The man was not lying. After that, Gu Xiao never saw him step into this forest again.
Occasionally, he thought about his current life, but a man who had long become an ordinary person could not continue to provide Gu Xiao with experience. He could not guess his recent situation from this.
Another fifteen years passed. Just as Gu Xiao was about to forget the existence of this person, he suddenly received a system notification.
[Your believer, Liao Xing, has passed away. Do you want to check his life?]
Gu Xiao replied, "Yes."
So his surname is Liao, Gu Xiao thought as he checked the memories of his believers.
The man started thinking about survival when he was a child. When he was eight years old, which was the year he first met Gu Xiao, he lost his last relative.
After obtaining the cultivation technique from Gu Xiao, he also wandered around in the early stages of learning it. It was only when he entered the sect that he was able to settle down.
However, his talent made his senior brother see him as a thorn in his side. He tried all sorts of ways to harm him. In the last time, although he counterattacked and killed the senior, his cultivation was also crippled.
After being dispirited for a few years, he had a wife and daughter. After returning from Gu Xiao's place, he pulled himself together and established a martial arts sect in his hometown. He only hoped that there would be fewer orphans like him.
All these years, he had been living quite peacefully until his senior brother's family found him.
Now that he was a mortal facing a cultivator, the final outcome would be death.
A person's short life appeared in front of Gu Xiao's eyes. Gu Xiao could not tell if he was happy or sad about this man who he had watched grow up.
He felt a little sad.
After obtaining the man's complete memories, Gu Xiao also had a more direct understanding of the cultivation system in this world.
In addition, he also obtained something that his believer had given him—a damaged weapon.
At this moment, he naturally knew the story of this weapon.
After sighing, he carefully put it away.
Another year passed, and Gu Xiao still could not find a possible candidate for a new believer. He did not know how long it would take for him to leave this forest.
Every time this happened, Gu Xiao would sigh at how fortunate it was that the tree's mentality had affected him. If it was really based on human perception of time, he would probably have gone crazy long ago.
At this moment, a girl's arrival lit up Gu Xiao's world.
A moment ago, a certain someone was still looking forward to the new believer. When he smelled that familiar aura, he was first stunned, then inexplicably melancholic.
However, the girl was very lively. After coming to him and bowing respectfully, she pressed her palms together and muttered,
"Hello, Grandpa Divine Tree. I heard from my father that you can manifest. On account of my sincerity, I beg you to let me be your believer and bring a powerful cultivation technique to the peak of my life…"
Before the young lady could finish her words, she heard a cold harrumph.
"Eh? Did someone speak just now?"
As soon as she heard the strange sound, the girl instantly forgot her sincere "pray" and looked around.
"When you reach the peak of your life, do you want to marry a tall, rich, and handsome man or a fair, rich, and beautiful woman?"
Gu Xiao really couldn't help but want to complain. He thought that he was already ridiculous enough, but he didn't expect there to be someone more unreasonable than him.
The girl did not expect to receive a response. She was stunned for a moment before saying seriously, "I want revenge."
"I already know what happened to Father. I want to avenge him."
The girl repeated it again. At this moment, she was completely different from her previous lively appearance.
Gu Xiao only sighed.
He still remembered the last time he saw the girl. She probably had just learned how to walk and would occasionally be hugged by her parents.
In the blink of an eye, he was still a small fry that could not move, but the outside world had changed.
"Your father said the same thing when he first came," Gu Xiao said.
Actually, the man did not say anything at first, but in that dream, he could clearly feel the other party's emotions.
The determination to destroy and take revenge was no less than the girl in front of him.
The girl seemed to realize something and her eyes lit up. She immediately raised her finger and promised, "I swear that revenge is revenge. I will definitely protect myself."
Her words were powerful, but Gu Xiao could not be bothered with her.
It was true that he did not want the girl to walk the same path as her father, but he also knew that it was useless to stop her.
Even if she ran into a wall here, Gu Xiao felt that the girl might run to another place tomorrow and beg them to take her in.
Moreover… he needed believers in order to grow.
After thinking about it, he asked another question. "Have you learned the Breathing Technique?"
Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have heard him.
"Yes." The girl nodded obediently.
Gu Xiao said, "Then I'll teach you another cultivation technique now. Remember what you said."
After realizing that she had agreed, the girl was overjoyed and quickly packed her luggage. "Thank you, Grandpa Divine Tree. Lord Divine Tree, you are the best in the world…"
"Stop!"
Gu Xiao couldn't stand her nonsense. He pulled her into his dream with a branch and began to teach him the cultivation technique.
What he passed to the girl this time was the Mortal-grade cultivation technique that he had obtained previously.
Before the girl left, he warned her, "Don't be half-hearted after learning my technique. Be honest and I'll teach you higher-grade cultivation techniques in the future. Otherwise…"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire willow forest was stirred up by a violent wind. The branches emitted cracking sounds, and the girl felt like she was about to be blown away.
"Grandpa Divine Tree, don't worry. I will definitely worship you sincerely."
"What's your name?" Gu Xiao looked at her. In the end, he did not want to have any regrets.
"My name is Ling Yao. Grandpa Divine Tree, in this life, in the next life, in the next next life, my body and mind are…"
Gu Xiao couldn't stand her anymore and used this opportunity to send her away.
There was no way he would believe a single word she said.
This person had already learned the Breathing Technique, but he did not gain any experience. It was obvious that the other party did not take him seriously at all.
Although it was good for the people of this world to not have faith, meaning they could devote themselves to him, it was not easy to make someone his believer.
At least, their experience had to be given to him.
After sending the girl away, Gu Xiao received the feedback not long after.
He muttered, "At least she knows what's good for her."
Then, he worked hard.
With the hard work of Gu Xiao and the girl, he finally broke through Level 3.
"System, lucky draw."
Without waiting for the system notification, Gu Xiao called out enthusiastically.
What could the system do? Naturally, its host had to be pampered.
While staring at the wheel, Gu Xiao muttered, "Divine-grade cultivation technique, Divine-grade cultivation technique, quickly come into my arms…"
The system seriously suspected that he had been infected by the girl and was dreaming before the sky turned dark.
After the results of the lottery were out, he did not obtain any cultivation techniques this time, but he had the ability to investigate the surrounding information.
Gu Xiao, who had brushed past a Divine-grade cultivation technique, was not depressed at all. He looked at his new ability excitedly.
"This is good. In the future, when I fight, I can see how much health the enemy has. I can even kill a True God."
The system silently watched him brag.
After obtaining the new ability, Gu Xiao naturally wanted to verify it on the spot.
His main body was now spread all over the mountain forest. He could investigate all kinds of birds and beasts by throwing skills. He could easily grasp all kinds of information. It suddenly felt like he was playing a game.
As he played, Gu Xiao suddenly had an idea. He muttered to himself, "I haven't seen a single person in this damned place for decades, but no one says that the believers must be humans, right?"