Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses - Chapter 92

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: The Green Vine Tree Becomes a Spirit, the Realm Above Unification

In the forest, Gu An was leading Yang Ni in planting seeds. As he buried the soil, he glanced at the nearby medicinal herbs and said, “That is Shy Songgrass. Its leaves tend to curl up easily, and when the wind blows through, it makes a strange sound like singing. When that happens, you have to help it open its leaves to ensure it doesn’t hinder its growth…”

Yang Ni squatted beside him, listening intently, her eyes filled with curiosity.

When Li Ya left, Yang Ni said she wanted to stay and plant flowers and grass. Gu An had thought she was joking, but surprisingly, she wasn’t. She began participating in the planting and always asked him questions, showing great humility.

After changing her attitude, Yang Ni began to integrate into Mystic Valley, interacting with other servant disciples.

Gu An wanted to assimilate her, to truly make her one of them in Mystic Valley. So he taught her very diligently.

“From now on, you will be responsible for managing the medicinal herbs in this garden. Let’s test your ability, see if you can protect the garden as well as you protect people.” Gu An stood up and smiled.

Yang Ni did not refuse; instead, she showed an expression of anticipation.

Soon after, Gu An left, leaving Yang Ni to observe the garden by herself.

He returned to Mystic Valley and saw Chu Jingfeng standing in front of the wooden railing, lost in thought, not knowing what he was thinking about.

Since coming to Mystic Valley, Chu Jingfeng had always been like this. When Gu An assigned him tasks, he would do them, but if Gu An didn’t assign him chores, he would just stand there in a daze.

For the sake of their past friendship, Gu An decided to help him out.

“Brother Chu, I just got a new swordsmanship, would you like to help me take a look?” Gu An patted Chu Jingfeng’s shoulder and asked with a smile.

Chu Jingfeng nodded expressionlessly, then followed him into the deserted forest.

He was also a sword cultivator. Although his cultivation level had been destroyed, his memory still remained, so he believed he could help Gu An.

Even though he didn’t speak much on normal days, he was actually very grateful to Gu An.

When he first arrived, he wished he could find a hole to hide in when facing Gu An. But Gu An didn’t mock him, instead treated him very well, and maintained this attitude for many years. It couldn’t be an act. He couldn’t understand what Gu An could possibly gain from him, and could only think that Gu An was genuinely kind-hearted, after all, the disciples in the valley held Gu An in high regard.

Under Chu Jingfeng’s gaze, Gu An performed a basic sword move from the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword set. Despite his clumsy execution, lacking smoothness, it still made Chu Jingfeng’s eyes light up.

“Gu… Valley Master, what swordsmanship is this?” Chu Jingfeng asked, barely able to contain his excitement.

As a swordsman, how could he not be thrilled to see such profound swordsmanship?

Gu An scratched his head and said, “I don’t know either. I encountered a senior when I went to the Heavenly Repair Platform before. He taught it to me, saying that if one could master this swordsmanship, one could become a Sword God in the mortal world.”

Chu Jingfeng was about to speak but stopped himself.

Gu An smiled and said, “What do you think? Do you want to learn it? I’ll teach you. I only have one request, and that is for you to go back to being the person you used to be. I miss the ambitious Chu Jingfeng. Even if your cultivation is gone, you can still practice swordsmanship. Isn’t there a legend that someone never absorbed any energy in their lifetime but achieved enlightenment through swordsmanship? If others can do it, why can’t you?”

Upon hearing this, Chu Jingfeng’s face changed and he struggled internally.

In the end, he agreed.

Actually, he had never wanted to be dispirited; he just couldn’t find a reason to keep going.

Now, suddenly, Gu An’s words made sense to him. Without cultivation, does that mean he can’t practice swordsmanship?

Shouldn’t a sword cultivator face difficulties head-on?

And so, Chu Jingfeng started practicing the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword. He learned the moves very quickly, which amazed Gu An and boosted his confidence.

…

Late at night.

A few miles away from Mystic Valley, by the river, Gu An moved aside some rubble, opened a stone slab, and then crawled inside. The stone slab closed behind him, and the surrounding rubble moved into place, restoring the scene to look as if it had never been disturbed.

Gu An followed the underground passage all the way to the Eight Scenic Caves.

A five-zhang long black dragon burst from the underground river and swiftly flew before him.

As usual, he took out the corpse of a Demon Sheep, placed it on the ground, and Sky Dragon opened its mouth to spit out a vast flame, starting to roast the sheep.

“In another two or three years, I’ll take you out, how about that?” Gu An asked with a smile as he stroked Sky Dragon’s head.

Gu An planned to release Sky Dragon during his next breakthrough, letting it live in the North Sea Mountains.

Previously, he had hoped Sky Dragon could practice a Transformation Skill, but unfortunately, no such transformation skill existed. Instead, he had taught Sky Dragon the Demon Shadow Divine Skill, but after years of practice, it still had not mastered it.

Hearing that it could leave, Sky Dragon immediately stopped roasting the sheep and excitedly asked where it would go.

Gu An briefly introduced the North Sea Mountains, making Sky Dragon even more eager.

He instructed it not to reveal his existence or that of the Eight Scenic Caves after leaving, and it promised not to.

Actually, it wouldn’t matter if they were exposed. By the time Gu An returned from the North Sea Mountains, he would surely have surpassed the Unification Realm. Then, even the entire Thousand-Autumn Pavilion wouldn’t be able to take his Green Vine Tree.

Of course, he trusted that Sky Dragon would keep its mouth shut.

“Next, you must practice diligently, lest you get eaten by a demon as soon as you step outside,” Gu An teased.

Sky Dragon raised its head proudly and said, “How could a dragon get eaten by a demon!”

Gu An stroked its dragon head, then walked toward the Green Vine Tree.

Gu An valued this seventh-tier Spirit Tree highly. Every time he came to the Eight Scenic Caves, he would inspect it to prevent any issues.

Under the tree, Gu An looked up at the branches of the Green Vine Tree.

As he watched, his brow suddenly furrowed.

He noticed a certain branch twitch slightly. Though very subtle, it indeed happened.

Sky Dragon was still not far away roasting the sheep, so it wasn’t a prank by him.

Could this tree be becoming sentient?

Thinking this, Gu An found it increasingly possible.

This was the Holy Tree of the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion, surely it had something mystical about it; becoming sentient wasn’t impossible.

Gu An continued to stare at it, but the Green Vine Tree showed no further signs of abnormality, as if what he saw earlier was just an illusion.

He used his divine sense to probe, finding nothing unusual. But doing this could serve as a warning to the Green Vine Tree not to act out of line.

After staying for an hour, Gu An finally left.

Going forward, there was another thing he needed to be vigilant about. He didn’t worry about the Green Vine Tree becoming sentient; in fact, he somewhat anticipated it.

…

Spring passed and returned, and two years elapsed.

Gu An’s life span had reached 950,000 years, and he felt that he would reach a million years before the end of the year, filling him with anticipation and making him energetic all year.

One day, Ye Lan visited Mystic Valley to see Gu An.

The two stood by the window in the pavilion, watching the busy disciples while chatting.

Ye Lan spoke about recent major events in the immortal cultivation world, which Gu An found fascinating.

A new sect had emerged, called the Ephemera Sect. No one knew its location, but its cultivators continually invaded various demon path sects, seizing cultivation techniques, spells, treasures, and more, plunging the demon path into chaos. In contrast, the righteous path sects remained unaffected.

Some said the Ephemera Sect was supported by the Supreme Sect because a great demon cultivator had appeared who used leaves to kill enemies, reminiscent of the Sword Venerable Fudao of the Supreme Sect.

Hearing this, Gu An felt displeased, thinking, “Why is someone else taking credit for my reputation?”

“You’ve mentioned so many events, but none targeted the Supreme Sect, which suggests we’ve established a strong reputation,” Gu An said with a smile.

He was genuinely happy; the more peaceful the Supreme Sect, the better for him. After all, he could grow stronger by planting flowers and grass.

In another fifty years, no one in the Nine States would be stronger than him, right?

Ye Lan thought for a moment and said, “Actually, there is. A cultivator claiming to be a Ghost Thief, neither righteous nor evil, appeared. He used to like stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but as his fame grew, six months ago, he declared he would steal the Mystic Pure Tree from the Supreme Sect, saying that the Supreme Sect hoarded ninety percent of the Taicang Dynasty’s resources and violated the Heavenly Dao. He wanted to take the Mystic Pure Tree and plant it at the edge of the Heavenly Pond.”

Mystic Pure Tree?

Gu An’s brow furrowed upon hearing this.

This was the seventh-tier spirit tree granted to him by the Supreme Sect, which had already grown up. How could he let anyone steal it?

This Ghost Thief was courting death!

On second thought, since the thief’s actions aligned with chivalrous ethos, he decided not to kill him but would definitely teach him a lesson to prevent further attempts.

Curious, Gu An asked, “Is the Ghost Thief powerful?”

“Of course. Otherwise, how could someone offend so many and steal so many treasures yet live until today?” Ye Lan replied, rolling her eyes at Gu An.

True, there was no point in asking her, as she didn’t even know what realm lies beyond Divinity Transformation.

Gu An chuckled and then asked how her cultivation had been lately, whether she was diligent.

Although all lives would part eventually, he hoped the day when he and Ye Lan parted forever would come later.

This question led to a barrage of criticism from Ye Lan.

Ye Lan thought the same way, wishing for him to cultivate earnestly and extend his life span.

The two began to argue playfully.

After a while, Ye Lan suddenly asked, “Senior Brother, do you know the current Emperor?”

Gu An raised his eyebrows and asked, “Junior Sister, why do you ask?”

“The Emperor introduced Spring Festival. Starting from this year, it has spread across various states, and the customs are exactly like your Spring Festival,” Ye Lan said gravely.

Gu An dismissively said, “I also heard this from an unknown elder. Besides, the Spring Festival has been celebrated for so many years. It’s normal for people to know about it, as its meaning is quite good.”

Ye Lan found this reasoning sound but still reminded him, “Recently, we’ve received orders from above to gather information about Emperor Li Xuandao and increased the number of disciples sent on missions to Cangzhou. It looks like there’s some interest in the throne from above.”

“What do you mean, the sect wants to seize the throne?”

“Not exactly. The Crown Prince is a disciple of our sect, but he has been Crown Prince for a century. Naturally, the sect wants to assist him.”

Gu An couldn’t help but look far west to the forest a hundred zhang away. He saw Yang Ni watering the flowers and plants, not sure if she was eavesdropping.

They chatted for a while longer. Ye Lan shut the window, wanting to talk to Gu An about other matters and even acted flirtatiously, but he reprimanded her sternly.

Ye Lan glared at him in shame and anger before leaving.

Watching her leave, Gu An’s thoughts drifted to the North Sea Mountains.

He needed to visit the Book Collection Hall to find some maps and prepare for his breakthrough.

He wondered what the realm above Unification was.

Gu An went downstairs, intending to head toward the Transmission Array Platform when Yang Ni suddenly stopped him and transmitted her voice, saying, “Beware of the Crown Prince. If he learns of your relationship with Li Ya, he’ll come after you and plot against you.”