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

In front of a mountain on the north side of the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An stood shoulder-to-shoulder with An Xin, as they watched the disciples embed treasure swords into the mountain.

This mountain bore no flora at all; it was barren, with rocks of a red hue. The mountain was not naturally formed but was constructed from special stone materials Gu An had acquired—materials often used to build Array Platforms and Magic Artifacts.

An Xin turned her head to look at Gu An and asked with curiosity, "Master, are you creating this Sword Mountain to leave a legacy?"

Gu An smiled and said, "You will find out later."

Seeing him speak so mysteriously, An Xin grew even more curious about the Sword Mountain before them.

Gu An raised his hand, and a stele flew out, landing in front of Sword Mountain and embedding itself into the soil. He followed by waving his hand in the air, using his finger as a brush to carve characters onto the stele.

An Xin focused her gaze and could feel a force from Gu An's strokes, a force she could not describe with words. For some reason, she felt a sense of loneliness.

Ten Thousand Sword Mountain!

Gu An avoided inscribing the full "Ten Thousand Sword Mountain Ridge" for fear of directly impacting fate. Omitting one character seemed excessive, but it actually made a world of difference.

There were many "Ten Thousand Sword Mountain Ridges" and "Ten Thousand Sword Mountains" across different lands.

As soon as the three characters for Ten Thousand Sword Mountain were carved, An Xin suddenly felt that this Sword Mountain possessed a spirit.

Although many disciples were still embedding swords into the mountain, it somehow felt exceptionally distinct to her.

"Once they are done, disciples are not to set foot here in the future."

With that, Gu An turned and walked away.

An Xin remained standing there, continuing to admire Ten Thousand Sword Mountain, always sensing that the mountain hid mysteries.

In the following days, Ten Thousand Sword Mountain became a frequent topic among the Valley's disciples and visiting cultivators. The very name Ten Thousand Sword Mountain carried immense force, and since Valley Master Gu An was associated with Sword Venerable Fudao, they couldn't help but pay close attention.

The news also spread to the Supreme Sect.

Since Gu An had claimed he was Sword Venerable Fudao, his fame had skyrocketed, and the major families had even investigated him. Pan An's true identity could no longer be concealed; since Pan An was him, it led the major families to encourage their disciples to study "Investiture of the Gods," "Journey to the West," and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." They felt Sword Venerable Fudao must have wanted to convey something through Pan An.

Even if they overthought it, being familiar with Pan An's books would give them something to talk about when facing Sword Venerable Fudao in the future—it could do no harm.

One day, at noon.

Outside the Supreme Sect.

An Hao, accompanied by Jue Luo Sword Monarch, emerged from the forest. He turned his head to Jue Luo Sword Monarch and said, "I only know my master is in the Supreme Sect, but I don't know exactly who he is. If he wants to meet you, he will seek you out. Remember, do not harm the disciples within the sect."

Jue Luo Sword Monarch snorted, "As the Sword Lord of Da Hong Sword Heaven, would I harm Mortal Spirits?"

He transformed into a streak of sword light and soared towards the Supreme Sect.

An Hao followed to catch up but had already lost track of Jue Luo Sword Monarch's presence.

Thus, An Hao decided to first visit An Xin at the Third Medicine Valley.

Half a column of incense later, An Hao landed on a mountain peak, from where he could oversee the entire Third Medicine Valley.

Compared to many years ago, the Third Medicine Valley had become more prosperous and impressive. Each surrounding mountain was equipped with formations, and he could see the figures of Valley disciples laboring and practicing.

"Things truly change, but people pass away."

An Hao murmured to himself, his tone filled with lamentation.

He suddenly felt anxious, fearing that An Xin was no longer there.

He was about to jump down when a noise from beside him caught his attention. Glancing over, he saw a man and a mouse running toward him.

He remembered that mouse—it was Gu An's White Spirit Rat. The Supreme Sect had many, but he had never seen any as plump as Gu An's, which is why he remembered it.

Behind the White Spirit Rat came a strapping young man.

Upon seeing the newcomer, An Hao couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

This fellow looked a bit like Gu An, which made him slightly bewildered.

Most importantly, this youth had not a trace of Spiritual Power, but his physical prowess was astonishingly strong; An Hao even felt that the youth possessed the physical prowess of the Nirvana Realm.

An Hao became interested in Long Qing. He didn't mind the White Spirit Rat running past him, his gaze fixed on Long Qing.

Suddenly, the White Spirit Rat stopped, turned its head to look at An Hao, its eyes filled with suspicion.

It felt as if it had seen this person somewhere before.

Notice taken of An Hao's gaze, Long Qing involuntarily slowed his steps. In the presence of others, he needed to maintain dignity and couldn't disgrace the Third Medicine Valley.

When he reached An Hao, Long Qing bowed with a clasped fist and said with a smile, "I am Long Qing, a disciple of the Third Medicine Valley. May I know your respected name, and are you seeking entry into the Third Medicine Valley?"

Nowadays, the Third Medicine Valley held a high reputation within the Supreme Sect, and even as a Servant Disciple, one could face anyone confidently.

An Hao sized up Long Qing and asked, "What is your relationship with Gu An?"

Hearing the direct mention of his master's name and recognizing the extraordinary demeanor, Long Qing guessed that An Hao's relationship with his master was not shallow, so he replied, "He is my master. Are you looking for him? He just left today and should be back by evening. Shall I lead you into the valley?"

"Master? Why do I feel like you're his descendant?" An Hao chuckled.

Upon hearing this, Long Qing wasn't angry, since many people had said the same, and he had doubted it himself. However, Gu An had refuted any blood relation between them, and ultimately, Long Qing attributed it to being heavily influenced by his master in manner and temperament over time.

Long Qing shook his head and said, "I am not, though I wish it were so."

An Hao did not press further, nor did he mind the trace of melancholy in his tone. An Hao smiled and said, "Throw a punch at me. If you manage to hurt me, I will pass you divine skills that require no Spiritual Power to wield."

"Is that really a good idea?" Long Qing frowned.

Divine skills?

Do you take me for just another master?

He had already learned divine skills from Shen Xinzi, but in his opinion, they weren't all that impressive.

An Hao raised a hand, his face challenging as he taunted, "Aren't you afraid? With such a strong physique but too scared to strike, aren't you failing to appreciate the gift given to you by the heavens?"

At these words, Long Qing's temper flared.

He lifted his right hand, slowly clenched it into a fist, a visible force enveloping his fist, his robe billowing and hair dancing as his aura abruptly transformed.

His expression turned stern, making An Hao feel he resembled Gu An even more.

Long Qing said coldly, "If I end up crippling you, you'd better not regret it!"

An Hao proudly laughed, "Thinking of crippling me? Even if you trained for another hundred thousand years, you couldn't!" Find more to read at empire

A cold glint flashed in Long Qing's eyes as he suddenly stepped forward, his right fist held back while his body poised as though drawing a bow, unleashing the punch from his waist with all his bodily strength channeled into his fist.

He could sense An Hao's strength. Not wanting to lose face, he naturally gave it his all.

His punch sounded out like a rumble of thunder, startling the Medicine Valley Disciples in the distance. Whether on the mountain or in the valley, they turned their heads towards the source of the noise.

Also, beneath the Mystic Pure Tree, An Xin was practicing when she opened her eyes and looked towards the sound, her brows tightly furrowed.