Chapter 15: Thousand-Autumn Pavilion, Master of Profound Valley

"Medicine Gu? Master, you..." Gu An feigned shock in his question.

Could Cheng Xuan Pill be plotting against him as well?

Cheng Xuan Pill didn't look back; he pushed aside the branches blocking the path, bent down to walk through, and as he moved forward, he said, "Meng Lang's talents are slightly better than yours, but only marginally. Even with my elixirs to aid him, the chances of reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm are slim. Medicine Valley only needs one successor, and his existence poses a threat to you. You should be able to sense the shortcomings in his personality."

Hearing this, Gu An fell silent.

Something about that didn't sound right—was he implying he killed Meng Lang for Gu An's sake?

But Gu An had not wished for Meng Lang's death.

While Meng Lang was despicable, his nature wasn't truly evil.

"Don't overthink it. As your master, killing him paves the way for you, but if you must blame anyone, blame it on his talent surpassing yours. I am helping the Master of Medicine Valley," said Cheng Xuan Pill nonchalantly.

Gu An couldn't help asking, "Shouldn't the selection of the Master of Medicine Valley favor those with stronger talents?"

"But if the talent is too formidable, how can one live out their life peacefully in Medicine Valley?"

"Does Medicine Valley have something special about it?"

"Indeed, it does. I am not only a disciple of the Supreme Sect but also a spy for the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion. The Thousand-Autumn Pavilion is a Demon Dao sect not as powerful as the Supreme Sect, so we've planted numerous spies like myself."

Damn, there really are Demon Dao spies!

Gu An suddenly didn't know how to continue the conversation.

He realized that Cheng Xuan Pill indeed did not intend to harm him; what was most critical was that Cheng Xuan Pill clearly intended to pass on the burden of being a spy to him.

"After I die, you'll live out your days comfortably as the Valley Master. You don't have to do much; when the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion needs you, someone will naturally come to you. You just need to follow orders. Of course, you can also report to the Supreme Sect. Anyway, your master doesn't have many years left, but you should weigh carefully whether the Supreme Sect would tolerate you. For a Servant Disciple like you, they would rather kill a hundred by mistake than spare one guilty," said Cheng Xuan Pill, his tone suffused with a trace of satisfaction, which made Gu An feel like hitting someone.

"Remember the secret passphrase of the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion, 'Thousand autumns of lush vines hold steadfast hearts, amidst the desolation of myriad laws, the origin is hard to find.'"

"Do I not have any other choice?"

"What do you think?"

Gu An fell silent again.

"Spies like your master are insignificant even to the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion. You might go your whole life without them ever seeking you out," said Cheng Xuan Pill with self-deprecating humor.

Gu An mulled it over and realized he truly had no way to resist.

It was like wet clay stuck in the hem of his trousers—not a Demon Dao spy, but might as well be.

"Master, if you are a cultivator of the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion, staying in Medicine Valley must have a reason. Why hide it?" Gu An asked solemnly.

"You are indeed astute. Yes, beneath Medicine Valley lies a seventh-grade Spirit Tree. When we return, I will take you to see it."

"A... seventh-grade?"

Gu An's voice trembled, his eyes agleam.

...

Tiny snowflakes fluttered between heaven and earth. A majestic city rose between the mountains, its gates ten zhang high. Some people entered the city on foot, while some Supreme Sect disciples flew in on swords, and there were even disciples riding mounts.

Gu An walked along the mountain path, staring in amazement at the outer city of the Supreme Sect from afar.

What a vast city!

"There are eight Outer Sect Cities of the Supreme Sect, surrounded by four Inner Sect Cities, within which lies the Sect's Main City, a place where only talented individuals of high status can set foot. From above, it is said that the layout of the Supreme Sect resembles a finely crafted compass; each mountain holds its own mysteries," explained Cheng Xuan Pill, his voice filled with wonder and a hint of regret.

Gu An couldn't help asking, "Just how vast is the Supreme Sect?"

They had been traveling for nearly half a month, demonstrating the great distance from Medicine Valley to the city.

"Boundless and beyond my knowledge as well," replied Cheng Xuan Pill.

Continuing towards the Outer Sect City, Gu An followed closely behind.

When Gu An had first joined the Supreme Sect, he had not come to the Outer Sect City. An Elder of the Supreme Sect had received Ji Xiaoyu in a mountain pavilion, and impressed by her, when Gu An expressed where he wished to go, the Elder had sent a disciple to escort him to Cheng Xuan Pill's Medicine Valley.

This was his first visit to the Outer Sect.

The pair walked up to the city gate, and Cheng Xuan Pill presented his token. Gu An glanced at it and saw two characters engraved on it.

Xuan Valley.

After entering the city, the thunderous noise inside reached him, astonishing Gu An.

The city gate had a Restriction!

With his sense of hearing, he couldn't make out any sound from inside while outside the city.

"Top quality medicinal herbs, first come, first served, only ten for sale today."

"Treasures from a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator's Cave Mansion, come take a look."

"Pure-blooded Snow Mountain Spirit Foxes, in five more years they will talk like humans."

"Lucky finds! Lucky finds! Everything for ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones, whatever you unearth depends on your Destiny."

"Maps of an Ancient Grand Cultivator's Cave Mansion, those with substantial power may purchase."

Gu An was drawn to the hawking on both sides of the street; there were pavilions and shops on each side, the streets broad with no disciples laying out stalls.

Gu An even spotted brothels.

Impressive, truly fitting for a Renowned Sect!

Cheng Xuan Pill kept up his commentary, broadening Gu An's horizons.

No wonder so many people were eager to enter the Supreme Sect; it boasted abundant Cultivation Resources.

Gu An was not just listening; he was also frantically using the Life Span Detection.

After walking about two miles down the street, he had already seen five cultivators whose extreme lifespan exceeded five hundred years.

The Outer Sect truly harbored hidden dragons and crouching tigers!

Half an hour later, Cheng Xuan Pill led Gu An into a huge estate, with a signboard above writing three big characters:

Elixir Hall!

People were coming and going inside the Elixir Hall. Some were hurrying along, others wore a worried frown, and still, others were laughing heartily.

Gu An followed Cheng Xuan Pill into a courtyard to meet one of the elders of the Elixir Hall.

Zhu Qinglu, at the ninth floor of the Foundation Establishment Realm, was one of the elders of the Elixir Hall, overseeing fifty-one Medicine Valleys and was the direct superior of Cheng Xuan Pill.

He was portly, wearing a loose blue Daoist robe, and had a benevolent smile on his face which made him look completely harmless.

Inside the great hall, Zhu Qinglu received Cheng Xuan Pill and gestured for a disciple to pour him a cup of tea.

"Xuan Pill, why do you look so unwell?" Zhu Qinglu asked with concern.

Gu An took the opportunity to use Life Span Detection.

[Zhu Qinglu (Foundation Establishment Realm ninth floor): 211/267/510]

He was two hundred and eleven years old!

Gu An stood by Cheng Xuan Pill's side, careful not to be impolite.

Cheng Xuan Pill said, chuckling, "I won't lie to you, my time is approaching. Today, in addition to handing over the medicinal herbs, I've come for my disciple. I would like to pass on the position of the Master of Xuan Valley to him."

Zhu Qinglu looked at Gu An and said with a smile, "Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer, it seems this youngster has something exceptional about him."

Yuck!

What a foul way to curse!

Cheng Xuan Pill said with a laugh, "This lad has a pure nature, can unite the disciples, and he is willing to stay in Medicine Valley for his entire life, making him the best candidate."

Zhu Qinglu didn't say much and simply raised his hand to beckon a disciple over from outside the hall.

After the time it takes to burn one stick of incense.

Gu An exited the Elixir Hall along with Cheng Xuan Pill, playing with a bronze token in his hand. It was carved with the words "Xuan Valley," and he could feel the presence of restrictions within it.

From now on, within the Elixir Hall of Supreme Sect, his identity would be that of the Master of Xuan Valley.

"The storage pouch of the Valley Master is with me, and I will pass it on to you," said Cheng Xuan Pill, his voice coming from ahead, breaking Gu An's reverie.

Gu An quickly asked, "Master, where do we go next?"

He wanted to go back. A batch of medicinal herbs were ready for harvest, and he was concerned his junior brothers and sisters might pick them for him.

"Before we go back, I'll take you to Menial Hall. There, you can recruit Menial Disciples. Today, you can recruit one Menial Disciple to take back with you. It's also a way for you to become familiar with the process," replied Cheng Xuan Pill without turning around.

Looking at his back, Gu An's heart stirred with emotion.

Everyone has many sides, and this was vividly embodied in Cheng Xuan Pill.

The previous Cheng Xuan Pill treated his disciples coldly and even turned one of his disciples into a Medicine Gu. He was an agent of the Demon Dao, and by all accounts, an evil person.

But his kindness to Gu An was genuine.

The Menial Hall was not far from the Elixir Hall. After turning a few streets, they reached an even larger estate. Upon entering the gate, Gu An saw a vast square filled with people.

Seeing those waiting to be chosen as candidate disciples, Gu An realized how lucky he had been.

If it weren't for the Ji Family, with his Spiritual Root Qualification, he would have to wait to be chosen like they were.

"You can look around yourself; I won't intervene. Once you've made your choice, I'll take you to register," said Cheng Xuan Pill softly. He rubbed his chest, clearly feeling unwell.

Gu An nodded, then stepped forward.

Did he even need to think?

Golden Finger activated!

Gu An began to madly use Life Span Detection, scanning each person he saw.

Most people here had very low ultimate life spans, there were even those doomed to a short life, with some only having a year left, yet they were still hoping to be chosen.

Soon, Gu An found a genius whose extreme lifespan exceeded five hundred years.

He didn't rush to decide and would look at everyone before deciding.

Medicine Valley didn't need a genius; he needed someone with a long current lifespan.

Extreme lifespan was the limit of one's cultivation potential. Reaching that limit was incredibly difficult, requiring countless opportunities and resources.

The reason there were so many overlooked talents was that Spiritual Root Qualification could not fully determine the height of one's future.

Current lifespan was different. As long as one did not suffer grievous injuries, they could live that long.

Quickly, Gu An's gaze was drawn to a young boy, a little monk with ordinary looks, wearing worn-out robes, meditating in a corner of the square.

[Wuxin (Qi Cultivation Realm Second Layer): 15/330/380]

To have a lifespan of three hundred and thirty years at the Qi Cultivation Realm was astonishing!

Curious!

Perhaps the boy had a unique physique or had cultivated some special technique.

Without hesitation, Gu An walked up to Wuxin. Sensing something, Wuxin opened his eyes and was greeted by Gu An's smiling face.

"Young brother, would you like to come to my Medicine Valley? It's not too busy most of the time, and you will have plenty of time for cultivation," Gu An said kindly, smiling.

Seeing his smile, Wuxin nodded subconsciously.

Cheng Xuan Pill looked Wuxin over, seemingly noticing something, and then glanced at Gu An with a strange look in his eyes.