Such a Fat Outer Sect Disciple

Gu An caught the manual, a subtle feeling rising in his heart. Although he had long known Li Ya would leave, hearing that he was truly going still left him with a trace of reluctance.

In Medicine Valley, he only had two friends. After all, he had nothing to talk about with Cheng Xuandan or Zhang Chunqiu.

Li Ya was far better than Meng Lang. Meng Lang was a beast!

"Are you going to reach Foundation Establishment?" Gu An asked.

Using Lifespan Inspection, he had seen that Li Ya's cultivation had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. What a fast breakthrough speed.

Could there be some master in the woods guiding him?

Or perhaps an old grandpa's soul, persecuted by treacherous villains, was hidden inside Li Ya's body?

Li Ya nodded. "I'm preparing to establish my foundation next month."

He paused, then said earnestly, "After this parting, I fear we may never meet again. Don't be too obedient to Meng Lang in Medicine Valley. That will only make him push his luck. There will surely be other disciples in Medicine Valley in the future. As a senior brother, you need to have a temper of your own..."

Gu An was speechless. How had he been lectured by two people in a single day?

Still, compared with Du Ye, Li Ya was more sincere.

Gu An suddenly felt somewhat reluctant to part.

From childhood to adulthood, he had walked on thin ice in the Ji Family. He had never had a true friend, only people he had deliberately tried to please. He had never had a friend like Li Ya, one who would give him gifts.

He understood that Li Ya's words would come true. This parting might last a lifetime.

Gu An could not help saying, "You too. Don't be as reckless as before. Staying alive is what matters most. In less than two years, you've risen from a Handyman Disciple to someone on the verge of Foundation Establishment. Your talent must be among the very best. As long as you live, you will definitely become a top Great Cultivator renowned throughout the world."

Li Ya could not help smiling when he heard that.

The two chatted in the courtyard. Before long, Meng Lang returned. Upon hearing that Li Ya was leaving, he too was in low spirits.

In the end, Li Ya still left. After bidding farewell to Gu An and Meng Lang, he went to visit Cheng Xuandan. Finally, Zhang Chunqiu led him out of Medicine Valley.

The winter snow had yet to fully melt, yet Medicine Valley had already grown much quieter.

In his spare time, Gu An began practicing the sword manual Li Ya had given him. His ambitions were modest. He did not seek to master it, only to become proficient enough for it to appear on the Attribute Panel.

It took time for cultivation manuals to appear on the Attribute Panel. Gu An did not want to wait until danger came and he wished to spend lifespan, only to discover it was too late to cultivate it.

The sword manual Li Ya had given him was called the Li Family Seven Swords. The name was ordinary, but Gu An knew that this Li Family represented the Imperial Family of the Great Cang Dynasty, so he practiced it very seriously.

Winter passed and spring arrived, and vigorous life filled Medicine Valley.

After Li Ya left, Zhang Chunqiu brought back another person, a fourteen-year-old boy named Xiao Chuan.

Xiao Chuan was a solitary youth. After entering Medicine Valley, he rarely interacted with Gu An or Meng Lang. After Gu An helped him gather medicinal herbs several times, he developed a favorable impression of Gu An, and the two gradually spoke more. Still, Xiao Chuan remained a man of few words.

Summer arrived, and Gu An learned from the Attribute Panel that he had turned seventeen.

From childhood to adulthood, he had never known the exact date of his birthday, nor did he care.

Compared with his birthday, Gu An looked forward more to when he could harvest third-rank medicinal herbs.

Most herbs in Medicine Valley required several years before they could be harvested, so the rate at which his lifespan increased had not continued rising. Recently, it had begun to slow.

One day.

Zhang Chunqiu came to find Gu An.

"Junior Brother Gu, I have a task here with quite a generous reward. Are you willing to take it?" Zhang Chunqiu asked with a smile.

Gu An raised his brows. There were tasks within Medicine Valley?

Suppressing his reluctance, he asked, "May I ask what task it is, Senior Brother?"

"An Outer Sect disciple is about to leave for training and will find it difficult to return within two years. Your task is to look after the medicinal herbs in his Cave Mansion. When he returns, he will reward you with ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones," Zhang Chunqiu said with a smile.

The moment Gu An heard this, his heart stirred.

Spirit Stones were ranked from low to high as low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade. Each grade was worth one hundred times the previous one. A single Mid-grade Spirit Stone equaled one hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, while Gu An's monthly reward was only one Low-grade Spirit Stone. This task was equivalent to earning one thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones over two years. How could he not be tempted?

Gu An hesitated before asking, "Is that senior trustworthy?"

Zhang Chunqiu froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. With an approving expression, he said, "Not bad, Junior Brother Gu. You're very cautious. Don't worry, he is an old friend of mine. We entered Taixuan Sect in the same year. I chose you because you are diligent and honest. If it were Meng Lang, I wouldn't be at ease. Besides, his Cave Mansion is not far from our Medicine Valley, only a dozen or so li away. You only need to go twice each month."

Gu An hesitated for a while, but ultimately agreed.

For the past half month, he had not had a chance to harvest any herbs. Watching his lifespan remain unchanged made him miserable. He missed the feeling of spending lifespan too much.

The Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique could only grant him an additional year of lifespan each month. If he did not possess the lifespan-stealing cheat, he would certainly have been satisfied. But now, he was greedy.

Moreover, he did not know how long the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique's lifespan-enhancing effect could last. After all, everything had its limits.

Seeing him agree, Zhang Chunqiu directly led him out of the valley.

Gu An had not left Medicine Valley for two years. Now that he was truly leaving, he actually felt a little nervous.

As he walked out of the valley entrance, an endless stretch of mountains and forest unfolded before his eyes. Sunlight spilled through the woods, forming rings of rainbow light, exquisitely beautiful.

Zhang Chunqiu slapped his waist, and a longsword flew out from the Storage Bag at his side. He grabbed Gu An by the arm, leaped up, landed atop the sword, and flew through the air with the Sword Flight Technique.

Gu An was so frightened that he tightly hugged Zhang Chunqiu's waist. The scorching summer wind tossed his black hair into disarray, while his eyes brimmed with envy.

Flying on a sword—this was standard equipment for an immortal cultivator!

He had not expected Zhang Chunqiu to possess such a skill!

Feeling the strength of Gu An's grip on his arm, Zhang Chunqiu laughed loudly. "Junior Brother Gu, keep your eyes wide open and remember the route we took. You'll have to come by yourself in the future."

Gu An could not help asking, "Eldest Senior Brother, can you teach me this Sword Flight Technique?"

"Then you must cultivate diligently. Once you reach the fourth level of Qi Refining, I'll teach you sword flight."

"The fourth level of Qi Refining..."

"As long as you are willing to work hard, one day you will reach the fourth level of Qi Refining."

As he spoke, Zhang Chunqiu could not help straightening his back, revealing a bright and hearty smile.

He could not help thinking, In Junior Brother Gu's eyes, my image must be very lofty right now. I hope he really is inspired and stops being lazy about cultivation.

In his eyes, Gu An was good in every way except that he did not love cultivation. Whenever he had spare time, the boy was reading.

Gu An was rather speechless. Was the fourth level of Qi Refining that difficult?

What if I spend a hundred years of lifespan?

If that doesn't work, then five hundred years!

If five hundred years still doesn't work, then...

That was too absurd!

The senior and junior brothers chatted as they flew on the sword.

Before long, they landed in a forest. Even after touching down, Gu An was still savoring the feeling of flying through the sky.

Zhang Chunqiu led Gu An onward. After passing through a dense forest, they arrived before a mountain wall. He raised a hand, took out a jade pendant, and pressed it into a groove in the wall.

"His Cave Mansion has a restriction. You'll need to bring this jade pendant with you in the future. Whatever you do, don't lose it. That would be very troublesome," Zhang Chunqiu reminded him.

Gu An nodded. Then the mountain wall trembled, and a stone door appeared before opening.

Zhang Chunqiu removed the jade pendant and led Gu An inside.

The two vanished into the darkness. Several breaths later, the mountain gate slammed shut.

This Cave Mansion was larger than Gu An had expected. The passageway alone was five zhang long. When they entered a spacious cave chamber, Gu An's gaze was drawn to an area planted with medicinal herbs.

The herbs were planted densely, with no fewer than a hundred stalks, occupying over half the chamber. With Gu An's current knowledge, he could tell at a glance that these herbs were of no ordinary grade.

Were Outer Sect disciples of Taixuan Sect all this rich?

Zhang Chunqiu began instructing Gu An on which herbs needed harvesting and the specific cultivation process for each kind. The Cave Mansion came with its own restriction and lacked no water, but excessive moisture could cause the herbs to die suddenly. Some herbs would even ignite in spiritual flames if not harvested in time, reducing every herb to ashes.

At the same time, seeds sat on the table. After harvesting, Gu An would have to continue planting them.

That Outer Sect disciple had already prepared Spirit Protection Paper, which was likewise placed on the table.

"Alright, I'll leave first. When you're done, return on your own. Try to see if you can find the way back. If you haven't returned to Medicine Valley by evening, I'll come find you." Zhang Chunqiu patted Gu An's shoulder, then handed him the jade pendant.

Gu An did not neglect etiquette either. Only after seeing Zhang Chunqiu out did he return.

He did not immediately harvest the herbs, instead examining the cave chamber.

It was very simple. There was only a stone bed, a stone table, and two stone stools. No, there were also books hidden in the cave walls, concealed beneath trailing vines.

Gu An had no intention of looking through them. What if immortal cultivators had restrictions similar to surveillance?

He only needed to honestly earn lifespan and avoid stirring up trouble!

Gu An began harvesting the mature medicinal herbs.

[You successfully seized 9 years of lifespan from Spirit Flame Grass (third-rank)]

Hiss—

Third-rank medicinal herbs!

Gu An suddenly did not know whether his understanding of herb grades was flawed, or whether Outer Sect treatment truly surpassed that of the Medicine Valley where he lived by far.

Forget it. Enjoy it first!

The first batch of herbs that needed harvesting contained eleven stalks. They gave him eighty-nine years of lifespan, bringing his total lifespan to one thousand two hundred and sixty-four years.

Gu An used Lifespan Inspection to scan the area and actually spotted fourth-rank spirit herbs.

What a fat Outer Sect disciple!

Gu An was delighted. He needed to build a good relationship with such a fat employer. They could cooperate long-term in the future.

Wait!

Could he also do this sort of work for other Taixuan Sect disciples?

After all, leaving for training was something every disciple would experience.

No, he should first handle this matter properly. He had to proceed steadily, step by step. What if he encountered a villain who tried to extort him?

He was only a Handyman Disciple. Once he clashed with an official disciple, he would definitely be the one cast aside.

Gu An began planting the Spirit Flame Grass seeds. He worked very carefully, wanting to do this job well.

After the time it took an incense stick to burn.

Gu An walked out of the Cave Mansion. After closing its mountain gate, he headed toward Medicine Valley.

He feared encountering demons like the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost again, so he walked quickly.

Relying on the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique, Gu An returned to the entrance of Medicine Valley in less than half an hour. Before he got close, he saw someone.

Chu Jingfeng!

Chu Jingfeng, whose right arm had been severed, wore a weathered expression and black robes. He was utterly unlike the person he had once been.

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