True Dragon Bloodline

Ever since Zuo Lin had taught Gu An swordsmanship, whenever the two met, Zuo Lin would stare at him with a resentful, melancholy gaze that made him deeply uncomfortable. Thankfully, Li Ya was around, so Zuo Lin did not dare pester him.

Days passed one by one, and cultivators flew over Mystic Valley every day.

Whenever someone passed by, Gu An used Lifespan Inspection to examine their cultivation realms. He had even caught sight of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, though he could not tell which sects they came from.

Spring passed and summer arrived. Gu An turned twenty-eight.

Ever since reaching the ninth level of the Nascent Soul Realm, he had suspended his daily plans. He feared wasting his lifespan and intended to use an immense amount of it to force a breakthrough later.

Besides hard work, he also believed in mysticism.

The sweltering summer arrived.

Within the mountain forest, Gu An lay beneath a tree reading, while Wuxin directed Tang Yu, Su Han, and Zhen Qin in weeding. Xiao Chuan and Ye Lan cultivated in the valley.

Tang Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the Travels of the Green Hero in Gu An's hands, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

What exactly was that book?

The greatest secret in the valley was what the Travels of the Green Hero actually recorded.

The three disciples wanted to read it too, but unfortunately, Gu An had hoarded the entire set for himself. They could not find it anywhere in the Library Pavilion.

A huge white rat suddenly shot out of the grass and ran straight into Gu An's arms. It was the White Spirit Mouse.

Gu An noticed something in its mouth and could not help sitting upright. He saw it spit out an egg the size of a chicken egg. Its shell was bluish-white, covered in wave-like brown patterns.

He could sense the fluctuations of spiritual power within it.

Was this a Demon Beast egg?

Gu An had encountered Demon Beast eggs in Outer Sect City before. Their prices varied, but the most expensive ones cost an astronomical sum that made his scalp tingle just looking at them.

Before Wuxin and the others noticed, he immediately tossed the Demon Beast egg into his Storage Bag.

The White Spirit Mouse raised its little head, looking thoroughly proud. Gu An laughed at the sight and gave it a vigorous rubdown in his arms.

After clearing the weeds, Wuxin and the other four began sowing seeds. Once everything was finished, they returned to Mystic Valley together.

Tang Yu walked beside Gu An and asked him about some difficulties with the Residual Wind Leg. He did not like swords, so among the three disciples, he was the only one diligently cultivating the Residual Wind Leg.

Gu An patiently instructed him while holding the White Spirit Mouse tightly in his arms, refusing to let it escape.

When they returned to Mystic Valley, Li Ya, who had gone to the Outer Sect that morning, had already returned. Zuo Lin had not, which was good news for Gu An.

Li Ya came before Gu An and said, "The World Outer Sect Assembly has ended. Next comes the time for exchanges between the various sects. During this period, disciples will patrol nearby. I should return as well."

Hearing this, Gu An immediately revealed a reluctant expression. "Then I will not keep you. Your heart is set on the Immortal Path, and I cannot delay you. If you miss this place in the future, come back anytime. As long as I am still alive, I will always wait for you here."

Li Ya nodded. Then he pulled Gu An up to the loft. After shutting the door, he took three White Jade Bottles from his Storage Bag and set them on the table. "These three bottles contain Foundation Establishment Pills, high-grade Spirit Qi Pills, and Marrow Cleansing Pills. Keep them safe, and do not reveal them lightly. Especially the Foundation Establishment Pills—you must save one for yourself. Do not trust your disciples too much. There are no small number of people who have murdered their masters over pills. Human hearts can change."

Gu An froze, then hurriedly waved his hands. "That will not do. Even if I were Valley Master for a hundred years, I would not have enough Spirit Stones to repay—"

"Repay what? You are my junior brother! Besides, I will come back to trouble you in the future. If you refuse to accept them, then I will never come back!" Li Ya glared, his tone stern.

Hearing that, Gu An could only accept them with reluctance. He was deeply moved.

Compared to the costly pills, he cared more about Li Ya's feelings toward him.

Li Ya continued, "Last night, Demonic Cultivators fought a hundred li away, leaving several dead and wounded. They were all geniuses from various sects. Their deaths will surely bring investigations from every sect. You had best not leave the valley these next few days."

Gu An nodded. Just as he was about to say something, Li Ya turned and left.

He did not leave through the main entrance. Instead, he leaped out the window, mounted his sword, and soared upward. He swept over the mountaintops and vanished without a trace.

Gu An turned back to look at the three bottles of pills on the table and remained silent for a long while.

In the end, he sighed and swept his sleeve, storing the three bottles in his Storage Bag.

Late at night, Gu An arrived at Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven and walked all the way beneath the Azure Vine Tree.

Jiang Qiong was still meditating before the pill furnace. Her aura was growing stronger and stronger, and she was not far from the ninth level of the Golden Core Realm. Gu An was happy for her.

She was finally leaving!

"Good little grand-disciple, you have not come for so long that I thought you were about to forget me," Jiang Qiong's voice rang out.

Gu An stepped forward to salute her and said helplessly, "Martial Ancestor, could you leave out the word 'good'? Your grand-disciple truly cannot bear it."

A Demonic Cultivator was still a Demonic Cultivator. She did not speak seriously at all.

Jiang Qiong pursed her lips in a smile and did not reply.

Gu An took the Demon Beast egg from his Storage Bag, held it before Jiang Qiong, and asked, "Martial Ancestor, what kind of Demon Beast is this?"

At his words, Jiang Qiong opened her eyes. She casually glanced at the Demon Beast egg in his hand. She had not cared at first, but just as she withdrew her gaze, she suddenly realized something and her beautiful eyes flew wide open.

She turned around and snatched the egg from Gu An's hand.

She examined it closely, her gaze seeming able to pierce through the eggshell.

Seeing this, Gu An grew nervous inwardly.

Sure enough, this thing was not simple!

When he heard Li Ya say that Demonic Cultivators had fought last night, he suspected the White Spirit Mouse had picked this up from the battlefield. He had lived in this area for years; let alone Demon Beast eggs, he had not even seen a single Demon Beast.

"It truly is the Ancient Hao Sect's Saint Beast..." Jiang Qiong muttered.

A Saint Beast?

Gu An's eyelids twitched wildly. He suddenly wanted to strangle the White Spirit Mouse. Was this not just bringing trouble to his door?

Jiang Qiong handed the Demon Beast egg back to Gu An. "This is a Hao Dragon, a Demon Beast rarely found in the mortal world that possesses the bloodline of a True Dragon. It can grow into a ninth-rank Demon Beast and has immense potential, bearing the savage might to level mountains and overturn seas. The Ancient Hao Sect reveres it as a Saint Beast. Raise it well. A Hao Dragon serves only one master in its life. It is gentle in temperament toward its master, but toward everyone else, it is ferocious to the extreme. Once the Hao Dragon's master dies, it will go mad and slaughter all living beings."

Hearing this, Gu An hurriedly said, "If it is so formidable, then Martial Ancestor should keep it. You need helpers as you travel the cultivation world."

"Truly?" Jiang Qiong asked with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Gu An nodded, his expression sincere.

Seeing this, Jiang Qiong's expression softened, and she could not help feeling moved.

Thinking carefully, ever since they had met, this boy had always treated her with utmost respect. He had never been careless with anything she ordered him to do. Perhaps what he said now was not empty falsehood.

Jiang Qiong had feigned her death for seventy years. She had suffered betrayal before ending up in this state. Over the years, she had hated many people. When she first met Gu An, she had also been filled with vigilance, which was why she had tested him after recovering her body.

Jiang Qiong forcibly stuffed the Hao Dragon egg into Gu An's hands. When their hands touched, he felt a trace of chill on his palm.

"Stop refusing. The Azure Vine Tree happens to need powerful strength guarding it. Raise the Hao Dragon here, and you will not have to fear exposure," Jiang Qiong said seriously.

Hearing that, Gu An felt it made sense.

This would also prevent people from stealing grass and flowers in the future.

Gu An sighed. "All right."

Jiang Qiong began telling him the legends and habits of Hao Dragons, allowing him to understand more.

The more Gu An listened, the more excited he became, and anticipation rose within him for the Hao Dragon.

In the end, he left the Hao Dragon egg beneath the Azure Vine Tree for Jiang Qiong to raise.

Over the next month, fewer and fewer cultivators passed over Mystic Valley. By the end, no cultivators had come or gone for three days straight, and only then did Gu An leave the valley.

He still had side work to do. That was also a considerable source of lifespan income, and he could not miss it.

Compared to fighting and killing, Gu An preferred earning lifespan steadily and reliably.

At noon, he first went to Chen Li's Cave Mansion. Chen Li was not there. Gu An spent the time of one incense stick tending the medicinal herbs before leaving.

Next was Li Xuanyu's Cave Mansion.

Li Xuanyu was not in her Cave Mansion either, so Gu An began working.

As expected of a princess, Li Xuanyu had recently planted another batch of fifth-rank medicinal herbs, which made Gu An greatly anticipate them.

For fifth-rank medicinal herbs to mature, he would need to wait at least five years, perhaps even more than ten. Fortunately, Gu An could afford to wait.

However, just as Gu An was about to finish, Li Xuanyu unexpectedly returned.

"Greetings, Senior Li." Gu An hurried forward and cupped his fists in salute.

Li Xuanyu wore white robes. She was as aloof and holy as ever, but Gu An could sense that her aura was unstable.

She had been injured again.

She truly loved fighting!

Li Xuanyu said softly, "You and Li Ya are fellow disciples. There is no need to call me Senior. You may call me Senior Sister."

Hearing that, Gu An could only comply and addressed her as Senior Sister.

Li Xuanyu swept her gaze across the Cave Mansion and said, "You have done well. Do you need me to recommend you for more of this work? If I speak, those employers will give me some face and will not treat you unfairly."

"I do. Thank you, Senior Sister Li!"

Gu An immediately agreed. He was still waiting to save up a hundred thousand years of lifespan as soon as possible to challenge the realm above the Nascent Soul Realm, so naturally he would not refuse.

Li Xuanyu nodded. "Come again in a month."

Gu An saluted and took his leave.

After he departed, Li Xuanyu walked to the bed and began circulating her cultivation to heal her injuries. Her face rapidly turned pale and bloodless. Then she spat out a mouthful of black blood that splashed onto the floor.

Outside the Cave Mansion, Gu An sensed her aura suddenly erupt. Her injuries had likely flared up, but he did not stop walking because of it.

He could not heal injuries anyway, and he did not want to become too entangled with Li Xuanyu.

After the World Outer Sect Assembly ended, time in Mystic Valley once more flowed as quickly as before.

When Gu An saw Li Xuanyu again, her injuries had mostly recovered. Under her lead, he met five Outer Sect disciples. From then on, he tended the Cave Mansions of seven Outer Sect disciples at once.

Because every Cave Mansion was different, he had to leave the valley every three or four days. To make traveling easier, he raised his apparent cultivation to the sixth level of Qi Refining. Each time he went out, he used the Sword Flight Technique, since the spiritual power of the fifth level of Qi Refining was insufficient for him to make a round trip in a single day.

He did not take out the Heavenly Abode Sword. Instead, he stood upon an ordinary Flying Sword, a common magical artifact exchanged from the Outer Sect to conceal his identity.

Summer passed and autumn arrived. Falling leaves drifted down, covering Mystic Valley.

After autumn's colors came winter snow, plunging Mystic Valley into a vast expanse of white.

On this day, Gu An was wielding his brush in the loft.

Having read so much of the Travels of the Green Hero, he wanted to write a book himself. By chance, he had learned on his last trip to the Outer Sect that writing books could earn Spirit Stones, though the reviews were very strict.

Gu An had the background of a reincarnated Earthling, so he decided to give Taixuan Sect a little shock.

If he earned more Spirit Stones, he could buy more seeds!

Just as he was writing with great enthusiasm, he suddenly sensed something and frowned.

The sky outside the window darkened. Rolling thunderclouds surged from the horizon, and a terrifying heavenly might enveloped the mountains and forests.

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Guess what book Gu An will write?