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Chapter 24: Jiang Qiong at Core Formation Ninth Layer
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 08:57:03 +0000 UTCAs spring turned to autumn, five years passed in the blink of an eye.
During these five years, Gu An continued his plan of investing one year of lifespan every night. Over time, he invested more than 1,800 years of lifespan, pushing his cultivation to the eighth layer of the Nascent Soul realm.
After surpassing the fifth layer of the Nascent Soul realm, the time required for each subsequent small breakthrough increased exponentially. Even during the evolutionary process, Gu An had to endure longer periods of hard cultivation.
Currently, his lifespan had dwindled to just over 10,200 years, but the addition of the Eight Views Heavenly Cave had significantly boosted his annual lifespan gain.
In these five years, three new servant disciples joined Xuan Valley, all of whom became Gu An’s disciples. Two were male, and one was female. The oldest was named Tang Yu, followed by Su Han, and the youngest, Zhen Qin.
Gu An no longer chose disciples based on their potential. Instead, he selected those with mediocre talent to avoid unnecessary trouble. The maximum lifespan of each disciple was around 200 years, and he picked the ones who seemed agreeable to him.
On this day, at the entrance to the valley, Xiao Chuan, Ye Lan, Wu Xin, Tang Yu, Su Han, and Zhen Qin gathered around Lu Jiu Jia.
"Senior Brother, we wish you success!"
"Uncle Master, don’t forget about us when you’re in the Outer Sect!"
"Don’t worry, I’ll be looking after Medicine Valley."
"If you fail, I’ll definitely make fun of you."
Today was the day Lu Jiu Jia was heading to the Outer Sect to take the entrance examination. Gu An had sliced a Ancient Vine fruit into four pieces and distributed them among his junior brothers and sisters, significantly boosting their cultivation. Lu Jiu Jia was the first to reach the ninth layer of the Qi Refining realm.
It’s worth mentioning that ever since Wu Xin consumed the Ancient Vine fruit, he had become completely obedient, staying in his room every night to cultivate without wandering off into the mountains. He had also become more diligent in his work.
At twenty-three years old, Lu Jiu Jia was brimming with confidence. He glanced toward the pavilion where his senior brother lived and saw Gu An standing by the window, watching him. A warm feeling filled his heart.
"Wait for my good news, Senior Brother! I won’t let you down!" Lu Jiu Jia called out with a proud smile before turning and leaving.
With years of cultivation and mastering the Remnant Wind Kick technique, he believed he could make a name for himself in the Outer Sect.
Dressed in a black robe with white accents, Gu An watched from a distance as Lu Jiu Jia departed. His emotions were mixed.
He couldn’t quite tell if he felt proud or reluctant. Maybe it was a bit of both.
"I’m only twenty-seven, yet I’m already feeling sentimental. What will happen when I’m two hundred, two thousand, or even twenty thousand years old?" Gu An chuckled at himself.
He turned back to his desk, sat down, and picked up The Adventures of the Green Hero, continuing to enjoy the book.
This was a new release from last year, and Gu An considered it the author's magnum opus. The way the writer described love and adventure was truly masterful.
An hour later.
Wu Xin came to visit. At twenty-one years old, he still dressed like a monk, and Gu An often teased him, calling him a "handsome Tang Monk." Especially after Gu An had a monk’s robe custom-made for him at the Outer Sect, Wu Xin looked even more dignified.
"Senior Brother, I’ve finished watering the fields on the mountain. Do you have any other tasks for me today?" Wu Xin asked softly as he approached, glancing at The Adventures of the Chivalrous Wanderer. His clean, handsome face instantly flushed red.
Without looking up, Gu An replied, "There’s nothing else. You can go back and cultivate."
Wu Xin moved to the opposite side of the table but didn’t leave. He looked hesitant.
Gu An glanced at him and asked, "Is there something else?"
Dressed in his black robe, Gu An had developed a commanding presence over the years. Thanks to the abundant harvests in Medicine Valley and his lack of a private stash, he had used his own funds to buy new clothes for everyone in the valley. Now, none of them looked like mere servant disciples anymore.
Wu Xin gritted his teeth and said, "Senior Brother, I’ll be honest with you. With my talent, I can never enter the Outer Sect. I genuinely want to stay in Medicine Valley and serve you for the rest of my life."
Gu An put down his book and carefully observed Wu Xin.
The meaning behind those words was clear.
He wanted to progress!
Gu An furrowed his brows, pretending to be troubled.
Seeing Gu An’s expression, Wu Xin panicked and immediately knelt down.
"Senior Brother, what am I lacking? I’m more diligent than the others, more obedient than them. And they all want to go to the Outer Sect, but I don’t!" Wu Xin’s voice trembled with emotion, and his eyes reddened.
Gu An, however, noticed that Wu Xin had activated some sort of technique to stir his qi and blood.
This kid is trying to imitate me, huh?
With a sigh, Gu An spoke earnestly, "Wu Xin, in my heart, there’s no such thing as someone being better or worse. It’s like the Ancient Vine fruit—I split it equally among all of you. But the position of the chief disciple is no small matter. It represents the future head of the valley. Even though I’m a servant disciple, the treatment I receive is no less than that of an Outer Sect disciple. I owe much to the sect for their generosity."
"You seem to be hiding something from me. Of course, everyone has their secrets, and I won’t pry. You will always be my junior brother, but as for the chief disciple position..."
He trailed off with a heavy sigh, his face filled with helplessness.
Wu Xin froze. He hadn’t expected that Gu An had already been aware of his actions from years ago. His first reaction was fear, but that quickly turned into gratitude.
The last time he’d snuck around at night was five years ago, and Senior Brother had tolerated it for all that time.
What did that mean?
It meant Senior Brother truly saw him as one of his own!
Wu Xin put himself in Gu An’s shoes. If he were the senior brother, he would have severely punished such a junior long ago.
The more Wu Xin thought about it, the more guilty he felt. He couldn’t keep up the act anymore.
"Senior Brother, actually..." Wu Xin gritted his teeth as if making a difficult decision.
"In truth, I come from Thousand Autumn Pavilion. My father is one of the seventy-two lords of the pavilion. My talent is poor, and I was always bullied by my siblings, so I ran away. The reason I wandered around at night was that I’d heard about Senior Brother Li Ya’s exploits. I was hoping to find some opportunity that would let me prove myself to my father. But now, I’ve given up. I can’t even compete with Lu Jiu Jia, let alone my brothers and sisters..."
Wu Xin blurted everything out in one breath, his head lowered in shame.
Gu An’s face was filled with shock and disbelief.
"You..."
Hearing the tremble in Gu An’s voice only made Wu Xin feel more ashamed. His forehead pressed against the ground.
Gu An truly hadn’t expected Wu Xin to be from Thousand Autumn Pavilion.
What kind of situation was this?
Might as well rename Xuan Valley to Thousand Autumn Valley!
Gu An quietly spread his divine sense, forming an invisible barrier to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
After a moment of silence, he let out a heavy sigh and said, "Fine, get up and speak."
Wu Xin, still filled with anxiety, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He stood up and saw Gu An’s complicated expression, which only made him feel more moved.
As expected, Senior Brother really cares about me!
"I don’t know much about Thousand Autumn Pavilion. I’ve heard it’s a demonic sect?" Gu An asked after taking a deep breath.
Wu Xin nodded. "It’s true. Thousand Autumn Pavilion is the most evil of the demonic sects, practicing corpse manipulation, poison arts, soul ensnarement, and all kinds of dark magic. I couldn’t bear it, so I ran away."
"Will your father come looking for you? I need to consider the safety of the other disciples," Gu An asked with concern.
Wu Xin quickly waved his hands. "There’s no way he’d come looking for me! He’d be happy if I were dead. I’m his greatest disgrace!"
Gu An’s expression softened a bit at that, and he scolded, "Wu Xin, I won’t allow you to belittle yourself like that. A person’s worth isn’t determined by their cultivation level."
Wu Xin scratched his head and chuckled. "I know, but people in the demonic sects are all a bit twisted, Senior Brother."
Gu An nodded as if recalling something. He then asked, "By the way, have you ever heard of someone named Jiang Qiong in Thousand Autumn Pavilion?"
"Jiang Qiong?" Wu Xin frowned, trying to remember.
After a few seconds, his eyes lit up. "I remember now! She was the top genius of Thousand Autumn Pavilion a century ago and the daughter of the second lord. But she’s been dead for many years. I remember my father talking about her when I was a child. He even wanted my elder brother to marry her."
Gu An was intrigued and asked, "How old is your father?"
"He’s almost five hundred years old. He has over a hundred children, so if one of us goes missing, he doesn’t care," Wu Xin answered.
Gu An fell silent.
The ways of the demonic sects were strangely tempting.
Gu An asked a few more questions, but Wu Xin didn’t know much about Jiang Qiong.
"Now that you’ve confessed your origins, I’ll appoint you as the chief disciple. If a single valley’s chief disciple can help a demonic cultivator find redemption, that would be a worthy achievement. However, this matter must remain a secret for now. You’ll need to earn everyone’s approval through your actions," Gu An said seriously.
Wu Xin was overjoyed.
He was about to kneel in thanks when Gu An added, "From now on, you mustn’t mention Thousand Autumn Pavilion at all, even when you’re alone. This is the Tai Xuan Sect, and even talking to yourself might be overheard."
Wu Xin nodded fervently, promising to follow the advice.
The two brothers shifted to lighter topics, chatting about other things.
Wu Xin felt even closer to his senior brother. He regretted not confessing earlier.
...
At night, in the Eight Views Heavenly Cave.
Gu An arrived at a clearing near the underground river to plant more medicinal herbs.
He moved slowly, savoring the process of planting. What he was cultivating wasn’t just flowers—it was life itself.
As someone of Huaxia heritage, farming was in his blood, and this passion had followed him into the world of cultivation.
Once he finished, he gazed at his newly created garden with satisfaction. The neat rows had a unique beauty to them.
"Come in, my dear disciple."
Jiang Qiong’s pleasant voice echoed from one of the nearby caves, and Gu An immediately headed in that direction.
Over the years, Jiang Qiong had summoned him from time to time to help gather medicinal ingredients or even assist in refining pills.
Gu An hadn’t been working in vain, though. His alchemy skills had improved by leaps and bounds.
Jiang Qiong’s alchemy far surpassed Cheng Xuandan’s, and her teaching methods were much better too.
Gu An entered the dim cave, where a cauldron stood on the ground, half his height, with ashes piled beneath it.
Just as he was about to speak, he heard a sound. He focused his gaze and saw one of the coffins in the back trembling.
Boom!
The coffin lid fell to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
A skeletal hand reached out from the upright coffin, so thin it was like a ghost’s claw. Gu An immediately used his lifespan detection ability.
[Jiang Qiong (Core Formation Ninth Layer): 185/304/2490]
Good grief!
A maximum lifespan of nearly 2,500 years!
Why does she only have 300 years of lifespan at the Core Formation ninth layer?
Could it be related to her injuries?
Gu An pondered this while the last trace of his apprehension vanished.
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