Three Thousand Years of Lifespan, Crisis Reborn

When Gu An saw Chu Jingfeng, Chu Jingfeng saw him as well.

Gu An was about to quicken his pace and go greet him when Chu Jingfeng leaped into the air, soaring several zhang high. He skimmed over the hillside and landed before him like a great goose.

"You are Gu An, correct? I have something to ask you." Chu Jingfeng said in a deep voice.

Gu An deliberately put on a nervous act as he bowed. "I am. Whatever you wish to ask, Senior, I will answer truthfully."

Seeing how honest Gu An appeared, Chu Jingfeng's expression softened. He said quietly, "You encountered the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost, and she even strangled you. Do you still remember what she looked like?"

Gu An shook his head. "No oil lamp was lit in the room that night. I could not see her face at all. The moment she appeared, she frightened me unconscious..."

As he spoke, he secretly stirred the blood and qi within his body, making his face flush bright red in an instant.

Seeing his embarrassment, much of Chu Jingfeng's anger dissipated.

What am I doing, making things difficult for a Handyman Disciple... Chu Jingfeng mocked himself inwardly.

His expression turned gentler. "If you remember anything, or if anything happens to you, you can contact me."

With that, he took out a Spirit Stone the size of an egg. "This is a special Spirit Stone. Inject spiritual power into it, and you can speak with me."

He tossed the Spirit Stone to Gu An, then leaped up. A longsword flew out from his waist out of nowhere, and he stepped onto it, shooting out of the forest as leaves drifted down in scattered sheets.

Gu An did not know whether it was an illusion, but he always felt that Chu Jingfeng had become stronger after losing his arm.

Gu An did not dwell on it. Holding the Spirit Stone, he headed toward Medicine Valley.

"Sigh, when will I have a Storage Bag of my own?"

The youth walked along a forested slope beneath dappled sunlight, looking as though he wore a cloak woven from brilliant colors.

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, two years passed.

Nineteen-year-old Gu An walked through the forest. He was somewhat taller than he had been two years ago, and his frame was much sturdier. Though he wore plain cloth garments, he looked clean and neat. His eyes were especially bright. His long hair was casually tied behind his head with a grass cord, while two loose strands hung over his forehead, adding to his carefree, unruly air.

A youth followed behind him. The boy had ordinary features and was a head shorter than Gu An. He carried a bamboo basket on his back, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead as he walked.

"Senior Brother, how much farther is it?" Xiao Chuan called weakly.

He was the only person in Medicine Valley of a lower seniority than Gu An. He usually loved following behind Gu An, and after hearing that Gu An also tended Cave Mansions for Outer Sect disciples, he had begged for a long time. Gu An had only agreed to bring him along this time.

Gu An had his own reasons for agreeing.

Yesterday, Zhang Chunqiu had told him that the owner of the Cave Mansion had returned. To guard against unexpected trouble, he decided to bring Xiao Chuan with him.

If the other party harbored ill intent, perhaps they would exercise some restraint upon seeing someone else present.

Gu An did not want to harm Xiao Chuan either. If something truly happened, his Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique had not been cultivated for nothing.

"Almost there."

Gu An answered without looking back. To be fair, he was beginning to understand why Zhang Chunqiu liked him so much.

Having such an obedient junior brother truly was worry-free.

Xiao Chuan let out a miserable wail. He had heard those two words no fewer than eight times already. Had he known, he would never have come.

More than ten li was no short distance for mortals to begin with. With the rugged mountain roads and scorching weather added in, Xiao Chuan felt as though he was about to die.

Gu An did not continue comforting him, because they really were almost there.

About half the time it took to burn an incense stick later, Gu An pushed aside the grass and arrived before a mountain wall. Rather than opening the mountain gate directly, he cupped his fists and said, "This junior is Gu An. I have come to return Senior's Cave Mansion jade token."

Xiao Chuan stood on the other side of the grass, curiously studying the mountain wall.

His background was not much better than Gu An's, and he knew little about the cultivation world. In his eyes, Taixuan Sect Outer Sect disciples were already towering figures.

Rumble—

The mountain gate opened, and a hoarse voice emerged from within.

"Come in."

Gu An turned back to Xiao Chuan. "Wait outside."

Naturally, Xiao Chuan did not dare follow him in. Being able to witness the marvelous sight of a Cave Mansion opening already made the journey worthwhile.

Gu An stepped into the Cave Mansion. Compared to two years ago, he was far more confident.

His confidence came from the lifespan he had accumulated. His lifespan had already reached more than three thousand four hundred years.

Besides the medicinal herbs in the Cave Mansion, Cheng Xuandan had begun ordering him to harvest third-rank medicinal herbs over the past two years, so his lifespan had risen quickly.

A person's confidence came from strength. Although Gu An had cultivated only a thread of spiritual power, he was no longer the man he once was.

After passing through the tunnel, Gu An saw someone seated beside a stone table.

It was a middle-aged man with a thin build. His Daoist robe hung loosely on him, his hair was streaked black and white, his eye sockets were sunken, and his cheekbones protruded sharply. He gave off the impression of someone deeply calculating.

The moment Gu An saw him, he felt that this man was no good.

[Zhu Moyai (Qi Refining Realm, Ninth Layer): 58/130/140]

His lifespan limit was not even as high as Zhang Chunqiu's, which meant his aptitude was inferior to Zhang Chunqiu's.

The reason his cultivation was higher than Zhang Chunqiu's was likely because it had been piled up with medicinal pills.

Gu An made his guess inwardly, then quickly walked before Zhu Moyai, took out the Cave Mansion jade token, and presented it with both hands.

Zhu Moyai took back the jade token and said softly, "You did well. I am very satisfied. There are ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones in this bag. Take it with you."

He picked up a cloth bag from the table and handed it to Gu An.

Gu An respectfully accepted the cloth bag, secretly weighing it in his hand before thanking Zhu Moyai.

"You may leave now." Zhu Moyai waved a hand.

Gu An nodded, bowed once more, then turned to leave.

As he turned around, his sharp eyes caught something. His reaction was swift, and he immediately cast a Lifespan Inspection.

[Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost (Second Rank): 31/140/180]

Gu An gave no sign of it and quickly departed.

Zhu Moyai watched Gu An's retreating back, his gaze turning cold. Only after hearing the mountain gate close did he snort and mutter, "Consider yourself lucky."

The restrictions on Outer Sect disciples' Cave Mansions were rudimentary. So-called restrictions were simply magical mechanisms, and Outer Sect disciples' magical mechanisms were naturally nothing impressive. Thus, Gu An outside the Cave Mansion heard Zhu Moyai's muttering, making him even more uneasy.

There really was something wrong!

Gu An had previously wondered why, when the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost came all the way here, she had not affected Zhu Moyai's Cave Mansion along the route. So this bastard was connected to the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost.

"Senior Brother, did it go smoothly?" Xiao Chuan asked Gu An with concern as he approached.

Gu An smiled. "It went smoothly. Let's go. It is time for us to return."

Xiao Chuan nodded. The two headed back the way they had come, and only after they had gone some distance did Xiao Chuan begin asking what kind of person the Cave Mansion's owner was.

Gu An gave a simple description, leaving Xiao Chuan filled with longing.

For the rest of the journey, Gu An had no mind to entertain Xiao Chuan. His thoughts were full of the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost and Zhu Moyai's words.

No, I cannot pretend I did not see this. It is too dangerous!

Gu An thought of the Spirit Stone Chu Jingfeng had left him and decided to ask Chu Jingfeng for help.

Before that, though, he had to improve his strength in case of emergencies.

He had not spent lifespan for three years. The mere thought of it made Gu An excited.

The Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique could conceal his aura. Even if he possessed spiritual power, he could hide it extremely well. This time, he planned to improve his cultivation first, then strengthen his offensive methods.

"Should I evolve Residual Wind Leg, or the Li Family Seven Swords?"

Gu An began agonizing over the question.

An hour later, the two finally returned to Medicine Valley. Gu An took Xiao Chuan's bamboo basket, then headed toward his own courtyard.

The bamboo basket was full of ordinary medicinal herbs they had picked along the way.

Xiao Chuan was exhausted and had no energy left for anything else, so he went straight to his own courtyard as well.

Gu An returned to his room and shut the door. He placed the bamboo basket and cloth bag on the table, then went to sit on the bed.

He drew a deep breath and first sensed the auras of the others in Medicine Valley.

Meng Lang was cultivating spells in the forest, Cheng Xuandan was refining pills, and Zhang Chunqiu was painstakingly drawing in qi.

Mm, no one should be paying attention to him.

Gu An summoned the Attribute Panel.

[Name: Gu An]

[Lifespan: 19/3463]

[Spirit Root: Relatively Good Five Elements Spirit Root (lifespan may be invested for cultivation evolution)]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Realm, First Layer (lifespan may be invested for cultivation evolution)]

[Techniques: Fire Control Art (not mastered), Spring Wood Technique (not mastered), Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique (consummate mastery), (lifespan may be invested for cultivation evolution)]

[Ultimate Skills: Residual Wind Leg (not mastered), Li Family Seven Swords (not mastered) (lifespan may be invested for cultivation evolution)]

Gu An cautiously invested one year of lifespan into evolving his cultivation.

[You cultivated by drawing in qi for one year. Due to your mediocre aptitude and the mediocre rank of your technique, your cultivation increased only slightly.]

As soon as this prompt appeared, Gu An felt the changes in his body.

One thread of spiritual power became two...

The corner of Gu An's mouth twitched. He had no choice but to shift his gaze toward the Spring Wood Technique.

This was the only qi-gathering technique he had mastered. As for the Fire Control Art, it was an auxiliary technique taught to him by an old servant back when he had chopped firewood for the Ji Family. As its name implied, it controlled the intensity of flames.

"Forget it. I will not wait for a more profound technique. I can use lifespan for evolution anyway. In my hands, even the most ordinary technique can rise into an unparalleled divine art..."

Thinking this, Gu An's gaze grew resolute.

He chose to invest one hundred years of lifespan into evolving the Spring Wood Technique through cultivation.

[You cultivated the Spring Wood Technique for one year. Due to your mediocre comprehension and aptitude, your mastery of the Spring Wood Technique improved only slightly.]

[You cultivated the Spring Wood Technique for ten years. You finally mastered the Spring Wood Technique, and your qi-gathering speed increased.]

[You cultivated the Spring Wood Technique for fifty years. Your Spring Wood Technique finally reached major accomplishment, and your qi-gathering speed became ten times faster than before.]

[You cultivated the Spring Wood Technique for one hundred years. You gained a new insight into the Spring Wood Technique. The Spring Wood Technique evolved into the Spring Origin Art.]

A stream of memories surged into Gu An's mind, all of them memories of cultivating the Spring Origin Art.

The Spring Origin Art was far less complex than the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique, so Gu An opened his eyes before long.

After opening them, he first listened for the sounds of the others in Medicine Valley. Xiao Chuan was already asleep, while the others were busy with their own affairs. For now, no one was paying attention to him.

Now came the question.

Should he continue improving the Spring Origin Art, or directly use the Spring Origin Art to evolve his cultivation?

The higher his attainment in a technique, the faster Gu An could improve his cultivation. That would also save lifespan investment.

After turning it over and over in his mind, Gu An decided that techniques were the most important thing and could not be handled carelessly.

First, spend a thousand years on it!