Saint Who Lay Low

Upon hearing that Li Ya was injured, Gu An felt a surge of dissatisfaction.

This guy's strikes were a bit too harsh, and now he was even belittling Li Ya!

Previously, Gu An had thought that even if Lü Xian won against Li Ya, he would hold back out of respect for Li Xuandao. But to his surprise, this arrogant guy spoke as if Li Xuandao meant nothing to him.

Yi Liuyun suddenly appeared in front of Lü Xian, frowning as he asked, "Why did you injure His Highness? Knocking him out would have sufficed, wouldn't it?"

Clearly, Li Xuandao often mentioned Li Ya in his presence.

"What? So, he's untouchable now? He's not the crown prince, and compared to the crown prince, he's far inferior," Lü Xian responded with a scowl, his tone dripping with dissatisfaction.

"Even if he's not the crown prince, he's still an imperial prince dear to His Majesty!" Yi Liuyun's voice grew heavier.

Luo Hun remained silent, but his expression clearly showed his displeasure.

Lü Xian snorted. "What? Is he untouchable? Fine, go ahead, break my arms and legs!"

At that moment, he noticed Gu An approaching, and his mood instantly brightened. He rushed over with excitement.

"Valley Master, I've won first place at the Hundred Tribes Assembly. What do you say? Ready to train with me?" As he spoke, Lü Xian pulled out a golden token from his storage bag, inscribed with the words "Champion of the Hidden Dragon Ranking."

Gu An nodded. "Sure, let's train."

Hearing this, Lü Xian eagerly led him to a more secluded area.

Yi Liuyun glanced at Luo Hun and asked, "Should we report this to His Majesty?"

Luo Hun pondered for a moment before replying, "No need. His Majesty must already have someone watching over His Highness Li Ya."

Yi Liuyun sighed and shook his head before vanishing from sight.

Gu An followed Lü Xian to a nearby clearing, where three monkey demons also followed, curiously watching from the side.

"What kind of technique would you like to learn?" Lü Xian asked, clearly eager.

"Anything but sword techniques," Gu An replied, sticking to their prior agreement—he didn't want to go back on his word.

However, he couldn't let Lü Xian off the hook for hurting Li Ya.

"Then how about a palm technique? I used this one to break Li Ya's arms and legs." Lü Xian grinned smugly as he glanced over at Yi Liuyun in the distance, clearly saying it for his benefit.

"Sure, let's see how powerful it is," Gu An said calmly.

Lü Xian immediately began demonstrating the palm technique while explaining its principles.

Xuanwu Tempest Palm—the name itself sounded imposing.

Gu An watched closely, preparing to make things difficult for Lü Xian.

The sun shone high in the sky, slowly descending toward the west.

By dusk, Lü Xian's face was twisted with frustration as he exclaimed, "Are you really this slow to learn, or are you messing with me?"

His voice was loud enough to alarm Luo Hun and Yi Liuyun, who quickly flew over, worried that Lü Xian might resort to violence.

Gu An sighed. "I told you from the start, my aptitude and comprehension are poor, but you didn't believe me. You insisted on teaching me and now you're getting frustrated."

"Seriously? No one can be this slow!" Lü Xian was utterly perplexed, though Gu An's expression didn't seem to suggest he was faking it.

Yi Liuyun interjected, "Valley Master's cultivation was built up with pills. It makes sense. I've warned you before not to push others—everyone's circumstances are different."

Luo Hun added, "What His Majesty values is his ability to cultivate plants." He emphasized the word "values" heavily.

Lü Xian took a deep breath and said, "I refuse to believe this. I'm going to make sure he learns!"

Gu An quickly excused himself. "Maybe next time. I have to go now."

"You're not leaving!" Lü Xian shouted as Gu An began walking away. Yi Liuyun and Luo Hun quickly stepped in to hold Lü Xian back.

"Damn it, Valley Master, you must come back! Once you master the Xuanwu Tempest Palm, you'll have the strength to protect yourself, and maybe even seize your destiny to reach higher realms!" Lü Xian called out loudly as he watched Gu An's figure disappear into the distance.

Gu An couldn't understand Lü Xian's strange personality. He was ruthless toward his opponents, yet obsessed with teaching others to cultivate.

Was he losing his grip on reality?

Shaking his head, Gu An flew off on his sword, quickly vanishing into the twilight.

In the days that followed, every time Gu An visited, Lü Xian would attempt to teach him a new technique. No matter how hard Lü Xian tried, Gu An never seemed to learn, yet Lü Xian refused to give up. When one technique failed, he would teach another.

Time flew by.

As the end of the year approached, snow blanketed the mountains and forests.

Gu An, dressed in white and wearing his mask, emerged from the snowy forest, followed by An Hao and An Xin. Even the usually energetic An Hao was uncharacteristically silent.

Gu An stopped and gazed at the snowy peaks stretching before them. "Walk another few hundred miles, and you'll reach the outer gates of the Tai Xuan Sect. Once you display your spiritual power, they will bring you into the city to test your spiritual roots."

An Xin's eyes were red as she couldn't help but ask, "Master, when will we see you again?"

Gu An, standing with his back to them, replied, "I only saved you in passing. This was an unintended fate. We won't meet again, and you mustn't mention me to anyone."

He had taught An Hao and An Xin out of a whim, not expecting anything in return.

An Hao suddenly knelt, and An Xin followed suit, both of them bowing deeply to the ground.

This time, Gu An didn't stop them. He accepted their three kowtows. An Hao's forehead was soon bruised and bleeding, but he didn't seem to notice the pain, his eyes unwavering as he stared at his master's back.

He would never forget the terror of being in that demonic cave or the despair he felt when facing the wolf demon.

"Master, no matter who you are, I will forever remember your kindness. I will train hard, become famous throughout the world, and when that day comes, if you hear my name and need anything of me, I will give my life without hesitation!" An Hao declared solemnly, his fourteen-year-old voice filled with a maturity beyond his years.

Gu An waved his sleeve, sending a gust of wind and snow swirling around them. An Hao and An Xin instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces.

"If you want to help me, survive a thousand years first," Gu An's voice drifted away with the wind. By the time the snow settled, he was gone.

An Xin turned to An Hao, waiting for him to make the next move.

He stood, looking toward the distant horizon, and said softly, "An Xin, we cannot let Master down!"

An Xin nodded firmly, and the two siblings marched forward, the snowstorm ahead seemingly ready to swallow them whole.

Meanwhile, Gu An returned to Xuan Valley.

He began by inspecting the herbs in the valley, then made his way back to his own pavilion. All the while, his divine sense remained locked on An Hao and An Xin.

Though they were only a few hundred miles away from the Tai Xuan Sect, Gu An couldn't help but worry. After all, the Tai Xuan Sect had become quite chaotic recently.

For the next few days, wherever Gu An went or whatever he did, a portion of his divine sense stayed focused on the two siblings, watching over them until they safely reached the gates of the outer sect.

When the young An Hao revealed his cultivation at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm, he caused quite a stir, even attracting the attention of an elder from the outer sect. The elder personally escorted them inside.

Gu An had chosen this particular outer sect city because of the number of powerful cultivators residing there. An Hao wouldn't be in danger of being ambushed or possessed.

The new year arrived, and with it came the Spring Festival.

In Xuan Valley, Gu An, Ye Lan, Zhen Qin, Wu Xin, Xiao Chun, and Tang Yu gathered around a long table to celebrate, while the other servant disciples sat at a separate table, raising their cups in toast.

"Did you hear? Recently, the outer sect recruited a disciple with a Heaven Spiritual Root. Even the elders in the main sect city were alarmed! His name is An Hao, and he's only fourteen years old. He's almost at the Foundation Establishment Realm already! It's unbelievable. Compared to him, I feel like I've been cultivating in the body of a pig," Zhen Qin remarked with astonishment as she sipped her drink.

A Heaven Spiritual Root!

The others were all intrigued, and Wu Xin couldn't help but ask, "Is that true? The Tai Cang Dynasty hasn't seen anyone born with a Heaven Spiritual Root in hundreds of years."

"It's true," Ye Lan confirmed with a nod. "The Law Enforcement Hall even guarded him for several days until the sect leader personally took him away."

The group erupted into discussion about this Heaven Spiritual Root, with Wu Xin recounting several legends, making Ye Lan frown.

"How does this kid know so much? Could there be a problem?"

Ye Lan quietly wondered to herself. Although she had known Wu Xin for many years, people could change over time.

No, she needed to check Wu Xin's entry records just to be sure.

As for Gu An, listening to their conversation about An Hao brought a smile to his face.

His days of cultivating the land had just gained a new source of excitement—watching how high An Hao could rise.

After a long discussion, the conversation finally shifted to the broader world of cultivation. It seemed that the imperial capital of Changluo was currently dealing with a demon uprising. There had even been an assassination attempt on the emperor, but he narrowly survived. Furious, the emperor was now rooting out those responsible, and several families had already been exterminated.

Gu An knew that Li Xuandao was hiding his peak Divine Transformation Realm cultivation, so he wasn't worried at all. In fact, he found the news rather entertaining.

The Spring Festival celebrations lasted through the night, with everyone continuing to celebrate until dawn. When the first rays of the sun finally appeared, Ye Lan and Zhen Qin departed.

Gu An didn't leave the valley immediately. Instead, he secretly entered the Eight Views Heavenly Cave to bring food to the Sky Dragon.

Under the Ancient Vine Tree, the sight of Gu An's arrival delighted the Sky Dragon. It swam excitedly around him. Now nearly twenty feet long, with fully grown horns, it resembled a true dragon, its black scales gleaming ominously.

"Master, when will you take me outside?" the Sky Dragon asked, nuzzling Gu An's face pitifully.

Gu An patted its head with a smile. "Didn't I tell you? You'll go out once you've fully grown. Out there, too many people would be after your flesh, just like you eye lamb meat."

"How big do I need to get? I already feel strong enough—stronger than you even, Master!" the Sky Dragon complained.

Gu An, though he had trained his sword under the tree, had never shown his true strength, so the Sky Dragon had no idea how powerful he really was.

Hearing this, Gu An realized that things couldn't continue like this.

"I'll think of a way," Gu An said thoughtfully.

He decided to ask Jiang Qiong if she knew any transformation techniques so that the Sky Dragon could turn into a snake and travel with him.

Upon hearing this, the Sky Dragon became ecstatic, even cheering aloud, making Gu An laugh.

After spending an hour in the cave, Gu An left, sensing a familiar presence approaching the valley.

Returning to his pavilion, he sat down and pretended to read.

Soon after, a figure leaped through his window, a voice sounding before they even landed. "Gu Shidi, guess what treasures I've brought back for you?"