Saint Who Lay Low

At dusk, as the sun set in the west, Gu An stood on a cliff, overlooking the Medicine Valley ahead, a satisfied expression on his face.

Before him lay a range of modestly sized mountains, with a vast valley nestled between them. The valley stretched for over ten miles in length and was about two to three miles wide. Rows of trees lined the edges of the valley, forming a natural barrier to protect it from wind and storms.

Standing beside him, Gu Yu said, "There are several inner disciples' residences nearby, and not just one. As long as you stay within a hundred-mile radius, you won't encounter any monsters."

Gu An nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation.

What he saw wasn't just a valley—it was the endless numbers of lifespan years it represented.

Gu Yu patted Gu An's shoulder and then flew away on his sword. Gu An, on the other hand, leapt into the valley, his limbs enveloped in visible wind currents, a technique from Wind Control Technique.

Gu Yu, while flying on his sword, glanced back, slightly raising an eyebrow in surprise but didn't stop.

After landing, Gu An first walked to the entrance of the valley, where a stone stele stood, bare and without any inscriptions.

Using his finger as a sword, he etched four characters into the stone with sword qi.

The Third Medicine Valley!

The name was simple because he knew there would be many more Medicine Valleys in the future.

Admiring his handwriting for a moment, Gu An smiled in satisfaction. He had practiced his calligraphy frequently while writing books, and his strokes now carried a sharpness that exuded a sense of strength.

After appreciating his work for a while, Gu An began searching for a place to build pavilions.

His first priority was to set up the teleportation array.

As dusk finally gave way to night, Gu An sat by the fire, flipping through a book given to him by Ji Xiaoya. It contained instructions on how to set up the teleportation array she had provided.

One had to admit, the cultivation world's development in this world was truly remarkable. Reading this book felt like reading an instruction manual, a simplified version no less. The teleportation array had already been pre-configured with restrictions, so Gu An only needed to follow the steps in the book.

Gu An was prepared to stay up all night to complete the construction of the teleportation array. Once it was operational, he would bring a few disciples to plant seeds.

Activating the teleportation array required spirit stones, but now Gu An was quite wealthy. Setting aside the income from Investiture of the Gods, Gu Yu had just given him a thousand top-grade spirit stones, more than enough for him to use lavishly.

By the time morning came, Gu An had successfully completed the teleportation platform. He immediately flew back to Xuan Valley on his sword.

Upon returning to Xuan Valley, Gu An began building another teleportation platform next to his pavilion. His activity quickly attracted the attention of all the disciples.

Xiao Chun asked what he was doing, and Gu An didn't hide anything.

Upon hearing that Gu An was taking over another Medicine Valley and was constructing a teleportation array, the disciples grew interested and began asking questions.

As he continued working on the platform, Gu An answered their questions.

By noon, Gu An had completed the teleportation platform. Under the watchful eyes of the disciples, he placed spirit stones into the grooves on the pillars and then infused spiritual energy into the activation mechanism.

Rumble—

The teleportation array activated with a low rumble, causing the ground to tremble slightly. The two pillars of the platform emitted a strong light, converging into a shimmering curtain.

Gu An turned to the group and said, "Wu Xin, go to the outer sect and recruit three servant disciples. Su Han, Zhen Qin, Ye Yan, follow me. The rest of you stay and guard Xuan Valley."

Upon hearing this, the three named disciples excitedly stepped forward, joining Gu An as they entered the teleportation array.

Moments later, the light curtain faded, and the platform returned to a calm state.

On the other side, in the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An began instructing the three disciples to clear weeds, while he took charge of building the pavilions.

Su Han wielded a sword, Ye Yan used a spear, and Zhen Qin employed her leg techniques to clear the weeds.

Since Luo Hun had taught Ye Yan a set of spear techniques, Ye Yan had begged Gu An for an iron spear. Gu An had purchased one from the outer sect for him. It wasn't an ordinary iron spear but could channel spiritual energy, making it a low-grade magical weapon.

Gu An wasn't particularly interested in spear techniques, so he didn't pay much attention to Ye Yan's progress.

However, ever since Ye Yan began practicing with the spear, his strength had been increasing rapidly. In just half a year, neither Tang Yu nor Su Han could defeat him even when they teamed up, which dealt quite a blow to both of them.

This made Gu An think about his own comprehension. Comprehension was the one thing that couldn't be enhanced directly with lifespan.

It seemed that in this world, spiritual root aptitude didn't determine everything.

The reason Gu An had called Su Han, Zhen Qin, and Ye Yan to help was to guide them. After their performance during the disaster caused by Qiu Qianli, Gu An had taken a liking to the three and decided to nurture them, hoping they would advance far.

The Third Medicine Valley was located between the inner and outer sects, where the spiritual energy was even denser, which would help them in their cultivation. Gu An could also provide them with extra guidance from time to time.

The three of them had hardworking personalities. They didn't rest until they had completed the weeding task, even competing among themselves to see who could work faster.

By the time the weeds were cleared, Gu An had already built four pavilions.

The four of them gathered in front of the pavilions to rest, Su Han glancing at Ye Yan with a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.

Ye Yan, however, remained calm, becoming more reserved since he started practicing the spear.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Zhen Qin asked Gu An, "Master, this place is so large. Is it really just the three of us who will take care of it?"

"Of course. Back when I was managing Xuan Valley alone, your Senior Uncles Meng Lan and Li Ya were always slacking off," Gu An replied with a chuckle.

Looking back at the minor conflicts of the past, Gu An found them amusing. Unfortunately, those old friends were no longer around.

Zhen Qin, intrigued by this, began asking more questions about Gu An's past.

Su Han and Ye Yan also listened attentively, as they both held great respect for Gu An.

Though Ye Yan's spear technique hadn't been taught directly by Gu An, he still felt he owed a debt of gratitude to his master. If it weren't for Gu An, that mysterious cultivator would never have come to Xuan Valley, nor would Ye Yan have been given the spear technique.

After chatting for half an hour, the group resumed their work.

Three days later...

The Third Medicine Valley was now fully planted with medicinal herb seeds, though the valley still appeared barren, as the seeds would take time to germinate and grow.

Gu An led the disciples back to Xuan Valley to gather their belongings before moving them into the Third Medicine Valley.

The other servant disciples in Xuan Valley were curious about this new valley, and some expressed a desire to go there as well, but Wu Xin firmly put a stop to that.

As the master of Xuan Valley, Wu Xin couldn't let people run off!

After all, Xuan Valley was his foundation!

Thus, Gu An's three Medicine Valleys began operating smoothly, marking the start of his idyllic farming life.

…

A month had passed since the seeds were planted in the Third Medicine Valley. Zhen Qin, Su Han, and Ye Yan were in charge of guarding the valley, while Gu An only visited occasionally to check on things.

The disciples only needed to spend a little time each day inspecting the different garden areas; the rest of their time was devoted to cultivation.

As evening approached, the sky glowed red.

Zhen Qin stepped out of her pavilion, stretching with renewed vigor.

The cultivation technique that Jiang Qiong had taught her was helping her cultivation progress rapidly, far faster than before, and her fighting spirit was at an all-time high.

She glanced towards the slope at the entrance of the valley and saw Ye Yan still practicing with his spear.

"Just practicing the spear without gathering qi? What's the use?" Zhen Qin muttered to herself. She didn't go over to disturb him, instead taking the opportunity to check on the garden areas.

After all, this valley was her master's hard work.

On the other side...

Ye Yan practiced his spear beneath the glow of the setting sun, sweat falling like rain. Even though his body ached all over, he didn't stop.

This spear technique was his one opportunity, and he didn't want to miss it. He refused to spend his life as a mere servant disciple!

"With all the spiritual energy inside the valley, why are you practicing your spear out here?"

A voice suddenly rang out, startling Ye Yan. He turned to see a figure standing ten feet above the forest, balanced on one foot atop a tree. The figure's blue robe fluttered in the wind, exuding an air of immortal grace.

When did he get here?

Ye Yan was alarmed. He quickly put away his spear and faced the man, raising his voice to ask, "What business do you have here, Senior?"

Gu An had told him that this area was within the inner sect's range, so any cultivator they encountered had to be addressed as "Senior" out of respect.

The man in blue wasn't particularly handsome, but his eyes were sharp and commanding, making it difficult for others to meet his gaze.

"I just happened to be passing by and saw you practicing your spear. This spear technique of yours isn't simple—it contains a method for gathering qi and tempering the body. That's rare."

Zhou Tongyou leaped down from the tree and approached Ye Yan.

Seeing him coming closer, Ye Yan grew nervous. His master wasn't in the valley—how should he handle this situation?

"You still haven't answered my question," Zhou Tongyou reminded him. His tone was calm, but the pressure on Ye Yan only increased.

Gritting his teeth, Ye Yan replied, "Behind me is my master's Medicine Valley. The seeds were only planted a month ago, and I don't want my cultivation to disturb the growth of the herbs."

"Did your master teach you this spear technique?"

"No, it was a friend of my master's."

"If your master has such friends, then he must not be an ordinary person. May I ask your master's name?"

"My master is Gu An."

Ye Yan answered while feeling puzzled. What exactly did this man want?

Zhou Tongyou stopped in his tracks and raised his hand in a gesture, saying, "How about a sparring match? I won't use spiritual energy or any weapons, just techniques. What do you say?"

Ye Yan frowned, hesitating.

"What? Are you scared?"

Zhou Tongyou's words ignited Ye Yan's fighting spirit. He hadn't been afraid when facing demonic cultivators before, so why should he fear this man now?

…

At noon, Gu An arrived at the Third Medicine Valley through the teleportation array. After scanning the entire valley with his spiritual sense and finding no issues, he turned his attention to his disciples.

Soon, his gaze was drawn to Ye Yan, who was practicing his spear at the entrance of the valley.

As Gu An approached, Ye Yan noticed him coming and subtly turned his back.

"Yan'er, why are you injured?" Gu An asked as he walked closer.

Ye Yan hesitated for a moment before turning to face Gu An, revealing a face covered in bruises and even a handprint on his left cheek.

He recounted the events of the previous evening, and upon hearing it, Gu An's anger flared.

Someone had the nerve to bully his disciple!

"What was his name? Will he come back?" Gu An asked.

"I don't know his name. He didn't say. He only mentioned that once he finished his business, he'd come back to find me."

"Don't worry, Master has your back!" Gu An said, patting Ye Yan's shoulder before giving him some healing pills.

For the next few days, Gu An stayed in the Third Medicine Valley, waiting, but the man who had beaten Ye Yan didn't show up.

However, after Gu An returned from handling affairs at the outer sect, he found that Ye Yan had been beaten again.

The man came, beat Ye Yan, and left.

This repeated four times over the next two months. Each time, it happened when Gu An wasn't around.

Gu An began to suspect that the man was deliberately avoiding him.

One afternoon, while Gu An was sitting under a tree reading, he could see the slope leading to the entrance of the valley, where Ye Yan was practicing his spear.

Suddenly...

Gu An sensed something. His eyebrows shot up, and he thought to himself, Finally, he's here!