The Long Journey to Immortality

"Of course, Senior Wen is very wealthy. He directly threw out twenty taels of gold. It's only because the head of the Hu family is out doing business that he would have bought the pill formula as well."

Hearing this, Han Lu breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want Wen Erya to come all this way with her only to return empty-handed.

Song Zhengqi also wanted to show off the knowledge he had heard from Wen Erya in front of Han Lu, so he asked, "Senior Han, did you see the two True Spirits that just flew over the Yanzhao region?"

Han Lu nodded without changing her expression. "I noticed. What's wrong?"

"Does the senior know the origin of those two true spirits?" Song Zhengqi started, trying to bring Han Lu into his audience.

Han Lu pondered for a moment, then shook her head and nodded, intending to bring out her prepared explanation in advance as a prelude: "I know, yet I don't know."

"I know they flew out of the cave in that realm, but I don't know their origins. What, do you know?"

Upon hearing this, Song Zhengqi was greatly surprised. "It flew out of the forbidden cave? No wonder even Golden Core cultivators who enter that realm never return."

Combining the identity of the Ice Phoenix as a true spirit, Song Zhengqi seemed to suddenly understand the reason for the strangeness of the forbidden cave. He continued, "Senior Han, both of those phoenixes are true spirits. One is the Ice Phoenix, and the other seems to be a phantom phoenix. I reckon the two phoenixes are mother and daughter, which is why the fledgling's plumage is somewhat strange..."

Song Zhengqi told his story with his bizarre and twisted logic, leaving Han Lu both amused and exasperated. She knew it was full of errors, but she couldn't bring herself to point them out. She could only stand by and act as the best listener, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

Compared to the excellent listener Han Lu, Song Zhengqi's fellow apprentices were not so well-behaved.

They bombarded him with questions, forcing Song Zhengqi to give some rambling answers to fool them.

After chatting for half an hour, Song Zhengqi, who had been surrounded by everyone, was very satisfied. He felt that he had gained a lot of face in front of everyone and that he had spent half a day to rebuild his lofty image in front of his fellow disciples.

While they were having a pleasant conversation, Wen Erya suddenly appeared behind Han Lu.

"Junior sister, did you go to the forbidden area just now?"

Han Lu nodded, and just as she was about to speak, Song Zhengqi answered for her.

"Yes, Senior Han went to the forbidden area just now, and those two phoenixes flew out from there."

"Huh?" Wen Erya was also quite surprised.

Only then was Han Lu able to bring out the story she had prepared long ago again.

After hearing the story, Wen Erya did not doubt its authenticity. However, as a senior sister, she gave Han Lu a few words of advice, telling her not to recklessly put herself in danger.

Wen Erya failed as a senior sister by not interfering beforehand and giving Han Lu freedom, and then offering a few words of advice and expressing concern afterward. However, she was the best friend she could be.

Han Lu understood Wen Erya's intention and repeatedly agreed, promising not to worry Wen Erya again.

Wen Erya asked Zhen Ling a few more questions, while Han Lu simply said a few words according to the plot of the story she had prepared, stopping there.

The more you say, the more mistakes you make. Although it was a white lie, Han Lu didn't want it to be exposed immediately.

"But Senior Sister, what did the Tang Sect Leader say to you?" Han Lu changed the subject and took the initiative to inquire.

“It’s not a secret,” Wen Erya said without any intention of hiding anything. “They just asked about my master’s situation and whether I would be willing to sponsor the Tang Clan.”

It's rare for a wealthy, powerful, and talented grand-disciple to come knocking on our door, so the head of the Tang Clan naturally wants to get some benefits and convenience from Wen Erya in order to realize his dream of developing and expanding the Tang Clan.

"And what was your answer, senior sister?"

"What answer could I possibly give? This is, after all, the Northern Dynasty, and it's so far from Zhengyi Gate. All I can do is promise to donate some money to help Tangmen repair its buildings. There's nothing else I can do to help."

Lan Daoren treated Wen Erya well, and Wen Erya naturally had a good impression of the Tang family as well. However, she was just a princess of the Southern Dynasty, and even with privileges, she could not give the Tang family any special treatment.

As honored guests, Han Lu and Wen Erya were invited to stay at Tangmen for three days.

The two did not refuse. Having finally left Zhengyi Gate to travel, they naturally wanted to stay for a few more days.

It must be said that the cultivation life in small sects is quite different from that in large sects, and even guests like Han Lu and Wen Erya could clearly perceive the difference.

The number of Qi Refining disciples in the Tang Sect is less than one hundred, and their connections with each other are deeper than those of large sects like the Zheng Yi Sect.

Due to factors such as talent and resources, the cultivation atmosphere in Tangmen is only average. Even when the New Year is approaching, some Tangmen disciples will go down the mountain to find work to earn gold, silver, and spirit stones, using their status as cultivators to make money.

However, this was only the state exhibited by Qi Refining cultivators; the few Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Tang Sect exhibited the complete opposite behavior.

These Foundation Establishment cultivators, on whom the future of the Tang Clan is entrusted, wish they could spend ninety percent of the day cultivating and improving their cultivation, hoping to achieve the Golden Core as soon as possible. Even the lowest grade Golden Core would greatly strengthen the Tang Clan, allowing them to expand their influence from this small mountain to the entire Yanzhao region, surpassing other small sects by half.

After experiencing a New Year's Eve at Tangmen that was slightly different from that of the Southern Dynasty, Han Lu and Wen Erya embarked on their journey back to Zhengyimen on the first day of the new year.

With less than ten months until the opening of the ancient cultivation secret realm, the two, who considered entering it as a short-term goal, did not have much time to waste.

Returning to the sect as soon as possible to cultivate and test the effects of the Cold-Repelling Pill, while also working hard to raise their cultivation to the tenth or even eleventh level of Qi Refining, so that they can stand out in the final selection battle six months later, is what Wen Erya and Han Lu care about most right now.

Chapter 150 Traveling a Thousand Miles a Day

When Han Lu was flying with Feng Rubing above Yanzhao, she paid attention to her flight speed.

Although Han Lu had only just learned to fly at that time, she couldn't withstand the powerful physical strength of the True Spirit Ice Illusion Phoenix.

With only clumsy dual-wielding and without using any phoenix divine abilities, Han Lu's flight speed as a true spirit was already two to three times faster than when she was piloting a flying magical artifact.

If Han Lu weren't still trying to cover up the lie and didn't want Wen Erya to know too early that she possessed the bloodline of a True Spirit and was already able to transform into a True Spirit, she would most likely have volunteered to be Wen Erya's "mount," letting Wen Erya ride on her back to fly back to Zhengyi Sect, so as to avoid unnecessary waste of time on the way.

When they returned to Zhengyi Sect, it was only the seventh day of the new year, and the festive atmosphere was still quite strong among the Qi Refining disciples.

Because many disciples went home to visit their families, even the Zhengyi Sect, the number one sect in the Southern Dynasty, inevitably became deserted, with less than 70% of the disciples still remaining in the sect.

Morning classes were suspended for half a month, and evening classes in the first month of the new year were also postponed and held at the end of the month.

Upon returning to their sect, Han Lu and Wen Erya wasted no time.

The two first went together to find their master, Piaomiaozi, who had "approved their leave," to let him know they were safe.

Piaomiaozi was very attentive to the daily cultivation and life of his two outstanding disciples.

Piaomiaozi understood that if one of the two could make it into the final selection of seven people six months later, his status in the sect would rise considerably.

In addition, Han Lu and Wen Erya were easy-going disciples, so Piaomiaozi naturally put a lot of effort into them.

Upon seeing the two return safely, Piaomiaozi first casually asked a few questions about the Northern Tang Sect, then inquired about their experiences along the way. Finally, he expressed his concern and hoped that the two would focus on their cultivation for the next six months and not leave the sect to gain experience elsewhere.

Although the cultivation world was peaceful, and Han Lu and Wen Erya were both powerful Qi Refining cultivators, Piaomiaozi did not want any accidents to happen at this crucial moment.

The two, who had no plans to travel in the following months, readily agreed and thanked Piaomiaozi for his guidance over the past two years, expressing their determination in front of their Golden Core master.

The master and his students had a harmonious relationship, and all three parted on a pleasant note.

After leaving Piaomiaozi, Han Lu accompanied Wen Erya to the inner treasury to try and find a solution to Wen Erya's problem of climbing Hanchan Peak and entering the meditation room for cultivation.

In the matter of climbing Hanchan Peak, Wen Erya, as the senior sister and a disciple of a Golden Core cultivator, did not have the same privileges as Han Lu.

Han Lu is allowed to climb Hanchan Peak several times a month and enter the quiet room there to cultivate for a full six hours.

Wen Erya, however, was allowed free access to Hanchan Peak to meet with Piaomiaozi, while climbing to the summit and cultivating were forbidden options for her.

However, money can make the devil turn the millstone, and privileges can naturally be bought with money.

Once, in order to test whether she could cultivate on Cold Cicada Peak with her Qi Refining cultivation level, Wen Erya went through the back door and paid money to buy a special privilege.

This was the second time, so naturally, I was even more adept at it.

The cultivation at Hanchan Peak was clearly priced. Wen Erya, who had no shortage of spirit stones in her storage bag, naturally accepted the relatively harsh condition of exchanging spirit stones for contribution points. She spent fifteen spirit stones to obtain the opportunity to climb Hanchan Peak and cultivate for two hours.

“I’ll buy two hours first,” Wen Erya said nervously, holding the token in her hand. “I hope this time it will work.”

Wen Erya always felt uneasy about the pills she bought from ordinary merchants, but since things had come to this point, she had no choice but to try anything.

Although Wen Erya was exceptionally talented, her cultivation speed was not as fast as that of the prodigy Han Lu.

If the Cold-Repelling Pill cannot help her cultivate freely on Cold Cicada Peak, according to Wen Erya's calculations, by the time the final selection begins, she will most likely only have the cultivation level of the tenth or eleventh level of Qi Refining, which will inevitably put her at a disadvantage compared to the other candidates in terms of cultivation level.

In order to participate in the selection with the Qi Refining 12th level cultivation level, Wen Erya could only pin her hopes on the Cold Cicada Peak, a treasure trove of cultivation, which would allow her to advance rapidly and improve her cultivation level in a day.

They both reached the summit of Cold Cicada Peak. Although Han Lu had already resolved the issue of the cold, she did not refuse the "cold-repelling pill" offered by Wen Erya.

After thanking her, Han Lu swallowed the pill in one gulp.

After the Cold-Dispelling Pill entered her stomach, a warm current appeared in the spiritual meridians within Han Lu's body.

Upon seeing this, Han Lu exclaimed with delight, "Senior Sister, this pill is most likely to be useful."

The warm current gave Han Lu a feeling similar to the feeling of clearing away floating ice when the Ice Phoenix bloodline was activated in her body. Based on Han Lu's experience of cultivating on Cold Cicada Peak many times, the Cold-Repelling Pill probably wouldn't allow Wen Er Ya to cultivate freely on Cold Cicada Peak like Han Lu is now, but it would definitely allow Wen Er Ya to cultivate smoothly on Cold Cicada Peak like Han Lu did before she obtained the Ice Phoenix bloodline.

Upon hearing this, Wen Erya smiled and said, "That's great! Let's not waste any more time and go inside quickly."

“Okay,” Han Lu nodded, “See you in two hours.”

See you later.

After speaking, the two entered a quiet room and immediately entered a meditative state, cherishing every second spent in this sacred place of cultivation.

Just as Han Lu had guessed, the cold-repelling pills that Wen Erya bought did indeed have some effect.

Sensing the abundant spiritual energy around her, Wen Erya suppressed her joy, exerted herself to breathe deeply, gathered spiritual energy, and devoted herself to the great cause of expanding her territory.

The cultivation speed, which was three or even four times faster than usual, made Wen Erya see a bright future just around the corner.

If Wen Erya's cultivation speed was like taking two steps in three, turning walking into running.

Having obtained the bloodline of the Ice Phoenix and no longer fearing the extreme cold spiritual energy on Cold Cicada Peak, Han Lu's running ground was more like a change from a mountain forest path to the main road of the Southern Dynasty capital, which could accommodate six carriages passing side by side.

Without the occasional ice floes that hindered the flow of spiritual energy, Han Lu wished she could shout "That's great!" three times in the quiet room.

The Ice Phoenix bloodline obtained from Feng Rubing further enhanced Han Lu's spiritual root attributes. Han Lu, who was already quite compatible with the "Great Zhou Heavenly Water Condensation Technique," now felt as if this technique was tailor-made for her.

In just two hours, Han Lu broke through twelve acupoints in one go, increasing the number of acupoints she had opened to 260, which was not far from the tenth level of Qi Refining.

Two hours later, the two met outside the quiet room, both beaming with joy.

On their return journey, Wen Erya kept asking Han Lu about the specific details of the floating ice in the spiritual vein.

As if to make up for all the previous concealment, Han Lu imparted all her skills, methods, and experience in dealing with floating ice to her.

Wen Erya listened very attentively, almost taking notes.

After leaving Hanchan Peak, Wen Erya suddenly remembered something.

"How about we bring Zhan Yujun along next time..."

Wen Erya stopped speaking abruptly halfway through her sentence.

Although she was willing to provide the Cold-Repelling Pill to Han Lu and Zhan Yujun for free, this did not mean that Zhan Yujun had the financial means to exchange contribution points to purchase time for cultivation on Cold Cicada Peak.

Even if Wen Erya were willing to spend money to buy time, Zhan Yujun wouldn't accept such a generous gift given her personality.

Han Lu remained silent.

Although she was prepared, she still found it hard to let go when her friends became estranged due to the difference in their cultivation levels.