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

Heaven Sect lectured Gu An at length, telling him how to act in the future and what pitfalls to avoid, as if imparting his last words.

Despite thinking to himself, 'I, a Divine Thought True Immortal, will not acknowledge you as my master,' Gu An considered retaining Heaven Sect's legacy since Heaven Sect was determined to abdicate his position and had decided to search for a successor on his behalf.

Before leaving, Heaven Sect said, "Though there are many secrets about you that puzzle me, I have no desire to understand them anymore. Your disciple named Yang Jian, let him leave when he wishes to; do not stop him, for he will bring you great trouble."

Gu An nodded, planning to dismiss him first.

Heaven Sect raised his right hand, a qi sphere formed in his palm and he threw it at Gu An.

With no time to dodge, Gu An could only watch as the qi sphere entered his body, causing him to stiffen.

Heaven Sect looked at Gu An, a smile appearing as he said, "It's a pity I didn't formally accept you as my disciple. It's better this way, to avoid my karma affecting you."

With that, he turned and left, his figure passing directly through the door.

Feeling his presence disappear, the color of panic finally vanished from Gu An's face.

Accept me as a disciple?

Sorry, I am more afraid of getting involved in your karma!

Gu An touched his chest, extracting the qi sphere; he could feel the powerful force inside, no weaker than Heaven Sect's and its Qi Fortune was something he currently couldn't fathom. Precisely because of this, he couldn't merge with the qi sphere.

Let's call it Heaven Sect's Qi Fortune!

Gu An took out the Seven Stars Mirror and channeled the Heaven Sect's Qi Fortune into it.

When he first obtained the Seven Stars Mirror, Gu An had erased all the Qi Fortune, karma, and related Restriction inside it. He treated not only Immortal Path Supreme Treasures with such thoroughness but also any Magic Artifact.

To avoid any accidents, he checked it again. Once sure there were no issues, he tucked the Seven Stars Mirror into his pocket and then sat down to continue reading.

The grand ranking competition was still ongoing. As of today, the combatants were all Immortal beings, unlike Li Ya who relied on Immortal Path Supreme Treasures from lower realms, thus each Combat was a testament to Cultivation Levels.

When Heaven Sect broke into the top ten, he announced his withdrawal from the competition and then left.

His departure destined to leave a lingering question in the grand ranking competition. No matter who won first place, they could not be considered the true victor of the competition in the minds of the people below.

Heaven Sect was the most dominant presence in this grand ranking competition—unequivocally!

Gu An and Yang Jian tacitly did not mention Heaven Sect and continued their cultivation as usual. Your next chapter is on empire

Gu An trained Yang Jian, not hoping he would serve him for life. When he saw through the karma of Yang Jian's past life, he was already prepared to let Yang Jian go.

He even looked forward to seeing what impact Yang Jian would make on the world after he emerged magnificently.

By the end of summer, the grand ranking competition concluded, and Nine-Finger Divine Lord representing the Supreme Sect won the first-place seat.

Carefree Primordial Immortal Zhang Xianwang from the Immortal Spirit Dynasty did not participate. He lingered in the Supreme Sect, searching for Sword Venerable Fudao.

Clearly wary of Holy Court, he acted very cautiously and dared not reveal his identity.

After the grand ranking competition ended, Zhang Xianwang still did not leave.

Until one night in early autumn.

Zhang Xianwang was reading in his inn room, with more than a dozen books about Sword Venerable Fudao spread out on the table.

A cold breeze stirred the oil lamp on the table, Zhang Xianwang's eyes flickered, instinctively looking to the side. Immediately after, his pupils contracted sharply as he abruptly stood up.

He saw a figure shrouded in purple Demonic Qi, his face's shock quickly turning to joy.

The newcomer was Gu An!

His Nine Extremes Yin Yang Body had advanced to the extreme path transforming form, allowing him to change into various forms, and even without transformation, he could avoid karma calculation by using the extreme path transforming form. However, the image of Sword Venerable Fudao was too deeply ingrained, and he had to meet people in this guise.

"Why are you looking for me?" Gu An spoke, his voice hoarse, prompting Zhang Xianwang to imagine a face weathered by the vicissitudes of life.

Zhang Xianwang promptly bowed, then introduced himself.

He came from the Immortal Dynasty, sent by the master of the Immortal Dynasty, Yang Xian Emperor, to request Sword Venerable Fudao to take action on a matter.

He did not immediately mention what it was but instead asked Gu An's impression of the Holy Court.

"It upholds the great righteousness of protecting the mortals, yet shows disdain for Mortal Spirits with its pride—it has its good and bad sides. Are the Immortal Dynasty and Holy Court at odds?" Gu An asked nonchalantly.

Zhang Xianwang took a deep breath and said, "It's not that we are at odds with the Holy Court, but rather that the Holy Court has always wanted to eliminate us, to make the Great Heavenly Spirit Land entirely theirs."

"The master of Holy Court, Shengtian, comes from Outer Heaven and established the Holy Court in this land. The top hierarchy of the Holy Court mostly shares a similar origin with him, while the Immortal Dynasty is a gathering of native Immortal beings from the Great Heavenly Spirit Land, evolving over generations to form the Immortal Dynasty."

This was the first Gu An had heard of such matters.

"If that's the case, wouldn't I who don't belong to the Immortal Dynasty be deemed an enemy?" Gu An asked.

It was important to consider right and wrong based on one's stance. If the stances were different, he didn't understand why the Immortal Dynasty would still seek him out.

Zhang Xianwang hurriedly explained, "It's not just the Immortal Dynasty that belongs to native beings of the Great Heavenly Spirit Land—all beings below heaven are so; it's just that the current beings only recognize the Holy Court."

"So, what then? You guys wouldn't want me to go against Holy Court, right?" Gu An countered.

"Senior, you refuse to accept Qi Fortune and status, and you conceal your real identity. The only thing you could fear is the Holy Court. If you cooperate with the Immortal Dynasty, we will fulfill any needs you have. However, before that, we hope you can infiltrate Holy Court to rescue someone for us, someone who is not from the Immortal Dynasty but has been beneficial to us," Zhang Xianwang earnestly said.

He was about to introduce this person when Gu An suddenly interrupted, "No need to continue, I refuse. It does not matter who rules the world, nor do I wish to get involved in your grievances. If that's the matter, then please leave."

He'd have to be full to do the Immortal Dynasty's bidding.

Not to mention whether Zhang Xianwang's words were true, even if they were, he wouldn't agree.

Currently, only the Great Nether Saint King from Holy Court bore a grudge against him; he had no reason to position himself against Holy Court.

Moreover, the Immortal Dynasty clearly felt inferior and thought they couldn't overcome Holy Court; he had no desire to be their pawn.

"Senior..." Zhang Xianwang still wanted to persuade, but a terrifying force enveloped him, making him fall silent and tremble.

This Carefree Primordial Immortal appeared quite embarrassed now.

"Leave the Supreme Sect, do not disturb my secluded cultivation. I do not wish to be an enemy of any force, but if someone forces me, I won't hesitate to visit their Daoist Tradition."

Before his words fully faded, Gu An disappeared from the spot, leaving Zhang Xianwang in the room, his face changing expressions.

He originally thought Sword Venerable Fudao was concealing his name because he feared Holy Court; he didn't expect that what Sword Venerable Fudao feared was the entire world.

Are there really such ascetic cultivators in the world with such a temperament?

Meanwhile, Gu An returned to the Eight Scenic Caves.

Had he not been favorably impressed by Zhang Xianwang, Gu An wouldn't have met him at all; had Zhang persisted unreasoningly and kept pushing, Gu An wouldn't hesitate to annihilate him.

He continued his Artifact Refining, which had been delayed for several months due to the grand ranking competition. Now, he needed to pick it back up.

His goal was to create his own Immortal Path Supreme Treasure when he reached the Ninth Level of Immortal.

What kind of Immortal Path Supreme Treasure would be worthy of him?

He constantly pondered this question.

As dawn broke, Gu An felt Zhang Xianwang's presence departing, bringing a smile to his face.

He hoped Zhang Xianwang could convey the signal that Gu An had released to the Immortal Dynasty.

He didn't want further conflicts with the Immortal Dynasty.

Standing up, he tidied up before leaving the Eight Scenic Caves.

...

After the grand ranking competition ended, new Disciple numbers in the Supreme Sect surged, even attracting high Cultivation Level Cultivators to join.

The Supreme Sect once again began expanding the Sect: it recruited many Servant Disciples to labor, offering generous compensation. Gu An's Third Medicine Valley remained unaffected because he offered even higher treatment to the Servant Disciples.

Ten years passed, and the number of Disciples in Third Medicine Valley broke two thousand.

This year, the Supreme Sect agreed to expand Third Medicine Valley.

Gu An stood on a mountaintop, watching his busy Disciples, his face filled with a smile.

The expansion of Medicine Valley helped increase his Life Span income; naturally, his mood was excellent.

A figure approached from behind him—it was Yang Jian.

Yang Jian had grown more composed and his brow bore a vigorous look.

"Master," Yang Jian approached Gu An and respectfully bowed.

Gu An did not turn around but gazed into the distance, asking, "Have you decided?"

Taking a deep breath, Yang Jian replied, "I have decided. I carry too much karma. First it was Impermanence Tian, and now Heaven Sect. As my Cultivation Level continues to rise, the problems will only increase in the future. I don't want to cause trouble for you and Medicine Valley. Also, I wish to venture out alone to cultivate my heart and seek Dao."

Gu An turned around, looked at him, and softly laughed, "You truly have grown up; go then, it's time for you to be on your own."

Hearing Gu An consenting, Yang Jian sighed with relief, his face showing happiness as he solemnly nodded.

"Leave today, and don't say goodbye to anyone else," Gu An waved his hand.

Stunned, Yang Jian could only nod.

As he turned to leave, he couldn't help but ask, "Master, who exactly is my senior brother?"

"You've already chosen another path, don't ask further. After leaving Third Medicine Valley, do not mention my name or reveal my existence, or else..."

Gu An's back faced Yang Jian as he spoke in a calm tone.

He didn't complete his sentence, but he believed Yang Jian understood.

Yang Jian took a deep breath, knelt again, and bowed deeply to Gu An.

Then, Yang Jian left.

Gu An watched the sky, his gaze profound.

He was not afraid of Yang Jian exposing him. Currently, as Sword Venerable, he displayed the Cultivation Level of Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma—who could guess his Cultivation had reached Divine Thought True Immortal?

Moreover, Yang Jian himself had a significant background; it was better that he left to follow his own path.

"The child has grown up and ultimately wants to soar high," Gu An sighed, then shook his head with a wry smile, turning to walk down the mountain.

When he reached the base, he saw An Xin chasing the White Spirit Rat.

The corners of his mouth curved upwards.

At least this disciple was still here.

Now that Yang Jian had left, it was time to focus on training An Xin!

Although An Xin's talents were ordinary, if he diligently cultivated, he might surpass An Hao and Yang Jian, for Gu An himself was growing at a much faster rate.