In the dim, snowy night, Zuo Yijian’s sword intent formed a massive and domineering pillar of energy, swirling the wind and snow as it connected heaven and earth. From within the pillar, blazing flames surged, transforming into a soaring fire dragon.
Zuo Lin watched, stunned, never having imagined that his father’s Flame Devouring Sword Technique could reach such heights. It was beyond anything he had ever heard of.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion suddenly erupted from behind Zuo Lin, like thunder cracking in the sky. Instinctively, he turned around, but before he fully faced the source, a brilliant sword light illuminated his face. His eyes widened, catching a glimpse of a dazzling sword light streaking across the dark sky.
The brightness of the sword light was indescribable, and the flying snow was blasted away by its force, creating a massive wave of air as though it would tear the night sky apart. This scene deeply shocked Zuo Lin.
His mind went blank, leaving him no time to think.
The radiant sword light tore through the night, flying past above his head. The resulting wind pressure activated the protective array around him, causing a shield to form around his body, fluctuating violently as though it might shatter at any moment.
Under Zuo Lin’s gaze, the brilliant sword light collided with Zuo Yijian’s sword intent with overwhelming, unstoppable force.
Zuo Yijian reacted faster than Zuo Lin, but even his speed couldn’t match his opponent’s.
He had no time to unleash a sword technique and could only rely on his sword intent to defend.
Boom!
The terrifying pillar of energy around him was instantly dispersed, and the blazing fire dragon vanished into thin air. Zuo Yijian’s sword intent was forcibly shattered.
His robe was torn apart, and blood spurted from his body.
His eyes widened, and reflected in his pupils was a single leaf.
“How is this possible...?”
Such a thought flashed through Zuo Yijian’s mind, but he didn’t even have time to feel fear before the leaf pierced his shoulder. The terrifying sword energy erupted, sending him hurtling backward, smashing through mountain after mountain, eventually crashing into a forest ten li away.
A straight path was carved through the night sky, and the surrounding snow evaporated into mist, hanging in the air between the mountains, an awe-inspiring sight.
On the mountain peak, Zuo Lin knelt within the protective array, staring in disbelief toward where his father had disappeared.
He collapsed to his knees, unable to accept what he had just witnessed.
His invincible father had been defeated...
And defeated without putting up a fight...
Ten li away, atop another mountain.
Gu An maintained the posture of having just thrown his hand, the cold wind filled with swirling snow whipping his white robes. Beneath his mask, his eyes were calm.
“How could your hundred years of cultivation withstand my two thousand years of life essence investment?”
Gu An thought to himself. He had already held back, aiming for Zuo Yijian’s shoulder instead of his head.
He turned and disappeared into the vast snow, as though he had never been there.
...
By dawn, Gu An, as usual, led the disciples in their morning exercises.
As Zhen Qin twisted her waist, she glanced up at the sky and remarked, “The snow seems lighter today.”
Wu Xin looked into the distance and said, “Not just the snow—there’s no longer that strong sword intent either.”
At his words, the other disciples grew excited.
“Could it be that the person has left?”
“Maybe. They say sword cultivators need to find places of natural beauty to comprehend the Dao. Our area doesn’t exactly qualify as blessed land.”
“Don’t let your guard down—what if he’s just taking a nap?”
“Did you forget the thunder tribulation from a few days ago? Do cultivators at that level even need naps?”
Listening to their debate, Gu An couldn’t help but chuckle.
He cleared his throat and said, “Focus on your exercises. Whether that senior has left or not, we’ll find out soon enough.”
He just hoped no one else would come nearby to cross tribulations or comprehend sword intent.
“Haha, no need to be so formal,” Zhu Qinglu laughed, clearly pleased by the flattery.
The library was massive, no smaller than the Pill Hall. Passing through several corridors, the two entered a large hall where an old man was sitting, sipping tea. Beyond him, rows of bookshelves filled the side hall.
“Elder Liu, long time no see. How have you been?” Zhu Qinglu crossed the threshold, cupping his hands and smiling warmly.
Gu An immediately used his lifespan-detecting ability.
[Liu Chang (Foundation Establishment Stage, Ninth Level): 226/270/340]
Seeing Zhu Qinglu, Liu Chang set down his tea and rose to greet him.
After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat down and reminisced about past events, even chatting about how they had joined Tai Xuan Sect together two hundred years ago.
Gu An stood behind Zhu Qinglu, listening intently, occasionally sneaking curious glances. Liu Chang noticed this and was quite pleased with his attitude.
After chatting for nearly half an hour, Zhu Qinglu finally got to the point.
“Consider it done. Young man, hand me your manuscript. I’ll take a look, and if it’s good to go, we’ll have it published,” Liu Chang said, turning to Gu An with a wide smile.
Gu An quickly handed over his manuscript.
Liu Chang glanced at the title and chuckled, “Investiture of the Gods? Nice name.”
He began to read. Zhu Qinglu, meanwhile, rose and wandered over to the nearby bookshelves.
Gu An stood quietly by the side.
At first, Liu Chang seemed casual in his reading, but as he continued, his posture straightened.
At that moment, a white-clad young man strode in, calling out loudly, “Elder Liu, do you have any books about sword cultivators? I want to see who in Tai Cang could defeat the Sword Fanatic of Cang Lake with a single leaf!”
Liu Chang raised a hand, signaling him to be quiet.
Gu An glanced over, instinctively using his lifespan detection.
[Gu Yu (Foundation Establishment Stage, Eighth Level): 34/291/1402]
A genius!
This wasn’t the first genius Gu An had seen, so he didn’t pay much attention to Gu Yu.
Gu Yu moved closer to Liu Chang, leaning in to glance at Investiture of the Gods.
Before long, Gu Yu too was absorbed.
Half an hour passed.
Zhu Qinglu returned, puzzled, and asked, “Brother Liu, weren’t you just going to take a quick look? Why are you still reading?”
He glanced over at Gu An.
What on earth did this kid write?
Did he overstep?
Liu Chang looked up, startled, then stood and stared intently at Gu An. “Did you really write this?”
Gu An nodded, thinking to himself, Well, technically, it was written by one of Earth’s great ancestors.
Zhu Qinglu frowned and said, “Is there a problem? If it’s not suitable, I can have him rewrite it.”
“No problem. It’s brilliant,” Liu Chang shook his head and looked at Gu An again. “This book is ready to be published. You’ve got talent. I’ll give you a thirty percent royalty rate. Fifty percent of the sale price goes to the sect, and twenty percent to the library.”
Naturally, Gu An had no objections and quickly thanked him.
Zhu Qinglu nodded slightly, feeling that Liu Chang was showing him respect.
Liu Chang smiled and asked, “Do you want your real name to be credited as the author?”
Gu An shook his head. “No, I’d rather avoid future trouble.”
“The author’s name will be Pan An then.”