https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-172-A-Place-Called-the-Holy-Land-but-in-Reality-a-Den-of-Evil/12575745/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-174-The-Celestial-Trap-The-Divide-Between-Immortals-and-Mortals/12575749/
Chapter 173: A Belated Meeting, Journey to the West
Chapter 173: A Belated Meeting, Journey to the West
Gu Yu's arrival interrupted the game between Gu An and Lu Lingjun. Lu Lingjun was also intrigued by Xuantianyi and asked Gu Yu a few questions.
After chatting for a while, Gu Yu finally left.
Seeing Lu Lingjun's distracted mind, Gu An knew that she was thinking about Xuantianyi.
He stood up and turned to leave.
Suddenly, Lu Lingjun called out, "After the new year, you should also go and listen to the lecture. It's a rare opportunity, and it's not often that we have a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator in our midst."
Gu An turned back to look at her, seeing the look of admiration on her face, and he let out a soft laugh without saying anything more.
The influence of the Great Vehicle Realm lecture was immense. During the following winter, more and more disciples returned, and cultivators from other sects also came to join.
News of Xuantianyi spread throughout the cultivation world, and his story of becoming an immortal was revealed and widely circulated.
Since ancient times, the greatest genius of the Tai Xuan Gate had been Xuantianyi. He formed his Golden Core at the age of twenty, his Nascent Soul at forty-two, his Divine Spirit at seventy, and entered the Void Shattering realm by a hundred. By the time he was two hundred years old, he had reached the ninth layer of the Great Perfection realm!
Due to his monstrous talent, the Tai Xuan Gate concealed his true age before he reached the combined realm. After attaining the ninth layer, he journeyed south in search of immortal destiny. This also led the Tai Xuan Gate to be even more cautious about mentioning his talent, fearing that it would bring disaster upon them.
After three hundred years of seeking immortality overseas, he returned as a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator!
Along with the Tai Xuan Gate's widespread promotion of Xuantianyi's legendary life, he quickly became famous throughout the world, overshadowing the Nine Cultivations.
The vast majority of cultivators who heard of his exploits found them incredible and even thought that the Tai Xuan Gate was exaggerating.
When Gu An heard of Xuantianyi's exploits in the outer sect's city, he also thought they were exaggerated.
But on second thought, it made sense. No wonder someone in the sect had said that if the true disciple wanted the position of sect master, Lu Baitian would step down within a day.
In the face of such talent, Lu Baitian, despite his achievements, would have to step aside.
Although Xuantianyi's growth trajectory defied the common understanding of cultivators, his return greatly boosted the morale of the Tai Xuan Gate. Even before the Spring Festival, the outer sect's city was already filled with a festive atmosphere.
In the midst of the wintry snow, Gu An traveled from the Xuan Valley to the Third Pill Valley.
As soon as he arrived, he sensed two auras, one of which belonged to a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator.
Xuantianyi had arrived!
Gu An's face remained calm as he made his way towards his pavilion.
Upon entering his room, he saw two people inside. One was the vice sect master, Ji Hantian, and the other was a man in green.
Xuantianyi, dressed in green, looked young, and one would not expect him to be a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator; he appeared more like a young disciple.
"Gu An, you're finally here. Come in, close the door, and let's chat," Ji Hantian said with a smile, as if he were the owner of the pavilion.
Gu An didn't mind; he closed the door and bowed to the two of them.
Before Ji Hantian could introduce them, Xuantianyi asked, "Are you Pan An?"
Xuantianyi (Great Vehicle Realm, Layer 6): 598/4800/5000
Seeing Xuantianyi's lifespan, Gu An was secretly astonished.
Had he cultivated to the limit of a 5,000-year lifespan so quickly?
Going by this, Xuantianyi would undoubtedly be able to attain nirvana within 4,500 years, breaking through the heavens' mandate and achieving another limit to his lifespan.
Based on Gu An's experience, Xuantianyi's spiritual root talent should be at the level of a 5,000-year lifespan. While his physical constitution might not be as exceptional as Ji Xiaoyu's or An Hao's, his understanding and insight were surely remarkable, coupled with his extraordinary opportunities, which led to his current achievements.
Gu An pretended to hesitate and glanced at Ji Hantian.
Ji Hantian smiled and said, "Speak honestly. This is our true disciple, Xuantianyi. He's not an outsider; he's our Tai Xuan Gate's most outstanding disciple."
Xuantianyi paid no heed to his flattery and instead curiously sized up Gu An, his eyes bright.
Gu An immediately replied, "Indeed, I have a pen name, Pan An."
Upon hearing this, Xuantianyi's face lit up, and he said, "Your The Investiture of the Gods is excellent. Someone sent it to me, and I enjoyed it very much. I even had it mass-produced and spread overseas. Your book is already widely popular across the oceans, far more so than the books I've written."
"Thank you for your appreciation, Senior. May I ask what books you have written?" Gu An asked, bowing his hands in gratitude.
Xuantianyi coughed lightly and said, "My books are just casual writings, nothing compared to The Investiture of the Gods."
"Let's not mention his books," Ji Hantian said with a shake of his head and a laugh.
This piqued Gu An's curiosity even more about what kind of books Xuantianyi had written.
However, Xuantianyi didn't want to talk about it and instead steered the conversation back to The Investiture of the Gods.
Gu An could only answer his questions one by one, while Ji Hantian remained silent and eventually got up to leave, closing the door behind him.
Xuantianyi didn't carry the air of a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator. When mentioning certain plots in The Investiture of the Gods, he became impassioned, especially when talking about Nezha's story of scraping his bones to repay his father and cutting his flesh to repay his mother, which angered him.
Gu An couldn't remember every word of The Investiture of the Gods, so he added many stories to the book, such as the legends of Nezha returning his bones and flesh to his parents and Yang Jian saving his mother from Mount Taoyuan, making the characters more three-dimensional. This was also why The Investiture of the Gods became so popular.
Xuantianyi was curious about how Gu An had written such an extraordinary book.
Gu An replied that he had met an immortal in his dream, who had tapped his head, and suddenly, he had gained enlightenment.
He said "suddenly" because he had never been able to write another masterpiece like The Investiture of the Gods after that.
Xuantianyi was on a roll, and Gu An couldn't help but be curious about what other books he had written.
"What? You wrote 'The Green Hero's Journey'?" Gu An exclaimed, standing up from the table in excitement.
For a moment, Xuantianyi felt inexplicably nervous, unsure if it was because Gu An had startled him or if he had something to hide.
He nodded, steeling himself.
Gu An reached into his storage bag and pulled out a copy of "The Green Hero's Journey," causing Xuantianyi's eyes to light up with emotion.
"I adore 'The Green Hero's Journey'! I must have read each volume at least a hundred times..." Gu An gushed, expressing his love for the series.
Xuantianyi listened, his heart filled with a warmth he had never felt before.
Finally, someone who could appreciate his talent! He felt as if he had found a kindred spirit, and the feeling of camaraderie overwhelmed him.
On his way back, he lay on the boat deck, and the more he read "The Investiture of the Gods," the more he felt a connection with Pan An. This feeling of anticipation even surpassed the thrill he had felt when he returned to save his sect.
As expected, Pan An was the bosom friend he had been searching for all his life! Xuantianyi's excitement grew, and he suddenly stood up, grabbing Gu An's shoulders and saying, "Pan An, no, Gu An, let's become sworn brothers! From now on, I am your older brother!"
Gu An was taken aback.
What was this guy thinking?
Was he jumping to conclusions too quickly? Seeing his hesitation, Xuantianyi proudly declared, "Brother, let me tell you, with my cultivation on this continent, I am an invincible existence. If you acknowledge me as your older brother, no one will dare bully you again. I heard that Lu Baitian wants to take you as his disciple? Don't listen to him. His 'Reversal of Fate' art is of questionable origin and is extremely sinister. I can teach you my divine art, and with our brotherly bond, I won't just help you defy fate and rewrite your destiny, but I'll also guide you to the Combined Realm. It won't be difficult at all!"
Gu An had intended to refuse, thinking to himself, "What nonsense! Me, a wandering immortal, becoming your younger brother?"
But Xuantianyi's latter words struck a chord with him.
He had been worried about how to extend his life to live for a thousand years. Normally, once he reached the Spirit Transformation Realm, others would no longer consider him mediocre.
Now, however, if he could reach the Combined Realm with Xuantianyi's help, others would, at most, be envious of him and not perceive him as a threat.
Nevertheless, Gu An had to put up a front.
So, he pretended to refuse, but Xuantianyi was persistent and wouldn't let it go. After several back-and-forths, Xuantianyi became furious, forcing Gu An to agree.
"Since you think so highly of me, I shall address you as Brother Xuan from now on," Gu An said resignedly.
Xuantianyi beamed with delight and immediately took out a jade slip, saying, "This contains the cultivation art I practice. Take it and start training. After the new year, I'll have someone send you a batch of cultivation resources."
"Th-This..." Gu An stammered, holding the jade slip and feeling awkward. "I feel bad about accepting this."
Xuantianyi glared at him and said, "If you feel indebted, then write another volume of 'The Investiture of the Gods.' Don't bother with something like 'Shattering the Void.' It's too far-fetched and lacks taste!"
Gu An was put in a difficult position, so he could only smile and agree. "Alright, I will write another one."
"Oh? Do you already have plans for it?"
"Yes, I might as well tell you now. It's called 'Journey to the West.'"
"Journey to the West?' That title doesn't sound good at all. It definitely won't be as impressive as 'The Investiture of the Gods.' You should reconsider and brainstorm some more."
"Hehe, you don't understand. You'll see when the time comes."
Xuantianyi didn't continue disparaging "Journey to the West" and instead started talking about other books. He pulled out a book and said, "The inspiration for 'The Green Hero's Journey' came from this book." Xuantianyi spoke mysteriously as he waved the book in his hand.
Gu An looked down and was surprised to see a familiar title. He also took out a book from his storage bag.
Xuantianyi's eyes widened as he recognized the book.
"You have 'The Tale of Spring-Seeking Daoist' too?" Xuantianyi asked excitedly, his eyes wide.
"Elder Xu Lu of the Library Pavilion gave it to me," Gu An replied.
"So, you're the junior who has been asking for 'The Tale of Spring-Seeking Daoist' all this time! Haha, what a coincidence. This book was actually brought back for him by my request!" Xuantianyi exclaimed happily, pulling Gu An along as he began discussing "The Tale of Spring-Seeking Daoist."
The two of them chatted away, and even when evening fell, they showed no signs of stopping. At one point, Ji Hantian knocked on the door, but Xuantianyi sent him away.
It wasn't until the next morning that Gu An saw Xuantianyi off.
As he watched Xuantianyi's departing figure, a smile spread across Gu An's face.
After chatting through the entire night, he felt no sign of fatigue. Both of them felt like they could have kept talking, but Xuantianyi had important matters to attend to that day.
Lu Lingjun suddenly walked over and asked, "Is he the true disciple?"
Gu An nodded.
Lu Lingjun examined him with a strange look in her eyes and asked, "You two spent a day and a night together. Did you..."
"Did what?" Gu An asked.
"It's said that some powerful cultivators, after experiencing the ultimate pleasure of the mortal world, seek to fill the void in their hearts by exploring unconventional interests, such as homosexuality..." Lu Lingjun trailed off, but Gu An understood what she was implying.
Gu An shot her a glare and huffed, "Oh? You suspected that? Then forget about me ever becoming your Dao companion!"
Lu Lingjun looked at his expression and smiled, saying, "I guess I was overthinking it."
(End of Chapter)
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