Hating Heaven Divine Sword, Upheaval at Taixuan Sect

After Li Xuandao finished speaking, he looked at Gu An with a smile, waiting for his decision.

Gu An felt numb.

The Emperor wanted him to be a mole too?

This was forcing him to become a triple agent!

This was not the life Gu An pursued, but the problem was that he couldn't easily refuse; the other party's cultivation and status were both far above his own.

If he didn't refuse, he would have endless trouble in the future.

If he did refuse, he would have trouble right now!

However, when Gu An thought of the high-level medicinal herbs he had just mentioned, his heart skipped a beat against his will.

Gu An asked with a hesitant tone: "Do I... have any room to refuse?"

"You do. If you refuse, I will erase your memories of today, as if you and I had never met," Li Xuandao said with a light chuckle.

Gu An asked helplessly: "Why choose me? My aptitude is mediocre. With your status, poaching a disciple from the Taixuan Sect would be as easy as flipping your hand."

Li Xuandao shook his head and said: "I am not deliberately trying to poach Taixuan Sect disciples. It just so happens that you have an excellent relationship with Li Ya, and I wish to promote you. Furthermore, because your aptitude is mediocre, I feel more at ease, as I can satisfy your needs."

He paused, then added in a flippant tone: "The world does not wish for an emperor to live forever, and I do not wish for the master of my Medicine Valley to live forever either."

You really are quite humorous!

Gu An could only say: "Since that is the case, I have no choice but to accept."

"Decades from now, when you look back, you will not regret today's decision," Li Xuandao said with a laugh, his tone full of ambition.

Gu An couldn't help but ask out of curiosity: "Has Your Majesty been keeping an eye on Senior Brother Li all this time?"

"The business is concluded, there is no need to address me as Your Majesty anymore. Call me Uncle; that is how family should be," Li Xuandao said with a straight face.

Seeing that he didn't seem to be testing him, Gu An called him Uncle.

Li Xuandao smiled and said: "To be honest, I have many pawns in the Outer Sect of the Taixuan Sect, so I am naturally clear about Li Ya's situation."

Gu An had previously thought that Li Ya did not have a good relationship with his father, but it didn't seem to be the case now.

Could there be a misunderstanding here?

He wanted to ask on Li Ya's behalf, but he held back.

The emperor before him wanted to live forever; such an emperor's attitude toward his princes must be complex. Even if he loved his children, he likely harbored wariness in his heart.

Which crown prince didn't want to be the crown prince for a lifetime? Which prince didn't have a hidden desire for the throne?

Gu An felt deeply moved. He had previously thought that Li Ya and Li Xuandao's daughter, Li Xuanyu, had strong enough natural talents, but only after seeing Li Xuandao did he understand why those two were so gifted.

Bloodline inheritance!

A two-hundred-and-thirty-year-old at the eighth level of the Spirit Transmutation realm...

Could he have broken through to the Spirit Transmutation realm at just over a hundred years old?

That was too outrageous!

Most importantly, this guy also practiced a secret technique to hide his aura. If not for Gu An's ability to inspect lifespans, he would never have been able to see through his true cultivation.

Perhaps the imperial court and the cultivation world couldn't see through his cultivation either, which was why he had been able to cultivate in peace until now.

Subsequently, Li Xuandao began to ask Gu An about matters in the valley, curious about the origin of the Spring Festival that the disciples kept mentioning.

Gu An used the same explanation he gave to others to answer him.

Li Xuandao became interested in the Spring Festival and decided to participate in it today. How could Gu An refuse?

Half an hour later, the two walked down from the pavilion to prepare for the Spring Festival with the other disciples. The disciples were very happy, and their laughter was infectious, even affecting Li Xuandao.

As night fell, Gu An brought out the homemade firecrackers, and the Mystic Valley began to echo with the sound of successive explosions, deafening to the ears.

The firelight shone on Li Xuandao's face. He was all smiles, even drinking with Xiao Chuan, making it impossible for anyone to associate him with the Emperor of the Great Cang Dynasty.

Tang Yu, Su Han, and other disciples prepared some performances, including storytelling, sparring, and juggling, which kept the night lively until late.

At noon the next day, Gu An saw Li Xuandao off.

"Two more years, how truly exciting."

Gu An thought silently. Li Xuandao had said he would send someone to pick him up for the Medicine Valley in two years.

He planned to push for a lifespan of one hundred thousand years within those two years, then break through to the Spirit Transmutation realm.

No, he had to surpass the Spirit Transmutation realm. If he wasn't stronger than Li Xuandao, he wouldn't feel at ease. After all, accompanying a monarch is like accompanying a tiger; what if Li Xuandao decided to harm him on a whim one day?

Gu An watched the direction in which Li Xuandao left, secretly wondering why this emperor had come to the Outer Sect alone.

Could it be that the person he really came to see was Li Xuanyu?

Li Ya had said that Li Xuandao's favorite child was Li Xuanyu.

Gu An stopped overthinking it, turned around, and walked back into the valley, preparing to plant some more medicinal herbs.

Spring passed and summer arrived, and Gu An welcomed his thirty-fourth year in the midst of the summer heat.

On this day, he saw off Du Ye, who had come to request medicinal herbs.

At the entrance of the valley.

Du Ye looked back and said, "Over the years, you have provided quite a lot of herbs, and Young Master Ji Lin is very satisfied with you. In a while, he will send someone to bring you a Foundation Establishment Pill to help you reach the Foundation Establishment Realm sooner. Once you become a true Outer Sect disciple, he will find a way to let you continue managing this medicine valley."

Having said that, he turned and left, stepping onto his sword to leap over the mountain forest.

Gu An shook his head and chuckled. When he saw off Li Xuandao at the beginning of the year, Li Xuandao had said something similar.

He must keep his distance from the Ji Family in the future, lest they need him to contribute when they eventually plot against the Taixuan Sect.

Although sects are powerful, the strength of aristocratic families is immeasurable.

In this land, dynasties rise and fall, and sects perish and emerge, but some families endure forever, and the Ji Family is one of them.

Sigh!

I just want to pick herbs and flowers in peace; why are there so many people trying to recruit me?

Gu An thought to himself as he walked into the nearby mountain forest.

In the woods, someone was practicing swordplay; it was Su Han.

Su Han had now reached the seventh level of the Qi Refining realm, second only to Gu An and Tang Yu within the valley.

Tang Yu practiced leg techniques, while Su Han practiced swordplay, though the sword techniques he usually practiced were those taught by Li Ya, which could not be considered profound.

Gu An watched his figure practicing from afar, hesitating whether he should offer some guidance.

Su Han was diligent in his work and hardworking in his cultivation; Gu An could not find a single fault with him.

Huh?

That's not right; he is not practicing the Li Family Seven Swords.

Looking closely, the sword technique he was displaying was one Gu An was seeing for the first time.

Does this kid have a secret encounter as well?

When did this happen?

Gu An was secretly curious, then deliberately stepped on some dead leaves, making a sound.

Su Han, who was practicing, noticed Gu An's arrival. He immediately stopped and turned to bow to Gu An.

"Xiao Han, entering the Outer Sect depends on one's cultivation level. Why are you practicing swordplay so bitterly?" Gu An asked with a smile.

Su Han scratched his head with his left hand and said, "I'm not in a hurry to enter the Outer Sect. I want to master the sword technique first."

"Why do you think that way?"

"Entering the Outer Sect requires performing missions. If one's strength is insufficient, it will only cut short one's future."

Su Han's answer made Gu An happy.

Not bad, this kid suits his taste.

Gu An asked curiously, "Is your sword technique a family heirloom?"

Su Han nodded and said, "It is my father's sword technique, but it is too profound. Only recently have I managed to barely comprehend it."

"Your father must have been very impressive. Although I don't like practicing swordplay, I have seen many exquisite sword techniques in the Outer Sect, and none of them compare to the one you just displayed," Gu An asked curiously.

Su Han shook his head and said, "My father was a cripple. Ever since I can remember, he was blind and had no magical powers at all. When I was seven, he passed away from illness. Later, I found this sword manual in his bundle."

As he spoke, he took a sword manual from his chest and handed it directly to Gu An.

Gu An took it and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Hating Heaven Divine Sword!

What a strange name!

Upon seeing this name, Gu An immediately wanted to expel Su Han from Mystic Valley.

This guy was clearly carrying a grudge!

Gu An flipped through it briefly. With his cultivation at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul Realm, he was capable of photographic memory, but mastering it would still depend on his own insight into the sword dao.

He returned the manual to Su Han and pondered, "This sword technique is indeed exquisite, but its internal cultivation method seems somewhat sinister. Must you practice it?"

This sword technique required using Sword Qi to temper the internal organs, causing the practitioner to suffer unimaginable pain, and some of the methods were even beyond Gu An's understanding.

Based on his own attainments in the sword dao, he could conclude that this sword technique was very evil!

Su Han was stunned and asked, "Master, do you think I shouldn't practice it?"

Gu An shook his head and said, "I just think this sword technique might bring you pain, but I don't know your background and cannot fully understand your feelings. Whether you practice it or not is up to you. If you don't practice it, you can stay in Mystic Valley as long as you like; you will always be my disciple."

After hearing this, Su Han was moved. He tucked the Hating Heaven Divine Sword into his chest and nodded heavily.

Gu An took a book out from his chest; it was the latest volume of Investiture of the Gods, which Du Ye had given him. Du Ye said that Ji Lin was obsessed with this book, causing his attendants to read it as well.

"The book you wanted." Gu An handed the Investiture of the Gods to Su Han and then turned to leave.

Su Han held the Investiture of the Gods, a smile appearing on his face.

Returning to the medicine valley, Gu An began to observe the other servant disciples.

First Li Ya, then Wuxin, and now Su Han; all of them possess extraordinary backgrounds. This Mystic Valley is truly too mysterious!

Something isn't right!

Half an hour later, Gu An finally walked back to his own pavilion.

The other miscellaneous disciples didn't seem to have any issues for the time being, which helped settle his mind.

On second thought, that made sense; anyone capable of joining the world of immortality cultivation carried an extraordinary background or history. In their own eyes, they were the protagonists.

It wasn't until late at night that Gu An quietly arrived inside the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven.

After playing with Hao Dragon for half an hour, he took out the Heavenly Abode Sword and began practicing the Hating Heaven Divine Sword.

One can never have too many skills; he would practice it until it appeared on his attribute panel first!

For a time, the sound of whistling wind echoed beneath the Azure Vine Tree—it was the sound of the blade being swung. Hao Dragon watched curiously from several yards away, its dragon eyes reflecting Gu An's posture as he practiced his swordsmanship.

It was the end of summer.

Gu An arrived at the Outer Sect City. He first went to the Alchemy Hall to hand in his annual harvest of medicinal herbs, then went to the Library Hall to submit his manuscript.

Ever since Investiture of the Gods became a hit, Elder Liu Chang had held him in high regard, receiving him privately every time for fear that word might leak out.

Liu Chang stated bluntly that he feared Gu An's reputation would be exposed, leading to him being abducted by the Demonic Path. If that happened, the Library Hall would lose out on a great deal of Spirit Stones, which only made Gu An even more cautious.

After finishing his official business, Gu An went to visit Lu Jiujia. Lu Jiujia was very happy and invited him to go find Ye Lan, as it happened that she was also in the city.

Not all outer sect disciples opened up their own grotto-heavens outside the city; the cost of building a grotto-heaven was expensive, so more disciples chose to live within the outer sect to enjoy its spiritual energy.

Inside the courtyard, after the three of them sat down, Lu Jiujia poured wine for Gu An while saying mysteriously, "Something big has happened at the Taixuan Sect!"