The Emperor's Solicitation

A maximum lifespan of three thousand years?

Gu An was startled by the lifespan information; this was the first time he had encountered someone with such aptitude.

And they were at the eighth level of the Spirit Transmutation realm!

However, this lifespan seemed somewhat low, not matching Gu An's expectations for the Spirit Transmutation realm. Could someone at that realm only live for eight hundred and ninety-nine years?

Gu An guessed that the man might have been injured, which had shortened his lifespan.

He walked over immediately, pondering to himself. He suspected the man might be a high-ranking member of the Taixuan Sect, but he couldn't appear too respectful, as the man was suppressing his aura.

If he were to reveal that he could see through the man's cultivation, the man would surely pester him, or perhaps even treat him as a spy for the Demonic Path.

Li Xuandao walked toward the valley while glancing at the gardens along the way.

Gu An walked up to him, cupped his hands, and asked, "I am Gu An, master of Mystic Valley. May I ask for your name, and what brings you here?"

Li Xuandao fixed his gaze on Gu An, his eyes indifferent and radiating immense pressure.

He broke into a smile, and that pressure vanished instantly, creating a deceptive sense of ease. He laughed gently, "I am Xuandao, from Cang Province. I have come to the Taixuan Sect to visit my child. The journey was long and exhausting, so I was hoping to borrow your valley to rest for a few days and recover my spiritual power. Would the valley master be willing to accommodate me?"

Upon hearing this, Gu An could hardly refuse. He agreed immediately and called out to Xiao Chuan, asking him to arrange a place for Li Xuandao to stay.

Gu An did not stare at Li Xuandao, avoiding any suspicion.

His surname is Li, and he is visiting his child. Could he be from the royal family? Gu An wondered privately.

With so many medicine valleys in the Outer Sect, for him to choose Mystic Valley, it was nine times out of ten related to Li Ya.

Gu An continued to patrol the grounds, keeping everything as usual.

On the other side.

Xiao Chuan led Li Xuandao to an unoccupied house and said, "The room is simple, so please don't mind it. If you need anything, feel free to ask me or the other disciples."

Li Xuandao nodded and asked, "I saw sheep in the forest on my way here, and disciples tending to them. Aren't you a medicine valley? Why are you raising so many sheep?"

Xiao Chuan did not hide anything. He replied, "Originally, we only grew medicinal herbs in the valley, but my spiritual root aptitude is limited, so I gave up on the idea of going to the Outer Sect. Once the senior brother learned that I enjoyed raising livestock, he fulfilled my wish. It also helps us earn Spirit Stones to help more disciples cultivate so they can head to the Outer Sect sooner."

"Oh? Is that senior brother the valley master?"

"That's right."

"Then he truly is a good man, being so thoughtful toward all of you."

"That goes without saying. My senior brother is the best person in the world..."

Hearing Li Xuandao's praise, Xiao Chuan became delighted and began to rave about Gu An incessantly.

This made Li Xuandao even more interested in Gu An. He pressed for more stories, and Xiao Chuan, not thinking much of it, pulled Li Xuandao to sit down and began to talk with even more enthusiasm.

Gu An, who was inspecting the gardens, curled his lips into a smile. It wasn't a waste of time doting on this silly kid, he thought.

Regardless of whether Li Xuandao was related to Li Ya or was a high-ranking member of the Taixuan Sect, having a good reputation could never be a bad thing.

It wasn't as if Li Xuandao could be from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, right?

Wait!

The Thousand Autumn Pavilion!

Gu An suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and his smile froze.

It's better to be safe than sorry!

He would have to be even more cautious when dealing with Li Xuandao from now on; one must be careful to sail for ten thousand years.

Li Xuandao's arrival piqued the curiosity of the other disciples, as guests rarely visited Mystic Valley.

That day, Li Xuandao did not emerge again after settling into his room, as if he were truly recovering his spiritual energy.

Because of Li Xuandao's presence, Gu An did not dare to head to the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven, choosing instead to stay honestly in his pavilion that night.

Early the next morning, Gu An led the disciples in their exercises as usual. Li Xuandao heard the commotion and came out to watch, and Xiao Chuan greeted him warmly.

Gu An simply nodded at Li Xuandao; he did not avoid him.

As the morning exercises began, Li Xuandao hadn't cared much at first, but as he watched, he found it somewhat interesting.

After the exercises, Gu An dismissed the disciples. He pulled a book from his robes, began to flip through it, and headed toward the pavilion.

At this moment, he had to remain calm; he could not let his lifestyle be disrupted by Li Xuandao's arrival.

However, just as he walked into the courtyard, Li Xuandao caught up with him.

"Valley Master, what are you reading?" Li Xuandao asked with a chuckle.

Gu An turned around, held up the book, and said, "Investiture of the Gods. Have you read it?"

Li Xuandao's smile widened. "I have actually read it, and I can recite it by heart."

"Oh? So we are kindred spirits?"

"Hahaha, I felt a sense of familiarity the moment I met you, Valley Master. Shall we chat about Investiture of the Gods?"

Hearing Li Xuandao's hypocritical words, Gu An could only smile and agree.

He invited Li Xuandao upstairs, and once Li Xuandao was seated, he began to boil water and brew tea, using his spiritual power to ignite the fire.

Li Xuandao scanned the room's layout and asked, "Valley Master, what is your opinion of King Zhou?"

Good grief!

Testing me right out of the gate?

Gu An stood with his back to Li Xuandao, placing tea leaves into a cup as he replied, "Judging solely by the story, he was cruel and devoid of benevolence, but if you examine it closely, his actions seem somewhat illogical."

After hearing this, Li Xuandao sighed with emotion, "Indeed. When I read it the first time, I thought King Zhou was foolish and cruel, but reading it again, something felt off. In the world of the book, immortals and gods truly exist; King Zhou could not have been unaware of this. Under such circumstances, daring to desecrate the statue of Nuwa does not seem like the behavior of a monarch."

"And then there is Nuwa. She is high and mighty, yet when faced with a mortal who desecrated her, she did not punish him directly. Instead, she dispatched a Fox Spirit to corrupt the emperor's heart, leading the world into chaos. Can such conduct truly be considered that of an immortal or a god?"

Gu An turned around, picked up the teacup, walked to the table, and set it down in front of Li Xuandao.

He smiled and said, "There are indeed many unreasonable aspects, but it is, after all, a story concocted by men. To make it compelling, the author wrote in these contradictions, which is understandable."

He could not determine Li Xuandao's identity, so he kept his stance ambiguous.

Li Xuandao shook his head, "Perhaps the story is false, but the world it reveals is true: that three feet above one's head, there are gods, and man can hardly overcome heaven."

Gu An had not expected him to interpret Investiture of the Gods in such a way.

"If King Zhou were powerful enough to stand above the various immortal sects and divine teachings, how would the story be written then?" Li Xuandao asked.

Gu An thought for a moment and said, "Then the final battle wouldn't be against the Master of Heaven, but against King Zhou."

Li Xuandao was stunned, then couldn't help but chuckle. He picked up the teacup and blew away the steam.

Gu An couldn't gauge the meaning behind his smile, so he remained silent.

After taking a sip of tea, Li Xuandao began to show interest in the cultivation of the Medicine Valley, even asking about specific planting details, which Gu An answered one by one.

"You joined the Taixuan Sect, yet instead of seeking an immortal's destiny, you focus on tending to flowers and grass. Is this a matter of helplessness, or genuine preference?" Li Xuandao asked.

Gu An gave a wry smile, "It is both helplessness and preference. Everyone has their own pursuits; immortality is not necessarily the only meaning. Of course, if I possessed exceptional talent, I would also pursue immortality."

Li Xuandao teased, "You really are a fascinating person, not hiding anything at all."

"In this life, looking back at the past and forward to the future, it all boils down to four words: finding joy amidst bitterness," Gu An replied with a shrug.

He grew increasingly suspicious that Li Xuandao was from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion and was trying to probe his attitude toward the Mystic Valley.

Li Xuandao set down his teacup and asked, "What is your opinion of the current Emperor? Do you think he is like King Zhou?"

Gu An froze.

Isn't this topic shift a bit too abrupt?

How did we suddenly start talking about the emperor of the Great Cang Dynasty?

Could it be that he isn't from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, but actually a relative of Li Ya?

Gu An's thoughts raced, and he said, "I don't know much. After all, before joining the Taixuan Sect, I was just a servant. Now, here in the Medicine Valley, I hear even less news from the outside world. Why, has the Emperor done something?"

Li Xuandao laughed, "Nothing of the sort. It is just that he has been on the throne for too long, and there is much discussion about him in the court and among the people. The secular world seems to believe that an emperor should not reign for too long, as long reigns eventually lead to incompetence. The cultivation world, meanwhile, fears the emperor attaining the Dao, which would allow imperial power to override the cultivation world."

Gu An grew tense.

This topic involved too many layers of power; he dared not speak carelessly.

Seeing that Gu An did not dare to respond, Li Xuandao said with a playful smile, "Do you think it is better for an emperor to reign for a long time, or to change every few decades?"

Gu An knew he possessed the cultivation of the eighth level of Spirit Transmutation, so he dared not refuse to answer.

After a moment of contemplation, Gu An said, "In my view, it depends on the character of the reigning emperor. If he is virtuous and can govern the world well, there is no problem with him remaining on the throne. If a virtuous emperor has many years of life left but abdicates to an incompetent son, that is a disaster for the common people. The people don't care about the 'thousand autumns'; they only live for a hundred years. If they live a bitter life, they will resent the emperor for abdicating."

Li Xuandao laughed again, and Gu An clearly felt his mood improve.

Wait!

A relative of Li Ya, surnamed Li, first talking about King Zhou, then asking about the current emperor...

Gu An had heard back at the Ji Family that the emperor of the Great Cang Dynasty was also a cultivator and had already been on the throne for two hundred years.

"What you say makes sense. I truly shouldn't listen to those voices, but should go and see the lives of the people with my own eyes," Li Xuandao said cheerfully.

As soon as these words were spoken, Gu An's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in shock, "You... you are the current Emperor?"

As he spoke, he prepared to stand up.

Li Xuandao raised his hand, and a powerful pressure forced Gu An back down. He did not resist, to prevent the other party from discovering his true cultivation level.

"Keep your voice down. You don't need to treat me as the Emperor; just treat me as Li Ya's father, and call me Uncle," Li Xuandao said with a smile. His expression was very gentle, devoid of imperial majesty.

Gu An, however, did not know how to respond.

An emperor at the eighth level of Spirit Transmutation!

This is a huge problem!

Li Xuandao said, "Bring out the Heavenly Abode."

Upon hearing this, Gu An immediately took the Heavenly Abode Sword from his Storage Bag.

The moment Li Xuandao saw the Heavenly Abode Sword, his gaze became complex. He picked up the scabbard and stroked it gently.

Gu An recalled Li Ya's words: the Heavenly Abode Sword was a gift from his father, the Emperor, to his mother. Later, after his mother died, the sword was passed down to him...

Now, looking at Li Xuandao's expression, Gu An began to imagine the history and grievances between Li Xuandao and Li Ya's mother.

A long time passed.

Li Xuandao set down the Heavenly Abode Sword and pushed it toward Gu An, saying, "In the Taixuan Sect, Li Ya is closest to you, and I hear you have even saved his life. Keep this sword; I bestow it upon you. From this day forward, you are the master of the Heavenly Abode Sword."

"Furthermore, I intend to establish a medicine valley near the Taixuan Sect, where many high-grade medicinal herbs will be grown. You will help me manage it. I will not treat you unfairly; helping you reach Foundation Establishment or even Golden Core in the future will be no difficult task. But you must understand one thing: while you will remain a disciple of the Taixuan Sect on the surface, your heart belongs to me."