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

Under Gu An's watchful eye, a figure flew swiftly and landed in front of Ye Yan.

Seeing him, Ye Yan immediately tensed up and even took two steps back.

[Zhou Tongyou (Elixir Formation Realm, Nine Layers): 62/900/3100]

It was actually him!

Gu An hadn't expected to encounter Zhou Tongyou, whose name had recently shaken the Supreme Sect.

Zhou Tongyou challenged younger disciples everywhere he went, undefeated in battle, his fame even reaching the Outer Sect.

Since Zhou Tongyou's Jueshan Sect was also a respected righteous sect, which maintained good relations with the Supreme Sect, the Great Cultivators of Supreme Sect couldn't target him. Thus, Zhou Tongyou had been wantonly challenging for over half a year now, without anyone to punish him.

Zhou Tongyou only engaged in combat, never killing, and he proclaimed that he would only challenge those under the age of a hundred. Many Cultivators of the Supreme Sect could only watch, seething in silent anger.

The entire Supreme Sect was under the pressure of Zhou Tongyou's presence, with no one daring to question his rules. Even though his opponents were under a hundred years old, he was still 38 years away from that age himself. He challenged disciples of the Supreme Sect who were ninety-nine years old, which in actuality gave the Supreme Sect an advantage.

Yet even so, no one had been able to defeat him.

Zhou Tongyou's gaze glanced at Gu An on the nearby hillside, his expression calm.

Gu An put his book away and then stood up and walked down.

He made his way between Zhou Tongyou and Ye Yan, turned to face Zhou Tongyou, and clasped his fists, saying, "I am Gu An, Ye Yan's master. May I know where my disciple has offended the senior?"

Ye Yan, watching Gu An standing in front of him, felt deeply moved.

Gu An had said before that all the Cultivators here were Inner Sect Disciples, which meant they had reached the Elixir Formation Realm.

How could Ye Yan not be moved when Gu An, only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, dared to confront a Cultivator of the Elixir Formation Realm for his sake?

"You're his master? Your Cultivation Level is disappointing," Zhou Tongyou said, scrutinizing Gu An with a frown.

Gu An replied, "My disciple is only at the Qi Cultivation Realm. As his master, how high can my Cultivation Level be?"

Zhou Tongyou huffed, "I'm not bullying your disciple, I'm acknowledging his worth."

Upon hearing this, Ye Yan's face instantly turned green, and he found himself at a loss for words.

Gu An stared at him, saying, "If you wanted to give him pointers, you could have been straightforward. My disciple would have been grateful for your favor. But you didn't articulate that and struck quite heavily. Perhaps you really had an intention to instruct, but in your heart, you must have disdained him, which is why you couldn't be bothered to explain."

If Zhou Tongyou were the top genius of the Supreme Sect, Gu An might have reconsidered, but he was not.

Without reason, Gu An didn't want to provoke Zhou Tongyou. However, if Zhou Tongyou bullied him, Gu An wouldn't be lenient or merciful.

Zhou Tongyou, hearing Gu An's words, furrowed his brows even more deeply.

He wanted to retort, but he understood that Gu An had not misjudged him; he did indeed hold some contempt for Ye Yan. His frequent offers of instruction were just whims.

"Hmph, it seems you are coming to accuse me. Very well, the rule remains the same: no use of Spiritual Power, relying only on techniques. If you win against me, I will apologize to your disciple and gift him a complete book on Body Refining Sorcery. How about that?" Zhou Tongyou stared at Gu An, his voice cold.

"Master, forget it!"

Ye Yan hurriedly interjected, well aware of Zhou Tongyou's strength; even if it were a contest of techniques alone, it was unfathomably deep.

Gu An asked, "Only a comparison of techniques?"

"That's right!"

Seeing Gu An's interested reaction, Zhou Tongyou revealed a smile, though it was somewhat ferocious.

Gu An frowned and said, "If you lose, you cannot speak of your defeat to me, nor can you bother us master and disciple anymore."

Hehe, he actually wants to compare techniques with me!

Zhou Tongyou laughed, "All according to your wishes. Quickly, take up a weapon."

Gu An raised his right hand, and with a motion through the air, he drew a branch from the forest to himself, grasped it in his hand as if it were a sword, and gestured to Zhou Tongyou with his left hand.

Zhou Tongyou immediately walked towards Gu An, the distance between them narrowing. Ye Yan quickly moved out of the way, wary of hindering his master.

When they were less than seven steps apart, Zhou Tongyou suddenly accelerated, stepping right up to Gu An, and aimed a punch with his right fist towards Gu An's abdomen.

Even without using Spiritual Power, the punch, as it was thrown, seemed to roar like tigers and leopards. Zhou Tongyou's fist hadn't even made contact with Gu An when Gu An already felt an overwhelming fierce energy bearing down on him.

Hu——

Zhou Tongyou's fist stopped, his pupils shaking violently, his expression astonished.

Ye Yan's eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him.

Gu An's body leaned slightly backward, the branch in his hand pointed at Zhou Tongyou's throat, while Zhou Tongyou's punch was still two feet away from Gu An.

"If what I had in my hand was a sword, I wonder if I could have wounded you?"

Gu An asked calmly, watching Zhou Tongyou's face change colors.

After a few moments, Zhou Tongyou retracted his fist, and Gu An withdrew his 'sword' in kind.

Zhou Tongyou took a deep breath, looked at Ye Yan, and said, "My apologies, I went too far!"

He took out a book from his Storage Bag and tossed it to Ye Yan, then his gaze turned back to Gu An.

"Your swordsmanship is very fast. Who exactly are you?"

Gu An threw the branch back into the forest, saying calmly, "I'm just a Cultivator with mediocre Spirit Root Qualification who doesn't like Energy Absorption. I simply enjoy practicing the sword. My sword techniques aren't exquisite, but they are fast enough. Had we not set rules, I certainly wouldn't have been a match for you."

If Zhou Tongyou had refused to honor the outcome, Gu An would have made him regret it. Now that he kept his word, willing to apologize to a Servant Disciple, Gu An's impression of him changed.

This person may be proud, but he's not a bad sort.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tongyou's face shifted between shades, and he clenched his teeth, asking, "You really won't talk about today's incident?"

"I don't even know your name, so how could I speak of it?" Gu An countered.

Zhou Tongyou heaved a sigh of relief, bowed with folded fists to Gu An, and then turned and left, moving even faster than when he arrived.

Ye Yan came over, exclaiming excitedly, "Master, I didn't expect your sword to be so fast, defeating him with just one move!"

Gu An glanced towards the valley. Inside, Zhen Qin was absorbed in Energy Absorption, while Su Han was practicing the sword in a forest miles away. Neither had noticed the recent sparring match.

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"Don't let this matter out, treat it as a secret between just the two of us, master and disciple. Don't even mention it to your fellow senior brothers and sisters," Gu An instructed Ye Yan.

Ye Yan nodded excitedly, feeling an even closer bond with his master.

Teaching Zhou Tongyou a lesson was just a minor interlude for Gu An, after which he could leave Third Medicine Valley without having to stay on guard.

However.

One month later, when Gu An returned to Third Medicine Valley, he saw Zhou Tongyou's figure at the entrance of the valley.

Ye Yan was practicing with his spear while Zhou Tongyou stood by watching.

Zhou Tongyou, sensing Gu An's gaze, immediately beamed and waved at him enthusiastically.

A hint of displeasure flashed in Gu An's eyes as he walked over.

Upon reaching the entrance of the valley, Gu An asked with a frown, "Why are you here again?"

Is this guy planning to stick around the Supreme Sect?

Zhou Tongyou said excitedly, "I figured out how to break through your sword technique, come on, let's have another match!"

"Didn't we agree you wouldn't bother me anymore? Going back on your word?"

"It's not bothering you. Look, ask for anything you want, I just want to try out your sword moves," Zhou Tongyou hurried to explain.

Ye Yan, who was unharmed, spoke up, "Master, he has been waiting here for four days."

Gu An frowned, hesitating.

Zhou Tongyou, thinking of something, pulled out a small cloth bag from his storage bag and said, "In here are seeds of fourth-grade medicinal herbs, all for you. Just spar with me, I'm not doing it to win; I want to learn from you."

Gu An took the cloth bag, weighed it with his hand, and sighed, "Only this one time."

"There will be no next time!"

Zhou Tongyou said excitedly, thinking to himself that this time he would definitely make Gu An admit defeat convincingly!

He took a sword out of his storage bag and tossed it to Gu An, saying, "This is a mid-grade flying sword, very suitable for cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm. It's for you, take this sword and fight me!"

With that, he himself pulled out a long spear.

What a move!

A longer reach means a stronger punch?

Gu An, holding the flying sword, didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

Zhou Tongyou, facing his gaze, felt somewhat awkward and quickly explained, "Same rules as before, no using spiritual power, only techniques!"

"Come on then!"

This time, Zhen Qin and Su Han heard the commotion and ran over quickly, but before they could reach the entrance of the valley, Gu An made the first move.

He threw the flying sword in his hand, attacking Zhou Tongyou!

Zhou Tongyou's pupils suddenly dilated, thinking to himself how fast!

No, this fellow's physical strength is tremendous!

Zhou Tongyou sidestepped and thrust forward with his spear because he saw Gu An following closely behind the flying sword.

In the blink of an eye, Gu An tilted his head, grabbed the spear shaft with his left hand, pulled it back, and with his right hand used two fingers as a sword, pointing at Zhou Tongyou.

Everything happened too fast, so fast that even Ye Yan couldn't keep up with his eyes.

When the two stopped, Gu An's fingers were already at Zhou Tongyou's throat.

Zhou Tongyou still held the long spear in his hands but his body had stiffened.

"How can you be so fast... are you really only at the first layer of Foundation Establishment Realm?" Zhou Tongyou asked through gritted teeth, cold sweat forming on his forehead.

Gu An replied, "If we used spiritual power, you would be faster than me; it's your rules that gave me the advantage. I'm not your match at all, why do you insist on using such rules to defeat me? We ordinary cultivators have our own dignity, too."

He released his hands, and Zhou Tongyou's face turned bright red, his teeth clenched as he said, "I didn't mean to trample on your dignity."

"Farewell!"

He left as if fleeing.

By this time, Zhen Qin and Su Han had arrived. Gu An ignored them, picked up the flying sword, and walked towards the valley.

In the eyes of the three disciples, his silhouette completely embodied the demeanor of a master.

Another month later, Zhou Tongyou came again, bringing even more seeds of medicinal herbs. Gu An could only reluctantly accept them.

This time, Gu An defeated him in three moves, leaving him feeling dejected but also glimpsing a sliver of hope.

Zhou Tongyou's generosity made Gu An somewhat reluctant to send him away.

Time flew by, and the end of the year arrived.

Winter snow blanketed Tianya Valley.

Gu An, accompanied by three monkey demons, patrolled Medicine Valley. After checking everything, he headed toward the loft, looking at his lifespan as he went. Although he had been busy sowing seeds this year, the increase in his lifespan was not slow; thanks to the contributions from Outer Disciple's cave and Mystic Valley, he had gained a fair amount of lifespan.

In a few more years, when Tianya Valley and Third Medicine Valley welcomed their harvest, his lifespan would start to surge.

Just as Gu An arrived in front of the loft, Luo Hun came over, looking very awkward and hesitant as he said, "Lately, why haven't you brought any books?"

"Do you want to read books? I thought you didn't like them."

"Medicine Valley is dull, there needs to be something to relax the Daoist Heart."

"Alright, next time I'll bring you the latest volume of Investiture of the Gods."

*Cough cough*, bringing a few volumes of Green Hero Travelogue wouldn't be bad either."

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