Late summer.
Mortal Peak, Dingtian Peak.
Gu An was rolling up his sleeves, writing in the courtyard. Beside him, An Xin, wearing a mask, was quietly meditating. The breeze brushed past, creating a serene and picturesque scene.
Suddenly, An Xin opened her eyes and curiously asked, "Master, what cultivation level are my senior brother and junior brother at now?"
Gu An casually replied, "Your senior brother has reached the Fifth Layer of the Profound Heart Realm, while your junior brother is at the First Layer of the Body Fusion Realm."
"That high?"
An Xin couldn't help but widen her eyes in astonishment.
"Look at Dingtian Peak. Compared to the people here, do you think their levels are truly high?" Gu An's calm words made An Xin fall silent.
After a moment, she hesitantly asked, "Master, do you think I can really achieve immortality?"
Currently, her actual cultivation level was only at the Eighth Layer of the Core Formation Realm, far behind the likes of An Hao and Yang Jian.
"Don't dwell on such thoughts. Focus on how to achieve it. If even you don't believe in yourself, then you're already done for," Gu An responded firmly.
His words struck a chord, and An Xin took a deep breath, adjusting her mindset.
"By the way, Master, is Senior Shen Xin Zi really teaching Qing'er how to cultivate?"
"Yes," Gu An replied.
"Is Qing'er practicing a Qi Condensation technique? I can't sense any spiritual energy from him."
"You're overthinking it. He hasn't cultivated any spiritual energy yet."
"What?"
An Xin was stunned and pressed further, "With Senior Shen Xin Zi's cultivation prowess, how could Qing'er fail to produce spiritual energy?"
"There are always people with worse aptitude than you," Gu An remarked nonchalantly.
He refrained from revealing that Long Qing's cultivation level was already at the Nirvana Realm, fearing it might upset An Xin. Moreover, Long Qing's unique identity meant he could potentially be hunted by the Immortal Dynasty or Sacred Court. Until Gu An was certain he could protect him, he had no intention of unlocking the dormant Return to Origin Dao within him.
After all, Long Qing's current lifespan exceeded ten thousand years. This period was ideal for refining his Dao heart and avoiding a path similar to that of Long Zhan, the Dragon Clan ancestor.
An Xin remained quiet, a pang of sympathy for Long Qing emerging in her heart. With his personality, realizing his poor aptitude would undoubtedly crush him.
Gu An, on the other hand, said no more and returned to his writing. An Xin observed him, hesitating to speak further.
After a moment of internal conflict, she convinced herself: Master has already done so much for Qing'er by taking him in. How can I demand more? Besides, Master must already have a plan.
With that thought, she composed herself and resumed her meditation.
Six Years Later
The weather was clear, and fluffy white clouds adorned the azure sky, each with its own unique form.
In a mountain forest.
Long Qing, now twenty years old, had grown into a tall and sturdy young man. Dressed in a fitted green robe, he was firmly planted in a horse stance, throwing punch after punch. Despite being drenched in sweat, his determined gaze never wavered, and he let out rhythmic breaths with each strike.
His skin was flushed red, steaming with heat. His trembling legs threatened to give way at any moment.
Nearby, Shen Xin Zi stood leisurely, holding a copy of Journey to the West. Without glancing up, he said, "Keep going for another hour. That's when the medicinal effects will kick in."
Long Qing gritted his teeth and asked, "Master, my physical strength has improved significantly. How strong am I now compared to a cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm?"
"You could probably defeat someone at the Third Layer of the Qi Refining Realm."
"What? Only the third layer?"
Despair flashed across Long Qing's face, but Shen Xin Zi offered no consolation.
After muttering to himself, Long Qing straightened up, his resolve rekindled.
Out of the corner of his eye, Shen Xin Zi noticed the change in his demeanor and silently nodded with approval. "This kid's aptitude might be shockingly poor, but his determination is commendable."
In his eyes, a strong heart was harder to cultivate than any technique, so he hadn't completely given up on Long Qing. Shen Xin Zi's decision to train him had been a spur-of-the-moment choice, so there was no rush.
Just then, Shen Xin Zi's expression changed abruptly. He snapped his head up, sensing something unusual.
Meanwhile, on a nearby peak.
Nine-Fingered Divine Lord, engrossed in a game of chess with Gu An, also looked up suddenly.
Gu An glanced at him and urged, "What are you staring at? It's your move."
Despite Gu An's seemingly casual tone, his divine sense had already locked onto the anomaly in the sky.
In the void above the Heavenly Spirit World, a massive rift tore open, spanning the sky. The sight was so astonishing that even the mysterious beings dwelling in the sun opened their eyes to observe.
"Hold on, something's happening in the void. Let me take a look first," Nine-Fingered Divine Lord muttered impatiently.
Gu An raised his gaze, feigning confusion. In reality, his divine sense probed the rift. Within it, a figure slowly emerged—a tall man draped in a black robe. His broad shoulders and straight posture exuded an intimidating aura. His face was cold and sharp, adorned with a silver jade crown. Behind him floated two radiant artifacts, resembling the sun and moon, their light bathing him in a divine glow.
The moment this man appeared, the protective light layer around the Heavenly Spirit World rippled in response.
Gu An's eyes narrowed instinctively. The first glimpse of this man filled him with a sense of unease.
Regrettably, Gu An's divine sense was unable to probe the lifespan of the mysterious figure.
The black-robed man suddenly vanished.
In the next moment, Gu An's divine sense shifted toward the Sacred Domain, where the Sacred Court resided. There, the flow of fate and qi surged, colliding chaotically. He immediately sensed intense battle fluctuations emanating from the direction of the Sacred Court.
Nine-Fingered Divine Lord also turned to look toward the Sacred Domain, his brows furrowing.
He rose to his feet and declared, "Let's call this match a draw. We'll settle it another day."
With that, he disappeared into thin air.
Gu An muttered under his breath, "Always in such a rush but still finds time to declare a draw. What a shameless brute."
As he packed up the chess pieces, his attention remained fixed on the Sacred Court.
Before long, the qi flow of the Sacred Court stabilized and began to converge once more. This made it difficult for Gu An's divine sense to force its way in, leaving him increasingly curious about what had transpired there.
As night fell, the black-robed man still hadn't reappeared, and the Sacred Domain seemed unusually calm. However, Gu An observed numerous high-level cultivators rushing toward the Sacred Court, like a rain of arrows.
It was obvious that something significant had occurred within the Sacred Court.
In the days that followed, the Sacred Court remained silent. The spatial rift above the heavens had vanished as if it had never existed, and the black-robed man was nowhere to be seen.
Gu An visited Xunxian Island and Mortal Peak to gather information but came back empty-handed. Even the cultivators of Mortal Peak, though aware of the Sacred Court's activity, could only offer wild speculations—so absurd that even Gu An found them hard to believe.
A Month Later
While Gu An was inside concocting pills, he suddenly felt an unusual presence, his brows lifting slightly.
"Why is he here…"
Gu An didn't get up immediately, wary of alerting the presence prematurely.
Someone had entered the Third Medicine Valley. It was none other than the black-robed man who had stormed the Sacred Court.
His arrival made Gu An uneasy. Whether this man was an enemy of the Sacred Court or not, his presence here could very well draw the Sacred Court's attention to the valley.
Gu An had no desire to expose himself.
After carefully assessing the situation, Gu An's concerns eased somewhat. The man's aura was faint, suppressed to the Core Formation Realm. It was entirely different from the overwhelming force he had displayed during the Sacred Court invasion. It was almost as though he were a completely different person.
After a moment's hesitation, Gu An stood up and began descending the stairs.
As he moved down, he cast a casual glance toward the horizon. When his gaze swept past the black-robed man, he discreetly initiated a lifespan investigation without lingering his eyes on him.
[Sun and Moon Nether Emperor (Eighth Layer of Divine Thought True Immortal Realm): 15,876,308 / 40,000,000 / 60,000,000]
Divine Thought True Immortal Realm, Eighth Layer!
Fifteen million years old!
A lifespan cap of sixty million years!
Gu An's heart raced in shock. This was truly an ancient monster!
Why had such a being come to the Third Medicine Valley?
Was he here for Gu An?
Descending the stairs, Gu An's thoughts were riddled with confusion.
Just then, Ji Xiaoya stepped out of her room. She didn't glance at Gu An but fixed her gaze on the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor approaching from afar.