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

Chapter 69 Promotion in Status, Searching for Pan An

You want me to write it?
Gu An didn't dare to answer, as he had no idea why Ji Hantian was angry.

If Ji Hantian asks Gu An to smear his name, he won't write it!
Why are you shouting so loudly?

Gu Zong said with dissatisfaction, then sat down and gestured for Gu An to sit next to him. Gu An nodded and sat down on the stool next to him.

Ji Hantian tried to calm himself down and said, "Using hundreds of thousands of disciples to refine an array, is this really the righteous path? If it weren't for that mysterious sword cultivator's intervention, I would still be in the dark!"

He was really in pain.

At that time, he was in seclusion when he sensed a powerful sword intent. Startled, he immediately came out of seclusion and traveled tens of thousands of miles to get there. However, he failed to save Chu Xian. But he heard the angry curses of the outer disciples, which made him both angry and curious about the identity of the sword cultivator. So he chased after him.

He was surprisingly defeated by his opponent...

Since reaching the Integration Realm, Ji Hantian felt that he could roam freely in the Taicang Dynasty. There were very few people who could contend with him, almost all of them were old monsters who had been in seclusion for a long time. He had not tasted defeat for too long.

Most importantly, his opponent not only defeated him, but also helped him!
"If that person hadn't intervened, would the hatred for the destruction of the outer sect have been directed at the demonic sects when I emerged from seclusion?" Ji Hantian asked, staring at Gu Zong.

Gu Zong smiled wryly and did not answer, but his answer was already obvious.

Ji Hantian then looked at Gu An and said, "You must write down everything that happened three days ago, including the despicable deeds of the Demon Extermination Hall and the sword cultivator who stopped the outer sect's calamity. The fact that he was able to take action means that he is also a member of the Tai Xuan Sect, just very low-key. Promoting his merits can help the Tai Xuan Sect maintain its image, at least so that it won't be labeled as a demonic sect all at once."

Hearing that he could praise himself, Gu An felt no pressure.

However, he couldn't agree too easily.

Gu An feigned difficulty, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.

Ji Hantian frowned and asked, "What? You don't want to do it?"

Gu Zong said irritably, "For him to write about something this big, he's bound to offend a lot of people. You've put him in huge trouble with just one sentence. You really dare to say that!"

Ji Hantian felt somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this.

Gu An took a deep breath and said, "I am certainly willing to work for the Tai Xuan Sect, but..."

Gu Zong asked with a smile, "What do you want? Just say the word."

Ji Hantian frowned, but didn't say anything more.

"I want to expand my Medicine Valley, making it the third Medicine Valley within the inner sect. I want all the land within a hundred miles to be allocated to me so I can grow more medicinal herbs. The amount of herbs handed over to the sect will remain the same; I won't be greedy," Gu An said earnestly.

Upon hearing this, Ji Hantian couldn't help but ask, "That's all? You can make higher and more demands."

He had thought Gu An would ask for an exorbitant amount, but he hadn't expected him to make such a small request.

Gu An nodded and said, "I only want these things. I have mediocre talent. If I want treasures and cultivation techniques, it will only cause trouble. Planting herbs is my hobby. It can give me more inspiration when I write books. Moreover, it can also contribute to the Tai Xuan Sect."

Ji Hantian couldn't help but look at Gu Zong.

Gu Zong laughed and said, "Don't underestimate him. He really thinks so. You don't know Pan An's reputation. Just learn more about him in the next few days. As long as he speaks up, the Elders' Hall will definitely promote him to a true disciple."

"Oh? His books are really that amazing?"

"Take a look at Investiture of the Gods, you'll definitely love it."

“Alright, since that’s the case, I’ll make the decision directly and allocate that hundred-mile-wide area to you. You can plant whatever you want, and you’ll also receive a set of sixth-order spirit-protecting formations. Ancient Sect Master, you’re in charge of this matter,” Ji Hantian said earnestly.

Gu Zong nodded with a smile.

Gu An immediately raised his hand to thank Ji Hantian.

Gu Zong began to ask the sect leader how he viewed the matter, and Ji Hantian said in a mocking tone that he was definitely pretending not to know.

The sect leader and the deputy sect leader don't get along!
During the conversation, Ji Hantian also mentioned Lü Baitian, also known as Old Tian, ​​and expressed his dissatisfaction with Old Tian.

It seems that Old Tian has changed his appearance and physique, which is why he couldn't recognize him.

Upon hearing this, Gu An realized that Elder Tian had truly gone mad. Elder Tian usually preferred to seclude himself and didn't manage the Tai Xuan Sect much, which led to many people abusing his name. It was only after he went mad that they elected Elder Chu Tianqi as the sect leader.

Ji Hantian's words clearly implied that Elder Tian was already dead.

This led Gu An to speculate more about the relationship between Gu Zong and Ji Hantian.

A full half hour passed before Ji Hantian and his companion finally left.

Gu An stood on the grass, watching them leave.

Old Tian suddenly leaned over and asked curiously, "Has something happened to the outer sect?"

Gu An nodded and briefly explained the matter, which made Old Tian frown.

"Old Tian, ​​what do you think? Do you think the Tai Xuan Sect is righteous or evil?" Gu An asked casually as he squatted down to look at a medicinal herb in front of him.

Mr. Tian replied, "There is an area that is difficult to define between good and evil. When discussing good and evil, we should not look at it from the perspective of the present, but let future generations judge."

These words...

No wonder the Tai Xuan Sect is so crooked!
Gu An stopped asking questions and didn't bother with Old Tian.

He began planning how to plant the land within a hundred miles. The ancient sect had promised that, apart from Shen Zhen, he would have the inner disciples in the vicinity move their cave dwellings further away to avoid future conflicts.

Inner disciples are quite different from outer disciples. Those who become inner disciples are not only highly talented but also possess intricate networks of connections. It's no exaggeration to say that anyone randomly selected from the inner sect has a powerful background. After this incident, Gu An understood that the Taicang Dynasty was not the domain of emperors or sects, but rather the domain of aristocratic families.

Not only can members of the Ji family become deputy sect leaders of the Tai Xuan Sect, but they can also place members of the Ji family in every sect of the Tai Cang Dynasty.

I won't go into the Gu and Zhou families.

Gu An felt that Chu Jingfeng and the sect leader Chu Tianqi were from the same clan, and that the Chu family was not simple.

But it didn't matter to him. He wasn't going to build his own family anyway, and he didn't want to have too many ties.

Ask the question first, then do as you please!
……

Gu Zong acted swiftly, completing the formalities in less than seven days. The inner disciples from the vicinity were all transferred away, and he also brought a sixth-order spirit-protecting array with him.

The Spirit Protection Array is specifically designed to enhance and contain spiritual energy.

The world is vast and spiritual energy flows freely. All major sects started by searching for spiritual veins to establish their sects, and then sealed off the spiritual energy, making the spiritual energy within the sect abundant, which in turn caused the spiritual energy in the general populace to become thin.

With this formation and abundant medicinal resources, once he reaches the Core Formation, Nascent Soul, or Divine Transformation realms, he can claim that his aptitude is poor and that he only achieved his level through the accumulation of resources. In this way, others will not perceive him as a threat.

Not only that, the ancient sect also allowed him to keep twenty menial disciples in the Third Medicine Valley. Generally speaking, menial disciples are not allowed to enter the inner sect. Bringing four was already an exception, but that was because he had a relationship with the ancient sect.

Gu An recruited seven people from Xuan Valley, including Tang Yu.

As for Xiao Chuan and Wu Xin, they remain in Xuan Valley, but Gu An now allows them to visit the Third Medicine Valley at any time.

Things are about to get really good.

Time flies, and a month has passed since the calamity at the outer gate.

On this day, Gu An arrived at the outer city. There was no Demon Extermination Hall, and the outer city had returned to its former prosperity. The disciples coming and going were not so nervous.

As Gu An walked, he suddenly spotted someone.

Jiang Qiong!

When dealing with Chu Xian, Gu An's divine sense had detected Jiang Qiong, but he pretended not to know. He thought that a month had passed and Jiang Qiong had already left, but he didn't expect her to still be there.

Jiang Qiong walked up to him and said with a smile, "Come with me."

Gu An looked at the hunchbacked old man behind her and sent him a lifespan probe.

[Hu Mo (Ninth Level of Nascent Soul Realm): 970/1300/1570]

Gu An could sense the demonic energy hidden within the old man's body.

Jiang Qiong is really bold. It's one thing to come alone, but to bring along fellow disciples at the Nascent Soul stage? Aren't you afraid of being exposed?
Seeing Gu An hesitate, Jiang Qiong raised her hand and showed him a token.

Grand Elder of the Outer Sect!
Equivalent to the master of the outer sect!
Gu An looked at her in surprise. How did she do that?
Jiang Qiong smiled smugly, then brushed past him as they walked away, and he quickly followed her.

Afterwards, Gu An entered Jiang Qiong's residence. There were still many servants and disciples in the residence, none of whom had any demonic aura.

Jiang Qiong led Gu An into a large hall, where Hu Mo stood at the door. Gu An could sense that Hu Mo was casting a spell to isolate the room, preventing anyone from seeing inside.

Gu An watched as Jiang Qiong sat in the head seat, even crossing her legs, showing none of the demeanor of an outer sect elder.

"How did you do that?" Gu An couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Qiong snorted, "Your grandmaster is incredibly powerful. What's so special about being the Grand Elder of an outer city? Maybe one day I'll become the sect leader."

Upon hearing this, Gu An chuckled and couldn't help but ask, "If you became the sect leader, would you be loyal to Qianqiu Pavilion or Taixuan Sect?"

"If I become the sect leader of Tai Xuan Sect, then I will not be a demonic cultivator, and I will naturally side with Tai Xuan Sect. Even if you offered me the position of the Pavilion Master of Qian Qiu Pavilion in exchange, I would not accept it," Jiang Qiong replied casually, her words filled with disdain for Qian Qiu Pavilion.

Gu An suddenly understood why there were so many spies from the Thousand Autumns Pavilion within the Tai Xuan Sect, yet the Thousand Autumns Pavilion was unable to bring down the Tai Xuan Sect.

In the eyes of the cultivators of Qianqiu Pavilion, Qianqiu Pavilion is far inferior to Taixuan Sect!

Wu Xin would rather be a menial disciple in the Tai Xuan Sect than return to Qian Qiu Pavilion as its young master.

“From now on, if any cultivator from Qianqiu Pavilion comes to you, you must not reveal the whereabouts of the Azure Vine Tree. That tree belongs only to you and me, and no longer to Qianqiu Pavilion, understand?” Jiang Qiong said seriously.

Gu An nodded.

Sorry, this belongs only to me.

Jiang Qiong smiled and said, "Grand-disciple, speak up. If you need anything, just say the word."

Gu An thought for a moment and said, "Could you promote Ye Lan from the Enforcement Hall? She is my junior sister. As for other requests, there is no need for now. I have already expanded my medicine valley in the inner sect, so there is no need for more medicine valleys. In the future, if you have seeds of high-grade medicinal herbs, you can give them to me, and I will help you plant them and harvest them for you after they are cultivated."

Jiang Qiong's smile grew even brighter. She looked Gu An up and down and said, "Not bad. I really didn't make a mistake in taking you as my grand-disciple. Don't worry, your grandmaster won't be polite to you. Of course, your grandmaster won't treat you unfairly either."

"In addition, I would like to give you a task."

Gu An couldn't help but ask, "Besides planting medicinal herbs, what else can I do for you?"

"Keep an eye on Pan An's whereabouts. According to what I've heard, Pan An's cultivation level isn't high, and he's hiding in the outer sect. The Elders' Hall is keeping his identity very secret."

(End of this chapter)