However, this way he could appraise items without taking out the brocade cloth, which proved much safer.
Gu Changhuan warned himself not to give anything away and bring disaster on himself or the clan.
He was still too weak.
He needed to cultivate diligently; only with strength could he make better use of the treasure.
Gu Xuanzhan nodded and began telling Gu Changhuan about Demon Beasts.
“So-called Demon Beasts are simply beasts that possess cultivation.
Just as cultivators have varying levels of strength, Demon Beasts do as well.
First-Tier Demon Beasts are equivalent to cultivators in the Qi Condensation Realm, Second-Tier Demon Beasts possess the strength of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and so on…” “Our clan’s Nine Perches Mountains border demon territory, so we suffer occasional beast attacks.
Every hundred years or more, a Beast Tide sweeps through.
Those beasts are the main reason our clan has so few members.” Gu Xuanzhan’s expression turned pained as he reached this point.
As the clan’s oldest member and the last of the Xuan generation, Gu Xuanzhan had likely lost many relatives to demon beasts over his long life.
Small wonder he hated them so deeply.
Taking a breath, he continued, “For us cultivators, however, Demon Beasts are also a form of fated chance.
Their inner cores can be used for alchemy or artifact refining, their flesh and blood can be consumed, and their bones and sinews make exceptional materials for artifact refining.
The inner cores of certain peculiar Demon Beasts can even assist in cultivation.” “Yet Demon Beasts differ from ordinary mortal beasts; they possess a measure of spiritual intelligence.
The higher their cultivation, the greater their intelligence, making them difficult to hunt.
If a Demon Beast reaches the fifth tier, it can transform into human form, and its intelligence will match that of any human.” Gu Changhuan listened attentively, thinking to himself that dealing with Demon Beasts must be exceptionally difficult for humans.
“Still, the demon race is not like our human cultivators.
Beyond our own cultivation and abilities, we are adept at utilizing external aids.
Dharma treasures, talismans, and formations all help cultivators gain the upper hand in our struggles against Demon Beasts.” Time slipped by unnoticed, and when the sun reached its zenith, Gu Xuanzhan brought his lesson to a close.
“Come again tomorrow.” Gu Changhuan bowed and left the Scripture Pavilion.
Lessons only in the morning—wonderful!
Even after setting aside two hours for cultivation, he still had plenty of time to do what he liked.
Rubbing his stomach, Gu Changhuan noted that yesterday’s lunch had been so substantial that he still hadn’t fully digested the spiritual qi within the food; he wasn’t hungry at all.
Deciding to skip the dining hall, he walked straight back to his courtyard, stepped into Gu Wanhao’s study, and pulled a book from the shelf to read.
As for the jade slips resting there, he would wait until his cultivation was a bit higher before examining them.
After finishing a volume of miscellaneous records, he realized the day was drawing to a close.
He retreated to his quiet room, activated the courtyard’s formation, calmed his mind, and began his evening cultivation.
Life settled into a swift rhythm of study and cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, half a year passed.
One day, he received an unexpected visitor.
“Seventeenth Brother!
It’s me!” A voice called out while Gu Changhuan was reading beneath a tree.
Sweeping out with his divine sense, he discovered that Gu Changze had arrived.
The young man stood outside the formation, shouting loudly and behaving with none of the composure expected of a cultivator.
Gu Changhuan lowered the formation and invited him in.
Gu Changze walked through the courtyard with a grin and seated himself across from him.
“Congratulations, Sixth Brother, on advancing your cultivation.” Gu Changhuan retrieved a pot of spiritual tea from his storage bag and poured half a cup for each of them.
“And you’ve reached the second layer of Qi Condensation yourself, Seventeenth Brother!” Over the past six months, Gu Changhuan had not slacked off for a single day, successfully breaking through to the second layer a month prior.
Gu Changze had reached the fourth layer.
He had triple spiritual roots, with his strongest root measuring six cun, which gave him decent aptitude.
He worked hard too, so his advancement over the past half year was no surprise.
“You certainly keep good things here, Seventeenth Brother.
The spiritual qi in this tea is no less potent than a Qi-Nourishing Pill!” Gu Changze praised after taking a sip.
Gu Changhuan smiled.
“You flatter me, Sixth Brother.
What brings you here today?
Surely not just the tea?” “Don’t you know?
Next month is the Spirit Root Testing Assembly!
According to clan rules, we are permitted to request leave from the General Affairs Hall to visit our families during the assembly period.” Gu Changze’s parents were mortals.
He went home to visit them whenever the assembly was held, once every three years.
“You have family in the mortal world too, don’t you, Seventeenth Brother?
I came by to ask if you’d like to accompany me to the General Affairs Hall so we can make the trip together.” Gu Changhuan considered this.
“Do we travel independently, or do we go with the elders presiding over the assembly?” “With the presiding elders, of course.
Our Gu Clan borders the demon territories, so we cannot afford to be careless.
The supervisor is at least in the late stage of Qi Condensation, ensuring our safety along the way.” “Shall we go now, then?
By the way, which town or village is your family from, Sixth Brother?
I’m from Jade Clear Town.” If they weren’t from the same area, traveling together wouldn’t be convenient.
Gu Changze replied with a hint of surprise, “I’m not from Jade Clear Town itself, but my family’s village falls under its administration.” “Then let’s go to the General Affairs Hall right away.” The two of them left the courtyard together.
Over the past six months, Gu Changhuan had familiarized himself with the paths of Emerald Maple Mountain and grown close to many clan members.
Though the Gu Clan was a modest Foundation Establishment family, its internal bonds remained strong.
Gu Wanhua now managed the General Affairs Hall.
She had set off on her travels several years earlier and returned a few months ago, taking up the elder’s post.
The upcoming Spirit Root Testing Assembly was her responsibility as well.
She was unsurprised to see the pair; they were not the first to ask for leave.
“Changze and Changhuan?
Here to apply for home visits?” Before either could speak, Gu Wanhua asked with a smile.
“Greetings, Elder.” “Greetings, Elder.” After they bowed properly, Gu Changze spoke first.
“You guessed it, Elder!
We are both from the Jade Clear Town area and would like permission to visit our families.” “The elder leading the team to Jade Clear Town will be your Uncle Shiyuan.
He sets out from Emerald Maple Mountain on the seventh day of next month; make sure to find him beforehand.” With that, Gu Wanhua produced two talismans.
“These are second-tier low-grade defensive talismans.
One for each of you.” Gu Changze stared in astonishment.
A talisman of that grade could easily fetch at least five hundred low-grade spirit stones in the cultivation market!
“Grandaunt, that’s a defensive talisman worth five hundred low-grade spirit stones!” Gu Changze said in a trembling voice, without reaching for it.
Gu Changze’s reaction told Gu Changhuan how precious the talisman was.
An ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator could not acquire one casually.
These Foundation Establishment elders were certainly generous—he had received several treasures already since coming to the mountain!
Gu Wanhua pressed the talismans into their hands with a pleased look.
“I drew them myself.
And another thing…” Her expression shifted instantly, and she brought a hand down sharply on Gu Changze’s head.
“What did you just call me?
Am I really that old?” Gu Changhuan chuckled softly.
Mortal or cultivator, it seemed every woman wanted to stay young and beautiful forever.
“But you are our grandaunt!
And the prettiest grandaunt in the Gu Clan.
Even Patriarch Yu Daoyan looks a little less beautiful beside you!” Knowing he had misspoken, Gu Changze quickly found the words to flatter Gu Wanhua, leaving her delighted.
Yu Daoyan was a renowned beauty in the Nine Perches Mountains and the head of the Yanshan Yu Family.
“Seventeenth Brother, wouldn’t you say I’m right?” Gu Changze had spotted Gu Changhuan laughing to himself and was not about to let him off so easily.