Chapter 315 Days
Duanhai Domain.
Inside An Xinâs room, Gu An sat at the table, deep in thought.
Why wasnât a domain established earlier?
If it was to guard against the Grand Cold Demon Sect, it wasnât really necessary. After all, that sect was already on the verge of disbanding.
Gu An felt the real target was himâespecially since behind the Grand Cold Demon Sect stood a Saint King.
He could see numerous cultivators constructing a floating island at the edge of the Severed Sea Rift.
After watching for a while, he withdrew his gaze and looked back at An Xin.
At the moment, she was in a state of enlightenment. With Gu Anâs assistance, she had entered the same state and had already remained in it for several hours.
Gu An continued monitoring An Xinâs lifespan limit.
Finally, it began to rise. The growth was subtle, but real.
He stared at her intently, probing everything within her.
Soon, he detected that mysterious force once againâmore intricate than karma itselfâjust like what he saw in Ye Lan.
As her lifespan limit increased, that mysterious force began separating from her body.
Which meant⊠all living beings might be bound by this force. And by extending oneâs lifespan limit, its grip could be weakened.
Could this be⊠Heavenâs Fate?
Gu An sank into contemplation.
Even a Divine Soul Immortal couldnât see through this power that controlled all beings.
Still, at least he could sense it now. That in itself was a good start.
Then, Gu An stood and left.
After all, this was the Third Medicine Valley. A man and woman alone in a roomâit wasnât proper. Especially considering their master-disciple relationship.
Besides, with him around, no one would dare disturb An Xinâs enlightenment within the Medicine Valley.
A night passed.
The next morning, An Xin stepped out of her room to join the disciples in morning practice. She appeared a bit dazed, glancing aroundâshe could feel that something had changed in the world.
From a distance, Gu An observed her. Her lifespan limit had risen to three hundred years. She hadnât even lifted her cultivation seal yet. With the Innate Reincarnation Technique, she could increase it even more.
Gu An didnât greet her, pretending not to notice.
In the days that followed, two things stirred widespread discussion across the landâthe establishment of the Duanhai Domain and the renaming of the continent.
As summer approached, Gu An was in the forest instructing Yang Jian in cultivation. He could sense Lu Xianyi secretly observing them, but he wasnât concerned.
As long as Lu Xianyi didnât become hostile, it was fine.
High above on the clouds, Lu Xianyi meditated, glancing down in thought.
âThis guyâs cultivation isnât all that, but heâs an impressive teacher. Did he really receive a dream visitation from an immortal?â Lu Xianyi wondered.
He had already joined the Taixuan Sect, and the Elder Hall. He also knew of Gu Anâs identity as an author. Apart from that, he was certain Gu An was just over two hundred years oldâplenty of people could vouch for that. So he didnât find Gu An threatening.
Even if Gu An were a reincarnated powerhouse, he still couldnât challenge someone at the ninth level of the Celestial Ascension Stage.
Thatâs why Lu Xianyi felt more curious than cautious toward Gu Anâperhaps even more curious than he was about Yang Jian.
âAlright, thatâs enough for today,â Gu An said.
Hearing that, Yang Jian lowered his fists and cupped them in salute.
Today, Gu An had shared a wealth of combat experience. Ever since inheriting Long Zhanâs memories, Gu Anâs combat intuition surpassed nearly everyone in the world. Even just one afternoon had benefited Yang Jian tremendously.
On the way back to the valley, Yang Jian was visibly excited. He hadnât expected his master to be such a close-combat expert too.
âA genius returned today. Iâll take you to meet him later,â Gu An said casually.
From the sky, Lu Xianyi saw they had finished and leftâhe didnât return to cultivation, though. Instead, he went off to play a game of Go.
âA genius? Who is it? That Uncle Wu Jue?â Yang Jian asked curiously.
Wu Jue had visited Gu An a few years ago. Yang Jian had only seen him from afar, and later learned he was the famed Wu Jue.
âNope. Youâll see soon enough,â Gu An replied mysteriously, piquing Yang Jianâs curiosity even more.
When the master and disciple returned to the Medicine Valley, they overheard the other disciples chatting.
âAn Haoâs here? Seriously?â
âFor real? Senior Sister An Xin is actually his sister? Theyâve both got the surname Anâare they blood-related?â
âNah, theyâre from the same village. They had the same master and were renamed later.â
âWow! An Hao is so handsome, like an immortal!â
âHaha, typical fangirls. Taixuan Sect has produced tons of geniuses over the years, but to outsiders, An Hao is still considered the number one genius in the sectâs history.â
Yang Jianâs expression shifted slightly, his fists clenching.
An Hao!
He stole a glance at Gu An. Seeing no reaction, he suppressed the emotions roiling inside him.
His current cultivation was at the ninth level of the Transformation Stage, all thanks to his intense body refinement training.
Number one genius? He wanted that title for himself too!
He had long suspected An Hao was the mysterious senior brother, and today, he might finally learn the truth.
Gu An led him to An Xinâs courtyard.
He noticed Qie Wuxing and Lu Xianyi playing Go nearby, both secretly probing An Hao with their divine sense. Their cultivation levels were far beyond An Haoâs, so he remained unaware.
Nine-Fingered Divine Lord wasnât around today, and Shen Xinzi was immersed in reading Journey to the West under a treeâlooking much like Zuo Yijian lost in his own world.
Gu An looked at the imposing An Hao with satisfaction. The youth had already reached the eighth level of the Integration Stage, his cultivation speed still blazing.
Yang Jian was a major realm behind, so not yet comparable. But once they both stepped into the Immortal Dao Realm, that gap would mean little.
Outside An Xinâs courtyard, she turned to look and beamed with joy before pulling An Hao out with her.
An Hao stood tall, wearing a golden dragon crown and a tight-waisted white robe, his long sleeves flowing like clouds. His features were striking, with sharp brows exuding arrogance. Simply standing there, he radiated an aura of dominance and detachmentâa born immortal.
By contrast, Yang Jian looked rather ordinary. Among the disciples, he usually stood out, but next to An Hao, he faded easily into the background.
âSenior Brother, Master has treated me so well these past yearsâIâve never suffered a bit,â An Xin said happily.
An Hao halted in front of Gu An, momentarily unsure how to address him.
âBrother An Hao, have you forgotten me?â Gu An asked with a warm smile that instantly dissolved the awkwardness.
âHow could I forget? We once braved life and death together. Thank you for looking after my sister all these yearsâyou saved me a lot of worry.â
An Hao smiled and took out a brocade box, offering it to Gu An.
Gu An quickly declined, but under the joint insistence of An Xin and An Hao, he reluctantly accepted it. Inside was an eighth-grade spirit herb.
Thoughtful kid.
An Hao then glanced at Yang Jian, who had been staring at him nonstop. Of course heâd noticed.
His instincts told him this kid wasnât ordinary.
He felt the same vibe as he did when facing Tian Wuchang. Yang Jian wasnât nearly that strong yet, but An Hao suspected he too had some kind of ancient treasure physique.
âAnd whoâs this?â An Hao asked.
âMy discipleâYang Jian,â Gu An replied with a smile, clearly enjoying the brewing rivalry.
âYang Jian? Erlang Shen?â An Hao chuckled.
Yang Jianâs expression turned stern.
âI want to spar with you,â he said seriously.
By now, he realized An Hao wasnât the mysterious senior brother. That revelation made him respect An Hao less.
In his mind, only that senior brother deserved to overshadow himâbecause even Gu An said that guy had greater talent.
An Haoâs smile faded as he studied Yang Jian.
An Xin hesitated to speak. She looked at Gu An but saw him smiling silently.
âYouâre not strong enough yet,â An Hao finally said. âBut I acknowledge your talent and courage. How about we make a pactâto settle things at the Heavenly Rankings Tournament?â
Yang Jian found this reasonable. A duel like that deserved a global audience. He nodded in agreement.
âYou should be thanking him,â Gu An said. âHeâs cultivated far longer than you and couldâve crushed you. Instead, heâs giving you time to grow.â
Yang Jian immediately bowed.
An Hao was surprisedâGu An could command such a genius so easily?
His gut told himânot even the Starsea Sect Alliance had someone like Yang Jian.
âYou guys keep chattingâI wonât interrupt,â Gu An said before walking off with Yang Jian.
An Hao stopped thinking about it and led An Xin back inside.
Not far off, Blood Prison Great Saint watched An Hao with a solemn expression.
This kid canât be underestimated... he might actually be stronger than Yang Jian.
Back in his attic, Gu An opened the brocade box and examined the herb.
Not long afterâ
Ji Xuanyu came to find him.
âThat An Hao is something else. Iâve seen that kind of aura before in dreamsâpeople who dominate entire realms,â she said.
âYouâre not so bad yourself,â Gu An replied with a grin.
Among those Gu An had met, below the Nirvana Stage, only four people had reached a lifespan limit of 9,990 yearsâAn Hao, Yang Jian, Blood Prison Great Saint, and Ji Xuanyu.
Even Li Lingtian was short by a thousand years.
Ji Xuanyu had both strength and powerful backing. In terms of background, Gu An felt she surpassed An Haoâfor now.
But in terms of cultivation speed, An Hao was untouchable.
Ji Xuanyu took a seat and asked:
âWhy does your Medicine Valley always attract so many world-class geniuses and powerhouse cultivators?â
Gu An sighed.
âWhy ask me? Itâs not like theyâre coming for me.â
Ji Xuanyu shook her head.
âMaybe not, but you forge good karma with everyone. Thatâs no small feat. You remind me of someone I saw in a dreamâthose blessed by great fate. Their talent might not be the highest, but they always break through and stir up the world.â
Gu An blinked.
âSo what are you really trying to say?â
Ji Xuanyu took a deep breath.
âIâm planning to visit a certain placeâthereâs a huge opportunity waiting there. Come with me!â
Gu An winced. Heâd heard this line too many times.
âYou go. The Taixuan Sect needs me.â
He rejected her without hesitation, shocking Ji Xuanyu with how bluntly he refused.