Meng Lang and Zhang Chunqiu were also surprised by Li Ya's choice, but they remained silent.
Cheng Xuan Pill looked at Li Ya with approval, nodding slightly, and said, "Not bad, you have an eye for quality, and you're not impatient."
With a wave of his right hand toward the table beside him, three secret manuals appeared, and he gave Zhang Chunqiu a look. Zhang Chunqiu immediately began distributing the manuals.
Throughout the entire process, Gu An didn't even get a chance to speak.
Okay, I'm being ignored.
Gu An, naturally optimistic, didn't lose heart.
Today you may be cold to me, but sixteen years from now, I will hold no grudge and offer incense for you!
Gu An took the secret manual printed with 'Qi Cultivation Skill' and pretended to be happy.
"Recently, demons have infiltrated the Supreme Sect, and Medicine Valley is located on the outskirts of the Supreme Sect. Although there are disciples patrolling, there is still danger. Do not leave Medicine Valley on ordinary days. You may go now."
After giving his advice, Cheng Xuan Pill waved his hand, and the three disciples, including Gu An, immediately performed a salute and took their leave.
Gu An walked at the back and, after exiting, casually closed the door behind him.
Cheng Xuan Pill nodded slightly and said, "That kid named Li Ya is not simple; he probably practices some sorcery to conceal his cultivation level. His essence qi and divine essence are not weaker than yours. Pay more attention to him in the future. Also, since he is from the Royal Family, don't be too harsh on him."
Zhang Chunqiu nodded. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Master, Gu An is the most diligent, and also has the poorest talent. He will surely spend a longer time in Medicine Valley..."
Cheng Xuan Pill calmly responded, "Hmm, then you take good care of him, he is in your hands now."
Zhang Chunqiu revealed a smile and then gave thanks to his master.
Elsewhere.
The three, including Gu An, returned to their own courtyard. Along the way, Meng Lang kept talking about demons, showing no fear but rather excitement.
Li Ya stopped walking, looked at Gu An, and said, "Qi Cultivation Skill is actually not bad; it can help conceal Qi and extend life span. I already have a cultivation technique, so I don't need it. For someone like you, Qi Cultivation Skill is actually a better choice."
Upon hearing this, Gu An smiled and said, "Thank you for the guidance, Brother Li. I reckon I'll be staying in Medicine Valley for my whole life. The Hundred Herbs Record really doesn't mean much to me, and I can learn about medicinal herbs by following the eldest senior brother."
Li Ya nodded slightly upon hearing this. Seeing that Gu An was so receptive, he was very satisfied.
The three didn't chat much and soon returned to their respective rooms.
Life in Medicine Valley was not particularly busy, so they had plenty of time to practice cultivation.
Gu An sat on his bed and began to read through the Qi Cultivation Skill.
He initially had no interest in Qi Cultivation Skill, but after hearing Li Ya's explanation of its ability to conceal Qi and extend life, he suddenly wanted to try practicing it and test his life span evolution ability.
Over the course of the year, he had practiced the Spring Wood Skill bestowed by Zhang Chunqiu. As he had made no progress, he gave up after only half a month of training.
For him, studying books about medicinal plants and various travelogues in Medicine Valley's library to broaden his horizons was preferable to the tedium of cultivation.
Days went by.
Apart from the daily task of checking the medicinal herbs, Gu An spent his time practicing cultivation indoors.
It took fifteen days of practice before the words 'Qi Cultivation Skill' appeared on his attribute panel, and the note still indicated that it was untrained.
Gu An looked at his attribute panel, his face full of anticipation.
It was his first attempt at life span evolution, and he was quite nervous, unsure how much life span would be required for the theorizing of Qi Cultivation Skill.
Although he had a life span of over a thousand years, he would still feel the pinch if it cost him several decades or centuries.
Gu An focused on the Qi Cultivation Skill on his attribute panel and silently chose to invest in life span evolution.
[Please choose the number of life span to invest.]
Upon seeing these words, Gu An made a choice without hesitation, and two more lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[You have invested one year of life span to evolve your practice of 'Qi Cultivation Skill'.]
[You trained in Qi Cultivation Skill for one year. Due to your mediocre comprehension and talent, there has been no progress in cultivation level, but your essence qi has improved.]
Suddenly, Gu An felt very relaxed all over, but the feeling was fleeting.
That's it?
The word 'mediocre' deeply stung Gu An.
That's damn unfair!
Confusion arose within Gu An's heart; could talent have something to do with Spirit Root?
He immediately chose to evolve his Spirit Root with life span, investing a hundred years at once.
[You have invested one hundred years of life span to evolve your Spirit Root.]
[You begin to perceive the nature of the world, enhancing your Spirit Root's perception power. After a hundred years, the perception power of your Five Elements Spirit Root has improved.]
After reading these prompts, Gu An summoned his attribute panel again and found that his Spirit Root had changed from 'Ordinary Five Elements Spirit Root' to 'Better Five Elements Spirit Root'.
Gu An felt like he had suffered a loss. Seeing his life span drop from four digits to three, his heart ached immensely.
It seemed evolution of the Spirit Root was a bottomless pit.
"Should I try evolving Qi Cultivation Skill again?"
This thought popped into Gu An's head. Having experienced the thrill of investing life span, he had an itch he needed to scratch.
"I've earned a thousand-year life span in a single year, so it's fine to spend a bit more today and just work hard to earn it back later... Mm, just indulge once today, after all, it's the first time using this function..."
Taking a deep breath, Gu An silently chose to invest five hundred years into evolving Qi Cultivation Skill.
[You have invested five hundred years of life span to evolve your practice of 'Qi Cultivation Skill'.]
[You trained in Qi Cultivation Skill for one year. Due to your mediocre comprehension and talent, there has been no progress in cultivation level, but your essence qi has improved.]
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[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Skill for ten years, and because of your average comprehension and aptitude, there was no progress in your cultivation level. You successfully mastered Qi Cultivation Skill, and your Qi-Blood was enhanced.]
[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Skill for a hundred years, and the constant practice led you to a perception of the Qi Cultivation Skill, initiating a change in it.]
[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Skill for two hundred years, and your Qi Cultivation Skill merged with nature's spiritual energy, transforming into a cultivation method.]
[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Skill for three hundred years, and your Qi Cultivation Skill advanced to Spirit Nurturing Skill.]
[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Skill for four hundred years, and one day, you suddenly achieved sudden enlightenment, integrating the True Meaning of Heaven and Earth, creating the Dragon Elephant Nurturing Primordial Skill from Spirit Nurturing Skill, and your physical Qi-Blood underwent a transformation.]
[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Skill for five hundred years, and the Dragon Elephant Nurturing Primordial Skill reached perfection, breaking through the limits of the cultivation technique, and advancing to Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill, undergoing a fundamental change in your physique.]
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Row by row of prompts popped up in front of Gu An's eyes, and before he could finish reading them, a flood of memories surged into his mind.
The breeze from outside the window blew in, rustling the curtains beside the bed and Gu An's black hair as he lay with his eyes closed, unconsciously opening his mouth, breathing in and out faintly, with the whispers of a dragon's chant.
Not knowing how much time had passed, Gu An gradually woke up.
He opened his eyes, and the dim forest outside the window filled his view.
It was dark.
Gu An had completely inherited all the memories of the Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill's cultivation practices, and he had even directly mastered this cultivation technique.
Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill, based on the cultivation of the Dragon Turtle, could conceal one's presence, hide one's cultivation level, and also develop the power of Dragon's Strength.
Qi Cultivation Skill was part of the foundation of Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill; evolving one's life span was equivalent to deducing a complete cultivation technique from an incomplete one.
Gu An suspected that the Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill always existed in the world, and the Supreme Sect only obtained a fragment of it, hence naming it Qi Cultivation Skill.
What kind of changes would occur to the Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill if he invested another three hundred years of his life span?
Gu An suppressed the urge to consume his lifeforce, feeling the constitution of his body. He could sense a domineering power within him, giving him a sensation of boundless strength.
He felt as though he could easily smash a pavilion with one punch!
Such a profound feeling was truly wonderful.
Not only that, his senses had greatly improved; he could hear Meng Lang and Li Ya breathing, and he could even hear the distant conversation between Zhang Chunqiu and Cheng Xuan Pill.
"That demon has already killed thirteen disciples, most of whom are menial disciples from various Medicine Valleys. Master, it might be impossible for just the two of us to protect them."
"No problem, I have already requested a mission from the Sect, and they will dispatch a Foundation Establishment Realm disciple to guard our Medicine Valley."
"That's excellent news. The spiritual energy in the valley was a bit unusual this afternoon. At the time, I thought the demon was coming; to my embarrassment, I didn't even dare to step outside."
"You, you, having grown up by your master's knee without ever going out to temper yourself – it's understandable that you're timid…"
Listening to their conversation, Gu An broke out in a cold sweat.
He had been careless!
In the future, when deducing cultivation methods, he had to refrain from acting carelessly.
Fortunately, Zhang Chunqiu's cultivation level was low; otherwise, Gu An's cultivation practice would have been discovered.
Gu An eavesdropped for a while, and after ensuring that Cheng Xuan Pill and Zhang Chunqiu were not talking about him, he finally relaxed.
Continuing to feel his new physical strength, he followed the method of Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill and suppressed his own Qi to the lowest level. His Qi-Blood was also contained within his body, making him appear just as frail as before he started cultivating.
An hour later, Gu An opened his eyes and called up his Attribute Panel.
[Name: Gu An]
[Life Span: 16/402]
[Spirit Root: Above Average Five Elements Spirit Root (life span can be invested to evolve cultivation)]
[Cultivation Level: Insignificant (life span can be invested to evolve cultivation)]
[Cultivation Techniques: Fire Control Technique (incomplete), Spring Wood Skill (incomplete), Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill (Refined to Perfection) (life span can be invested to evolve cultivation)]
Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill, Refined to Perfection!
Gu An was utterly satisfied with what he saw. Unfortunately, the Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill was a physical cultivation method and couldn't cultivate Spiritual Power, which was why his cultivation level remained at Insignificant.
Even so, Gu An felt confident that he could sweep across anyone at the Qi Cultivation Realm.
Next, he could wait for his life span to increase.
His Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill had reached perfection, and the Essence Qi within him surged, automatically aiding in the increase of his life span—the rate of which, however, was not yet clear.
During the night, Gu An found it hard to fall asleep.
However, having waited until dawn and repeatedly checking his Attribute Panel, he still did not see an increase in life span. He consoled himself, reasoning that even the most potent cultivation techniques couldn't increase life span by a year in a single day.
Right! Heaven rewards those who work hard; surprises are sure to come eventually!
After a simple wash, Gu An stepped out of his room, planning to stroll around the garden area to calm his mind by looking at the medicinal herbs.
Quite by chance, just as he reached a garden area, his gaze locked onto a white-furred mouse.
It was the same mouse that he had seen nibbling on the Calm Heart Grass before!
Gu An looked around to ensure that no one else from Medicine Valley was outside their dwellings, and then he stealthily approached the white-furred mouse.
The mouse, with its back to him and ten paces away, didn't notice someone was closing in on it.
When Gu An was within seven steps, he shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, and in a swift motion, grabbed the white-furred mouse with his right hand.
Frightened, the white-furred mouse immediately raised both its little paws in a surrender pose.
"Daring to steal my life, huh? Humph, you're finished now!"
Gu An laughed triumphantly as, while catching the white-furred mouse, he saw it turn too slowly in response.
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