Since Zuo Lin taught Gu An swordsmanship, every time they met, Zuo Lin would stare at him with a resentful gaze, making him very uncomfortable. Fortunately, with Li Ya around, Zuo Lin dared not pester him.
Days passed by, and every day, there were cultivators flying over Mystic Valley.
Each time someone passed by, Gu An would use life span detection to check their cultivation level. He even detected the presence of Nascent Soul cultivators, although he couldn't tell which sect they belonged to.
Spring went and summer came, and Gu An turned twenty-eight.
Since reaching the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul Realm, he had paused his daily routine, fearing he might waste his life span. He planned to use a vast amount of life span for a forced breakthrough later on.
Besides hard work, he also believed in mysticism.
Summer's scorching heat 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. Xiaochuan and Ye Lan were cultivating in the valley.
Tang Yu wiped the sweat off his forehead, glancing at the Green Hero Travelogue in Gu An's hands, eyes full of curiosity.
What kind of book was that?
The biggest secret in the valley was what exactly was recorded in the Green Hero Travelogue.
The three disciples also wanted to read it, but unfortunately, the entire set of the Green Hero Travelogue was privately kept by Gu An. They couldn't find it in the Book Collection Pavilion.
A large white rat suddenly darted out from the grass and ran straight into Gu An's arms. It was the White Spirit Rat.
Gu An noticed it had something in its mouth and immediately sat up. He saw it spit out an egg the size of a chicken egg. The eggshell was bluish-white with wave-like brown patterns on the surface.
He could feel the spiritual power fluctuations inside.
Is this a demon beast egg?
Gu An had encountered demon beast eggs in the Outer City before. Prices varied greatly, the highest being astronomical, making his scalp go numb just looking at them.
Seizing the moment when Wuxin and the others weren't paying attention, he quickly stashed the demon beast egg into his storage bag.
The White Spirit Rat lifted its head proudly, making Gu An laugh as he hugged it and stroked it vigorously.
After finishing the weeding, Wuxin and the others began planting. When everything was done, they all returned to Mystic Valley.
Tang Yu walked beside Gu An, asking him about some difficulties related to the Residual Wind Leg. He didn't like swords, so he was the only one among the three disciples who diligently practiced the Residual Wind Leg.
Gu An patiently guided him, while tightly holding the White Spirit Rat in his hands to prevent it from escaping.
Upon returning to Mystic Valley, Li Ya, who had gone to the Outer Sect in the morning, had already returned. However, Zuo Lin hadn't come back, which was good news for Gu An.
Li Ya approached Gu An and said, "The Outer Sect gathering in the realm has ended. Next is the time for inter-sect exchanges. During this period, there will be disciples patrolling nearby, so I must also return."
Upon hearing this, Gu An immediately showed reluctance and said: "Then I won't try to keep you. You have a heart for the immortal path; I can't be the one to hold you back. If you ever miss this place, come back anytime. As long as I'm alive, I'll always be here waiting for you."
Li Ya nodded and then pulled Gu An into the attic. After closing the door, he took out three white jade bottles from his storage bag and placed them on the table, saying: "These three bottles of elixirs are respectively the Foundation Establishment Pill, the Top-Grade Spirit Elixir, and the Soul Cleansing Pill. Keep them safe and don't expose them lightly, especially the Foundation Establishment Pill. You must keep one for yourself. Don't trust your disciples too easily; there are many who would kill their masters for elixirs. People's hearts can change."
Gu An was stunned and quickly waved his hand, saying: "No, I can't do this. Even if I were to be the Valley Master for a hundred years, I wouldn't be able to repay the spirit stones..."
"Repay what! You are my junior brother, and I will come back to bother you in the future. If you don't accept, I won't come back!" Li Ya glared, speaking sternly.
Hearing this, Gu An could only reluctantly accept. He felt deeply moved in his heart.
More than the valuable elixirs, he cared about Li Ya's sentiments toward him.
Li Ya continued, "Last night, a demon cultivator battle took place a hundred miles away, resulting in several deaths and injuries. They were all geniuses from various sects. Their deaths will surely attract investigations. It's best if you don't leave the valley for the next few days."
Gu An nodded and was about to say something when Li Ya turned and left.
He didn't leave through the front door but leapt out of the window, using sword control to soar, passing the mountain peaks, and disappeared without a trace.
Gu An turned back to look at the three bottles of elixirs on the table, remaining silent for a long time.
Finally, he sighed and waved his sleeve, putting the three bottles of elixirs into the storage bag.
...
Late at night, Gu An came to the Eight Scenic Caves and walked to the Green Vine Tree.
Jiang Qiong was still meditating in front of the pill furnace, her aura growing stronger, close to reaching the ninth layer of the Core Formation Realm. Gu An felt happy for her.
Finally about to leave!
"Dear disciple grandson, you haven't visited me in a long time, I thought you almost forgot about me," Jiang Qiong's voice sounded.
Gu An approached to salute and helplessly said, "Martial Master, can you drop the 'dear'? Your disciple grandson really can't bear it."
A demon cultivator was still a demon cultivator; speaking without any propriety.
Jiang Qiong smiled without responding.
Gu An took out the demon beast egg from his storage bag, brought it before Jiang Qiong, and asked: "Martial Master, what kind of demon beast is this?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qiong opened her eyes, casually glanced at the demon beast egg in his hand. Initially indifferent, she suddenly realized something and widened her beautiful eyes.
She turned around and snatched the egg from Gu An's hand.
She examined it carefully, her gaze seemed to penetrate the eggshell.
Seeing this, Gu An grew nervous internally.
As expected, this thing was not simple!
When Li Ya mentioned a demon cultivator battle last night, he suspected that the White Spirit Rat picked up this egg from the battleground. He had lived in this area for so many years and had never seen a demon beast egg, not even a demon beast.
"It's truly the Holy Beast of the Ancient Sky Sect..." Jiang Qiong muttered to herself.
Holy Beast?
Gu An's eyelids twitched; he suddenly wanted to strangle the White Spirit Rat for causing trouble.
Jiang Qiong handed the demon beast egg back to Gu An, saying: "This is the Sky Dragon, a demon beast rarely possessing the True Dragon bloodline in the Mortal World. It can grow to a ninth-rank demon beast with immense potential and devastating power, revered as the Holy Beast by the Ancient Sky Sect. Raise it well. The Sky Dragon serves only one master in its lifetime, gentle to its master but extremely ferocious to others. Once the Sky Dragon's master perishes, it will go berserk and slaughter all beings."
Upon hearing this, Gu An quickly said: "With such power, it is better suited for you, Martial Master. You could use an assistant in the Immortal Cultivation World."
"Are you serious?" Jiang Qiong asked with a half-smile.
Gu An nodded sincerely.
Seeing this, Jiang Qiong's face softened, feeling moved.
Thinking back, since they met, this boy had always been respectful. He never slacked off in her orders. His current words might not be feigned sincerity.
Jiang Qiong had faked her death for seventy years due to betrayal, which led to her current situation. Over the years, she had harbored hatred for many. When she first met Gu An, she was full of caution, so after recovering her body, she tested him.
Jiang Qiong forcibly put the Sky Dragon egg back into Gu An's hands. As their hands touched, he felt a hint of chilliness.
"Don't refuse. The Green Vine Tree needs strong protection. Keeping the Sky Dragon here ensures it won't be exposed," Jiang Qiong said seriously.
Hearing this, Gu An found it reasonable.
This way, it could also prevent anyone from stealing herbs or flowers.
Gu An sighed, "Alright."
Jiang Qiong began to tell stories about the Sky Dragon and its habits, helping him gain more knowledge.
The more Gu An listened, the more excited he became, looking forward to the Sky Dragon.
Finally, he left the Sky Dragon egg under the Green Vine Tree for Jiang Qiong to nurture.
...
In the following month, the number of cultivators passing over Mystic Valley gradually decreased. Finally, there were three consecutive days without any passing cultivators, prompting Gu An to leave the valley.
He had side jobs to do, which were also significant sources of life span income that he couldn't miss.
Compared to fighting and killing, Gu An preferred earning life span steadily and safely.
At midday, he first went to Chen Li's cave. Chen Li wasn't in, so he took thirty minutes to tend to the medicinal herbs before leaving.
The next stop was Li Xuanyu's cave.
Li Xuanyu wasn't there either, so Gu An got to work.
As expected of a princess, Li Xuanyu had recently planted another batch of fifth-rank medicinal herbs, which made Gu An look forward to it.
Fifth-rank medicinal herbs took at least five years, sometimes more than ten years, to mature. Fortunately, Gu An could afford to wait.
However, just as he was about to finish, Li Xuanyu returned.
"Greetings, Senior Li," Gu An quickly approached, cupping his fists in salute.
Li Xuanyu, dressed in white, still looked so cold and holy. However, Gu An could sense her unstable aura.
Injured again.
She really loved to fight!
Li Xuanyu said softly: "Since you are Li Ya's junior brother, there's no need for you to call me senior. You may call me senior sister."
Hearing this, Gu An could only comply and greeted, "Senior Sister."
Li Xuanyu glanced around the cave and said: "You've done well. Do you need me to recommend this job for you? If I speak for you, those employers would give me some face and won't treat you unfairly."
"Yes, thank you, Senior Sister Li!"
Gu An answered quickly. He was waiting to save up ten thousand years of life span to break through the level above the Nascent Soul Realm, so he wouldn't refuse help.
Li Xuanyu nodded and said: "Come back in a month."
Gu An saluted and then left.
After he left, Li Xuanyu went to the bed and began healing her wounds, her face quickly turning pale, completely bloodless, then spitting out a mouthful of black blood on the ground.
Outside the cave, Gu An felt her aura suddenly become chaotic, probably due to her injuries flaring up, but he didn't stop.
He didn't know how to heal wounds, and he didn't want to get too involved with Li Xuanyu.
...
After the Outer Sect gathering concluded, time in Mystic Valley passed as quickly as it had before.
When Gu An saw Li Xuanyu again, her injuries had mostly healed. Under her guidance, he met five Outer Disciples, bringing the total to seven Outer Disciples' caves he helped manage.
Because each cave's situation was different, he had to leave the valley every three to four days. For convenience, he raised his apparent cultivation level to the sixth layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm. Every time he went out, he used the Sword Control Technique, as the spiritual energy of the fifth layer wasn't enough for him to travel back and forth in a day.
He avoided using the Heavenly Residence Sword, instead, footing on a common flying sword, an ordinary magic artifact obtained from the Outer Sect, for the sake of appearances.
Summer turned to autumn, with falling leaves blanketing Mystic Valley.
After autumn, winter snow covered Mystic Valley in white.
One day, Gu An was in the attic, writing with a brush.
Having read the Green Hero Travelogue many times, he wanted to write one himself. It so happened that during his last visit to the Outer Sect, he discovered that writing books could earn spirit stones, though the review process was stringent.
With his background as a reincarnated person from Earth, he decided to astonish the Supreme Sect a little.
By earning more spirit stones, he could buy more seeds!
While engrossed in his writing, he suddenly sensed something and frowned.
The sky outside the window darkened, and rolling thunder clouds surged from the horizon, enveloping the heavens and the forest with a terrifying celestial might.