Seeing Gu An's leg suppress Meng Lang with ease, Xiaochuan, Lu Jiujia, and Ye Lan were extremely excited.
Usually, Meng Lang always boasted of being the strongest in Medicine Valley, but today, he lost control and was forced to kneel by Senior Brother's leg!
No wonder Senior Brother isn't Meng Lang!
Master has a keen eye!
Gu An looked down at Meng Lang, who was kneeling in front of him, and said, "Still not awake?"
His spiritual power flowed from his right leg into Meng Lang's body, forcibly calming the chaotic spiritual power within him.
Meng Lang's breathing gradually stabilized, the bloodshot in his eyes began to fade, and his fierce expression slowly returned to normal.
Seeing him awake, Gu An slowly retracted his leg and then helped him up.
Meng Lang suddenly woke up in shock, looking at Gu An and gasping for breath.
"Gu An... I... what happened just now?" Meng Lang asked with difficulty, the turbulence of qi and blood within him made it hard to speak.
Gu An replied, "It seems like you had a deviation."
Meng Lang's eyes widened in shock and he asked, "I didn't harm you guys, did I?"
Xiaochuan and Lu Jiujia's expressions instantly turned strange.
Ye Lan instinctively wanted to answer but was preempted by Gu An: "You're lucky, you controlled yourself at the critical moment."
Meng Lang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and forced a smile: "That's... because I am the true Senior Brother, how could I harm you..."
Ye Lan looked at Gu An with eyes full of admiration.
Senior Brother is not only strong but also very gentle!
Xiaochuan and Lu Jiujia had similar thoughts, despising Meng Lang at the same time.
Nice words, but you were acting like a ghost just now!
Gu An sent Xiaochuan and the other two away, then helped Meng Lang back to the house.
"What cultivation technique are you practicing, it's too dangerous!" Gu An asked, although he had a poor opinion of Meng Lang, after all, they spent every day together. If possible, he still hoped Meng Lang would be safe.
Meng Lang snickered: "Of course it's a divine skill... but my aptitude and comprehension are insufficient, prone to mistakes, but I have no choice, I must become an Outer Disciple..."
Gu An asked in confusion: "Why must you become an Outer Disciple, didn't you not care about it before?"
Meng Lang's expression instantly darkened, sinking into silence.
Seeing his reluctance to speak, Gu An didn't press further. After helping him to bed, he turned and left.
To Gu An, this event was just a minor episode; he couldn't control the fate of others. Everyone had their own pursuits, and if they died on the Immortal Cultivation Path, it wouldn't be a pity.
In the courtyard, Gu An continued practicing the Eight Directions Step.
...
Winter passed, and spring arrived, bringing another year of beautiful scenery.
In the early morning, with remnants of ice and snow in Medicine Valley, Gu An led his junior brothers and sisters up the mountain.
"Cutting trees and uprooting roots is also a form of cultivation. You can use your spiritual power, and when it's exhausted, continue cultivating. This helps improve your cultivation level."
Gu An, dressed in a green robe, stood in the woods and smiled gently. With his hands behind his back, he had the demeanor of an expert.
That day, he subdued the deviated Meng Lang with one leg, successfully establishing himself as an expert in the hearts of his junior brothers and sisters.
Gu An even felt that his little junior sister had other thoughts about him, increasingly clinging to him. Fortunately, he timely guided Ye Lan to focus on cultivation, diverting her attention.
How could Immortal Cultivation involve emotions?
Gu An didn't want to get entangled in a whirlpool of feelings too early in this life, as it would lead to losing oneself.
Xiaochuan turned back and asked, "Senior Brother, should we use our hands or our legs?"
Gu An maintained his smile and said, "Use whatever is convenient. Cultivation is one aspect, completing tasks is another. Make sure to find the right direction."
Is this what Zhang Chunqiu felt before?
Saying nonsense is quite exhilarating!
"Senior Brother Xiaochuan, let's compete to see who is faster!" Lu Jiujia eagerly said.
Xiaochuan agreed wholeheartedly, and Ye Lan also clamored to join, but was ignored by the two. They didn't like competing with girls.
Gu An watched them pull up trees while planning a new garden area.
What medicinal herbs should be planted on this mountain?
Gu An fell into deep thought.
Although the three were cultivators, their cultivation level wasn't high. It took them half a day to clear an area. Gu An brought the seeds of the third-tier medicinal herb, Soul Shaking Grass, and had them plant them.
After completing all this, the brothers descended the mountain together, chatting and laughing as the setting sun elongated their shadows on the slope.
Gu An had his junior brothers and sister talk about their goals. All three aimed to enter the Outer Sect, but their motives were different.
Xiaochuan simply wanted to become stronger, Lu Jiujia wanted to prove himself to his family, and Ye Lan seemed to have some hidden trouble, speaking ambiguously.
Gu An listened with great interest, believing everyone should have their own story.
Listening to different stories also made his life fuller.
...
A month had passed since planting the Soul Shaking Grass. That night, the moon was dim and stars were sparse.
Gu An was in his room, sitting cross-legged on his bed, staring at his attribute panel, conflicted.
[Name: Gu An]
[Lifespan: 20/3163]
[Spirit Root: First-class Wood Spirit Root, Four Elements Good Spirit Root (Can invest lifespan to evolve cultivation)]
[Cultivation Level: Energy Cultivation Realm Nine Layers (Can invest lifespan to evolve cultivation)]
[Cultivation Techniques: Fire Control Art (Unmastered), Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill (Mastery), Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill (Mastery), Alchemy (Initial Insight) (Can invest lifespan to evolve cultivation)]
[Ultimate Skills: Gale Shadowless Leg (Proficient), Li Family Seven Swords (Unmastered), Eight Directions Step (Unmastered) (Can invest lifespan to evolve cultivation)]
Should I invest my lifespan to advance my cultivation realm?
Cheng Xuandan had the ability to refine Foundation Establishment Pill, and he was currently kind to Gu An, so he might seek it out.
However, Meng Lang's abnormality made Gu An wary of Cheng Xuandan.
Meng Lang had no prominent background. If he possessed a divine skill, he would have already practiced it. So why wait until after Li Ya and Zhang Chunqiu left to start?
Given Gu An's current senses, he was sure that Meng Lang hadn't had contact with strangers in the past two years. At most, he was summoned by Cheng Xuandan, and Gu An wouldn't eavesdrop on their conversations every time.
Forget it.
Relying on oneself is better. Be cautious!
The path of Immortal Cultivation, even a slight mistake, could lead to destruction!
Gu An immediately invested a year of lifespan into his cultivation for evolution.
[Special Reminder: Cultivation Level is real. During the evolution process, it turns illusion into reality, consuming more lifespan than actual cultivation]
[You focused on Energy Absorption Cultivation for a year. Without the Foundation Establishment Pill and lacking luck, you did not break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm]
Two notifications appeared before Gu An. Due to his failure to break through, his cultivation level did not increase.
Gu An remained unfazed and continued to invest lifespan, year after year.
Failure, failure, failure...
After nine attempts, his expression grew tense.
Damn!
I don't believe it!
Invest one hundred years!
With anger rising, Gu An invested one hundred years of lifespan into his cultivation for evolution.
[You practiced Energy Absorption Cultivation for ten years, forcibly breaking through to Foundation Establishment Realm with the Great Accomplishment in Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill, but failed]
[You practiced Energy Absorption Cultivation for twenty years, forcibly breaking through to Foundation Establishment Realm with the Great Accomplishment in Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill, and succeeded]
[You practiced Energy Absorption Cultivation for thirty years, breaking through to Foundation Establishment Realm Second Layer]
[You practiced Energy Absorption Cultivation for fifty years, breaking through to Foundation Establishment Realm Third Layer]
[You practiced Energy Absorption Cultivation for seventy years, breaking through to Foundation Establishment Realm Fourth Layer]
[You practiced Energy Absorption Cultivation for a hundred years, breaking through to Foundation Establishment Realm Fifth Layer]
Lines of notifications appeared rapidly before Gu An's eyes.
Before he could feel happy, he sensed something amiss. Such rapid breakthroughs surely caused a commotion?
Just as this thought emerged, his body started to heat up. The Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill began to operate automatically. He quickly got up and leaped out through the open window.
His steps were extremely fast and silent. In less than three breaths' time, he dashed into the woods, his feet striking the mountain wall like a monkey, swiftly climbing to the peak. By then, nature's spiritual energy had already begun to converge upon him.
He jumped and plunged into the dark woods, his right foot stepping on a branch to borrow strength and soar through multiple leaps before landing lightly.
Spiritual energy poured into his body, forming a vortex around him.
His absorption rate of spiritual energy increased, causing him to break into a cold sweat, relieved at his quick reaction. If he had broken through in Medicine Valley, it would have surely disturbed others.
Cheng Xuandan and Meng Lang might not dare to come out, but Xiaochuan and Lu Jiujia, those two bold ones, definitely would.
While thinking, Gu An sprinted quickly like a spirit fox, causing the woods to sway and emit rustling sounds in the night.
With the Gale Shadowless Leg, Gu An moved at high speed, traversing mountains and ridges swiftly.
He moved farther and farther from Medicine Valley.
Before he could stop, his cultivation realm began to break through. The brutal surge of spiritual energy impacted his meridians and transformed his dantian.
It hurts!
Gu An frowned but didn't slow down.
After running for dozens of miles, he finally stopped in a forest and sat down to cultivate.
While cultivating, he mused.
Unexpectedly, a hundred years of lifespan allowed him to break through from Energy Cultivation Realm Nine Layers to Foundation Establishment Realm Fifth Layer.
The consumed lifespan proved to be substantial. Of course, the main reason for his quick breakthrough was the mastery of Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill.
If he invested a thousand years of lifespan, could he reach the Core Formation Realm or even touch the Nascent Soul Realm?
Gu An indulged in endless imagination.
The spiritual energy he absorbed increased, making the forest shake like in a storm, leaves falling like demonic ghosts looming in the night.
This commotion is a bit too much...
Gu An bitterly thought, the drawback of using lifespan to evolve cultivation emerged, making too much noise and attracting trouble.
After evolution, it wasn't about gaining cultivation out of nothing but compressing all necessary spiritual energy into a short period for rapid breakthrough.
Breaking through from Energy Cultivation Realm Nine Layers to Foundation Establishment Realm Fifth Layer caused such a commotion, what would happen when he broke through from Core Formation Realm to Nascent Soul?
If other cultivators were drawn during the process, it would be disastrous.
Gu An preferred to always consider the worst scenario.
No way!
He needed to be even more cautious in the future!
Gu An decided to invest a year of lifespan into his cultivation each day, gradually progressing.
Time flew by quickly. Under the night sky, the wind howled, Gu An's robe billowing, and his spiritual power grew rapidly.
After a while, his aura suddenly changed.
Foundation Establishment succeeded!
His dantian transformed, boosting the production of spiritual power, and stimulating his muscles and bones to strengthen.
It wasn't over yet!
His cultivation continued to rise, dust mixed with grass scraps swirling around him in a grand display.
Foundation Establishment Realm Second Layer!
Foundation Establishment Realm Third Layer!
Foundation Establishment Realm Fourth Layer!