Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

[Ghost Mother of Ephemera (Unification Realm Second Layer): 3750/8090/54000]

Unification Realm Second Layer!

This exaggerated life span!

First the Underworld Demon Emperor, now the Ghost Mother of Ephemera, why does it feel like they're characters from the Underworld?

Gu An secretly marveled that even ghosts had life spans, which meant that even in death, they couldn't exist forever.

Thinking about it, it made sense—if ghosts could exist indefinitely, wouldn't they rule the world?

He had only heard of millennia-old evil ghosts, never of a ghost emperor who lived for millions of years. Of course, it could also be that Gu An's level wasn't high enough, and he hadn't encountered such beings, but at least the Mortal World was a world dominated by the Human Race.

Perhaps there was some force in the universe suppressing the existence of spirits, maintaining balance in all things.

Though the life span of the Human Race was short, they could cultivate quickly, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

The Ghost Mother of Ephemera, disguised as a female disciple of the Supreme Sect, looked quite young, with her Cultivation Level aura suppressed at the Foundation Establishment Realm, making it hard for anyone to notice anything unusual about her.

Gu An refrained from looking too closely, afraid of drawing her attention.

There were so many bull-headed and snake-hearted beings within the Supreme Sect that as long as they posed no threat to him, he couldn't be bothered to care.

"Gu, my young friend."

Han Ming suddenly came over, a smile on his face.

Although he had suffered a crushing defeat, he felt no shame. Instead, he was very grateful.

Sword Venerable Fudao had nailed him to the city wall with a tree leaf, and the Sword Intent contained in that leaf had benefitted him greatly; clearly, it was meant to be instructive.

With Sword Venerable Fudao's abilities, if he had wanted to kill him, he certainly wouldn't have survived.

Gu An watched the approaching Han Ming and immediately raised his hand in salute. Han Ming stepped forward, enthusiastically took his hand, and said, "Gu, my young friend, now that you're here, you must practice swordsmanship with me. The disciple you recommended is just too stupid, it aggravates my Daoist Heart to no end."

As he spoke, Han Ming pulled Gu An in the direction of Zuo Lin.

Unable to free himself while concealing his true Cultivation Level, Gu An reluctantly followed.

Han Ming had Gu An sit beside Zuo Lin and then taught him the incantations for swordsmanship. Zuo Lin was very happy to see Gu An and chatted incessantly, causing Han Ming to become irritable and bombard Zuo Lin with criticism.

Zuo Yijian sat to one side, smiling as he watched his son get scolded, while also sizing up Gu An.

Apart from being good-looking, Gu An's Cultivation Level seemed rather ordinary, and Zuo Yijian couldn't figure out what Han Ming saw in him.

Zuo Yijian closed his eyes, feeling the Sword Intent within the words 'Righteous Path,' while recalling the scene of Han Ming's defeat. As if grasping something, yet also seemingly an illusion, he was engulfed in this complex sensation.

A full Ancient Hour passed before Gu An finally managed to excuse himself from Han Ming's insistent company.

Han Ming's swordsmanship, he had memorized after just one listening. However, to remain inconspicuous, he forced himself to listen six times. It was truly exhausting.

Gu An left swiftly under Han Ming's disappointed gaze.

In the future, he'd need to avoid Han Ming at the Heavenly Repair Platform!

That guy was too exhausting!

Gu An thought to himself and then went about his business, first visiting the Elixir Hall, then the Book Collection Hall to complete his tasks, and afterward went to visit Jiang Qiong at the Great Elder's residence.

In the hall.

Jiang Qiong tossed a Storage Bag to Gu An and said, "This bag contains all the high-rank medical herbs I've collected; once they mature, you can have a two-tenths share. Isn't your Martial Master good to you?"

Gu An scanned the contents with his Divine Sense and his expression brightened.

So many seeds, all of them at least fourth-grade!

"Thank you, Martial Master!" Gu An sincerely said.

Jiang Qiong could have asked someone else to plant them—she was now the Great Elder, with great power.

Hearing his thanks, Jiang Qiong smiled in satisfaction. She liked seeing Gu An's grateful expression.

"Try not to sell the Green Vine Fruit; it has a significant effect on enhancing Qi-Blood and foundational strength and is a treasure beyond the value of Spirit Stones," said Jiang Qiong earnestly.

It was clear she had found records of Gu An selling the Green Vine Fruit.

Gu An nodded; now that he didn't need Spirit Stones to buy seeds, he naturally wouldn't sell them.

"I'm planning to strive higher next. Your Medicine Valley could become part of my accomplishment. Cultivate it well, and in the future, I will find Elixir Formation Realm Cultivators' Golden Cores for you and use secret techniques to help you become an Elixir Formation Realm Cultivator," Jiang Qiong continued.

Gu An hastily offered thanks again.

Then Jiang Qiong waved her hand, indicating that he could leave.

As Gu An turned to go, he'd barely taken two steps when Jiang Qiong's voice floated after him, "Gu An, do you write books?"

At these words, Gu An's heart skipped a beat.

What did she mean?

Had Jiang Qiong found out? Or was it just a probing question?

Gu An turned back, his face puzzled, and asked, "Write what books?"

Jiang Qiong studied his face, which didn't seem to show any sign of guilt, so she shook her head and said, "Never mind, you can go now."

Gu An scratched his head, then left, even more bewildered.

Jiang Qiong sat in her chair thinking hard for quite some time, before she finally took a book out of her Storage Bag and began to read through it.

The cover read four words:

Supreme Secret Records!

...

Summer days were scorching.

Thirteen-year-old An Hao lay by the riverbank, facing the sky, with his head submerged in water, continuously blowing bubbles with a gurgling sound.

Not far away, An Xin was sitting and cultivating under a tree, her brows slightly furrowed, clearly encountering some difficulties in her practice.

A figure cast a shadow over An Hao's body, prompting him to open his eyes involuntarily. As soon as he recognized the newcomer, he quickly flipped himself upright.

"Master!"

An Hao scrambled up, rubbed his soaking wet hair, then began cultivating energy, allowing his spiritual power to dry his hair, causing wisps of white smoke to rise from his head.

Gu An, wearing a mask, spoke in a hoarse and deep voice, "Today I won't teach you swordsmanship but will pass on a leg technique to you."

Upon hearing this, An Hao's eyes lit up, and he immediately became excited.

Finally, he could stop learning swordsmanship!

Not only did An Hao possess a strong spirit root qualification, but his understanding was also exceptionally high. After practicing the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword for a year, he had completely mastered the movements and the mental method, and now it was time to cultivate his own sword intent.

Gu An raised his leg, standing on one foot like a golden rooster, a posture that immediately astonished An Hao. Even An Xin, who was in the midst of energy absorption, had her attention drawn by it.

"This technique is called the Gale Shadowless Leg, watch closely."

Gu An said in a deep voice, the only person currently inheriting this move was Ye Lan, and others cultivated the Residual Wind Leg, the fundamental leg technique. Although the Residual Wind Leg was the basis of the Gale Shadowless Leg, it was hard to see the close connection between the two when compared together.

He wasn't afraid that Ye Lan and An Hao would recognize each other's leg techniques in the future. If they could recognize it, it would mean they were in combat, and it would be a good opportunity for An Hao to show mercy.

Having spent over a year together, Gu An had come to regard An Hao as his own child. An Hao was inherently good-natured and even had a spirit of chivalry deep down, albeit a little carefree.

Gu An kicked out his leg, and in an instant, myriad leg shadows burst forth, generating a fierce wind, splashing water droplets, and directly toppling the forest trees opposite. A hundred paces away, a cliffside crumbled, revealing a series of densely packed footprints, a truly magnificent sight, which even dispersed the clouds above.

An Hao was dumbstruck, trembling all over, while An Xin stared with wide eyes.

What a domineering leg technique!

"I want to learn! I want to learn! It feels even mightier than the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword!" An Hao exclaimed excitedly, even kicking a few times on the spot.

"The Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword is stronger than the Gale Shadowless Leg; it's just that I haven't shown you all its power yet," Gu An said.

"Hehe, I got it, I will not forget to practice the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword in the future!" An Hao hurriedly assured.

Gu An began to pass on the technique to him. As always, An Hao remembered the leg technique after seeing it only once, then started practicing on his own.

Time after time, he became more proficient.

Suddenly, Gu An felt it might be time to send An Hao to the Supreme Sect.

This kid's talent was too frightening. If he could enter the Supreme Sect earlier, he might be able to build a better foundation, while Gu An could only teach him cultivation techniques and ultimate skills.

But...

Gu An thought of An Xin, whose talents were too mediocre.

Never mind, he'd let them both go. Talent was something he couldn't change for the time being, so why worry about it on her behalf?

Gu An decided to wait another half a year before sending the two children to the Supreme Sect.

In ten years, An Hao would likely make a name for himself.

It was uncertain how long it would take him to catch up with Li Ya and Ji Xiaoyu.

Gu An even began to look forward to Li Ya fighting An Hao. With Li Ya's competitive nature, it was only a matter of time before he faced off against An Hao.

Inside the Supreme Sect, there was sibling rivalry among disciples. Even though there was a thirty-some-year age difference, they could still be considered of the same generation.

In the summer heat, An Hao quickly became drenched in sweat, but he continued practicing the leg technique with tireless excitement, his young body outlining muscular lines through his wet clothes, exuding a sense of power.

Gu An stood by, quietly watching.

...

Tianya Valley.

Gu An was sowing seeds, while Sun San followed closely by, carrying a basket.

To avoid being recognized, Gu An did more than just harvesting; occasionally, he would also do other things.

"I'm back!"

A voice came from the entrance of the valley, and without turning his head, Gu An knew Lv Xian had returned.

Lv Xian, in a blue robe, walked toward them from the entrance of the valley with a folding fan in his hand. He looked more spirited and manly compared to when he wore red, exuding an air of easy confidence.

"How did it go? Was everything smooth?"

Yi Liuyun, sitting on top of the mountain, asked, his voice echoing throughout Tianya Valley.

Luo Hun, holding his long spear, appeared in front of the terrace to welcome Lv Xian's return. Gu An had no choice but to pay his respects as well.

More than Lv Xian, Gu An was concerned about how Li Ya had fared at the Hundred Races Conference.

With a smile that suggested nothing could ruffle his feathers, Lv Xian said, "Naturally smooth, though there were some hiccups along the way. But as expected, I managed to take the top spot without much trouble."

At those words, both Luo Hun and Yi Liuyun showed smiles. They all served Li Xuandao and would face life and death together in the future. The stronger Lv Xian became, the happier they naturally were.

Again, Yi Liuyun asked across the Medicine Valley, "No threats from the Ji Family, Gu Family, or Zhou Family talents?"

Lv Xian replied, "There was a woman from the Ji Family named Ji Xiaoyu who gave me a bit of a challenge, but it's a pity she withdrew midway. I regret not beating her fair and square, and besides her, there were less than a handful who could be considered my match."

"Did any of His Majesty's children impress you?" Luo Hun asked eagerly.

Lv Xian shook his head, speaking disdainfully, "Although I greatly admire His Majesty, his children just don't measure up, nowhere near his caliber. Oh yes, there was a prince named Li Ya, who did show some grit worth my notice. To win against him, I had to break his arms and legs; I estimate he'll need a year or two to recover."

Upon hearing this, Luo Hun's face turned ashen.

Gu An also frowned involuntarily.