After giving Xiaochuan and Lu Jiujia a few perfunctory responses, Gu An walked towards his own courtyard. He took out Green Hero Travelogue from his bosom, ready to savor the illustrations in the book.
Just as he reached the front of the courtyard, Ye Lan greeted him.
"Senior Brother, I also want to learn Residual Wind Leg!" Ye Lan said angrily.
Gu An naturally closed the travelogue and smiled, "Why? Your Senior Brother Meng is unwilling to teach you spells?"
Ye Lan became even more upset, complaining, "Yes, he taught me very perfunctorily. I got anxious and argued with him. As a result, he scolded me, saying he was preparing for the Outer Sect assessment and had no time for me, and told me to scram."
Seeing her cheeks puffed up like a ball, Gu An found it amusing but held back from laughing.
"Since your Senior Brother Meng is busy, don't disturb him. How about this: tomorrow at noon, I'll personally teach you Residual Wind Leg. How does that sound?" Gu An said gently.
Ye Lan asked in surprise, "Why tomorrow?"
"Senior Brother is tired, please understand. I was just pestered by your two senior brothers. You can go ask them." Gu An pointed to Xiaochuan and Lu Jiujia in the distance.
After speaking, he bypassed Ye Lan and walked towards his own room.
Ye Lan noticed the book in his hand and wondered to herself, "Is this Green Hero Travelogue really that interesting?"
Gu An returned to his room and closed the door. He lay on his bed and picked up the Green Hero Travelogue again.
The reason he liked Green Hero Travelogue was because it was a series, with a new volume appearing every half year.
Chasing after serialized books in the Immortal Cultivation World gave Gu An a feeling of being back on Earth.
He quickly became immersed in the content of the book.
He seriously doubted whether this book was written by a cultivator from the Supreme Sect. He didn't know the author's cultivation level, but unfortunately, the book did not detail battles, focusing instead on scenic tours, flowers, and the moon.
An hour later.
Gu An suddenly heard movement in the adjacent room. Meng Lang seemed to be rolling on the ground, his breathing extremely chaotic.
Hmm?
Did he make a mistake during his training?
Gu An hesitated about whether to check on it. Meng Lang soon stopped. This kid didn't even scream in pain. Accompanied by the surrounding spiritual energy flowing into his room, Gu An knew he had started cultivating again.
Tsk tsk.
Li Ya had already risen, could Meng Lang also have his own fortuitous encounter?
Damn, considering this, the three of them entered Medicine Valley on the same day, apprenticed to the same master, and all had great opportunities. It's somewhat legendary.
Thinking again, Gu An felt he was overthinking.
This kid Meng Lang would be lucky to die a natural death.
In his view, with Meng Lang's temperament, once he left the valley, he wouldn't last long before dying. Couldn't speak properly and easily got irritated, not at all like an immortal cultivator.
He stopped thinking too much and continued to savor Green Hero Travelogue.
Gu An absorbed energy for six ancient hours daily, basically using sleep time to cultivate. Immortal cultivators didn't need to sleep; the process of energy absorption itself was a better way to regulate and relax than sleep.
During the rest of the time, he not only read travelogues but also other books. Cheng Xuandan had already passed Hundred Herbs Collection to him. Hundred Herbs Collection was created by the Supreme Sect, recording various spirit flowers and grasses from all over the world, with Cheng Xuandan specially annotating some medicinal properties.
Although Cheng Xuandan's cultivation was poor, his hundred years of life had indeed made him knowledgeable and experienced.
Those with poor qualifications had this advantage: they could use more time to fill in knowledge and insights.
...
Another year of winter snow arrived, snowflakes flying, covering the courtyard in pristine white. Gu An was directing his junior brothers and sisters to clear the area.
As for Meng Lang, that guy seemed to have gone mad, hiding in his room all day to practice. Now, Gu An couldn't command him. Cheng Xuandan said to let him be.
Each courtyard had special talisman paper at the edges that could generate heat, but these talisman papers had time limits. Once they expired, it took only an ancient hour for the snow to cover the entire courtyard.
Watching Xiaochuan, Lu Jiujia, and Ye Lan busily working, Gu An's thoughts wandered.
He was increasingly dissatisfied with the output of Medicine Valley, and decided to open new land!
Once this winter passed, Gu An planned to arrange for them to go up the mountain, chop trees, and till the soil.
The sound of something cutting through the air came from afar. Gu An turned his head to see a man in plain clothes stepping on a flying sword, flying through the snow, like a sword immortal.
Du Ye!
Gu An instinctively cast a life span detection on him, finding that this guy's cultivation had reached the sixth layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm.
A breakthrough so fast!
Du Ye's arrival also caught the attention of the three, Xiaochuan.
Du Ye flew all the way to near Gu An, leaped off, and the flying sword sheathed itself at his waist, the sword light flashing in the snowy landscape. The whole process was seamless and very graceful.
The three watched with wide eyes. They didn't join the Supreme Sect just to do chores; they all wanted to cultivate immortality. Unfortunately, due to their mediocre spirit root qualifications, they ended up in this situation.
They joined Medicine Valley to wait for an opportunity.
Du Ye looked at Gu An, patted him on the shoulder, and laughed, "Not bad, you've grown up. You're no longer the little kid following behind me all the time."
Gu An smiled and exchanged pleasantries with Du Ye, but in his heart, he cursed.
We're both house servants, so why act high and mighty?
After circling around, Du Ye finally got to the point. He whispered, "How's the preparation of medicinal herbs?"
"Come with me to get them," Gu An smiled and nodded.
He did have some medicinal herbs stored, the share a big disciple of Medicine Valley deserved. He planned to give them all to Du Ye.
Although he could seize life spans, that thing took time.
Before he became invincible, he needed to maintain a good relationship with the Ji Family, as he might need their help in the future.
No matter how strong the Chu Family, they were only powerful within the Supreme Sect. The Ji Family, however, was different. They were a top family in the Taicang Dynasty. The Ji Family Gu An originally stayed with was just a branch in a city. Every Immortal Cultivation Sect in the Taicang Dynasty had members of the Ji Family.
On the way, Du Ye started talking about the Outer Sect.
"Li Ya is from your Medicine Valley, right? Recently, he's been making quite a splash. He's a member of the Taicang Imperial Family, competing with his imperial brother. They even made a life-and-death duel agreement, causing quite a stir."
"It's said that a few years ago, Li Ya was just a waste, but somehow gained a great fortune, and his cultivation level advanced rapidly. Now, he's already at the second layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm."
Hearing Du Ye mention Li Ya, Gu An also became interested.
Li Ya seemed like a tragic fantasy protagonist?
Gu An curiously asked, "Must one reach the Foundation Establishment Realm to become an Outer Sect disciple?"
Du Ye nodded, "Naturally. Like me, with insufficient cultivation, though I belong to the Outer Sect, I am still considered a servant. But by staying in the Outer City, I get to hear about these things."
"Reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, one can directly be promoted to an Outer Sect disciple. Reaching the Core Formation Realm, one can be promoted to an Inner Sect disciple. Above Inner Sect disciples are Inheriting Disciples and True Disciples. These are the established rules. If someone is exceptionally talented, they can break these rules."
"Our Third Miss is such a person. She entered as an Inheriting Disciple and now has aspirations of becoming a True Disciple. To become a True Disciple, cultivation alone isn't enough; you must also be respected and have sufficient prestige. Hence, we must pave the way for her."
Talking about Ji Xiaoyu, Du Ye became very enthusiastic.
It was the first time Gu An didn't find him long-winded and listened attentively.
As they entered the house, Gu An continued listening while taking out the prepared bundle.
After talking for a while, Du Ye finally stopped. He raised his hand and weighed the bundle, dissatisfied, "Why so little?"
Gu An smiled, "The future is long. Cultivating immortality isn't a matter of one or two years. Instead of overstepping my bounds and taking too much, risking banishment from the valley, I'd rather stay put and provide herbs regularly. I will offer everything, not keeping a single plant."
Hearing this, Du Ye's expression softened. He asked again, "Really?"
"Truly, with my qualifications, what use do I have for herbs? Living a peaceful life is my pursuit," Gu An nodded.
Du Ye opened his mouth but finally sighed. He reached towards his waist storage bag, pulling out a secret book and handing it to Gu An.
Gu An looked at it and saw the words "Eight Directions Step."
He was surprised.
This guy had a conscience?
Du Ye introduced, "This is a step technique from the Ji Family. Although it's only the basic step technique of the Ji Family's ultimate skill, Qilin Step, if you learn it, you may escape a dangerous situation in the future. This step technique doesn't rely on spirit root qualifications, so as long as you spend time on it, you can master it."
Gu An looked at Du Ye in a different light, just as he was about to say something, Du Ye picked up the bundle, patted Gu An's shoulder again, and walked past him.
Gu An turned and followed him, seeing him out.
In the courtyard, Du Ye turned back to him and said, "After all, we grew up together. Even if we may drift apart because of our choices in the future, the camaraderie will always be there. If things don't go well, come find me."
With that, he patted his sword sheath with his left hand. With a clang, the sword came out of the sheath. He leaped up, stepping on the sword, and flew away.
What a handsome Sword Control Technique!
Gu An looked down at the secret book in his hand, the corners of his mouth curving up.
He began to peruse the Eight Directions Step, practicing right in the courtyard.
Ji Family's ultimate skill?
He wondered if he could evolve the Ji Family's ultimate skill by using life span evolution during practice.
After Xiaochuan, Lu Jiujia, and Ye Lan finished cleaning the courtyard, they quickly came to Gu An's courtyard, curiously watching him practice the step technique.
"Senior Brother, what cultivation technique are you practicing?" Ye Lan asked curiously.
Gu An moved his steps and replied with a smile, "Do you all want to learn?"
"Yes!"
The three said in unison.
Gu An responded, "When I master it, I will teach you."
Bang!
The door of the adjacent room was pushed open. Meng Lang, with bloodshot eyes and blood vessels visible on his forehead, stepped out, looking frightening and terrifying.
Xiaochuan, Lu Jiujia, and Ye Lan were all scared.
Meng Lang charged straight towards Ye Lan, who was closest to him, like a mad beast, full of ferocity.
Ye Lan was so scared she couldn't react in time.
In less than a breath's time, Meng Lang was about to crash into Ye Lan.
Gu An grabbed Ye Lan's shoulder and pulled her back, simultaneously stepping with his right foot onto Meng Lang's chest.
Boom!
Meng Lang's momentum erupted, his energy swirling around him, and his feet plowed two long grooves into the ground.
Gu An slowly straightened his right leg, pressing Meng Lang backward.
Xiaochuan, Lu Jiujia, and Ye Lan stared wide-eyed, deeply impressed by Gu An's posture, and felt awe.
Senior Brother was this strong?
Although Gu An usually won their sparring matches, that was without using spiritual power. Xiaochuan and Lu Jiujia both believed they would eventually surpass Senior Brother.
Meng Lang suddenly grabbed Gu An's right foot with both hands, trying to break it with brute force.
Gu An jumped up forcefully, then stomped down hard, pressing Meng Lang to the ground with a thud.
Meng Lang's knees sunk deep into the soil. He trembled all over and couldn't push Gu An's foot away, looking extremely pathetic.