"Junior Brother Gu, let me introduce you to my childhood friend, Zuo Lin. He wants to discuss swordsmanship with me. We'll have him stay at my courtyard," Li Ya approached Gu An and introduced him.
Zuo Lin, dressed in yellow, had a handsome and noble face, his inherent arrogance not fully concealable. He wore a precious sword at his waist, clearly of high grade.
Li Ya introduced Gu An to Zuo Lin, but Zuo Lin merely nodded slightly at Gu An without saying a word.
Gu An was unfazed and smiled, "Then, Senior Brother Li, you go ahead and settle him in."
Li Ya nodded, his eyes conveying an apology.
Zuo Lin, pulling Li Ya forward enthusiastically, said, "Ji Lin from the Ji Family was truly impressive today, have you seen his swordsmanship? It is extremely exquisite; I feel he stands a chance to be the ultimate victor."
Ji Lin?
The image of a handsome and proud face surfaced in Gu An's mind. Ji Lin, like him, had entered the Supreme Sect under the guidance of Ji Xiaoyu. The two didn't interact much, but Du Ye had previously helped Ji Lin gather herbs.
Unexpectedly, Ji Lin was already making a name for himself at the grand gathering of the Outer Sect disciples across the world, given that he was only a few years older than Gu An.
Of course, it might be related to the practice resources he received; the provisions from the Supreme Sect combined with those of the Ji Family made his rapid progress in cultivation understandable.
Gu An walked towards the tree, but his ears were keenly eavesdropping on the conversation between Li Ya and the other.
The world's Outer Sect grand assembly had already begun, gathering talented Outer Sect disciples from both righteous and demonic paths to compete. From Li Ya's conversation, the assembly was in the format of one-on-one duels, and those disciples who remained undefeated began to gain fame.
Gu An did not hear Ji Xiaoyu's name mentioned, and with a second thought, it made sense since Ji Xiaoyu was not part of the Outer Sect.
Xiaochuan, Wuxin, and others were very curious about Zuo Lin, gathering in small groups and discussing amongst themselves.
Zuo Lin's arrival did not disrupt life at Mystic Valley; he disdained Servant Disciples, spending his time practicing swordsmanship with Li Ya and returning to his room for cultivation after practice.
Due to their arrival, Gu An reduced his visits to the Eight Scenic Caves, but he still adhered to his daily schedule.
A month quickly passed by.
Gu An finally reached the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul Realm. That night, as he walked back, he felt as light as a feather.
When he returned to Mystic Valley, he discovered someone practicing swordsmanship in Li Ya's courtyard.
He returned to his own loft and stepped up to the window to watch after entering the room.
The person practicing was Zuo Lin.
When Zuo Lin had first arrived, Gu An thought he was a swordsmanship prodigy.
But over the course of a month, as he watched Zuo Lin practice daily, Gu An realized that this fellow's talent in the Sword Dao was extremely mediocre.
By now, Gu An had a certain level of achievement in the Sword Dao, and he could judge Zuo Lin's talent was even inferior to Su Han's.
Su Han had the strongest swordsmanship talent in the valley, yet that was only by the standards of Mystic Valley; it was not much to speak of outside.
After watching for a while, Gu An closed the window.
At dawn, Gu An went downstairs and saw Zuo Lin still standing in the courtyard, staring at the sword in his hands with furrowed brows.
Gu An greeted his junior brothers, sisters, and disciples to start their drills, the noise catching Zuo Lin's attention.
"Actually, you don't have to force the swordsmanship. With your incredible Spirit Root Qualification, once your cultivation level is higher, you might achieve more with less effort," Li Ya approached Zuo Lin and spoke softly.
Zuo Lin's face darkened as he said, "No, I must become a Sword Cultivator. My father is the Maniac Swordsman of Canghu Lake!"
Li Ya initially wanted to persuade him but then thought better of it; he too had been trying to prove himself to his father.
Zuo Lin intently watched Gu An and the others practice, sensing something profound in Gu An's movements, which seemed just like everyone else's, yet somehow embodied a deeper enigma.
Initially, Zuo Lin thought it was his illusion, but the more he watched, the more he felt he was not mistaken.
Li Ya did not continue to disturb Zuo Lin; he turned and walked towards the forest, needing ample time for cultivation himself.
Defeated by Xu Ruye, although he seldom mentioned it, he kept it constantly in mind.
He did not want to face defeat again!
After Gu An finished a set of drills, he instructed the valley's disciples to busy themselves; the valley's affairs no longer required his direct involvement, as Wuxin was gradually taking over the role of senior brother's authority.
Xiaochuan was more reserved and not keen on directing others, so he was willing to let Wuxin take the lead.
Ye Lan went without mention; she had refocused her efforts, fully sprinting towards the Outer Disciple examination.
For people with average talents like hers, there was only one way to become an Outer Disciple: reach the ninth layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, then participate in and pass the Outer Sect examination to wait for the distribution of the Foundation Establishment Pill.
If they could break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm directly, there would be no need for the examination.
The question of whether or not to improve his skills in Alchemy to help craft the Foundation Establishment Pills for his junior brother and sisters lingered in Gu An's mind. The ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill could all be found in the valley; the actual challenge was the process of Alchemy.
Ye Lan was still some time away from reaching the ninth layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, giving Gu An enough time to weigh this matter. As for Xiaochuan, that was an even longer journey.
Virtually no one with their level of talent could reach the eighth layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm in their entire lifetime.
Gu An walked towards the loft, pulling out the "Green Hero Travelogue" from his chest, his face showing anticipation.
He had deliberately saved the last five chapters, waiting for a sunny and pleasant day to enjoy them.
The storm was fierce as Green Hero and his Ms. Yin met in a ruined temple, their pent-up grievances and love about to erupt...
Just the thought made Gu An very excited.
"Brother Gu An."
Zuo Lin's voice rang out, and Gu An turned his head to see him walking briskly over.
Approaching Gu An, Zuo Lin seemed a bit embarrassed. Gu An did not dwell on his previous arrogance, smiling and asking, "Brother Zuo, what's the matter?"
He gritted his teeth and said, "I've been observing your techniques—they are quite exquisite. Could you teach me?"
"No problem, let's go under the tree," Gu An responded.
"Promoting public broadcasting gymnastics is a duty we, the sons and daughters of Huaxia, must bear!
Zuo Lin was taken aback; he did not expect Gu An to be so agreeable and was immediately filled with shame. He hurried to keep up with Gu An's pace.
The two arrived at the courtyard in front of the attic. Gu An wasted no words and began to teach him the exercises.
Zuo Lin had a photographic memory; whatever Gu An taught once, he learned immediately.
"That's it?" Zuo Lin asked, frowning.
Conflued, Gu An asked, "Not enough? That's all the moves."
"What about the mental method?"
"There is no mental method."
"Impossible, without a mental method, how can you..." Zuo Lin said, frowning.
His words only confused Gu An more, prompting him to ask, "What about me?"
Zuo Lin became frantic and said, "It's just that you give me a different feeling; the moves are the same, but different from others. You must have a mental method... "
Gu An, feeling helpless, thought to himself, 'Has this kid been addled by his obsession with swords?'
Seeing Gu An's expression, Zuo Lin felt even more embarrassed. Rationality told him that a servant disciple couldn't possibly be concealing a peerless mental method.
However, his previous feeling couldn't be wrong.
From a young age, he was exceptionally sensitive to a person's qualifications and aura, even earning praise from his master for having an Exquisite Spirit Heart, adept at discerning people's true natures.
This servant disciple before him was certainly no ordinary person!
Zuo Lin's eyes shifted as he said, "How about this, I'll teach you some swordsmanship, and you try it out?"
Gu An originally wanted to refuse, but seeing his insistence, it seemed difficult to shake him off, so he just nodded in agreement.
A chance not to learn is a chance wasted!
Noticing that Gu An had no sword, Zuo Lin took a long sword out of his storage bag and handed it to him while drawing the precious sword hanging at his waist to demonstrate his own sword techniques.
This kid really doesn't know how to behave!
Why swing a sword so fast?
Gu An complained in his mind, yet he watched very closely.
At a distance, Tang Yu and Su Han saw this scene. Not daring to come too close, they could only watch from afar.
"If Master learns it, couldn't he just teach us?" Su Han said expectantly, his fondness for the sword clear. "The Traditions of Immortal Cultivation are indeed vast, but only the path of the sword cultivator truly captivates my heart."
Tang Yu nodded, saying, "As long as Master learns it, if we ask him, he definitely won't refuse."
In their hearts, Gu An was the best master; the real issue was whether the master could learn Zuo Lin's sword techniques.
The answer was definite. Gu An had invested two thousand years of life span in the Li Family Seven-Sword Art; his Achievement in the Sword Dao was already profound.
Zuo Lin's demonstrated sword techniques, while decent, were not as advanced as the upgraded version of the Seven-Sword Art of the Li Family, much less comparable to the Nine Devastating Swords.
Right, it's unlikely that Zuo Lin would impart his strongest swordsmanship right at the start.
After Zuo Lin finished demonstrating, he turned to Gu An and asked, "How much did you remember?"
Gu An shook his head, "Maybe twenty percent... I can't be certain. Your swordsmanship is too fluid, it dazzled me, and I've already forgotten the earlier moves."
Zuo Lin frowned and immediately asked Gu An to try.
Thus, Gu An began performing the sword techniques Zuo Lin had just demonstrated. His movements were hesitant and his strokes stiff, making Zuo Lin's frown deepen.
At a distance, despair overcame Tang Yu and Su Han; it seemed their master would not learn it.
After fumbling through another demonstration, Zuo Lin tried once more, this time even slower, yet he still didn't remember it all.
After struggling for half an ancient hour, Gu An found an excuse to slip away.
An irate Zuo Lin sought out Li Ya and complained that Gu An was mocking him.
Upon learning the reason, Li Ya gave a wry smile and said, "He truly has no talent for the Sword Dao, and he quite dislikes sword training."
"Really?" Zuo Lin's anger subsided somewhat, but he couldn't help recalling the poise with which Gu An had performed the earlier exercises. He felt Gu An was concealing something.
"He is my junior brother, how could I not know?"
Li Ya gave him a look before warning, "Stop pestering him. It's already good that you are allowed to stay. Keep bothering him, and you might as well head back to the Outer Sect and find your father!"
Zuo Lin fell into deep thought, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the attic where Gu An resided, lost in thought.
Elsewhere.
Inside the attic.
Gu An sat meditating on his bed, eyes closed, reminiscing about the sword techniques Zuo Lin had taught him.
He slowly opened his eyes, a flash of sword light in them.
He accessed his attribute panel, and under the ultimate skill category, 'Wood Spirit Sword Technique' appeared.
Wood Spirit?
Could it be a Wood Attribute sword technique?
Gu An's Divine Wood Pure Yang Skill was also of the Wood Attribute; if he cultivated Wood Attribute spells, he could achieve twice the result with half the effort. He had previously quickly learned the Poison Wood Array that Jiang Qiong taught him.
However, he did not plan to enhance this sword technique for the time being; he had to save up to a hundred thousand years of life span first.
With one thousand years to activate the Life Span Detection function, ten thousand to activate the Life Span Barrier, and surely a new function upon reaching a hundred thousand years of life span, he had always been looking forward to it.