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

Chapter 384 Li Ya, Devastated
After spending half the night at Qianling Palace, Gu An returned to Xuan Valley late at night.

Most of the buildings in the valley had turned off their lights, and the disciples were cultivating in the darkness. Gu An turned his head to look at the mountains and forests at the edge of Xuan Valley.

He saw a figure practicing swordsmanship.

Jiang Shi!

For some reason, Gu An suddenly felt a little dazed, as if he saw a figure from hundreds of years ago.

At that time, one of his disciples also loved to practice swordsmanship in the forest, and he too carried a deep-seated hatred.

Gu An watched for a while, then walked towards his attic.

Back inside, he didn't watch Jiang Shi practice his swordplay again. He had already seen the conversation between Jiang Shi and Lu Jiujia, but he had no intention of interfering.

The most important thing about being human is that everyone has the right to make their own choices. Gu An has already reminded Lu Jiujia that he only needs to make a choice after Gu An's reminder. Whatever the choice, Lu Jiujia should bear the consequences.

If Lu Jiujia insists on suffering, then so be it.

Gu An's greatest care for those around him was ensuring they didn't die before their lifespan ended.

Of course, nothing is absolute. Perhaps Jiang Shi can repent and turn over a new leaf. When Gu An pointed out Jiang Shi's past, it had already changed the fate of the two of them. Whether it is good or bad, time will tell.

It wasn't until early morning that Jiang Shicai returned from the woods and joined his disciples in practicing exercises. Gu An also joined them, chatting and laughing with the disciples during the exercises. He even joked with Jiang Shicai, not holding his past against him.

After learning that Gu An refused to accept him, Jiang Shi did not harbor any hostility towards Gu An, which shows that his nature was not so bad as to be beyond redemption, so Gu An naturally would not deliberately ignore him.

Of course, Gu An did this in the hope of making Jiang Shi better and reducing the probability of him causing trouble for Lu Jiujia.

After that day, Jiang Shi became very well-behaved and didn't ask for anything more.

……

Time flies like an arrow; thirty years pass in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Gu An returned from Tianhuang Mountain early in the morning and stood downstairs waiting for someone's return.

Ji Xiaoyu walked out of the house and came to his side. She looked at him without saying a word, her expression cold.

Gu An felt uneasy under her gaze, glanced at her, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Ji Xiaoyu said softly, "Gu An, you're really ruthless. You haven't spoken to me for so many years?"

Upon hearing this, Gu An quickly turned around and said helplessly, "I'm not going to talk to you? It's only because you're so cold that I don't dare to bother you. Besides, how many times a year do you even go out?"

Ji Xiaoyu snorted, "Come on, if it were your junior sister ignoring you, you'd definitely be rushing to coax her."

"impossible!"

"is it?"

Ji Xiaoyu looked incredulous.

Gu An said seriously, "My junior sister would never ignore me."

Ji Xiaoyu's pupils dilated slightly. She wanted to turn around and leave, but she held back.

Gu An asked, "How has your cultivation been these past few years? I've already reached the sixth level of the Nascent Soul Realm, isn't that amazing?"

Ji Xiaoyu was initially very angry, but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Indeed very impressive, almost catching up to me." Ji Xiaoyu's smile faded, and she said coldly.

Following her words, Gu An asked, "What realm are you at now?"

"Eighth level of the Integration Realm".

"what?"

Gu An's eyes widened in astonishment as he asked, "How did you manage to do it so fast? Is cultivating to the Integration Realm that easy?"

Ji Xiaoyu rolled her eyes at him and said, "It's fine if you think it's fast, but it's your fault for not cultivating seriously. No matter what era, my cultivation speed is not top-notch."

"Too."

"Ok?"

"No, anyway, in my eyes you have the most outstanding talent in the world."

Gu An said solemnly, but in his heart he thought to himself that women are really hard to please. If I praise you, you mock me; if I don't praise you, you get unhappy.

The two continued chatting, and Ji Xiaoyu intentionally eased the tension between them, so Gu An naturally followed suit.

Not long after, a figure flew in from the horizon; it was the person Gu An was waiting for.

The man flew over quickly and landed behind Gu An. He reached out to slap Gu An, but Ji Xiaoyu quickly pulled Gu An towards herself, causing his hand to miss.

Gu An took the opportunity to grab Ji Xiaoyu's hand and then turned around to look.

"Senior Brother Li!" Gu An exclaimed in surprise.

Li Ya's hand hovered in the air. He looked at Ji Xiaoyu in astonishment, not expecting Ji Xiaoyu to move so quickly.

Ji Xiaoyu felt Gu An's hand squeezing her wrist, but she didn't pull her hand away. She calmly looked at Li Ya.

Gu An stopped, took two steps forward, and greeted Li Ya with great excitement.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Li Ya pulled Gu An toward his pavilion, with Ji Xiaoyu following closely behind.

As they walked up the stairs, Ji Xiaoyu followed them, which puzzled Li Ya, who looked at Ji Xiaoyu with a puzzled expression.

"Let her come along, they're all family," Gu An said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoyu's lips curled up slightly.

Li Ya felt awkward, but couldn't very well refuse.

After the three entered the house, Gu An began to make tea for Li Ya and asked him about his experiences over the years.

Ji Xiaoyu sat down in Gu An's chair without a word. Li Ya didn't sit down immediately, but instead recounted his experiences while glancing around the room. Years had passed, and Gu An's room hadn't changed much, which stirred up memories for him.

After pouring him some tea, Gu An moved a chair and sat down next to Ji Xiaoyu, listening to his story.

Upon hearing that he had entered the Holy Court, Gu An couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, giving him ample face.

Li Ya then mentioned the magical duel between the Holy Court and the Immortal Dynasty, which piqued Ji Xiaoyu's interest as well.

"Guess who I saw in the Immortal Dynasty camp? An Hao! You didn't expect that, did you? He actually joined the Immortal Dynasty!" Li Ya exclaimed.

Gu An thought to himself, "Of course I know. I also know that you lost to him again."

Li Ya reached the Profound Heart Realm through a fortuitous encounter. During the Battle Tournament, he met An Hao, who was very stubborn and refused to use the power of the Divine City in his battle against An Hao. The result was obvious: he was utterly defeated.

It must be said that Li Ya was both lucky and tragic.

His cultivation level could always keep up with An Hao's pace, but he just couldn't beat An Hao.

Every time, he was completely crushed. Even though they were at the same level, he was no match for An Hao.

Compared to Yang Jian, Li Ya is more like An Hao's destined rival.

"Have you matched up?" Gu An asked.

Li Ya shook his head and said, "No, it's a pity. I was just a little unlucky. I wanted to test his skills."

Phew!

Li Ya heard laughter echoing in his mind; it was the laughter of divine spirits.

He pretended not to hear and continued to sigh, unaware that Gu An could hear the thoughts of the divine spirit. He was bragging, while the divine spirit was undermining him.

Interesting!

Li Ya began to recount the unparalleled talents of both sides, and Gu An would occasionally exclaim in surprise, making it impossible for the atmosphere to cool down.

Ji Xiaoyu remained silent, listening attentively.

"You might not believe it, but the Immortal Dynasty actually won this tournament. With one more victory, who knows what changes will occur in the future? The Holy Court can't suppress the Immortal Dynasty, and war may break out," Li Ya sighed.

He even doubted whether he had chosen the wrong path.

How come An Hao always has things go so smoothly?
Ji Xiaoyu said, "The aptitude of the immortal spirits of the Immortal Dynasty is inherently higher than that of ordinary people. Such a battle is beneficial to the Immortal Dynasty. It is estimated that the Holy Court deliberately let them have it, hoping to achieve a peaceful situation. If a direct war were to break out, the Holy Court would win, but the Immortal Dynasty would also suffer a devastating defeat, causing heavy damage to the Holy Court."

Li Ya looked at Ji Xiaoyu in surprise, not expecting her to make such a judgment.

He knew Ji Xiaoyu's identity. He had previously thought that Gu An kept her by his side to commemorate the third young lady of the Ji family, but now it seemed that this Ji Xiaoyu was not simple at all.

Gu An noticed Li Ya's surprise and introduced her, "This girl is no ordinary person. She is not even four hundred years old yet, but she has already reached the eighth level of the Integration Realm. She has a talent that is no less than An Hao's."

It's not just that it's not inferior to Ji Xiaoyu's original form, who is a Free Immortal. It would take An Hao and Li Ya at least a million years, or even longer, to cultivate to the level of a Free Immortal.

"That powerful?" Li Ya's expression changed; he was genuinely shocked.

Despite being a Xuanxin Realm cultivator, only he knows what he has sacrificed. His rapid cultivation growth is definitely not due to talent.

How come the Tai Xuan Sect has produced another world-renowned genius?

Li Ya said helplessly, "Indeed, she is comparable to An Hao. An Hao just achieved the Great Ascension Realm a few years ago. A Great Ascension Realm at the age of five hundred is too monstrous. Miss Ji may be able to achieve the Great Ascension Realm at the age of five hundred, just like him."

He felt extremely sad.

He could accept An Hao's achievements, after all, An Hao had traveled all over the country and experienced life-and-death situations just like him.

Where is Ji Xiaoyu?

How can one cultivate so quickly while staying by Gu An's side?
Li Ya couldn't stand it any longer. He took out two brocade boxes from his storage ring and said, "This is a gift I prepared for you. Luckily, I prepared an extra one. Give it to your wife as a greeting gift. I still have something to discuss with the Tai Xuan Sect. I'll come to find you for a drink again in a while."

After saying that, he stood up and walked towards the window.

He suddenly remembered that Ji Xiaoyu was still there, and turned to walk towards the door.

"So anxious?"

"I almost forgot about something important, it's urgent."

"Ok."

Gu An escorted Li Ya to the door and watched him fly away.

He felt a pang of regret; how could he have driven Li Ya away?

Li Ya was his first true friend in his life, and he missed Li Ya quite a bit. Later, when Li Ya stopped contacting him, he had to go find Li Ya.

Perhaps because there were women around, the brothers weren't as relaxed with each other.

Gu An closed the door and returned to the table, where he saw that Ji Xiaoyu had already opened the brocade box, which contained two jade pendants.

"I want this one," Ji Xiaoyu said, leaving no room for argument. She was in a great mood, and her smile was impossible to hide.

Without waiting for Gu An's reply, she began to cast a spell on the two jade pendants.

Gu An sat in the chair where Li Ya had just been sitting, feeling somewhat helpless.

Li Ya is really something, talking nonsense!

Gu An was destined to be a hermit who could dabble in countless women without ever getting entangled with them. How could he possibly make a private engagement with a woman?

Gu An thought of An Hao and immediately used his divine sense to probe An Hao.

An Hao was still inside the Holy Court, in a mysterious secret realm. With Gu An's current cultivation level, none of the formations and restrictions within the Holy Court could hinder him. He could even silently probe into it with his divine sense.

He quickly spotted An Hao.

Huh?
What is this doing?
Gu An was surprised. How could An Hao encounter such a great opportunity in the Holy Court?
(End of this chapter)