https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-44-The-Pinnacle-of-Divine-Ability-the-Art-of-Teleportation-Array/12575096/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-46-Primordial-Dao-Talisman-Devilish-Ambitions/12575098/
Chapter 45: Take Me as Your Disciple
Chapter 45: Take Me as Your Disciple
Gu An turned around and saw Zuo Lin, Li Ya's childhood friend, walking towards him.
After not seeing each other for many years, Zuo Lin's cultivation had only reached the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm, and he was probably still obsessed with sword training.
Gu An turned and bowed to him politely. "I was summoned by the family to help with an event, so here I am."
"You still have a family? I thought you were just a servant?" Zuo Lin asked curiously.
Gu An replied, "I am indeed a servant, a servant of the Ji family. Our third young miss is holding a banquet, and I, along with the other servants, are here to assist with the preparations."
"What? You're from the Ji family?" Zuo Lin exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.
Gu An countered, "Didn't Brother Li tell you?"
Zuo Lin shook his head. "He didn't mention it. What a coincidence that my father was also invited by the Ji family. I tagged along to join in the fun. Isn't the Ji Manor at the back there? Where are you headed?"
He had always been intrigued by Gu An and felt that he was not ordinary. Now that they had finally met, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to spend time with him.
"I plan to wander around the Inner City," Gu An replied.
"Then let me accompany you," Zuo Lin said enthusiastically. "Even though I'm not an inner disciple, I've been here many times thanks to my father's connections." Gu An did not refuse.
As they walked and chatted, Zuo Lin spoke about his father, and through their conversation, Gu An gained a deeper understanding of the class system within the Tai Xuan Gate.
Usually, when a disciple reached a certain level of cultivation, they would move on to higher grounds. However, some chose to pursue a path of power, and Zuo Yi Jian was one of them. He had entered the Elder Hall.
Unlike other halls, the Elder Hall was the power center of the city, and the requirements to enter were more stringent. For the Outer Hall, the requirement was the Golden Core Realm, while for the Inner Hall, it was the Nascent Soul Realm.
The Elder Hall held absolute power within each city, and it was said that in the main city of the sect, the power of the Elder Hall was even greater, to the extent that they could decide the position of the sect leader. Thus, some Golden Core cultivators chose to remain in the Outer Hall as elders, continuing to further their own interests.
Although Zuo Yi Jian had entered the Inner Hall, he couldn't join the Elder Hall yet. Instead, he became the hall master of the Inner Hall's Scripture Hall, a position that came with significant perks.
"It's all because of that damn Fei Ye Sword Immortal!" Zuo Lin exclaimed in frustration. "My father has become obsessed with the 'Investiture of the Gods' and spends all day reading it. He doesn't practice his sword skills at all anymore."
Gu An asked, "Do you think 'Investiture of the Gods' is not worth reading?"
"On the contrary, it's a fantastic read," Zuo Lin replied enthusiastically. "Let me tell you, my favorite character is Yang Jian. Why isn't he a sword cultivator...?" As the conversation turned to "Investiture of the Gods," Zuo Lin became even more talkative.
Gu An couldn't help but marvel at the impact "Investiture of the Gods" had on the cultivation world; he had clearly underestimated its influence.
As he listened to Zuo Lin praising Pan An, Gu An initially felt a sense of secret pleasure, but as the praise continued, he began to lose interest. After all, he wasn't the real author, and his primary motivation for writing the book was to earn spirit stones.
Soon after, Gu An asked Zuo Lin to take him to the Scripture Pavilion.
The main difference between the Scripture Pavilion and the regular library was that the Scripture Pavilion housed only cultivation techniques and spells.
Along the way, Gu An inquired about the existence of five-elemental cultivation techniques, only to be met with disdain from Zuo Lin.
In the cultivation world, cultivation techniques typically focused on a single attribute, even for those with multiple spiritual roots. Unless one wanted to restart their cultivation, they wouldn't practice a multi-elemental technique.
Restarting cultivation was possible, but the process of rebuilding one's spiritual foundation was enough to drive most cultivators insane.
Cultivation was not like martial arts, where one could quickly improve through hard work. It required time to accumulate spiritual energy, and no one wanted to retrace their steps after decades or even centuries of progress, let alone those ancient cultivators who had practiced for millennia. They would rather grit their teeth and persevere, delving deeper into their chosen path. It was because of this single-minded dedication that the cultivation world flourished with a myriad of paths and techniques.
Upon reaching the Scripture Pavilion, Gu An indeed couldn't find any five-elemental techniques, but he purchased basic techniques for the other four attributes. He opted for the cheapest options, as he could always enhance his cultivation with spirit stones.
He needed to save his spirit stones for buying seeds!
Zuo Lin was puzzled as to why Gu An was buying techniques of different attributes, to which Gu An replied that he was purchasing them for his disciples. This response earned him Zuo Lin's respect.
Back in Xuan Valley, Zuo Lin had witnessed Gu An's kindness towards the servant disciples.
Gu An wasn't just currying favor with the royally-born Li Ya; he treated those of lower status with equal warmth and respect. Perhaps Li Ya was right—Gu An truly was a good person.
Zuo Lin thought to himself as he glanced at Gu An's profile.
"Brother Zuo, could you take me to see some formations?" Gu An asked with a smile.
Zuo Lin readily agreed.
However, the result left Gu An somewhat disappointed.
Although there were teleportation formations, they were exorbitantly priced, far beyond his means.
He would have to consider this another day. Despite being a Void Crossing cultivator, he didn't want to resort to robbery.
Upon entering the Inner Hall, Gu An suspected that the Tai Xuan Gate must be hiding some powerful Void Crossing experts. After all, the requirement for Inner Hall elders was the Nascent Soul Realm, and above them was the main city of the sect.
When he thought about it carefully, the Tai Xuan Gate was indeed formidable. With so many demonic cultivators dying at the Outer Hall, the demonic path dared not launch an attack on the Tai Xuan Gate. Even Jiang Qiong, a Golden Core spy, only dared to operate outside the Outer Hall.
If the Tai Xuan Gate was like a vast map, Gu An realized that he had only been operating in a small corner of it.
That evening, after bidding farewell to Zuo Lin, Gu An returned to the entrance of the Ji Manor, where Du Ye was still waiting for him. His thoughtfulness touched Gu An.
"Where have you been? You wouldn't have gotten in without me!" Du Ye complained.
Gu An patted him on the shoulder with a smile, and the two of them entered the manor.
As soon as he stepped inside, Gu An sensed numerous auras, realizing that the Ji Manor was also protected by restrictive spells. He even detected the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Along the way, he casually threw out his lifespan probes to gauge the strength of the people he encountered.
There were quite a few people in the Ji Manor, and many of them were geniuses.
Although Ji Xiao Yu had only brought five people into the Tai Xuan Gate, the Ji family had multiple branches, and every year, their disciples joined various sects.
After some time, Du Ye led Gu An to meet Ji Lin, the genius who had shaken the Outer Hall.
【Ji Lin (Qi Refining Realm, Layer 9): 36/330/900】
At thirty-six years old and having reached the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment realm, he was very strong! He must have consumed a considerable number of pills.
Gu An looked at Ji Lin and thought to himself as he took out the medicinal herbs he had prepared in advance.
Ji Lin was not arrogant, and his attitude towards Gu An was quite decent. He painted a rosy picture for Gu An, who pretended to be moved, bringing the meeting to a satisfactory conclusion.
Afterward, Du Ye led Gu An to their accommodations, where they stayed in the same courtyard but had separate rooms.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, as soon as it was light, Du Ye pulled Gu An out of his room.
The two of them stood waiting in front of the main gate, along with over ten other cultivators. Under the lead person's arrangement, they stood in two rows, preparing to welcome the esteemed guests of today's banquet.
Half a hour later, the first guests began to arrive.
The first to arrive was a Nascent Soul realm cultivator!
After that person entered the manor, Gu An overheard the other servants whispering that he was from the Enforcement Hall of the Inner Sect, and he held considerable power.
As time passed, more and more guests arrived, and the leader of each group had at least the Nascent Soul realm cultivation, with a significant proportion being in the Spirit Transformation realm.
No wonder Li Xuandao had to hide his cultivation. Although the eighth layer of the Spirit Transformation realm was strong, it was still far from invincible.
The arrival of one particular guest caught Gu An's attention, and he took a second glance. This person was none other than Fu Xiong's master, named Luo Xuye. Gu An had memorized his appearance when he searched Fu Xiong's soul.
【Luo Xuye (Nascent Soul realm, Layer 9): 254/804/1300】
A 250-year-old at the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul realm was indeed a genius.
The host of the Ji Manor clearly had a good relationship with Luo Xuye, and they chatted amiably for a while.
Who would have thought that this person was a Demon Cultivator?
Gu An thought to himself silently, never uttering a word and simply standing there, which was relatively relaxed.
About half an hour later, Gu An spotted another spy from the Qianqiu Pavilion.
Jiang Qiong!
【Jiang Qiong (Nascent Soul realm, Layer 1): 192/700/2490】
In the seven years since they last met, she had actually advanced so quickly and successfully crossed the Tribulation!
Jiang Qiong wore the robe of an Inner Sect disciple, her expression cold. Unlike her previous attitude towards Gu An, she now merely glanced at him once, and they had no interaction at all until she entered the Ji Manor.
"Why is she here? It's probably not just to celebrate, right?" Gu An wondered to himself.
Could Jiang Qiong be plotting something against the Ji family?
"Pan..."
Suddenly, a voice filled with delight and surprise caught Gu An's attention. He saw Gu Yu, whom he had met once in the Outer Sect's library, striding towards him.
Behind Gu Yu was a middle-aged man dressed lavishly, exuding an extraordinary aura. However, his aura was weak, indicating that he had cultivated some kind of qi-concealing technique.
Gu An subconsciously sent out a lifespan probe.
【Gu Zong (Void Crossing realm, Layer 2): 690/1805/2800】
Wow!
A Void Crossing realm cultivator!
So, the Tai Xuan Gate does have Void Crossing realm experts!
This man was also surnamed Gu, clearly indicating a blood relation to Gu Yu. Gu An had always felt that Gu Yu was not ordinary.
"Gu An, are you a member of the Ji family?" Gu Yu asked excitedly as he approached.
Gu An nodded and said, "I'm just a servant."
"With your talent, why be a mere servant? I'll ask my father to recruit you into the Inner Sect!" Gu Yu declared grandly, causing the surrounding Ji family members to stare at them.
Gu Yu turned to Gu Zong and said, "Father, he's the one I often mentioned. Take him under your wing!"
The cultivators following Gu Zong, all of whom were in the Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation realms, looked at Gu An with curiosity after hearing Gu Yu's words.
Damn!
Why did it have to be this kid?
Gu An cursed inwardly.
Gu Zong frowned and said, "This is not the time or place for such matters."
Gu An breathed a sigh of relief. A great cultivator indeed knew that it was inappropriate to break the rules in public.
Gu Zong looked at Gu An, and his stern expression suddenly softened as he smiled gently and said, "Young friend, my name is Gu Zong. How about you become my disciple?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was moved, and Du Ye looked at Gu An in disbelief.
Gu An's breath, which he had just exhaled, caught in his throat.
"I'm afraid my mediocre spiritual root and talent aren't suitable for becoming your disciple..." Gu An said helplessly.
Gu Zong laughed and said, "When I take on disciples, I don't look at their talent or roots; I only consider our connection. What you wrote is excellent, and I like it very much."
Under everyone's gaze, Gu An couldn't possibly agree, and he didn't like taking on a master of the same realm as himself. He had only become a disciple of Cheng Xuandan out of necessity.
"I'll have to discuss this matter with someone else. I hope you can understand," Gu An said with a deep breath, pretending to be hesitant.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zong burst into laughter. He patted Gu An's shoulder and left a sentence before entering the Ji Manor: "After the banquet, let's talk. Even if you don't want to be my disciple, as long as you help me with one thing, I'll fulfill any request you have."
Gu Yu winked at Gu An and then followed his father.
After this group of guests entered the manor, the surrounding Ji family members surrounded Gu An, asking him what he had written to receive such high regard from Gu Zong.
An old cultivator teased, "Could it be that you wrote the 'Investiture of the Gods'?"
Gu An smiled and said, "I wish I had written it."
Du Ye humphed, "How could he have written the 'Investiture of the Gods'? It's probably something related to planting medicinal herbs."
The others joined in the banter, and after this incident, Gu An's presence became highly noticeable.
Just as Gu An was thinking of leaving, a Ji family cultivator walked out of the manor and said, "Who is Gu An? Miss Ji Xiao Yu requests your presence!"
(End of Chapter)
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