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

Catching demons?

Upon hearing this, Gu An's interest was piqued.

As they continued to descend, the terrain of Tianya Valley emerged through the snow and mist. Seen from mid-air, it appeared like a vast green ocean, with small streams flowing from the surrounding mountains into the valley. Along the edges of the valley lay two small rivers that, upon closer inspection, flowed into the ground.

Soon, Luo Hun landed with Gu An, who then took out a cloth to wrap his long spear.

"From now on, you are the Valley Master. You can do whatever you like and command me at any time," Luo Hun said.

Gu An nodded and took out the Heavenly Residence Sword, saying, "You can start by constructing some pavilions around the perimeter. I'll take care of the weeding."

Luo Hun's eyes landed on the scabbard of the Heavenly Residence Sword, and his pupils dilated instantly; he knelt down immediately, saying solemnly, "This lowly one, Luo Hun, greets the Master of the Heavenly Residence Sword!"

Gu An had deliberately taken out the Heavenly Residence Sword, fearing that Luo Hun might not take him seriously enough.

The effect was quite good!

"What are you doing? Get up, get up," Gu An feigned panic and quickly helped Luo Hun to his feet.

After rising, Luo Hun gave a complex look and said in a deep voice, "I didn't expect His Majesty to have given you the Heavenly Residence Sword."

Gu An asked in surprise, "Why such a big reaction?"

Luo Hun answered, "There are three Emperor Swords in Taicang, and to see the sword is to see the Emperor: Heavenly Inquiry, Heavenly Residence, and Heavenly Punishment. His Majesty holds the Heavenly Punishment Sword, and the Crown Prince possesses the Heavenly Inquiry Sword. Without His Majesty's permission, no one can take a sword at will, so to see the sword is like seeing the Emperor."

Upon hearing this, Gu An suddenly felt that Li Ya held a high position in Li Xuandao's heart, equal to that of the Crown Prince.

Without Li Xuandao's consent, it would be difficult for Li Ya to inherit the Heavenly Residence Sword.

But now that the sword was in his hands, Gu An wondered if Li Xuandao had any schemes in mind.

Gu An was accustomed to considering the worst-case scenario, so he felt that Li Xuandao's thoughts were not so simple—after all, the heart of an emperor is as unfathomable as the sea.

"I see. Let's get to work then," Gu An replied.

Luo Hun had no objections, but he couldn't help giving the Heavenly Residence Sword a few more glances.

Then, he saw Gu An using the Heavenly Residence Sword to weed, which left him speechless.

After struggling for a while, Luo Hun finally turned and left.

An hour later.

The array steles around Tianya Valley were activated, each emitting a burst of blue light that shot into the sky. The lights converged high above to form a semi-circular barrier that enveloped the entire Tianya Valley before turning transparent.

After activating the formation, Luo Hun began to build the pavilions.

By noon, Gu An had cleared all the weeds at the bottom of the valley, working with incredible efficiency. If not for the need to hide his real strength, he could have cleared the weeds with a mere stamp of his foot.

Three days later.

Gu An had finished sowing, and Luo Hun had brought many seeds of high-rank medical herbs, seemingly with an endless supply from his storage bag.

During these three days, Luo Hun had built five pavilions and caught three monkey demons.

All three monkey demons were second-tier demon beasts, capable of walking upright. Apart from their hairy bodies, they looked no different from humans.

Luo Hun asked Gu An to name them, so he named them according to their cultivation levels from highest to lowest: Sun Da, Sun Er, Sun San. This left Luo Hun silent for a long while.

The three monkey demons, however, seemed quite pleased with their surnames.

Gu An led the three monkey demons around the garden area, assigning them their daily tasks.

The three monkey demons were already capable of human speech and were quite clever; communicating with them was easy. Gu An wasn't worried about them causing trouble because they were bound by curse magic by Luo Hun, who controlled their life and death.

Meanwhile, Luo Hun lay on the stairs of a pavilion, taking out a book from his bosom. On it were clearly written the words "Investiture of the Gods."

He too was an admirer of "Investiture of the Gods." Gu An had discussed it with him before, and Luo Hun had been very excited, unlike his usual aloof demeanor.

As evening approached, Gu An found Luo Hun and informed him that he was returning to Mystic Valley.

Luo Hun was worried about him encountering danger on the way, as the path was rife with demon creatures. Nevertheless, Gu An insisted on going back.

Gu An assured him that he would be careful.

Luo Hun thought for a moment, then took out ten talisman papers from his storage bag, "These contain an Invisibility Technique. Infuse them with Spiritual Power, and you can become invisible, your aura undetectable. Unless you encounter a third-tier or Elixir Formation Realm existence, it would be very hard to detect you.

Each talisman lasts for five ancient hours, so use them sparingly since you still need to return."

Gu An accepted the talisman papers, thanking Luo Hun with a bow of his fist.

Luo Hun was still somewhat uneasy and suggested, "Why don't you perform Foundation Establishment first? I have Foundation Establishment Pills here."

Gu An shook his head, "I have my own Foundation Establishment Pills. You don't have to worry about me. I've memorized the way back, and I have plenty of Spirit Energy Elixirs."

With that, he flew away on his sword.

Leaving from within Tianya Valley, he was not obstructed by the formation, but entering would be difficult.

Luo Hun watched Gu An's departing figure, his brow slightly furrowed.

He thought of His Majesty's words and could only sigh.

Li Xuandao had instructed that if Gu An died, he would replace him with someone else as Valley Master. Luo Hun's only task was to guard Tianya Valley.

...

After traveling a hundred miles away from Tianya Valley, Gu An suddenly sped up. Before nightfall, he returned to Mystic Valley.

With Tianya Valley to manage, Gu An's coming days became busy—tending to the residences of Outer Disciple's Cave was one of his tasks, and he had to visit Tianya Valley from time to time to check on things. He didn't trust the monkeys entirely.

Although constantly on the move, Gu An felt energized rather than tired, his fighting spirit undiminished.

In a few years, his lifespan was about to surge!

Once the promised Medicine Valley from Gu Zong was in his hands, a life span of a million years seemed not so out of reach.

Gu An even contemplated studying Puppetry Technique; he thought of leaving a puppet in each Medicine Valley to help guard the condition of the medical herbs.

Before that, however, he had to enhance his apparent cultivation level.

The cultivation level of the ninth layer in the Energy Cultivation Realm was not enough, at least going back and forth between Mystic Valley and Tianya Valley would be quite troublesome.

And so, after fifteen days passed.

Gu An came to the Outer Sect, and he went to visit Elder Liu at the Book Collection Hall.

He felt Elder Liu had more authority than Zhu Qinglu from the Elixir Hall.

The two met alone in the inner room, where Elder Liu was perusing the latest volume of Investiture of the Gods, saying with a smile, "Not bad, not bad, it's very thrilling, I can't help but itch to read more just by flipping through it."

Gu An hesitated and then said, "Elder Liu, I have a favor to ask."

Elder Liu, without looking up, asked, "What is it?"

"I'm preparing for my Foundation Establishment, but I don't want to become an Outer Disciple, I want to continue as the Valley Master of Mystic Valley; it's also more convenient for writing. If I become an Outer Disciple and have to carry out missions, I'm afraid I'll die out there..."

"Is that all?"

"Can Elder Liu arrange it?"

"Of course, hehe, I'll go directly to Gu Yu. He once told me his father holds you in high regard and asked me to look after you and try to meet your requests as much as possible."

Elder Liu said with a laugh, his expression as cunning as a fox's.

Gu An immediately expressed his gratitude.

Putting down the book in his hand, Elder Liu said, "You're already considered a special talent of the Supreme Sect. The proceeds you turn in annually already rank among the top three in the Medicine Valley, not to mention, you can also write Investiture of the Gods. Because of your book, the number of disciples the Supreme Sect recruits each year has increased by fifty percent.

Your contribution has already far exceeded the contributions of Outer Disciples carrying out missions."

"You just relax, even if you're able to reach the Core Formation stage in the future, we won't send you out on missions."

Laughing at his own remarks, Elder Liu was amused by the irony.

He himself had not been able to reach the Core Formation stage, how could Gu An?

Gu An felt a burden lifted, this would make things much easier.

He just had to avoid appearing too talented and could gradually improve his apparent cultivation level; this would also be convenient for his future actions.

Suddenly, Elder Liu seemed to recall something and said, "Lately, the genius Zhou Tongyou of Jueshan Sect plans to come to the Supreme Sect to challenge young Cultivators below a hundred years old. It's expected to be a lively event. You can gather more information to inspire your next book. Remember, when the time comes, make sure to include the Supreme Sect in the story."

Investiture of the Gods was nearing completion, and Elder Liu had already received instructions from above.

Gu An nodded and curiously asked, "Is that Zhou Tongyou very impressive?"

"Naturally, he is impressive. He was born with Dual Spirit Roots, and his physique, the Evil Suppressing Golden Body, was cultivated by the Zhou Family's efforts over thousands of years. He has been unbeaten within the same realm, and once, with the cultivation level of the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he slew a Cultivator in the third layer of the Elixir Formation Realm.

His fame shook the Immortal Cultivation World, and he has been called the strongest genius in the Taicang Immortal Cultivation World in a hundred years," Elder Liu said with admiration as he recounted that battle, and Gu An listened earnestly.

Geniuses who can defeat enemies beyond their own realm, in Gu An's eyes, all had the aura of a main character.

After all, he couldn't do that, or rather, he didn't dare to do so.

Compared to defeating strong enemies beyond his own realm, he preferred to suppress weaker ones with a stronger cultivation level.

Half an hour later, Gu An left the Book Collection Hall.

After purchasing a batch of items in the city, he hurried back to Mystic Valley.

The next morning, Gu An gathered his disciples for training exercises and announced that he had successfully established his foundation the previous night, which surprised the disciples.

Wuxin felt both excited and a bit reluctant.

With their master's success in foundation establishment, he would surely move to the Outer Sect, and Wuxin would become the Valley Master!

"Master, does that mean you're going to leave us?" Zhen Qin hurriedly asked, her tone sounding reluctant, with a pitiable expression on her face.

The other disciples also looked nervously at Gu An, as Wuxin reined in his excitement and pretended to look downcast.

Gu An sighed and said, "Yes... "

The disciples' expressions instantly dimmed, and Wuxin's heart pounded uncontrollably.

The most saddened was Xiaochuan, as he was going to become the one with the oldest seniority in the valley.

"However, because our Medicine Valley's harvest has been good, I applied to the Outer Sect to stay in Medicine Valley, and the Outer Sect has agreed," said Gu An, swiftly transitioning.

The disciples were stunned for a moment and then burst into cheers, crowding around Gu An.

Wuxin froze, standing motionless for several breaths before he managed to squeeze out a smile.

The happiest was Xiaochuan; knowing he had no hope of foundation establishment in this life, if Gu An could accompany him for a lifetime, of course, he would be overjoyed, as only Gu An would indulge his interest in raising demon creatures.

Mystic Valley burst into joy, and it took Wuxin a good while to settle his emotions.

Seeing his mood, Gu An pulled him aside and revealed that he would soon have a new Medicine Valley and that even if he remained in Mystic Valley, Wuxin could be in charge of it in the future.

Wuxin would have the de facto authority of the Valley Master!

This news excited Wuxin greatly.

Seeing his enthusiastic smile, Gu An thought of Cheng Xuandan and Zhang Chunqiu again.

Things had changed.

Days quickly passed by, and Gu An went out of the valley every two days to manage the Outer Disciples' caves and visited Tianya Valley once every half a month.

Once he knew that Gu An had established his foundation, Luo Hun became completely reassured about him and stopped bothering him.

Seeing Luo Hun's fondness for reading, Gu An brought him a copy of Green Hero Travelogue.

However, oddly enough, when Gu An visited Tianya Valley afterward, he never saw Luo Hun holding Green Hero Travelogue.

Maybe he didn't like it?

Then he wouldn't bring it next time!

But why wasn't he reading Investiture of the Gods anymore?