"You mustn't. How could I take the sword your mother left you?" Gu An hurriedly waved his hands. He spoke the truth. A treasured sword with such origins was bound to have many entanglements and bring trouble.
Li Ya lowered his gaze to the scabbard, his thoughts already sinking into memory. "This sword is called Heavenly Abode. It has been with me since I was three years old. I cannot bring out all of its power now, and I am no longer qualified to wield it. Leaving it with you is for the best. Perhaps, within this Medicine Valley, it may yet wait for someone fated."
Gu An asked in confusion, "Why aren't you qualified? This sword isn't connected to the Imperial Family, is it? Then I wouldn't dare accept it."
The thought of becoming entangled with the Li Family made his head ache.
The sword was indeed handsome and greatly to his liking, but he wanted even less for his life to be disturbed.
Li Ya looked at him and smiled. "You would not understand even if I told you. Rest assured, this sword will not bring you trouble, and the Li Family would not dare seize it. This was the token of love Father gave my mother. With it, the Li Family would not dare do anything to you upon seeing it. If you encounter trouble you cannot resolve someday, you can also take this sword to Changluo and find my father."
"How could someone of lowly status like me possibly meet His Majesty?"
"Don't worry. The moment Heavenly Abode appears in Changluo, my father will sense it. In short, you must accept it. Otherwise, I won't eat this fruit."
Then don't eat it!
Gu An nearly blurted it out, but he held it back.
He looked at the Heavenly Abode Sword again. Come to think of it, he still did not own a single magical artifact. Cheng Xuandan's inheritance had contained only talisman paper, not a single magical artifact—not even a sword.
What was there to fear!
I'm a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator!
If I truly encounter trouble I cannot withstand, at worst I'll just throw the sword to them!
Gu An took a deep breath and reached out to grab Heavenly Abode. The sword had some weight to it. His right hand trembled as he lifted it, making Li Ya burst into laughter.
"Junior Brother Gu, even if your aptitude is mediocre, do not forget to cultivate in your daily life. You must practice the Li Family Seven Swords I taught you," Li Ya said earnestly.
Gu An held the Heavenly Abode Sword in both hands and nodded with a forced smile.
Heh heh.
Young man, you still need to sharpen your eye for people!
Thus, Li Ya settled down in Medicine Valley. Gu An personally arranged a courtyard for him, where no one would disturb him.
Li Ya sat cross-legged on the bed. Beside him lay the half-eaten Azure Vine Fruit. His hands formed changing seals as he continuously circulated his cultivation to heal his injuries.
A pale blue phantom emerged from Li Ya's body and circled the room. It was an elderly man with kind features. His Daoist robe fluttered faintly, giving him the bearing of an enlightened master.
Li Ya opened his eyes and asked, "Old Ancestor, what kind of fruit is this? Its medicinal effect is so tyrannical..."
The elderly soul body called Old Ancestor first waved his hand, causing the space in the room to ripple. Then he stroked his beard and smiled. "It should be the Azure Vine Fruit borne by Thousand Autumn Pavilion's sacred tree, the Azure Vine Tree. The lowest grade of an Azure Vine Fruit is sixth rank. You have truly stumbled upon good fortune."
"A fruit from Thousand Autumn Pavilion? Thousand Autumn Pavilion's infiltration runs deep indeed. No wonder the Taixuan Sect regards it as a great enemy," Li Ya muttered.
Old Ancestor looked at the Azure Vine Fruit and said, "Thousand Autumn Pavilion and the Taixuan Sect have held grievances for over a thousand years. Both sects have planted quite a few chess pieces within the other. Your Junior Brother Gu is fortunate. Had he not encountered you, the Azure Vine Fruit would have brought him a vast calamity."
Li Ya shook his head. "It is not that he is fortunate. It is that he is kind and values loyalty. People like him will always be rewarded. On the contrary, I am the fortunate one."
Old Ancestor nodded. "Those words make sense. Such people truly are few in the cultivation world. But you need not feel too guilty. Giving him Heavenly Abode means far more to him than the Azure Vine Fruit."
At the mention of Heavenly Abode, Li Ya sighed. "I have failed my mother's expectations. But I truly do not wish to contend for the throne. I only wish to avenge her, then travel the world and stay far from the struggles of the imperial court."
"Heavenly Abode is one of Taicang's three great imperial swords. To fully wield its power, you must master the Imperial Pole Sword Technique. Your Astonishing Nine Swords have only reached minor mastery. Even after you master the Imperial Pole Sword Technique, I estimate it will still take a hundred years," the old man said thoughtfully.
Li Ya fell silent.
Old Ancestor teased, "You cannot even easily defeat that little fellow named Shi Yang. You must work harder. You should know that your Fourth Brother has already reached the Golden Core Realm."
Li Ya took a deep breath, said nothing more, and closed his eyes to continue healing.
Old Ancestor looked out the window. Though it was tightly shut, he could hear the laughter of Xiao Chuan and the others.
"This is quite a fine place, far from worldly strife. Unfortunately, those who bear a mission are destined not to belong here."
"Forget it. No more sighing. Time to sleep again and nourish my spirit."
Late at night, Mystic Valley was silent.
Gu An used the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique to conceal his aura and silently left Mystic Valley. He arrived in a forest more than twenty li away.
He sat beneath a tree, brought up the Attribute Panel, and fixed his gaze on the Li Family Seven Swords.
How many years of lifespan should he invest?
After mulling it over, he decided to invest more and increase his actual combat strength.
Then two thousand years!
After this splurge, he would peacefully save up his lifespan until it reached a hundred thousand years!
He immediately chose to invest two thousand years of lifespan. The moment that thought arose, the first digit of his lifespan changed from four to two.
[You invested two thousand years of lifespan into 'Li Family Seven Swords' for evolutionary cultivation] [You cultivated the Li Family Seven Swords for ten years. Your swordsmanship reached major mastery, and you began contemplating further possibilities.] [You cultivated the Li Family Seven Swords for fifty years. Your swordsmanship reached the pinnacle. Your Li Family Seven Swords advanced into the Seven Sword Art.] ... [You cultivated the Li Family Seven Swords for three hundred years. Your Seven Sword Art reached the pinnacle. The Seven Sword Art advanced into the Astonishing Nine Swords.] [You cultivated the Li Family Seven Swords for five hundred years. Your Astonishing Nine Swords reached major mastery. You condensed your own Sword Intent.] ... [You cultivated the Li Family Seven Swords for one thousand years. Your Astonishing Nine Swords returned to simplicity. The Astonishing Nine Swords advanced into the Imperial Pole Sword Technique.] [You cultivated the Li Family Seven Swords for one thousand two hundred years. Your Sword Intent condensed its own heaven-and-earth imperial aura. Your comprehension of the Sword Dao improved.] ... [You cultivated the Li Family Seven Swords for one thousand eight hundred years. Your Imperial Pole Sword Technique returned to simplicity. Your Sword Intent stirred the Sword Dao, comprehending the true meaning of the Sword Dao. You entered a state of enlightenment. The Imperial Pole Sword Technique advanced into the Great Vast God-Startling Sword.] [You cultivated the Li Family Seven Swords for two thousand years. Your Great Vast God-Startling Sword reached the realm of complete mastery. Your comprehension of the Sword Dao improved.]
A string of notifications crazily popped up. When he saw the evolution time reach one thousand years, Gu An immediately activated the Longevity Barrier.
He feared alerting the mysterious existence underground, as well as the soul within Li Ya's body.
When all the notifications faded, a vast flood of memories surged into his mind. Spiritual energy also began to stir across the ground, but it did not enter his body. Instead, it circled around him. Within the spiritual energy, streak after streak of cold light gradually condensed, like sword light, flickering with strange brilliance beneath the night sky.
Gu An entered a state of comprehending the Dao.
Who knew how much time passed before he gradually awakened.
The sky had yet to brighten.
Gu An first looked at the consumption notification for the Longevity Barrier.
Good heavens, merely comprehending a technique had actually cost him three hundred years of lifespan!
Fortunately, he had completely mastered the Great Vast God-Startling Sword. His understanding of the Sword Dao had reached a transcendent realm, and this profound sensation filled him with delight.
Looking again at the Attribute Panel, he saw that the Li Family Seven Swords in the ultimate arts section had become the Great Vast God-Startling Sword, with the words "complete mastery" marked in parentheses.
He did not rise immediately. Instead, he took out Heavenly Abode and laid the scabbard horizontally across his legs. His hands rested upon it as his eyes slowly closed.
He was sensing this sword's Sword Intent.
Once the sword's Sword Intent fused with his own, he would be able to subdue this treasured sword.
There were actually restrictions inside this treasured sword, and quite a few of them. They resembled one spell checkpoint after another, waiting for the sword's owner to break through them with divine sense and spiritual power.
Gu An did not understand restrictions, but fortunately, he already possessed his own Sword Intent. His Sword Intent passed through the restrictions.
Half an hour later.
Gu An stood, tossed Heavenly Abode into his Storage Bag, then headed toward Mystic Valley.
With one step, he rose directly into the air. Sword Qi condensed beneath his feet, and he rode the sword away.
When he reached a point around ten li from Mystic Valley, he descended and continued forward on foot, suppressing his aura to the utmost limit.
The night gradually passed, and the eastern sky slowly took on a rosy hue.
Morning arrived.
Li Ya pushed open his door. Facing the morning sun, he stretched lazily and felt refreshed.
The Azure Vine Fruit's medicinal effect was simply too powerful!
He no longer felt so miserable. He felt that he would recover completely in a few more days!
Li Ya smiled as he looked toward the grass beside the distant garden plot. Gu An was leading his junior brothers and sisters through exercises.
The sets of movements made Li Ya curious.
Though the movements were slow, they somehow gave him the sense that they contained a hidden profundity.
Li Ya immediately walked over and came to Gu An's side. Gu An greeted him, and he nodded in response.
"What are you practicing?" Li Ya asked curiously.
Gu An answered with a smile, "I learned this from an old man when I was young. It can strengthen the body, keep one in good spirits, and every day I lead them through it so they can begin the new day in a good state of mind."
Lu Jiujia complained, "I don't think it does much."
Xiao Chuan shot him a glare. "That is because your aptitude is dull."
Li Ya said, "It is actually useful, but you must persist for a long time."
As an Outer Sect disciple, his words naturally carried weight.
Gu An glanced at Li Ya, feeling that Li Ya had become much gentler. He could even say something so tactful.
In truth, the main reason Gu An led his junior brothers and sisters through exercises was to pull their minds completely away from cultivation and dreams, lest they ruin his flowers and plants.
"After you finish practicing, how about I teach you a sword technique?" Li Ya said with a chuckle.
The moment Xiao Chuan and the others heard that, they became wildly excited. They all thanked him, calling him Senior Brother Li Ya again and again.
Li Ya looked at Gu An and said, "You should join us too. Now that you have a sword, you should practice swordsmanship more."
Gu An nodded with a smile.
Fine, then.
Let me see whether you have truly practiced your Li Family Seven Swords properly!
Li Ya's arrival made the atmosphere even livelier. Watching his junior brothers and sisters bicker and make noise, he did not find it annoying at all. Instead, it lifted his spirits.
It was not until noon that Li Ya pulled Gu An into the forest.
"Show me your Li Family Seven Swords. Once you enter the gate early, I can teach you true swordsmanship. This Li Family Seven Swords is merely a set of foundational sword moves," Li Ya said seriously.
Li Ya: Today, I'm asking for votes on behalf of Junior Brother Gu. As long as you vote, I'll enter your dreams and teach you the Li Family Seven Swords!
Before you continue