After Ye Lan obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill, she succeeded in establishing her foundation in just a month. That night, Gu An guarded her during her tribulation in the dark, and she passed through it with no real danger.
The day after successfully establishing her foundation, Ye Lan bid farewell and left in a hurry.
Her sudden achievement in Foundation Establishment became a major topic in Mystic Valley, leading to many speculations among the disciples. Some said it was Gu An who gave her the Foundation Establishment Pill, others claimed Ye Lan had a fortuitous encounter, and some believed her mountain forest training was divinely aided.
Regardless, Ye Lan eventually left.
Under the scorching summer sun.
Gu An stood on the pavilion's platform, looking at the busy disciples below, suddenly feeling a sense of change and loss.
Cheng Xuandan, Zhang Chunqiu, Li Ya, Meng Lang, Lu Jiujia, and Ye Lan were all gone.
Now, only the younger generation remained.
Among them, Xiaochuan had the most seniority under him.
Xiaochuan had given up thoughts of moving to the Outer Sect, but he did not get disheartened and still lived a positive life, finding other meanings in life alongside cultivation.
Gu An looked at a corner of the Medicine Valley, where bamboo fences enclosed ducks. Xiaochuan was leaning over the fence, interacting with the ducks.
These ducks were not ordinary farm ducks; they had a trace of the bloodline of third-order demon beasts. Each duck cost a hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. Xiaochuan emptied his wallet to buy two, while the other ten were paid for by Gu An, increasing Xiaochuan's gratitude towards him.
Despite the trace of third-order demon beast bloodline, these ducks would be lucky to grow to the first order.
"The flesh of low-order demon beasts is also beneficial to cultivators, should I set up a livestock business? It could extend life and earn Spirit Stones..."
Gu An suddenly felt tempted.
Raising sheep and cattle in the mountains wasn't out of the question!
But doing this would require constantly expanding manpower, and he feared causing a stir that would draw the Supreme Sect's ire.
He had considered running off to find a deep mountain on his own, but quickly dismissed it. Not to mention that the Green Vine Tree was hard to move, he did not want to miss out on the Supreme Sect's resource channels.
Within the Supreme Sect, as long as he had enough Spirit Stones, he could buy anything he wanted. Going outside might not offer the same certainty.
Some rare items were hard to find!
At worst, he could glorify the Supreme Sect in his writing later on.
Gu An thought secretly, as long as he handed over enough medicinal herbs and demon beast blood, how could the Supreme Sect give him a hard time?
They might even lend him a hand!
Yes, just like that!
In the future, Xiaochuan will be the beast tamer, and Wuxin will be the chief disciple in charge of planting, they will be my Left and Right Guardians in Mystic Valley.
The more Gu An thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He began planning.
Earlier, the jade ring found by the White Spirit Rat contained a large sum of wealth. He calculated it to be worth two million low-grade Spirit Stones, equivalent to two hundred top-grade Spirit Stones, enough for him to expand significantly.
He decided to act!
Gu An called out to Xiaochuan, who immediately ran over and leaped onto the platform.
"Senior brother, what's the matter?" Xiaochuan asked.
Gu An shared his idea, and Xiaochuan's eyes lit up, growing more excited the more he listened.
The two quickly agreed!
In the end, Gu An sent Xiaochuan to the Outer Sect with a list to acquire necessary items, and Xiaochuan set off on the same day.
Xiaochuan also knew the Sword Control Technique, but his Spiritual Power was insufficient, requiring two days for the round trip with a night's rest in between.
Three days later, Xiaochuan returned and handed Gu An the prepared list, chattering excitedly. He had met Lu Jiujia in the Outer Sect, who personally took him to inspect the demon beasts, saving a lot of trouble.
After discussing, Gu An decided to buy fifty young beasts first to test the waters, as only with such a quantity would the Outer Sect's Beast Hall agree to transport them to Mystic Valley.
After a day's rest, Xiaochuan set off with Spirit Stones provided by Gu An, accompanied by Tang Yu and Su Han, both at the fifth layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm, adding to their presence.
If not for a batch of medicinal herbs nearing harvest, Gu An would have gone personally to avoid being deceived.
Fortunately, nothing like that happened. The Supreme Sect was indeed a reputable sect.
Five days later, Xiaochuan and the others returned by sword, followed by three two-horned white eagles with five-zhang wingspans. On the eagles' backs stood cultivators, and their claws carried large cages containing young lambs. These lambs did not have grown horns and the flight was smooth, thanks to talisman papers on the cages.
After landing, Gu An went forward to thank them. The three Medicine Hall disciples were not overly friendly but did not embarrass him either. After exchanging pleasantries, they left on the eagles.
"Xiaochuan, these lambs cost me a thousand low-grade Spirit Stones, you must take good care of them," Gu An said, patting Xiaochuan's shoulder meaningfully.
Not just Spirit Stones, but my very life!
These lambs would have the strength of the first order when grown, equivalent to the third layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm, though they couldn't develop human-like spiritual wisdom.
Xiaochuan nodded solemnly, scratching his head, "Senior brother, can we recruit two more servant disciples to help me?"
Gu An replied, "Have others help you first, recruit disciples in half a year. My storage bag is a bit tight right now."
Xiaochuan beamed, quickly expressing his gratitude.
Gu An indeed had many Spirit Stones, but he feared drawing too much attention, so he chose to restrain himself for half a year.
After dealing with Xiaochuan, Gu An returned to the pavilion.
Everyone in the valley came to observe the first-order sheep demon. For those fixated on plants daily, the appearance of sheep demons was novel.
Back in the pavilion, Gu An prepared to write the next volume of Investiture of the Gods, as Liu Chang from the Book Collection Hall had urged him several times.
Listening to the laughter of the disciples outside, Gu An's lips involuntarily curled up.
...
In a courtyard, Zuo Yijian sat under a tree, his head full of white hair, holding a leaf in his right hand, his brow furrowed.
Compared to the him who had successfully crossed the tribulation years ago, he looked much older, losing his sharpness, no longer seeming like a Great Cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm.
Zuo Lin walked into the courtyard, turned his head, and saw his father under the tree. He immediately went forward, snatching the leaf from Zuo Yijian's hand.
"Father, how long will you remain in decline?"
Zuo Lin questioned angrily, throwing the leaf on the ground and stomping on it.
Zuo Yijian looked at him with eyes calm as water, "I am not in decline."
"You spend all day looking at leaves, how long has it been? How long since you absorbed energy, or tempered your sword intent?"
Zuo Lin's tone was full of frustration. Thinking of the indignities he had suffered over the years, a surge of anger welled up, almost uncontrollable.
Zuo Yijian bent to pick up the leaf, "Then before, when you held your sword deep in thought, not absorbing energy, what was it for? With your sword, were you more diligent than I with my leaf?"
"I..."
Zuo Lin was at a loss, his face flushing, "A sword is a sword, a leaf is a leaf. I couldn't grasp Sword Dao and thus sat in contemplation. But you, are you pursuing Leaf Dao?"
"But the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal defeated me with just a leaf. Do you think his leaf wasn't a sword?"
"That's different..."
"True Sword Dao is never confined to a specific sword."
Zuo Yijian said softly, refocusing on the leaf in his hand, his gaze becoming distant.
Zuo Lin cursed inwardly, reaching into his storage bag to pull out a book, "Father, look at this book, called Investiture of the Gods. It has spread through the Immortal Cultivation World in the past two years. Many sects are reading it. Some say it records an ancient era's war of cultivation."
Zuo Yijian remained indifferent.
Zuo Lin placed the Investiture of the Gods at his feet and then turned to leave.
As soon as he left the courtyard, he couldn't resist pulling out another copy of Investiture of the Gods from his storage bag.
Zuo Yijian continued to daydream.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally blinked and glanced at the Investiture of the Gods on the ground.
...
In autumn, Mystic Valley was covered in yellowish hues.
In the pavilion, Gu An sat drinking tea with Li Ya, who was passionately talking while holding a book.
It was Investiture of the Gods.
"In the past two years, the Supreme Sect has been in the spotlight: first, the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal defeated the Maniac Swordsman of Canghu Lake, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, with just one leaf, becoming famous in the Immortal Cultivation World. Second, this Investiture of the Gods, with its grand Immortal Cultivation stories and incredible spells, has everyone talking. Some even say it might record a true ancient era story..."
Listening to Li Ya's praise of Investiture of the Gods, Gu An frowned.
Is it really that popular?
But his share of the profits wasn't much.
Is the Book Collection Hall taking a cut, or are other sects reading pirated copies?
Come to think of it, the Immortal Cultivation World doesn't care about copyrights.
Li Ya spoke at length before finally ending, "I wonder who this Pan An is, truly a talent. I wish to meet him. Even Inner Sect disciples and inheriting disciples are reading this book."
Gu An asked curiously, "Is it that amazing? I should read it and see if it can compare to Green Hero Travelogue."
"That low-class book can't compare to Investiture of the Gods," Li Ya scoffed.
Gu An only smiled.
Li Ya set down his book, picked up his teacup, and drank it in one gulp, "I'm leaving soon, going out to train. I might not return for ten years."
For him, ten years wasn't much, but for Junior Brother Gu, it was different. So he came to inform him.
Gu An wasn't surprised. Cultivators couldn't stay in the sect forever. They needed to go out to train, seek opportunities, and cultivate both their Dao and their heart.
"Do you have a goal?" Gu An asked casually.
Li Ya smiled, "Yes, there is an impending passing of a Great Cultivator of the Divinity Transformation Realm in the southernmost Jizhou. He wishes to find a suitable successor before his demise. This person is a Sword Cultivator, and I plan to try my luck."
"Divinity Transformation? What kind of realm is that, how many levels above the Nascent Soul Realm?" Gu An pretended to ask in curiosity.
Li Ya laughed, "The Divinity Transformation Realm is just above the Nascent Soul Realm. If it were several levels higher, he wouldn't appear in Taicang. There's more to this land than just the Taicang Dynasty, and supposedly, beyond the sea lies an even broader world. But without reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, it's hard to cross over."
He stood up, smiling, "Junior Brother Gu, when I return, I will be the inheritor of a Divinity Transformation cultivator. By then, call me senior brother, and maybe I'll show you Divinity Transformation spells."
With that, he turned to the window and leaped out, departing by sword.
Gu An looked at the footprints on the windowsill, raising an eyebrow.
Divinity Transformation Realm?
He had to reach it before Li Ya returned!