Chapter 74: Breaking Through to the Ninth Level of the Integration Stage

Passing down swordsmanship?

Gu An instinctively rejected the idea. He already mastered techniques like the Taicang Frightening God Sword and Wood Spirit Sword Technique, not to mention the Hatred Heaven Divine Sword stored in his system. There was no need to waste time and lifespan learning more.

After all, he could upgrade his techniques through lifespan simulation. Why bother learning so many at once?

Feigning hesitation, Gu An said, “Senior, I’m not interested in swordsmanship. To be honest, I’m not even interested in combat techniques. I barely cultivate—I prefer tending to flowers and plants.”

Han Ming was momentarily stunned before frowning.

Gu An quickly explained with mock nervousness, “Senior, I mean no disrespect. You can ask around—every disciple in this valley knows my nature. My spiritual roots are mediocre, so rather than chasing the fleeting dream of immortality, I’d rather enjoy my brief two hundred years in peace.”

Han Ming studied him in silence.

What am I supposed to do—beg him not to teach me?

After a long pause, Han Ming sighed. “Now I understand why you can easily comprehend the Dao. Your mindset surpasses most cultivators. By letting go of obsessions and experiencing the myriad aspects of life, you may indeed be better attuned to the truths of heaven and earth.”

The two continued discussing Dao comprehension, but Han Ming no longer pressed to pass down his swordsmanship.

They spoke for an entire day and night before Han Ming departed.

He planned to explore the Taixuan Sect to find a suitable heir.

Gu An recommended someone: Zuo Lin.

Coincidentally, Han Ming already knew Zuo Yijian and agreed to evaluate Zuo Lin.

After Han Ming left, Gu An resumed his patrol of the Third Medicine Valley.

Elder Tian joined him, curiosity evident as he asked, “Valley Master, that cultivator earlier seemed extraordinary, yet his attire clearly indicated he’s from the Da Yu Dynasty. Why was he looking for you?”

“He wanted to take me as his disciple and teach me swordsmanship,” Gu An replied casually.

“And you agreed?”

“Of course not. If I agreed, wouldn’t that be betraying the Taixuan Sect? I may lack talent, but my heart remains loyal to the sect,” Gu An said lightly. �

The more casual his tone, the more sincere Elder Tian found him.

Elder Tian didn’t think Gu An was pretending. Having observed him for years, Elder Tian noted that Gu An approached his duties—whether working with disciples or tending to the valley—with earnestness. Aside from his disinterest in cultivation, Gu An had no apparent flaws.

Elder Tian accompanied Gu An on his patrol, inspecting the medicinal herbs along the way. Their conversation meandered, and Gu An took the opportunity to ask Elder Tian about his thoughts on the master-disciple relationship.

Having lived over seven hundred years, Elder Tian’s life experience intrigued Gu An, even if he didn’t necessarily plan to follow his advice. Listening, after all, couldn’t hurt.

Meanwhile, news of Han Ming, the Sword Maniac of the Da Yu Dynasty, challenging the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path spread quickly throughout the Taixuan Sect’s cities.

The moment anyone heard about it, anticipation grew.

Han Ming was a legendary swordsman, while the Sword Sovereign was the most renowned cultivator in the Taixuan Sect. Who wouldn’t want to witness their duel?

Taixuan Sect disciples were particularly eager to see the Sword Sovereign in action, longing to behold their idol’s brilliance firsthand.

Half a month later, Gu An visited Horizon Valley and overheard Luo Hun and Yi Liuyun discussing the duel.

This made Gu An start to waver.

Initially, he had no intention of responding to the challenge. After all, the Taixuan Sect was teeming with experts—surely they wouldn’t let Han Ming desecrate the Heavenly Mending Platform.

But now that the matter had blown up, ignoring it would sully his reputation.

No way. I need to speed up my cultivation!

Han Ming was a genius capable of slaying enemies across cultivation levels. With his mere first level of the Integration Stage, Gu An couldn’t afford to underestimate him.

I have to reach the ninth level of the Integration Stage in advance!

Gu An decided he rather liked Han Ming and wanted to give him a glorious defeat. Who knew—perhaps Han Ming would gain new enlightenment from his loss.

Late at night, Gu An flitted through the forest, moving a hundred miles with each step, quickly distancing himself from the Taixuan Sect. He was using the Infinite Trace Celestial Step.

He felt guilty about constantly drawing on the sect’s spiritual energy, so this time, he chose an uninhabited area for his breakthrough.

Tonight, he planned to push straight to the ninth level of the Integration Stage!

Ah, life was unpredictable. There was always something interrupting Gu An’s plans and breaking his rhythm of becoming stronger.

After traveling nearly 20,000 miles, Gu An finally stopped in a secluded mountain region where the forests were thick with dense demonic and ghostly energy.

Sitting beneath a tree, he activated the Lifespan Barrier and began cultivating.

No more traveling! Who knows where I might end up otherwise?

Gu An invested 1,000 years of his lifespan, successfully advancing to the second level of the Integration Stage. The earth’s spiritual energy surged toward him in torrents.

He continued pouring lifespan into his cultivation: another 1,000 years, then another, and so on.

By the time he reached the ninth level of the Integration Stage, Gu An had spent a total of 18,000 years of lifespan. Advancing past the fifth level required 3,000 years per level, due to the spiritual energy density in the area.

Not bad, he thought. After all, breaking through from the ninth level of the Void Transformation Stage to the first level of the Integration Stage had already cost him over 12,000 years.

Seeing that he still had over 200,000 years of lifespan left, Gu An felt a wave of satisfaction, savoring the progress he had made.

The forest quaked violently, and strong winds howled from all directions. Beneath him, the ground rippled with green energy waves.

“Roooar—!”

A deafening roar shattered the stillness from the distance, the cry of a powerful demonic beast.

Gu An’s heart skipped a beat. The aura emanating from the beast was no less than that of a Transformation Stage cultivator. It was shocking to find such a terrifying creature lurking in the area.

Good thing I didn’t venture this far during the earlier stages of my breakthrough. What a lousy way to go it would be—eaten by a demon beast.

More roars followed, one after another, their cries blending into a cacophony that seemed to shake the heavens.

Dark clouds churned in the night sky, obscuring the stars and moon. Gu An couldn’t tell if it was cloud cover or demonic energy.

For a moment, it felt as though he were trapped in a demonic domain, surrounded by cries, wails, and howls from all directions. The sheer horror sent chills down his spine.

In front of him, the forest swayed violently as if about to be uprooted.

In the darkness beyond the forest, a massive mountain began to move. With his keen eyesight, Gu An discerned the silhouette of a colossal demon beast, at least 300 feet tall, with the form of a turtle carrying a mountain on its back.

As it moved, clouds of dust filled the air. Around its mountain-sized body, countless wandering spirits and ghostly figures hovered, like an escorting army.

No wonder the Taicang Empire, despite its cultivators, could never rid the land of all demons and ghosts.

On his journey, Gu An’s divine sense had picked up the voices of rural villagers, confirming he was still within the Taicang Empire’s borders.

The Taicang Empire was vast—larger, Gu An estimated, than Earth from his previous life. With such a massive expanse of land, it was no wonder it harbored countless demons and spirits.

The other eight dynasties were likely not much smaller than the Taicang Empire. Yet, according to Shen Zhen, the combined lands of the nine dynasties occupied only a corner of the entire continent.

This world is unbelievably vast!

The endless surge of spiritual energy from the land poured into Gu An’s body, driving his cultivation forward.

No wonder advancing from the first to the ninth level of the Integration Stage required 18,000 years of lifespan. The spiritual energy required was astronomical.

Gu An suspected the disturbance caused by his breakthrough could affect a radius of tens of thousands of miles, possibly even reaching the Taixuan Sect.

If the Integration Stage demanded this much, how much more would be required to ascend to higher realms? Would it shake the entire empire?

The sheer volume of spiritual energy compressed into such a short time was immense. As this region’s energy was exhausted, it began drawing from neighboring areas. After all, even the heavens and earth needed time to replenish spiritual energy.

Never mind that!

Breakthroughs come first! No one can stop me from becoming stronger!

Gu An closed his eyes and ignored the chaos around him.

In a spacious mountain cave, the flickering flames of a large fire cast long shadows on the walls.

A giant iron cauldron, at least ten feet in diameter, sat over the blaze, its contents boiling, with white bones rising and falling in the bubbling broth.

Nearby, two human children—a boy and a girl, about twelve or thirteen years old—were bound against the rocky walls.

The boy was grinding the rope on his wrists against a protruding stone, his movements quick and desperate despite his bloodied hands. His wrist bones were faintly visible, but he showed no sign of stopping.

The girl knelt nearby, trembling as she anxiously watched the cave entrance, fear written across her face.

The cave trembled violently as terrifying winds blew in from outside, carrying the cries of countless demons. The sheer horror turned their lips white, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Finally, the boy managed to snap the rope binding his wrists. He quickly removed the ropes around his body and tried to free the girl.

But her bindings were too tight, and his strength was insufficient to undo them.

“Guhrr—!”

A low, guttural croak, like that of a giant toad, echoed from the cave entrance, freezing the boy in place. Despair filled his eyes.

He looked toward the bend in the cave tunnel. On the walls, the shadow of a massive, bloated figure began to appear.

The children’s faces turned pale as death.

Suddenly—!

The bloated shadow at the cave entrance suddenly vanished, as though something had yanked it away in an instant.

Moments later, a sharp, crisp chewing sound came from outside. The boy leaned against the wall, quickly covering his mouth to stifle any noise. The bound girl shut her eyes tightly, too terrified to even glance at the entrance.

The dense earth spiritual energy that surged downward caused the demons in the area to scatter in panic. It was destined to be a restless night.

Two hours later, Gu An’s cultivation had reached the sixth level of the Integration Stage. Based on his estimation, it would take until sunrise to reach the ninth level.

Despite his spiritual energy absorption speed increased severa lfold compared to previous breakthroughs, the overall time required had lengthened.

Unlike ordinary Integration Stage cultivators, who slowly accumulated energy over decades or centuries, Gu An was devouring the spiritual energy needed for hundreds or even thousands of years of cultivation in mere hours.

Patience was key, so he waited.

Time flew by, and dawn arrived. The first ray of sunlight pierced the sky, but the heavens were still thick with demonic clouds. The surrounding forest was shrouded in a mist-like demonic aura, rolling like waves.

Seated under a tree, Gu An suddenly opened his eyes.

Integration Stage, ninth level—complete!

Reaching this level, he could clearly feel a tremendous enhancement in his divine sense and physical perception. It was as if his heart was condensing spiritual energy, hinting at the growth of something extraordinary within.

His absorption of the earth’s spiritual energy began to slow down, signaling that he was nearing the limits of this breakthrough. Gu An could distinctly feel his strength had increased exponentially—he was now a hundred times stronger than before.

The gap between the first and ninth levels of the Integration Stage was immense. Gu An couldn’t imagine any first-level cultivator crossing realms to defeat him now.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when a cold sweat broke out on his back.

I almost ruined my Dao Heart!

He shook his head, realizing the danger of such complacency. Many of those killed by cultivators of lower realms likely harbored this same overconfidence.

Gu An steeled himself, vowing never to underestimate anyone.

Prepare for the possibility of being overpowered at any moment. Only then can you truly give it your all.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep