After Ye Lan received the Foundation Establishment Pill, it only took her a month to successfully establish her foundation. That night, Gu An secretly protected her as she underwent her tribulation, which passed without any major danger.

The day after her success, Ye Lan bid her farewell, leaving in a hurry.

Her sudden breakthrough to Foundation Establishment became a hot topic in Xuan Valley. Many disciples speculated about the cause—some said Gu An gave her the Foundation Establishment Pill, others believed she had encountered a fortuitous event, while some thought it was divine assistance from cultivating in the forest.

Regardless of the rumors, Ye Lan had ultimately left.

Under the scorching summer sun, Gu An stood on the balcony of his pavilion, gazing down at the busy disciples. A sense of nostalgia and change washed over him.

Cheng Xuandan, Zhang Chunqiu, Li Ya, Meng Lang, Lu Jiu Jia, and Ye Lan had all gone.

Now, the remaining disciples were his juniors.

Among them, the most senior was Xiao Chuan.

Xiao Chuan had long given up on the idea of joining the Outer Sect, but he wasn’t disheartened. He still lived with enthusiasm, finding new meaning in life beyond cultivation.

Gu An’s gaze shifted to a corner of the Medicine Valley, where a bamboo fence enclosed a group of ducks. Xiao Chuan was leaning against the fence, talking to the ducks.

These weren’t ordinary farm ducks, but ducks with a trace of third-rank beast bloodline. Each one cost a hundred low-grade spirit stones. Xiao Chuan had emptied his own purse to buy two, while Gu An had paid for the other ten, making Xiao Chuan even more grateful to him.

Although these ducks had a trace of third-rank beast bloodline, they would be lucky to even reach the first rank.

“Low-rank beast meat can still benefit cultivators. Should I start a livestock business? Not only could I earn more lifespan, but I could also make a profit in spirit stones…”

Gu An was suddenly tempted.

Raising sheep or cattle in the mountains didn’t seem like a bad idea!

But to do that, he would need to constantly expand his workforce, and he feared that if the operation became too large, Tai Xuan Sect might take issue with it.

He had thought about leaving Tai Xuan Sect to find a remote mountain to carry out such plans, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Not only would it be difficult to move the Ancient Vine Tree, but Tai Xuan Sect’s resources were also something he wasn’t willing to give up.

As long as he had enough spirit stones in Tai Xuan Sect, he could buy anything he wanted, whereas outside, it would be much more difficult.

There were always rare treasures that were hard to come by!

At worst, he could just write books that portrayed Tai Xuan Sect in a positive light.

Gu An thought to himself. As long as he handed in enough herbs and beast materials, why would Tai Xuan Sect trouble him?

They might even help him expand!

Yes, that’s the plan! Xiao Chuan could manage the livestock, while Wu Xin would oversee the cultivation, acting as his right and left hands in Xuan Valley. ṝÂ

The more Gu An thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He began planning in his head.

The jade ring the White Spirit Mouse had found contained a vast fortune. Gu An had calculated that it was equivalent to two million low-grade spirit stones—or two hundred high-grade spirit stones—more than enough to carry out his plans.

With a decision made, Gu An called out to Xiao Chuan. Xiao Chuan immediately ran over, leaping onto the balcony with ease.

“Senior Brother, what do you need?” Xiao Chuan asked.

Gu An shared his ideas with him, and Xiao Chuan’s eyes lit up, growing more excited as he listened.

The two agreed on the plan with a single handshake!

In the end, Gu An sent Xiao Chuan to the Outer Sect to procure the necessary supplies, along with a list of items to buy. Xiao Chuan readily agreed and set off that very day.

Xiao Chuan had also learned sword-flying techniques, but his spiritual energy wasn’t sufficient, so the round trip would take two days, with a night of rest in between.

Three days later, Xiao Chuan returned and handed a prepared list to Gu An. He excitedly recounted how he had met Lu Jiu Jia at the Outer Sect. Lu Jiu Jia personally took him to inspect the beasts, saving them a lot of trouble.

After discussing with Xiao Chuan, Gu An decided to start by buying fifty young beasts to test the waters. This number would also ensure that the Beast Hall of the Outer Sect would deliver them to Xuan Valley.

After resting for a day, Xiao Chuan set off with the spirit stones Gu An provided, accompanied by Tang Yu and Su Han, both of whom had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining. The more people, the better the impression they would make.

If it hadn’t been for the batch of herbs that was soon to be harvested, Gu An would have gone himself, fearing that they might get scammed.

Luckily, that didn’t happen—after all, Tai Xuan Sect was a renowned and righteous sect.

Five days later, Xiao Chuan and the others returned by sword flight. Following them were three white hawks with wingspans of five meters. On each hawk’s back stood a cultivator, and the hawks carried large cages in their talons. Inside the cages were young sheep, yet to grow horns. The ride had been smooth, thanks to the talismans attached to the cages.

Once they landed, Gu An stepped forward to thank the disciples from the Beast Hall. Though their attitude wasn’t particularly warm, they didn’t make things awkward for him either. After exchanging a few polite words, the disciples flew off on the white hawks.

“Xiao Chuan, these sheep cost me a thousand low-grade spirit stones. You’d better take good care of them,” Gu An said, patting Xiao Chuan’s shoulder meaningfully.

It’s not just spirit stones—it’s my lifespan!

These young sheep would grow to possess the strength equivalent to the third level of Qi Refining, though they wouldn’t develop human-like intelligence.

Xiao Chuan nodded solemnly and scratched his head. “Senior Brother, could I get two more servant disciples to help me out?”

Gu An replied, “Have the others help you for now. In half a year, we’ll recruit more disciples. My storage bag is running low at the moment.”

Xiao Chuan grinned widely and quickly thanked him.

In reality, Gu An still had plenty of spirit stones, but he didn’t want to draw too much attention, so he decided to hold off for half a year.

After dealing with Xiao Chuan, Gu An returned to his pavilion.

The rest of the disciples gathered around the young sheep, excitedly observing the first-rank beast. For those who spent their days tending to flowers and herbs, the sheep were a fresh novelty.

Back in his pavilion, Gu An prepared to write the next volume of Investiture of the Gods. Liu Chang from the library had already urged him several times, and it was about time he got to it.

Listening to the joyful laughter of the disciples outside, Gu An’s lips unconsciously curled into a smile.

…

In a courtyard, Zuo Yijian, with his head full of white hair, sat under a tree, holding a leaf between his fingers, his brow furrowed.

Compared to the him who had successfully undergone the tribulation years ago, he looked much older now, lacking the sharpness of a Nascent Soul master.

Zuo Lin walked into the courtyard, and upon seeing his father under the tree, he immediately strode over and snatched the leaf from Zuo Yijian’s hand.

“Father, how much longer are you going to wallow in defeat?”

Zuo Lin angrily demanded, tossing the leaf to the ground and stomping on it.

Zuo Yijian glanced at him, his gaze as calm as still water. “I am not wallowing in defeat.”

“You’ve been staring at that leaf for how long now? How long has it been since you gathered energy or refined your sword intent?”

Zuo Lin’s voice was filled with frustration and anger. Thinking of all the humiliation he had endured over the past few years, his fury boiled to the surface, barely restrained.

Zuo Yijian bent down to pick up the leaf and asked, “Then when you sat there with your sword for days on end, deep in thought, without gathering energy, what was that for? Holding a sword, does that make you more diligent than me holding a leaf?”

“I…”

Zuo Lin was momentarily speechless, his face flushing red with embarrassment. Gritting his teeth, he retorted, “A sword is a sword, a leaf is a leaf. I couldn’t comprehend the sword’s path, so I was stuck. But you, are you trying to comprehend the path of the leaf?”

“But the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal defeated me with just a single leaf. Do you think that leaf doesn’t count as a sword?”

“That’s different…”

“The true path of the sword has never been confined to just one sword.”

Zuo Yijian spoke softly, his gaze once again focusing on the leaf in his hand, becoming distant and contemplative.

Zuo Lin cursed inwardly and reached into his storage pouch, pulling out a book. “Father, take a look at this book—it’s called Investiture of the Gods. Over the past two years, it’s spread throughout the cultivation world. Many sects are passing it around, and some say it contains records of ancient battles between cultivators.”

Zuo Yijian remained unmoved.

Zuo Lin placed Investiture of the Gods at his feet, then turned and left the courtyard.

As soon as he stepped outside, he couldn’t resist pulling out another copy of Investiture of the Gods from his storage pouch.

Zuo Yijian sat there, lost in thought.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally blinked and glanced down at the book on the ground.

…

By autumn, Xuan Valley was covered in a golden hue.

In the pavilion, Gu An sat across from Li Ya, drinking tea as Li Ya rambled on, holding a book in his hands.

It was Investiture of the Gods.

“For the past two years, Tai Xuan Sect has been in the spotlight. First, there’s the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal, who defeated the Nascent Soul master Zuo Yijian with a single leaf, making a name for himself throughout the cultivation world. And then there’s this Investiture of the Gods. The stories of ancient cultivation in this book are so grand, with such incredible techniques, that all the sects are discussing it. Some people are even saying that it might be a real account of the ancient past…”

Listening to Li Ya praise Investiture of the Gods, Gu An furrowed his brow.

Is it really that popular?

But I’m not earning that much profit from it…

Is the library taking a cut, or are other sects reading pirated versions?

Then again, it makes sense—since when did the cultivation world care about copyright?

Li Ya continued to speak enthusiastically. “I wonder who this Pan An really is. He’s clearly a genius. I’d love to meet him one day. Even the Inner Sect disciples and direct disciples are reading this book.”

Gu An asked curiously, “Is it really that amazing? I’ll have to take a look to see if it compares to The Adventures of Green Hero.”

“The Adventures of Green Hero can’t even compare!” Li Ya scoffed dismissively.

Gu An simply smiled.

Li Ya set the book aside, downed his tea in one gulp, and then said, “I’m leaving soon to go on a training journey. It might take me ten years before I return.”

For him, ten years wasn’t long, but for Gu An, it was different, so Li Ya made sure to tell him beforehand.

Gu An wasn’t surprised. No cultivator spends their entire life holed up in a sect. Sooner or later, they have to go out into the world, seek opportunities, and cultivate their hearts.

“Do you have a goal?” Gu An asked casually.

Li Ya smiled and replied, “Indeed, I do. In the southernmost region of Ji Prefecture, a great cultivator of the Divine Transformation Realm is approaching his end. Before he passes, he intends to choose a successor. This cultivator is a swordmaster, so I’m going to try my luck.”

“Divine Transformation? What realm is that? How many levels above Nascent Soul?” Gu An asked, pretending to be curious.

Li Ya laughed. “The Divine Transformation Realm is just above Nascent Soul. If it were several levels higher, he wouldn’t be in Tai Cang anymore. After all, Tai Cang isn’t the only empire on this land. It’s said that beyond the seas, there are even vaster worlds, but without reaching Nascent Soul, it’s difficult to cross over.”

Standing up, Li Ya smiled confidently and said, “Gu An, when I return, I’ll be the successor to a Divine Transformation master. By then, if you call me Senior Brother, maybe I’ll even show you some Divine Transformation techniques.”

With that, he stepped to the window, leapt out, and flew off on his sword.

Gu An glanced at the footprints on the windowsill, raising an eyebrow.

Divine Transformation, huh?

I have to reach that level before Li Ya returns!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep