Chapter 155: Shattering the Void, Betrothal

Zuo Lin's comment caused Di Xie's expression to briefly turn awkward, but the next thing Zuo Lin said made Di Xie unsure whether to laugh or cry:

"You must be a genius. My talent for reading people's aptitude and fortune has never been wrong."

Zuo Lin wore a proud expression, raising his chin and motioning Di Xie to look at Gu An. "Don't be fooled by this kid's Foundation Establishment cultivation. He's no ordinary cultivator. I wasn't wrong about him—he's now a Gold Ranking genius."

Gu An came over, smiling helplessly. "What kind of genius am I? It was pure luck that I made it onto the Gold Ranking."

Zuo Lin pulled Gu An to sit down and introduced him and Di Xie to one another.

Di Xie remained calm and composed, treating Gu An courteously without showing any airs of superiority despite his status as a guest elder.

Zuo Lin, full of curiosity about Di Xie, eagerly recounted Sword Master of Dao's feats in battle, knowing that Di Xie was interested in learning about the mysterious swordsman.

Di Xie listened intently.

Before coming to Tai Xuan Sect, he had already heard that the top cultivator of the Nine Dynasties was either the Longevity Daoist of Three Purities Mountain or the enigmatic Sword Master of Dao of Tai Xuan Sect. Despite Sword Master of Dao's numerous interventions on behalf of the sect, no one knew his true identity.

As Gu An listened to Zuo Lin proudly recount the exploits of his secret identity, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

Meanwhile, he was quietly observing Di Xie.

Over the next half hour, Gu An sensed no malice from Di Xie. Eventually, he decided to set aside his suspicions for now. The looming Demon Catastrophe made it worrisome that a Profound Heart Realm demon was lurking within Tai Xuan Sect, but for what purpose remained unclear.

Fearing Di Xie might grow suspicious of him, Gu An found an excuse to slip away.

There would be plenty of time to observe Di Xie later, especially since Di Xie planned to spend time meditating on Sword Master of Dao's sword intent at the Heaven Mending Platform.

In the following days, Gu An used his divine sense to keep tabs on Di Xie regularly.

The more he watched, the more he began to think Di Xie might not harbor ill intentions. Di Xie genuinely seemed interested in learning the way of the sword.

It was likely that Di Xie had been scanning the surroundings with his divine sense earlier, hoping to find Sword Master of Dao.

...

Spring passed, and autumn came. Two years quickly went by.

During these two years, Gu An's lifespan increased rapidly. Thanks to the resources from Xu Xing's Cave Heaven, he amassed a significant amount of time, pushing his lifespan past 6.5 million years, edging ever closer to the 10 million mark.

On this particular day, Gu An visited the Outer Gate Library Pavilion to release a new book under the name Pan An, titled Shattering the Void.

The Elder in charge of receiving him, Elder Liu Chang, had passed away years ago. Now, the library pavilion's Grand Elder Feng Shang was there to greet Gu An.

This was Feng Shang's first time meeting Pan An, and he was brimming with excitement. He spent an hour enthusiastically praising Gu An and assuring him that he would handle all the book's post-release matters personally.

By the time Gu An finally managed to excuse himself from Feng Shang, he was exhausted from the elder's overwhelming enthusiasm.

To Feng Shang, Pan An was an unprecedented opportunity for advancement. As long as he successfully managed Pan An's new release, his own future would be bright.

After leaving the library, Gu An wandered around the bustling city. With each passing year, Tai Xuan Sect grew in strength, and the outer gate city had become a vibrant, crowded marketplace. The streets were lined with vendors selling strange and exotic items. Over the past year, Gu An had developed a habit of strolling through the city whenever he had spare time.

While walking, he spotted a familiar face.

"Du Ye."

Gu An stepped forward to greet him. Though they weren't particularly close, both having served the Ji family in their youth and later joining Tai Xuan Sect, they exchanged pleasantries whenever they crossed paths.

Du Ye, who was inspecting a small gourd at a nearby stall, looked up when he heard his name. Upon seeing Gu An, he put down the gourd and smiled.

"You here hunting for treasures as well?"

Gu An chuckled. "There's no such luck for me. I'm just here for a walk, to enjoy the lively atmosphere. How have you been lately?"

Now 92 years old, Du Ye looked like a man in his early forties. He had never taken Youth Retaining Pills in his younger years, unlike Gu An, who still looked youthful.

In the cultivation world, not every cultivator cared about maintaining a youthful appearance—some preferred a more mature look, believing it gave them more authority.

"Sigh, don't even mention it. I tried breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm recently, but failed. I wasted a Foundation Establishment Pill too," Du Ye said with frustration.

He truly represented the bottom rung of the cultivation world—someone with average talent who had to run errands for noble families just to scrape together resources for cultivation.

Gu An offered a few comforting words, then took out a vial containing two Foundation Establishment Pills.

"This..." Du Ye hesitated, not wanting to accept charity, yet unable to refuse such a precious gift.

For someone like him, reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm was a lifelong dream.

"Don't be so polite," Gu An smiled. "After all, we grew up together. I want to see you live for many more decades so we can reminisce about the old days when we're both old men."

Du Ye felt a warmth in his heart. He remembered how, back in their younger years, he had told Gu An to seek him out if he ever needed help. Yet, all these years had passed, and Gu An had never asked him for anything. Instead, it was Du Ye who now owed him several favors.

Du Ye lightly punched Gu An's shoulder and accepted the vial, putting it into his storage pouch.

"Oh, by the way, I recently heard some news. Our Third Young Miss, Ji Xiaoya, is betrothed," Du Ye said in a lowered voice as if recalling something important.

Hearing this, Gu An was taken aback and asked curiously, "Betrothed? To whom?"

The news that Ji Xiaoya was engaged stirred emotions within Gu An. Maybe it was because, when they were young, Ji Xiaoya had once saved him.

Even after they grew up, Ji Xiaoya had always treated him kindly, not like a servant but like a friend. She had given him many gifts to help with his cultivation.

It was hard to believe that someone as brilliant as Ji Xiaoya couldn't escape an arranged marriage.

Du Ye shook his head. "I don't know the details, but it seems the engagement is set. As for when the wedding will happen, that's still undecided. The young masters of the Ji family seem quite pleased about it, so it's likely someone with considerable status."

"Of course. Anyone who marries into the Ji family must be someone beyond our imagination," Gu An said with a light smile.

They exchanged a few more words before Gu An bade Du Ye farewell.

He didn't return to Third Medicine Valley immediately but continued wandering around the city.

...

The Library Pavilion worked quickly. Within less than a month, Shattering the Void was available in the library pavilions of various cities.

Building upon the reputation of Investiture of the Gods and Tai Xuan Immortal Lord, Pan An's new book caused a huge stir the moment it was released, sweeping across Tai Xuan Sect.

A month later, the name Shattering the Void had spread throughout the entire Tai Cang Dynasty and was quickly making its way to the other eight dynasties.

Lu Lingjun also bought a copy. After reading it, she immediately sought out Gu An.

"It's well written. The protagonist harbors a great demon inside his body, which leads him, despite his average talent, down the path of cultivation. But..." Lu Lingjun frowned.

"But what?" Gu An asked.

"Why is it called Shattering the Void?" Lu Lingjun stared at him, as though trying to see through his thoughts.

Gu An raised an eyebrow and asked, "Didn't you say that in your homeland, Ascension is the ultimate pursuit? Doesn't the idea of shattering the void appeal to you?"

Hearing this, Lu Lingjun nodded. "Indeed, it's very appealing. Alright then, keep writing."

Inwardly, she scoffed. How could this kid possibly know that she was an Ascender?

They continued discussing the book, and Lu Lingjun offered several suggestions. At first, Gu An disagreed, but when she presented him with a pile of rare spiritual materials, he quickly changed his mind and agreed to consider her ideas.

Amused by his greed, Lu Lingjun couldn't help but laugh.

Once she left, Gu An took out the manuscript for Daoist Xunchun and began reading.

Shattering the Void had been a commissioned work, but Daoist Xunchun was the true classic he intended to savor.

As Pan An's reputation soared, the disciples of Xuan Valley and Third Medicine Valley began discussing the book as well. The name Pan An carried far more influence than Gu An had anticipated.

Half a month later.

When Gu An returned to Third Medicine Valley, he sensed the presence of Lü Baitian. It had been more than a decade since they last met.

Gu An went inside his pavilion to meet Lü Baitian, closing the door behind him before sitting down across from his master.

Lü Baitian looked the same as always, showing no signs of aging or change. He gestured for Gu An to sit down.

After Gu An took his seat, Lü Baitian finally asked, "What made you think to publish a book recently?"

"Just a sudden whim," Gu An replied. "Did you read it?"

"I did. It's not as good as Investiture of the Gods," Lü Baitian stated plainly.

"That's true," Gu An admitted. He felt the same.

Lü Baitian's tone shifted as he asked, "Is Su Han your disciple?"

Gu An's eyes widened in surprise. Feigning worry, he asked, "He was, but why? What happened?"

Lü Baitian narrowed his gaze at Gu An. "He's also learned the Inverse Life Divine Art."

"What?" Gu An reacted with shock. He quickly explained, "I didn't teach him that! I haven't even met him in years."

Since Lü Baitian had imparted the Inverse Life Divine Art to Gu An, he hadn't seriously practiced it, as he had no intention of abandoning his current cultivation method to start anew.

Lü Baitian scoffed, "I know it wasn't you. In fact, I didn't create the Inverse Life Divine Art either. I was also passed down that legacy."

"Let me tell you straight, the Inverse Life Divine Art originates from the Ephemeral Blossom Sect. Now that Su Han has inherited it as well, it means that remnants of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect still linger."

Gu An's eyes widened further in disbelief. He immediately thought of the Nine Nether Thirteen Li and Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower. Could they have approached Su Han?

"Master, you..." Gu An stammered, unsure of how to respond, his face a mixture of surprise and unease.

He wanted to tell his master the truth: "Actually, I'm the leader of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect!"

Lü Baitian chuckled softly, "Don't worry. I only have a karmic connection to the Ephemeral Blossom Sect. I'm not really from there. When I was young, I took a Dao partner from the Ephemeral Blossom Sect. Before she died, she passed on the Inverse Life Divine Art to me. It's because of this technique that I've achieved the success I have today."

"But don't go spreading this around. If people knew, I'd lose my position as Sect Leader. Ever since the Supreme Elders returned, my standing has become more precarious."

By the end of his explanation, he smiled wryly.

Gu An quickly responded, "I would never reveal such a thing, as long as you don't endanger Tai Xuan Sect."

Lü Baitian gave him a mock scowl, pretending to be annoyed, but inwardly, he was pleased.

This is exactly why I chose him as my successor!

Lü Baitian then added, "Su Han has acquired the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword and has now also inherited the Inverse Life Divine Art. His growth will accelerate. How close are you to him? If you're close, you should be cautious. Someone powerful is clearly backing him, and I fear they may try to harm you in order to push Su Han deeper into hatred for the world."