Evolving the Technique, Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique

Meng Lang and Zhang Chunqiu were equally surprised by Li Ya's choice, but they remained silent.

Cheng Xuandan looked at Li Ya with an expression of approval, nodded slightly, and said, "Not bad, you have a good eye, and you aren't impatient."

He waved his right hand toward the table beside him, and three secret manuals appeared on the surface. He gave Zhang Chunqiu a look, and Zhang Chunqiu immediately began to distribute the manuals.

From start to finish, Gu An didn't even have a chance to speak.

Well, he had been left out.

Gu An was naturally optimistic, so he didn't feel discouraged.

Even though you are cold to me today, sixteen years from now, I will let bygones be bygones and burn incense for you!

Gu An took the manual with "Qi Cultivation Technique" printed on the cover, pretending to be happy.

"Recently, demons have infiltrated the Taixuan Sect. Although the Medicine Valley is located on the edge of the sect and has disciples patrolling, danger still exists. Do not step out of the Medicine Valley in your daily lives. You may go."

After Cheng Xuandan finished his instructions, he waved his hand, and the three of them immediately bowed and took their leave.

Gu An walked at the back, closing the door behind him as he stepped out.

Cheng Xuandan nodded slightly and said, "That kid named Li Ya is not simple. He is likely practicing some kind of technique to conceal his cultivation level. His vitality and spirit are no weaker than yours. Keep a close eye on him in the future. Also, he comes from the royal family, so don't be too harsh on him."

Zhang Chunqiu nodded. He thought for a moment and said, "Master, Gu An is the most diligent, and since his aptitude is the worst, he will certainly stay in the Medicine Valley for a longer time..."

Cheng Xuandan said calmly, "Hmm, then guide him well; he is now your responsibility."

Zhang Chunqiu smiled and bowed to thank him.

On the other side.

The three of them returned to their own courtyard. Along the way, Meng Lang kept talking about demons, showing no fear at all, but rather great excitement.

Li Ya stopped in his tracks, looked at Gu An, and said, "The Qi Cultivation Technique is actually not bad. It can restrain one's aura and increase lifespan. I already have a cultivation technique, so I don't need it. For someone like you, the Qi Cultivation Technique is actually a better choice."

Upon hearing this, Gu An wore a smile and said, "Many thanks for your guidance, Brother Li. I will likely spend my whole life in the Medicine Valley, so the Record of Hundred Herbs doesn't have much meaning for me. I can also learn about medicinal herbs by following our senior brother."

Li Ya nodded slightly, satisfied to see Gu An so willing to take advice.

The three did not chat much longer and soon returned to their respective rooms.

The daily tasks in the Medicine Valley were not many, so they had plenty of time to cultivate.

Gu An sat on his bed and began to flip through the Qi Cultivation Technique.

He had originally been completely uninterested in the Qi Cultivation Technique, but after hearing Li Ya say that this technique could restrain one's aura and increase lifespan, he suddenly wanted to practice it, and incidentally, test his ability to evolve his lifespan.

In the past year, he had practiced the Spring Wood Technique given to him by Zhang Chunqiu, but he had made no progress, so he gave up after only half a month of practice.

For him, rather than practicing in a boring way, it was better to go to the library of the Medicine Valley to read more books on medicinal herbs and various travelogues to broaden his horizons.

Days passed by.

Apart from his daily inspection of the medicinal herbs, Gu An spent all his time cultivating in his room.

After fifteen days of cultivation, he finally made the words "Qi Cultivation Technique" appear on his attribute panel, though the note behind it remained "not yet mastered."

Gu An looked at his attribute panel with a face full of anticipation.

Using the lifespan evolution for the first time made him very nervous, and he didn't know how many years of lifespan it would take to deduce the Qi Cultivation Technique.

Although his lifespan had already exceeded a thousand years, he would still feel the pinch if he had to spend several decades or a century.

Gu An stared at the Qi Cultivation Technique on his attribute panel and silently chose to invest his lifespan into the evolution.

[Please choose the amount of lifespan to invest]

Looking at this line of text, Gu An made his choice without hesitation, and immediately, two lines of text popped up before his eyes.

[You have invested one year of lifespan into the evolution and practice of the 'Qi Cultivation Technique']

[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Technique for one year. Due to your mediocre aptitude and comprehension, your cultivation made no progress, but your vitality has been enhanced]

Gu An suddenly felt comfortable all over, but this feeling came and went quickly.

That's it?

The word "mediocre" deeply stung Gu An.

That is damn insulting!

Gu An felt confused in his heart; was his so-called aptitude related to his spiritual roots?

He immediately chose to evolve his spiritual roots, investing a hundred years of lifespan in one go.

[You have invested one hundred years of lifespan into the evolution and practice of your spiritual roots]

[You began to perceive the nature of heaven and earth, increasing your spiritual roots' perception of nature. One hundred years have passed, and your perception of the five elements spiritual roots has improved]

After reading these two prompts, Gu An pulled up his attribute panel again and found that his spiritual roots had changed from "ordinary five elements spiritual roots" to "better five elements spiritual roots."

Gu An felt he had lost out. Watching his lifespan shrink from four digits to three, his heart ached terribly.

It seems that the evolution of spiritual roots is a bottomless pit.

"Should I try the Qi Cultivation Technique again?"

This thought popped into Gu An's mind. After trying to "pay with his life" once, he felt an itch in his heart.

"I only spent one year to earn a thousand years of lifespan; spending a bit more today is fine, I'll just work hard to earn it back later... Well, I'll indulge myself just this once, after all, it's my first time using this feature..."

Gu An took a deep breath and silently chose to invest five hundred years of lifespan into the Qi Cultivation Technique.

[You have invested five hundred years of lifespan into the 'Qi Cultivation Technique' for evolutionary cultivation.]

[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Technique for one year. Due to your mediocre aptitude and comprehension, your cultivation made no progress, but your essence and energy have improved.]

[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Technique for ten years. Due to your mediocre aptitude and comprehension, your cultivation made no progress, but you successfully mastered the Qi Cultivation Technique, and your blood and qi have improved.]

[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Technique for one hundred years. Years of cultivation have given you insights into the Qi Cultivation Technique, and it has begun to change.]

[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Technique for two hundred years. Your Qi Cultivation Technique has integrated with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, evolving into a true method of cultivation.]

[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Technique for three hundred years. Your Qi Cultivation Technique has ascended into the Spirit Nourishing Technique.]

[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Technique for four hundred years. On this day, you suddenly had an epiphany. Gathering the true essence of heaven and earth, you created the Dragon-Elephant Origin Nourishing Technique from the Spirit Nourishing Technique, and your physical body and blood qi underwent a transformation.]

[You practiced the Qi Cultivation Technique for five hundred years. The Dragon-Elephant Origin Nourishing Technique has reached perfection, breaking through the limits of the technique and ascending into the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique, causing a qualitative change in your constitution.]

Lines of prompts popped up before Gu An one after another. Before he could even finish reading them, a massive surge of memories flooded into his mind.

A cool breeze blew in from outside the window, fluttering the curtains by the bed and stirring Gu An's black hair. With his eyes closed, he unconsciously opened his mouth, inhaling and exhaling, with a faint, subtle dragon's roar echoing within.

It is unknown how much time passed before Gu An gradually woke up.

He opened his eyes, and what greeted his vision was the dim mountain forest outside the window.

It was dark.

Gu An had already fully inherited all the cultivation memories of the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique; he had even mastered the technique entirely.

The Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique was a method created by observing the cultivation of a dragon-turtle. It could suppress one's aura, hide one's cultivation level, and even develop the strength of a dragon.

The Qi Cultivation Technique was merely a partial, foundational method of the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique; the lifespan evolution was equivalent to deducing a complete technique from a fragmented one.

Gu An suspected that the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique had always existed in the world, and the Taixuan Sect had merely obtained a fragment, hence naming it the Qi Cultivation Technique.

If he were to invest another three hundred years of lifespan, what kind of changes would the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique undergo?

Gu An forcibly suppressed the urge to burn more lifespan. He felt his own physique and could sense a domineering force within his body, giving him the feeling of having infinite strength.

He felt that he could easily shatter a pavilion with a single punch!

This feeling of power was truly wonderful!

Not only that, but his senses had also been greatly enhanced. He could hear the breathing of Meng Lang and Li Ya, and he could even hear the conversation between Zhang Chunqiu and Cheng Xuandan in the distance.

"That demon has already killed thirteen disciples, most of whom were servant disciples from various Medicine Valleys. Master, relying on just the two of us, we might not be able to protect them."

"It's fine. I have already applied for a sect mission. The sect will dispatch a Foundation Establishment disciple to guard our Medicine Valley."

"That would be wonderful. The spiritual energy in the valley was abnormal this afternoon. I thought the demon was coming. It's shameful to say, but I didn't even dare to step outside."

"You, oh you. You grew up at my knees and have never been out to gain experience; it's understandable that you have a timid nature..."

Listening to their conversation, Gu An broke out in a cold sweat.

He had been careless!

In the future, he must not act so rashly when deducing techniques.

Fortunately, Zhang Chunqiu's cultivation was low, otherwise, Gu An's practice would have been discovered.

Gu An eavesdropped for a while longer, and only after confirming that Cheng Xuandan and Zhang Chunqiu were not talking about him did he finally feel at ease.

He continued to sense his brand-new physique while using the method of the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique to suppress his aura to the lowest level. He also kept his blood and qi contained within his body, making him look no different than before—still as frail as a reed.

An hour later, Gu An opened his eyes and pulled up his attribute panel.

[Name: Gu An]

[Lifespan: 16/402]

[Spiritual Root: Decent Five Elements Spiritual Root (Can invest lifespan to evolve cultivation)]

[Cultivation: Unranked (Can invest lifespan to evolve cultivation)]

[Techniques: Fire Control Art (Not mastered), Spring Wood Technique (Not mastered), Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique (Mastery) (Can invest lifespan to evolve cultivation)]

Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique, at the level of mastery!

Gu An was satisfied, though it was a pity that the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique was a physical cultivation method and could not cultivate spiritual power, so his cultivation level remained unranked.

Even if unranked, Gu An felt that sweeping through the Qi Refining stage should be no problem.

Now, he could wait for his lifespan to increase.

His Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique had reached perfection, and the force was surging within his body, which would automatically help him increase his lifespan, though the rate of increase was hard to define for now.

That night, Gu An found it hard to sleep.

However, he waited until dawn, refreshing his attribute panel repeatedly, yet he still saw no increase in his lifespan. He could only console himself that no matter how strong a technique was, it couldn't possibly increase his lifespan by a year in a single day.

Hmm!

Heaven rewards those who burn their lifespan; there will be a surprise sooner or later!

Gu An washed up simply, then walked out of his room, prepared to stroll around the grounds and look at the herbs to calm his mind.

As luck would have it, he had just arrived at a patch of the garden when his gaze locked onto a white-furred mouse.

It was precisely that same mouse that had been gnawing on the Calm Heart Grass earlier!

Gu An looked around, confirming that no one else in Medicine Valley had stepped out of their houses, and he immediately crept toward the white mouse.

The white mouse had its back to him, ten zhang away, and did not notice anyone approaching.

When the distance between them was less than seven paces, Gu An shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, lunging over to grab the white mouse with his right hand.

The white mouse was terrified, immediately raising its two little paws in a gesture of surrender.

"Daring to steal my life-blood, heh heh, you're finished!"

Gu An laughed triumphantly; as he seized the white mouse, he had been able to see the entire process of the creature turning around.

It was too slow!