Gu An placed the bronze fragment into his storage pouch and asked, “Are Ji family’s top ten divine abilities that powerful? Even a genius from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion like you seems envious.”

Jiang Qiong’s gaze shifted toward the wooden cabinet beside her as she softly replied, “They are very powerful, but not everyone can master them. In the Ji family, anyone who manages to cultivate even one divine ability, regardless of their status, will receive special attention and be moved into the Ji family’s main branch.”

“In the Tai Cang Dynasty, no sect, even combined, can truly overthrow the Tai Xuan Sect, and the same goes for the noble families. The disparity is too vast. Three great clans stand above the royal family, and one of them is the Ji family.”

Hearing her words, Gu An began to suspect that Thousand Autumn Pavilion might have spies within the Ji family as well.

It’s no surprise—it’s the demonic path after all!

Gu An followed up on her comment and asked, “Who are the other two great clans?”

“The Zhou and Gu families.”

“Why not the Li family?”

“Heh, the Li family is merely a puppet,” Jiang Qiong replied with a tone of disdain, showing her lack of respect for the Li family, which gave Gu An a new perspective on the Tai Cang Dynasty.

The royal family isn’t even the strongest?

Makes sense—Li Xuandao’s lifespan is impressive, but it’s nothing compared to Ji Xiaoyu’s.

Ji Xiaoyu was by far the most talented person Gu An had encountered, and Gu Zong was likely from the Gu family, given his Void Crossing cultivation level, which spoke volumes about the depth of the Gu family’s strength.

As for the Zhou family, Gu An hadn’t come across them yet.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gu An continued to ask Jiang Qiong about the wider cultivation world, and she answered his questions one by one.

After the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Jiang Qiong became impatient.

“Why do you have so many questions? Hurry up and find me a place to stay!” Jiang Qiong glared at him.

It was the first time Gu An heard her refer to herself as “old lady,” which indicated that her injuries must be worse than she let on.

Without hesitation, Gu An led Jiang Qiong downstairs and personally arranged a place for her to stay.

Once she settled in, Jiang Qiong immediately began to heal her wounds, not stepping out of her room again.

Not long after, Zhen Qin approached Gu An, curious about Jiang Qiong’s identity.

Gu An merely told her that Jiang Qiong was an inner sect disciple, which was enough to intimidate Zhen Qin. Soon after, the news that an inner sect disciple was staying in Xuan Valley spread quickly among all the disciples, and it was rumored that this inner disciple was also very beautiful.

Late that night, Gu An entered the Eight Views Heavenly Cave alone, where he buried the bronze fragment in the ground.

He planned to examine the Ji family’s Divine Ability Treasure only after Jiang Qiong had left.

…

Autumn passed, and winter arrived with snowflakes gradually drifting down from the sky.

After nearly a month of resting in Xuan Valley, Jiang Qiong bid farewell to Gu An. He watched as she flew off on her sword, heading in the opposite direction of the inner sect, likely leaving Tai Xuan Sect entirely.

Gu An glanced toward Zhen Qin’s room and could sense that she was cultivating some special technique—something that Jiang Qiong had passed on to her.

Before leaving, Jiang Qiong had explained that Zhen Qin had persistently begged her for guidance.

After watching for a while, Gu An headed into the forest to check on the demon sheep wandering through the woods.

The demonic presence should have dispersed by now, and he could finally resume his peaceful farming life.

Despite reaching the ninth layer of Void Crossing, Gu An didn’t allow himself to become complacent. He felt it wasn’t enough and was already looking forward to unlocking new system features at a million years of lifespan, hoping for something powerful.

In the days that followed, Gu An would occasionally leave the valley to manage the outer disciples’ caves and purchase seeds of high-grade spirit herbs.

The winter snow grew heavier, covering the world in a blanket of white.

One night, Gu An quietly returned to the Eight Views Heavenly Cave.

He dug up the bronze fragment from the ground and brought it under the Cang Vine Tree. Sitting cross-legged, he began his work while Sky Dragon, the dragon, sidled up to him and started nudging him.

Gu An noticed that Sky Dragon’s body had begun to widen, which wasn’t a good sign.

He scolded the dragon, warning it not to overeat. After all, he didn’t want to raise a fat dragon.

After playing around with Sky Dragon for a bit, Gu An finally turned his attention to the bronze fragment, using his divine sense to break the seal on it.

Jiang Qiong hadn’t lied—the fragment was protected by a powerful restriction that only someone at Void Crossing could forcibly break.

Gu An had already decided that if the Divine Ability Treasure could only be passed down to one person, he would learn it first and then pass it on to Jiang Qiong later. If it could be used multiple times, he would simply pretend he hadn’t touched it.

Boom!

With the strength of his divine sense at the ninth layer of Void Crossing, the restriction on the bronze fragment lasted only a moment before it was forcefully shattered. A flood of complex and chaotic memories surged into his mind.

The information was jumbled and overwhelming, but Gu An’s powerful divine sense enabled him to start organizing it. It seemed that breaking the restriction was only the first test—organizing the information was part of the trial as well.

Fortunately, Gu An’s divine sense was strong enough to identify the connections within the data, and after a short while, everything became clear.

The divine ability was called Heavenly Dao Qi.

…

Winter’s snow blanketed the world, and this year’s snowfall was much heavier than usual. Gu An had to lead the disciples in clearing the snow.

Unless it was urgent, they avoided using spiritual power. As Gu An often said, even mundane tasks like this could be a form of cultivation.

The snow fell like rain for half a day before it finally began to ease up.

Standing by the wooden fence, Gu An observed the herbs he had planted. Not a single one had been damaged, bringing a smile to his face.

After watching for a while, his attention shifted to the entrance of the valley, where he saw a man wearing a conical rain hat and a straw raincoat approaching. The man carried a long spear wrapped in cloth on his back.

【Luo Hun (Core Formation Stage, 8th Layer): 66/400/2803】

A lifespan of 2,800 years!

Impressive!

Gu An immediately walked over to him, greeting Luo Hun with a polite fist salute. Just as he was about to speak, the man beat him to it.

“Who is the Valley Master, Gu An?” Luo Hun’s voice was youthful yet filled with strength.

“I am,” Gu An replied. “And you are?”

Luo Hun lifted his head, revealing a handsome face beneath the rain hat. However, his left cheek bore a brand in the shape of the word “prisoner.”

“His Majesty sent me. You have an hour to prepare, then you’ll come with me,” Luo Hun said flatly, brushing past Gu An as he walked deeper into the valley.

Gu An’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Finally!

It was time to see the medicine valley Li Xuandao had prepared for him.

Without delay, Gu An sought out Wuxin. Wuxin had now taken on the role of chief disciple in Xuan Valley, overseeing all its affairs.

The position of chief disciple didn’t necessarily mean being the Valley Master’s direct apprentice, just as the chief disciple of Tai Xuan Sect wasn’t always the sect leader’s student.

Hearing that Gu An would be away for a while, Wuxin was thrilled. Gu An, however, gave him plenty of reminders, particularly about the herbs, insisting that no one harvest them until he returned to do it himself.

Wuxin, knowing his senior brother’s fondness for picking herbs, promised not to touch a single plant without permission.

Meanwhile, Luo Hun approached Ye Yan, who was practicing his family’s staff techniques with a long wooden pole.

Seeing Luo Hun approach, Ye Yan immediately stopped and looked at him nervously.

Luo Hun pulled a manual from his coat and tossed it to him. “You’ve got good bones. Give this a try.”

Ye Yan caught the manual and said, “But I only have mixed spiritual roots…”

“Spiritual roots only determine how efficiently one can absorb spiritual energy. But your physical aptitude is excellent, far better than average. You’re a good candidate for spear training. Once you master it, you can enlist in the army at Cangzhou, earn military merits, and trade them for treasures to cleanse your roots and change your fate.”

Luo Hun’s words excited Ye Yan, and he immediately bowed in thanks.

Luo Hun nodded slightly and continued to explore the medicine valley, inspecting the herbs that were being grown.

After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Gu An found him and said he was ready to go.

Luo Hun reached back and unwrapped the long spear on his back. A gleaming golden spear appeared in his hand, drawing the attention of all the valley disciples.

What a show-off!

Gu An inwardly scoffed.

Luo Hun leapt into the air, standing atop the spear. Glancing down at Gu An, he said, “Hop on.”

Without hesitation, Gu An jumped up and landed behind him, balancing on the spear’s shaft.

With a surge of spiritual energy, the spear soared into the sky, carrying them over the snowy mountains, leaving a long trail across the sky.

The valley disciples gathered together, curiously discussing Luo Hun’s identity.

In the freezing wind, Gu An’s black hair was whipped back, revealing his clean, handsome face.

“Not bad. Your control over your spiritual power is precise—you’re standing very steadily.”

Luo Hun’s voice carried over the wind as he spoke with a hint of approval.

Gu An casually replied, “I’ve always enjoyed sword control techniques, so I’ve practiced a lot.”

“Though your cultivation is low, the fact that His Majesty values you means you must have something special. Once we reach the medicine valley, do your best. I’ll protect the valley’s safety…” Luo Hun began explaining the situation regarding the medicine valley, and Gu An listened attentively.

According to Luo Hun, the medicine valley was of great importance to His Majesty. The Emperor planned to cultivate a group of talented individuals there for future use. If Gu An performed well, he would be rewarded with a portion of the rare herbs.

Gu An could tell that Luo Hun had a deep respect for Li Xuandao, which made him curious about the prisoner brand on Luo Hun’s face.

Li Xuandao’s medicine valley was called Tianya Valley. Although it was near Tai Xuan Sect, it was thousands of miles away from Xuan Valley, located in a mountainous region teeming with ferocious beasts.

Gu An suggested building a teleportation formation in Tianya Valley to connect it with Xuan Valley, but Luo Hun dismissed the idea, saying that Tianya Valley’s existence had to remain secret from Tai Xuan Sect.

That made Gu An want to laugh.

You’ve set it right near Tai Xuan Sect, and you still want to keep it hidden?

Still, he thought about the Eight Views Heavenly Cave and figured that Li Xuandao might have set up high-level formations around the valley.

To accommodate Gu An, Luo Hun flew at a moderate speed. As night fell, they were still flying.

Gu An noticed that the forest below was filled with demonic energy, and some creatures were as strong as Core Formation cultivators.

Sure enough!

A third-rank demonic bird suddenly swooped down from behind them, but Luo Hun casually punched out. His spiritual power formed a golden spear shadow that tore the bird apart and captured its demon core in one swift motion.

After that, no other creatures dared to approach them.

It wasn’t until dawn the next day that Gu An finally saw Tianya Valley.

The mountains and rivers ahead were shrouded in a blanket of white snow, and in the distance, he saw a swirling snowstorm among the peaks, where white cranes circled in the sunlight, creating a scene of otherworldly beauty.

Gu An’s expression turned odd as he looked past the snow and saw Tianya Valley.

Nestled between the mountains, Tianya Valley was indeed twice the size of Xuan Valley, and stone tablets were placed on the surrounding peaks, clearly part of an array formation that had yet to be activated.

The problem was that the valley was overrun with weeds—completely untouched!

In other words, he’d have to clear the land first!

Gu An couldn’t help but ask, “Are we the only two in Tianya Valley for now?”

Luo Hun stared ahead as they descended and replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll capture a few beasts nearby to help you. No one can be recruited here until His Majesty sends people.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep