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

Crown Prince Li Dai hadn't left for seven days before he returned to visit Gu An, this time bringing with him many medicinal herb seeds, clearly having put in a lot of effort.

Although Gu An was unsure why he was being so generous, he appreciated and accepted the gift, even inviting Li Dai for a drink, which made their conversation even more pleasant than before.

Until his departure, Li Dai didn't try to recruit him, seemingly content with just building a good relationship.

However, after Li Dai left, Yang Ni's look at him changed.

"I've never seen him be so attentive to someone," Yang Ni said with a complex tone.

Gu An laughed and replied, "Who says I'm not amiable?"

He wasn't foolish; he guessed it might have something to do with Lv Baitian, but he wasn't clear on the particulars.

Li Dai had come to the Supreme Sect to find support, certainly not to turn to wealthy families, starting with excluding the Ji Family.

Besides that, only Lv Baitian wielded such significant influence.

Yang Ni also suspected that Gu An had even greater backing; after all, not even Li Xuandao could make the Crown Prince this solicitous.

She was very curious about who Gu An really was?

"It's best not to tell His Majesty about this. You've followed me for so many years, you should see that I'm not competitive, and I definitely don't want to become an object of suspicion," Gu An said seriously to Yang Ni.

Yang Ni nodded in agreement. She joked, "Looking at it this way, Li Ya isn't your blessing; rather, you're Li Ya's blessing. Indeed, anyone as diligent and earnest in planting as you, who grows so many medicinal herbs without scrambling for power, would be favored by the higher-ups of the Supreme Sect."

Gu An picked up the Storage Bag given by the Crown Prince, took out a hundred seeds, and handed them to Yang Ni, saying, "These are all fifth-tier seeds. Take good care of them. If you do well, I'll give you a tenth of the yield once they mature, and I'll give you even more seeds in the future."

Yang Ni accepted the medicinal herb seeds with a delighted expression, readily agreeing to the task.

Gu An looked at her, feeling very reassured.

There were many people in the Third Medicine Valley, but Yang Ni was the only one who truly enjoyed planting flowers and herbs. Xiaochuan preferred raising demon beasts, while the other disciples tended to their duties for the sake of immortal cultivation.

Gu An grew more expectant of Yang Ni.

...

As summer gave way to autumn, the hues of fall covered Mystic Valley, Tianya Valley, and the Third Medicine Valley.

In autumn, the Supreme Sect took on an added layer of beauty, with autumn leaves blanketing the mountains and the earth as far as the eye could see.

As autumn drew to a close, one afternoon in Tianya Valley—

Gu An used Spirit Protection Paper to wrap up the freshly picked medicinal herbs, and three notifications appeared before him:

[You have successfully harvested Deer Bone Grass (fifth tier) for a lifespan of 52 years]

[Your lifespan has surpassed one million years for the first time, unlocking the Life Span Detection feature]

[Life Span Detection: Once activated, it will automatically discern cause and effect. When any creature harbors hostility towards your true self, a notification will appear. Notifications do not consume lifespan, but conducting a Life Span Detection will consume lifespan.]

Staring at the feature before him, Gu An was momentarily stunned.

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What a great thing!

This could inform him of potential enemies, useful for avoiding risk.

He immediately activated the Life Span Warning.

But there were no prompts for the time being, possibly because it would start discerning from now on.

Gu An's mood brightened. He felt this function was of great significance and worth the many years of waiting. Moreover, he had already accumulated a lifespan of one million years, and he was ready to break through!

He began to work faster, harvesting the mature medicinal herbs in Tianya Valley, and moving all of them into the storage building. He noticed that the herbs in the storage building had been taken, leaving it empty.

Without giving much thought, he left after placing the herbs down.

No sooner had he left the storage building than Lv Xian approached him, saying, "Don't rush off. I haven't taught you the Mystic Tortoise Surging Wave Palm today."

He has already taught Gu An eight spells, and two years ago, he decided to start afresh, to delve deeply into one spell.

He refused to believe that anyone could be so dim-witted!

He was prepared to invest fifty years in a battle of determination with Gu An.

Fifty years of learning one spell, even a pig would get it by then, right?

Gu An pushed him away, "Not today, maybe next time."

Lv Xian was taken aback by being pushed by Gu An.

Did this guy just push him?

And he was moved by it!

"No way!"

Lv Xian grabbed Gu An's shoulder, refusing to let him leave.

Gu An, having no choice, turned his head and said, "It seems I've already mastered the Mystic Tortoise Surging Wave Palm. Why don't you have a look?"

"Really? Show me, quick!" Lv Xian immediately let go and urged excitedly.

Gu An walked onto the open ground, then lifted his palm and struck out. Instantly, a surge of air followed from his palm, causing wave-like patterns to form in the air ahead, stretching several yards.

He then withdrew his palm and said, "I didn't trick you, did I? I've practiced diligently in private. I have other matters now, but you can teach me how to make it stronger next time."

After speaking, he leaped into the air and flew towards the horizon.

Lv Xian didn't try to keep him any longer but stood there, frowning.

After a while.

Lv Xian couldn't help but murmur, "No gestures to initiate, no energy trace behind, this is the state of handling it freely…"

...

Upon returning to Mystic Valley, Gu An first went to the Third Medicine Valley to collect all the ripe medicinal herbs before returning to Mystic Valley.

He found Yang Ni and informed her that he would be away for two days as he needed to report to the Inner Sect. Yang Ni didn't suspect anything.

He left at dusk, flying towards the direction of the Outer City and circled back near Mystic Valley. As the night fell, he snuck into the Eight Scenic Caves, brought out Sky Dragon, who was extremely excited, looking around with great interest.

Gu An directly took it away from the Supreme Sect.

He employed the Infinite Traceless Mystic Heaven Step, bypassed the Supreme Sect, and then headed towards the North Sea Mountains.

Sky Dragon was amazed by Gu An's stepping technique, but it was not shocked, for in its heart, its master was the closest being, and it had not yet encountered others or formed a worldview.

The North Sea Mountains were over three hundred thousand miles away from the Supreme Sect. Along the way, Gu An continually executed the Infinite Traceless Mystic Heaven Step at full speed without stopping.

Upon arriving near the North Sea Mountains, Gu An let Sky Dragon down.

"Master, goodbye!"

Sky Dragon exclaimed excitedly before leaving. Gu An smiled, then put on a mask, changed into a set of black clothes, and continued on his journey.

He planned to break through in the depths of the North Sea Mountains.

The North Sea Mountains were a range of mountains surrounding a sea, with the North Sea actually being a lake as large as an ocean.

Gu An stepped forward in the air and saw from afar the North Sea, where the surface shimmered under the moonlight with fog rolling in, truly boundless at a glance.

En route, he saw a giant fish a hundred zhang long leap from the lake, stretching its body in mid-air, a magnificent sight.

The North Sea Mountains were home not only to demon creatures but also cultivators and ghosts.

Gu An felt the presence of cultivators in a fierce battle, each with a Cultivation Level not weak, two of them at the Nascent Soul Realm. He merely glanced and swiftly passed by without stopping.

He would admire the scenery after his breakthrough!

He wondered where Li Ya could be?

Thinking this, Gu An spread his Divine Sense to find a suitable place for his breakthrough.

Less than half an hour later, Gu An arrived at a mountain deep in the wilderness and sat down under a large tree to meditate.

No traces of humans were within three thousand miles, and there were few sightings of demon creatures, only ghosts wandering about, making the forest extremely gloomy and filled with ghostly energy.

Gu An immediately activated the Life Span Barrier, rendering himself invisible.

Then he pulled up his Attribute Panel:

[Name: Gu An]

[Life Span: 58/1002060]

[Spirit Root: Supreme Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Root]

[Cultivation Level: Unification Realm Nine Layers]

[Cultivation Techniques: Fire Control Art (Initial Insight), Yang Wood Primordial Skill (Mastery), Mystic Yellow Dragon Energy Skill (Peak of Perfection), Alchemy (Early Achievements), Myriad Poison Mystic Skill (Untrained), Yin Yang Art (Untrained), Daoist Expansion Skill (Untrained)]

...

Seeing the seven-digit Life Span, he felt a great sense of accomplishment.

He decided to invest ten-thousand-year lifespans each into the Spirit Root, Yang Wood Primordial Skill, and Mystic Yellow Dragon Energy Skill, then enhance his Cultivation Level. As for spells, ultimate skills, and Divine Skills, he could invest less lifespan, since he rarely fought anyway.

Gu An directly invested one hundred thousand years of lifespan into the Spirit Root, regardless of the outcome, he would stop, refusing to invest more.

[You have invested one hundred thousand years of lifespan into evolving your Spirit Root through cultivation.]

[You comprehend the nature of the universe for a thousand years, your Five Elements Spirit Root Perception Power has increased.]

[You comprehend the nature of the universe for two thousand years, your Five Elements Spirit Root Perception Power has increased.]

...

[After comprehending the nature of the universe for seven thousand years, you finally grasp the True Meaning of the Five Elements, and your Supreme Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Root has been tempered.]

...

[After comprehending the nature of the universe for fifty-six thousand years, you finally grasp the True Meaning of the Five Elements, and your Supreme Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Root has been tempered.]

Notifications kept popping up crazily in front of Gu An's eyes. Although he had been prepared, his face still darkened.

Perhaps he shouldn't have improved the Spirit Root, as the Supreme Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Root was already sufficient.

But what's done is done, so he had to endure!

Even though there was no transformation, tempering should make his aptitude stronger.

Gu An consoled himself with this thought.

The notifications continued.

[After comprehending the nature of the universe for seventy thousand years, you finally grasp the True Meaning of the Five Elements, and your Supreme Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Root has been tempered.]

[After comprehending the nature of the universe for eighty thousand years, finally grasping the True Meaning of the Five Elements, your Supreme Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Root undergoes a transformation, the nature's spiritual energy envelops you, and you enter a state of Nirvana.]

[After comprehending the nature of the universe for ninety thousand years, you successfully undergo Nirvana, as your Supreme Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Root merges with your body and soul, elevating to a Five Elements Treasure Body.]

...

[After comprehending the nature of the universe for one hundred thousand years, your Five Elements Treasure Body has been tempered.]

Upon seeing the Five Elements Treasure Body, Gu An's expression brightened, feeling as though another village appeared after a dark and flowerless path, his persistence had paid off!

Exciting!

Just as Gu An's mood soared, the Spiritual Energy from beneath the earth started to act up. The terrifying and violent Spiritual Energy surged towards him, the situation even more exaggerated than when he had broken through to the Unification Realm Nine Layers.

Sorry, creatures of the North Sea Mountains, it's time to startle you!

Gu An began to immerse himself in the wonderful process of Spiritual Energy tempering his body.

Beings throughout the North Sea Mountains successively felt the sinking of Spiritual Energy. In less than fifteen breaths, even those on the fringes of the North Sea Mountains could feel this anomaly.

In a valley.

A man dressed in white, Li Xuandao, was meditating on an Array Platform with thousands of Elixir Bottles and Storage Bags placed on it. Flags and Talisman Papers were erected all around the platform and even on the valley walls, dazzling to behold.

Li Xuandao opened his eyes, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Again, Spiritual Energy is descending. What exactly is happening? Why is this phenomenon even occurring in the North Sea Mountains?" Li Xuandao murmured to himself, a look of unease in his eyes.