Chapter 108: Why Force My Hand?
Gu An had only intended to eavesdrop, but the purple-gowned woman used her divine sense to probe him and radiated hostility so intense that it was clear she wanted to tear him apart.
How could he tolerate that?
Without hesitation, Gu An captured her.
Before killing her, he used Soul Search to extract information about the Nightshade Sect. The woman’s identity was clearly significant, and she might hold valuable intelligence.
Her name was Su Shan, a former elder of the Thousand Autumn Pavilion who had joined the Nightshade Sect two centuries ago. After the sect’s defeat, she had continued to operate covertly within the Thousand Autumn Pavilion.
Su Shan had personally recruited Yang Ni into the sect. Yang Ni had joined because Su Shan promised to help her find the person who murdered her sister. However, Su Shan’s true motive for recruiting Yang Ni was to monitor Li Xuandao and Li Ya. Su Shan suspected that Li Ya, who had inherited the Tianxiu Sword, might become the heir apparent. Thus, Yang Ni was tasked with observing the father and son while awaiting the Nightshade Sect's resurgence.
What Yang Ni didn’t know was that Su Shan herself was the one who killed her sister.
The power structure of the Nightshade Sect was extremely complex, with numerous branches. Each Void Transformation Stage elder sought to distinguish themselves. By achieving significant accomplishments, they could earn the right to walk the Nine Nether Path in pursuit of immortality.
Su Shan had only heard of the Nine Nether Path and never seen it herself. Supposedly, it spanned across an ocean to another continent. This path, created by the Nightshade Sect, connected the realms of yin and yang and passed through a ghostly domain filled with malevolent spirits. It was perilous but also brimming with opportunities.
Despite his efforts, Gu An gleaned no information about the Nightshade Sect’s main bloodline, nor could he determine its strength.
When he finally withdrew his divine sense, an hour had passed.
Looking down at Su Shan’s enchanting face, Gu An’s eyes filled with disdain. During the Soul Search, he had witnessed many unspeakable scenes.
Demonic cultivators were always demonic cultivators.
Without hesitation, Gu An ended Su Shan’s life and incinerated her corpse to ashes.
Thus, the life of a Void Transformation Stage cultivator ended silently.
Her death also gifted Gu An several decades of lifespan, which he considered an adequate reward.
Afterward, Gu An inspected the contents of her two storage rings.
Meanwhile, in her quarters, Yang Ni struggled to calm her mind for cultivation. Su Shan’s threats echoed persistently in her thoughts.
She felt guilty for implicating Gu An in her troubles. It wasn’t that she harbored special feelings for him, but after years of interaction, they had grown close. The thought of someone as kind-hearted as Gu An being targeted because of her weighed heavily on her conscience.
By dawn, Lu Jiu Jia was calling the disciples out for morning exercises. Gu An also descended from his loft.
“Start your day early, Yang Ni! Time to join the exercises!” Gu An called out from outside her courtyard.
Yang Ni emerged shortly after, nodding slightly at Gu An as though nothing had happened the previous night.
Gu An said nothing more, but he felt a bit reassured. The way she had drawn her sword against Su Shan’s threats had left a positive impression on him.
Hmm, perhaps I should allocate her more land for growing flowers and herbs in the future.
Since that night, Yang Ni had been making trips to the outer sect every two days, ostensibly to search for high-grade seeds.
Gu An’s routine remained undisturbed as he continued managing the affairs of the Three Medicine Valleys.
By late summer, Gu An visited Horizon Valley. Luo Hun and Yi Liuyun were away, taking three monkey demons with them. Only Lü Xian remained in the valley.
“They found a grandmaster’s cave dwelling thousands of miles away, along with numerous natural treasures. Yi Liuyun took them to retrieve it, and they won’t be back for a few days,” Lü Xian explained as he approached Gu An, his gaze intense and unwavering.
Gu An nodded slightly and turned to walk toward the fields.
“Who exactly are you, Gu An?” Lü Xian’s voice rang out from behind him, his tone suddenly brimming with hostility.
Gu An stopped and turned slightly, smiling as he said, “Who am I? I’m just an ordinary cultivator who enjoys gardening.”
Something’s not right.
Why did Lü Xian seem like a different person entirely?
Could it be that one of the residual souls in his body had taken over?
Gu An pondered silently, his thoughts churning.
Lü Xian let out a cold laugh, his expression twisting into something feral. “I’ve only taught you a few times, yet your mastery of the Black Tortoise Tidal Palm already surpasses what I’ve achieved in ten years of practice.”
Gu An raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected that even though he had deliberately held back, Lü Xian had still noticed something was off.
This is troublesome.
Lü Xian stepped forward, and his cultivation at the Ninth Level of the Core Formation Stage erupted. The force lifted fallen leaves from the ground, creating a whirlwind that surged violently around him.
Despite being in the Core Formation Stage, his aura was comparable to that of a lower-level Nascent Soul cultivator.
Truly worthy of the title Taixuan Sect’s former top prodigy.
“I’ve known about that cave dwelling for a while. I calculated the day you’d arrive and sent everyone else away in advance. Today, it’s just you and me—let’s settle this!” Lü Xian sneered.
He raised his right hand, gathering spiritual energy in his palm. The space around his hand rippled violently, like turbulent waves.
Gu An raised his hand, gesturing for calm. “Don’t do anything rash. I’m no prodigy. Why focus on me? I pose no threat to you.”
If you force my hand, I’ll have no choice but to kill you.
Lü Xian licked his lips and said, “Relax, I won’t kill you. I just want to test your limits. But if you keep hiding your strength, you might end up like Li Ya.”
At those words, Gu An’s expression turned cold.
“Try my Black Tortoise Tidal Palm!” Lü Xian roared, striking out with his palm.
The resulting windstorm shook the heavens and the earth, surging forward like a tidal wave. The grass was uprooted, and dust flew into the air as the oppressive force bore down on Gu An.
Boom!
The palm wind soared into the sky, creating a wave of spiritual energy nearly a hundred feet tall—a truly spectacular sight.
Lü Xian’s smug grin froze. Following his line of sight, the spiritual energy wave had been completely blocked, leaving Gu An standing unharmed.
Behind Gu An, the herbs in the gardens swayed gently in the breeze but remained rooted, untouched by the attack.
In that moment, Gu An’s expression became inscrutable, his entire aura transforming into something unfamiliar.
“You…” Lü Xian stammered, his voice trembling as he saw Gu An take a single step forward.
In that one step, Gu An closed the distance of several meters in an instant, appearing right in front of Lü Xian.
Boom!
Lü Xian’s imposing aura was instantly shattered, and the terrifying power forced him to stumble backward, collapsing onto the ground in a seated position, utterly stripped of his usual demeanor as the Hidden Dragon Ranking Champion.
Gu An raised his right hand, palm aimed at Lü Xian’s head, looking down on him with cold indifference.
Lü Xian was horrified to find himself unable to move. A spiritual force he couldn’t resist completely suppressed him.
“Nascent Soul…” Lü Xian gritted his teeth.
His assessment was correct—Gu An had indeed been suppressing his cultivation at the Nascent Soul Stage, a realm far above Lü Xian’s.
“Why do you insist on forcing my hand?” Gu An asked softly, staring down at Lü Xian.
His gaze carried a killing intent so tangible that Lü Xian could feel death looming.
Gu An’s expressionless face was terrifying. Lü Xian had never seen such a frightening demeanor before.
“Wait!” Lü Xian cried out, panic breaking across his features for the first time.
Gu An continued to silently stare at him.
Truthfully, Gu An didn’t want to kill him. After all, Lü Xian was Lü Baitian’s son, and he hadn’t shown any real hostility toward Gu An. It was evident he simply wanted a duel.
To avoid further entanglement, Gu An decided to terrify him by unleashing the full might of the Nascent Soul Stage, enough to crush his spirit.
“I was wrong… please don’t kill me…” Lü Xian gritted out, lowering his once-proud head, unable to meet Gu An’s gaze.
Still sitting paralyzed on the ground, Lü Xian felt humiliated in this submissive posture.
“But you forced me to reveal my true cultivation level. Now I’m bound to face endless trouble. It troubles me greatly. All I want is to grow flowers in peace—why must you insist on making things difficult for me? Why?” Gu An said coldly.
As he spoke, his voice grew into a low roar, and his face contorted in frustration, as if on the brink of madness.
Lü Xian, startled by his outburst, hurriedly replied, “I swear I won’t tell anyone… I promise!”
Gu An’s right palm began to gather spiritual energy, the terrifying power of the Nascent Soul Stage making Lü Xian tremble in fear.
“Wait! I know the whereabouts of an Eighth-Grade Spirit Flower! It’s been growing for hundreds of years and hasn’t gained sentience yet. You love cultivating flowers, don’t you? You can have it!” Lü Xian blurted out, his voice shaking.
Gu An’s interest was piqued. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “Where?”
Feeling the suppressive force weaken slightly, Lü Xian hurriedly pulled out a map from his storage pouch. “Here! This map was given to me by an elder I met during the Hundred Clans Conference.”
Gu An took the map, scanned it briefly, then stored it in his storage ring.
Looking back at Lü Xian, he frowned and asked, “Are you sure you won’t spread word of my cultivation level?”
“If I reveal your cultivation level, I swear my tribulation will be plagued by inner demons, leading to my death and the destruction of my dao!” Lü Xian swore earnestly.
Hearing this, Gu An withdrew his aura, suppressing his cultivation back to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
The swaying herbs in the Medicine Valley calmed, and Lü Xian let out a deep breath of relief. Sweat poured down his face as he gasped for air.
Gu An returned to his usual gentle demeanor. He helped Lü Xian to his feet, brushing off the dirt on his robes. “Brother Lü, my apologies for offending you. But promise me this—don’t joke around like that again. It’s not funny.”
Lü Xian forced a wry smile in response.
With that, Gu An turned and walked away, heading back to his original spot.
Lü Xian remained silent, watching his retreating figure.
Half an hour later, Gu An bid Lü Xian farewell and departed.
Lü Xian stayed behind, sitting on the grass and staring blankly at the sky.
From sunrise to sunset, and through two nights, he didn’t move.
When Luo Hun, Yi Liuyun, and the three monkey demons returned with smiles on their faces, clearly having had a fruitful trip, Yi Liuyun noticed Lü Xian sitting dazedly on the ground.
“Lü Xian, why aren’t you cultivating?” Yi Liuyun asked with a laugh.
Lü Xian’s body trembled slightly. Turning to Yi Liuyun, he asked, “Do you think I can reach the Nascent Soul Stage before I turn one hundred?”
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Lü Xian knew Gu An’s age—he was roughly the same age as Li Ya.
Yi Liuyun frowned and replied, “If you hadn’t wasted time in the past, you definitely could have reached the Nascent Soul Stage before a hundred. But now, you’re already ninety. Advancing from the Ninth Level of the Core Formation Stage to the First Level of the Nascent Soul Stage in just ten years? That’s tough.”
Luo Hun added, “The Emperor values you greatly. If you ask, I’m sure he’d provide you with plenty of pills to help you advance.”
Lü Xian remained silent.
He fell into deep self-doubt.
Was he ever truly a genius?