Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Path of Returning Primordial Spirit, Completely Becoming a Dragon

Gu An was merely puzzled and had no intention of investigating Lv Baitian or Lv Xian.

No matter what these people’s identities were, or what conspiracy they might have, as long as it didn’t affect him, he couldn’t be bothered to care.

The hearts of the people in this world were unpredictable. To investigate each one would be exhausting.

Gu An and Lv Xian started to chat idly. Now, Lv Xian was very respectful towards him and didn’t dare to be even a little frivolous.

They chatted for quite a while before Gu An finally left.

Everyone in the valley was already used to him not spending the night in Tianya Valley.

After Gu An left, Lv Xian found Yi Liuyun and began to spar in combat, preparing for the Golden Ranking Tournament.

There were only two years left until the Golden Ranking Tournament.

…

Years passed by, and the Nine Dynasties lands welcomed peace, while the Supreme Sect’s Golden Ranking Tournament drew the attention of people from all over the world, becoming a once-in-a-century grand event.

Two years later, as the Golden Ranking Tournament approached, cultivators could be seen soaring across the sky over Mystic Valley every day.

Unlike before, the Supreme Sect dispatched many disciples to patrol and protect all outer sect servant disciples, maintaining their image as the true orthodox sect of the world.

Seventy-two-year-old Gu An was in the loft, receiving Ye Lan.

The first batch of disciples who went to train on the Nine Nether Road had all returned and were all preparing to participate in the Golden Ranking Tournament to bring glory to the Supreme Sect.

Having not seen each other for many years, Ye Lan’s temperament had become even more outstanding, showing the demeanor of a genius female cultivator. She remembered Gu An’s words and had been continually cultivating Daoist Expansion Skill, so her cultivation level hadn’t increased.

The two sat and chatted, with Ye Lan recounting the wonders of the Nine Nether Road, and Gu An listened with keen interest.

The Nine Nether Road, which was said to be a road, was actually more like a secret realm, with demons and ghosts running rampant, having its own unique ecosystem and producing many special heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

Ye Lan said that she also encountered cultivators and members of the demon clan not from the Nine Dynasties lands within the Nine Nether Road. From her descriptions, Gu An envisioned many scenes in his mind and found them very interesting.

After chatting for a full hour, Gu An finally asked, “Will you be participating in the Golden Ranking Tournament?”

Ye Lan nodded and said, “Yes, the elders gave me a post. All the hundred disciples from the Nine Nether Road must participate. The first Golden Ranking Tournament must be grand and cannot bring shame to the Supreme Sect.”

Gu An blinked, feeling a bit helpless.

Couldn’t he send out the post he had in his hand?

Shen Zhen, Gu Yu, and Zuo Lin all had posts, and the disciples in the valley had mediocre aptitudes. Participating would be futile and only lead to suffering.

“Senior Brother, why don’t you participate too? Although your cultivation level isn’t high, your strength is far from simple,” Ye Lan said with a light laugh, remembering that Gu An’s leg technique was very strong.

Since Gu An’s cultivation level hadn’t increased, he must have spent most of his time practicing his leg technique, which made his strength undoubtedly formidable.

Gu An helplessly replied, “I can’t even beat you. Participating in the Golden Ranking Tournament would just be asking for trouble.”

After hearing this, Ye Lan didn’t persuade him any further and started chatting about the affairs of the immortal cultivation world.

It wasn’t until evening that Ye Lan left Mystic Valley.

Gu An stood on the balcony, a smile on his face.

Ye Lan’s maximum lifespan had increased by a year, though insignificant, it showed that the Daoist Expansion Skill was indeed somewhat effective.

Chu Jingfeng, Lu Jiujia, and Xiaochuan’s maximum lifespans hadn’t increased, probably due to their level of dedication, and the spiritual energy of the Nine Nether Road was far richer than that of Medicine Valley.

Gu An turned around and went back indoors to continue his study of the Ziwei Array Chronicles.

This book had deepened Gu An’s understanding of formations, bringing him closer to becoming a true Mahayana cultivator.

Mahayana cultivators were not only accomplished in their cultivation but also had rich life experiences and knowledge in various supplementary paths. Gu An didn’t need to cultivate, so he could spend his time accumulating knowledge in other areas.

That night.

Gu An sneaked to North Sea Mountain, hid under a tree, and opened the Life Span Barrier, then invested five thousand years of lifespan into the Daoist Expansion Skill.

Since the Daoist Expansion Skill was useful, he thought he would enhance it and see what happened.

A series of notifications appeared crazily before Gu An’s eyes, and eventually, the Daoist Expansion Skill advanced to the Daoist Mystic Skill!

It only took two thousand years of lifespan for the Daoist Expansion Skill to advance to the Daoist Mystic Skill, and the remaining three thousand years were just for enhancing its proficiency.

Gu An immediately invested another five thousand years of lifespan.

This time, after cultivating for two thousand years, the Daoist Mystic Skill advanced to the Primordial Reincarnation Skill!

It had “Primordial” in its name so quickly, indicating that the Daoist Expansion Skill itself had a high rank and grade, no wonder only Ye Lan and Wuxin had mastered it so far.

Afterward, the Primordial Reincarnation Skill allowed him to master a divine skill called the Path of Returning Primordial Spirit.

Gu An began to inherit the Primordial Reincarnation Skill, and earth spirit energy surged into his body, a vast amount of memory flooded his mind.

The Primordial Reincarnation Skill contained the mysteries of the Daoist Expansion Skill and extended the profoundness of accumulating cultivation level to be passed on through lifetimes.

After cultivating the Primordial Reincarnation Skill, one’s cultivation level would no longer increase. Instead, through accumulating spiritual power, one’s aptitudes would transform. Unlike the Daoist Expansion Skill, it was no longer limited to one lifetime but could be repeated, and each time the accumulated cultivation level was greater, the transformation in aptitude would be more substantial.

Moreover, the Primordial Reincarnation Skill would form a soul imprint. After a cultivator’s death and rebirth, the memory of this skill would awaken in adulthood in each lifetime, continuing to accumulate until reaching immortality or the soul’s demise, where the path of reincarnation ceased.

The Path of Returning Primordial Spirit was an extremely domineering sealing divine skill that could suppress a being’s cultivation level to a certain realm or even completely seal them, turning them into a mortal spirit without any cultivation!

This seal could only be unlocked using the Path of Returning Primordial Spirit. Even if powerful beings far surpassing Gu An’s capabilities tried to help, it would cause the spiritual power to run amok, making the sealed one’s cultivation run wild and causing immediate death.

Upon understanding this divine skill, Gu An was very fond of it.

He just happened to be lacking such a means!

As for the Primordial Reincarnation Skill, he considered it mastered, and he was not inclined to invest more time into it. He did not seek thousands of worlds; he only pursued this lifetime!

But this skill could be taught to those he cared about.

Through the memories of the Primordial Reincarnation Skill, Gu An learned a harsh truth.

The Nine Layers of Immortal Path, each layer harder than the last.

The first layer was Nirvana, a realm where mortal spirits transcended. Before reaching Nirvana, lifespans could not exceed tens of thousands of years. Only after Nirvana could one witness a fundamental transformation in life essence, drastically increasing lifespan.

Gu An suddenly realized that maximum lifespan might not just indicate aptitude but could also represent the maximum time each being had in this world, serving as a measure of one’s life.

For example, An Hao had nearly ten thousand years to pursue the Nirvana Realm, while Ye Lan had less than two hundred years. The latter, even with multiple opportunities, would be in vain.

The Daoist Expansion Skill could help Ye Lan extend her time in the world, but its effect was limited. Even if Ye Lan mastered the Primordial Reincarnation Skill, her maximum lifespan would only increase several times at most.

Gu An slowly opened his eyes, his gaze deep.

“Heavenly Destiny…”

…

Summer arrived, and the Supreme Sect’s Golden Ranking Tournament commenced as scheduled.

Participants in the Golden Ranking Tournament were all cultivators under five hundred years old, and the Supreme Sect would test the bone age of the participants specifically.

The post Li Ya had given to Gu An for the Golden Ranking Tournament, he wasn’t sure who to give it to, and didn’t want to waste it, so he chose to register himself. At seventy-two years of age, he successfully registered with the eligibility of youth.

The Golden Ranking Tournament was conducted in a one-on-one format, with no fixed duration, continuing until completion. The Supreme Sect would heal the injured participants to keep them in optimal condition.

Special formations would be set up by the Supreme Sect to suppress the higher cultivations to the level of their opponents, ensuring fairness in terms of realm.

When the Golden Ranking Tournament began, Gu An was watching from the eaves of the outer sect, sitting with Ye Lan. Between them was a small table, accompanied by spirit melons, spirit fruits, and fine wine.

From their perspective, a gigantic light screen was suspended in the air above the outer sect, reflecting the scenes of the combats within.

Gu An didn’t recognize the two cultivators fighting but enjoyed the spectacle nonetheless.

As Ye Lan peeled some fruit for Gu An, she said, “Senior Brother, the cultivation technique you passed to me is very difficult, much harder than the previous one. I wonder when I’ll be able to master it.”

Gu An replied, “Cultivating is never easy.”

The Daoist Expansion Skill could at most double one’s maximum lifespan, while the Primordial Reincarnation Skill could increase it several times. If Ye Lan could master it, living to eight hundred years this lifetime wouldn’t be impossible.

For someone with Ye Lan’s aptitude, this was already a great blessing.

Ye Lan smiled and said, “I will definitely master it, don’t worry.”

At this moment, a thunderous uproar rose in the city.

It turned out that the first combat had already concluded.

“The victor is Duan Xu from the Flame Sect of the Great Zhao Dynasty!”

Gu Zong’s voice resounded from the giant light screen, causing the whole city to buzz with discussion.

Ye Lan looked at the screen and smiled. “Impressive.”

Gu An nodded and then picked up his cup to drink.

“Brother Gu!”

A voice came from the side. Gu An and Ye Lan turned to see Wu Jue standing on a distant rooftop, looking at them with a very unpleasant expression.

Five years had passed, and Wu Jue was still at the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, but his qi-blood was vastly different from before.

Ignoring him for five years, his maximum lifespan must have skyrocketed, right?

Gu An felt like he was about to open a mystery box. He cautiously used Life Span Detection on him.

[Wu Jue (Foundation Establishment Realm, Ninth Layer) 74/350/7600]

Seven thousand six hundred years!

Good grief!

Now, he had truly become a dragon!

Wu Jue suddenly appeared on the rooftop where Gu An and Ye Lan were, seven steps away. He frowned and asked, “Who is this woman? Are you not being faithful to Ms. Shen?”

Upon hearing this, Ye Lan squinted her eyes at Gu An and asked, “Who is Ms. Shen?”

Gu An felt a headache coming on and immediately said, “This is my junior sister, Ye Lan. Ms. Shen is nothing, how can she compare? I just have some dealings with Ms. Shen, nothing more.”

Ye Lan’s expression softened upon hearing this.

Wu Jue angrily said, “Forget about Ms. Shen, why didn’t you come to see me after you were done?”

Ye Lan was taken aback.

She thought Wu Jue had something to do with Ms. Shen and had come to stand up for her, but why did his tone suddenly change?

Gu An shook his head and said, “Why are you shouting so loud? I didn’t want to disturb your cultivation. What, do you want to hit me?”

Wu Jue’s face turned red with anger, and he muttered, “How could I hit you…”

Ye Lan sensed that Wu Jue was not simple, and looking at his embarrassed demeanor, she became more curious about his relationship with Gu An.

Subsequently, Gu An invited Wu Jue to sit down. Although reluctant, Wu Jue sat on the other side of Gu An.

“Junior Sister, this is my brother, named Wu Jue, who is also participating in the Golden Ranking Tournament,” Gu An introduced.

Ye Lan nodded towards Wu Jue.

Wu Jue scratched his head and said, “I can participate in the Golden Ranking Tournament thanks to Brother Gu’s post.”

Ye Lan couldn’t help but look at Gu An, her eyes filled with suspicion.

Senior Brother’s methods were quite impressive.

He registered himself, but he could also get a post for someone else.