In the forest, Gu An could not resist Li Ya's insistence and eventually performed a clumsy set of the Li Family's Seven Swords. Only then did he realize that pretending to be incompetent was harder than pretending to be skilled.
Faced with Gu An's stiff sword moves, Li Ya criticized him for a long time, then began patiently teaching him sword practice.
Through his sword moves, Gu An could judge that he was already practicing the Nine Devastating Swords, showing considerable talent. At least, his talent in Sword Dao surpassed Gu An's.
The second day arrived, and once again, Li Ya dragged Gu An to practice swords.
Gu An couldn't bear it any longer!
"Brother Li, I lack the talent for sword practice, so let it go. I have only a few decades in my life. If I rigorously practice the sword, wouldn't it be a waste? Compared to practicing swords, I prefer planting and tending flowers."
Gu An said helplessly, secretly urging the Dragon Strength within his body, causing his eyes to turn red.
Li Ya, holding a sword, suddenly felt a blockage in his heart.
What was he doing?
Repaying Junior Brother Gu in the way he liked?
Wasn't this also a form of harm?
Li Ya couldn't help but think of his childhood when the emperor forced him to learn alongside his imperial brothers, but the things his brothers excelled at, he could never master.
He sighed, walked to Gu An, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Junior Brother Gu, it was inconsiderate of me. I'm sorry."
Gu An forced a smile, "It's okay, Senior Brother. You're thinking of me, but it's just that I'm useless, lacking in talent."
The more Gu An acted this way, the more guilty Li Ya felt.
They sat down and began to chat about their first year in the valley, easing the tension of sword practice.
For the next few days, Li Ya no longer pestered Gu An to practice swords, but he would still spend an ancient hour teaching Xiaochuan and others sword practice.
For Xiaochuan and the others, whose dreams had not yet been extinguished, learning swords from an Outer Disciple was a rare opportunity.
Five days later, Li Ya was preparing to leave.
Gu An, along with junior and senior disciples, escorted Li Ya to the entrance of the valley. Xiaochuan and others were reluctant. They had learned so much from Li Ya.
"Senior Brother, this place will always be your home. Come back often." Gu An said with a face full of reluctance.
Home?
Ripples arose in Li Ya's heart, but his face maintained a serene smile. "Yes, I will come back."
After saying that, he turned and left. Dressed in black, he moved through the forest like a black flame, burning fiercely, with the autumn wind unable to extinguish his fire.
Gu An sensed that he was burning with some kind of determination, possibly related to his recent injury.
Only after Li Ya disappeared into the depths of the forest did Gu An turn his gaze back to the junior and senior disciples. He smiled and said, "Cultivate well, and soon go to the Outer Sect to seek Senior Brother Li and bring honor to our Mystic Valley."
Lu Jiujia immediately made a bold declaration, vowing to enter the Outer Sect.
Xiaochuan said the same, though his confidence was clearly less than Lu Jiujia's.
Ye Lan was preoccupied, lost in thought.
Wuxin spoke up, "I won't go to the Outer Sect. I will stay with Senior Brother for a lifetime!"
Everyone looked at him in surprise, including Gu An.
"This child..."
Gu An felt touched. Had he misjudged Wuxin?
Lately, Wuxin had been very well-behaved, not wandering around late at night, and nothing had been stolen from Mystic Valley, so it couldn't be concluded that Wuxin had ill intent.
Given this, more chores should be assigned to Wuxin in the future.
Ye Lan felt a twinge of regret. How had Wuxin managed to say what she wanted to say first?
At the same time, she realized that perhaps, in her heart, Senior Brother was important, but not as important as pursuing immortal cultivation for longevity.
Lu Jiujia couldn't help but mock Wuxin for being so sycophantic, and soon, Xiaochuan, Ye Lan, and Wuxin started arguing with him.
Gu An led them back to the valley, but his mind was drifting towards the underground.
Li Ya had already left; next, he had to prepare to deal with the underground troubles.
...
Late at night, in the Eight Scenic Caves.
Gu An, holding the Heavenly Residence Sword's scabbard, came to Meng Lang. Meng Lang, with his orifices sealed by soil, still lay on the grass.
"The grass around here shows signs of tampering; as expected, there's someone."
Gu An keenly noticed subtle changes in the grass around Meng Lang. It's hard for an ordinary cultivator to detect this; he noticed it because he specifically observed the area last time he left.
He gripped the Heavenly Residence Sword and then walked toward the cave where Meng Lang had initially emerged.
Before long, he disappeared into the darkness.
This tunnel was dim, with few crystal stones. However, for the divine sense of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, it posed no challenge.
The cold spirit wind blew in the tunnel, ruffling Gu An's robes, and his divine sense had already reached the end of the tunnel.
There was a spacious cavern, not as large as the main cavern of the Eight Scenic Caves, but still sizable. Here stood several coffins, with a large bluish-green crystal stone embedded in the ceiling, casting an eerie glow on the frightening coffins below.
Apart from the coffins, there was nothing else.
Gu An's divine sense immediately detected a faint sign of life inside one of the coffins. This trace of life could not escape the divine sense of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.
Gu An did not sense any danger from this faint life force, but he remained cautious.
He advanced slowly and walked for a long time before reaching the end of the tunnel.
He stood at the entrance and carefully peered inside. He cautiously asked, "Is anyone there?"
There was no answer, as if the cavern was devoid of anyone.
Gu An picked up a stone from the ground and threw it inside. With a thud, the stone hit one of the coffins. The coffin remained still, but Gu An seemed frightened and his eyes widened.
He instinctively stepped back, feigning a look of panic.
Why hadn't there been a response yet?
Continuing the act any longer would be awkward!
Gu An grew anxious. He did this to gauge the attitude of the presence hidden here. After all, it had not harmed him before, and he did not want to wrongly kill a good person.
At least, he needed to be at peace with himself!
Gritting his teeth, Gu An suddenly drew his sword and rushed into the cavern, slashing wildly. With a crack, the Heavenly Residence Sword struck a coffin lid and got stuck. As he pulled it with force, his body staggered back a few steps due to the inertia.
"Pu-ha——"
A soft laugh echoed, sounding particularly sharp in the cavern.
Goosebumps nearly rose on Gu An's skin. It was a woman's voice, sounding eerily like a female ghost laughing.
He nervously scanned the surroundings, holding the Heavenly Residence Sword, his body turning in circles constantly, afraid that demons or ghosts might suddenly charge at him.
"Boy, are you Cheng Xuandan's disciple?"
That mysterious female voice spoke again, her alluring tone making one's imagination run wild.
Gu An quickly replied, "Yes, Senior. Cheng Xuandan is my master. Who are you and why are you here?"
"Those who are here are naturally your martial master. Cheng Xuandan is my disciple. Since you entered, it means his time is up, correct?" The mysterious female voice ceased laughing and spoke with a hint of melancholy.
Gu An replied, "So you are my martial master. Nice to meet you, Martial Master. Master's life indeed came to an end. He said that he wanted to emulate you, seeking a place unknown to others to face the end of his life."
The cavern fell into silence.
Gu An remained vigilant. If the other side wanted to attack him, no matter how he was related, he would show no mercy.
The Heavenly Residence Sword in his hand had not yet been stained with blood!
After a long while.
Just as Gu An was about to speak, the other voice spoke again, "Did Cheng Xuandan tell you my identity?"
Gu An whispered, "Master told me everything. You come from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion. He also told me to be ready to assist someone from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion at any time..."
"You seem timid and cowardly, cautious as you entered. You must not be here willingly, only finding out about all this after he passed the position of Valley Master to you?" The voice teased.
Gu An sighed, revealing his helplessness.
This time, he wasn't acting; he genuinely felt helpless.
"Since you have already become his disciple, you are also my disciple's disciple. Guard here for ten more years. After ten years, I will leave Supreme Sect and not bring you any trouble."
After hearing this, Gu An couldn't help but ask, "May I ask the martial master's name?"
"My surname is Jiang, given name Qiong. As for my title in the Immortal Cultivation world, it's better not to mention it."
Jiang Qiong?
The name sounded pleasant enough, though who knows how many years she had lived.
While Gu An was pondering, a coffin in front suddenly opened, startling him to the point of raising his sword.
Two items flew out of the coffin and landed before him.
He looked down and saw a small black bell and a secret book.
"Consider this my gift to my disciple's disciple, the Soul Shaking Bell. It can repulse all Myriad Poison Mystic Skill's poison spells. As long as you shake it, all corpse poisons in this cave will heed your command."
"The book is my Technique of Immortal Cultivation, the Yin Yang Art. The Yin Yang Art includes the spell to refine the Soul Shaking Bell, something not even your master could learn."
Jiang Qiong's voice came again, sounding somewhat fatigued.
Gu An immediately bowed in gratitude, unable to resist asking, "Disciple's talent is mediocre. Why do you treat me so well, Martial Master?"
"Hehe, mediocre talent? Boy, though it's unclear what miracle skill you practice, your actual cultivation level is certainly not limited to the Fourth Layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm. You should have already entered the Foundation Establishment. To achieve Foundation Establishment at such a young age makes you a genius. The fact that you can suppress your arrogance, hiding as a Servant Disciple in the Outer Sect, hints at a burdening secret, but at least it shows you are quite resistant to Supreme Sect."
"Your talent satisfies me, and your behavior aligns with my taste. Cultivate well, and I'll teach you more spells later. Once you inherit my mantle, I'll recommend you for the status of True Disciple in the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion."
Jiang Qiong resumed her previous alluring laughter, causing Gu An's face to change, feeling exposed and somewhat embarrassed.
Taking a deep breath, Gu An said, "Thank you, Martial Master. If you have any instructions, please tell me at any time."
After speaking, he bent down to pick up the Soul Shaking Bell and the Yin Yang Art before turning and leaving.
Jiang Qiong's voice no longer echoed in the cavern, and Gu An quickly returned to the Eight Scenic Caves.
Sitting under a tree, he began to study the Yin Yang Art.
He contemplated whether Jiang Qiong harbored any ill intentions.
Just ten years wasn't too worrying. He wasn't just a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator; he also mastered the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword.
Jiang Qiong clearly wasn't a good person. She only feared Gu An's Foundation Establishment Realm's strength. In ten short years, how could she go from fearing the Foundation Establishment Realm to effortlessly suppressing the Nascent Soul Realm?
She hadn't just hidden here; according to Cheng Xuandan, she had been dead for seventy years.
During these ten years, he needed to find ways to learn more spells and secret books from her. If she behaved and departed in ten years, Gu An wouldn't have to resort to betrayal.
If she harbored ill intentions, Gu An would have to let the Heavenly Residence Sword taste blood.