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

Gu An put the bronze piece into his storage bag and asked, "Are the Ji Family's ten great Divine Skills really that powerful, a talent from Thousand-Autumn Pavilion like you even envies them?"

Jiang Qiong's gaze shifted to the wooden cabinet beside her, and she softly said, "Very powerful, and it's not something you can cultivate if you wish to. Within the Ji Family, anyone who managed to cultivate one of the Divine Skills, regardless of their status, would receive focused cultivation from the Ji Family and be moved into the main Ji lineage."

"Within the Taicang Dynasty, all the sects combined would still find it hard to topple the Supreme Sect, and the same is true for the noble families, with a huge gap between them. There are three great noble families that stand above the dynasty, one of which is the Ji Family."

Hearing her words, Gu An suddenly suspected that there might be a spy from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion within the Ji Family.

Deserving of the Demon Path!

Following her words, Gu An asked, "Who are the other two families?"

"Zhou and Gu."

"How come there's no Li?"

"Haha, the Li Family is just a puppet."

Jiang Qiong's words showed disdain for the Li Family, which refreshed Gu An's understanding of the Taicang Dynasty.

The royal family isn't the strongest noble family?

That's right, Li Xuandao's life span might be impressive, but it still can't compare to Ji Xiaoyu.

Ji Xiaoyu was the most talented person Gu An had encountered so far. Gu Zong was probably the Gu Family, whose Void Crossing Realm cultivation level was enough to prove the depth of the Gu Family's heritage.

As for the Zhou Family, Gu An had not yet come into contact with them.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Gu An continued to ask Jiang Qiong about the world of Immortal Cultivation, and she answered all his questions.

After about 30 minutes, Jiang Qiong grew impatient.

"Why do you have so many questions? Hurry up and arrange a place for this old lady to stay!" Jiang Qiong glared as she spoke.

This was the first time Gu An heard her refer to herself as "this old lady," suggesting that her injuries were becoming unbearable.

Thus, Gu An took Jiang Qiong downstairs and personally arranged accommodation for her.

After settling in, Jiang Qiong began to cultivate energy to heal her injuries and did not leave her room anymore.

Zhen Qin found Gu An, curious about Jiang Qiong's identity.

Gu An simply said she was an Inner Sect Disciple, which was enough to awe Zhen Qin. Just like that, news of an Inner Sect Disciple's arrival quickly spread throughout Mystic Valley, and all disciples knew about it, especially that the Inner Sect Disciple was quite beautiful.

Late at night, Gu An went alone into the Eight Scenic Caves and buried that bronze piece in the ground.

After Jiang Qiong left, he would further investigate the Divine Power Collection of the Ji Family.

...

As autumn gave way to winter, snow began to gently fall from the sky.

After nearly a month of recuperating in Mystic Valley, Jiang Qiong bid farewell to Gu An. Watching her fly away with her sword, the direction opposite of the Inner Sect, Gu An guessed that she was probably leaving the Supreme Sect.

Gu An looked towards Zhen Qin's room, sensing that she was cultivating some kind of special technique, which Jiang Qiong had taught her.

Before leaving, Jiang Qiong had explained to him that it was Zhen Qin who insisted on learning from her.

Gu An watched for a while, then headed towards the woods, ready to check on the Demon Sheep moving about in the forest.

The Demon Path should have already dispersed, and it was time to resume the peaceful farming life.

Gu An wouldn't become complacent with his nine layers of Void Crossing Realm; he felt it wasn't enough. He was already looking forward to what abilities a lifespan of a million years could unlock, hoping for something powerful.

In the following days, he would occasionally leave the valley to manage the caves of the Outer Disciples, and at the same time, he would visit the Outer Sect to purchase seeds for high-rank medical herbs.

The winter snow grew heavier, blanketing the world in an expansive whiteness.

One night, Gu An quietly entered the Eight Scenic Caves.

He dug out the bronze piece from the ground and then brought it to the base of a Green Vine Tree. He sat down right there, and Sky Dragon came over, rubbing against him.

Gu An suddenly noticed that Sky Dragon's body was getting wider, which was not a good sign.

He began to admonish Sky Dragon, telling him not to overeat. He didn't want to raise a fat dragon.

After playing with Sky Dragon for a while, Gu An started to strike the bronze piece with his Divine Sense.

Jiang Qiong hadn't lied to him; the bronze piece indeed contained a powerful Restriction that could not be forcefully broken by anyone below the Void Crossing Realm.

Gu An had already decided that if the item could only be transmitted to one person, he would learn it first, then pass it on to Jiang Qiong. If it could be used repeatedly, he would pretend he hadn't touched it.

Boom!

The powerful Divine Sense of his nine layers of Void Crossing Realm surged into the bronze piece, and the mysterious Restriction lasted only a moment before being forcefully broken. Once the Restriction was shattered, a vast memory flooded into his mind.

This memory was very complex and chaotic, with various pieces of information aggressively invading his mind, causing him to frown slightly.

Even after breaking the Restriction, there was still the need to sort out the information, which might also be a form of assessment.

With Gu An's strong Divine Sense, he could grasp the subtle connections. After a while, he sorted things out.

This Divine Power was called Heaven and Earth Path Gang!

...

The winter snow was pure white, and the snowfall this year was heavier than before. Gu An had no choice but to lead the disciples in shoveling snow.

Unless it was urgent, they wouldn't use Spiritual Power; as Gu An said, this could also be considered a form of cultivation.

The snow fell heavily like a downpour, only slowing down after half a day.

Gu An stood in front of the wooden railing, looking at the medicinal herbs he had planted, noting that not a single plant had suffered, which brought a smile to his face.

After looking for a while, Gu An's gaze drifted to the entrance of the valley, where he saw a man wearing a rain hat and a straw coat approaching. He carried a long spear wrapped in cloth on his back.

[Luo Hun (Core Formation Realm Eight Layers): 66/400/2803]

A maximum lifespan of 2800 years!

It's not simple!

Gu An immediately walked over, making his way to Luo Hun. He cupped his fists in a salute, ready to ask questions, but Luo Hun preempted him, "Who is Valley Master Gu An?"

Luo Hun's voice sounded somewhat young, but it was full of vigor.

Gu An responded, "I am, may I ask who you are?"

Lifting his head, Luo Hun revealed a handsome face from beneath his rain hat, except the left side had a brand mark, bearing the character for "prisoner."

"His Majesty sent me here to give you an ancient hour to prepare, and then to follow me," Luo Hun said expressionlessly. After speaking, he walked past Gu An, heading into the valley.

Upon hearing this, Gu An's eyes twinkled with joy.

Finally, they had come!

He was eager to see just how extensive the Medicine Valley prepared by Li Xuandao was.

He immediately went to find Wuxin. Wuxin had become the position of the greatest disciple in Mystic Valley, capable of overseeing the entire valley.

The so-called greatest disciple was a position, not necessarily the disciple of the Valley Master, similar to the Supreme Sect's greatest disciple who, possessing the strongest strength, wasn't the disciple of the Sect Leader either.

When Wuxin heard that Gu An would be leaving for a while, he was very excited. Gu An couldn't help but remind him repeatedly, especially that the medicinal herbs must be left for him to personally harvest upon his return.

Wuxin knew his senior brother had few hobbies, with picking being one of them; he promised not to harvest on his own.

Luo Hun then approached Ye Yan, who was swinging a long staff, practicing a staff technique passed down in his family.

Upon seeing Luo Hun approaching, Ye Yan hastily stopped and nervously looked towards him.

Luo Hun took out a secret manual from his bosom and threw it to Ye Yan, saying, "Your physique is not bad, you can practice it."

Catching the manual, Ye Yan replied, "But I am only of mixed spirit root..."

"Spirit roots only define one's aptitude for energy absorption and cultivation. There are other aspects to a person's aptitude. Your physique is superior to ordinary people, making you a good candidate for spear training.

Once you've mastered it, you can go to Cangzhou to join the army, establish your merits, and then exchange them for heavenly and earthly treasures to cleanse your marrow and change your destiny."

Ye Yan was invigorated by Luo Hun's words and promptly thanked him.

Luo Hun nodded slightly, then continued to walk to other places, browsing the medicinal herbs planted within the valley.

An hour later, Gu An found him and said they could go.

Luo Hun lifted his hand and withdrew the long spear from behind, a dazzling golden long spear that caught the attention of the disciples in the valley.

Nice gear!

Gu An inwardly scoffed.

Luo Hun leapt up with a bound, setting foot on the long spear in mid-air. He glanced at Gu An standing on the snowy ground and said, "Hop on."

Gu An instantly leaped up, landing behind him, setting foot on the shaft of the spear.

With a surge of Spiritual Power from Luo Hun, the long spear sped off with them, leaping over peaks and drawing a long line across the blanketed snow fog in the sky.

The disciples in the valley gathered together, curiously discussing Luo Hun's identity.

The high sky was cold, and Gu An's black hair was swept back, revealing a fair and graceful face.

"Not bad, you have fine control over Spiritual Power, standing very steadily."

Luo Hun's voice sounded, his back to Gu An, with a tone of slight admiration.

Gu An casually replied, "I have a fondness for the Sword Control Technique in my regular life, so I've studied it."

"Although your cultivation level is low, being regarded by His Majesty means you must have extraordinary qualities. Once in that Medicine Valley, give it your all. I will protect the safety of the valley..."

Luo Hun began talking about the Medicine Valley, and Gu An listened intently.

According to Luo Hun, that Medicine Valley was very important to His Majesty, who planned to cultivate a batch of geniuses there for future use. If Gu An performed well, he could even receive a share of precious medicinal herbs.

Gu An could feel that Luo Hun genuinely respected Li Xuandao, which piqued his interest in the "prisoner" mark on Luo Hun's face.

The Medicine Valley named Tianya Valley by Li Xuandao was indeed near the Supreme Sect, yet it was thousands of miles away from Mystic Valley, nestled in a range where Demon Beasts roamed.

Gu An suggested building a Teleportation Array inside Tianya Valley to connect it to his Mystic Valley, but Luo Hun rejected the idea, stating that the existence of Tianya Valley must not be revealed to the Supreme Sect.

This made Gu An really want to scoff.

You placed it near the Supreme Sect and still want to keep it a secret?

However, he thought of the Eight Scenic Caves and supposed Li Xuandao might have set up a high-rank formation.

To accommodate Gu An, Luo Hun flew at a leisurely pace. As night fell, they were still flying.

Gu An noticed the region was thick with Demon Energy, and even creatures on par with the Elixir Formation Realm lurked within.

As expected!

Suddenly, a third-tier Demon Bird swooped down from behind. But Luo Hun punched out, his Spiritual Power coalescing into a golden spear shadow that ripped the Demon Bird apart and casually absorbed its Demon Core into his hand.

After this show of force, no demons dared to obstruct their path again.

It wasn't until the next morning that Gu An finally caught sight of Tianya Valley.

The land and mountains ahead were enveloped in white snow and fog, with a white snow vortex among the mountains where the sunlight reflected, creating a vision of circling white cranes—beautiful, as if from an Immortal Realm.

Gu An's gaze penetrated the snow fog, seeing Tianya Valley, and his expression turned odd.

situated amongst mountain ranges, Tianya Valley was indeed twice the size of Mystic Valley in terms of territory. On the surrounding mountains stood stone steles, clearly part of some sort of yet-to-be-activated formation.

The problem was that the valley was overrun with wild, untamed grasses!

Which meant, he had to start by clearing the land!

Gu An couldn't help asking, "Is it just the two of us in Tianya Valley for now?"

Luo Hun looked ahead, allowing the long spear to descend. He replied, "No need to worry, I will capture a few demon creatures nearby to help you. This valley must not recruit anyone casually; we must wait for His Majesty to send people."