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

Third Medicine Valley, the autumn breeze fluttering.

Gu An stepped out from the Transmission Array Platform and walked toward a garden area in the distance.

Although he had just broken through, he hadn't forgotten the harvest times for the flowers and herbs in each garden.

Before he had taken many steps, Lu Lingjun quickly caught up to him, saying, "Valley Master, let me accompany you to harvest."

Gu An nodded, with no objections.

After proceeding several miles, Gu An began to bend down to pick herbs, while Lu Lingjun took out a bamboo basket to collect them.

"Valley Master, the world is in great chaos now. With my cultivation level, shouldn't I go out and make a name for myself?" Lu Lingjun suddenly asked.

So that was what it was about, no wonder she was so eager to help!

Gu An casually replied, "Then go find the Sect Leader and see how he arranges for you."

"If he wanted to summon me, he would have surely sent me a message by now."

"In that case, stay in Medicine Valley. Who knows, maybe one day Demon Cultivators from the Ephemera Sect will sneak into Medicine Valley, and we will rely on you to protect it."

"But..."

"Lingjun, to think you are a Great Cultivator, yet why is your Daoist Heart so impatient? Isn't it also meritorious to protect the herbs? Doesn't this merit compare to the merit you would gain from killing enemies?"

Gu An said sternly, but he did not stop his hands from moving.

Having just spent over forty million years of his life span, he had to replenish it.

Lu Lingjun gave in helplessly, seeking to go out and eradicate demons primarily for the grand scheme of the Sect Leader.

However, she wasn't yet ready to tell Gu An of her desire to become the Sect Leader, especially since Gu An had a closer relationship with Lv Baitian.

Seeing her plan had failed, Lu Lingjun changed the subject, asking, "Valley Master, do you think there are Immortals in this world? The heavens and earth are vast; if there are Immortals, why can't Mortal Spirits lay eyes on them?"

"Of course there are, otherwise why would we Cultivators exist? It's just that we're still on the pursuit," Gu An answered.

Of course there are!

I am one!

But I can't tell you!

Gu An gloated inwardly while at the same time, another thought struck him.

Could it be that Immortals are hidden among the Mortal World, and his previous Divine Sense was simply incapable of detecting an Immortal's presence?

Or perhaps, Immortals are hidden on the other side of the ocean, beyond the Mortal Plane, where even as Immortals, they must continue to compete for higher realms.

Nirvana is only the first step on the Immortal Path, and they must traverse through the Eight Tribulations before they can reach the pinnacle of the Immortal Path.

Above the Immortal Path, what lies beyond?

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For a time, Gu An lost himself in endless reverie. Although his thoughts were adrift, it didn't affect his herb gathering.

"In the place where I was born, there were no Immortals. Cultivators who reached high levels could only seek to shatter the void, for we believe that the divine resides in parts of the universe inaccessible to Mortal Spirits," Lu Lingjun continued, a wistful expression on her face.

After ascending, she suddenly felt there was no difference from before her ascension. She still had to struggle in the mortal world, which was now infinitely vast, but the Immortal Path remained as distant as ever.

Gu An listened, occasionally chiming in with agreement.

An hour later, the two returned to the loft area and then parted ways.

Gu An walked towards the Mystic Pure Tree and saw Xiaochuan crouching on the ground from afar, observing the White Spirit Rat that was soundly asleep under the tree.

Although Xiaochuan had raised many Demon Beasts, his favorite was still the White Spirit Rat, even if it paid him little attention.

Suddenly, Gu An noticed that Xiaochuan's figure seemed to have aged.

Xiaochuan was only three years younger than Gu An and was now seventy years old. Moreover, he had yet to achieve Foundation Establishment, so how could he not show signs of aging?

Gu An had once given Xiaochuan a Youth-Preserving Pill, but that could only keep his appearance young — Xiaochuan's demeanor and mindset had begun to age.

This realization left Gu An feeling somewhat bewildered.

In a hundred years, Xiaochuan would leave him.

Xiaochuan didn't enjoy cultivation, and Gu An couldn't force him. Fortunately, even without achievements in Immortal Cultivation, Xiaochuan still lived happily. Because of Gu An, he had no regrets in this life.

Gu An approached Xiaochuan from behind and asked with a chuckle, "Xiaochuan, what are you looking at? If you want to hold it, just pick it up."

Xiaochuan looked up and said helplessly, "It's got a big temper. I tried to hold it earlier, and it scratched me."

"Oh? Why didn't you tell me? This rascal!"

Gu An immediately walked over, grabbed the tail of the White Spirit Rat, and lifted it.

The White Spirit Rat woke up startled, but upon seeing it was Gu An, stopped struggling at once.

Gu An placed it in Xiaochuan's arms and warned it with a look not to resist, leaving it no choice but to curl up sulkily.

Seeing he finally held the White Spirit Rat, Xiaochuan's face broke into an excited smile, and he began gently stroking its back.

At that moment, Gu An felt the presence of a battle from afar.

Mystic Heart Realm's big fight!

One of the auras was that of Xuan Quan the Elder!

He looked only once and did not think to intervene.

As long as Ephemera Sect's Mahayana didn't take action, he couldn't be bothered. Nine dynasties' calamity wasn't his alone to bear, and he could not let Supreme Sect fall into a habit of depending on Sword Venerable Fudao.

After chatting with Xiaochuan for half an hour, Gu An then left.

Xiaochuan put the White Spirit Rat down, which scampered away with a whoosh, returning to sleep under the Mystic Pure Tree.

Xiaochuan turned to watch Gu An's retreating figure, and for some reason, he felt he was growing further and further apart from Gu An.

Even though they always kept company, and Gu An had no intention of leaving Supreme Sect, he just inexplicably felt a sense of loss.

Fortunately, that feeling of loss came swiftly and left just as quickly.

"Little Yang, come over here. Let's go see the Spirit Chickens; they should be laying eggs today."

Xiaochuan waved to a Servant Disciple not far away, and thinking of the Spirit Chicken laying eggs, a smile once again bloomed on his face.

...

Heavenly Phoenix Mountain.

Inside an underground space, Gu An sat on the ground with a stele placed in front of him, stroking his chin in deep thought.

Tian Yao'er crouched beside him, curiously watching, and after holding back for a long time, she couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"

Gu An answered, "I'm thinking of a name for this cave."

Suddenly thinking of something, he opened his eyes and looked towards Tian Yao'er, "If I let you choose, what name would you pick?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Yao'er tilted her head, pondered for a moment, and said, "How about 'Demon Nest'?"

Gu An closed his eyes again, too lazy to continue the conversation.

Tian Yao'er pouted. She lifted both hands, curved them into claws, and gently swiped at Gu An, then stuck out her tongue and made a face as if trying to scratch him.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Gu An stood up, startling Tian Yao'er into rising as well. She widened her eyes, watching Gu An.

Gu An lifted his right hand, two fingers extended forward and aimed at the surface of the stele, making sweeping motions through the air.

Tian Yao'er looked down and saw a faint energy brushing against the stele, inscribing four characters.

Nianchu Cave.

Nianchu, meaning to not forget one's original intentions, Gu An feared that he would become arrogant in the future.

Today's conversation with Xiaochuan led to many reflections on life, and Nianchu was also a hope to remember the first group of people he met on the path to immortal cultivation.

After carving the name, Gu An picked up the stele and walked off into the distance.

Tian Yao'er followed step by step. Since Gu An's return, she had not left his side beyond the distance of seven steps.

After inserting the stele into its place, Gu An turned around and started casting spells with his hands, then squatted down and slapped his palms to the ground.

Actually, he didn't need to go through all this trouble; he was simply putting on a show for Tian Yao'er.

As his mana burrowed into the soil, the barren ground began sprouting weeds. In less than three breaths, the entire area around Nianchu Cave was covered, leaving Tian Yao'er with eyes wide open in amazement.

This was one of Gu An's Mystic Heart Divine Powers, which he called All Things Divine Presence!

All Things Divine Presence wasn't merely capable of this; it could create flora using mana within the reach of his Divine Sense. These plants, infused with his mana, could provide him with a field of vision. They had countless marvelous uses and could form rapidly enough to be used as a lethal move.

With a wave of his hand, Gu An could easily conjure a forest wall tens of thousands of feet high. As for the ultimate limit of this power, even he wasn't sure for now.

Just the thought of it filled him with anticipation.

Beyond that, this divine power could also accelerate the growth of plants.

Today, Gu An planned to conduct an experiment.

He wanted to see whether speeding up the growth of herbs would affect the lifespan they absorbed.

He took out a seed and buried it in the soil.

Tian Yao'er was dumbfounded, looking at the greenery that carpeted the ground. She seriously doubted Gu An's word, as she had never seen the Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother employ such methods.

Half an hour later.

Gu An sighed, holding a fresh Rank Two Spirit Grass in his hand.

Forcing growth did reduce lifespan indeed.

He forcibly matured a Rank Two Spirit Grass within half an hour, but the attempt to absorb its lifespan failed. Based on the Life Span Detection, this Rank Two Spirit Grass was already at its end, yet it didn't show the remaining lifespan in months, making it difficult for him to judge directly.

It seemed that he had to farm honestly after all.

Gu An cursed himself for being greedy. His ability to absorb lifespan was already quite remarkable, yet he still wanted more speed.

He stood up, and Tian Yao'er beside him did the same, as if imitating him.

"Don't you have something to do?" Gu An couldn't help but ask.

Tian Yao'er blinked, "Do what?"

"Don't you want revenge? Why aren't you cultivating?"

"How do I cultivate? You haven't taught me the Technique of Immortal Cultivation..." Tian Yao'er replied aggrievedly.

One couldn't help but feel pity for her when she looked so distressed.

Gu An silently cursed 'demoness' under his breath, then asked, "How did you improve your cultivation level?"

He had seen Tian Yao'er's past, but only ten years of it. From the very beginning, she was raised by the Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother, who occasionally fed her various elixirs and medicinal broths. He thought she had learned the Technique of Immortal Cultivation when she was younger.

"I don't really know; it just increased like that..." Tian Yao'er replied.

Upon thinking it over, Gu An considered this a good thing, as it meant she wouldn't have to start her cultivation all over again.

Then, Gu An began imparting the Primordial Earth Immortal Skill to Tian Yao'er.

Tian Yao'er was completely clueless about cultivation, which made Gu An explain some basic cultivation knowledge to her.

A night passed, and Tian Yao'er was finally able to absorb energy on her own, which relieved Gu An.

During this process, he discovered that Tian Yao'er couldn't read.

He glanced towards the scattered assortment of books in the distance and pondered whether to leave a copy of the Supreme Secret Records; it had pictures after all.

But immediately afterward, he dismissed the idea.

That's too underhanded!

He couldn't let an ignorant demoness read such books!

If Tian Yao'er harbored improper thoughts later on, it could even affect his own cultivation here.

It was all Shen Zhen's fault, causing Gu An's thoughts to become increasingly impure. Some books being forbidden made sense!