Watching Gu An suppress Meng Lang with a single leg sweep, Xiaochuan, Lu Jiujia, and Ye Lan were extremely excited.
Normally, Meng Lang always boasted that he was the strongest in Medicine Valley, but who would have thought that today he would lose control and be forced to kneel by his senior brother's fierce leg sweep!
No wonder the senior brother is not Meng Lang!
The master really has discerning eyes!
Gu An looked down at Meng Lang, who was kneeling before him, and said, "Aren't you going to snap out of it?"
His spiritual power surged down his right leg and into Meng Lang's body, forcibly smoothing out the chaotic spiritual power within.
Meng Lang's breathing steadied, and the blood in his eyes began to fade. The fierce expression on his face gradually returned to normal.
Seeing him awaken, Gu An slowly retracted his leg and then helped him up.
Meng Lang suddenly jolted awake, lifted his gaze toward Gu An, and gasped for air.
"Gu An... what happened to me just now?" Meng Lang asked with difficulty, his qi-blood shaken, making it hard for him to speak.
Gu An replied, "It seemed like you were on the verge of demonic possession."
On hearing this, Meng Lang's eyes widened in alarm as he asked, "I didn't hurt you guys, did I?"
Xiaochuan and Lu Jiujia's expressions turned strange in an instant.
Ye Lan was about to answer subconsciously but was preempted by Gu An, who firmly said, "Fortunately, you controlled yourself at the critical moment."
Meng Lang let out a sigh of relief and forced a cheerful laugh, "That's right... after all, I am the true senior brother, how could I hurt you guys..."
Ye Lan looked at Gu An with eyes filled with admiration.
Not only is the senior brother powerful, but he's also very gentle!
Xiaochuan and Lu Jiujia shared the same thought and simultaneously looked down on Meng Lang.
Sounding nice, but acted like a ghost just now!
Gu An told Xiaochuan and the others to disperse, and then he supported Meng Lang back to his room.
"What sort of cultivation technique are you practicing that's so bizarre?" asked Gu An, even though he had a low opinion of Meng Lang, they spent their days together; if possible, he still hoped Meng Lang would be safe and sound.
Meng Lang snickered, "It's a divine skill... but my talent and comprehension aren't enough, making it easy to go astray. But I have no choice, I must become an Outer Disciple..."
Gu An asked puzzledly, "Why must you become an Outer Disciple? You didn't care before, did you?"
Meng Lang's complexion turned dark in an instant, and he fell into silence.
Seeing that he didn't want to speak, Gu An didn't pursue the matter further. After helping him into bed, Gu An turned and left.
For Gu An, this incident was just a minor interlude; he couldn't control others' fates. Everyone had their pursuits, and if they died on the Path of Cultivation, it wouldn't be too regrettable.
Coming into the courtyard, Gu An continued to practice the Eight Directions Step.
...
As winter gave way to spring, another year of splendid scenery had arrived.
Early in the morning, as Medicine Valley still held remnants of snow, Gu An led his junior brothers and sisters up the mountain.
"Felling trees and rooting them out is also a form of cultivation. You can use your spiritual power to do it, then cultivate again when your spiritual power is exhausted. It will help improve your cultivation level."
Dressed in green, Gu An stood in the forest, gently laughing. He had his hands clasped behind his back, emanating the demeanor of an expert.
That day, with a single leg sweep, he had subdued Meng Lang, who was on the brink of demonic possession, successfully establishing his expert status in the hearts of his junior brothers and sisters.
Gu An even sensed that his junior sister had developed other thoughts about him, clinging to him more and more, but fortunately, he promptly guided Ye Lan to cultivate and diverted her attention.
How can one speak of affection in the path of immortal cultivation?
In this life, Gu An didn't want to fall into the whirlpool of emotions too soon. That would lead to losing one's way.
Xiaochuan turned to ask, "Senior brother, should we use our hands or our legs?"
Gu An maintained his smile and said, "Whatever is convenient. Cultivation is one aspect, completing tasks is another. You must find the right direction."
Is this what Zhang Chunqiu used to feel like?
Talking nonsense is pretty invigorating!
"Xiaochuan, let's see who can do it faster!" Lu Jiujia said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
Xiaochuan readily agreed, and Ye Lan clamored to join, but the two men ignored her, not interested in competing with a girl.
Gu An watched them pulling trees while planning the new garden area.
What medicinal herbs should be planted in this mountain area?
Gu An fell into contemplation.
Although Xiaochuan and the others were cultivators, their cultivation level was not high. It took them half a day to clear an area, and Gu An brought the seeds of the third-tier medicinal herb Soul Shaking Grass for them to plant.
After finishing all this, the senior and junior brothers went down the mountain together, talking and laughing. It was sunset, and their shadows stretched long on the hillside.
Gu An asked his junior brothers and sisters about their goals, and all three of them had the goal of entering the Outer Sect, albeit with different motives.
Xiaochuan simply wanted to become stronger, Lu Jiujia sought to prove himself to his family, and Ye Lan seemed to have some unspeakable difficulties, speaking vaguely.
Gu An listened with great interest, believing everyone should have their own story.
Hearing different people's stories could also enrich his life.
...
A month had passed since the planting of the Soul Shaking Grass, and on this night, the moon was sparse with stars.
Gu An sat cross-legged on the bed inside his room, staring at his attribute panel and mired in a dilemma.
[Name: Gu An]
[Life Span: 20/3163]
[Spirit Root: First-Class Wood Spirit Root, Adequate Four Elemental Spirit Roots (Life Span can be invested to evolve cultivation)]
[Cultivation Level: 9th Floor of Qi Cultivation Realm (Life Span can be invested to evolve cultivation)]
[Cultivation Technique: Fire Control Technique (Incomplete), Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill (Refined to Perfection), Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill (Refined to Perfection), Alchemy (Initial understanding) (Life Span can be invested to evolve cultivation)]
[Secret Skill: Gale Shadowless Leg (Fully comprehended), Li Family's Seven Swords (Incomplete), Eight Directions Step (Incomplete) (Life Span can be invested to evolve cultivation)]
Should I invest my life span to push through cultivation realms?
Cheng Xuan Pill had the ability to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, and now it was treating Gu An so kindly; perhaps he could seek a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Meng Lang's abnormal behavior made Gu An wary of the Cheng Xuan Pill once more.
Meng Lang had no prestigious background. If he carried some divine cultivation technique, he could have started practicing it earlier. Why had he waited until Li Ya and Zhang Chunqiu were gone before he began?
With Gu An's current senses, he was sure that in the last two years, Meng Lang hadn't had any contact with strangers, except maybe being summoned by the Cheng Xuan Pill. As for their conversations, he didn't eavesdrop every time.
Whatever.
Better to rely on oneself than on others, better to play it safe!
On the Path of Cultivation, a slight misstep could result in complete obliteration!
Right then and there, Gu An devoted a year of his life span to evolutionary cultivation.
[Special Reminder: Cultivation Level is an actual concept. As evolution turns the intangible into tangible, the life span you consume will exceed what actual cultivation would require.]
[You concentrate on Qi Absorption Cultivation for a year; without the Foundation Establishment Pill and lacking the opportunity, you failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
Two prompts appeared before Gu An's eyes. Because he hadn't succeeded in breaking through, his cultivation level had not increased.
Gu An remained expressionless and continued to invest year after year.
Failure, failure, failure…
After nine tries, his face could no longer remain calm.
Damn it!
I refuse to believe this!
One hundred years!
With fire rising in his heart, Gu An directly invested a hundred years of his life span into evolutionary cultivation.
[You cultivate Qi Absorption for ten years; your great mastery of the Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill forcefully challenged the Foundation Establishment Realm and ultimately failed to break through.]
[You cultivate Qi Absorption for twenty years; your great mastery of the Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill forcefully challenged the Foundation Establishment Realm and ultimately succeeded in breaking through.]
[You cultivate Qi Absorption for thirty years; your cultivation level has broken through to the second layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[You cultivate Qi Absorption for fifty years; your cultivation level has broken through to the third layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[You cultivate Qi Absorption for seventy years; your cultivation level has broken through to the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[You cultivate Qi Absorption for a hundred years; your cultivation level has broken through to the fifth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
A series of prompts crazily popped up before Gu An's eyes.
He couldn't even rejoice before sensing something was amiss. How great would the disturbance be, having broken through so many realms so swiftly?
As the thought emerged, his body began to heat up. The Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill automatically activated, and he promptly rose to his feet, leaping out of the open window.
Moving with extreme speed and silence, within three breaths, he rushed into the mountains, his feet kicking against the mountainside, climbing to the peak like an ape. At this moment, nature's spiritual energy was already surging toward him.
He leaped up, falling into the dim forest. His right foot landed on a branch, using it to vault up, and after a few leaps, he landed with ease.
Spiritual Energy was crazily entering his body, forming a vortex around him.
He was absorbing Spiritual Energy at an increasingly rapid rate, which left him in awe. Fortunately, he had reacted swiftly. If he had experienced his breakthrough in Medicine Valley, it would have certainly alarmed others.
Cheng Xuan Pill and Meng Lang might not dare to emerge, but Xiaochuan and Lu Jiujia, the two brash youths, would definitely come out.
As Gu An thought this, he hurried forward at a rapid pace, moving as stealthy as a fox. Under the darkness of night, the trees rustled with 'sha sha sha' sounds.
Relying on the Gale Shadowless Leg, Gu An's running speed was extremely fast as he traversed over hills and dales.
He was getting further and further away from Medicine Valley.
He hadn't stopped yet when his Cultivation Realm began to break through, the Spiritual Energy attacking his meridians and transforming his dantian.
How painful!
Gu An frowned, but his pace didn't slow down.
He ran wildly for ten miles, finally stopping in a forest to sit down and cultivate energy.
While cultivating, he reflected.
He hadn't expected that a hundred years of life span could propel him from the 9th level of the Qi Cultivation Realm to the 5th layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
It seemed that the life span he had taken was quite real. Of course, the main reason for his swift breakthrough was the Refined to Perfection mastery of the Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill.
If he had invested a thousand years of his life span, he wondered if he could have reached the Core Formation Realm in one go, or perhaps even touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul Realm?
Gu An indulged in boundless imaginings.
The spiritual energy from the heavens and the earth that he absorbed grew more and more intense, making the forest seem as if it was within a violent storm, violently shaking, with leaves falling en masse. In the darkness of night, they appeared like numerous demons and ghosts flailing wildly.
"The commotion is a bit too exaggerated..."
Gu An inwardly lamented. There was an inherent disadvantage in using lifespan to evolve Cultivation Level—the resulting disturbance was too significant and could easily attract trouble.
After evolution, the cultivation wasn't just increased out of thin air. Instead, all the spiritual energy needed was compressed into one time frame, allowing for rapid breakthroughs.
From the 9th level of the Qi Cultivation Realm to the 5th layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, such a commotion had been caused. When he eventually attempted to charge from the Core Formation Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm, wouldn't that be earth-shaking?
If other cultivators were attracted during the breakthrough, that would be bad news.
Gu An was accustomed to preparing for the worst.
No way!
I must be even more careful in the future!
Gu An decided that from now on, he would invest one year of life span into his Cultivation Level every day, advancing step by step.
Time rapidly passed, and under the night sky, a strong wind blew while Gu An's robes billowed, his internal Spiritual Power growing quickly.
After a while, his aura suddenly changed.
Foundation Establishment was a success!
His dantian transformed, fostering Spiritual Power at an even faster rate and simultaneously stimulating his bones and flesh to strengthen.
But it wasn't over yet!
His Cultivation Level continued to soar, with swirling dust and debris enveloping him, the magnitude immense.
Foundation Establishment Realm second layer!
Foundation Establishment Realm third layer!
Foundation Establishment Realm fourth layer!