Chapter 257: Variables

Chapter 257 Variables

Nightfall in the Third Medicine Valley

As the night deepened, fireworks blossomed in the sky above the Third Medicine Valley, their brilliance painting a breathtaking spectacle.

In the pavilion district, long banquet tables stretched across the area. Over a thousand cultivators gathered, toasting and celebrating, creating a grand and lively scene.

Gu An paid no mind to Nine-Fingered Divine Lord’s lingering gaze. Instead, he casually chatted with You Yingying, using the opportunity to inquire about Lu Lingjun’s situation.

He had been keeping tabs on Lu Lingjun all along. Her Ascension Sect had already been established, and she had even allied with Taixuan Sect to take control of a sea island, where they were now busy mining spirit ores. Overall, things were progressing smoothly.

You Yingying frequently exchanged letters with Lu Lingjun. In the cultivation world, communication relied either on spells and magical artifacts or on messenger beasts. Coming from the Starsea Sect, You Yingying had access to unique means of communication through the ocean.

After chatting for a while, Gu An excused himself and set off for Xuan Valley, intending to visit the disciples there.

It wasn’t until late at night, after the disciples had retired to their rooms, that he made his way to Nianchu Cave Dwelling, where he spent the festival with Tian Yao’er and her two companions.

Unlike others, the three of them had no families left. For the rest of their lives, they would follow him. Because of this, Gu An never forgot to spend the holidays with them.

As he enjoyed the feast, he casually inquired about Tian Yao’er’s cultivation progress.

Her current cultivation had already reached the sixth level of the Transformation Stage, a remarkable speed. With her naturally strong talent, combined with a constant supply of herbs and pills, her progress was only to be expected.

However, Gu An was more concerned about her mastery of the Innate Divine Immortal Art and Infinite Free Step.

Cultivation was the main trunk of a tree, but spells and divine abilities were the branches and leaves—both were indispensable.

Tian Yao’er was visibly proud of her progress, her delicate nose practically pointing skyward in arrogance.

Seeing her complacency, Gu An decided to humble her a bit. He spoke of An Hao and Yang Jian’s cultivation advancements—not revealing their names, only referring to them as “two disciples.”

As he continued, Tian Yao’er’s expression gradually darkened.

Meanwhile, Tianqing and Tianbai, sitting on either side of Gu An, listened intently like eager children hearing a grand tale. Their frequent exclamations only made Tian Yao’er feel worse.

After Gu An finished, Tian Yao’er pouted and muttered, “Hmph, what’s so impressive about that? I’ll surpass them sooner or later.”

Gu An chuckled. “You’re technically my disciple too. Why not formally acknowledge me as your master?”

“Absolutely not! Never!”

Tian Yao’er shot to her feet, her eyes widening in fierce resistance. At that moment, she even began to show signs of demonic transformation, her usual playful demeanor replaced with sharp defiance.

Gu An sighed helplessly. “Why are you getting so worked up? If you don’t want to, fine. I wasn’t that interested in taking you as a disciple anyway.”

Tian Yao’er huffed and sat back down, turning her head away.

Tianqing giggled, covering her mouth. “Miss doesn’t want to be a disciple—she wants to be the head wife.”

At those words, Tian Yao’er’s face instantly turned bright red. Though she pretended to be annoyed, Gu An caught a subtle thumbs-up she secretly gave Tianqing under the cover of her sleeve.

Tianbai quickly joined in, playfully teasing Tian Yao’er. The more she tried to deny it, the worse it became.

Watching their antics, Gu An sighed inwardly.

Looks like I’ll need to train their acting skills in the future. They’re way too obvious—how can I rely on them for delicate matters?

That night, under their relentless persuasion, Gu An agreed to stay.

A Quiet Night Under the Ancient Tree

Seated beneath the old tree, Gu An leaned against the trunk, holding a book in his hands.

Tian Yao’er sat nearby, supposedly reading Journey to the West, but her attention was entirely on him.

Her gaze lingered on the mask covering Gu An’s face. She had long wanted to remove it, yet she feared angering him.

Even though they had become incredibly close, she always remained cautious, worried that everything she had could suddenly disappear.

She even measured her tone when acting spoiled—just to ensure she never crossed the line with him.

“You want to take off my mask?”

Gu An’s sudden question startled her.

Her first instinct was to deny it, but hearing the gentle tone in his voice, she hesitated, then finally nodded.

To her surprise, Gu An removed the mask himself—and then pressed it against her face.

Tian Yao’er quickly pulled it off, thinking he was teasing her. But when she looked up, she was momentarily stunned.

Gu An hadn’t put on another mask.

For the first time, she saw his true face.

It was handsome, refined, and nothing like what she had imagined.

She had always assumed that Gu An must have some horrible scar or monstrous feature to warrant always wearing a mask. Never had she expected him to be so striking.

Gu An had chosen to reveal his face because, after years together, Tian Yao’er was now completely disconnected from the outside world. Even if she knew his true appearance, it no longer mattered.

Of course, the most important reason was that he had grown strong enough.

He wasn’t invincible yet, but no force on this continent could truly threaten him anymore.

“I know you’ve always been curious about my face,” Gu An said. “Consider this my gift to you tonight. But after this, you must focus more on your cultivation. Stop overthinking things. Since I’ve accepted you, I won’t abandon you. You are destined to accompany me the longest, so think long-term. One day, I’ll take you out to see the world.”

He smiled. “Just like in

Journey to the West

—even Taishang Laojun’s Azure Ox Demon could trouble Sun Wukong. I hope that one day, you’ll be strong enough to stand on your own. Your strength will be my pride.”

His words were heartfelt.

One day, An Hao and Yang Jian would leave him.

Even Ye Lan had her own cultivation path. Whether she lived for ten thousand years or not, she would eventually take a different road.

But Tian Yao’er…

With a lifespan of eighteen thousand years, she was the one destined to accompany him the longest.

Hearing this, Tian Yao’er was deeply moved. She nodded firmly. “Master, don’t worry! I will never disappoint you! I’ll also make sure to train Tianqing and Tianbai properly. If they become top-tier cultivators, your prestige will only grow!”

Gu An laughed. “What, like in

Taixuan Immortal Venerable

? Where they provoke enemies, forcing you to step in, and then ultimately forcing me to take action?”

Tian Yao’er giggled. “Exactly! First, the small ones get beaten, then the bigger ones show up, and finally, you—the oldest—step in!”

“Nonsense! Your master will always be young!”

“You do look young, though.”

As they talked, their conversation drifted toward visions of the future.

Gu An was genuinely happy.

With anyone else, he couldn’t discuss the future. No one else knew his true cultivation level.

Even if they did, how could a mere mortal truly converse about the future with an immortal?

It wasn’t that he was unwilling—it was simply impossible for them to understand.

The Next Morning—A New Challenge Awaits

At dawn, Gu An made his way back to the Third Medicine Valley.

The moment he stepped down from the teleportation platform, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord was already approaching him.

The elder reached out as if to grab his arm, but Gu An instinctively stepped back, his expression darkening.

“Senior, what do you think you’re doing?” Gu An asked warily.

Nine-Fingered Divine Lord withdrew his hand and coughed lightly, looking somewhat embarrassed. “I want to play another game. No—three games! Best of three!”

He had spent the entire night reflecting on his loss. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t accept the outcome.

Gu An's reaction, however, made him frown.

He wasn’t trying to harm Gu An—so why did the young man react so strongly?

What Nine-Fingered Divine Lord didn’t know was that Gu An wasn’t afraid of being attacked.

Rather, he was afraid that, with his current Dao Gang Qi, a single careless movement could shatter the old man.

To Gu An, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord and Guo Guhong were no different in terms of fragility.

Since the old man was so eager for another match…

“Fine, let’s play.” Gu An sighed, pretending to be reluctant.

Nine-Fingered Divine Lord didn’t mind his attitude and immediately led the way.

"Today, I'll utterly destroy you!"

Gu An smirked. "Not if I obliterate you first."

A One-Sided Battle

A single incense stick’s worth of time later…

Gu An stretched lazily and got up from his seat.

Around them, the gathered disciples had already dispersed, unwilling to linger in Nine-Fingered Divine Lord’s defeated aura.

Under the old tree, only Gu An and Nine-Fingered Divine Lord remained.

The elder stared blankly at the board, unable to accept reality.

From a distance, Li Lingtian stood beside Yang Jian, curiously watching the scene.

“Who is that Daoist? He seems rather mysterious.” Li Lingtian mused.

Yang Jian answered indifferently, “He’s an elder of Taixuan Sect. What do you think?”

After speaking, he turned and resumed sweeping the courtyard.

Li Lingtian narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

An elder of Taixuan Sect… That meant he had to be powerful, right?

Perhaps he should challenge him to a duel.

Right now, Li Lingtian desperately needed a victory to restore his confidence.

The other disciples in the valley were too weak to be considered real opponents.

As for challenging Gu An? That was out of the question. Even if he bypassed Yang Jian, there was no chance of winning against his senior brother.

But Nine-Fingered Divine Lord…

This old man seemed obsessed with playing Go against mortals. If he was willing to lower his cultivation to Core Formation Stage, maybe they could have a fair duel.

He needed to test himself—to see if he could fight across realms.

He had already suffered one major defeat against Yang Jian.

But he refused to believe that his talent was lacking.

No—he simply challenged the wrong opponent!

There was no way he’d make the same mistake twice.

His expression brightened as he thought of the possibility.

Yes! He would duel Nine-Fingered Divine Lord!

A Bitter Defeat

Under the tree, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord finally looked up at Gu An.

His voice was hoarse as he spoke. “Impossible… I shouldn’t have lost to you. Just who in the world are you?”

A wandering immortal… losing to a junior?

Gu An grinned and lifted his chin proudly. “I am an Immortal. What do you think?”

Nine-Fingered Divine Lord’s expression darkened. “An Immortal?”

“That’s right.” Gu An smirked. “You may call me Chess Immortal.”

Nine-Fingered Divine Lord’s face turned black.

“Scram!”

“Tch.” Gu An clicked his tongue and flicked his sleeve, walking away.

Nine-Fingered Divine Lord shook his head, laughing bitterly as he watched Gu An leave.

No matter how he looked at the young man, he didn’t seem like an old cultivator in disguise.

His cultivation was indeed at the Wandering Immortal Stage, yet his vision and comprehension far surpassed ordinary immortals.

Nine-Fingered Divine Lord sighed and turned his gaze back to the Go board.

Perhaps… he had yet to fully grasp the essence of the game.

Even if he could calculate infinite possibilities, what did it matter?

The beauty of Go lay in its unpredictability.

His brows furrowed as he fell deep into thought.

The Changing Seasons—A Journey Begins

Spring gave way to summer.

The air grew warmer, and the world’s vitality surged once more.

One day, Gu An took Yang Jian and Li Lingtian on a journey to Horizon Valley.

He rode lazily on the back of Blood Prison Great Saint, a colossal ox demon.

Li Lingtian trailed behind with a sulking expression.

Why were they walking when they could fly?

Gu An was definitely doing this on purpose to torment him!

Yet when he saw Yang Jian walking without complaint, he had no choice but to endure it.

He couldn’t afford to lose to Yang Jian in something as simple as walking.

Suddenly—

Rumble!

The distant sky trembled with thunder.

Li Lingtian turned his head, watching as storm clouds surged from the horizon.

Yang Jian stopped in his tracks, gazing toward the sky with furrowed brows.

Li Lingtian caught up to him. “What’s wrong?”

Yang Jian ignored him.

Instead, he quickened his pace and returned to Gu An’s side.

Li Lingtian felt a stab of frustration.

Yang Jian always acted like he was too important to acknowledge him.

But deep down, he understood. In Yang Jian’s eyes, he wasn’t even worth talking to.

If their roles were reversed, he probably wouldn’t talk to someone so much weaker than himself either.

Reaching Gu An, Yang Jian asked, “Master, I have a bad feeling. It feels like something major is about to happen.”

Gu An nodded. “Perhaps a calamity truly is coming.”

Yang Jian frowned. “Is the Seven Star Spirit Realm still unwilling to let things go?”

Gu An didn’t answer.

Instead, he ordered, “Focus your senses. I want to know exactly what you’re feeling.”