Both Meng Lang and Zhang Chunqiu were also surprised by Li Ya's choice, but they said nothing.
Cheng Xuandan gave Li Ya an approving look, nodding slightly. "Not bad. You have good judgment, and you’re not impulsive."
With a wave of his right hand toward the nearby table, three cultivation manuals appeared. He gave Zhang Chunqiu a meaningful glance, and Zhang Chunqiu immediately began distributing the manuals.
Throughout the whole process, Gu An didn’t even have a chance to speak.
Well, it seemed he had been left out.
However, Gu An was naturally optimistic and didn’t feel discouraged.
Today, you might be indifferent to me, but sixteen years from now, I’ll light incense in your honor without holding any grudges!
Gu An took the manual titled Nurturing Qi Art, pretending to be happy.
"Recently, demons have infiltrated the Tai Xuan Sect. The Medicine Valley is located on the outskirts of the sect. Though disciples patrol the area, it still poses some danger. Do not leave the valley under any circumstances. Now, you may leave," Cheng Xuandan advised, waving his hand dismissively. Gu An and the others immediately bowed and took their leave.
Gu An, walking behind the others, gently closed the door as they exited.
Cheng Xuandan nodded slightly. "That young man, Li Ya, is no ordinary person. It seems he has practiced some method to conceal his cultivation. His essence and spirit are no weaker than yours. Pay more attention to him in the future. Also, since he comes from the royal family, don’t be too harsh on him."
Zhang Chunqiu nodded, pondering for a moment before saying, "Master, Gu An is the most diligent, and given his poor aptitude, he will likely stay in the Medicine Valley for a long time..."
Cheng Xuandan replied calmly, "Yes, take good care of him. He’s in your hands now."
Zhang Chunqiu smiled and bowed in gratitude.
Meanwhile, Gu An and the others returned to their courtyard, with Meng Lang excitedly talking about the demon threat the entire way, showing no fear but rather enthusiasm.
Li Ya suddenly stopped and looked at Gu An, saying, "The Nurturing Qi Art isn’t bad. It can conceal your aura and extend your lifespan. I already have a technique, so I didn’t need it. For someone like you, the Nurturing Qi Art is actually the better choice."
Gu An smiled and said, "Thank you for the advice, Brother Li. I expect to spend my whole life in the Medicine Valley. The Herb Compendium wouldn’t have much value for me. I can learn about herbs by following Senior Brother anyway."
Li Ya nodded in approval, clearly pleased that Gu An was so receptive to his suggestion.
The three didn’t talk much further and quickly went back to their respective rooms.
The daily work in the Medicine Valley wasn’t demanding, so they had plenty of time to cultivate.
Gu An sat on his bed and began reading the Nurturing Qi Art.
Initially, he wasn’t interested in the technique, but after hearing that it could conceal his aura and extend his lifespan, he became intrigued and decided to give it a try, along with testing his lifespan evolution ability.
During the past year, he had attempted to practice the Spring Wood Technique that Zhang Chunqiu had given him but had made no progress. After half a month of fruitless effort, he gave up.
For him, instead of boring cultivation, it was more enjoyable to spend time in the library of the Medicine Valley, reading books on herbs and various travel journals to broaden his knowledge.
Day by day passed.
Apart from checking on the medicinal herbs daily, Gu An spent most of his time cultivating in his room.
After fifteen days of training, the words Nurturing Qi Art finally appeared on his attribute panel, though it was still marked as incomplete.
Gu An looked at his attribute panel with anticipation.
This would be his first time using the lifespan evolution ability, and he was nervous. He didn’t know how many years of lifespan it would take to fully cultivate the Nurturing Qi Art.
Even though his lifespan had surpassed a thousand years, if it required decades or even centuries, it would still make him feel the loss.
Gu An stared at the Nurturing Qi Art on his attribute panel and silently chose to invest lifespan into its evolution.
[Please input the amount of lifespan you wish to invest.]
Seeing this prompt, Gu An made his decision without hesitation. Instantly, two lines of text appeared before him.
[You have invested one year of lifespan into the evolution of 'Nurturing Qi Art.']
[After a year of cultivation, due to your mediocre aptitude and comprehension, your cultivation showed no progress, but your energy and vitality improved.]
Gu An suddenly felt a sense of comfort wash over him, but the sensation faded just as quickly as it had come.
Not only that, but his senses had also become sharper. He could hear the breathing of Meng Lang and Li Ya, and even the distant conversation between Zhang Chunqiu and Cheng Xuandan.
"The demon has already killed thirteen disciples, most of whom were menial disciples from various medicine valleys. Master, I’m afraid that with just the two of us, we won’t be able to protect everyone."
"Don’t worry. I’ve already requested a sect mission. The sect will send a Foundation Establishment disciple to guard our Medicine Valley."
"That’s great! I noticed some strange spiritual fluctuations in the valley this afternoon, and for a moment, I thought the demon was coming. To be honest, I was too scared to leave the house."
"Ah, you grew up under my care and have never ventured out. It’s understandable that you’d be timid..."
Hearing their conversation, cold sweat dripped down Gu An’s back.
He had been too careless!
From now on, he couldn’t recklessly evolve techniques.
Fortunately, Zhang Chunqiu’s cultivation was low, or he might have noticed what Gu An was doing.
Gu An eavesdropped a bit longer, confirming that neither Cheng Xuandan nor Zhang Chunqiu had mentioned him. Only then did he relax.
He continued to feel the changes in his body. Following the method of the Dragon Force Divine Essence Art, he suppressed his aura to the lowest level, containing his blood vitality within himself. On the outside, he looked no different from before—still appearing weak and fragile.
An hour later, Gu An opened his eyes and checked his attribute panel.
[Name: Gu An]
[Lifespan: 16/402]
[Spiritual Root: Improved Five-Element Spiritual Root (Can be evolved with lifespan)]
[Cultivation: Unranked (Can be evolved with lifespan)]
[Techniques: Fire Control Art (Unmastered), Spring Wood Technique (Unmastered), Dragon Force Divine Essence Art (Mastered) (Can be evolved with lifespan)]
The Dragon Force Divine Essence Art was marked as "Mastered"!
Gu An was thoroughly satisfied, though he regretted that the Dragon Force Divine Essence Art was a body-strengthening technique that didn’t cultivate spiritual energy. As a result, his cultivation realm remained unranked.
Even without a ranked cultivation, Gu An believed he could easily sweep through anyone at the Qi Refining Stage.
Now all he had to do was wait for his lifespan to increase.
The Dragon Force Divine Essence Art had reached its peak, and the energy within his body would naturally help extend his lifespan. However, it was hard to say how fast this increase would be.
That night, Gu An couldn’t sleep.
But by the time morning came, even after checking his attribute panel repeatedly, he still hadn’t seen any increase in his lifespan. He could only console himself with the thought that no technique could possibly increase lifespan by a whole year in just one day.
Yes!
The heavens favor those who spend their lifespan wisely. Eventually, surprises will come!
Gu An washed up quickly and left his room, intending to stroll around the garden to calm his mind by looking at the medicinal herbs.
By coincidence, as soon as he arrived at the garden, his eyes locked onto a familiar figure—a white-furred mouse.
It was the same mouse that had been gnawing on the Spiritual Heart Grass before!
Gu An looked around to confirm that no one else in the Medicine Valley had left their rooms. Then he quietly approached the white-furred mouse.
The mouse had its back to him, about ten zhang away, unaware of his approach.
When Gu An was just seven steps away, he suddenly shot forward like an arrow, swiftly closing the distance and grabbing the white-furred mouse with his right hand.
The mouse was terrified and immediately raised its tiny paws in a gesture of surrender.
"You dare steal my lifespan? Hmph, you’re finished!" Gu An chuckled triumphantly. As he caught the mouse, he watched the slow, deliberate motion of its attempt to turn around.
Too slow!