Saint Who Lay Low

"A bit tricky?"

Gu An couldn't help but roll his eyes, feeling helpless. "Next time, let me finish speaking before you make a decision. You've given me hope, only to crush it yourself."

Shen Zhen shook her head, saying, "The issue isn't with the Sword Sect, but with Daotian Sect. The Heaven-Hating Divine Sword isn't just forbidden within the Sword Sect—it's a banned technique throughout the entire Great Yu Dynasty. Every time the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword resurfaces, it brings about a bloody massacre. A hundred years ago, someone mastered the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword, and the number of people he killed exceeded hundreds of thousands. In the end, one of our sect's elders gravely injured him, and he fled the Great Yu Dynasty."

"The Heaven-Hating Divine Sword is a technique that can defy fate. The stronger the hatred, the more powerful the sword intent becomes. Even those with mediocre talent can break through the limitations of their spiritual roots if they have enough hatred in their hearts. But the higher the cultivation, the deeper the hatred grows, and eventually, it becomes easy for the practitioner to lose their mind, turning into a killing demon. That's why the Sword Sect forbids anyone from practicing it."

Hearing this, Gu An couldn't help but ask, "If that's the case, why did the Sword Sect create such a technique?"

"It was created by a genius from the Sword Sect. Since the creator came from the sect, the Sword Sect took responsibility for dealing with it. They've destroyed all the manuals on the sword technique, but somehow, the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword keeps reappearing. Perhaps before dying, the creator spread the sword manuals across the cultivation world," Shen Zhen explained.

Gu An frowned.

If this technique could make its practitioner lose reason in the end, how could he allow Su Han to continue cultivating it? He couldn't just blindly protect his disciple and unleash disaster upon the world.

Shen Zhen, seeing his expression, spoke earnestly, "All the sects of the Great Yu Dynasty oppose the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword. If you insist on protecting Su Han, you'll invite endless trouble. There's another way—have him publicly renounce the technique in front of the Sword Sect. To do that, though, he would need to destroy his own meridians and spiritual roots, rendering him a mortal."

Gu An nodded and replied, "I understand."

He didn't say much more, bowed to Shen Zhen, and left.

Watching his retreating figure, Shen Zhen slightly shook her head. She didn't offer more advice, feeling that her words were clear enough.

By noon the next day, Gu An arrived at the Outer Gate City. The previous night, he had invested one hundred years of lifespan in a distant location, resulting in a significant increase in his cultivation.

The trouble Su Han caused made him increase the amount of lifespan he put into his daily plan, aiming to reach the ninth layer of the Body Fusion Realm as soon as possible.

As he walked toward Ye Lan's residence, Gu An pondered Su Han's situation. Su Han was his disciple, so of course, he had to help. However, it wouldn't be right to do so without reason. Moreover, based on Shen Zhen's words, cultivating the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword wouldn't be beneficial for Su Han in the long run; he would likely end up deranged. It was a painful path.

After much deliberation, Gu An decided to let Su Han make his own choice. He could only help him once, but nothing more.

At the same time, he considered another idea.

What if he invested ten thousand years of lifespan into studying the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword? Could he find a way to improve the technique so that it wouldn't lead to madness?

But that was a problem for the future. Even if he succeeded, the Sword Sect wouldn't believe it. He couldn't possibly demonstrate it himself.

He wasn't going to expose himself entirely for Su Han's sake.

While they had the master-disciple relationship, he didn't owe Su Han anything.

Half an hour later, Gu An and Ye Lan walked out of the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Since he's made his decision, senior brother, there's no need for you to intervene anymore. No one should be responsible for someone else's life. I'll arrange for someone to help him quietly leave Tai Xuan Sect," Ye Lan said.

Gu An nodded. He had spoken with Su Han for a long time, trying to convince him, but Su Han refused to give up the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword. Even though Gu An assured him that he wouldn't need to cripple his cultivation, Su Han still wouldn't let it go.

Su Han had claimed that the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword was the only connection he had to his father, and he wanted to use it to avenge him.

With things said so clearly, Gu An had no choice but to give up.

"Thank you for handling this," Gu An said, nodding toward Ye Lan.

After exchanging a few more words, Gu An left.

As he walked along the street, watching the bustling crowd, he felt a deep sense of reflection.

Lu Jiujia had deviated from the right path to pursue his own goals, and now, crippled, he was stuck in Xuan Valley, practicing the Dao Yan Technique with Wu Xin, hoping for a future comeback.

Su Han, for the sake of revenge, would go as far as to make enemies of the entire cultivation world, without regret.

Gu An was powerful, but he couldn't determine the paths of those around him, nor could he change their minds.

The mortal world is full of entanglements, all due to the web of grievances and emotions.

As Gu An pondered this, he seemed to enter a state of enlightenment.

Unknowingly, he had arrived at Heaven Mending Platform.

He accidentally bumped into someone, snapping out of his thoughts.

"My apologies."

Gu An quickly apologized, feeling surprised.

It was the first time he had entered such an oblivious state. This had never happened while learning techniques or cultivating before.

Reflecting on it now, it was indescribable, but he could sense a subtle shift within himself.

"Were you just in the middle of an epiphany?" The man Gu An had bumped into asked unexpectedly.

Gu An looked at him. The man wore plain green robes, his face weathered with age, and on his back, he carried a sword case, with three sword hilts protruding from the top.

Gu An instinctively used Lifespan Investigation.

[Han Ming (Void Crossing Realm, fifth layer): 587/1902/2780]

This man had also mastered the technique of concealing his aura!

The cultivation world was full of hidden experts.

Gu An, surprised, asked, "What's an epiphany? I was just thinking about something."

He felt that it might be dangerous to ponder too deeply while walking, as it could lead to trouble.

Han Ming stared at him and said, "An epiphany is precisely thinking about something, a moment where your thoughts resonate with the natural world, putting you into a unique state. You don't need to apologize—I deliberately blocked your path. If you had continued, you would have bumped into those great cultivators."

"Is having an epiphany impressive? I don't feel like my cultivation has changed," Gu An asked, pretending to be naive, though he genuinely didn't understand the concept.

Han Ming turned to look at the two large characters "Righteous Path" in the distance and said, "An epiphany is rare. It can't be taught or predicted—it's all based on one's own comprehension and fortune. Some use it to break through realms, while others create extraordinary techniques. I once had an epiphany and developed my own sword technique. I don't know what you've realized, but you'll feel the benefits later."

"Thank you for the guidance, senior. May I ask your name?" Gu An asked, raising his hands in respect.

Han Ming replied, "I'm Han Ming, a sword cultivator from the Great Yu Dynasty, here to challenge the Sword Master of the Dao."

Gu An was taken aback and asked, "Senior, how do you plan to challenge him?"

Han Ming took a deep breath and suddenly shouted, "I am Han Ming, a sword cultivator from the Great Yu Dynasty! I challenge the Sword Master of the Dao to a duel one month from now, just outside the city! If I lose, I will carve my sword technique into the city walls for all Tai Xuan Sect disciples to study. But if the Sword Master refuses or is defeated, I will add two more words to the inscription next to 'Righteous Path'!"

His voice shook the entire city, reverberating far and wide. Even the disciples in the Third Medicine Valley heard it and looked up.

Countless eyes turned toward Heaven Mending Platform, focusing on Han Ming.

Gu An instinctively took a step back, not wanting to be associated with him.

But Han Ming turned and walked straight toward Gu An.

Don't come over here!

Gu An felt utterly helpless.

"Young friend, may I trouble you to invite me to your residence? We could discuss our epiphany experiences and perhaps help each other improve. To be honest, I've been trying to experience another epiphany. Whether successful or not, I will pass on my sword techniques to you," Han Ming said with a friendly smile.

In the distance, Zuo Lin, sitting next to Zuo Yijian, saw Gu An and his eyes lit up.

With his cultivation, he could hear every word Han Ming said.

As expected!

This kid isn't ordinary. My intuition was right!

Zuo Lin was about to stand up but was stopped by Zuo Yijian.

"Don't cause trouble. Han Ming isn't simple. He once, with just a Nascent Soul cultivation, decapitated a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. He's renowned throughout the land and is known as the Sword Maniac," Zuo Yijian said, his eyes locked on Han Ming, his expression intense.

Zuo Lin, hearing this, froze in place.

Faced with all the attention, Gu An couldn't refuse and had no choice but to nod. He hurriedly left, with Han Ming following closely behind.

As they left, the cultivators on Heaven Mending Platform began discussing Han Ming's reputation. Many had heard of the Sword Maniac, and his deeds quickly spread.

The Void Crossing Realm elders seated at the platform merely glanced at Han Ming and didn't intervene.

Gu An thought for a moment and decided to bring Han Ming to the Third Medicine Valley.

He was curious to see what would happen if Han Ming met Old Man Tian.

The two traveled in silence. Han Ming followed Gu An closely, deep in thought.

When they arrived at the Third Medicine Valley, Han Ming couldn't help but ask, "Does this entire hundred-li territory belong to you?"

"That's right. Why?" Gu An asked in return.

Han Ming was silent for a moment before remarking, "I originally wanted to take you as a disciple, but seeing that you possess such a vast medicine valley, it's clear Tai Xuan Sect values you highly. I can't help but feel a little disappointed."

You challenged me, and now you want to take me as your disciple?

Gu An thought, suppressing his amusement. Outwardly, he smiled and said, "Thank you for the offer, but I'm not interested in fighting or pursuing cultivation heights. I'll have to decline your generous offer."

As they landed, their presence caught the attention of many disciples.

From a distance, Old Man Tian, who had been dozing under a tree, opened his eyes. When he saw Han Ming, his expression subtly shifted—it was clear he recognized him.

But Han Ming didn't seem to recognize him.

Once inside the pavilion, Han Ming began to recount his experience with having an epiphany, and Gu An listened intently.

At two hundred years old, Han Ming had been unable to break through to the ninth layer of the Core Formation Realm and believed his cultivation would forever be stuck. Depressed, he sat beneath a waterfall for seven days and nights before having an epiphany. In one night, his sword heart awakened, and his sword intent transformed.

As Han Ming spoke, Gu An began to associate this with Lifespan.

He wondered if an epiphany could change a person's maximum lifespan.

So far, Gu An had never encountered anyone who could break the limits of their lifespan, though one's current lifespan seemed easier to alter.

Cultivators' current lifespan would rise with their realm, but there didn't seem to be a fixed standard for lifespan with each realm, as lifespan could depend on one's health, cultivation technique, and the use of treasures.

Take Li Xuandao, for example: despite being in the Divine Transformation Realm, his lifespan was similar to some in the Nascent Soul Realm.

Meanwhile, Ji Xiaoya, at only the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, had an 800-year lifespan, rivaling Divine Transformation Realm cultivators like Li Xuandao.

Serious injury could also drastically alter lifespan, as Gu An had seen with Old Man Tian and Lu Jiujia.

People weren't simply data with immutable values—he would have to continue observing.

After Han Ming finished speaking, he asked Gu An to recount his own experience. This time, Gu An didn't hide much and truthfully spoke about his concerns, only omitting the matter of the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword.

After listening, Han Ming pondered for a moment and said, "Worrying about your disciple's safety and realizing you can't control others' fates—such an epiphany could indicate that you are a genius."

"A month from now, I will duel with the Sword Master of the Dao. I may die. But during this month, how about I pass on all my sword techniques to you?"