Chapter 127: The Path of Primordial Return, Truly Becoming a Dragon

Gu An was merely curious and had no intention of investigating Lü Baitian or Lü Xian.

No matter what their identities were or what schemes they might have, as long as they didn’t affect him, he couldn’t be bothered.

The human heart is unpredictable; if one had to investigate every little thing, how exhausting would that be?

Gu An casually chatted with Lü Xian. Now, Lü Xian was extremely respectful toward him, not daring to show the slightest bit of disrespect.

After chatting for a while, Gu An finally left.

Everyone in Horizon Valley had already grown used to him not spending the night there.

After Gu An left, Lü Xian found Yi Liuyun, and they began sparring in preparation for the Golden Ranking Tournament.

Only two years remained until the tournament.

As time passed, the Land of the Nine Dynasties enjoyed peace, while the Taixuan Sect’s Golden Ranking Tournament drew the world’s attention, becoming a once-in-a-century grand event.

Two years later, as the tournament approached, cultivators flew past the skies above Xuan Valley every day.

Unlike before, the Taixuan Sect had dispatched many disciples to patrol, protecting all the outer sect errand disciples to maintain its righteous reputation.

Gu An, ranked seventy-second among the Ro, was in his pavilion, meeting with Ye Lan.

The first batch of disciples who had gone to train in the Nine Nether Path had all returned, now preparing to participate in the Golden Ranking Tournament to bring glory to the Taixuan Sect.

After years apart, Ye Lan’s aura had grown even stronger, exuding the demeanor of a true genius female cultivator.

She had faithfully followed Gu An’s advice, diligently practicing the Dao Yan Technique, which resulted in no increase in her cultivation level.

Seated across from each other, the two chatted, with Ye Lan sharing exciting stories of the Nine Nether Path while Gu An listened with great interest.

The Nine Nether Path was less of a path and more of a secret realm, where demons and ghosts ran rampant, creating their own unique ecosystem filled with rare natural treasures.

Ye Lan mentioned that she had even encountered cultivators and demon clans from beyond the Land of the Nine Dynasties.

As she described them, Gu An visualized the scenes in his mind and found them fascinating.

After a full hour of conversation, Gu An finally asked, “Are you participating in the Golden Ranking Tournament?”

Ye Lan nodded. “Yes, the elders gave me an invitation. All one hundred disciples from the Nine Nether Path must participate. The first Golden Ranking Tournament must be held in a grand manner, and we can’t allow the Taixuan Sect to lose face.”

Gu An blinked, feeling a bit helpless.

So his invitation was useless now?

Shen Zhen, Gu Yu, and Zuo Lin all had invitations, while the disciples in the valley had mediocre talent. Sending them to participate would be futile, and they would only suffer.

“Senior Brother, why don’t you join as well? Your cultivation level may not be high, but your strength is far from ordinary,” Ye Lan teased with a smile. She had always remembered how formidable Gu An’s kicking techniques were.

Since Gu An’s cultivation hadn’t improved, he must have devoted most of his time to refining his leg techniques, making his combat strength exceptional.

Gu An sighed. “I can’t even beat you. If I enter the Golden Ranking Tournament, wouldn’t that just be asking for a beating?”

Hearing this, Ye Lan didn’t press further and instead started discussing the latest events in the cultivation world.

They talked until evening before Ye Lan finally left Xuan Valley.

Gu An stood on the pavilion balcony, a smile on his face.

Ye Lan’s maximum lifespan had increased by a year. Though insignificant, it proved that the Dao Yan Technique was indeed effective.

Meanwhile, Chu Jingfeng, Lu Jiu Jia, and Xiao Chuan’s maximum lifespans hadn’t increased. This was likely due to their lack of dedication. Additionally, the spiritual energy in the Nine Nether Path was far richer than in Medicine Valley, making a significant difference.

Gu An turned back into his room and continued studying the Purple Star Array Manual.

This book had deepened his understanding of formations, bringing him closer to becoming a true Grand Ascension Stage cultivator.

A Grand Ascension Stage cultivator wasn’t just defined by their cultivation level but also by their vast life experiences and mastery of various disciplines.

Since Gu An didn’t need to cultivate, he could devote his time to other areas of knowledge.

That night.

Gu An secretly traveled to the Northern Sea Mountain Range. Hiding beneath a tree, he activated his Lifespan Barrier and then invested fifty thousand years of lifespan into the Dao Yan Technique.

Since the Dao Yan Technique was effective, he wanted to see how much he could improve it.

A flood of notifications filled his vision as the Dao Yan Technique upgraded to the Dao Xuan Technique!

It had only taken twenty thousand years of lifespan to evolve, while the remaining thirty thousand years simply enhanced his mastery of it.

Without hesitation, Gu An invested another fifty thousand years.

This time, after twenty thousand years of refinement, the Dao Xuan Technique transformed into the Innate Reincarnation Technique!

Seeing the word “Innate” appear so soon meant that the Dao Yan Technique had always been of a high grade. No wonder only Ye Lan and Wu Xin had successfully cultivated it.

Additionally, the Innate Reincarnation Technique granted him a divine ability called the Path of Primordial Return.

Gu An immediately began receiving the inheritance of the Innate Reincarnation Technique.

Earthly spiritual energy surged into his body, and an immense amount of knowledge flooded his mind.

The Innate Reincarnation Technique retained the essence of the Dao Yan Technique but extended its cultivation accumulation across multiple lifetimes.

Unlike the Dao Yan Technique, which only allowed one restriction to be lifted in a lifetime, this technique could lift restrictions repeatedly. The more cultivation one accumulated, the greater the transformation in their aptitude.

Moreover, the Innate Reincarnation Technique imprinted a soul mark, allowing its practitioner to reincarnate and regain their memories upon reaching adulthood.

Through endless reincarnations, one could accumulate cultivation until they attained immortality—or perished entirely, breaking the cycle.

The Path of Primordial Return was a sealing divine ability—extremely domineering.

It could suppress a cultivator’s power to a designated realm or even completely seal them, reducing them to an ordinary mortal!

Once sealed, the only way to break it was through the Path of Primordial Return itself.

Even if a powerhouse vastly stronger than Gu An tried to help, their interference would cause the sealed cultivator’s spiritual energy to go berserk, leading to instant death.

After grasping this divine ability, Gu An was delighted.

This was precisely the kind of technique he lacked!

As for the Innate Reincarnation Technique, he had already mastered it and had no desire to continue cultivating it.

He had no interest in competing for power across countless lifetimes—he only cared about the present!

However, he could pass it on to those he cherished.

Through the memories granted by the Innate Reincarnation Technique, Gu An became aware of a harsh truth.

The Immortal Path had Nine Heavenly Barriers, each more difficult than the last.

The first barrier was Nirvana.

What was Nirvana?

Nirvana was the transition from a mortal to a true cultivator. Before reaching Nirvana, one’s lifespan could never exceed ten thousand years.

Only after Nirvana would their life essence transform, granting them an explosive increase in lifespan.

Gu An suddenly realized that maximum lifespan didn’t just represent potential—it was the ultimate limit of one’s time in the world, like a predetermined life span.

For instance, An Hao had tens of thousands of years to pursue the Nirvana realm.

Meanwhile, Ye Lan had less than two hundred years. No matter how many opportunities she encountered, it would all be in vain.

The Dao Yan Technique could extend Ye Lan’s life, but only to a limited degree.

Even if she cultivated the Innate Reincarnation Technique, her maximum lifespan would only increase a few times over.

Gu An slowly opened his eyes, his gaze deep and contemplative.

“Heaven’s Fate…”

With the arrival of summer, the Taixuan Sect’s Golden Ranking Tournament commenced as scheduled.

The tournament was open to all cultivators ranked below the Five Hundred Ro. Taixuan Sect conducted thorough tests to verify the participants’ aptitude.

Gu An had no idea who to give his invitation to, and wasting it felt wrong, so he decided to sign up himself.

At seventy-two years old, he was young enough to qualify and was successfully registered.

The tournament was a one-on-one elimination battle with no time limit. The Taixuan Sect ensured injured participants were healed to maintain fairness.

A special formation suppressed the higher-ranked contestant’s cultivation level to match their opponent’s, ensuring an even playing field.

As the tournament began, Gu An sat atop the outer sect rooftops with Ye Lan, sipping wine and enjoying spiritual fruits.

Before them, a massive light screen hovered in the sky, displaying the battles in real-time.

Gu An didn’t recognize the two cultivators currently dueling, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the spectacle.

As Ye Lan peeled fruit for him, she commented, “Senior Brother, the technique you taught me is way too difficult, even harder than the last one. I have no idea when I’ll be able to master it.”

Gu An replied, “Cultivation isn’t supposed to be easy.”

The Dao Yan Technique could, at most, double one’s maximum lifespan, whereas the Innate Reincarnation Technique

could increase it several times over. If Ye Lan succeeded in mastering it, living to eight hundred years old might not be impossible.

For someone with Ye Lan’s natural aptitude, this was already a great blessing.

Ye Lan smiled. “I’ll definitely master it. Don’t worry.”

Just then, a deafening commotion erupted from the city below.

The first duel had concluded.

“The winner is Duan Xu from the Flame Sect of the Great Zhao Dynasty!”

Gu Zong’s voice echoed from the massive light screen, setting off a wave of discussions across the city.

Ye Lan gazed at the screen and smiled. “Impressive.”

Gu An nodded and took a sip of his wine.

“Gu Brother!”

A voice called from the side.

Both Gu An and Ye Lan turned their heads to see Wu Jue standing on a nearby rooftop, looking at them with a rather unpleasant expression.

It had been five years since they last saw each other.

Wu Jue was still at the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage, but his vitality was completely different from before.

Ignoring him for five years must have caused his maximum lifespan to skyrocket, right?

Gu An felt like he was opening a mystery box as he cautiously used his lifespan detection ability on Wu Jue.

【Wu Jue (Foundation Establishment Stage, Ninth Level): 74/350/7600】

Seven thousand six hundred years!

Damn, this guy had truly become a dragon now!

Wu Jue suddenly appeared on the same rooftop as Gu An and Ye Lan, standing just seven steps away. He frowned and asked, “Who is this woman? Are you not ashamed before Miss Shen?”

The moment he said this, Ye Lan narrowed her eyes and looked at Gu An. “Who is Miss Shen?”

Gu An felt a headache coming on and quickly replied, “This is my Junior Sister, Ye Lan. And Miss Shen? What is she compared to Ye Lan? She and I just have some minor connections, that’s all.”

Hearing this, Ye Lan’s expression softened.

Wu Jue, however, was furious. “Fine, let’s not talk about Miss Shen. But after all this time, why haven’t you come to find me?”

Ye Lan was momentarily stunned.

She had assumed Wu Jue was here to stand up for Miss Shen, but why had his tone suddenly changed?

Gu An shook his head. “Why are you being so loud? I didn’t want to disturb your cultivation. What, you want to fight me now?”

Wu Jue’s face turned red with frustration, and he muttered, “How could I possibly hit you…”

Ye Lan could tell that Wu Jue was no ordinary person. Seeing his flustered expression, she became even more curious about his relationship with Gu An.

After a moment, Gu An gestured for Wu Jue to sit down. Although reluctant, Wu Jue still sat beside him.

“Junior Sister, this is a friend of mine, Wu Jue. He’s also participating in the Golden Ranking Tournament,” Gu An introduced.

Ye Lan nodded at Wu Jue in greeting.

Scratching his head, Wu Jue added, “I was only able to join the Golden Ranking Tournament thanks to Gu Brother giving me an invitation.”

Ye Lan immediately turned to look at Gu An, her eyes filled with suspicion.

Her Senior Brother was quite capable.

Not only did he register himself, but he even secured an extra invitation for someone else.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep