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Chapter 58: If You Were the Sect Leader, What Would You Do?
Chapter 58: If You Were the Sect Leader, What Would You Do?
A Seventh-Rank Spirit Tree!
This was the grade of the Azure Vine Tree, and the Tai Xuan Sect actually possessed a spirit tree comparable to the sacred tree of the Qian Qiu Pavilion?
Could it be that the Azure Vine Tree within the Eight Scenes Cave Heaven wasn't considered a true sacred tree, or perhaps it hadn't fully matured yet? Gu An's excitement rose. He simply couldn't refuse such a treasure.
What's so difficult about keeping the Saintess here?
Doesn't she like reading?
I'll write a spin-off of The Investiture of the Gods for her!
"When will the Saintess arrive?" Gu An took a deep breath and asked, concealing his joy and instead putting on a worried and pensive demeanor.
Ancient Patriarch smiled and said, "She'll be here within a year at most, so don't feel pressured."
Ancient Feather teased from the side, "You don't have to worry about her asking you to commit yourself to her either. After all, the difference in your cultivation levels is clear. She merely likes your books."
Gu An nodded. He wasn't that narcissistic; there were countless people in the world who loved The Investiture of the Gods.
Ancient Patriarch turned to the elderly man standing beside him and asked, "How has it been staying here?"
The elderly man, Elder Tian, nodded and replied, "It's been great. Valley Master has treated me very well."
Gu An felt helpless. Was Ancient Patriarch trying to ease his suspicions by bringing in his distant relative?
This won't do!
If you're going to put on an act, commit to it! Gu An looked at Ancient Patriarch, hesitating to speak.
Sensing his confusion, Ancient Patriarch smiled and said, "He's known about your identity as Pan An for a long time. It's precisely because he likes The Investiture of the Gods that I had him come here. Aside from the elders, no one else knows, so rest assured. We're even more concerned than you are about your identity being exposed."
Before The Investiture of the Gods emerged, there had always been disciples writing books. But the impact brought about by Pan An was unprecedented. No one had ever imagined that a book could bring more disciples, cultivation resources, and even aid the sect in diplomacy with other powers. Especially after the release of Tai Xuan Immortal Lord, all eyes in the cultivation world were on the Tai Xuan Sect. Being in a position of power, Ancient Patriarch understood this best.
Gu An breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, Ancient Feather said, "Zhou Tongyou has been treating me well lately. Forget what I said before; don't let Ancient Feather bully him anymore."
Gu An looked at him with a strange expression.
Ancient Patriarch laughed and said, "My image isn't bad either. Wherever I go, I hear people mentioning my name, asking when I'll return to take revenge for my son against that evil person."
"Cough, cough, can't reveal that in advance. It'll ruin the suspense."
"True."
Gu An shifted the topic and inquired about the Saintess of the Tian Teaching. He had to gather as much information as possible to better face the situation.
Ancient Patriarch began to introduce the Saintess.
"Her name is Shen Zhen. She has a triple spirit root and is the youngest daughter of the Tian Teaching's leader. Her talent isn't top-notch, but she has an extremely high comprehension of musical magic arts and usually loves the arts."
Just from the introduction, Gu An felt that Shen Zhen didn't seem to have a strong personality.
Loving the arts, she probably had a good temper.
...
Late at night, in the Eight Scenes Cave Heaven.
Under the Azure Vine Tree, Gu An was practicing his swordplay, specifically the Wood Spirit Sword Technique.
The Wood Spirit Sword Technique was a sword art that Zuo Lin had taught him to test his abilities. It wasn't a rare technique and could be purchased in the outer sect's city.
Because it was wood-attributed, Gu An intended to practice it himself without investing his lifespan into it.
However, wasn't time in the real world equivalent to lifespan as well? Relying on his mastery of the Supreme Azure Shocking Sword and his current top-grade five-element spirit root, Gu An found a genius-like feeling in the Wood Spirit Sword Technique.
He had already mastered the technique and was now pursuing a higher realm.
Every cultivation method, magic art, and ultimate skill had minor realms. According to his summary, from low to high, they were: beginner, initial insight, entering the threshold, minor achievement, integration and understanding, consummate skill, peak, and returning to basics.
It felt like playing a game and improving proficiency. Gu An found it very interesting.
A zhang-long Haolong sat on the tree, watching Gu An's graceful swordplay. By now, it had the true aura of a dragon and hadn't grown up crooked.
Gu An moved within a three-zhang radius under the tree, leaving afterimages as if there were nearly ten of him practicing the sword. The Heavenly Lodging Sword in his hand was extremely sharp, and the vigorous energy overflowed. This energy dissipated after traveling two zhang away, not damaging any of the flowers and plants.
After practicing for an hour, Gu An finally stopped.
Clang!
The Heavenly Lodging Sword returned to its sheath, emitting a light and agile sound like a dragon's roar.
He tossed the sword into his storage bag and stretched lazily.
Haolong descended from the sky and asked in a childish male voice, "Master, that was amazing! Can you teach me?"
Gu An glanced at it and smiled, "Can your dragon claws hold a sword?"
"Using my claws as a sword, is that not okay?" Haolong blinked its dragon eyes and asked.
Gu An was stunned for a moment.
There's something to this!
He immediately took out the Wood Spirit Sword Technique manual he had drawn from his storage bag and threw it to Haolong, saying, "Then you can practice by yourself. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me when I come back."
Haolong caught the manual with his dragon claws and quickly said, "Remember to bring me roasted chicken!"
Gu An nodded with a smile and then turned and left.
Haolong landed on the ground and placed the manual on the ground, flipping through it with his claws.
After leaving the Eight Scenes Cave Heaven, Gu An entered the mountain forest. Under the night sky, the forest was covered in snow, but he left no footprints.
The next morning, just as Gu An had finished practicing with his disciples and was about to head to the Third Medicine Valley, Ye Lan arrived.
Since his junior sister had come, Gu An naturally had to accompany her.
The two of them entered the pavilion to chat.
Gu An first asked about her recent situation. No matter how busy she was, she would visit him every year, and Gu An would be lying if he said he wasn't touched.
"Ever since last year, disciples from the Outer Sect have been going missing frequently. No matter how our Enforcement Hall investigates, we can't find the culprit. On the other hand, the Demon-Subduing Hall always manages to catch demonic spies and make them confess their crimes." Ye Lan sighed.
After the change in the Sect Leader's position, she and Lu Jiujia had ceased contact, mainly because the two halls they belonged to were already incompatible and had reached a point of mutual hostility.
Gu An smiled and said, "Then let the Demon-Subduing Hall handle it. This way, you'll have more time to cultivate."
Ye Lan shook her head. "It's not that simple. The Hall Master of the Demon-Subduing Hall wants to annex the Enforcement Hall, and the Grand Elder of the Outer Sect seems to be in agreement. If our Enforcement Hall doesn't show any results, we'll eventually be disbanded."
"Don't worry. If the Enforcement Hall is disbanded, you can always come back. The pills I can provide are no worse than the benefits you get from the Enforcement Hall."
"That won't do," Ye Lan refused directly, her expression serious. "If I take them from you, what about yourself?"
Seeing her determination, Gu An didn't press the matter further and instead steered the conversation to other topics.
Since Ye Lan wanted to stay a few more days, Gu An decided to remain in Xuan Valley until the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations before leaving.
...
After the Lunar New Year, the winter snow melted away completely. Gu An first went to Tianya Valley to harvest the lifespan energy of the monkeys and then stayed for a couple of days before heading to the Third Medicine Valley.
While Xuan Valley was bustling with people and Tianya Valley had its three monkey demons, the Third Medicine Valley was different. Every time Gu An visited, it was always deathly silent.
Ye Yan and Elder Tian both relished this tranquility, each keeping to themselves without disturbing the other.
Gu An walked into a section of the garden and began plucking ripe medicinal herbs.
Elder Tian approached him curiously and asked, "Why do you always insist on picking the herbs yourself?"
"I need to do something, and by harvesting these herbs myself and bundling them up, I get a sense of self-satisfaction, feeling like I'm contributing to the sect," Gu An replied.
Hearing this, Elder Tian smiled and said, "You truly are contributing. It's not just self-satisfaction."
"I hope the higher-ups in the sect think so too," Gu An said lightly as he continued plucking the herbs.
Suddenly, Elder Tian asked, "If you were made the Sect Leader, what would you do?"
Gu An's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't pause in his actions. "Don't get any ideas. You're not the Sect Leader, and even if you were, you couldn't just hand over the position to me. Besides, I can only manage the Medicine Valley. How could I possibly handle the millions of disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect?"
"With my cultivation, who would submit to me even if I became the Sect Leader?"
He had no desire to become the Sect Leader! He wanted to focus on his cultivation and avoid facing pressure. If he became the Sect Leader and encountered an invincible enemy, could he even escape?
Gu An's loyalty to the Tai Xuan Sect didn't run that deep!
Elder Tian smiled but didn't pursue the topic further.
After Gu An finished harvesting the herbs, the two of them walked towards the pavilion.
"Actually, I know of an incredible set of cultivation techniques that even the ancient sect elders don't know about. Do you want to learn them?" Elder Tian suddenly asked.
"No, thanks. If I had the time, I'd rather write books. Haven't you seen that I rarely cultivate and rely solely on pills to boost my cultivation?" Gu An replied.
"You're still young. Why are you so..." Elder Tian started, but Gu An interrupted him.
"You don't understand. This is called enjoying life. I like to live within my means. Of course, this is just my personal preference. Everyone has different pursuits," Gu An said casually. Why was this old man talking so much today? Was he trying to destroy his Dao heart?
Elder Tian was about to continue when a sound suddenly came from the horizon, interrupting him. The two of them turned their heads and saw Ancient Patriarch approaching on a golden wheel, with a black-clothed woman standing behind him. Her face was veiled, revealing only a pair of bright and captivating eyes.
The Saintess of the Tian Teaching had arrived?
Gu An asked Elder Tian to put away the herbs first and then turned to greet Ancient Patriarch and his companion.
He sent out a lifespan probe.
【Shen Zhen (Golden Core, Second Layer): 78/660/1050】
The golden wheel landed, and Ancient Patriarch smiled. "Gu An, this is the Saintess of the Tian Teaching, Shen Zhen. Make sure you treat her well during her stay."
He turned to face Shen Zhen, and she raised her hand in a polite greeting. He nodded and quickly departed on the golden wheel.
Shen Zhen turned her gaze to Gu An, her eyes scrutinizing him carefully. Even with just her eyes visible, one could imagine that she was a rare beauty.
Gu An raised his hand in a polite greeting. "I am Gu An. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Shen."
Shen Zhen nodded slightly and asked curiously, "Between The Investiture of the Gods and Tai Xuan Immortal Lord, which one do you like better?"
Testing him right off the bat?
Gu An remained calm and replied, "I like them both. It's impossible for someone to like only one book. Depending on one's mood, they might want to read different books, isn't that right?"
Shen Zhen's eyes lit up at his response.
"Actually, I've also written a book. Would you like to see it?" Shen Zhen asked, her eyes sparkling.
Gu An naturally didn't refuse. "Shall we go upstairs to read it?"
Shen Zhen nodded and followed Gu An up to the second floor of the pavilion.
Gu An had intended to leave the door open, as it could be awkward for a man and a woman to be alone in a room together. However, Shen Zhen closed the door.
The two of them sat down at the table, and Shen Zhen took out a book from her storage bag. She frowned slightly, seeming hesitant, but after a moment's thought, she handed the book to Gu An.
Gu An took the book and his eyelids twitched.
Black Knight's Adventures?
What the heck?!
(End of Chapter)
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