https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-39-Nascent-Soul-Blocks-the-Path-Despicable/12575053/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-41-Supreme-Celestial-Spirit-Root-Breakthrough-to-the-Spirit-Transformation-Realm/12575084/
Chapter 40: The Sound of Flying Leaves, and a Ten Thousand Year Lifespan
Chapter 40: The Sound of Flying Leaves, and a Ten Thousand Year Lifespan
Gu An closed the book, Qing Xia You Ji, and calmly asked, "Don't they spar often? How did it turn into a fight?"
Zhen Qin retracted her gaze and anxiously said, "The second senior-brother displayed a set of sword techniques, and the senior-brother mocked him for being too soft. The second senior-brother got angry and ended up injuring the senior-brother, but he still wouldn't stop!"
Upon hearing this, Gu An immediately stood up.
Master and disciple quickly rushed downstairs.
At this moment, the onlookers had stopped cheering and were trying to persuade Su Han instead.
Under the night sky, Su Han's hair was disheveled, resembling a fierce ghost as he wildly swung his sword. There was even a chilling light in his eyes, and opposite him, Tang Yu was in a sorry state. His robe was in tatters, and there were two shocking wounds on his chest, blood soaking his pants.
Wu Xin and Xiao Chuan wanted to step forward to stop them, but Su Han's sword techniques were too fierce, leaving them unable to approach.
When they saw Gu An arriving, the disciples quickly made way.
Gu An took two steps forward and stood between the two. His left hand grabbed Su Han's right wrist, and his left arm blocked Tang Yu's leg.
Tang Yu was knocked back, and he couldn't help but be shocked. His master's arm was so strong!
He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Su Han with lingering fear in his eyes.
Su Han was immobilized, his right wrist firmly in Gu An's grip. Gu An squeezed, and the sword in Su Han's hand clattered to the ground.
"Wake up!" Gu An reprimanded in a low voice.
Su Han's body trembled, and the bloodthirsty hatred in his eyes began to fade.
Standing not far away, Wu Xin was secretly startled.
His master's movements were so fast!
Although Gu An had reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining, he had never been considered a strong cultivator in their eyes, mainly because Gu An often downplayed his abilities.
Gu An's intervention just now had completely changed Wu Xin's perception.
He suddenly felt that his master was not simple.
Xiao Chuan, on the other hand, was used to it. After all, Gu An had once subdued the crazed Meng Lang.
Perhaps Gu An's spiritual root and talent were mediocre, but in Xiao Chuan's heart, Gu An's combat ability was very strong, and he at least felt reliable.
The other disciples were also intimidated by Gu An's intervention. It was the first time they had seen Gu An take action, and he had easily suppressed Su Han and Tang Yu, who were at the seventh layer of Qi Refining.
Zhen Qin was the first to cheer, breaking the silence, and the others followed suit.
"Master, you're so amazing!"
"Second Senior-brother, wake up!"
"Master, did Second Senior-brother go berserk?"
"It's all the Senior-brother's fault for mocking Second Senior-brother. I've never seen Second Senior-brother so angry."
The disciples chattered away, while Gu An stared at Su Han.
Su Han panted heavily, his body suddenly going soft like mud, but his right hand was still held by Gu An, preventing him from falling.
He lifted his head, his gaze weak as he looked at Gu An and said feebly, "Master... I..."
Before he could finish his sentence, his neck tilted, and he fainted.
Gu An instructed two disciples to support Su Han and take him back to his room. Then, he turned to look at Tang Yu.
Facing his master's gaze, Tang Yu's face turned red. He didn't know how to explain himself, but he also felt wronged as he was injured.
"Go back and stop the bleeding first," Gu An said expressionlessly.
Hearing this, Tang Yu quickly bowed and then left.
Gu An looked at the others and said, "Disperse. Aren't you going to cultivate today?"
After speaking, he turned and walked towards the attic.
The disciples watched his back as he left, looking at each other in dismay.
Although Gu An hadn't said anything harsh, they all felt that he was angry.
Little did they know that Gu An just wasn't in the mood to lecture them.
That night, all the disciples in the valley were lost in their thoughts and couldn't calm their minds.
Gu An stayed alone in the attic. In the latter half of the night, he sensed several powerful divine senses sweeping past.
His battle with Lin Futian had finally attracted Tai Xuan Gate's attention.
The next morning,
Su Han came to visit Gu An to apologize.
"What's the point of apologizing to me? It wasn't me who was injured," Gu An said calmly as he looked at him.
Su Han gritted his teeth and said, "He was the one who mocked my sword technique first."
Gu An asked, "Did you tell him the origin of the sword technique?"
"I..."
"You and Tang Yu entered the Medicine Valley on the same day, and the two of you are the closest. You should know what kind of person he is—blunt but not malicious."
Gu An's tone was heavy because, after so many years of living together, he didn't want his disciples to turn against each other.
He didn't forcibly stop Su Han from continuing to cultivate the Hate God's Sword Technique. Such a thing couldn't be stopped, and if he did, perhaps even the relationship between master and disciple would be severed.
Su Han recalled his interactions with Tang Yu over the years and felt guilty.
At first, Tang Yu had just teased him about his poor sword technique. As Su Han had been unable to cultivate the Hate God's Sword Technique, he had been feeling frustrated, and an argument had broken out. Tang Yu had also been angered and had said more and more unpleasant things, which had enraged Su Han, causing him to lose control.
"Master, I was wrong. I'll go find Senior Brother now," Su Han said seriously after taking a deep breath.
Gu An said, "Don't wait, go now. I also need to go and check on the medicinal plants."
He stood up and walked towards Su Han.
The two of them walked out of the attic, one in front of the other. Su Han closed the door and then caught up with Gu An's pace. He couldn't help but ask, "Master, aren't you going to ask me why I lost control like that last night?"
Gu An didn't turn his head and said, "It's probably related to your Hate God's Sword Technique. This sword technique was passed down to you by your father. Whether you cultivate it or not, it's not my place to decide. You need to think clearly about what's most important to you."
Su Han's steps slowed as he stood in front of the stairs, staring blankly at Gu An's retreating back.
What was most important?
Gu An didn't have the time to worry about the conflicts between his disciples. He had already said what he needed to, and if they couldn't get along, then he would let them leave the Xuan Valley and never cross paths again.
Gu An began inspecting the medicinal plants in each zone, checking which ones were close to maturity.
He had to accumulate ten thousand years of lifespan as soon as possible, so he directly harvested some of the plants that were almost ready.
Of course, he didn't touch the ones that were still far from maturity. Gu An wasn't desperate enough to destroy his foundation.
Currently, he had many channels to obtain lifespan, so he wasn't too anxious.
...
Above the mountains, a group of cultivators rode on their magical artifacts, hovering in the air as they looked down. In the mountains below, disciples of the Enforcement Hall were searching, including Ye Lan.
Chu Jingfeng stood on a flying sword, his right sleeve fluttering in the wind, giving him a weathered and experienced air, a far cry from his former vigorous self.
An elder riding on a gourd-shaped artifact flew over and handed him a leaf, saying, "It seems like it was Flying Leaf Sword Immortal who made the move. We found Lin Futian's wine soul gourd nearby, containing the soul fragments of fifteen Tai Xuan Gate disciples."
Chu Jingfeng took the leaf and examined it closely. The surface was covered in tiny sword marks that were almost invisible at first glance.
He frowned, "So, Flying Leaf Sword Immortal is really one of our fellow disciples?"
The elder nodded, "It seems so. The previous attack on Zuo Yijian was likely a dispute between factions. With his ability to easily destroy Lin Futian, if he wanted to kill Zuo Yijian, there would be no chance of survival."
Chu Jingfeng remained silent.
The elder looked at his fluttering right sleeve and said, "Jingfeng, it's time to let go of the past and regrow your arm. Otherwise, constantly practicing the sword with your left hand will make it hard to break the habit later on."
"Why should I regrow it? If Flying Leaf Sword Immortal can use a leaf as a sword, why can't I use my left hand to hold the sword?" Chu Jingfeng countered.
Hearing this, the elder shook his head and sighed, no longer persuading him.
In the mountains, Ye Lan stood at the edge of a ravine, staring at its distant end as if it led to the ends of the earth. Her eyes were filled with shock.
"I heard it was the work of the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal. Such a terrifying scene was caused by a single leaf," a female disciple walked over, full of admiration.
The surrounding disciples also marveled at the power of the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal, and Ye Lan felt a sense of awe as well.
What kind of realm must one reach to possess such formidable strength?
Ye Lan turned her head to look in another direction, her eyes filled with worry.
...
Ever since Lin Futian's death, groups of cultivators would fly over the Xuan Valley every few days, most of them at the Foundation Establishment stage. Occasionally, Gu An would catch a glimpse of Ye Lan among them.
She didn't come down to visit him, as if she was just passing by.
But she had flown over the Xuan Valley four times in one month. How could Gu An not understand her intentions?
"This girl..."
Gu An stood by the window, watching the distant cultivators disappear into the horizon, feeling a warmth in his heart.
He brought up his attribute panel and looked at his lifespan of ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred, and ninety years. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched tightly.
He was almost there!
Tonight, he would break through to the next realm!
Due to this month's forced harvest, the lifespan yield for the next year would decrease, but if he waited another year, it should recover and continue to grow.
He had deliberately left a gap of ten years' worth of lifespan, planning to quietly harvest it tonight.
He wanted to fully enjoy the feeling of extending his life!
Seeing that it was still early in the day, Gu An couldn't sit still any longer and went downstairs.
In the courtyard, he spotted Su Han practicing his sword on the eastern mountain peak in the distance. After the conflict that night, Su Han had become reclusive, and the others didn't dare disturb him, fearing he would lose control again.
Tang Yu's relationship with Su Han had improved after learning about the origin of the Hate God's Sword Technique. Tang Yu had apologized, but since then, he had been practicing even harder.
Apologies aside, he didn't want to lose to Su Han again, especially since he was the senior disciple.
Gu An walked to the wooden fence of the garden and looked out, a smile on his face.
"Master, why are you so happy?" Zhen Qin ran over and asked curiously.
Gu An ruffled her hair and smiled, "What? Don't I usually smile enough?"
Zhen Qin giggled, "Master, since you're in such a good mood today, why don't you teach me the 'Remnant Wind Leg' technique?"
Gu An asked in surprise, "Don't you dislike practicing sword and leg techniques? What changed your mind?"
"I also want to become an Enforcement Hall disciple like Ye Lan Shishu!" Zhen Qin clenched her fists excitedly.
Apparently, Wo Xin and Xiao Chuan had also seen Ye Lan earlier, and their comments had been overheard by Zhen Qin, who was weeding nearby. Upon learning that Ye Lan's robe belonged to the Enforcement Hall, Zhen Qin felt a sense of admiration for her.
Gu An smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll teach you."
It would be good to send this girl off earlier too. She always disturbed him when he was trying to read!
And so, Gu An began teaching Zhen Qin the "Remnant Wind Leg" technique.
When night finally fell and all the disciples had returned to their rooms, Gu An quietly left the Xuan Valley. Before leaving, he had also harvested two third-rank medicinal plants from the garden.
(End of Chapter)
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