When I Achieved Sainthood, the Immortal Official Actually Called Me to Raise Horses!

On the battlefield.

Dressed in black, Li Ya slowly lifted his Northern Sea Heavy Sword from his back. His expression was cold, and his eyes burned with fighting spirit as he stared at his opponent, standing a hundred feet away—An Hao.

An Hao stood tall, wearing an elegant blue robe adorned with a gold-threaded purple belt. His long hair was neatly tied beneath a silver crown, which was embedded with a golden phoenix.

At that moment, he was casually adjusting his ornate bracers, the gentle wind ruffling the strands of black hair at his temples. His brilliant smile exuded an air of absolute confidence.

Tilting his chin slightly, he looked at Li Ya and smirked. “Up until now, you’ve relied entirely on your sword’s weight to overpower your opponents. But this time, your opponent is me—so don’t even think about holding back.”

Li Ya asked, “An Hao, how old are you this year?”

An Hao replied, “Forty. Why?”

Forty years old and already at the ninth level of Core Formation...

Li Ya fell silent.

Just hearing that was enough to make anyone jealous.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his Northern Sea Heavy Sword and said, “Then let me see the strength of the Taixuan Sect’s number one genius!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged forward, crossing three steps in an instant, his sword cleaving down with immense force.

The massive blade sliced through the air, generating powerful shockwaves.

An Hao, in response, simply raised two fingers on his right hand. With a flick, he formed a sword aura, effortlessly parrying Li Ya’s strike.

Clang!

Sword light exploded.

The two fighters weaved through the battlefield, their movements swift and relentless.

The duel was fierce and lightning-fast, drawing waves of cheers from the Outer Sect City.

Gu An, standing atop a rooftop, watched the battle unfold.

Beside him, Wu Jue landed lightly, also gazing up at the sky-screen projection. He sighed, “These two are incredible.”

“That’s expected,” Gu An replied. “They’re the top talents of the Taixuan Sect, after all.”

Both An Hao and Li Ya were at the Core Formation Stage, but their battle far surpassed the level of other Core Formation cultivators.

Li Ya’s strikes were heavy and ferocious, each one carrying the momentum of splitting mountains and rivers.

An Hao, in contrast, was effortlessly graceful, countering Li Ya’s blows with complete ease.

Their speed was phenomenal—most of the outer sect disciples couldn’t even follow their movements.

Only the flashes of sword light gave away their locations.

Clang!

An Hao suddenly flipped midair, swinging his arm downward. His sword aura pressed against Li Ya, forcing him to bend his knees.

The Northern Sea Heavy Sword, held above his head, trembled violently under the overwhelming force.

Li Ya hadn’t expected An Hao to match his Dragon Elephant Divine Essence-enhanced strength.

The pressure was immense.

Boom!

A terrifying surge of sword intent erupted, sending An Hao flying.

He twisted in midair, landing smoothly a hundred feet away.

Instead of being rattled, An Hao grinned wildly, his laughter almost manic.

The battle-screen was enchanted to transmit some of the combat pressure to spectators, ensuring they understood that the fights weren’t staged.

Thus, when Li Ya unleashed his sword intent, the entire Taixuan Sect trembled in excitement.

“That’s the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path’s sword intent!”

“Li Ya inherited the Sword Sovereign’s legacy?!”

“I trained at the Heavenly Mending Platform before—that is definitely the Sword Sovereign’s sword intent!”

“Li Ya is incredible! So he’s actually the strongest royal disciple!”

“He’s even stronger than his sister, Li Xuanyu!”

In the Outer Sect City, the atmosphere exploded with discussion.

Li Ya’s use of the Taicang Frightening God Sword had stunned everyone.

Beside Gu An, Wu Jue felt the oppressive sword intent and murmured in awe, “Incredible… Beating him won’t be easy.”

Gu An shot him a look.

Just ‘not easy’?

Covered in sword intent, Li Ya straightened his posture, lifting his massive sword and pointing it at An Hao.

His black hair whipped wildly in the wind, and his black robe billowed, his entire aura undergoing a drastic transformation.

“The real fight begins now,” Li Ya said coldly.

He hadn’t expected to reveal his trump card this early.

It was just unlucky that he ran into An Hao so soon.

Still, with the Taicang Frightening God Sword unleashed, he believed the fight was already over.

Even though An Hao hadn’t used any powerful spells yet, no spell could match the might of the Taicang Frightening God Sword.

Having been away for years, Li Ya had no idea about An Hao’s true strength.

But when he saw An Hao still smiling, he felt uneasy.

Was this guy insane?

An Hao dusted off his robe, his lips curling into a smirk.

Boom!

A monstrous surge of sword intent erupted from An Hao, far surpassing Li Ya’s.

The entire valley trembled, and an overwhelming sword aura condensed above An Hao’s head, forming a colossal spectral face that loomed over Li Ya.

Compared to this terrifying manifestation, Li Ya appeared insignificantly small—his own sword intent seemed utterly feeble.

“Impossible! You can use the Taicang Frightening God Sword too?!”

Li Ya gasped in shock, his face filled with disbelief.

The Outer Sect City erupted in chaos—

“An Hao also inherited the Sword Sovereign’s legacy?!”

Standing atop the Heavenly Mending Platform, the Nightshade Ghost Mother furrowed her brows as she watched the sky-screen.

Even she was shaken.

The Taicang Frightening God Sword, which had disappeared for thousands of years, had now resurfaced with three different inheritors?

As someone who knew its origins, she was deeply unsettled.

At the same time, her awe toward the Sword Sovereign grew stronger.

She could tell that both An Hao and Li Ya had indeed inherited their sword intent from the same master.

Inside the battle-screen.

An Hao soared into the air, gazing down at Li Ya with an imposing presence.

Smiling, he declared, “Since we share the same master, let’s see whose sword intent is stronger!”

He raised his right hand, palm facing Li Ya.

His smile disappeared.

The moment Li Ya used the Taicang Frightening God Sword, An Hao had felt a sense of kinship—Li Ya was his fellow disciple.

But even so, he would not hold back.

An Hao was born to be the strongest!

Every opponent had to kneel before him!

With a piercing gaze, An Hao activated his sword intent, and the giant spectral face above him opened its eyes.

Countless sword shadows burst forth like a galaxy of stars, their immense power overwhelming.

Li Ya gritted his teeth, gripping his sword tightly as he prepared his strongest technique.

His expression twisted with determination, and he roared in his heart—

“I CANNOT LOSE!”

The two monumental forces collided.

The entire city was engulfed in blinding sword light.

Wu Jue’s face was illuminated, and for a moment, he was completely lost in the sight.

Murmuring to himself, he admitted, “An Hao is too strong… I don’t stand a chance.”

If his opponent were Li Ya, he might still have some hope.

But against An Hao?

He had zero confidence.

Gu An, meanwhile, remained expressionless.

He was pleased to see both fighters growing stronger.

But knowing that Li Ya was about to suffer a heavy defeat…

He couldn’t bring himself to feel happy.

In fact, he even suspected that Lü Baitian had arranged this match on purpose—

Perhaps to humiliate Li Xuandao’s beloved son?

Moments later, the sword energy dissipated.

The ground lay in ruins.

Covered in blood, Li Ya collapsed, his black robe tattered, completely drained of strength.

“The winner is An Hao of the Taicang Empire’s Taixuan Sect!”

As soon as the elder announced the result, the entire city erupted in excitement.

Everyone marveled at An Hao’s overwhelming strength.

Before, he had never unleashed such spectacular sword techniques, yet he had always won effortlessly.

But this time, all witnessed the sheer power of his sword aura and spiritual energy—it was so astonishing that he hardly seemed like a Core Formation cultivator.

In fact, his might was more comparable to a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator.

Gu An glanced at Wu Jue and warned, “If you run into An Hao, don’t try to fight him head-on.”

At the same level, anyone who faced An Hao was guaranteed to be eliminated.

Even Wu Jue, despite his multiple enlightenment experiences, was no exception.

Among all the tournament participants, Gu An himself was likely the only one who could defeat An Hao—but he had no intention of doing so, and Lü Baitian wouldn’t let him face An Hao anyway.

“You should be careful too,” Wu Jue muttered.

Gu An chuckled. This kid was getting interesting.

News of An Hao inheriting the legacy of the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path spread like wildfire, shaking the entire cultivation world.

Meanwhile, Li Ya, the loser of the duel, was quickly overshadowed.

Most people believed that his sword intent was merely an enlightenment gained at the Heavenly Mending Platform, not the true inheritance of the Sword Sovereign.

Even though both wielded the Taicang Frightening God Sword, Li Ya’s sword intent paled in comparison to An Hao’s.

Thus, while An Hao’s fame soared, Li Ya was quickly forgotten.

After his defeat, Li Ya never sought out Gu An, likely nursing his injuries and brooding in seclusion.

Ten days later.

In Horizon Valley, Gu An met Li Xuandao.

From afar, Li Xuandao waved him over, prompting Gu An to take a seat.

Around the table, Lü Xian, Yi Liuyun, and Luo Hun were already seated.

Seeing Gu An approach, Luo Hun tactfully gave up his seat.

“How’s Li Ya doing?” Li Xuandao asked with a booming laugh, showing no hint of concern over his son’s defeat.

Gu An noticed that Li Xuandao’s cultivation had increased again—he had now reached the Third Level of the Void Transformation Stage.

To be honest, Gu An would have loved to see Li Xuandao participate in the Golden Ranking Tournament.

He was confident that Li Xuandao could easily reach the top ten.

After all, he was under three hundred years old, meaning he still met the eligibility requirements.

For someone not even three hundred years old to reach Void Transformation Third Level, he was undoubtedly one of the greatest prodigies in the world.

“I’m not sure,” Gu An replied. “He hasn’t come to see me.”

Li Xuandao sighed, “Losing to An Hao isn’t shameful. His reputation has already spread to the other eight dynasties, and the entire world acknowledges his unparalleled talent.”

Indeed, setting aside pure combat ability, just An Hao’s rate of cultivation alone made him unmatched.

Even Jiang Qiong had only reached Core Formation at forty years old, which was already considered peerless genius-level talent.

Yet, at forty, An Hao was already capable of reaching the Nascent Soul Stage—the only reason he hadn’t broken through yet was that he was deliberately delaying it for the tournament.

If he were to fight a ninth-level Nascent Soul cultivator at his true level, even if he could win, it would be an extremely costly battle.

However, with the tournament’s level suppression, forcing all fighters to Core Formation Ninth Level, An Hao had zero competition.

Gu An nodded. “An Hao is indeed formidable. Senior Brother Li was just unlucky.”

Lü Xian scoffed, “No worries. I’ll avenge Li Ya myself.”

So far, Lü Xian had fought three battles—not a single opponent had lasted more than ten moves against him.

At this point, Li Xuandao turned his gaze toward Gu An.

“I sent your disciple, Ye Yan, to train at the Three Pure Mountains of the Shen Tang Dynasty,” Li Xuandao said. “When he returns, he will be a completely different person.”

Ye Yan?

Gu An recalled the disciple who always carried a long spear—he hadn’t expected Ye Yan to receive such a major opportunity.

Of course, Gu An understood Li Xuandao’s message loud and clear.

Without Li Xuandao’s influence, Ye Yan never would’ve been given such an opportunity.

“Thank you, Uncle,” Gu An immediately responded.

Li Xuandao then added, “Tell me… if I manage to recruit the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path, would my claim to the throne be secure?”

Gu An replied without hesitation.

“Even without him, you’ll sit firmly on the throne.”

Hearing this, Li Xuandao burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Yi Liuyun and Lü Xian remained silent—they agreed completely with Gu An.

After laughing for a while, Li Xuandao’s expression turned serious.

“I’ve already figured out who the Sword Sovereign is.”