If I become a saint, a celestial official will summon me to raise horses.

Chapter 24 Jiang Qiong, Ninth Level of Core Formation Realm
Spring comes and autumn goes, and five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the past five years, Gu An has maintained his plan to invest one year of his lifespan each night. In the end, he has invested over 1,800 years of his lifespan, and his cultivation level has reached the eighth level of the Nascent Soul Realm.

After passing the fifth level of the Nascent Soul Realm, the time required for each minor realm increases exponentially. Gu An, who is in the process of evolving, can only train hard, which takes even longer.

He now has over 10,200 years left to live, and the addition of the Eight Views Cave has increased his annual income.

Five years later, three more menial disciples appeared in Xuan Valley. All of them became Gu An's disciples. There were two men and one woman, named Tang Yu, Su Han, and Zhen Qin, respectively, in descending order of age.

Gu An no longer selected disciples based on their aptitude. Instead, he chose disciples with mediocre aptitude to avoid trouble. The three disciples all had a lifespan of around two hundred years, and based on this, he tried to select disciples who caught his eye.

On this day, at the mouth of the valley, Xiao Chuan, Ye Lan, Wu Xin, Tang Yu, Su Han, and Zhen Qin surrounded Lu Jiujia.

"Senior brother, I wish you success!"

"Uncle-Master, don't forget about us when you go to the outer sect."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of Medicine Valley."

"If you fail, I'll laugh at you."

Today is the day Lu Jiujia goes to the outer sect to participate in the assessment. Gu An cut a Cang Teng fruit into four pieces and distributed them to his four junior brothers and sisters, which greatly increased their cultivation. Lu Jiujia was the first to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining.

It is worth mentioning that since consuming the Cang Teng Fruit, Wu Xin has become completely obedient, cultivating peacefully indoors every night instead of venturing over mountains and valleys, and he has also become more diligent in his work.

Twenty-three-year-old Lu Jiujia was full of vigor. He looked at the pavilion where his senior brother lived and saw his senior brother standing in front of the window looking at him, which warmed his heart.

"Wait for my good news, I won't let my senior brother down!"

Lu Jiujia smiled smugly, then turned and left.

With his years of training in the Crippled Wind Leg technique, he felt confident that he could make a name for himself in the outer sect.

Dressed in a white robe with black accents, Gu An watched Lu Jiujia depart from afar, a complex mix of emotions swirling within him.

He couldn't tell if he felt relieved or reluctant, or perhaps both.

"I'm already so sentimental at only twenty-seven. What will I be like when I'm two hundred, two thousand, or even twenty thousand years old?" Gu An chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He turned around, walked to the table, sat down, picked up the Travelogue of the Green Knight, and continued to savor it.

This is the travelogue of Qingxia, which was just published last year. In his opinion, it is absolutely a masterpiece, and the author's skill in writing about romance and nature has reached a state of perfection.

An hour later.

Wu Xin came to visit. At twenty-one years old, he was still dressed as a monk. Gu An often teased him, calling him the "Jade-faced Tang Monk." He looked even more elegant in the monk's robe that Gu An had specially made for him at the outer sect.

"Senior Brother, the gardens on the mountain have all been watered. Is there anything else you need today?" Wu Xin walked to Gu An's side and said softly. He glanced at the Qingxia Travelogue and his fair and handsome face instantly turned red.

Gu An said without even looking up, "There's nothing else. Go and cultivate."

Wu Xin walked to the other side of the table, but did not leave, looking hesitant.

Gu An glanced at him and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Dressed in a black robe, he already exuded the oppressive aura of a superior. In recent years, the Medicine Valley had a good harvest, and since he did not keep any secret stash of money, he personally paid for new clothes for everyone in the Medicine Valley. Now, no one looked like a menial disciple.

Wu Xin gritted his teeth and said, "Senior brother, to be honest, with my aptitude, it's impossible for me to join the outer sect. I really want to stay in Medicine Valley with you for the rest of my life."

Gu An put down the Travelogue of the Green Knight and carefully examined him.

Isn't there only one meaning behind those words?
He wants to improve!

Gu An frowned, looking troubled.

Seeing his expression, Wu Xin panicked and immediately knelt down.

"Senior brother, what am I lacking? I'm more diligent and more obedient than them, and they all want to go to the outer sect, but I don't want to," Wu Xin said excitedly, his eyes even reddening.

Gu An could tell that he had activated some kind of technique, causing his blood and qi to surge.

Well, kid, trying to copy me, huh?

Gu An said earnestly, "Wu Xin, in my heart, there is no good or bad. Just like the Cang Teng Fruit, my senior brother also divided it equally among you. But the position of the eldest disciple is of great importance, and even represents the next Valley Master. Although I am a menial disciple, my treatment is no less than that of ordinary outer disciples. I am grateful for the sect's kindness."

"You seem to be hiding something from me. Of course, everyone has their own unspeakable difficulties, and I don't want to ask too much. You will always be my junior brother, just the eldest disciple..."

Towards the end, he sighed, looking helpless.

Wu Xin was stunned. He hadn’t expected that his actions from many years ago had been noticed by his senior brother. His first reaction was panic, followed by gratitude.

The last time I went out to gather intelligence late at night was five years ago, and my senior brother actually put up with me for five years.

What does this mean?
My senior brother really treats him like one of his own!
Putting himself in the senior brother's shoes, Wu Xin felt that if he were in the senior brother's position, he would probably have severely punished such a junior brother long ago.

Wu Xin felt increasingly ashamed as he thought about it, and he simply couldn't continue acting.

“Senior brother, actually…” Wu Xin gritted his teeth, as if he had made a great decision.

"Actually, I come from Qianqiu Pavilion. My father is one of the seventy-two pavilion masters of Qianqiu Pavilion. I am dull-witted and have been bullied by my brothers and sisters for many years, so I ran away. The reason I groped around at night was because I heard about Senior Brother Li Ya's deeds. I wanted to see if there was any opportunity to prove myself to my father someday. But I have given up now. Compared to my brothers and sisters, I am far inferior to Lu Jiujia..."

Wu Xin spoke in one breath, and as he finished, he lowered his head, not daring to look at Gu An.

Gu An looked shocked and incredulous.

"you……"

Hearing his senior brother's trembling voice, Wu Xin felt even more ashamed, pressing his forehead tightly to the ground. Gu An truly hadn't expected Wu Xin to come from Qianqiu Pavilion.

What is this thing called?

Let's just stop calling it Xuan Valley and start calling it Qianqiu Valley!

Gu An secretly spread his divine sense to form an invisible barrier to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

He remained silent for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh and saying, "Alright, let's get up and talk."

Upon hearing this, Wu Xin, who had been feeling uneasy, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Wu Xin stood up and saw the complicated expression on Gu An's face, which moved him even more.

As expected, my senior brother truly cares for me!
"I don't know much about Qianqiu Pavilion. I heard that Qianqiu Pavilion is a demonic sect?" Gu An took a deep breath and asked.

Wu Xin nodded and said, "It is indeed the demonic path, and the most evil demonic sect at that. They are proficient in everything from the path of corpses and poisons to the methods of soul-stealing and other mortal demonic arts. I just couldn't stay there, so I escaped..."

"Will your father come looking for you? I have to think about the other disciples," Gu An asked worriedly.

Wu Xin quickly waved his hand and said, "How could he possibly come looking for me? He'd rather I were dead. I'm his greatest disgrace!"

Upon hearing this, Gu An's expression softened slightly. He rebuked, "Wu Xin, I will not allow you to belittle yourself like this. How can a person's character be judged by their level of cultivation?"

Wu Xin scratched his head and chuckled, "I know, but Qianqiu Pavilion is a demonic sect. Senior brother, people in the demonic sect are all abnormal."

Gu An nodded, then seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, have you ever heard of the name Jiang Qiong at Qianqiu Pavilion?"

"Jiang Qiong?" Wu Xin was taken aback, then frowned in thought.

After a few breaths, he suddenly realized and said, "I remember now. She was the number one genius of Qianqiu Pavilion a hundred years ago, and also the daughter of the second pavilion master. But she has been gone for many years. I heard my father mention her when I was a child. He even wanted my eldest brother to marry Jiang Qiong."

Upon hearing this, Gu An couldn't help but ask curiously, "How old is your father?"

Wu Xin replied, "He is almost five hundred years old, and he has more than a hundred children, so even if I were lost, he wouldn't care."

Gu An remained silent.

The way of the demonic path is quite admirable.

Gu An asked a few more questions, but unfortunately Wu Xin didn't know much about Jiang Qiong.

“Since you have revealed your origins, I will train you to be my eldest disciple. If I can exchange the position of the eldest disciple of the valley for a demonic cultivator who has repented, it will be a meritorious deed. However, this matter cannot be revealed for the time being. You should win over everyone in the valley with your performance,” Gu An said earnestly.

Upon hearing this, Wuxin was overjoyed.

He was about to thank Gu An when he heard Gu An continue to instruct him: "From now on, you cannot mention the name of Qianqiu Pavilion, not even when you are alone in private. This is Tai Xuan Sect, and you may be overheard if you talk to yourself here."

Wu Xin nodded quickly, agreeing to follow the teachings.

The two brothers changed the subject, chatting about other trivial matters.

Wu Xin felt closer to his senior brother, a feeling that made him very glad; he should have been honest with his senior brother a long time ago.

……

As night falls, the Eight Views Cave Heaven comes into view.

Gu An arrived at an open space next to the underground river and began to sow medicinal herbs.

He moved slowly. He didn't cultivate much in his daily life, but he enjoyed the process of sowing seeds. He wasn't sowing flowers and plants, but life itself.

The Chinese have a deep-rooted love for farming, and this habit accompanied his soul to the world of cultivation.

After he finished planting, he looked at his newly cultivated garden with satisfaction. It was very neat and had a unique aesthetic appeal.

"My dear grand-disciple, come in for a moment."

Jiang Qiong's melodious voice came from a cave entrance, and Gu An immediately went there.

Over the years, Jiang Qiong would summon him from time to time, asking him to help pick some medicinal herbs, and even to help refine elixirs.

Gu An's efforts were not in vain; in the process, his alchemy skills improved by leaps and bounds.

Jiang Qiong's alchemy skills far surpass Cheng Xuandan's, as can be seen from their teaching methods.

Upon entering the cave, it remained dark. A pill furnace, about half a person's height, stood in the open space, with piles of charcoal ash beneath it.

Gu An was about to speak when he suddenly heard a noise. He looked closely and saw a coffin deep inside begin to tremble.

boom!
The coffin lid fell and hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Gu An saw a hand crawl out of the erected coffin, so thin it was skin and bones, like a ghost's claw. He immediately threw a lifespan probe at it.

[Jiang Qiong (Ninth Level of Core Formation): 185/304/2490]

Good guy!
A lifespan approaching 2,500 years!

How come someone at the ninth level of the Core Formation Realm only has a lifespan of three hundred years?

Could it be related to her injuries?
Gu An thought in confusion, while the last trace of fear in his heart vanished.

Happy Children's Day!

Please vote with your monthly tickets! The book will be available for purchase at the end of June, and I'll add an extra chapter for every 500 monthly tickets voted!
(P.S.: There are activities related to this book in the book review section of my old book, "I Became an Immortal on Earth." Participating in these activities gives you a chance to win a fan title. Those who are interested in this topic can check it out.)


(End of this chapter)