Gu An didn’t immediately invest lifespan into his cultivation for fear that it would cause too much commotion, as it had when he practiced the Dragon Force Divine Essence Art.
"I’ll wait until tonight!" he thought.
By then, even if there was a disturbance, Cheng Xuandan and Zhang Chunqiu would probably be too scared to leave their rooms.
Night fell quickly.
Gu An waited until Meng Lang had gone to rest before pulling up his attribute panel.
He focused on the Spring Essence Art and decided to invest a thousand years of lifespan into its evolution.
"Please, heaven, don’t let this thousand-year investment go to waste!" Gu An prayed, rubbing the White Spirit Mouse for good luck.
[You have invested 1000 years of lifespan into evolving the Spring Essence Art]
[You have practiced the Spring Essence Art for one year, but due to your average aptitude and understanding, your progress is minimal.]
[You have practiced the Spring Essence Art for ten years, and your understanding has reached a new level.]
[You have practiced the Spring Essence Art for one hundred years, gaining deeper insights into the earth and forests.]
[You have practiced the Spring Essence Art for two hundred years, and it has evolved into the Verdant Wood Spring Growth Technique.]
[You have practiced the Verdant Wood Spring Growth Technique for five hundred years, reaching mastery and improving your wood spiritual root.]
[You have practiced the Verdant Wood Spring Growth Technique for eight hundred years, gaining a profound understanding of nature. Your technique has evolved into the Divine Wood Pure Yang Technique.]
[You have practiced the Divine Wood Pure Yang Technique for one thousand years, reaching mastery and further enhancing your wood spiritual root.]
As line after line of messages appeared before Gu An, he caught a few key phrases that instantly filled him with joy. A flood of new memories then surged into his mind.
Immersed in the inheritance of knowledge, Gu An’s entire body began to radiate green light, and wisps of verdant spiritual energy rose from the ground in his room.
Meanwhile...
In his own room, Zhang Chunqiu, who had been meditating, opened his eyes. He looked toward his window as a sudden gust of wind caused it to rattle.
Quickly, he rose and peeked outside. After just a glance, he slammed the window shut.
He hurried to the table, blew out the oil lamp, and hid under his blanket.
"No, I need to leave this place soon. This Medicine Valley is getting more and more eerie..."
Meng Lang was also startled. He curled up under his blanket, trembling, while Xiao Chuan, exhausted from the day, snored loudly, dead to the world.
Cheng Xuandan, seated before his alchemy furnace, sensed the disturbance outside. He glanced at the night sky through the window, his deep eyes showing neither fear nor curiosity, but a calm as still as a deep well.
...
After a long while, Gu An finally regained consciousness. When he opened his eyes, everything around him felt different.
He could clearly sense the wood attribute spiritual energy in the air and even the vitality of the plants and trees. The sensation was wonderful.
With a thought, the earlier notifications reappeared before his eyes. Seeing that his wood spiritual root had improved, Gu An was overjoyed.
"So, cultivating techniques can improve spiritual roots! No need to recklessly waste lifespan on improving my roots, especially since that feels like a bottomless pit!"
He had only tried enhancing his roots once, but it had already left him with a psychological scar.
He tried circulating the Divine Wood Pure Yang Technique, and unlike before, he could now easily absorb the wood element spiritual energy in the surroundings. Once absorbed, the energy flowed smoothly into his dantian and transformed into wood attribute spiritual power.
The entire process was smooth and effortless!
Just a single breath brought him more progress than half a year’s worth of previous cultivation!
Gu An couldn’t help but feel as though he was dreaming, suddenly feeling like a true genius.
With this, there was no rush to increase his cultivation level.
"When my lifespan broke past a thousand years, I unlocked the ability to detect lifespan. Perhaps when I reach ten thousand years, I’ll unlock a new ability!"
Besides, with his current cultivation speed, he felt he could rely on his own efforts to raise his level.
"Why not plant more herbs on these mountains?"
The reason Cheng Xuandan hadn’t expanded the valley could be because he didn’t find it worthwhile. After all, he was just a laborer for the Tai Xuan Sect.
But for Gu An, it was different. He didn’t care about earning more resources. He was only interested in harvesting the lifespan from the herbs.
The more Gu An thought about it, the more excited he became. He started kicking and stretching his legs in place.
He practiced the leg techniques from the Remnant Wind Kick, his movements swift and fierce, generating gusts of wind with every strike.
Before long, Meng Lang stepped out of the neighboring house and caught sight of Gu An practicing. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Nineteen-year-old Gu An had grown taller and stronger, and with each kick, his legs whipped through the air like a lash. Though his feet remained rooted, the gusts of wind hit Meng Lang’s face, leaving him stunned.
Meng Lang rubbed his eyes, thinking he must have made a mistake.
When did Gu An become this powerful?
Sensing Meng Lang’s gaze, Gu An withdrew his legs and turned to face him with a smile. "Did I wake you?"
Meng Lang hurried over and examined him closely, then said, "How did you suddenly get so strong? Last night there was a wild wind. Did you feel it? Was it related to you?"
Gu An rolled his eyes. "Of course, it was me! I was practicing the Remnant Wind Kick our master taught me. I stirred the heavens and made the earth tremble. It was a sight to behold. If you heard it, why didn’t you come out to witness my might?"
Meng Lang wasn’t about to admit that he had been too scared to come out. He snorted, "Your kicks are impressive, but without spiritual power, how could you have caused the wind last night? There was more than just wind. I felt a fluctuation of spiritual energy. It was either a demon absorbing the energy of heaven and earth or a great cultivator breaking through."
Gu An chuckled and kicked Meng Lang on the rear.
"How dare you kick me! Are you rebelling? Now that Li Ya has left, do you not want to acknowledge me as your big brother?"
"If I acknowledge you as my big brother, does that mean you’ll stay here with me forever? Don’t you want to become an outer disciple?"
"Good point. You’re right. I’m different from you."
The two began to bicker and tussle.
An hour later, Zhang Chunqiu came to find Gu An. He led him around the Medicine Valley, explaining the land and the various herbs growing there.
Gu An listened attentively, but the more he listened, the more he felt something was off.
Why does this feel like he’s giving his last instructions?
Could it be that last night’s disturbance scared him so much that he’s lost his nerve?
Gu An thought about persuading him to stay, but then remembered that Zhu Moya wasn’t a good person. It was likely that he had been involved in some dirty business with the Demon of Greed and Rage. Once Chu Jingfeng dealt with the situation, Zhang Chunqiu might get dragged into it.
After all, the two were close friends.
It might be better for him to leave early!
Gu An swore that he wasn’t just thinking about becoming the senior disciple. He was genuinely concerned for Zhang Chunqiu’s safety.
Having mastered the Divine Wood Pure Yang Technique, Gu An wasn’t in a hurry to contact Chu Jingfeng. First, he now had the strength to protect himself, and second, he didn’t want to alert his enemies too soon.
After all, it would be suspicious if he contacted Chu Jingfeng just one day after returning to Medicine Valley.
Gu An wasn’t worried about Zhu Moya; it was the person behind Zhu Moya that he feared. According to Zhang Chunqiu, that person held a position so high that no one in the valley, combined, could challenge them.
In the meantime, he would take advantage of this time to improve his cultivation!
After an hour of walking around the valley and even hiking up the surrounding mountains, Zhang Chunqiu finally led Gu An to see Cheng Xuandan.
When Gu An saw the alchemy furnace in front of Cheng Xuandan, his eyes filled with curiosity.
He had long heard of Cheng Xuandan’s skill in alchemy. Perhaps he could learn from him.
And once he learned, he could invest lifespan and immediately become a master alchemist!
Cheng Xuandan stood and looked at Gu An, saying, "From this day forward, you will be the senior disciple of this Medicine Valley."
Gu An was taken aback and, before he could process it, instinctively glanced at Zhang Chunqiu, panicking as he asked, "Senior brother, what’s happened to you?"