If I become a saint, a celestial official will summon me to raise horses.

Chapter 22 Two Thousand Years of Evolution, The Divine Sword of Tai Cang

"No, I can't accept the sword your mother left you!" Gu An quickly waved his hand. He was telling the truth; a sword with such a provenance probably had many secrets and could cause trouble.

Li Ya looked down at the scabbard, his thoughts lost in reminiscence: "This sword is called Tian Su. It has been with me since I was three years old. Now I can no longer unleash its full power, and I am no longer qualified to use it. It's good to leave it to you. Perhaps you can wait for a destined person in this Medicine Valley."

Gu An asked, puzzled, "Why aren't you qualified? Is this sword related to the royal family? I dare not accept it."

The thought of getting entangled with the Li family gave him a headache.

Admittedly, the sword was very beautiful and he liked it, but he didn't want his life to be disturbed.

Li Ya looked at him and smiled, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Don't worry, this sword won't cause you any trouble. The Li family wouldn't dare to snatch this sword either, because it was a token of love that my father gave to my mother. With it here, the Li family won't dare to do anything to you when they see it. If you encounter any trouble that you can't solve in the future, you can take this sword to Changluo to find my father."

"How could someone of my lowly status possibly meet His Majesty?"

"Don't worry, my father will sense Tian Su's appearance in Changluo as soon as he appears. In short, you must accept it, otherwise I won't eat this fruit."

Then don't eat it!

Gu An almost blurted it out, but he held back.

He looked at the Heavenly Sword again. Come to think of it, he still didn't have a single magical artifact of his own. The legacy left by Cheng Xuandan consisted only of talismans, not magical artifacts, not even a sword.

What are you afraid of!
I am a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator!

If we really encounter an insurmountable problem, we can simply throw the sword to the other party!

Gu An took a deep breath, raised his hand to grab Tian Su. This sword was quite heavy, and his right hand trembled as he lifted it, causing Li Ya to burst into laughter.

“Junior Brother Gu, even if your talent is mediocre, you must not forget to cultivate in your daily life. You must practice the Seven Swords of the Li Family that I passed on to you,” Li Ya said earnestly.

Gu An held the Heavenly Sword in both hands and nodded with a forced smile.

Ha ha.

Young man, you still need to work on your eyesight!
And so, Li Ya settled down in the Medicine Valley, and Gu An personally arranged a courtyard for him, where he would be undisturbed.

Li Ya sat cross-legged on the bed, with a half-eaten vine fruit beside him. He changed his hand seals and continuously circulated his internal energy to heal his injuries.

A pale blue phantom emerged from Li Ya's body and hovered in the room. It was an old man with a kind face and a Taoist robe that fluttered slightly, exuding the air of a highly accomplished Taoist.

Li Ya opened his eyes and said, "Ancestor, what kind of fruit is this? Its medicinal effects are incredibly potent..."

The old man, whose soul form was called the Ancestor, first waved his hand, causing the space inside the room to fluctuate. He then stroked his beard and smiled, "It should be the sacred tree of the Thousand Autumns Pavilion, the Azure Vine Tree, which produces the Azure Vine Fruit. The lowest grade of the Azure Vine Fruit is the sixth grade. You've got good luck."

"The fruit of Qianqiu Pavilion? Qianqiu Pavilion has infiltrated quite deeply; no wonder Taixuan Sect regards it as a great enemy," Li Ya muttered to himself.

The patriarch looked at the Azure Vine Fruit and said, "The Thousand Autumns Pavilion and the Tai Xuan Sect have had a grudge for over a thousand years. The two sects have planted quite a few pawns in each other's sects. Your junior brother Gu is quite lucky. If he hadn't met you, the Azure Vine Fruit would have brought him a great calamity."

Li Ya shook his head and said, "It's not that he's lucky, it's that he's kind and loyal. People like him will always be rewarded. On the contrary, I'm the one who's lucky."

The ancestor nodded and said, "That makes sense. There are indeed not many people like this in the cultivation world. However, you don't need to feel too guilty. The Heavenly Star gave it to him, and for him, it means far more than the Azure Vine Fruit."

Upon hearing him mention Tian Su, Li Ya sighed: "I have failed my mother's expectations, but I really don't want to fight for the throne. I only want to avenge her and then travel the world, far away from the struggles of the court."

"Tian Su is one of the three great imperial swords of Taicang. To fully utilize its power, one must master the Imperial Sword Technique. Your Nine Swords of Shocking Absolute are only at a minor level. It will probably take another hundred years for you to master the Imperial Sword Technique," the old man mused.

Li Ya remained silent.

The old ancestor joked, "You can't even easily defeat that little guy named Shi Yang. You still need to work harder. You should know that your fourth brother has already reached the Core Formation Realm."

Li Ya took a deep breath, stopped talking, and closed his eyes to continue recuperating.

The old ancestor looked out the window. Although the window was closed, he could hear Xiao Chuan and the others laughing.

"This is a good place, far from worldly strife, but unfortunately, those with a mission are destined not to be here."

"Forget it, I can't keep reminiscing. I need to go to sleep and rest now."

……

In the dead of night, the valley was silent.

Gu An used the Dragon Force Divine Yuan Technique to conceal his aura and quietly left Xuan Valley, arriving in the mountains more than twenty miles away.

He sat under the tree, brought up the attribute panel, and locked his gaze on the Seven Swords of the Li Family.

How many years of lifespan should be invested?

After much deliberation, he decided to invest more to increase actual combat effectiveness.

Let's make it two thousand years then!

With this one purchase, I can now live peacefully for 100,000 years!

He immediately chose to invest two thousand years of his lifespan, and as soon as the thought came to him, the first number of his lifespan changed from four to two.

You have dedicated two thousand years of your lifespan to the evolution and cultivation of the 'Seven Swords of the Li Family'.

You've practiced the Li Family Seven Swords for ten years, achieving mastery of the swordsmanship. Now you're beginning to consider more possibilities.

[You have cultivated the Li Family Seven Swords for fifty years, reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Your Li Family Seven Swords have been upgraded to the Seven Swords Technique.]

……

You have cultivated the Seven Swords of the Li Family for three hundred years, and your Seven Swords Technique has reached its pinnacle, advancing to the astonishing Nine Swords.

You have cultivated the Seven Swords of the Li Family for five hundred years, mastered the Nine Swords of Astounding Strike, and condensed your own unique sword intent.

...[You have cultivated the Seven Swords of the Li Family for a thousand years, and your Amazing Nine Swords have returned to their original simplicity, advancing to the Imperial Sword Technique.]

[You have cultivated the Seven Swords of the Li Family for 1200 years. Your sword intent has condensed into your own imperial aura, and your understanding of swordsmanship has improved.]

……

[You have cultivated the Seven Swords of the Li Family for 1,800 years. Your Imperial Sword Technique has returned to its original simplicity. The sword intent has inspired the sword path, allowing you to comprehend the true meaning of the sword path. You have entered a state of enlightenment, and the Imperial Sword Technique has been upgraded to the Tai Cang Shocking Divine Sword.]

[You have cultivated the Seven Swords of the Li Family for two thousand years, and your Tai Cang Jing Shen Sword has reached a state of complete mastery, thus enhancing your understanding of swordsmanship.]

A series of prompts popped up frantically. When he saw that the evolution time had reached one thousand years, Gu An immediately activated the lifespan barrier.

He feared disturbing the mysterious beings underground and the soul within Li Ya's body.

As all the prompts fell, a vast amount of memory surged into his mind, and spiritual energy surged on the ground. However, this spiritual energy did not penetrate his body, but instead surrounded him. Gradually, a trace of cold light condensed within the spiritual energy, like the light of a sword, shimmering with an unusual brilliance in the darkness.

Gu An entered a state of enlightenment.

He gradually woke up, though he didn't know how much time had passed.

At this time, it was still dark.

Gu An first looked at the lifespan barrier's consumption indicator.

Good heavens, he actually consumed three hundred years of his lifespan just by comprehending the cultivation technique!
Fortunately, he had completely mastered the Tai Cang Jing Shen Sword, and his understanding of swordsmanship had reached a state of perfection. This profound feeling made him feel wonderful.

Looking at the attribute panel again, he saw that the Seven Swords of the Li Family in the Ultimate Skills section had become the Tai Cang Shocking Divine Sword, with the words "Mastery and Integration" marked in parentheses.

He did not get up immediately, but took out the Heavenly Destiny sword, placed the scabbard across his lap, placed his hands on the scabbard, and closed his eyes.

He was sensing the sword's intent.

Once the sword's intent merges with his own, he can subdue the sword.

This sword has many internal restrictions, like magical barriers waiting for its owner to overcome with divine sense and spiritual power.

Gu An didn't understand the restrictions, but fortunately he already possessed his own sword intent, which could penetrate the restrictions.

Half an hour later.

Gu An stood up, tossed Tian Su into his storage bag, and then walked toward Xuan Gu.

With one step, he was suspended in mid-air, sword energy condensing beneath his feet as he rode away on his sword.

When he reached a distance of about ten miles from Xuan Valley, he landed and continued on foot, suppressing his aura to the extreme.

As night gradually passed, a pink hue began to appear in the eastern sky.

Morning comes.

Li Ya pushed open the door, facing the rising sun. He stretched and felt refreshed.

The medicinal effects of the vine fruit are truly remarkable!

He's feeling much better now and feels like he'll be fully recovered in a few days!
Li Ya smiled as he looked toward the grassy area beside the garden in the distance, where Gu An was leading his junior brothers and sisters in exercises.

Those sets of movements piqued Li Ya's curiosity.

Although the movements were slow, he inexplicably felt there was something mysterious about them.

Li Ya immediately walked over and came to Gu An's side. Gu An greeted him, and he nodded in response.

"What are you practicing?" Li Ya asked curiously.

Gu An replied with a smile, "I learned this from an old man when I was a child. It can strengthen the body and maintain a good mental state. I take them to practice every day so that they can start a new day with a good spirit."

Lu Jiujia complained, "Actually, I feel it's not very useful."

Xiao Chuan glared at him and said, "That's because you're stupid."

Li Ya said, "It is actually useful, but it needs to be maintained for a long time."

His words, spoken as an outer disciple, naturally won over the crowd.

Gu An glanced at Li Ya and felt that Li Ya had become more gentle and was able to say such a high-EQ thing.

Actually, the reason he led his junior brothers and sisters to practice exercises was mainly to completely detach their thoughts from cultivation and dreams, so as to prevent them from ruining his flowers and plants.

"After you finish practicing, I'll teach you a sword technique," Li Ya said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chuan and the others became excited and thanked him profusely, addressing him as "Senior Brother Li Ya" repeatedly.

Li Ya looked at Gu An and said, "You should come too. You have a sword now, so you can practice your swordsmanship more."

Gu An nodded with a smile.

Fine.

Let me test whether you have mastered the Seven Swords of the Li Family!

Li Ya's arrival made the atmosphere even more lively. Watching his junior brothers and sisters making noise, he didn't feel annoyed at all, but rather felt happy.

It wasn't until noon that Li Ya pulled Gu An into the forest.

“Show me your Li Family Seven Swords. If you master it soon, I can teach you the real swordsmanship. This Li Family Seven Swords is just the basic sword moves,” Li Ya said earnestly.

Li Ya: Today I'm asking for votes on behalf of Junior Brother Gu. If you vote, I'll enter your dreams and teach you the Seven Swords of the Li Family!
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(End of this chapter)