Saint Who Lay Low

Night had fallen, and fireworks lit up the sky above the Third Medicine Valley, dazzling and beautiful.

In the pavilion area, tables were arranged in neat rows, hosting a banquet of over a thousand people. The atmosphere buzzed with lively toasts and laughter, creating a grand spectacle.

Gu An ignored the gaze of the Nine-Finger Divine Lord and instead chatted casually with You Yingying, inquiring about Lu Lingjun's current situation.

He had always kept an eye on Lu Lingjun. The Ascension Sect she established was already operational and had allied with the Tai Xuan Sect to occupy a sizable island. They were now busy mining spiritual minerals. By all accounts, her progress was smooth and promising.

You Yingying, who maintained correspondence with Lu Lingjun through letters, used various means to communicate. In the cultivation world, letters were often sent through spells, artifacts, or messenger beasts. Being from the Star Sea Sect, You Yingying had access to methods that connected her with others across the ocean.

After some time, Gu An excused himself and made his way to the Xuan Valley to visit its disciples.

Deep into the night, once the disciples had retired to their quarters, he ventured to the Nian Chu Cave Residence to spend the festival with Tian Yao'er and the twin sisters Tianqing and Tianbai.

Unlike others, the three women had no family left. They would spend the rest of their lives with him, and Gu An made it a point never to forget them during these festive times.

As he enjoyed the delicacies, he checked on Tian Yao'er's cultivation progress.

Currently, Tian Yao'er had reached the sixth layer of the Divine Transformation Realm, an impressive pace. Her innate talent was extraordinary, and with a steady supply of medicinal herbs and pills, her advancement was only natural.

However, Gu An was less concerned with her cultivation level and more focused on her mastery of techniques like the Innate Celestial Immortal Art and the Infinite Vanishing Celestial Step.

Cultivation served as the trunk of the tree, but techniques and divine abilities were its branches and leaves, equally vital.

Tian Yao'er was visibly proud of her progress, tilting her delicate nose into the air with a smug expression.

Worried that overconfidence might lead to complacency, Gu An shared stories of the rigorous training undertaken by An Hao and Yang Jian. He avoided mentioning their names, referring to them simply as two of his disciples.

As he spoke, Tian Yao'er's head slowly lowered, her confidence waning.

Tianqing and Tianbai, seated on either side of Gu An, listened with rapt attention, occasionally exclaiming in awe. Their reactions only made Tian Yao'er feel worse.

When Gu An finished, Tian Yao'er pouted and declared, "So what? I'll surpass them sooner or later."

Gu An chuckled. "You're practically my disciple already. Why not formally take me as your master?"

"No way! Absolutely not!" Tian Yao'er shot to her feet, her expression a mix of indignation and alarm. Her large eyes were wide, her teeth clenched, and in her agitation, she even exhibited slight signs of her demonic form, shedding her usual adorable demeanor.

Gu An sighed. "Why are you so worked up? Fine, if that's your decision, I won't press it. Honestly, I'm not all that eager to take on another disciple anyway."

Tian Yao'er sat down in a huff, turning her head away.

Tianqing, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh, teased, "The young miss doesn't want to be a disciple; she wants to be the matriarch!"

Hearing this, Tian Yao'er's cheeks turned a vivid red. Though she wasn't angry, Gu An noticed her sneakily giving Tianqing a thumbs-up, her hand cleverly concealed within her sleeve.

Tianbai joined in the playful banter, further teasing Tian Yao'er, whose clumsy attempts at denial only made her flustered.

Watching their exaggerated antics, Gu An couldn't help but reflect inwardly.

"Looks like I'll have to work on improving their acting skills. This level of clumsiness won't do if I ever need them to handle serious matters in the future."

That night, at their insistence, Gu An decided to stay over.

Under the shade of an ancient tree, he leaned against its trunk, engrossed in a book.

Tian Yao'er, pretending to read Journey to the West, couldn't keep her attention from wandering to him.

She found herself drawn to the mask on Gu An's face, itching to remove it, yet hesitant, fearing his reaction.

Despite their close relationship, she still harbored a deep-seated fear of losing everything they had. Even her occasional moments of playfulness were tempered by her careful attention to Gu An's mood, always wary of displeasing him.

"You want to take off my mask?"

Gu An's sudden question startled Tian Yao'er. She instinctively wanted to deny it, but his gentle tone emboldened her, and she eventually nodded.

Gu An removed his mask without hesitation and playfully placed it on her face.

Tian Yao'er quickly pulled it off, thinking he was teasing her. But when she looked back, she realized Gu An hadn't replaced the mask with another.

Seeing his face for the first time, Tian Yao'er was momentarily stunned.

Because Gu An always wore a mask, she had imagined all sorts of scenarios, fearing he might be disfigured or grotesque. She never expected him to be so strikingly handsome.

Gu An had decided to reveal his face because, after so many years together, Tian Yao'er was thoroughly disconnected from external entanglements. Her knowing his appearance no longer posed any risk.

Moreover, his growing strength had granted him confidence. While not yet invincible, he was more than capable of confronting any challenges within this realm.

"I know you've always been curious about my face. Tonight, I'll indulge you. But after this, I expect you to focus more on your cultivation. Stop letting your mind wander. Since I've accepted you, I won't abandon you. You're destined to be my longest companion, so think long-term. One day, I'll take you out to explore the world. Imagine becoming someone like the Green Bull Demon from Journey to the West who could even give Sun Wukong a hard time. I hope you'll be able to stand on your own like that someday. Your strength is a reflection of my honor."

Gu An spoke earnestly, his words sincere.

Whether it was An Hao or Yang Jian, they would eventually move on.

Ye Lan, too, had her own cultivation path. Even her extraordinary lifespan couldn't compare to Tian Yao'er, who, with her maximum lifespan of 18,000 years, was destined to accompany him the longest.

Tian Yao'er, deeply moved, nodded resolutely. "Master, don't worry. I'll never let you down. I'll also train Tianqing and Tianbai well. If I'm your pride, then they're mine. If they become top-tier experts, it'll only bring you even more honor."

Gu An chuckled, saying, "Just like in Tai Xuan Immortal Sovereign, huh? First they provoke the small fry, forcing you to act, and then eventually I have to step in?"

Tian Yao'er grinned mischievously. "Exactly! Beat the small ones, then the big ones. You're the 'big boss.'"

"Rubbish. Your master here is forever young."

"Well, you certainly look the part," Tian Yao'er quipped.

With that, their conversation flowed into imaginative musings about the future.

Gu An felt at ease talking about the future with Tian Yao'er. Others lacked the context or depth to share such visions with him. Even if they knew his cultivation level, how could mortals and immortals truly see eye-to-eye? It wasn't unwillingness—it was an unbridgeable gap of understanding.

The following morning, Gu An arrived at the Third Medicine Valley.

Just as he stepped off the teleportation platform, the Nine-Finger Divine Lord appeared, reaching out as if to grab him. Gu An instinctively pulled back and asked sternly, "Senior, what are you trying to do?"

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord retracted his hand and coughed lightly. "I'd like to play another match with you. Best out of three this time."

Though he realized his approach was a bit abrupt, he felt Gu An's reaction was overly dramatic.

If he wanted to harm Gu An, Gu An wouldn't even have the chance to avoid it.

What the Nine-Finger Divine Lord didn't realize was that Gu An wasn't worried about being harmed—he was afraid of accidentally killing the elder.

Against his Dao Gang Primordial Qi, the Nine-Finger Divine Lord was no different from an ordinary cultivator like Guo Guhong.

"Fine. Let's play," Gu An said with a stern face.

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord didn't mind the cold reception and turned to lead the way.

Today, Gu An thought, I'll beat you until you're utterly humiliated!

A single incense stick later.

Gu An stood up, stretched lazily, while nearby disciples noticed the grim expression on the Nine-Finger Divine Lord's face and quickly dispersed. Soon, only the two of them remained under the tree.

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord stared at the chessboard, his gaze vacant and filled with disbelief.

From a distance, Li Lingtian stood beside Yang Jian, curiously asking, "Who is that elder? He doesn't seem ordinary."

Yang Jian replied flatly, "He's a Tai Xuan Sect elder. Big enough for you?"

Then, without further ado, Yang Jian turned back to sweeping the ground.

Li Lingtian scrutinized the Nine-Finger Divine Lord, thinking that a Tai Xuan Sect elder must be incredibly skilled.

Perhaps he could challenge him.

Eager for a victory to rebuild his confidence, Li Lingtian felt the valley disciples were far too weak to be worthy opponents. He couldn't bypass Yang Jian to confront Gu An directly, so his eyes settled on the Nine-Finger Divine Lord.

This elder loved playing chess with mortals; maybe he'd entertain a duel with a junior too.

Hmm. He'd have the elder suppress his cultivation to the Core Formation Realm. Li Lingtian wanted to see if he could fight across cultivation levels.

Though his defeat at Yang Jian's hands was demoralizing, he didn't believe his talent was lacking.

He just chose the wrong opponent, that's all!

There was no way he'd make the same mistake twice.

If the elder couldn't beat Gu An in chess, then he probably wasn't much better in combat either!

Li Lingtian smiled to himself at the thought, his expression turning oddly goofy.

Under the tree, the Nine-Finger Divine Lord raised his head to Gu An and asked in a low voice, "Impossible. I shouldn't have lost to you. Who exactly are you?"

He was a Wandering Immortal—how could he lose?

Gu An tilted his head back and smirked. "I am an immortal. What do you think of that?"

"An immortal?"

"Indeed. You may address me as the Chess Immortal."

"Get lost!"

"Bah!"

Gu An turned, flicking his sleeve as he walked away.

Watching him leave, the Nine-Finger Divine Lord chuckled bitterly.

No matter how he looked at it, Gu An didn't seem to be a disguised grand cultivator. Though the Nine-Finger Divine Lord's cultivation was at the Wandering Immortal level, Gu An's insight surpassed his by far.

His gaze fell to the chessboard again.

Could it be that he hadn't fully grasped the essence of chess?

Even with countless calculated possibilities, so what?

Chess thrived on variables.

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord frowned deeply, sinking into contemplation.

Spring turned to summer, and the world grew warmer by the day.

One day, Gu An led Yang Jian and Li Lingtian toward Tianya Valley. Riding on the Blood Prison Saint's broad bull-like back, he moved leisurely along the path.

Trailing behind, Li Lingtian shuffled dispiritedly.

They could fly, yet Gu An insisted on walking. Was this deliberate torture?

But seeing Yang Jian calmly striding along, Li Lingtian held his tongue. He couldn't afford to lose face in this matter.

Boom!

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Li Lingtian turned to see storm clouds rolling in from the horizon.

Yang Jian paused, sensing something unusual. He frowned as he turned to look back.

"What's wrong?" Li Lingtian asked, confused.

Yang Jian ignored him and continued after the Blood Prison Saint.

Li Lingtian felt dejected. Yang Jian's cold indifference gnawed at him, but he understood why.

To Yang Jian, someone as weak as himself wasn't worth engaging with.

If their positions were reversed, Li Lingtian wouldn't waste time talking to someone so far beneath him either.

Yang Jian caught up with Gu An and said, "Master, I have a bad feeling, like something major is about to happen."

Gu An replied, "Perhaps a calamity truly is brewing."

Yang Jian hesitated before asking, "Could it be that the Seven Stars Spirit Realm still harbors ill intent?"

Gu An didn't answer directly but instructed, "Focus. Try to sense it carefully. I want to know what you can discern."