https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-30-Nascent-Soul-Realm-Ninth-Layer-Wood-Spirit-Sword-Technique/12574051/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-32-A-Snowy-Night-of-Swordplay-Nascent-Soul-Battles-Nascent-Soul/12574053/
Chapter 31: True Dragon Bloodline
Chapter 31: True Dragon Bloodline
Ever since Zuolin taught Gu An swordplay, every time they met, Zuolin would give him a resentful look, making him feel very uncomfortable. Thankfully, with Li Ya around, Zuolin didn't dare to bother him too much.
Days turned into weeks, and every day, cultivators could be seen flying overhead in the distance above Xuangu Valley.
Each time someone passed by, Gu An would use his lifespan-sensing ability to probe their cultivation level. He had even detected the presence of Core Formation cultivators, although he couldn't pinpoint their sect affiliations.
As spring turned to summer, Gu An turned twenty-eight.
Ever since reaching the ninth layer of the Core Formation stage, he had paused his daily routine, afraid of wasting his lifespan. He was planning to use a large amount of lifespan all at once to forcefully break through to the next stage.
In addition to his diligent cultivation, he also studied metaphysics.
The scorching summer days arrived.
In the mountains, Gu An lay under a tree, reading a book while Wuxin directed Tang Yu, Su Han, and Zhen Qin in weeding the garden. Xiaochuan and Yelan were cultivating in the valley.
Tang Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes drifting to the book in Gu An's hands, a look of curiosity on his face.
What kind of book is that?
The biggest secret in the valley was what was written in the set of books Gu An possessed.
The three disciples also wanted to take a look, but unfortunately, Gu An kept the entire set of books hidden in his quarters, so they couldn't find them in the library.
Suddenly, a large white rat scurried out of the grass and ran straight into Gu An's arms—it was Bailingshu.
Gu An noticed that it had something in its mouth, and he sat up straight. Bailingshu spat out an egg about the size of a chicken egg; its shell was a bluish-white color with wavy brown stripes.
He could sense the spiritual power emanating from within.
Is this a demon beast egg? Gu An had encountered demon beast eggs before in the outer sect's city, and their prices had varied greatly. The most expensive one had been priced at an astronomical figure, just thinking about it made his scalp go numb.
Taking advantage of the fact that Wuxin and the others weren't paying attention, he quickly stuffed the demon beast egg into his storage bag.
Bailingshu lifted its little rat head proudly, and Gu An couldn't help but laugh, hugging it tightly and petting it affectionately.
After they finished weeding, Wuxin and the four others began to plant seeds. Once everything was done, they all returned to Xuangu Valley together.
Tang Yu walked beside Gu An, asking him about some of the more difficult aspects of the Broken Wind Leg technique. He didn't like swords, so he was the only one of the three disciples who diligently cultivated the leg technique.
Gu An patiently gave him guidance while holding Bailingshu tightly in his arms, not allowing it to escape.
Upon returning to Xuangu Valley, Li Ya, who had gone to the outer sect in the morning, had returned, but Zuolin had not. This was a relief to Gu An.
Li Ya came to stand before Gu An and said, "The Heavenly Sect's Outer Sect Assembly has concluded, and now it's time for the various sects to interact and exchange insights. During this period, there will be disciples patrolling the nearby areas, so I should return as well."
Upon hearing this, Gu An immediately looked reluctant and said, "In that case, I won't keep you. You aspire to the path of immortality, and I won't hold you back. If you ever think of this place in the future, feel free to come back anytime. As long as I'm alive, I'll always be here waiting for you."
Li Ya nodded, then pulled Gu An into the loft and closed the door. He took out three white jade bottles from his storage bag and placed them on the table. "These three pills are the Foundation Establishment Pill, High-Grade Spiritual Energy Pill, and Marrow Cleansing Pill. Keep them safe and don't reveal them easily, especially the Foundation Establishment Pill. You must keep one for yourself, and don't be too trusting of your disciples. There are plenty of people who would kill their master for a pill, and people's hearts can change."
Gu An was stunned and quickly waved his hands, saying, "No, I can't accept these. Even if I were the valley master for a hundred years, I wouldn't have enough spirit stones to repay you..."
"What are you talking about?! You're my junior martial brother, and I plan to come back and bother you in the future. If you don't accept these, I won't come back!" Li Ya said sternly, his eyes serious.
Hearing this, Gu An could only reluctantly accept the pills. He was deeply touched by Li Ya's gesture.
He valued Li Ya's intentions more than the expensive pills.
Li Ya continued, "Last night, there was a battle between demonic cultivators a hundred miles from here, resulting in several deaths. They were all geniuses from various sects, and their deaths will surely attract investigations from their respective sects. It would be best if you didn't leave the valley in the next few days."
Gu An nodded, just as he was about to say something, Li Ya turned and left.
He didn't leave through the main door but instead leaped out through the window. He soared into the sky on his flying sword, quickly disappearing over the mountain peaks.
Gu An turned back to look at the three pills on the table, lost in thought.
Finally, he sighed and swept his sleeves, putting the three pills into his storage bag.
...
Late at night, Gu An arrived at Bajing Cave Heaven and made his way to the vine-covered tree.
Jiang Qiong was still meditating in front of her pill furnace, and her aura had become even stronger. She was not far from reaching the ninth layer of the Golden Core stage, and Gu An was happy for her.
Finally, it's time to leave!
"Good boy, it's been a while since you last came. I thought you had forgotten about me," Jiang Qiong's voice rang out.
Gu An stepped forward and bowed, helplessly saying, "Master, could you please not call me 'good boy'? I really can't take it."
Demonic cultivators are indeed demonic cultivators; they don't speak seriously at all.
Jiang Qiong pouted and smiled, not continuing the topic.
Gu An took out the demon beast egg from his storage bag and held it up for Jiang Qiong to see. "Master, what kind of demon beast is this?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qiong opened her eyes and glanced casually at the demon beast egg in Gu An's hand. She wasn't interested at first, but as she was about to look away, she suddenly realized something and her beautiful eyes widened in surprise.
She turned around and snatched the egg from Gu An's hand.
She examined it carefully, her gaze as if it could penetrate the shell.
Gu An's heart tightened as he saw this.
As he had expected, this thing was not ordinary! When Li Ya had mentioned the battle between demonic cultivators the night before, he had suspected that Bailingshu had picked up the egg from the battlefield. In all the years he had lived in this area, he had never seen a demon beast, let alone a demon beast egg.
"It really is the sacred beast of the Ancient Hao Sect..." Jiang Qiong murmured.
A sacred beast?
Gu An's eyelids twitched, and he suddenly felt like strangling Bailingshu. This little guy was nothing but trouble.
Jiang Qiong handed the demon beast egg back to Gu An and said, "This is a Hao Dragon. It is a rare demon beast with the bloodline of a true dragon. It can grow to the ninth rank as a demon beast and has immense potential. It possesses the might to level mountains and topple the seas and is revered as a sacred beast by the Ancient Hao Sect. If you nurture it well, a Hao Dragon will only recognize one master in its lifetime. It will be gentle and obedient to its master but vicious and cruel to all others. If its master perishes, the Hao Dragon will go berserk and slaughter indiscriminately."
Upon hearing this, Gu An quickly replied, "If it's that powerful, then it's better to give it to Master Zu. He needs help in his travels through the cultivation world too."
"Are you serious?" Jiang Qiong asked with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Gu An nodded earnestly.
Seeing this, Jiang Qiong's expression softened, and she felt touched.
Thinking about it carefully, ever since they met, this kid had been respectful and obedient to her. He never slacked off with the tasks she assigned him. Perhaps his words weren't just empty flattery after all.
Jiang Qiong had faked her death for seventy years, having suffered betrayal and ended up in her current situation. Over the years, she had harbored hatred for many people, and when she first met Gu An, she was also on guard. That was why, after regaining her physical body, she decided to test him.
Jiang Qiong forcibly pushed the Hao Dragon egg into Gu An's hands, and the touch of their hands made his feel a chill.
"Don't refuse. The Cangteng Tree needs a powerful guardian, and by keeping the Hao Dragon here, you won't have to worry about exposing your secret." Jiang Qiong said seriously.
Gu An thought this made sense.
This way, he could also prevent people from stealing the spirit flowers and herbs.
Gu An sighed, "Alright."
Jiang Qiong began to tell him about the legends and habits of the Hao Dragon, helping him understand more about this rare beast.
The more Gu An listened, the more excited he became, and he looked forward to seeing the Hao Dragon's potential.
Finally, he left the Hao Dragon egg under the Cangteng Tree, letting Jiang Qiong take care of it.
...
Over the next month, the number of cultivators passing by in the skies above Xuangu Valley gradually decreased, and for three consecutive days, no cultivators were seen at all. It was then that Gu An finally left the valley.
He had a part-time job to attend to, which also provided him with a significant amount of lifespan income that he couldn't afford to miss.
Rather than fighting and killing, Gu An preferred to earn his lifespan through steady and stable means.
At noon, he first went to Chen Li's cave abode, but Chen Li wasn't there. Gu An spent the time tending to the medicinal herbs and left after a stick of incense's time.
Next was Li Xuanyue's cave abode.
Li Xuanyue wasn't there either, so Gu An got to work.
As expected of a princess, Li Xuanyue had recently planted a new batch of fifth-rank medicinal herbs, which excited Gu An.
It would take at least five years, or even more than ten years, for the fifth-rank medicinal herbs to mature, but fortunately, Gu An could afford to wait.
However, just as Gu An was about to finish, Li Xuanyue returned.
"Greetings, Senior Li," Gu An quickly stepped forward and bowed.
Li Xuanyue, dressed in white, still exuded a cold and sacred aura, but Gu An could sense that her cultivation was unstable.
She had been injured again.
Such a combative person!
Li Xuanyue spoke softly, "You and Li Ya are fellow disciples, so there's no need to call me Senior. You can just call me Senior Sister Li."
Hearing this, Gu An could only comply and addressed her as Senior Sister.
Li Xuanyue scanned the cave abode and said, "You've done a good job. Do you need me to recommend you for more tasks? If I put in a word, those employers will definitely give me some face and won't mistreat you."
"Yes, thank you, Senior Sister Li!"
Gu An quickly replied. He was eager to earn more lifespan and eventually accumulate ten million years' worth to break through to the Nascent Soul stage and beyond. Naturally, he wouldn't refuse such an opportunity.
Li Xuanyue nodded, "Come back in a month then."
Gu An bowed and took his leave.
After he left, Li Xuanyue went to her bed and began to channel her qi to heal her injuries. Her face quickly turned pale, devoid of any blood, and she spat out a mouthful of black blood onto the ground.
Outside the cave abode, Gu An sensed her qi fluctuating wildly, probably due to her injuries acting up, but he didn't stop.
He didn't know how to heal others, and he didn't want to get too entangled with Li Xuanyue.
...
After the Heavenly Sect's Outer Sect Assembly concluded, time in Xuangu Valley seemed to pass as quickly as it used to.
When Gu An met Li Xuanyue again, her injuries had mostly healed, and under her guidance, he met with the five outer sect disciples. From then on, he helped tend to a total of seven outer sect disciples' cave abodes.
Since each cave abode had its unique situation, he had to leave the valley every three or four days. For convenience, he raised his apparent cultivation base to the sixth layer of the Qi Refining stage and used a flying sword for transportation, as the fifth layer's spiritual power was insufficient for him to make the round trip within a day.
He didn't take out the Tianxu Sword but instead rode on an ordinary flying sword, which he had obtained in exchange for spirit stones from the outer sect. This was done to avoid attracting attention.
Summer turned to autumn, and the falling autumn leaves covered Xuangu Valley.
After the autumn colors, winter snow arrived, enveloping the valley in a white blanket.
One day, Gu An was writing in the pavilion.
After reading the 'Qingxia Adventures' series, he was inspired to write a book of his own. Coincidentally, he had learned during his last visit to the outer sect that writing books could earn him spirit stones, although the review process was strict.
With his background as a reincarnated person from Earth, Gu An decided to give Tai Xuan Gate a little shock.
By earning more spirit stones, he could buy more seeds!
Just as he was writing with enthusiasm, he suddenly sensed something and furrowed his brows.
The sky outside the window darkened as thunderclouds rolled in from the horizon, bringing with them a terrifying heavenly might that enveloped the land.
(End of Chapter)
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