When I became a saint, an immortal official summoned me to take care of horses

Chapter 22: Two Thousand Years of Evolution, Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword

"I can't accept it, how could I take the sword your mother left you?" Gu An quickly waved his hand and spoke the truth. Such a sword with a history surely had many origins and could lead to troubles.

Li Ya lowered his eyes to look at the sword sheath, his thoughts sinking into reminiscence: "This sword is named Heavenly Residence. Since I was three, it has accompanied me. Now, I cannot unleash all its power, nor do I have the qualifications to use it anymore. It's better left with you, perhaps here in Medicine Valley it may find someone destined for it."

Gu An, confused, asked, "Why are you not qualified? This sword wouldn't be related to the Imperial Family, would it? If so, I dare not accept it."

Just thinking about entangling with the Li Family gave him a headache.

Indeed the sword was gorgeous and he loved it, but he preferred his life undisturbed even more.

Li Ya looked at him and smiled, "Even if I explained it, you wouldn't understand. Rest assured, this sword won't cause you trouble. The Li Family wouldn't dare to claim this sword, for it was a token of engagement my father gave to my mother. With it in your possession, the Li Family would rather not trouble you. If you encounter unsolvable troubles in the future, you can also take this sword to Changluo and seek my father."

"How could someone of my low status meet the emperor?"

"Don't worry. As soon as Heavenly Residence appears in Changluo, my father will feel its presence. In any case, you must accept it, or else I won't eat this fruit."

Then don't eat it!

Gu An almost blurted that out, but he restrained himself.

He looked at the Heavenly Residence Sword again; truth be told, he still didn't own a single magic artifact of his own. Cheng Xuandan's heritage had left him nothing but talisman paper, not even a sword.

What's there to fear!

I am a Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator!

If I really encounter an unbearable trouble, I could just throw the sword to them!

Gu An took a deep breath and reached for the Heavenly Residence. The sword had some weight to it, causing his right hand to tremble as he lifted it, which made Li Ya laugh heartily.

"Junior Brother Gu, even if your talent is ordinary, don't forget to cultivate daily. The Seven-Sword Art of the Li Family I taught you, you must practice it," Li Ya said earnestly.

Gu An, holding the Heavenly Residence Sword with both hands, forced a smile and nodded.

Haha.

Young man, you still need to train your eyesight more!

Thus, Li Ya settled down inside Medicine Valley, and Gu An personally arranged a courtyard for him where no one would disturb him.

Li Ya meditated on the bed, beside him lay half-eaten Green Vine Fruit. With both hands, he performed a cultivation spell, continuously cultivating energy to heal his injuries.

A pale blue shadow emerged from Li Ya's body and whirled throughout the room. It was an old man, benevolent in appearance, his Taoist robe fluttering slightly, exuding the majestic demeanor of a venerable Daoist.

Li Ya opened his eyes and spoke, "Ancestor, what fruit is this? Its medicinal effect is so potent…"

The Soul Body, known as the Ancestor, first waved his hand and the space in the room fluctuated. Following that, he stroked his beard and laughed, "It should be the Green Vine Fruit nurtured by the Holy Tree, the Green Vine Tree, of the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion. The lowest grade of Green Vine Fruits is sixth-grade; you are quite lucky."

"The fruit from Thousand-Autumn Pavilion? Thousand-Autumn Pavilion's infiltration is deep indeed, no wonder the Supreme Sect regards them as a formidable foe," Li Ya muttered to himself.

The Ancestor looked at the Green Vine Fruit and said, "The Thousand-Autumn Pavilion and the Supreme Sect have harbored grudges for thousands of years. Both factions have many pawns planted in each other's sects. Your Junior Brother Gu is lucky. If he hadn't met you, the Green Vine Fruit would have brought disaster upon him."

Li Ya shook his head, "It's not that he is just lucky, but rather he is kindhearted and values loyalty greatly. People like him will always be rewarded. On the contrary, I am the one who is lucky."

The Ancestor nodded, "That's reasonable. In the world of Immortal Cultivation, such people are indeed rare. However, you need not feel too guilty. Heavenly Residence, given to him, means much more than the Green Vine Fruit."

Hearing him mention Heavenly Residence, Li Ya sighed, "I failed to meet my mother's expectations, but I really do not wish to vie for the throne. I only want to avenge her and then travel the world, far from the struggle for power."

"Heavenly Residence is one of the three Emperor Swords of Taicang. To fully wield its power, you must master the Emperor-Level Sword Technique. Even your Nine Devastating Swords is only at the beginner stage. To master the Emperor-Level Sword Technique, it will probably take another hundred years," the elder pondered.

Li Ya fell silent.

The Ancestor joked, "You can't even easily defeat that guy named Shi Yang. You need to try harder. Remember, your fourth brother has already reached the Core Formation Realm."

Li Ya took a deep breath, said nothing more, and closed his eyes to continue healing his injuries.

The Ancestor then looked out the window. Although the window was tightly shut, he could hear the laughter of Xiaochuan and others.

"This is indeed a good place, far from worldly struggles. Unfortunately, those with a mission are not suited for this place."

"Ah well, no more lamenting, I need to go back to sleep to rejuvenate my spirit."

…

In the depths of the night, Mystic Valley was silent.

Gu An used the Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill to conceal his energy and left Mystic Valley silently, heading to the woods over twenty miles away.

He sat under a tree, accessed the Attribute Panel, and focused on the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art.

How much Life Span should I invest?

After much deliberation, he decided to invest extra, to enhance his actual combat ability.

Let it be two thousand years.

With this single investment, I'll just focus on preserving my life for a hundred thousand years!

He immediately chose to invest two thousand years of Life Span, and the moment he thought it, the first digit of his Life Span changed from four to two.

[You have invested two thousand years of Life Span in cultivating the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art]

[You practice the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for ten years, achieving significant proficiency, and begin to contemplate further possibilities]

[You practice the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for fifty years, reaching the pinnacle of Swordsmanship, your Li Family's Seven-Sword Art ascends to Seven-Sword Art]

…

[You practice the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for three hundred years, you perfect the Seven-Sword Art, which ascends to the Nine Devastating Swords]

[You practice the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for five hundred years, you achieve mastery of the Nine Devastating Swords and consolidate your own Sword Intent]

...

[You cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for a thousand years, your Nine Devastating Swords reverted to their original purity and were promoted to the Emperor-Level Sword Technique]

[You cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for twelve hundred years, your Sword Intent condensed its own Heaven and Earth Imperial Energy, enhancing your Sword Dao comprehension]

...

[You cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for eighteen hundred years, your Emperor-Level Sword Technique reverted to its original purity, Sword Intent triggered the Sword Dao, experienced the true meaning of the Sword Dao, you entered into a sudden enlightenment, and the Emperor-Level Sword Technique was promoted to the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword]

[You cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for two thousand years, your Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword achieved unity and coherence, enhancing your Sword Dao comprehension]

A series of prompts popped up frenziedly. When the evolution time reached a thousand years, Gu An immediately activated the Life Span Barrier.

He was afraid of disturbing the mysterious presence underground and the Soul within Li Ya.

When all the prompts settled, a massive influx of memories entered his mind, and the ground surged with Spiritual Energy, which didn't enter his body but surrounded him instead, gradually condensing glimmers of cold light akin to Sword Qi, shimmering with an unusual brilliance in the night.

Gu An entered a state of Path Enlightenment.

Time passed unknowingly, and he gradually woke up.

At this moment, it was still dark.

Gu An first looked at the consumption data of the Life Span Barrier.

Good heavens, just by contemplating the cultivation technique, he had actually consumed three hundred years of life span!

Fortunately, he had fully mastered the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword; the profound understanding of the Sword Dao made his mood delightful.

Looking at the Attribute Panel again, he saw that the Ultimate Skill section listed the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art, which had now turned into the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword, with the words "unity and coherence" bracketed beside it.

He didn't immediately get up but took out the Heavenly Residence Sword and laid its sheath across his legs, his palms resting on it, and his eyes closed shortly after.

He was feeling the Sword Intent of this sword.

Once the Sword Intent of the sword merged with his own Sword Intent, he would be able to subdue this magic sword.

Inside this magic sword were numerous Restrictions, resembling different magic spell challenges, waiting for the Sword Master to breach them using Divine Sense and Spiritual Power.

Gu An didn't understand Restrictions, but fortunately, he had his own Sword Intent, which passed through the Restrictions.

An hour later.

Gu An stood up, tossed the Heavenly Residence Sword into his Storage Bag, and headed towards Mystic Valley.

With a step, he levitated, Sword Qi condensing beneath his feet, traveling by sword.

Upon nearing ten miles from Mystic Valley, he then landed and proceeded on foot, suppressing his aura to the extreme.

The night gradually passed, and the eastern sky slowly revealed hues of pink.

Morning arrived.

Li Ya pushed open the door, greeted by the rising sun. He stretched lazily, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

The medicinal effect of the Green Vine Fruit was incredibly strong!

He was no longer feeling as unwell and felt that a few more days might see him fully recovered!

Li Ya smiled as he looked towards the far end of the garden, where Gu An was instructing junior brothers and sisters in drills.

The set of movements piqued Li Ya's curiosity.

Though the movements were slow, they inexplicably seemed to hold a mysterious essence.

Li Ya immediately approached, making his way next to Gu An, who greeted him with a nod, which he returned.

"What are you guys practicing?" Li Ya asked curiously.

Gu An responded with a smile, "This is something I learned from an old man when I was a kid, it's good for strengthening the body and maintaining a healthy spirit. I bring them out every day to practice, ensuring they start the day with a good spirit."

Lu Jiujia complained, "I actually feel it's kind of useless."

Xiaochuan shot him a glare, saying, "That's because you are dull-witted."

Li Ya then said, "Actually, it is useful, but it requires long-term commitment."

His words as an Outer Disciple naturally commanded respect.

Gu An glimpsed at Li Ya, finding him more amiable than before, surprisingly capable of uttering such emotionally intelligent words.

Actually, the reason he brought the junior brothers and sisters to drill was mainly to clear their minds completely from cultivation and dreams, to prevent them from messing up his own flora.

"Once you finish the drill, how about I teach you a sword technique?" Li Ya said cheerfully.

Hearing this, Xiaochuan and the others became excited and thanked him profusely, addressing him as Brother Li Ya.

Li Ya looked at Gu An and said, "You join us too. Since you now have a sword, it's good to practice more."

Gu An smiled and nodded.

Alright.

Let me test whether your mastery of the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art is up to par!

Li Ya's involvement enriched the atmosphere even more. Watching the junior brothers and sisters being rowdy did not annoy him; instead, he felt pleased.

It was only by noon that Li Ya, pulling Gu An along, made their way into the woods.

"Show me your Li Family's Seven-Sword Art, and once you've mastered the basics, I'll teach you the real sword techniques. The Li Family's Seven-Sword Art is just basic sword moves." Li Ya said earnestly.