Chapter 127: The Path of Divine Return, Fully Transformed into a Dragon

Gu An felt a pang of suspicion but had no desire to investigate Lü Baitian or Lü Xian further.

Regardless of who these people were or what schemes they might have, as long as they didn't affect him, he wasn't interested in getting involved.

The human heart is unpredictable, and to investigate every possibility would be exhausting.

Gu An and Lü Xian began chatting idly. Lü Xian was now respectful, no longer displaying any hint of arrogance.

After some time, Gu An excused himself.

The people of the valley were already accustomed to him not spending the night in Tianya Valley.

Once Gu An had left, Lü Xian found Yi Liuyun and began sparring to prepare for the Gold List Tournament, which was now just two years away.

...

Time passed quietly, and peace reigned throughout the Nine Dynasties, while Tai Xuan Sect's Gold List Tournament drew the attention of cultivators across the world, becoming a grand event rarely seen in a hundred years.

Two years later, with the tournament drawing near, cultivators flew over Xuan Valley daily.

Unlike in the past, Tai Xuan Sect dispatched numerous disciples to patrol, protecting all the outer sect disciples and ensuring their righteous image as a leading sect of the world.

Seventy-two-year-old Gu An was in his pavilion, meeting with Ye Lan.

The first batch of disciples who had ventured into the Nine Nether Path for training had returned, all preparing to participate in the Gold List Tournament and bring glory to Tai Xuan Sect.

It had been many years since Gu An had seen Ye Lan, and her demeanor had only improved—she now carried the aura of a truly talented female cultivator. She had faithfully followed Gu An's advice and focused on cultivating Dao Yan Technique, which is why her cultivation hadn't increased much.

The two sat across from each other, chatting, with Ye Lan recounting the thrilling adventures of the Nine Nether Path, and Gu An listening with great interest.

Though called a "path," the Nine Nether Path was more of a secret realm, overrun by demonic ghosts, with its own unique ecosystem that nurtured rare spiritual materials.

Ye Lan mentioned encountering cultivators and members of the demon race from lands beyond the Nine Dynasties. As she described them, Gu An's imagination painted vivid pictures of these encounters, finding the whole tale fascinating.

After an hour of conversation, Gu An finally asked, "Are you going to participate in the Gold List Tournament?"

Ye Lan nodded. "Yes. The elders gave me an invitation. All one hundred disciples from the Nine Nether Path are required to participate. The first Gold List Tournament must be a grand affair, and Tai Xuan Sect cannot lose face."

Gu An blinked, feeling a bit resigned.

It seems I can't give away my invitations anymore.

Shen Zhen, Gu Yu, and Zuo Lin had all received invitations, and the remaining disciples in the valley had poor talent. Joining the tournament would only cause them suffering and humiliation.

"Senior Brother, how about you join too? Although your cultivation may not be high, your combat strength is quite impressive," Ye Lan suggested with a light laugh. She had always remembered how strong Gu An's leg techniques were.

Given that Gu An's cultivation hadn't improved, she assumed he must have been focusing on his leg techniques, which likely made him quite powerful.

Gu An replied helplessly, "I can't even beat you. Entering the Gold List Tournament would just be asking for trouble."

Hearing this, Ye Lan didn't press the issue further and instead shifted the conversation to other matters in the cultivation world.

They continued chatting until evening, when Ye Lan finally left Xuan Valley.

Gu An stood on his pavilion, a smile on his face.

Ye Lan's lifespan had increased by one year. Although small, it was proof that the Dao Yan Technique was somewhat effective.

Chun Jingfeng, Lu Jiu, and Xiao Chuan's lifespans hadn't increased, probably due to their lack of focus. Moreover, the spiritual energy in the Nine Nether Path was much richer, incomparable to what the Medicine Valley offered.

Gu An turned back into his room to continue studying the Ziwei Formation Manual.

This book had deepened Gu An's understanding of formations, bringing him ever closer to becoming a true Mahayana Realm cultivator.

Mahayana Realm cultivators weren't just powerful in cultivation but had vast life experiences and mastery of auxiliary arts. Since Gu An didn't need to focus on cultivation itself, he could dedicate more time to these other skills.

That night, Gu An snuck away to the mountains of Northern Sea. He hid under a tree, activating his Lifespan Barrier, and then invested 50,000 years of lifespan into the Dao Yan Technique.

Since the Dao Yan Technique seemed useful, he decided to enhance it.

A series of notifications appeared before his eyes, and eventually, the Dao Yan Technique evolved into the Dao Xuan Technique!

It only took 20,000 years of lifespan for the Dao Yan Technique to ascend to the Dao Xuan Technique, while the remaining 30,000 years further improved his mastery.

Without hesitation, Gu An invested another 50,000 years of lifespan.

This time, after cultivating for 20,000 years, the Dao Xuan Technique evolved into the Innate Reincarnation Technique!

It evolved so quickly, even gaining the term "Innate," which means the Dao Yan Technique must have been quite high grade to begin with.

No wonder only Ye Lan and Wu Xin were able to master it.

The Innate Reincarnation Technique granted him a divine ability known as "Return to Origin."

Gu An immersed himself in the inheritance of the Innate Reincarnation Technique as the spiritual energy of the earth surged into his body, while a flood of knowledge filled his mind.

The Innate Reincarnation Technique carried the mysteries of the Dao Yan Technique while extending the ability to accumulate cultivation across multiple lifetimes.

Once one cultivates the Innate Reincarnation Technique, they no longer improve their cultivation directly but instead accumulate spiritual energy, gradually transforming their natural talent. Unlike the Dao Yan Technique, which could only remove one limitation in a lifetime, the Innate Reincarnation Technique allowed for multiple removals. The more accumulated cultivation, the greater the transformation in talent.

Additionally, the Innate Reincarnation Technique leaves a soul imprint, so after a practitioner dies and reincarnates, they will awaken the technique's memory upon reaching adulthood. This allows them to accumulate power across lifetimes until they become immortal—or perish along the way, causing the cycle to end.

The Return to Origin divine ability is a powerful sealing technique capable of suppressing a creature's cultivation to a specific level or even completely sealing it, turning them into an ordinary mortal!

Once sealed, only the Return to Origin technique can undo the seal. Even with the help of someone far more powerful than Gu An, attempting to break the seal would cause the spiritual energy within the victim to go haywire, resulting in instant death.

After understanding the technique, Gu An was quite pleased.

This is exactly the kind of ability I've been lacking!

As for the Innate Reincarnation Technique, he considered it more of a backup. He had no interest in accumulating cultivation over thousands of lifetimes—he wanted results in this lifetime!

However, he thought it might be worth teaching to those he cared about.

Through the memories of the Innate Reincarnation Technique, Gu An gained a harsh realization.

The path of immortality was divided into nine stages, with each stage harder than the last.

The first stage was Nirvana. Nirvana was the realm where mortal beings transcended their humanity. Before reaching Nirvana, a creature's lifespan could never exceed 10,000 years. Only after Nirvana could they undergo a fundamental transformation and vastly increase their lifespan.

Gu An suddenly realized that the maximum lifespan of a person didn't just reflect their talent—it represented the limit of their time in the world, like the scale of a lifetime.

For instance, An Hao had nearly 10,000 years to reach the Nirvana Realm, while Ye Lan had less than 200. Even if Ye Lan were to have many fortunate encounters, it would ultimately be futile.

The Dao Yan Technique might extend Ye Lan's time in the world, but only to a limited degree. Even if she mastered the Innate Reincarnation Technique, her lifespan would only increase severalfold.

Gu An slowly opened his eyes, his gaze deep and contemplative.

"Destiny…"

...

As summer arrived, the Gold List Tournament of Tai Xuan Sect began as scheduled.

Participants in the tournament were all under five hundred years of age, and Tai Xuan Sect would carefully verify each participant's bone age.

Gu An had no idea who to give the invitation that Li Ya had gifted him, and he didn't want to waste it, so he decided to sign up himself. At seventy-two years old, he was considered young, and his registration was accepted smoothly.

The Gold List Tournament was structured as a series of one-on-one matches, with no fixed time limit. The matches continued until a victor was declared, and Tai Xuan Sect provided healing for the injured to ensure participants remained in peak condition.

Special formations were set up to ensure that higher cultivation levels would be suppressed to match the weaker opponent, ensuring fairness.

On the day the Gold List Tournament began, Gu An sat on a rooftop in the outer sect, watching the matches with Ye Lan. A small table was set up between them, adorned with spiritual fruits and wine.

In the sky above them, a massive light screen hovered, displaying the ongoing battle.

Gu An didn't recognize the two contestants, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the show.

While peeling a fruit for Gu An, Ye Lan remarked, "Senior Brother, the technique you taught me is incredibly difficult. It's much harder than the previous one. I don't know when I'll be able to master it."

Gu An replied, "Cultivation isn't supposed to be easy."

The Dao Yan Technique could double one's lifespan, and the Innate Reincarnation Technique could increase it severalfold. If Ye Lan could master it, living to eight hundred years old wasn't impossible.

For someone with Ye Lan's talent, this was already an incredible fortune.

Ye Lan smiled. "Don't worry, I'll definitely master it."

At that moment, a thunderous roar erupted from the city below.

The first match had concluded.

"The winner is Duan Xu of the Yan Sect from the Great Zhao Dynasty!" Gu Yu's voice echoed from the light screen, prompting discussions throughout the city.

Ye Lan looked at the screen and commented, "He's really strong."

Gu An nodded, sipping his wine.

"Gu Brother!"

A voice called out nearby. Gu An and Ye Lan turned to see Wu Jue standing on a distant rooftop, looking at them with a displeased expression.

Though five years had passed, Wu Jue was still at the Ninth Layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, but his vitality had drastically increased.

Has ignoring him for five years caused his lifespan to skyrocket?

Gu An felt like he was opening a surprise box as he carefully cast his Lifespan Investigation.

[Wu Jue (Foundation Establishment, Ninth Layer): 74/350/7600]

Seven thousand six hundred years!

Goodness! He's truly transformed into a dragon!

Wu Jue leaped onto the rooftop where Gu An and Ye Lan were sitting, stopping seven steps away. He frowned and asked, "Who's this woman? Are you really going to betray Shen Zhen?"

His words caused Ye Lan to squint as she looked at Gu An. "Who's Shen Zhen?"

Gu An felt a headache forming. He quickly replied, "This is my junior sister, Ye Lan. Shen Zhen can't compare to her! Shen Zhen and I are just acquaintances."

Ye Lan's expression softened.

Wu Jue, however, looked furious. "Even if we don't mention Shen Zhen, why didn't you come see me when you were done?"

Ye Lan blinked in confusion.

She had assumed Wu Jue was standing up for Shen Zhen, but now it seemed his concerns were different.

Gu An shook his head. "Why are you yelling so loudly? I didn't want to disturb your cultivation. What, do you want to fight me?"

Wu Jue's face turned red with frustration, and he muttered, "I'd never fight you…"

Ye Lan could tell Wu Jue was no ordinary person, and as she observed his embarrassed expression, she grew even more curious about his relationship with Gu An.

Eventually, Gu An invited Wu Jue to sit with them. Though reluctant, Wu Jue took a seat on Gu An's other side.

"Junior Sister, this is my good friend, Wu Jue. He's also participating in the Gold List Tournament," Gu An introduced.

Ye Lan nodded at Wu Jue in acknowledgment.

Wu Jue scratched his head and said, "The only reason I'm in the tournament is because Gu Brother gave me an invitation."

Ye Lan looked at Gu An, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Her senior brother's abilities were impressive. Not only did he sign up for the tournament, but he also had spare invitations to give away.