuandan turned and began walking down the mountain, with Gu An following behind.
"The underground space has its own complete array of formations," Cheng Xuandan said softly, as if entrusting him with her final wishes. "In the future, if you want to plant some spiritual herbs that you don't want others to know about, you can choose to do so down there."
Gu An listened intently, feeling conflicted. While he appreciated Cheng Xuandan's actions, he still maintained a sense of wariness deep down.
He couldn't let his guard down until the very end.
After all, Cheng Xuandan was about to die, and he could relax after that.
Gu An would offer incense to Cheng Xuandan every year and show her respect then.
The descent down the mountain was slow, and Cheng Xuandan's voice was soft as she described everything about the underground space. Gu An listened attentively; the details were extensive, and it didn't seem like a fabrication.
By the time they returned to Medicine Valley, the sky had darkened.
Cheng Xuandan spoke her last words to Gu An: "Life is long, and sometimes it's a blessing to have mediocre talent. You can do what you want to do."
Gu An watched as she returned to her tower. Even after she closed the door, he remained standing in the same spot, lost in thought.
It was only after half an hour that he finally walked back to his own courtyard.
His junior martial brothers were cultivating in their respective rooms, and the courtyard was quiet.
That night, Gu An cultivated throughout the night.
Just before dawn, he heard Cheng Xuandan's footsteps and went to the window to watch her come downstairs.
Cheng Xuandan walked slowly, her steps faltering.
She didn't look in Gu An's direction, and after descending the stairs, she headed straight for the valley entrance.
Gu An watched her figure disappear at the valley entrance and still didn't leave the window.
As the sun rose in the east, the first rays of morning light bathed Gu An, lengthening his shadow.
When Xiao Chuan, Lu Jiujia, Ye Lan, and Wu Xin gradually woke up, they all felt that something was amiss in Medicine Valley.
They soon realized what it was. Usually, at this time, their senior martial brother would be leading them in their exercises. That unique body-tempering exercise, named Soaring Eagle, indeed had its mysteries.
But today, even though it wasn't raining, Gu An hadn't taken them for their exercises.
It wasn't until noon that Gu An finally appeared and gathered them together, announcing that Cheng Xuandan had left and that he was now the master of the valley.
Xiao Chuan and the others were a little excited and eagerly asked where Cheng Xuandan had gone. Ever since Li Ya's departure, Cheng Xuandan had become gentler and treated her disciples well, so they had a very good impression of her.
Only Wu Xin wasn't deeply affected.
After half an hour of noise and excitement, the junior martial brothers and sisters finally dispersed.
Gu An went to the top of the peak and gazed into the distance, toward the direction Cheng Xuandan had left in.
Only after he could no longer see any trace of her did he finally enter her room.
Cheng Xuandan's pill furnace was still there, and on the table beside it were many things: storage bags, letters, numerous keys, and even a jar of spirit flowers.
He picked up the letter and read it. Its contents were simple:
'I know you like picking flowers and grasses, so before I leave, I'm leaving a fifth-grade Tiger Blood Flower for you to pick as a farewell gift.'
A smile appeared on Gu An's face, and he picked up the storage bag.
He was most interested in this item.
How could a cultivator not have a storage bag?
And so, he began to inspect the legacy Cheng Xuandan had left behind.
It wasn't until evening that Gu An left Cheng Xuandan's tower, now with a purple cloth bag hanging at his waist—Cheng Xuandan's storage bag.
He headed toward the northern peak, making his way to the mountain wall where the underground entrance was located. He took out a compass from the storage bag and placed it in the groove on the wall.
Accompanied by a low rumble, an opening appeared before him.
Gu An removed the compass and lowered his head to enter the cave. After taking just five steps, the passage widened, and at the same time, the entrance began to close.
Gu An's life as the valley master was about to begin~
Gu An: Fellow daoists, it's my first day as the valley master. Can I ask for your support and votes to become the talkative one?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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