Chapter 22: 2,000 Years of Evolution, Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword
"No, I can't accept it. How could I take the sword your mother left you?" Gu An quickly waved his hand, expressing honest concern. Such a treasure sword must have a significant backstory and could bring trouble.
Li Ya lowered his eyes, looking at the scabbard, lost in his own memories. "This sword is called Heavenly Residence. It has been with me since I was three years old. Now, I cannot fully utilize its power, and I am no longer qualified to use it. Leaving it with you is better. Maybe in this Medicine Valley, it will encounter its destined owner."
Gu An, puzzled, asked, "Why are you not qualified? This sword can't be related to the Imperial Family, can it? If so, I dare not accept it."
The thought of entangling with the Li Family gave him a headache.
Indeed, the sword was stunning and to his liking, but he preferred not to have his life disturbed.
Li Ya looked at him and smiled. "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. Don't worry; this sword won't bring you trouble. The Li Family wouldn't dare to seize it because it was a love token from my father to my mother. With its presence, the Li Family wouldn't dare to harm you. If you ever encounter insurmountable trouble, you can take this sword and go to Changluo to find my father."
"How could someone of my humble status face the Emperor?"
"Don't worry. The moment Heavenly Residence appears in Changluo, my father will sense it. In short, you must accept it. Otherwise, I won't eat this fruit."
Then don't eat it!
Gu An almost blurted out but held back.
He looked again at the Heavenly Residence Sword. Up to now, he didn't have a single Magic Artifact of his own. Cheng Xuandan's inheritance only included talisman paper, without a single sword.
What is there to fear!
I am a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator!
If I encounter any unresolvable trouble, I can just throw the sword to the opponent!
Taking a deep breath, Gu An reached out to grab Heavenly Residence. The sword had some weight, and his right hand trembled as he lifted it, causing Li Ya to laugh heartily.
"Junior Brother Gu, even if your aptitude is ordinary, never forget to cultivate. You must practice the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art that I taught you," Li Ya earnestly advised.
Gu An, holding the Heavenly Residence Sword with both hands, forced a smile and nodded.
Hehe.
Boy, you still need to sharpen your insight!
And so, Li Ya settled in Medicine Valley, with Gu An personally arranging a secluded courtyard for him, ensuring he was undisturbed.
Seated cross-legged on the bed, with a half-eaten Green Vine Fruit beside him, Li Ya performed hand seals, continuously cultivating energy for healing.
A faint blue silhouette emerged from Li Ya's body, swirling inside the room. It was an old man with kind eyes, dressed in a slightly fluttering robe, exuding an aura of a high-ranking enlightened being.
Li Ya opened his eyes and asked, "Ancestor, what kind of fruit is this? Its medicinal effects are overpowering..."
The soul body of the old man, referred to as Ancestor, waved his hand, causing a spatial fluctuation within the room. He then stroked his beard and smiled, "It should be the Green Vine Fruit nurtured by the Holy Tree of Thousand-Autumn Pavilion. Even the lowest grade of Green Vine Fruit is of the sixth rank. Consider yourself lucky."
"The fruit of Thousand-Autumn Pavilion? So they have infiltrated this deeply. No wonder the Supreme Sect considers them a great enemy." Li Ya murmured.
The Ancestor looked at the Green Vine Fruit and said, "Thousand-Autumn Pavilion and the Supreme Sect have held grudges for over a thousand years. Each sect has planted countless spies within the other. Your Junior Brother Gu is fortunate. If not for meeting you, the Green Vine Fruit would have brought him disaster."
Li Ya shook his head, "It's not that he is just lucky; he is kind and righteous. Such people are always rewarded. On the contrary, I consider myself the fortunate one."
The Ancestor nodded, "Indeed. In the Immortal Cultivation World, people like him are rare. However, you needn't feel too guilty. Giving him the Heavenly Residence Sword holds greater significance for him than the Green Vine Fruit."
Hearing him mention the Heavenly Residence Sword, Li Ya sighed, "I have failed my mother's expectations. I don't wish to contend for the throne; I only want to avenge her and then travel the world, far from courtly strife."
"The Heavenly Residence is one of the three Emperor Swords of Taicang. To fully harness its power, you must master the Emperor-Level Sword Technique. Your Nine Devastating Swords are only at a minor level. It would take another hundred years for you to master the Emperor-Level Sword Technique," the elder mused.
Li Ya fell silent.
The Ancestor teased, "You couldn't easily defeat that young fellow named Shi Yang. You must strive harder, knowing that your fourth brother has already reached the Core Formation Realm."
Li Ya took a deep breath and said nothing more, closing his eyes to continue healing.
The Ancestor looked out the window. Although it was tightly shut, he could hear the laughter of Xiaochuan and the others.
"This is indeed a good place, far from worldly disputes. Sadly, those with missions are not meant for such places."
"Forget it, no more sighing. I should go back to sleep and rest."
...
Deep in the night, Mystic Valley was silent.
Using Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill to conceal his energy, Gu An silently left Mystic Valley, making his way to the mountain forest over twenty miles away.
Sitting under a tree, he opened his Attribute Panel, focusing on the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art.
How many years of lifespan should I invest?
After some thought, he decided to invest more to increase his actual combat power.
Then let it be two thousand years!
With this investment, he planned to conserve his lifespan for ten thousand years!
He immediately chose to invest two thousand years of lifespan. As soon as he had this thought, the first digit of his lifespan changed from four to two.
[You have invested two thousand years of lifespan to cultivate the 'Li Family's Seven-Sword Art']
[You have cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for ten years, mastering the sword art, beginning to consider more possibilities]
[You have cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for fifty years, reaching the pinnacle, and your Li Family's Seven-Sword Art has elevated to the Seven-Sword Art]
...
[You have cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for three hundred years, achieving the pinnacle, and your Seven-Sword Art was elevated to the Nine Devastating Swords]
[You have cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for five hundred years, mastering the Nine Devastating Swords, and have condensed your own Sword Intent]
...
[You have cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for a thousand years, reaching the pinnacle with the Nine Devastating Swords, which was elevated to the Emperor-Level Sword Technique]
[You have cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for one thousand two hundred years, condensing the Heaven and Earth Imperial Energy with your Sword Intent, enhancing your Sword Dao comprehension]
...
[You have cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for one thousand eight hundred years, mastering the Emperor-Level Sword Technique, comprehending the true essence of Sword Dao, entering a state of enlightenment, and elevating the Emperor-Level Sword Technique to the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword]
[You have cultivated the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art for two thousand years, mastering the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword, and enhancing your Sword Dao comprehension]
A series of notifications popped up frenziedly. Upon seeing that the cultivation time had reached a thousand years, Gu An immediately activated the Life Span Barrier.
He feared alerting the mysterious underground presence and the soul within Li Ya's body.
When all notifications concluded, a vast memory surged into his mind, and the ground emanated Spiritual Energy. However, this Spiritual Energy did not enter his body but swirled around him, gradually condensing into strands of cold light like sword light, shining with an extraordinary glow in the dark night.
Gu An entered a state of Path Enlightenment.
It was uncertain how much time had passed before he gradually awakened.
At that moment, dawn had not yet broken.
Gu An first looked at the Life Span Barrier's consumption notification.
Goodness, merely comprehending the Cultivation Technique had consumed three hundred years of his lifespan!
Fortunately, he had completely mastered the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword, reaching an integrating realm in understanding Sword Dao, giving him a wondrous feeling.
Checking the Attribute Panel again, he saw that the Li Family's Seven-Sword Art in the Ultimate Skill section had changed to the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword, with the words 'integrating realm' in parentheses.
He did not immediately get up but instead took out Heavenly Residence, placing the scabbard horizontally on his legs, his hands pressing on it while his eyes closed.
He was sensing the sword's Sword Intent.
Once the sword's Sword Intent merged with his own, he could conquer this treasure sword.
The interior of this treasure sword unexpectedly had many Restrictions, like a series of magical checkpoints awaiting the Sword Master to breach using Divine Sense and Spiritual Power.
Gu An did not understand Restrictions, but fortunately, he already had his own Sword Intent. His Sword Intent penetrated through the Restrictions.
An hour later.
Gu An stood up, putting the Heavenly Residence into the Storage Bag, and then walked towards Mystic Valley.
With a step out, he immediately floated in mid-air, gathering Sword Qi beneath his feet, traveling on the sword.
Upon reaching a distance of about ten miles from Mystic Valley, he landed and continued to walk on foot, concealing his energy to the utmost.
The night gradually passed, and the eastern sky began to show a pink hue.
Morning arrived.
Li Ya pushed open the door, greeted by the sunrise, he stretched lazily, feeling refreshed.
The medicinal effects of the Green Vine Fruit were truly powerful!
He no longer felt discomfort and sensed that he would be fully healed in a few days.
Li Ya smiled, looking at the lawn next to the far garden where Gu An was leading the junior brothers and sisters in exercises.
The slow, rhythmic movements piqued Li Ya's curiosity.
Though the movements were slow, he felt an inexplicable subtlety in them.
Immediately, Li Ya walked over, arriving beside Gu An, who greeted him with a nod in response.
"What are you practicing?" Li Ya asked curiously.
Gu An smiled and answered, "I learned this from an old man in my childhood. It helps strengthen the body and keep a good mental state. I practice it with them daily to ensure they start the day with a good spirit."
Lu Jiujia complained, "Actually, I don't think it does much."
Xiaochuan glared at him, "That's because your aptitude is dull."
Li Ya said, "Actually, it does help, but you need to keep at it for a long time."
Saying this as an Outer Disciple naturally made everyone believe him.
Gu An glanced at Li Ya, feeling that he had become more amiable, speaking so considerately.
In truth, he led the junior brothers and sisters in exercises to completely shift their focus from cultivation and dreams, preventing them from ruining his plants.
"After you finish practicing, I'll teach you a set of swordsmanship," Li Ya said with a smile.
Xiaochuan and the others were instantly excited, thanking him profusely and calling him "Senior Brother Li Ya" one after another.
Li Ya looked at Gu An and said, "You join too. Now that you have a sword, you should practice more."
Gu An smiled and nodded.
Fine.
Let me test if your Li Family's Seven-Sword Art has been practiced well!
Li Ya's participation made the atmosphere more lively. Watching the junior brothers and sisters noisily chattering, he did not feel annoyed but rather delighted.
It wasn't until noon that Li Ya pulled Gu An into the forest.
"Show me your Li Family's Seven-Sword Art. Once you master it, I can teach you the real swordsmanship. This Li Family's Seven-Sword Art is just basic sword moves," Li Ya said seriously.