Saint Who Lay Low

"I'm actually a genius?"

Hearing these words from Wuxin, Gu An almost laughed.

He chuckled and said, "You've always been a genius in my eyes. Are you planning to teach me your technique?"

Wuxin nodded and said, "I mean compared to the others in the valley, I might seem talented, but when compared to my brothers and sisters, I'm quite ordinary. The technique I practice is called the Dao Yan Technique, taught to me by a divine monk."

"Once you begin cultivating this technique, your realm won't visibly improve, but your cultivation power keeps accumulating. I plan to unseal my cultivation right before my lifespan runs out. At that point, both my spiritual root aptitude and lifespan will undergo a transformation. The only drawback is that once I unseal it, the Dao Yan Technique will lose its effectiveness."

After hearing this, Gu An became intrigued by the Dao Yan Technique.

"What was the cultivation level of this divine monk?" he asked, curious.

Wuxin shook his head and replied, "I don't know his exact realm. He referred to himself as Xunxian Daoist."

"If he's a Daoist, why do you call him a divine monk?"

"He shaved his head and wore a monk's robe, so how could he be a Daoist? My appearance is modeled after him. He said I had great fortune in the future, so he forced me to shave my head. The scars on my head were left by him, and now I can't grow any hair," Wuxin said, sounding aggrieved. He also wished he could be as handsome as Gu An, attracting the admiration of women.

Gu An didn't press further and asked Wuxin to explain the Dao Yan Technique in detail.

He was genuinely curious to see how mystical this technique was.

Wuxin began to seriously explain the workings of the Dao Yan Technique, taking a full hour to cover its intricacies.

The technique was indeed profound, with an incredibly complex method for circulating spiritual energy. From Gu An's perspective, based on his cultivation level, there were hidden depths to the Dao Yan Technique beyond what Wuxin understood.

"Did you get all of that, Senior Brother? If not, I can write it down for you tomorrow," Wuxin asked with concern.

Gu An smiled and nodded. "Yes, it's indeed a remarkable technique. Thank you for sharing. Now, let's get some rest."

"No need to thank me; we're close, after all," Wuxin smiled back, clearly pleased that he could finally help his senior brother.

After that, Wuxin left the room.

As soon as Wuxin went downstairs, Gu An began to cultivate the Dao Yan Technique.

Wuxin might be worried that he wouldn't remember it all, so Gu An decided to go along with his expectations, avoiding revealing his current talent and cultivation.

In reality, unless it was a particularly special technique, Gu An could remember everything after hearing it just once.

...

Three days later, Gu An was sparring with Su Han in the forest.

During the incident with Qiu Qianli, Su Han had stood at the front with his sword, which deeply moved Gu An, so he decided to give Su Han some personal guidance.

Su Han hadn't expected much at first, assuming his master was just bored, but to his surprise, the sparring match went completely differently than he had anticipated.

Gu An held a wooden sword, and his steps were simple, with sword moves that seemed basic. Yet, he easily dismantled each of Su Han's strikes.

Su Han was thoroughly shocked, and Gu An's image in his mind was elevated to an entirely new level.

After exchanging dozens of moves, Su Han's sword was flicked out of his hand and fell to the ground.

Looking at the wooden sword hovering just before his throat, Su Han gulped, staring at Gu An in amazement.

Gu An retracted his sword with a smile and asked, "So, what do you think?"

"Amazing..." Su Han replied, feeling both embarrassed and impressed.

Gu An shook his head and said, "I'm not asking for your opinion on my skills. I'm asking what you've learned."

Su Han paused and began to reflect.

Wait!

Something dawned on him, and his expression changed. He looked at Gu An, cautiously asking, "Master, were you using the moves from the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword?"

Gu An nodded. "That's right. I don't have a deep understanding of the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword, but do you know why I was able to counter your moves?"

"Why?"

"Because I was faster than you."

"But..."

"You felt that I was moving slower than you, right? Yet I could still dismantle your moves easily?"

"Yes, Master. I truly felt like you were slower, but somehow..."

"Think carefully. I appeared slower because you were focusing on my movements, but I was focused on your sword. Before you even struck, I had already predicted the trajectory of your sword. By the time you attacked, I responded simultaneously. Since I was defending, my sword didn't need to travel as far as yours. So even though my speed wasn't faster, I was still able to catch up to your attack."

Gu An explained patiently. Su Han furrowed his brow, replaying the match in his mind.

It wasn't long before Su Han realized what had happened.

It was true—right from the start of their match, the outcome had already been decided.

Su Han looked up at Gu An, his eyes filled with admiration. "Master, you're incredible. You only had to glance at the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword manual once to become better than me."

Gu An stepped forward and smiled. "Actually, I've practiced swordsmanship before, so I understand it better than you do. But this is something only you and I know. Don't let anyone else know that I'm skilled in sword techniques."

Hearing this, Su Han felt moved and immediately knelt on one knee, raising his hand to swear an oath.

"I swear never to reveal Master's swordsmanship skills. If I ever do, may heaven strike me down with lightning, and may I live a life of misery and solitude!"

Gu An quickly pulled him up, shaking his head. "No need to make oaths. I trust you."

Although he said that, he was pleased with Su Han's attitude.

Considering Gu An's usual cautious nature, teaching Su Han swordsmanship was already a risk.

Su Han scratched his head, smiling sheepishly.

Gu An continued to guide Su Han in the sword arts. Even though he hadn't practiced the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword much, his mastery of the Tai Cang Divine Shocking Sword was more than enough to provide valuable instruction.

After half an hour of sparring, Gu An left Su Han to practice alone and headed toward the entrance of the valley. His gaze fixed on a wooden fence near the garden, where someone stood with the outer disciple Yang Min accompanying them.

Jiang Qiong!

In broad daylight, how dare this person just walk into Xuan Valley so openly?

Gu An inwardly complained. He had sensed Jiang Qiong's approach when she entered Xuan Valley, which was why he had cut the sparring session with Su Han short.

The reason he didn't stop her earlier was because Jiang Qiong had flown in on her sword without hiding her presence or aura.

Gu An quickly walked over to her. Upon reaching Jiang Qiong's side, he said to Yang Min, "You can leave now. I'll take it from here."

Yang Min, relieved, hurriedly departed.

Jiang Qiong turned to Gu An and smiled. "Your disciples are quite shy."

"Let's talk upstairs," Gu An said.

Jiang Qiong had no objections and followed him up to the loft.

After they entered the room, Gu An closed the door and quietly asked, "Grandmaster, why are you here? And in broad daylight no less..."

Jiang Qiong sat down casually, waved her sleeve, and threw four talisman papers onto the doors and windows. Then, picking up a teapot from the table, she poured herself some tea and said nonchalantly, "What's there to be afraid of? I'm still an inner sect disciple of Tai Xuan Sect. I didn't expose my identity before I was gravely injured. The only reason I've been hiding is because I had an enemy. But after investigating all these years, I've found out that enemy is already dead."

Gu An sat across from her and curiously asked, "Was your enemy from Tai Xuan Sect?"

"To be precise, he was like me, a demonic spy," Jiang Qiong said with a faint smile, emphasizing the term "demonic spy."

Gu An wanted to ask more, but Jiang Qiong waved her hand dismissively. "Enough questions. I'm planning to stay in your valley for a while until things quiet down. Then I'll leave. How about it?"

Gu An frowned and asked, "What happened?"

He could sense that Jiang Qiong had suffered severe internal injuries but was forcing herself to appear calm.

Hearing this, Jiang Qiong's expression grew complicated. With a quiet sigh, she said, "That Ji Xiaoyu is no ordinary person. She had just entered the Core Formation realm, yet she managed to evade my attack. In the brief moment I was distracted, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Ji family gravely injured me."

"You attacked her?" Gu An asked, suddenly feeling tense.

Jiang Qiong gave him a sidelong glance and snapped, "Have you forgotten the Demon Shadow Divine Art I taught you? I didn't reveal my true identity. There's no need for you to worry."

Gu An let out a sigh of relief.

He then asked, "Did anyone manage to take Ji Xiaoyu's innate Dao Seal?"

Jiang Qiong shook her head and replied, "No one succeeded. Thanks to her Kirin Step, even Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't get close to her. Meanwhile, the Ji family and Tai Xuan Sect elders held off the stronger demonic cultivators. The Tai Xuan Sect elders are truly formidable..."

She seemed to recall something, her face showing a hint of fear.

Hearing that Jie Xiaoyu was safe, Gu An felt relieved.

Both of them had survived, which, in Gu An's opinion, was the best outcome.

As he looked at Jiang Qiong, he wondered how to comfort her.

Jiang Qiong looked up at him with a sly smile and asked, "You didn't tip off the Ji family, did you?"

Gu An quickly shook his head. "Of course not! I'm not that kind of person!"

"Really?"

"Really! Do you need me to swear?"

Gu An replied earnestly. First Su Han had sworn an oath, and now he was going to have to swear one to Jiang Qiong?

Jiang Qiong looked him up and down, clicking her tongue in amusement. "No need for that. In fact, I was hoping you'd tip them off."

Gu An was puzzled by her words.

Jiang Qiong took another sip of tea and explained, "When I saw you standing at the gate of the Ji family mansion, I got the idea. I wanted to use you to inform the Ji family so that they would prepare accordingly. That way, after Ji Xiaoyu completed her Core Formation, there would be a proper fight."

"But alas, I misjudged you. You're clearly not that kind of person," she said, feigning disappointment and letting out a sigh.

Gu An remained silent.

Jiang Qiong's tone shifted as she grinned. "But this also shows that you're loyal to me. You didn't let me down. I'll be good to you in the future. Congratulations, you've completely won over my heart."

"Grandmaster, please stop with the jokes!"

"Haha, you're really bound by all these righteous rules now. Not much fun to tease anymore."

Jiang Qiong laughed, covering her mouth, making Gu An feel helpless.

At that moment, Jiang Qiong reached into her storage pouch and placed a bronze fragment on the table.

The bronze fragment was square with broken edges, engraved with densely packed characters.

Jiang Qiong's eyes gleamed as she said, "This was my true objective for going to the Ji family. It's their Divine Ability Treasure, recording one of the Ji family's top ten divine abilities. It was a gift from the Ji family patriarch to Ji Xiaoyu in celebration of her Core Formation. Only a direct descendant of the Ji family's bloodline can activate it. Of course, a cultivator beyond the Divine Transformation realm could forcefully break the restriction."

"The Ji family gave Ji Xiaoyu the Kirin Step and now this Divine Ability Treasure. It's clear they're preparing her for admission into the Holy Land one day."

Divine Ability Treasure?

Gu An's gaze shifted to the bronze fragment, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Jiang Qiong pushed the fragment toward Gu An and said, "Keep it for me. Hide it in Eight Views Heavenly Cave. Once I acquire the Ji family's blood, I'll come for it. Right now, keeping it with me is too dangerous."

Looking at the bronze fragment on the table, Gu An blinked, uncertain of what to make of this development.