Chapter 238: Seven Days in the Sky, the World is Vast

After passing down thePrimal Heaven and Earth Artto An Hao, Gu An didn’t linger on the island for long and quickly departed.

From the sky, he saw towering waves surging in the distance, originating from the place where he had broken through. The sheer volume of spiritual energy he had absorbed caused the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to sink, inevitably shaking the ocean.

Fortunately, there were no human-inhabited continents in that sea region. The creatures capable of surviving there all had cultivation, so even if the islands were submerged, they wouldn't necessarily perish. Besides, the waves were merely sweeping across rather than causing the sea level to rise.

Gu An only gave it a brief glance and didn't dwell on it—there was no need to burden himself unnecessarily.

He carried goodwill in his heart, doing his best to avoid harming innocent beings. However, if his cultivation unavoidably implicated them, then so be it—he would never stop moving forward because of it.

Upon returning toTaixuan Sect, Gu An first wandered aroundXuan Valley.

Lu Jiu Jia and the errand disciples had long since grown accustomed to his absence. Although Gu An frequently visited Xuan Valley, everyone knew that his main focus was in theInner Sect Medicine Valley, and they understood. Without him around, they actually felt less pressure.

After staying for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Gu An finally made his way to theThird Medicine Valley.

Compared to Xuan Valley, the Third Medicine Valley was much livelier.

For him, the hundred-year lifespan of a mortal was but a fleeting moment.

He turned his eyes towardAn Xinand peered into her past—sure enough, he saw his own figure.

If he could see the past of mortals, then so could otherFree Soaring Immortals. This made him even more certain of his decision.

It was fortunate that he had remained inTaixuan Sect. If he had wandered the world freely, the karma he created would have only grown larger. If one of those hiddenFree Soaring Immortalscaught sight of him and found his rate of growth unreasonable, it could spell trouble.

Gu An walked up to the wooden fence of the garden, lifting his gaze. His vision had far surpassed what it once was, making him all the more aware of the vastness of theHeavenly Great Realm.

The name was well deserved!

This continent alone was already far larger than Earth from his past life, yet within the entirety of theGreat Realm, it was no more than a speck of dust.

As his vision expanded, he saw more and moreCelestial Ascendantsmoving about.

He could even see the world beyond—the starry seas glowed brilliantly, filled with endless wonders. Some starlight rivers surged like great tides, countless stars tumbling within, while some vast nebulas resembled aCreation Divine Tree, standing at the center of the cosmos, guiding all things.

Gu An’s gaze was drawn to the great suns illuminating heaven and earth.

Beyond theHeavenly Great Realm, there weren’t just one or two suns—there wereseven, each incomprehensibly massive, revolving around the realm in some mysterious pattern that ensured the cycle of seasons and day-night balance.

With his eyesight, he could tell that each of these seven suns housed a colossal, enigmatic being.

Some were avian, some were beasts, and some even took human form—each of them exuded an awe-inspiring presence.

The suns' surfaces were shrouded by some kind of barrier, preventing Gu An from perceiving their true forms or probing them with hislifespan perception.

He only took a fleeting glance before withdrawing his gaze—he had no desire to disturb whatever dwelled within them.

AFree Soaring Immortalcould easily traverse the heavens and venture into the outer cosmos, but Gu An had no such intentions for now.

Staying in Taixuan Sect was good enough.

He had no urgent enemies to face, no pressing need for adventure.

If he truly wished, he could roam the world unseen—below theFree Soaring Immortalrealm, none could perceive or interact with him.

Gu An turned his gaze toward the distant horizon. His vision extended across millions of miles in an instant, sweeping rapidly through vast seascapes.

He saw even grander continents, countless conflicts, wars between nations, battles betweenGrandmasters of the Immortal Dao, and divine beasts revered as gods soaring through the heavens, with mortal beings prostrating before them.

Yet there were also places where even his vision could not penetrate—places where, perhaps,Free Soaring Immortalslurked.

Such locations were either far removed from the mortal world or nestled deep within the bustling territories of humans and demons.

He even spotted a continent teeming with immortal cultivators, where thelowestrealm wasNirvana Stage—a sight that left him astonished.

Luckily, that continent was unfathomably distant.

Even forNirvana Stagecultivators, crossing such distances was nearly impossible. The journey was filled with perilous lands—he had just witnessed aScattered Immortalbeing devoured by a colossal sea beast in an instant.

ThatScattered Immortalhad been moving at a speed beyond mortal comprehension, yet it mattered not—the sea beast swallowed him whole before he could react.

Gu An felt as if he were on an expedition, uncovering the world's secrets.

It was exhilarating.

He couldn't stop.

He didn't know how much time had passed whenYou Yingyingsuddenly appeared beside him, asking,

"What are you thinking about? You’ve been staring off for a long time."

Gu An withdrew his gaze, turned to her, and smiled lightly.

"I was wondering just how vast theStarsea Sect Alliancetruly is and how big the world outside must be."

You Yingying laughed. "If you want to explore the ocean, I can arrange it for you. As for the size ofStarsea Sect Alliance—even I don’t know. The seas it controls are vast beyond imagination, easily tens of thousands of times larger than this continent. And that’s just my rough estimate."

Gu An nodded slightly.

A domain tens of thousands of times larger than the continent? That was certainly vast, but to him, it still wasn’tthatbig. He could see even further beyond.

Did theStarsea Sect Alliancehave anyFree Soaring Immortals?

Perhaps, but he doubted they resided in the mortal world.

Even though Gu An could gaze across the world, he had yet toseeanotherFree Soaring Immortal.

It was as if their kind could not perceive one another.

Perhaps that was the true meaning ofFree Soaring!

"You know," You Yingying mused, "theStarsea Sect Alliance’s internal trials are coming up soon. I wonder ifXuantian Yiwill make a name for himself this time."

Gu An raised an eyebrow. "Are there any entry requirements?"

Li Ya, Zhang Bukui, and An Hao had all joinedStarsea Sect Alliance. Gu An was eager to see if they could carve out a reputation for themselves.

"There aren't any. Anyone under a thousand years old can participate. Oh, right—Li YafromTaixuan Sectwill likely enter. ThatDivine Anomaly Cityis aPseudo-Supreme Immortal Treasure—a lot of geniuses will be challenging him."

You Yingying smirked mischievously, clearly anticipating the chaos.

They continued chatting, mostly about theStarsea Sect Alliance. Though You Yingying had no desire to return, she took immense pride in her sect and subtly belittledTaixuan Sect.

This only made Gu An more eager forTaixuan Sect’s future.

Who knew?

Ten thousand years from now, wouldTaixuan SectsurpassStarsea Sect Alliance?

Though Gu An had reached the ninth level ofFree Soaring Immortal, he was only 128 years old.

Forget the distant future—he was already eager for tomorrow.

Gu An and You Yingying chatted for a while longer before he moved to another location to continue observing theHeavenly Great Realm.

Far to the west, he saw a towering mountain range amidst a vast desert, shrouded in an endless storm of golden sand.

Atop the highest peak stood a grand palace, radiating golden light, with a steady stream of monks flying in and out.

More importantly, this palace was another place his vision could not penetrate—meaning it likely housed aFree Soaring Immortal.

The world was vast indeed.

It seemed that not allCelestial Ascendantsor higher-level beings left the mortal realm.

As the days passed, Gu An continued to observe the world whenever he had free time.

But what intrigued him the most was the north.

There lay an unimaginably vast continent—the largest he had ever seen.

Yet, despite his enhanced vision, he could only make out its outer edges. The moment his gaze tried to go deeper, it was blocked by an invisible force.

A mystical power surrounded this land—something omnipresent, something profound.

It had to befate itself.

EvenTaixuan Secthad accumulated a similar power, but compared to that northern continent, it was as insignificant as a grain of rice before the sun.

Gu An speculated that this must be the strongest region in the entireHeavenly Great Realm, though he couldn’t confirm it through mere observation alone.

The continent was so far from theThree Dynasties’ Territorythat crossing the mountains and seas to reach it would be more difficult than the legendaryJourney to the West.

Thus, the first spring of Gu An’sFree Soaring Immortalstage passed.

Despite stepping into an entirely new realm of cultivation, he continued living as he always had—wandering between different medicine valleys, visiting theOuter Sect Cityto read, sharing drinks with old friends.

His life was leisurely and content.

In the Forest

Wearing a blue robe,Yang Zhiattacked Gu An relentlessly, his movements swift and precise. His punches and kicks carried immense force, but Gu An remained stationary, casually countering each strike as if he had all the time in the world.

The faster Yang Zhi moved, the slower Gu An seemed in comparison.

Then, with a single kick, Gu An sent Yang Zhi flying backward. The young disciple crashed into a tree, shaking loose a cascade of leaves.

This time, Yang Zhi didn’t have the strength to get up. He had exhausted all his energy.

Yet, rather than feeling frustrated, he looked at his master with eager anticipation.

He knew he could never match Gu An, but he longed for his evaluation.

"The path of body cultivation is not so narrow,"Gu An remarked, his gaze steady.

"Your fists and feet can serve as weapons, but so can every part of your body."

Seeing his disciple’s rapid progress, Gu An felt a sense of satisfaction.

Yang Zhi’s growth rate was astonishing—even greater than An Hao’s back in the day.

Perhaps it was the lingering effects of that pill.

Regardless, Gu An was impressed.

He decided on a goal.

"Reach the Nirvana Stage within five hundred years!"

Until then, Yang Zhi was forbidden from venturing into the outside world for training. At most, he could visit his family.

Yang Zhi was unaware of the cultivation target his master had set for him. Standing up, he asked,

"Master, should I focus on cultivating the Myriad Forms Qi Technique or the Primal Heaven and Earth Art? And what about the Heaven and Earth Dao Gang Energy you taught me? All of these techniques feel incredibly profound—I can’t possibly master them all at once."

"Take your time,"Gu An advised.

"There’s no need to rush your breakthroughs. Build a solid foundation first."

Yang Zhi nodded in agreement.

Under Gu An’s guidance, he lacked nothing—he had pills, resources, and even had no personal expenses. There was truly no reason for him to rush.

After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly asked,

"Master, when do you plan to participate in the Grand Ranking Tournament?"