Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Zhou Tongyou, The Strongest in a Century

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Hunting demons?

Gu An immediately became interested upon hearing this.

As they descended continuously, the terrain of Tianya Valley appeared amidst the snowy mist. From mid-air, it looked like a vast green ocean. Streams flowed into the valley from all directions, and at the edges of the valley, two small rivers could be seen flowing underground.

Soon, Luo Hun landed with Gu An, and he began wrapping his long spear with a cloth.

“From now on, you are the Valley Master. Do whatever you wish and instruct me at any time.” Luo Hun said.

Gu An nodded, directly taking out the Heavenly Residence Sword, and said, “Build a few pavilions in the peripheral area while I clear the weeds.”

Luo Hun’s eyes fell on the Heavenly Residence Sword’s scabbard. His pupils suddenly dilated, and he immediately knelt down, saying in a deep voice, “Luo Hun greets the Master of Heavenly Residence Sword!”

Gu An purposely took out the Heavenly Residence Sword, fearing Luo Hun might not take him seriously.

The effect was excellent!

“What are you doing? Quickly rise.” Gu An feigned panic and hurriedly helped Luo Hun up.

After standing up, Luo Hun’s eyes were filled with complexity. He muttered, “I never expected His Majesty would give you the Heavenly Residence Sword.”

Gu An asked in surprise, “Why such a big reaction?”

Luo Hun replied, “Taicang has three Emperor Swords. Seeing the sword is like seeing the Emperor. They are the Heavenly Inquiry, Heavenly Residence, and Heavenly Punishment. His Majesty holds the Heavenly Punishment Sword, while the Crown Prince has the Heavenly Inquiry Sword. Without His Majesty’s permission, no one can possess the sword. Hence, seeing the sword is like seeing the Emperor.”

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Upon hearing this, Gu An suddenly realized that Li Ya’s status in Li Xuandao’s heart was very high, comparable to the Crown Prince’s.

If Li Xuandao didn’t agree, it would be hard for Li Ya to inherit the Heavenly Residence Sword.

But this sword is now in his hands, Gu An wondered if Li Xuandao had other plans?

Gu An habitually considered the worst scenarios, so he thought Li Xuandao’s intentions were not simple. After all, an emperor’s heart is as deep as the sea.

“I see, then let’s get to work.” Gu An responded.

Luo Hun had no objections, but he couldn’t help but look at the Heavenly Residence Sword a few more times.

Soon after, he saw Gu An using the Heavenly Residence Sword to clear weeds, which made him hesitant to speak.

Luo Hun struggled for a while before eventually turning away.

An hour later.

The array steles around Tianya Valley were activated. Each stele burst out blue light, rising into the sky, then converging in the air to form a semi-circular light shield covering the entire Tianya Valley, which then turned transparent.

After activating the array, Luo Hun began building the pavilions.

By noon, Gu An had cleared all the weeds at the bottom of the valley, working very efficiently. If he didn’t have to hide his true strength, he could have stomped his feet to clear all the weeds.

Three days later.

Gu An had already finished sowing. Luo Hun brought many high-rank medical herb seeds from his seemingly inexhaustible storage bag.

In these three days, Luo Hun had built five pavilions and caught three monkey demons.

These three monkey demons were all second-tier demon beasts. They could walk upright, and apart from having fur, they looked almost human.

Luo Hun let Gu An name them, so Gu An named them Sun Da, Sun Er, and Sun San according to their cultivation levels, which made Luo Hun silent for a while.

The three monkeys liked the surname Sun very much.

Gu An led the three monkeys around the park, explaining their daily tasks.

The three monkey demons could already speak human language, each of them clever, making communication easy. Gu An was not worried they would misbehave because they were cursed by Luo Hun with their life and death not in their control.

Meanwhile, Luo Hun lay on the pavilion stairs, taking out a book from his chest. The cover read “Investiture of the Gods”.

He was also a fan of “Investiture of the Gods”. Gu An mentioned it to him before, and he was very excited like never before.

Nearing evening, Gu An found Luo Hun and said he needed to return to Mystic Valley.

Luo Hun feared for his safety due to the many demons on the way, but Gu An insisted on going back.

Gu An promised he would be careful.

Luo Hun thought for a while, then took out ten talisman papers from his storage bag and said, “These are for Invisibility Technique. Infuse them with spiritual power, and you can turn invisible, even hiding your presence. Unless encountered by a third-level or higher Core Formation Realm cultivator, it will be hard to detect you. Each paper lasts for five hours; use them sparingly, as you need to return.”

Gu An accepted the talismans and thanked him with cupped fists.

Still worried, Luo Hun said, “How about establishing Foundation first? I have Foundation Establishment Pills here.”

Gu An shook his head, “I have my own Foundation Establishment Pills. Don’t worry about me. I remember the way back. I have plenty of Spirit Energy Elixirs.”

With that, he left on his sword.

Exiting Tianya Valley wasn’t hindered by the array, but entering was challenging.

Luo Hun watched Gu An’s departing figure, frowning slightly.

He recalled His Majesty’s words and sighed.

Li Xuandao instructed that if Gu An died, another person would become the Valley Master. Luo Hun’s task was to protect Tianya Valley.

…

After leaving 100 miles from Tianya Valley, Gu An suddenly sped up. Before nightfall, he had returned to Mystic Valley.

Having Tianya Valley, Gu An’s days would become busier. Managing the Outer Disciple’s cave needed his attention, and he had to occasionally check on Tianya Valley; he couldn’t fully trust the monkeys.

Though it would be tiring, Gu An didn’t feel exhausted at all; instead, he was full of fighting spirit.

In a few years, his lifespan would increase significantly!

Once he obtained the Medicine Valley promised by Gu Zong, a million-year lifespan would not seem far away.

Gu An even pondered studying the Puppetry Technique, leaving a puppet in each Medicine Valley to help monitor the medicinal herbs.

Before that, he had to improve his superficial cultivation level.

The Ninth Layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm was insufficient; traveling between Mystic Valley and Tianya Valley would be very troublesome.

Fifteen days later.

Gu An went to the Outer Sect to visit the Book Collection Hall’s Elder Liu.

He felt Elder Liu had more power than Zhu Qinglu of the Elixir Hall.

They met alone in the inner room. Elder Liu was reading the latest volume of “Investiture of the Gods”, smiling, “Not bad, not bad, very well written. Just flipping through makes me excited.”

Gu An hesitated before saying, “Elder Liu, I have a request.”

Without looking up, Elder Liu asked, “What is it?”

“I want to establish Foundation, but I don’t want to be an Outer Disciple. I want to continue being the Valley Master of Mystic Valley. This way, it’s easier for me to write. Going out on missions as an Outer Disciple, I’m afraid of dying outside…”

“Is that all?”

“Can Elder Liu manage it?”

“Of course. Hehe, I will go directly to Gu Yu. He had told me that his father values you greatly and asked me to take good care of you and meet your needs as much as possible.”

Elder Liu laughed, his smile resembling a sly old fox.

Gu An immediately thanked him.

Elder Liu put down the book and said, “You are already considered a special talent of the Supreme Sect. Your annual yields are among the top three in the Outer Sect’s Medicine Valleys. Moreover, you write ‘Investiture of the Gods’, attracting fifty percent more disciples to the Supreme Sect each year. Your contribution far surpasses that of an Outer Disciple’s missions.”

“Rest assured, even if you reach the Core Formation Realm, you will not be sent out on missions.”

He laughed heartily after saying this.

He couldn’t reach the Core Formation Realm. Could Gu An?

Gu An felt relieved. This made things simpler.

All he had to do was not appear too talented, gradually improving his apparent cultivation level, making future activities easier.

Elder Liu seemed to remember something, “Recently, the genius from Jueshan Sect, Zhou Tongyou, is coming to challenge the young cultivators under a hundred years old in the Supreme Sect. It’s likely to be very lively. You should gather some information for your next book, and remember to include the Supreme Sect in it.”

“Investiture of the Gods” was about finished. Elder Liu had received instructions from above.

Gu An nodded and curiously asked, “Is Zhou Tongyou very powerful?”

“Of course. He has Dual Spirit Roots and the Evil Suppressing Golden Body, a physique nurtured by the Zhou Family over thousands of years. He has no equal in the same realm. He once killed a third-layer Core Formation Realm cultivator with his Ninth Layer Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, becoming renowned in the Taicang Immortal Cultivation World as the strongest genius in a century.” Elder Liu was full of admiration talking about Zhou Tongyou, narrating the battle in detail, and Gu An listened attentively.

To Gu An, those who could defeat enemies across realms had the protagonist’s fortune.

After all, he couldn’t do that, or rather, he didn’t dare.

Instead of defeating powerful enemies across realms, he preferred to crush weaker opponents with superior cultivation.

An hour later, Gu An left the Book Collection Hall.

After buying a batch of supplies in the city, he hurried back to Mystic Valley.

The next morning, Gu An gathered the disciples for exercises, announcing his success in Foundation Establishment the previous night, delighting the disciples.

Wuxin felt both joy and reluctance.

If Senior Brother succeeded in Foundation Establishment, he would have to go to the Outer Sect, and Wuxin would become the Valley Master!

“Master, does this mean you’re leaving us?” Zhen Qin quickly asked, looking pitiful.

The other disciples anxiously looked at Gu An, Wuxin suppressed his joyful feelings, also feigning a look of loss.

Gu An sighed, “Yes…”

The disciples’ expressions instantly dimmed, and Wuxin’s heart pounded with guilt.

But the saddest was Xiaochuan, who would become the senior in the valley.

“But because of our good harvest, I applied to stay in Medicine Valley, and the Outer Sect agreed.” Gu An quickly added.

The disciples were stunned for a moment, then cheered, rushing towards Gu An.

Wuxin stood there, dazed for a few seconds before forcing a smile.

The happiest person was Xiaochuan, knowing that he had no hope of Foundation Establishment. Having Gu An for life was a delight, as only Gu An indulged his interest in raising demons.

Mystic Valley became lively, Wuxin needing a long time to calm his emotions.

Gu An noticed his mood and took him aside, explaining he would soon have a new Medicine Valley, and even if he remained in Mystic Valley, Wuxin could be in charge.

Wuxin was excited to hold real authority as Valley Master!

Seeing his enthusiastic smile, Gu An thought again of Cheng Xuandan and Zhang Chunqiu.

So much had changed.

Days passed quickly. Gu An went out every two days to manage the Outer Disciple’s cave, and every half month to check on Tianya Valley.

Upon learning of Gu An’s Foundation Establishment, Luo Hun became completely assured, ceasing his interruptions.

Gu An noticed Luo Hun liked reading, so he brought him a “Green Hero Travelogue”.

Strangely, after that, Gu An never saw Luo Hun reading “Green Hero Travelogue”.

Did he not like it?

No more books for him then!

But why wasn’t he reading “Investiture of the Gods” either?