Chapter 16: Foundation Establishment Realm Seventh Layer, Mysteries of the Mountains and Forests

After being invited by Gu An, Wuxin did not say a word until they walked out of the Chores Hall. From beginning to end, he merely nodded once.

Gu An suspected that he had recruited a mute.

To Wuxin, becoming a servant disciple as soon as possible was the most important thing at the moment. The first impression Gu An gave him was very good, so he agreed directly.

The reason he was in such a hurry to become a servant disciple was that he was a spy from the Demon Path.

He came from the Demonic Sect Thousand-Autumn Pavilion and was the youngest son of one of the Pavilion Masters. Because his aptitude was inferior to his brothers, he volunteered to come and become a spy.

Firstly, to escape the oppressive environment at home. Secondly, to see if he could make some achievements.

If he couldn't, then so be it.

Wuxin looked at Gu An and Cheng Xuandan in front of him. He had already made a preliminary judgment about the two.

One was a kind, simple ordinary cultivator.

The other, an old man nearing his grave.

Judging from their words, Medicine Valley indeed seemed very idle, and the atmosphere must be very good.

...

Heavy snow fell, and Mystic Valley was engulfed in whiteness, with only one color in the world.

Bam!

Wuxin was kicked down into the snow, with snow splashing onto his face. He clutched his chest in pain.

"Lu Jiujia! Why are you being so serious?" reproached Ye Lan from the side.

Lu Jiujia stood in the snow and slowly retracted his leg. He raised his chin and snorted, "You have to be serious in a sparring session. Only then can you make progress."

His cultivation level had already reached the Fifth Layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm, making him the strongest person in Medicine Valley on the surface. Ye Lan's cultivation was at the Fourth Layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm, Xiaochuan and Gu An were both at the Third Layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm.

Wuxin, at the Second Layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm, was completely defenseless in front of Lu Jiujia.

"Damn it... Why are the servant disciples so strong..." Wuxin's mentality almost collapsed.

He saw that Lu Jiujia was practicing his leg technique, so he couldn't help but try it. He didn't expect to be defeated by Lu Jiujia in just two kicks.

What he didn't know was that Lu Jiujia had a good senior brother. Over the years, Gu An would always set aside time every day to practice with Lu Jiujia. Even though Lu Jiujia put in his full effort every time, he could never win. Day after day, his leg technique became very refined, and his physical strength was also substantial.

Wuxin didn't believe in giving up. He thought it was because he let his guard down, so he stood up and charged at Lu Jiujia again.

Bam! Bam!

Lu Jiujia kicked twice, once again sending Wuxin flying to the ground.

Wuxin felt as if his forearm was about to break. The fifteen-year-old lay in the snow, shedding tears of humiliation.

Why did it turn out like this...

This wasn't the life of a spy he had imagined. Even if he had to climb mountains of swords or plunge into seas of fire, he should at least be defeated on the path to stealing information...

He was actually defeated by a seemingly ordinary servant disciple.

"If I hadn't practiced this skill... with my talent... how could I endure such humiliation?"

Wuxin clenched his fists, and the sound of Ye Lan and Lu Jiujia arguing rang out, sounding extremely harsh to his ears.

Lu Jiujia looked at Ye Lan in front of him, dissatisfied, "He's a boy, not a fragile girl. Move aside and stop favoring him. When I was kicked to the ground by senior brother, why didn't you say anything?"

Ye Lan glared at him and said, "How could I not say anything? I spoke for you then, and you yelled at me. Moreover, senior brother didn't exert himself like you did. Think about it carefully. When senior brother sparred with you, didn't he wait for you to use all your leg techniques before he lightly defeated you? But you, you're hard and reckless. What could junior brother Wuxin learn from sparring with you?"

Lu Jiujia's face changed with dissatisfaction as he thought back carefully, realizing it was indeed like that.

It was because he could give his all every time that he had more ideas.

Simply taking beatings didn't teach him anything...

Lu Jiujia felt ashamed and more grateful to Gu An.

Senior brother was really too good to him.

Ye Lan helped Wuxin up and seeing his red eyes, quickly comforted, "Don't take it to heart. He meant well, wanting to spar seriously and progress together. It's just his personality to take things seriously."

Lu Jiujia saw Wuxin's red eyes and scratched his head awkwardly.

"Jiujia, I see your leg technique has improved. How about a practice session?"

A gentle voice came from behind. Lu Jiujia turned his head and saw Gu An walking over with a warm smile.

Lu Jiujia eagerly nodded upon hearing this. Recently, his confidence had swelled, and he thought he could win against senior brother.

Ye Lan and Wuxin looked at Gu An, while Wuxin secretly wondered, Is this senior brother really that formidable?

Can he cross two small realms and defeat Lu Jiujia?

Gu An stopped and beckoned to Lu Jiujia. Lu Jiujia grinned and took a quick step forward to attack.

Bam!

Lu Jiujia flew out a dozen meters, carving a long trench in the snow.

Stars danced before his eyes, and he nearly fainted, feeling as if his internal organs were shifting locations, the pain was excruciating.

Wuxin was stunned.

What a fast leg!

He hadn't even seen how Gu An had moved his leg.

Ye Lan, however, laughed so hard her eyes turned into crescents. She quickly stepped forward towards Gu An, complimenting senior brother's increasingly fast legs.

Gu An petted her head, then looked at Wuxin and asked, "Wuxin, do you want to learn leg techniques in the future?"

Wuxin's potential lifespan was higher than others, making him a genius with potential; he couldn't let Lu Jiujia ruin him.

"I want to!" Wuxin replied firmly, in a strong and forceful tone, unlike his usual meek demeanor.

From afar, Lu Jiujia's wails drew Gu An's attention.

Gu An walked over, looked down at him, and snorted, "Stop pretending. Tell me, do you like this kind of sparring?"

Lu Jiujia lay on the ground, slightly turned to the side, peeking at Gu An with one eye. When he saw his serious expression, he closed his eyes again, and cried out in pain, "Senior brother, I was wrong..."

Gu An pulled him up, dusting off the snow on him, and whispered, "A true strong person isn't one who defeats someone stronger but one who can control his arrogance and not bully those weaker."

Lu Jiujia rubbed his chest, earnestly pondering Gu An's words.

Ye Lan and Wuxin also heard, especially Wuxin, who felt shaken. He didn't expect such a wise person to be hidden within the small Medicine Valley.

In the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion, bullying the weak was the norm. He was weak, and even his father and brothers bullied him.

It was right!

They could not be considered strong!

Wuxin thought to himself, and his gaze towards Gu An changed.

"You will teach Wuxin leg techniques first." Gu An patted Lu Jiujia's shoulder. Lu Jiujia nodded quickly, not daring to refuse.

Afterward, Gu An took Ye Lan up the mountain to look after some newly planted seeds. Xiaochuan was already up there.

As for Cheng Xuandan, after returning, he shut himself in his house and didn't come out. Gu An visited him once, and Cheng Xuandan said he was recuperating, so Gu An didn't dare disturb him again.

Day after day passed. With Wuxin's addition, Medicine Valley became livelier, with Lu Jiujia and Xiaochuan loving to tease him. The sound of their playful fighting often echoed in Medicine Valley.

Year's end.

Night fell.

Gu An was reading in his room. He was no longer reading Green Hero Travelogue but another book titled Thousand-Autumn Pavilion Secret History.

This book came from the Book Collection Pavilion in Medicine Valley. He didn't know if it was true or false, but he read it for fun anyway.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered slightly, and a cold breeze seeped through the window gap. Being at the Sixth Layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, Gu An was unaffected.

After finishing the page, he put down the book and prepared to get up for his daily routine.

Suddenly, he heard slight movements from the neighboring room. Someone was quietly leaving the room, the movements light but not escaping his ears.

It was Wuxin!

Gu An was very familiar with the auras of everyone in Medicine Valley and instantly judged his identity.

He listened silently to Wuxin's footsteps as he headed towards the Book Collection Pavilion. After entering, the boy started searching through the books.

"What is he looking for?" Gu An was filled with curiosity.

In his impression, Wuxin was very obedient. Anything assigned to him, he would seriously do, unlike Lu Jiujia, who occasionally slacked off.

Aside from being obedient, Wuxin also had a competitive spirit second only to Lu Jiujia's. He often looked for his two senior brothers to spar, fighting and losing, losing and fighting again.

Could it be that this kid was looking for a secret book?

Gu An thought of this and felt a bit sorry for his junior brother.

From tomorrow on, he would personally teach his junior brother.

Wuxin searched for about an hour before quietly returning to his room.

After a while, Gu An got up and quietly left his room. He needed to go to the forest a dozen miles away for his daily routine.

...

Yet another summer arrived.

Gu An turned twenty-two. His lifespan already exceeded four thousand years, and he planned to save it up to over ten thousand years before using it.

After several months, thanks to his daily routine, his cultivation level successfully broke through to the Seventh Layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, although his apparent cultivation level remained at the Third Layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm.

As time passed, Gu An grew more curious about the Seventh Level Spirit Tree mentioned by Cheng Xuandan. He even tried searching for it but couldn't find the entrance to the underground.

Wuxin occasionally also explored at night, once almost running into Gu An. Fortunately, Gu An's excellent hearing allowed him to avoid it.

Near noon, Gu An squatted under a tree, observing his White Spirit Rat.

The White Spirit Rat was spinning madly in front of him, very lively.

"Grown up? But spring has already passed..." Gu An wondered.

He had raised the White Spirit Rat for years, and its size hadn't changed. With Li Ya not around, he couldn't determine the growth stage of the White Spirit Rat.

This little guy had been spinning for half a day.

The White Spirit Rat, seemingly understanding Gu An's words, suddenly jumped up and bit Gu An's hand, then quickly ran away.

Gu An didn't feel any pain, so he didn't get angry. He watched as the White Spirit Rat stopped and started spinning madly in place again.

Wait!

Could it be...

Gu An thought of something, quickly got up, and walked towards the White Spirit Rat.

Seeing him approach, the White Spirit Rat stopped spinning and ran towards the forest. Soon, the human and rat disappeared into the forest.

Wuxin stood under a tree, watching the direction Gu An left. He frowned and thought, "The forest again. According to Lu Jiujia, Li Ya and Meng Lang liked to train alone in the forest before. Senior brother's leg technique is much better than his cultivation level. Could the forest hold some secret?"

The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed. He didn't chase after Gu An but planned to check it out quietly at night.

On the other side.

Gu An followed the White Spirit Rat, crossing mountains and ridges, eventually leaving Medicine Valley.

This little guy operated in such a large range?

Gu An realized he had underestimated the White Spirit Rat and grew more curious about where it was leading him.

Li Ya had mentioned before that the White Spirit Rat had the nickname of Treasure Hunting Rat.

Could it be that it had found the Seventh Level Spirit Tree?