Why Don't You Take Me as Your Master

Gu An looked back and saw Zuo Lin, a childhood friend of Li Ya, walking toward him.

Years had passed, yet Zuo Lin's cultivation had only reached the third level of the Foundation Establishment realm; he was likely still obsessed with sword practice.

Gu An turned to him, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "The family summoned me to handle some tasks, so here I am."

"You have a family? I thought you were a servant by trade?" Zuo Lin asked curiously.

Gu An replied, "I am indeed a servant, a servant of the Ji Family. Our Third Young Miss is hosting a banquet soon, and I'm here with the others to help out."

"What? You're from the Ji Family?" Zuo Lin's eyes widened.

Gu An countered, "Did Brother Li not tell you?"

Zuo Lin shook his head and said, "He didn't mention it. What a coincidence; my father was also invited by the Ji Family, so I tagged along to join the fun. Isn't the Ji Mansion back that way? Where are you heading?"

He had always been interested in Gu An, feeling that there was more to him than met the eye, so he didn't want to miss this rare chance to interact.

"I was planning to wander around the Inner Sect city."

"Then let me accompany you. Although I'm not an Inner Sect disciple, I've been here plenty of times thanks to my father," Zuo Lin said enthusiastically, and Gu An did not refuse.

The two chatted as they walked forward.

Zuo Lin spoke of his father, and through his words, Gu An gained a deeper understanding of the hierarchy within the Taixuan Sect.

Generally, disciples climb higher as they reach certain realms, but some choose the path of power; Zuo Yijian was one such person, having joined the Elder Hall.

Unlike other departments, the Elder Hall is the center of power in any given city. The threshold for the Outer Sect Elder Hall is the Golden Core realm, while the Inner Sect Elder Hall requires the Spirit Transmutation realm.

The Elder Hall holds absolute authority in every city. It is said that in the sect's main city, the Elder Hall's power is even greater, capable of deciding the position of the Sect Master. This is why some Nascent Soul realm cultivators choose to remain in the Outer Sect as elders to continue securing their own interests.

When Zuo Yijian arrived at the Inner Sect, he couldn't join the Elder Hall yet, but he became the hall master of the Inner Sect Library Hall, which came with significant perks.

"It's all the fault of the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal. He's got my father obsessed; now he spends all day clutching the Investiture of the Gods, completely neglecting his sword practice," Zuo Lin complained indignantly.

Gu An asked, "Do you not think the Investiture of the Gods is good?"

"It's definitely good. Let me tell you, Yang Jian is my favorite—why isn't he a sword cultivator..." Once the topic turned to the Investiture of the Gods, Zuo Lin became even more talkative.

Gu An sighed inwardly, realizing he had underestimated the impact the Investiture of the Gods had on the cultivation world.

Listening to Zuo Lin praise Pan An, Gu An felt a secret thrill at first, but it became dull after a while; after all, he wasn't the real author, and he only wrote the book to earn Spirit Stones.

Afterward, Gu An asked Zuo Lin to take him to the Scripture Pavilion.

The main difference between the Scripture Pavilion and the Library Pavilion is that the former is filled entirely with cultivation techniques and spells.

On the way, Gu An asked if there were any Five Elements cultivation techniques, only to be met with Zuo Lin's disdain.

In the cultivation world, techniques are almost exclusively for single-attribute cultivation, even for those with multiple spiritual roots, unless someone intends to restart their cultivation.

Restarting a technique, while keeping one's realm, involves a process of re-accumulating spiritual energy that is enough to break most cultivators.

Cultivation is not like martial arts; it requires years of accumulation. No one wants to walk the path of decades or centuries again, let alone those old monsters who have cultivated for a thousand years. They simply grit their teeth and push forward, delving deep into one path. It is precisely because of this that the path of cultivation is so diverse.

Upon arriving at the Scripture Pavilion, Gu An indeed found no Five Elements techniques, but he still purchased basic techniques for the other four attributes. He bought the cheapest ones available; after all, he could just spend his lifespan to upgrade them.

Spirit Stones had to be prioritized for buying seeds!

Zuo Lin was confused as to why he was buying techniques of different attributes, but Gu An replied that they were for his disciples, which earned him Zuo Lin's respect.

Back in the Mystic Valley, Zuo Lin had already sensed his attitude toward the servant disciples.

Gu An didn't just suck up to the royal-born Li Ya; he was just as kind to those of lower status. Perhaps Li Ya was right—he really was a good person.

Zuo Lin looked at Gu An's profile and thought as much.

"Brother Zuo, could you take me to see the formations?" Gu An asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Lin immediately agreed.

The result, however, left Gu An somewhat disappointed.

Teleportation formations did exist, but they were all priced at astronomical figures; he couldn't afford them at all!

He would have to consider it another day. Even though he was a Void Crossing realm cultivator, it wouldn't be right to just seize them by force.

After arriving at the Inner Sect, Gu An felt that the Taixuan Sect must be hiding Void Crossing realm monsters. After all, the threshold for an Inner Sect elder was the Spirit Transmutation realm, and there was still the sect's main city above that.

In fact, if one thought about it, the Taixuan Sect was truly powerful. So many Demonic Path cultivators died in the Outer Sect, yet the Demonic Path dared not launch an attack on the Taixuan Sect. Furthermore, spies like Jiang Qiong, who was in the Golden Core realm, only dared to operate outside the Outer Sect.

If the Taixuan Sect were a large map, Gu An was only operating in a tiny corner.

By evening, Gu An bid farewell to Zuo Lin and returned to the front gate of the Ji Mansion. Du Ye was still waiting, which actually touched him a little.

"Why are you only just getting back? You wouldn't have been able to get in without me!" Du Ye complained.

Gu An smiled and patted his shoulder without saying much, and the two walked into the Ji Mansion.

As soon as he entered, Gu An sensed numerous auras. It turned out the Ji Mansion also had isolation barriers; he even caught the aura of a Spirit Transmutation realm expert.

Along the way, he used his lifespan to probe everyone he met.

There were many people in the Ji Mansion, and many of them were geniuses.

Although Ji Xiaoyu had only brought five people into the Taixuan Sect, the Ji Family had more than one branch, and every year, descendants flooded into various sects.

An incense stick of time later, Du Ye took Gu An to meet Ji Lin, the genius who had made a name for himself in the Outer Sect.

[Ji Lin (Foundation Establishment Realm, 9th Layer): 36/330/900]

Thirty-six years old and at the 9th Layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm—quite impressive!

He must have consumed quite a few medicinal pills.

Gu An thought this to himself as he watched Ji Lin, then took out the herbs he had prepared in advance.

Ji Lin was not arrogant, and his attitude toward Gu An was decent enough. He fed Gu An a mouthful of empty promises, and Gu An feigned excitement, bringing their meeting to a satisfactory conclusion.

Afterward, Du Ye led Gu An to their living quarters. The two shared a courtyard, though fortunately, they each had their own room.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, Gu An was dragged out of the courtyard by Du Ye.

The two arrived at the main gate to stand guard. They weren't the only ones; over a dozen other cultivators were also keeping watch. Under the direction of their leader, they stood in two rows, preparing to welcome the distinguished guests for the day's banquet.

Half an hour later, the guests began to arrive.

The first to arrive was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator!

After that person entered the mansion, Gu An heard other servants whispering that he was from the Inner Sect Law Enforcement Hall and held significant power.

As time passed, more and more guests arrived. The weakest among the leaders of each group was at the Nascent Soul Realm, and a significant proportion were at the Spirit Transmutation Realm.

No wonder Li Xuandao had to hide his cultivation; while the 8th Layer of the Spirit Transmutation Realm was strong, it was still far from invincible.

The arrival of one person made Gu An take a second look. This man was Fu Xiong's master, named Luo Xunye. Gu An had memorized his face when he searched Fu Xiong's soul.

[Luo Xunye (Nascent Soul Realm, 9th Layer): 254/804/1300]

Two hundred and fifty years old and at the 9th Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm—he could be considered a genius.

The Ji Family member in charge of the gate clearly had a good relationship with Luo Xunye, and the two exchanged pleasantries for a while.

Who would have thought this man was a Demonic Cultivator?

Gu An thought silently. From beginning to end, he didn't say a word, just stood there, feeling relatively relaxed.

About another half an hour later, Gu An spotted another spy from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion.

Jiang Qiong!

[Jiang Qiong (Nascent Soul Realm, 1st Layer): 192/700/2490]

Seven years had passed, and she had actually succeeded in her tribulation so quickly!

Jiang Qiong wore the robes of an Inner Sect disciple, her expression cold and detached. Gone was the flippancy she had shown Gu An in the past. She merely glanced at Gu An, and the two exchanged no words until she walked into the Ji Mansion.

Why is she here? It can't be as simple as just coming to offer congratulations, right? Gu An wondered, feeling puzzled.

Could Jiang Qiong be plotting against the Ji Family?

"Pan..."

Suddenly, a voice full of surprise caught Gu An's attention. He saw Gu Yu, whom he had met once at the Outer Sect Library Hall, walking quickly toward him.

Behind Gu Yu was a middle-aged man in luxurious clothing. He possessed an extraordinary aura, though his presence was faint, clearly indicating he practiced some kind of breath-concealing technique.

Gu An subconsciously cast a lifespan inspection.

[Gu Zong (Void Crossing Realm, 2nd Layer): 690/1805/2800]

Good heavens!

Void Crossing Realm!

The Taixuan Sect really did hide a Void Crossing Realm expert!

This man also shared the surname Gu, clearly having a blood relation to Gu Yu. He had suspected all along that Gu Yu was not simple.

"Gu An, are you a member of the Ji Family?" Gu Yu asked excitedly as he reached Gu An.

Gu An nodded and said, "I am just a servant."

"With your talent, why be a servant! I'll have my father recruit you into the Inner Sect!" Gu Yu declared with great bravado, causing the surrounding Ji Family members to cast sidelong glances.

Gu Yu turned to Gu Zong and said, "Father, he is the person I often mentioned. Take him as your disciple!"

The cultivators following behind Gu Zong were all at the Nascent Soul or Spirit Transmutation Realm; hearing Gu Yu's words, they all looked at Gu An with curiosity.

Damn it!

How did things go wrong because of this kid?

Gu An cursed inwardly.

Gu Zong frowned and said, "In such a public place, what kind of decorum is this!"

Gu An breathed a sigh of relief. Great cultivators were indeed different; they knew better than to break the rules in public.

Gu Zong looked at Gu An, his stern expression suddenly vanishing. He revealed a gentle smile and said, "Little friend, my name is Gu Zong. Why don't you take me as your master?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed drastically. Du Ye, in particular, looked at Gu An in disbelief.

The breath Gu An had just let out was sucked right back in.

"This junior's spiritual root aptitude is mediocre; I fear I am not suitable to be your disciple..." Gu An said helplessly.

Gu Zong laughed and said, "I don't look at talent when taking on disciples, only at whether I take a liking to them. What you wrote is quite good, and I like it very much."

Under the gaze of the crowd, how could Gu An agree? Furthermore, he did not like to take someone of the same cultivation realm as his master; becoming Cheng Xuandan's disciple back then had been a matter of necessity.

"I still need to discuss this matter with someone, I hope Senior will forgive me," Gu An took a deep breath and said, feigning difficulty.

Upon hearing this, Gu Zong could not help but burst into loud laughter. He walked forward, patted Gu An on the shoulder, and left behind a sentence before walking into the Ji Mansion:

"After the banquet ends, we shall have a good chat. If you don't want to be my disciple, that's fine too; you can do one thing for me, and I will satisfy all your requests."

Gu Yu winked at Gu An, then followed in his father's footsteps.

Once this group of guests entered the mansion, the surrounding members of the Ji Family swarmed over, asking him what he had written that could make Gu Zong value him so highly.

An old cultivator teased, "Don't tell me you're the one who wrote Investiture of the Gods?"

Gu An smiled and said, "I wish it were me who wrote it."

Du Ye snorted, "How could he possibly write Investiture of the Gods? It's probably something related to planting herbs."

The others joined in the teasing. After this twist, Gu An's presence was suddenly pushed to the peak.

Just as Gu An was looking to escape, a Ji Family cultivator walked out from the mansion and spoke up, "Who is Gu An? Third Young Miss requests your presence!"

Thanks to Mu Geqing for the 500 Qidian coins tip, and Little Fish That Cannot Blow Bubbles for the 100 Qidian coins tip~~