Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

The restrictions on Youying Valley closed again, and the cyan light curtain, like an inverted bowl, completely isolated this dead land from the world.

Although Zhao Feng left, he left a nail at the entrance of the valley.

That was a law enforcement disciple from District C, named Sun Cheng. He was at the peak of the third level of Qi Refining and was Zhao Feng's confidant. He was stationed at the only entrance and exit of the valley, ostensibly as a "protector," but in reality, he was there to monitor the area.

Gu An was fully aware of this.

For someone as greedy as Zhao Feng, there would be no way he could truly trust a menial servant. Sun Cheng was there both to protect this money tree from being coveted by outsiders and to prevent this goose that lays golden eggs from sneaking away.

But that's exactly what Gu An wanted.

With this layer of "protection," he no longer needed to be distracted by external harassment and could devote all his energy to improving his strength.

Inside the cave, Gu An sat cross-legged, with the yellowed book "Golden Light Technique" open on his lap.

This is a basic defensive spell based on the Five Elements. Its principle is to mobilize the metal spiritual energy within the body to condense a high-density protective golden light on the body's surface.

For Gu An, who possesses a mixed wood-elemental spiritual root, cultivating metal-elemental spells would be extremely inefficient. The five elements are mutually destructive, with metal overcoming wood; a slight misstep could damage his meridians.

But he didn't care. In this world of cultivation where death could come at any moment, the best defense wasn't dodging, but enduring it head-on.

"rise."

Gu An gave a low shout, and the spiritual energy disguised by the "Turtle Breathing Technique" within his body suddenly began to circulate.

Instead of directly mobilizing the wood elemental energy, he first compressed and rubbed it within his dantian to simulate the sharpness of the metal elemental energy, and then carefully guided it to the surface of his body.

"Buzz".

A thin layer of golden light, as thin as paper, appeared on the skin's surface, lasting only a moment before bursting like a soap bubble.

The backlash made Gu An's chest feel tight, but he didn't even flinch. He swallowed a handful of purplish-black fruits the size of mulberries—fruits from a mutated spirit mulberry, which, though slightly poisonous, contained pure spiritual energy.

Again, the second time, the third time, the tenth time...

[Golden Light Technique Experience +1]

[Golden Light Technique Experience +1]

The monotonous notification sound became the only accompaniment in this deathly silent cave.

Gu An was like a tireless blacksmith, hammering his fragile defenses again and again. When his spiritual energy was exhausted, he would swallow spirit mulberry fruits; when his meridians ached, he would circulate the "Turtle Breathing Technique" to repair them.

One cannot truly live without being obsessed.

Besides the "Golden Light Technique," the cultivation of the other technique, "Leaf Blade Technique," went much more smoothly.

As a wood-based attack spell, and with the added benefit of [Spirit Plant Affinity], Gu An mastered it extremely quickly.

He stood in the mulberry grove, casually plucking a ghost mulberry leaf as hard as iron. Spiritual energy emanated from his fingertips, instantly flowing into the leaf's veins.

"go!"

With a flick of his wrist, the mulberry leaf did not fly out directly, but instead drew a strange arc in the air, as if it had come to life. It bypassed a boulder in front of him and "thudded" into the tree trunk behind him, penetrating deep into the wood.

Leaf Blade Technique Experience +1

Although this "Leaf Blade Technique" is only a mid-grade first-tier technique, in Gu An's hands, combined with the power exertion techniques of "Gengjin Finger," its power is even more ruthless than the original version.

……

And so another seven days passed.

During these seven days, apart from taking care of the spirit silkworm as necessary, Gu An spent the rest of his time frantically grinding for proficiency.

The Xuan Yin silkworms in the valley had finished spinning their first batch of silk and were beginning to pupate. The silvery-gray silk threads filled a corner of the cave, emitting an alluring, cold light.

That evening, Gu An arrived at the valley entrance carrying two jugs of his homemade mulberry wine.

Sun Cheng was leaning against the boundary marker, looking utterly bored, toying with a jade slip in his hand. Seeing Gu An emerge, he didn't even raise an eyelid, his tone arrogant:

"What are you doing? Manager Zhao has ordered that you are not to step out of the formation even half a step."

Gu An, his body hunched over, wore a fawning smile: "Senior Brother Sun, you've worked so hard, how could I dare to go out? This is some freshly brewed mulberry wine, please have some to help you relax."

He put the wine jug on the ground and moved closer to Sun Cheng.

Sun Cheng glanced at the wine, his nose twitched, and he smelled a rich fruity aroma. His expression softened a bit: "You're a smart kid. Just put it there."

He picked up the wine jug and took a swig. He was probably bored from being cooped up in this godforsaken place for too long, and that's when he finally opened up a little.

"You're lucky, kid, hiding in this ditch like a coward," Sun Cheng sneered, a hint of barely perceptible jealousy flashing in his eyes. "Outside, things are in complete chaos right now."

Gu An's heart skipped a beat, but she feigned a panicked expression: "Senior Brother Sun, what's going on outside?"

"What happened?" Sun Cheng sneered. "The front line has collapsed."

Those four short words struck Gu An's heart like a heavy hammer.

Sun Cheng took a swig of wine, seemingly to vent his fear, and said in a low voice, "You remember that grain transport team that was conscripted half a month ago? That skinny guy from our C-section was in it."

Gu An nodded. That loud and boisterous skinny guy had tried to cause him trouble before.

"They're all dead."

Sun Cheng let out a hiccup, a flicker of fear in his eyes. "The grain transport team was ambushed by the Blood Blade Sect when they reached Black Wind Valley. Those demonic cultivators didn't leave any survivors; they immediately unleashed the 'Blood Corpse Formation.'"

"Hundreds of people, whether they were at the second or third level of Qi Refining, had all their essence and blood drained, turning them into blood corpses that only knew how to kill! By the time the sect's reinforcements arrived, that skinny monkey was already gnawing on his own intestines..."

Gu An felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head; even the eerie winds of Youying Valley didn't seem so cold anymore.

"Then...then the sect won't take any action?"

"Manage? How?" Sun Cheng slammed the empty wine jug to the ground. "The Blood Blade Sect is determined to seize that mine this time. They've even mobilized Foundation Establishment stage elders. Our Green Wood Sect's outer defense line has shrunk by thirty miles. The outer spirit field area is now practically a buffer zone."

The so-called buffer zone is the battlefield.

Sun Cheng glanced at Gu An, whose face was deathly pale, and laughed gleefully: "So you're lucky, kid. Manager Zhao made a special effort to protect this mulberry grove by speaking to his superiors and having Youying Valley designated as a key logistical area. Otherwise, with your Qi Refining Level 3 cultivation, you would have been sent to fill trenches long ago."

Having said that, Sun Cheng seemed to feel it was beneath his dignity to talk so much to a dowry servant who was doomed to die, and waved his hand as if shooing away a fly: "Go back to work. Don't even think about running away. There are Blood Blade Sect scouts everywhere outside. Going out is just suicide."

Gu An nodded obsequiously and retreated back into the mist.

The moment he turned around, the fear on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity.

The front lines collapsed faster than expected.

Skinny Monkey is dead. That once vibrant, snobbish, and even somewhat despicable person has become a cold code name, a puppet within the demonic cultivation array.

This is the war in the world of cultivation, devoid of glory, only cruel as a meat grinder.

Zhao Feng's protection, though seemingly solid, is actually incredibly fragile. Once the flames of war reach their doorstep, or if the Blood Blade Sect discovers that this place produces the strategic resource Xuan Yin Silk, Youying Valley will instantly become the target of everyone's attacks.

"It has to be faster!"

Gu An returned to the stone cave and, without resting, immediately sat down cross-legged.

He pulled out a low-grade spirit stone from his pocket—his last remaining possession.

Without any hesitation, I crushed it.

The rich spiritual energy spread out and was swallowed whole by him.

"Golden Light Technique, Condense!"

Gu An formed hand seals at an extreme speed.

This time, he was no longer testing the waters, but was making a desperate gamble by mobilizing all his spiritual power.

The spiritual energy within his body surged like a mighty river, relentlessly eroding the invisible barrier.

"Buzz—"

A clear, melodious sound echoed within the stone cave.

No longer a bursting bubble.

A solid, thick, almost tangible, pale golden light shield slowly formed on Gu An's body. The surface of the shield shimmered with a faint metallic luster, completely isolating the surrounding yin wind and deathly aura.

Gu An stretched out his hand, activated the Leaf Blade Technique, and a sharp mulberry leaf slashed fiercely at his arm.

"Ding!"

The clang of metal rang out.

The mulberry leaf flew away, and the golden light shield only trembled slightly, without even a crack appearing.

Become!

Gu An looked at the panel, and the line of dull data finally underwent a qualitative change.

[Golden Light Technique: Beginner (1/100)]

Leaf Blade Technique: Proficient (15/200)

Although it's only an introductory level spell, it's a mid-grade first-tier defensive spell, enough to withstand a full-force attack from a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Gu An slowly withdrew the golden light, his face pale, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

He walked to the cave entrance and looked out at the sky above the valley.

It was dusk, and the setting sun, like blood, dyed the clouds on the horizon a crimson red, just like the tragic battlefield Sun Cheng had described.

This Ghostly Valley is now like an isolated island, teetering on the brink of collapse amidst the raging sea of ​​blood.

"Zhao Feng is unreliable, and so is the sect."

Gu An stroked the now very faint blood-red skull mark on his wrist.

"Since it's a chaotic world, the only way to survive is to be more ruthless than demonic cultivators and more elusive than ghosts."

He turned and walked into the dark depths of the mulberry grove, where several newly emerged mutated Xuan Yin moths were flashing with bloodthirsty phosphorescence.

It's time to add a few more layers of insurance to this isolated island.