Saint Who Lay Low

"Who is it?"

The one who asked was not Gu An, but Lü Xian. Yi Liuyun also turned his curious gaze toward Li Xuandao.

The Sword Master of the Dao's reputation had become so widespread that many now considered him the strongest cultivator in the Tai Cang Dynasty.

A sly smile appeared at the corner of Li Xuandao's lips. "He has a close relationship with Li Ya."

Gu An's heart skipped a beat.

How had he guessed so much?

Lü Xian furrowed his brows and asked, "Li Ya? What kind of relationship?"

Li Xuandao shook his head, saying, "The specific details are not something I can share with you. I wouldn't want to offend the elder."

Elder?

Gu An let out a small breath of relief.

Afterward, Li Xuandao shifted the conversation to the other rising talents from the Gold List Tournament, praising the event. He remarked on how Lü Baitian had finally become more enlightened, less tyrannical and foolish compared to before.

After an hour of chatting, Li Xuandao finally allowed Gu An to return to his work.

This time, Li Xuandao had brought a batch of high-grade saplings, which piqued Gu An's interest.

The quality of medicinal herbs in Tianya Valley was steadily rising, further evidence of Li Xuandao's growing influence and power.

Even though the herbs grown in Tianya Valley technically belonged to Li Xuandao, Gu An was able to continuously reap their lifespan benefits, so he sincerely hoped that Li Xuandao's position would only grow stronger.

He also wished for Lü Baitian's prosperity. As long as they all got along, it was ideal for him.

In cultivation, short-term victories or defeats didn't matter—what mattered was who lasted until the end.

...

By the end of autumn, Gu An narrowly managed to break into the top five hundred of the Gold List Tournament, relying on the Thousand Shadow Pearl.

For the remaining matches, he planned to deliberately lose.

Although he kept winning, Gu An did not build any reputation because his victories were too hard-fought, and his battles lacked spectacle. Furthermore, his opponents weren't well-known either.

At noon, in Xuan Valley.

Gu An was instructing Ye Lan on the Innate Reincarnation Technique. Ye Lan had already been eliminated from the tournament, but she wasn't discouraged—on the contrary, her fighting spirit grew stronger.

The two of them conversed for several hours. Ye Lan's many doubts about the Innate Reincarnation Technique had been thoroughly addressed.

"Senior brother, your understanding of this technique is truly profound. It seems you've been secretly training in it quite diligently, which explains why your cultivation hasn't advanced," Ye Lan remarked, deeply impressed.

In her heart, her reverence for the Sword Master of the Dao grew even stronger. Not only was the Sword Master a master of swordsmanship, but he also commanded such an extraordinary technique.

Ye Lan was now convinced that the Sword Master of the Dao was Gu An's teacher. After all, it was Gu An who had wielded the Azure Swan Sword and sought out the Sword Master to rescue her.

At one point, she had speculated that Gu An might actually be the Sword Master himself, but the Sword Master's realm was far too lofty, and Gu An's age didn't match up.

Gu An didn't correct her assumption. This explanation was more than convenient for him.

He raised his right hand and, with a gesture, brought a storage bag over to him, handing it to Ye Lan. "Take this with you. Use it well in your cultivation."

Without checking its contents, Ye Lan tied the storage bag to her belt. Standing up, she said, "Oh, by the way, senior brother, I suggest you keep your distance from senior brother Li Ya for a while. There's an investigation going on targeting all the members of the Li family within the sect. It's unclear what their intentions are, but it's certainly not good."

Gu An frowned but nodded. He then rose to see her off.

The investigation into the Li family didn't worry Gu An. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

Although Tai Xuan Sect was the leading orthodox sect in the Tai Cang Dynasty, internal conflicts had never ceased.

As for whether Li Ya would be harmed, Gu An couldn't be sure, but he couldn't spend all his time watching over him.

Everyone has their own path in life. No matter if it's good or bad, as long as one endures, it's their own experience.

A few days later, Gu An attended the next round of the Gold List Tournament and conceded immediately, surprising his opponent.

A month later, the top one hundred finalists were announced!

Wu Jue was the only participant at the Foundation Establishment Realm, while the rest of the competitors were at least at the Core Formation Realm. This news spread quickly, skyrocketing Wu Jue's fame.

When Lü Baitian brought Gu An the six-tiered spirit tree as promised, Gu An mentioned Wu Jue and expressed hope that Lü Baitian could find a good master for him.

Lü Baitian looked at Gu An with newfound respect.

"You've got an eye for talent, I'll give you that. Still think you're not suited to be the sect leader?" Lü Baitian said, smiling.

Gu An replied with a chuckle, "It's just luck. Tai Xuan Sect has countless geniuses. This doesn't reflect on my judgment, but it certainly shows how deep the sect's foundation is."

Lü Baitian nodded in satisfaction. Whether Gu An was sincere or not, his words were very fitting for a future leader.

"As for Wu Jue, I can't promise anything. He has already apprenticed himself to Zhou Yu. You need to understand, accepting An Hao as my disciple was already a move that defied many voices within the sect. I can't take in another genius as my disciple. Tai Xuan Sect isn't run by a single person," Lü Baitian said meaningfully.

Zhou Tongyou, one of the elders of the sect's council, wielded more authority than the elders' hall itself.

With a master like that, Wu Jue's future was boundless.

Gu An also thought of Lü Baitian's senior disciple, someone not tied to Lü Baitian by a master-disciple relationship but still serving as a counterbalance within the sect.

It seemed that even the choice of taking on disciples in Tai Xuan Sect involved intricate calculations of power and influence.

The main reason, of course, was that Lü Baitian wasn't strong enough yet. He couldn't overpower the three great families alone.

"I plan to take action against the Li family soon. Don't worry—I won't harm Li Ya," Lü Baitian added.

Gu An immediately stood up and bowed upon hearing this.

Lü Baitian waved him off. "Once the Gold List Tournament ends, Tai Xuan Sect will soar to new heights. But hidden dangers still lurk. The Nine Nether Path on the other side of the Ghost Realm's Yin-Yang Convergence harbors dangers, and within the Nine Dynasties, there are those plotting against Tai Xuan Sect. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I'll visit your medicine valley less often. And you—stop slacking off and focus on your cultivation, understood?"

Toward the end, his tone became more exasperated.

He had already imparted the Inverse Life Divine Art to Gu An, yet Gu An still hadn't shown much progress.

Gu An nodded. "I'll take good care of the Medicine Valley and won't let Tai Xuan Sect down."

Lü Baitian shot him a glare before standing and leaving.

Snow had already blanketed the Third Medicine Valley. The vast expanse of white seemed to swallow the world, and Lü Baitian's figure soon vanished into the endless snow.

Time passed swiftly.

The Spring Festival came once more, and the Gold List Tournament concluded the day before the holiday.

In the evening, Gu An returned to Xuan Valley to celebrate the festival with his disciples.

Zhen Qin had just returned from the outer sect and was engaged in a lively discussion about the tournament's rankings with the other disciples. Once the tournament concluded, Tai Xuan Sect would release an official record, detailing the backgrounds and achievements of the top hundred participants—a symbol of prestige.

An Hao had unsurprisingly secured the top spot.

The second place went to Xuanmiao Zhenren from the Three Purities Mountain, who had become a legend after his duel with An Hao. The fame of the Three Purities Mountain now resounded throughout the Tai Cang Dynasty.

Lü Xian, meanwhile, had taken third place. He was likely sulking over the result.

After Lü Xian, the list was dominated by talents from the great families. The Zhou, Gu, and Ji families alone claimed thirty percent of the top one hundred spots, reaffirming their dominance.

Wu Jue, despite being at the Foundation Establishment Realm, had fought his way into the top twenty. Unfortunately, he encountered An Hao and was soundly defeated. Still, his achievement solidified his status as a true genius.

As Gu An sat down, listening to the excited chatter about the tournament, he showed some interest.

The disciples also took the opportunity to praise Gu An, who had made it into the top five hundred. They felt a sense of pride in his accomplishments.

"Master, tomorrow I'll have to go on a mission, and I may be gone for two to three years…" Zhen Qin said as she sat beside Gu An. But his thoughts had already drifted.

The high-grade medicinal herbs in the Xuan Tian Cave Mansion should be ready to harvest soon.

...

Seven days after the Spring Festival, Gu An entered the Xuan Tian Cave Mansion, harvested the mature herbs, and absorbed nearly twenty thousand years of lifespan. He then began planting new crops.

Thanks to his years of careful cultivation, the Xuan Tian Cave Mansion was now filled with medicinal herbs, all of them fourth-grade and above. The steady flow of lifespan gains was becoming a reality.

With the Medicine Valley alone, Gu An was already approaching the threshold of millions of years of lifespan.

He had started contemplating his next breakthrough.

His previous advancement to the Mahayana Realm had nearly drained the spiritual energy from Northern Sea Mountain. For his next breakthrough, he would need a location with even richer spiritual energy.

Gu An had already decided that he would require at least five million years of lifespan for his next breakthrough, and he was eager to see just how far it would take him.

After finishing his planting, Gu An sat down at a stone table, poured himself some tea, and indulged in a moment of peace. He expanded his divine sense to observe the happenings around Northern Sea Mountain.

For cultivators, Northern Sea Mountain was an ideal training ground. Ever since the start of the Gold List Tournament, the area had become even more chaotic as cultivators from various dynasties passed through, intensifying the conflicts there.

Hmm?

Gu An suddenly noticed a fierce battle, and one of the participants piqued his interest.

It was Xuanmiao Zhenren from the Three Purities Mountain!

This genius, who had bested Lü Xian, had left a deep impression on Gu An.

Currently, Xuanmiao Zhenren was surrounded by dozens of cultivators, all attacking him.

Amid the howling winds of the dark night, a barrage of spells rained down, ravaging the earth and forest.

Xuanmiao Zhenren wielded a sword in his right hand and a horsetail whisk in his left. Behind him, a three-headed, six-armed dharma manifestation had materialized. Despite being outnumbered, he was holding his own against the group of Divine Transformation Realm cultivators.

The dharma manifestation not only contained spiritual power far exceeding Xuanmiao Zhenren's own, but each of its six arms could cast a different spell.

Quite an impressive divine ability!

Gu An sipped his tea as he watched the battle unfold with interest.

The group of attackers didn't seem to be a match for Xuanmiao Zhenren, but there were Void Crossing Realm cultivators lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. Xuanmiao Zhenren's fate didn't look promising.

Gu An had no intention of intervening. He wasn't interested in getting involved in the grievances of others.

If Xuanmiao Zhenren died here, it would only mean his luck had run out.

Gu An only saved those connected to him.

A stick of incense later, the Void Crossing Realm cultivator finally made his move. With a single strike, he shattered Xuanmiao Zhenren's dharma manifestation, sending him flying and crashing into the forest below.

The wounded Divine Transformation cultivators sighed in relief and began showering the Void Crossing expert with praise.

Just as Gu An assumed Xuanmiao Zhenren was done for, he suddenly sensed something that made him raise his brows.

From within the forest where Xuanmiao Zhenren had fallen, a fierce wind arose. Trees were uprooted and hurled into the night sky, while Xuanmiao Zhenren sat cross-legged amidst the rubble, surrounded by green runes. These runes emitted beams of green light, converging above his head to form a massive door.

As the door slowly creaked open, an ancient, overwhelming aura surged forth. The Void Crossing Realm cultivator's face paled as he turned to flee.

"Where do you think you're going?"

A deep, weathered voice echoed through the night.