https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-23-The-Soul-Stirring-Bell-The-Yin-Yang-Manual/12574025/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-25-Have-You-Heard-of-the-Yuan-Ying-Realm-/12574041/
Chapter 24: Jiang Qiong at the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core Stage
Chapter 24: Jiang Qiong at the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core Stage
As spring turned to autumn, five years passed in the blink of an eye.
During these five years, Gu An continued his nightly ritual of sacrificing a year of his lifespan, amounting to 1800 years in total. His cultivation base had now reached the eighth layer of the Yuan Ying realm.
After surpassing the fifth layer of the Yuan Ying realm, the time required to advance to the next small boundary doubled. Gu An could only continue his arduous training, resulting in even longer periods of cultivation.
Currently, he had just over 10,200 years of lifespan remaining. With the addition of the Eight Scenery Caves, his annual income in terms of lifespan had increased.
Five years had gone by, and three more miscellaneous disciples had joined the Xuangu Valley: Tang Yu, Su Han, and Zhen Qin, two males and one female. They all took Gu An as their master, and their ages, from oldest to youngest, were Tang Yu, Su Han, and then Zhen Qin.
Gu An no longer selected disciples based on their talent; instead, he chose those with mediocre aptitude to avoid any potential trouble. All three of his new disciples had a maximum lifespan of around 200 years, and with that as a baseline, he selected those who he felt a connection with.
One day, at the valley entrance, Xiao Chuan, Ye Lan, Wu Xin, Tang Yu, Su Han, and Zhen Qin gathered around Lu Jiujia.
"Senior brother, we wish you success!"
"Senior uncle, don't forget about us once you're in the outer sect."
"Rest assured, I'll take care of the Medicine Valley."
"If you fail, I'll definitely laugh at you."
Today was the day Lu Jiujia would leave for the outer sect to participate in the assessment. Gu An had cut a Cangteng Fruit into four portions and distributed them among his four junior disciples, causing their cultivation to soar. Lu Jiujia, in particular, had reached the ninth layer of the Training Qi realm.
It's worth mentioning that ever since consuming the Cangteng Fruit, Wu Xin had become completely obedient. Every night, he would quietly cultivate in his room and no longer ventured beyond the mountains. He also became more diligent in his tasks.
The 23-year-old Lu Jiujia was full of vigor and vitality. He looked up at the loft where his senior disciple lived and saw him standing by the window, looking at him. This warmed his heart.
"Wait for my good news. I won't let my senior brother down!" Lu Jiujia said proudly, then turned and left.
With his years of practice in the Canfeng Leg technique, he believed he could make a name for himself in the outer sect.
Dressed in a black robe with a white lining, Gu An watched Lu Jiujia's departing figure from a distance, feeling a mix of emotions.
He couldn't quite tell if he felt relieved or reluctant, perhaps a bit of both.
"I'm only 27, yet I feel so sentimental. What will it be like when I'm 200, 2,000, or even 20,000 years old?" Gu An chuckled at himself.
He turned and walked to the table, sitting down. He picked up 'The Green Hero's Journey' and continued reading.
This was the latest installment of the series released last year, and in his opinion, it was an absolute masterpiece. The author's writing style when it came to depicting the intricacies of love and romance had reached a transcendental level.
An hour later,
Wu Xin paid him a visit. The 21-year-old still maintained his monk-like appearance, and Gu An often teased him, calling him the Jade-Faced Tang Monk, especially after he started wearing the monk's robe that Gu An had specially tailored for him in the outer sect. It accentuated his temperament even more.
"Senior brother, I've finished watering all the gardens on the mountain. Do you have any other instructions for me today?" Wu Xin walked to Gu An's side and spoke softly, his eyes glancing at 'The Green Hero's Journey' for a moment before his fair and handsome face turned red.
Without lifting his eyes from the book, Gu An replied, "There's nothing else. You can go and cultivate."
Wu Xin walked to the other side of the table but didn't leave. He hesitated, looking uncertain.
Gu An glanced at him and asked, "Is there something else?"
Dressed in his black robe, Gu An exuded an aura of authority. Over the years, the Medicine Valley had seen good harvests, and as he didn't keep a small treasury for himself, he spent his own money to buy new clothes for everyone in the valley. Now, no one looked like a miscellaneous disciple anymore.
Wu Xin gritted his teeth and said, "Senior brother, to be honest, with my aptitude, it's impossible for me to join the outer sect. I truly want to stay in the Medicine Valley with you for the rest of my life."
Gu An put down 'The Green Hero's Journey' and examined him carefully.
There was only one meaning to his words—
He wanted to improve!
Gu An frowned, looking troubled.
Seeing his expression, Wu Xin panicked and immediately knelt down.
"Senior brother, where am I lacking? I work harder than them, and I listen to you more than they do. Plus, they all want to go to the outer sect, but I don't," Wu Xin said emotionally, his eyes even reddening.
However, Gu An saw through his act and realized he was using some sort of technique to stir his blood and qi.
You little rascal, copying me, are you?
Gu An spoke earnestly, "Wu Xin, in my heart, there's no distinction between good and bad disciples. Just like with the Cangteng Fruit, I divided it equally among you all. But the position of the senior disciple is of great importance, even possibly indicating the next valley master. Although I'm a miscellaneous disciple, my treatment is no worse than that of an ordinary outer sect disciple. I must repay the sect's grace."
"It seems that you're hiding something from me. Of course, everyone has their own secrets that they can't reveal, and I don't want to pry. You will always be my junior disciple, but as for the position of the senior disciple..."
As he trailed off, he sighed and looked helpless.
Wu Xin froze, not expecting that his actions from years ago had already been noticed by his senior brother. His first reaction was panic, followed by a wave of warmth.
The last time he had sneaked out at night to gather information was five years ago, and his senior brother had tolerated him for all these years.
What did this mean?
His senior brother truly considered him one of his own!
Putting himself in his senior brother's shoes, Wu Xin felt that if he were in the same position, he would have severely punished such a junior disciple a long time ago.
The more Wu Xin thought about it, the more ashamed he felt, and he just couldn't continue his act anymore.
"Senior brother, actually..." Wu Xin gritted his teeth, as if he had made a difficult decision.
"Actually, I'm from the Qianqiu Pavilion. My father is one of the seventy-two pavilion masters of the Qianqiu Pavilion. I have poor aptitude and was always bullied by my siblings, so I ran away. The reason I snuck around at night was that I had heard of Li Ya's achievements, and I wanted to see if there was any opportunity for me to prove myself to my father. But now, I've given up. Forget about comparing myself to my siblings, even compared to Lu Jiujia, I'm far behind..."
Wu Xin blurted out in one breath, then lowered his head, not daring to look at Gu An.
Gu An's expression turned to one of shock and disbelief.
"You..."
Hearing his senior brother's voice trembling, Wu Xin felt even more ashamed, and he lowered his head to the ground.
Gu An never expected that Wu Xin was from the Qianqiu Pavilion.
What was going on?
Might as well drop the name Xuangu and call it Qianqiu Valley!
Gu An quietly spread his spiritual sense, forming an invisible barrier to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
He remained silent for a moment before heaving a heavy sigh and said, "Never mind, get up and let's talk."
Wu Xin's nervousness instantly eased upon hearing this.
As Wu Xin stood up, he saw the complex expression on Gu An's face, and his heart warmed even more.
As expected, his senior brother truly cared for him!
"I don't know much about the Qianqiu Pavilion, but I've heard that it's a demonic sect of the Magic Dao?" Gu An took a deep breath and asked.
Wu Xin nodded, "Yes, it's a demonic sect, and one of the most evil at that. Necromancy, poison techniques, soul-capturing, and all sorts of demonic arts are practiced there. I just couldn't stand it anymore, so I ran away..."
"Then, will your father come looking for you? I have to consider the safety of the other disciples," Gu An asked worriedly.
Wu Xin quickly waved his hands, "He wouldn't bother looking for me. He'd be glad if I were dead. I'm his biggest disgrace!"
Hearing this, Gu An's expression softened a little, and he scolded, "Wu Xin, I won't allow you to belittle yourself like that. A person's worth isn't determined by their cultivation level."
Wu Xin scratched his head, letting out a chuckle, "I know, but the Qianqiu Pavilion is a demonic sect, and those who practice the demonic path are not normal."
Gu An nodded, and it seemed like he had recalled something. He asked, "By the way, have you ever heard of the name Jiang Qiong when you were in the Qianqiu Pavilion?"
"Jiang Qiong?" Wu Xin furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
After a moment, he exclaimed, "I remember now! She was the first genius of the Qianqiu Pavilion a hundred years ago and the daughter of the second pavilion master. But she passed away many years ago. I heard my father mention her when I was young, and he even wanted my eldest brother to marry her."
Gu An couldn't help but ask curiously, "How old is your father?"
Wu Xin replied, "He's almost 500 years old, and he has over a hundred children. So, even if I go missing, he won't care."
Gu An fell silent.
The Magic Dao's style is quite appealing, huh?
Gu An asked a few more questions, but unfortunately, Wu Xin didn't know much about Jiang Qiong.
"Since you've revealed your background, I will cultivate you as the senior disciple. If I can use the position of the senior disciple of a valley to redeem a lost demonic cultivator, it will be a great virtue. However, we can't let others know about this for now. You must use your actions to win over everyone in the valley," Gu An said seriously.
Upon hearing this, Wu Xin was overjoyed.
Just as he was about to thank Gu An, he heard him continue, "From now on, you must not mention the Qianqiu Pavilion, not even when we are alone together. This is Tai Xuan Gate, and even whispering to yourself might be overheard."
Wu Xin nodded vigorously, vowing to follow his instructions.
The two brothers changed the subject and chatted about other trivial matters.
Wu Xin felt even closer to his senior brother, and he was glad that he had finally come clean with him.
...
That night, at the Eight Scenery Caves.
Gu An made his way to an empty space beside the underground river and began planting medicinal herbs.
His movements were slow, and as someone who didn't cultivate much, he enjoyed the process of planting. He wasn't planting flowers or grass, but life itself.
Deep down, Hua Xia people loved farming, and this habit had accompanied his soul into the cultivation world.
After he finished planting, he looked at his newly cultivated garden with satisfaction. It was neat and had a unique aesthetic appeal.
"Come in, dear apprentice."
Jiang Qiong's pleasant voice echoed from within a cave, and Gu An immediately walked toward it.
Over the years, Jiang Qiong had summoned him from time to time to help her gather medicinal ingredients or even assist her in pill concoction.
Gu An's efforts were not in vain, as his pill concoction skills had improved by leaps and bounds.
Jiang Qiong's pill concoction skills far surpassed those of Cheng Xuandan, and this was evident in the way she taught.
As Gu An entered the cave, he saw that it was still dimly lit, with a pill furnace half the height of a person sitting in the open space, and a pile of carbon ash underneath it.
Gu An was about to speak when he suddenly heard a noise. He looked intently and saw a coffin shaking in the depths of the cave.
Boom!
The coffin lid fell to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Gu An saw a hand, skinny as bones, crawling out of the standing coffin. It looked like a ghost's claw, and he immediately sent out a lifespan probe.
【Jiang Qiong (Golden Core Stage, Ninth Layer): 185/304/2490】
Wow!
Nearly 2,500 years of lifespan limit!
Why does she only have 300 years of lifespan at the ninth layer of the Golden Core Stage?
Could it be related to her injuries?
Gu An was puzzled, and the last bit of wariness in his heart disappeared.
Happy June 1st!
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(End of Chapter)
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