Seventh Layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, Mysteries Hidden in the Mountain Forest

After Gu An invited him, Wuxin did not say a single word until they left the Handyman Hall. From beginning to end, he merely nodded once.

Gu An suspected he had recruited a mute.

For Wuxin, becoming a Handyman Disciple as soon as possible was the most important matter at hand. Gu An had made a good first impression on him, so he agreed outright.

The reason he was so eager to become a Handyman Disciple was that he was a Spy for the Demonic Path.

He came from Thousand Autumn Pavilion, a Demonic Path sect. He was the youngest son of one of Thousand Autumn Pavilion's masters, and because his aptitude was inferior to his brothers', he had volunteered to come as a Spy.

First, he could escape the oppressive environment at home. Second, he could see whether he could accomplish something worthy.

If he could not, then so be it.

Wuxin looked at Gu An and Cheng Xuandan ahead of him, already forming an initial judgment of the two.

One was a kind, simple, ordinary cultivator.

The other was an old man with one foot in the grave.

From what they had said, Medicine Valley truly seemed peaceful, and its atmosphere ought to be pleasant.

Heavy snow drifted through the air, and Mystic Valley sank into a vast expanse of white. Heaven and earth were painted a single color.

Bang!

Wuxin was kicked into the snow. Snow splashed across his face as he clutched his chest in pain.

"Lu Jiujia! Why are you taking this so seriously?" Ye Lan reproached from the side.

Lu Jiujia stood in the snow and slowly withdrew his leg. Raising his chin, he snorted. "A sparring match has to be taken seriously. That's the only way to improve."

His cultivation had already reached the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, making him openly the strongest person in Medicine Valley. Ye Lan was at the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, while Xiao Chuan and Gu An were both at the third layer.

Wuxin, at the second layer of the Qi Refining Realm, had no ability to fight back before Lu Jiujia.

Damn it... how can Handyman Disciples be this strong... Wuxin's mentality nearly collapsed.

He had seen Lu Jiujia practicing his kicks and could not resist trying him out. He had not expected to be defeated by Lu Jiujia in two kicks.

What he did not know was that Lu Jiujia had an excellent senior brother. Over the years, Gu An had made time every day to spar with Lu Jiujia. No matter how hard Lu Jiujia tried, he could never win. Day after day, his kicking techniques had become exceedingly refined, and his physical strength was considerable as well.

Unwilling to accept it, Wuxin thought he had merely been careless. He rose to his feet and charged at Lu Jiujia again.

Bang! Bang!

Lu Jiujia kicked twice in succession, sending Wuxin tumbling into the snow once more.

Wuxin felt as though his forearm was about to snap. The fifteen-year-old lay sprawled in the snow, tears of humiliation streaming down his face.

Why did this happen...

This was nothing like the Spy life I imagined. Never mind climbing mountains of blades and crossing seas of fire—even if I lost, I should have lost while stealing intelligence...

He had actually been defeated by a Handyman Disciple who looked ordinary in every respect.

If I hadn't cultivated this technique... with my talent... how could I suffer such humiliation?

Wuxin clenched his hands into fists. The sound of Ye Lan and Lu Jiujia arguing reached his ears, painfully grating.

Lu Jiujia looked at Ye Lan before him and said unhappily, "He's a boy, not some frail little girl. Go away and stop favoring him. When Senior Brother kicked me into the ground, why didn't you say anything?"

Ye Lan glared at him. "How did I not say anything? I spoke up for you back then, and you even yelled at me. Besides, Senior Brother didn't use nearly as much force as you did. Think carefully—when Senior Brother sparred with you, didn't he wait until you had displayed all your kicking techniques before lightly defeating you? But you? You just force things, acting recklessly. What can Junior Brother Wuxin learn from sparring with you?"

Upon hearing that, the displeasure on Lu Jiujia's face changed. Thinking back carefully, it did seem to be true.

It was precisely because he could give his all every time that he had more room for new ideas.

Simply taking a beating really did not teach one anything...

Lu Jiujia could not help feeling ashamed, while becoming even more grateful to Gu An.

Senior Brother truly treated him too well.

Ye Lan helped Wuxin up. Seeing that his eyes were red, she hurriedly comforted him, "Don't hold it against him. He means well too—he wants to spar with you seriously so you can both improve. It's just that he likes to get overly serious about things."

Seeing Wuxin's reddened eyes, Lu Jiujia scratched his head awkwardly.

"Jiujia, your kicking techniques seem to have improved. Come, let's practice."

A gentle voice came from behind them. Lu Jiujia turned around to see Gu An walking over with a smile as warm as a spring breeze.

The moment Lu Jiujia heard that, he nodded eagerly. His confidence had been swelling lately, and he felt that he could defeat Senior Brother.

Ye Lan and Wuxin looked toward Gu An. Wuxin secretly wondered, Is this Senior Brother really that formidable?

Can he defeat Lu Jiujia despite being two minor realms below him?

Gu An stopped and beckoned to Lu Jiujia. Lu Jiujia grinned, then took a swift step and closed in before him.

Bang!

Lu Jiujia was sent flying more than ten meters, carving a long trench through the snow.

Stars swam before his eyes, and he nearly fainted. It felt as though his internal organs had shifted out of place, the pain unbearable.

Wuxin stared in stunned silence.

Such fast legs!

He had not even seen clearly how Gu An had kicked.

Ye Lan's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. She hurried over to Gu An and praised her senior brother, saying his legs were getting faster and faster.

Gu An rubbed her head, then looked at Wuxin and asked, "Wuxin, do you want to learn leg techniques in the future?"

Wuxin's maximum lifespan was higher than everyone else's. He could be considered a talent with potential—he could not be crippled by Lu Jiujia's kicks.

"I do!" Wuxin answered, his voice firm and resounding, unlike his usual meekness.

In the distance, Lu Jiujia began to wail, drawing Gu An's attention.

Gu An walked up to him and looked down at him. With a snort, he said, "Stop pretending. Tell me, Junior Brother, did you enjoy that sparring session?"

Lu Jiujia lay sprawled on the ground, turning slightly to peek at Gu An with one eye. Seeing Gu An's stern expression, he closed his eye again and said painfully, "Senior Brother, I was wrong..."

Gu An pulled him up. As he brushed the snow from his clothes, he said softly, "A true strong person is not someone who defeats those stronger than himself, but someone who can restrain the arrogance in his own heart and refuses to bully those weaker than himself."

Lu Jiujia rubbed his chest and seriously pondered Gu An's words.

Ye Lan and Wuxin heard them as well. Wuxin in particular was deeply shaken. He had never expected such a master to be hidden within this tiny Medicine Valley.

At the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, the strong bullying the weak was commonplace. He was weak, and even his father and brothers bullied him.

That was right!

They did not deserve to be called strong at all!

Wuxin thought to himself, and the way he looked at Gu An changed.

"You teach Wuxin leg techniques first," Gu An said, patting Lu Jiujia on the shoulder. Lu Jiujia hurriedly nodded, not daring to refuse.

Afterward, Gu An took Ye Lan up the mountain to tend to the seeds that had been planted not long ago. Xiao Chuan was up on the mountain as well.

As for Cheng Xuandan, after returning, he had shut himself in his room and refused to come out. Gu An had visited him once, but Cheng Xuandan said he was recuperating. After that, Gu An did not dare disturb him again.

The days passed one after another. Wuxin's arrival made Medicine Valley livelier. Lu Jiujia and Xiao Chuan loved teasing him, and the sounds of the three roughhousing could be heard in Medicine Valley from time to time.

Year's end.

Night fell.

Gu An was reading in his room. He was no longer reading Travels of the Green Hero, but another book called Secret History of the Thousand Autumn Pavilion.

The book came from Medicine Valley's Library Pavilion. He did not know whether it was true or false; in any case, he read it for amusement.

The flame of the oil lamp swayed faintly, and wisps of cold wind slipped through the cracks in the window. Gu An, already at the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, remained unmoved.

After finishing the page, he set down the book and prepared to rise and carry out his daily plan.

Suddenly, he heard a faint movement from the neighboring room. Someone had stepped out, moving very lightly, but not lightly enough to escape his ears.

It was Wuxin!

Gu An was familiar with the aura of everyone in Medicine Valley and immediately identified him.

He silently listened to Wuxin's footsteps. Wuxin headed toward the Library Pavilion, and after entering, the boy began flipping through books.

What is he looking for? Gu An was full of curiosity.

In his impression, Wuxin was very honest. He earnestly did whatever Gu An assigned him, unlike Lu Jiujia, who occasionally slacked off.

Besides being honest, Wuxin possessed a competitive spirit second only to Lu Jiujia's. From time to time, he would challenge his two senior brothers to spar, fighting battle after battle, losing battle after battle, yet fighting again after every loss.

Could the boy be looking for a secret manual?

Thinking this, Gu An felt a little sorry for his junior brother.

Starting tomorrow, he would teach his junior brother personally.

Wuxin searched for nearly half an hour, then quietly returned to his room.

After a while, Gu An stood up and stealthily left his own room. He was going to the forest more than ten li away to carry out his daily plan.

Another summer arrived.

Gu An had passed his twenty-second birthday. His lifespan had already exceeded four thousand years, and he planned to save up more than ten thousand years in one go before using them.

Nearly half a year passed. Relying on his daily plan, his cultivation successfully broke through to the seventh level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, though his apparent cultivation remained at the third level of Qi Refining.

As time passed, Gu An grew increasingly curious about the Seventh-rank Spirit Tree Cheng Xuandan had mentioned. He had even tried searching for it, but no matter what he did, he could not find the entrance leading underground.

Wuxin would also occasionally feel his way around in the dead of night. Once, the two had nearly run into each other. Fortunately, Gu An's hearing was exceptional, allowing him to notice in advance.

Near noon, Gu An crouched beneath a tree, observing his White Spirit Mouse.

The White Spirit Mouse was spinning wildly in circles before him, brimming with energy.

Has it grown up? But spring has clearly already passed... Gu An thought in confusion.

He had raised the White Spirit Mouse for several years, yet its size had not changed. With Li Ya absent, he could not determine what stage of growth it was in.

The little fellow had been circling in front of him for half the day already.

As if it understood Gu An's words, the White Spirit Mouse suddenly leaped up, bit Gu An's hand, then fled at top speed.

Gu An felt no pain, so he did not get angry. His gaze followed it, and he saw that the White Spirit Mouse had actually stopped and was now spinning wildly in circles on the spot.

Wait!

Could it be...

Thinking of something, Gu An hurriedly got to his feet and walked toward the White Spirit Mouse.

Seeing him approach, the White Spirit Mouse stopped circling and ran toward the forest. Before long, man and mouse vanished into the woods.

Wuxin stood beneath the tree, watching the direction in which Gu An had left. He frowned in thought. "The forest again... Lu Jiujia said that Li Ya and Meng Lang used to like going into the forest alone to cultivate. Senior Brother's leg techniques are far more formidable than his cultivation realm. Could there be some hidden mystery in the forest?"

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He did not follow Gu An, instead deciding to sneak over and investigate that night.

Meanwhile.

Gu An followed the White Spirit Mouse over mountains and ridges, and they actually left Medicine Valley.

Good fellow, this little bastard's usual range was this wide?

Gu An realized he had underestimated the White Spirit Mouse. He grew even more curious about where it was taking him.

Li Ya had said before that the White Spirit Mouse was known as a treasure-seeking mouse.

Could it have already found the Seventh-rank Spirit Tree?

Thank you to Seeking Great Freedom for the reward of 1,166 Qidian coins, Going All Out for the generous reward of 500 Qidian coins, Yan Gu Piaoxiang for the reward of 100 Qidian coins, Book Friend 20221202214910450 for the reward of 100 Qidian coins, and Book Friend 121012231328684 for the reward of 100 Qidian coins~~

Could someone make a sound? Let's see how many people are still up this late?