The Long Journey to Immortality

Chapter 153 Qi Refining Level 10

Interestingly, organizing this selection competition, which involved all the small and medium-sized sects in the Central Plains region, was quite a complicated process.

After the meeting, in order to make this favor even more effective, the three major sects, after granting one person a spot to enter the ancient cultivation secret realm, washed their hands of the matter and left it to the various sects in the Central Plains, large and small, to organize, arrange, and formulate the rules.

Although most sects, like the Zhengyi Sect, have internal competitions similar to major and minor competitions, this was the first time they had ever encountered such a massive competition involving sects throughout the Central Plains.

It took quite a bit of effort just to select the eight major sects to host the selection competition.

Xuan Yang Valley is slightly better than Zheng Yi Sect, but the overall strength of the cultivation world in the Southern Dynasty is not much worse than that in the Northern Dynasty.

Among these nearly one hundred sects, the middle and upper-ranked sects reached a tacit agreement immediately: the sects participating in the organization and arrangement of the competition must be evenly distributed according to region and evenly distributed according to north and south.

Even so, the opportunity to temporarily rise above other sects still made many sects that aspired to be among the top ten in the Central Plains region fight tooth and nail for it.

After all, this is a time of peace, and there are only so many things to fight for and grab. Most ambitious sects care a lot about rankings and positions.

With too many monks and too little porridge, this matter alone involved a lot of back and forth, with meetings of all sizes taking a full three months to finally settle.

This was only accomplished with the help of the Seven Mountains Alliance, a major sect that operates on the periphery of the Central Plains cultural sphere, acting as a mediator.

If it weren't for the Seven Mountains Alliance mediating, the nearly twenty sects that were capable of being selected as the eight major sects would probably have argued until the end of the Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm, and still wouldn't have reached a conclusion.

The eight major sects selected are located in the south and the north, with their mountain gates distributed relatively evenly across the Central Plains. They are also strong enough to command respect, and with the Seven Mountains Alliance backing them up, everything is naturally easy to discuss.

With eight leaders in place, things became much easier afterward.

There is only one spot available, but there are numerous sects and cultivators eager to enter and participate in the ancient cultivation secret realm.

All eight major sects have a say, and since it's all under the watchful eyes of everyone, there's no question of backdoor deals. If you fight according to the rules and defeat everyone, then the spot will naturally be awarded to you.

However, it took another three months to draft these regulations.

Ultimately, the eight major sects decided to hold their own selection competitions.

First, each of the other minor sects in their respective regions will select one representative to participate in the competition. Based on the region, the eight strongest Qi Refining cultivators in each region will be selected.

Finally, the eight people will be gathered together for a round-robin tournament, and the final winner of this ancient cultivation secret realm will be determined by their scores.

The rules are not complicated, but due to the vastness of the Central Plains region, the selection competition has already begun in some areas, even though there are still nearly nine months before the opening of the ancient cultivation secret realm.

Most sects first conduct internal selections to choose the most outstanding disciples to participate in the competition.

But while some choose the right path, others naturally want to take the wrong one.

There are quite a few disciples of major sects like Wen Erya who are related to minor sects.

Many high-level Qi Refining disciples who cultivated in the three major sects received invitations from their "home" sects, wanting them to temporarily leave their sects and return home to serve as mercenaries.

Compared to the disciples of major sects like Zhengyi Sect and Xuanyang Valley, although the disciples of these smaller sects participating in the selection competition also had cultivation levels of Qi Refining Level 10 or higher, their strength was far inferior to that of the three major sects.

Although he wasn't as weak as Song Zhengqi of the Tang Clan, who was easily defeated by Han Lu, he wasn't much better off.

Lacking cultivation resources, protective magic weapons, and advanced cultivation techniques and secret arts to learn, it's no wonder that the gap between the rich and poor in the cultivation world is widening, and many small sects are quite concerned about this rare opportunity for advancement.

Everything they could possibly possess and obtain in the ancient cultivation realm was exactly what they desired and longed for.

Thinking about taking shortcuts and trying your luck, hoping to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle, is not uncommon.

However, among these invited disciples, only a small number, out of old affection and in light of reality, changed their registered residence and returned to their ancestral home, becoming immigrants in the selection competition.

After all, the three major sects have a large number of slots available.

Although there are many skilled individuals among them, the chances of succeeding are much higher if one tries to seek this opportunity as a disciple of one of the three major sects.

This matter wasn't really related to Han Lu and Wen Erya, but with Piaomiaozi's permission, they still made a special trip to assess their competitors.

After spending half a day, we arrived at the Shuijing Sect, the closest competition venue to the Zhengyi Sect, to soak up the atmosphere, broaden our horizons, and see just how capable these competitors from other minor sects really were.

Of course, Piaomiaozi also wanted to raise the vigilance of his two disciples, so that they would not be too arrogant or complacent.

The regional competition held in the Water Mirror Sect will last for seven days, but Han Lu and Wen Erya only watched half a day of the competition before choosing to return.

This short trip was not very fruitful and could be described as boring, and Piaomiaozi's plan can be said to have failed.

After watching the clumsy performances of cultivators from other minor sects on the arena for a long time, Han Lu, who originally thought she had a 50% chance of easily advancing, changed the "50%" to "70%".

She even felt that even if her fellow disciples were three times stronger than the cultivators from these smaller sects, she would still be able to overcome all obstacles and obtain one of the seven spots after advancing to the twelfth level of Qi Refining.

As for Wen Erya, her thoughts were not much different from Han Lu's.

Having obtained the "cheat code" of Han Chan Peak, Wen Er Ya, who advanced to the tenth level of Qi Refining before Han Lu, is in a state of overflowing confidence.

Having been raised with the idea of ​​not wanting to be second to anyone, she was determined to secure a spot.

Not long after returning to Zhengyi Sect from Shuijing Sect, Han Lu made another trip to the Jingshi on Hanchan Peak, where she spent a full four hours cultivating in that sacred place of cultivation, using up all the remaining time of the month.

During these four hours, Han Lu spent most of her time opening up the last acupoint in the tenth level of Qi Refining spiritual veins.

This acupoint was the only bottleneck Han Lu had encountered during her year and a half of cultivation at the Qi Refining Mirror stage.

For Han Lu, this was a bottleneck, and it took her more than two hours to barely break through it on Hanchan Peak.

But if others heard this, and knew that Han Lu had opened the last acupoint of the tenth spiritual vein in just over two hours, they would be absolutely astonished.

It should be understood that, whether it is Feng Bailu or the vast majority of other cultivators, they are helpless when it comes to this last acupoint that most cultivators need to open in their lifetime. They often need to grind away the time, just like opening a spiritual energy channel, and it takes two months, three months or even half a year to completely open it.

Even a genius like Wen Erya had to first coax and persuade before finally succeeding on Hanchan Peak, taking a full half month to open this acupoint.

Sitting upright in the quiet room, feeling the spiritual energy around her gradually dwindling, Han Lu, who had just completed her breakthrough, looked inward at the ten vibrant spiritual meridians within her body, feeling great.

[Author's Note] I will add an extra chapter if either TICN wins the championship or CS:GO Major FaZe wins the championship.

Chapter 154 After Refining Qi to the Tenth Level

However, this good mood only lasted for a moment.

Han Lu discovered that she had no experience in opening the eleventh or even twelfth spiritual meridian, and was unsure of what to do after advancing to the tenth level of Qi Refining.

There's a saying in the cultivation world.

The general idea is that if a cultivator fails to establish their foundation before the age of thirty, they will have no chance of doing so.

Given that this method is effective for 99.9% of cultivators, Feng Bailu, who barely advanced to the tenth level of Qi Refining at the age of twenty-eight, did not attempt to go any further. Instead, he directly chose to establish his foundation and merged into the backbone of the cultivation world—the Foundation Establishment cultivators.

As for Xiaoyaozi, he followed a rogue cultivator from the East Sea to cultivate. His own aptitude was only average. He never dared to hope to form a Golden Core or even nurture a Nascent Soul. Therefore, he only stopped at the tenth level of Qi Refining and did not stay in this "beginner stage" to consolidate his foundation.

What should I do if I feel lost and don't know what to do?

Han Lu, who was walking down the mountain along the path, made a clean turn and went to look for Piaomiaozi.

When Piaomiaozi took Han Lu and Wen Erya in, he valued their strong self-management skills, which would allow him, who already had many disciples, to become a hands-off manager.

But to my surprise, Han Lu and Wen Erya were too outstanding.

This made Piaomiaozi, who later wanted to develop a stronger master-disciple relationship with the two, somewhat embarrassed.

Aside from providing cultivation resources and occasionally inquiring about his cultivation progress, he couldn't find a way to fulfill his role as a master.

This time, Han Lu suddenly took the initiative to come to him with questions, which surprised Piaomiaozi. He devoted himself to teaching her, wishing he could tell Han Lu everything he knew so that he could be more worthy of the title of master.

Han Lu's question wasn't difficult, and Piaomiaozi had plenty of experience to share on it.

Back then, Piaomiaozi only took the Foundation Establishment Pill to establish his foundation after reaching the eleventh level of Qi Refining.

Piaomiaozi, who was already a Golden Core cultivator, felt quite regretful about this.

He believed that if he could be a little more patient and persevere for a while, and then advance to the twelfth level of Qi Refining before Foundation Establishment, he might have already formed a mid-grade Golden Core, giving him a better chance of advancing to the mid-stage or even late-stage Golden Core.

Therefore, when he was a master and took on disciples, Piaomiaozi treated genius cultivators like Shui Bingxin and Li Haoqiong with the highest standards.

He didn't want his apprentice to regret things like he did in the future.

The experience came from my own experience, combined with the experience gained from educating several of Han Lu's senior classmates.

Answering this question with such rich practical experience was indeed a piece of cake for Piaomiaozi.

When answering, Piaomiaozi first helped Han Lu sort out her thoughts, "Leaving aside the matter of the ancient cultivation secret realm, the fundamental purpose of opening up the eleventh and twelfth spiritual veins is to improve the effect of Foundation Establishment, so that cultivators can bear more spiritual power in their dantian and sea of ​​qi during the Foundation Establishment period."

Han Lu nodded in agreement, "Master's words are indeed very insightful."

Seeing that Han Lu understood his meaning, Piaomiaozi continued, "I don't know the spiritual vein routes in your family's secret manual, but as far as I know, in most manuals, the eleventh and twelfth spiritual veins will be in contact with or related to the other ten spiritual veins, and both of these spiritual veins will be connected to a major acupoint near the dantian."

Upon hearing this, Han Lu recalled the secret manual she had already memorized perfectly and said, "Master is right."

“When cultivators at the eleventh or twelfth level of Qi Refining establish their foundation, most of their spiritual energy will pass through the junction of these two spiritual veins and other spiritual veins, converging together and flowing into their Qi Sea and Dantian through these two spiritual veins,” Piaomiaozi analyzed, then summarized in stages. “However, the time for establishing a foundation is limited, so the width of the spiritual energy channels in these two spiritual veins is very important in order to send all the spiritual energy in the spiritual veins into the Qi Sea and Dantian.”

"And for someone like you who has opened up so many acupoints and possesses so much spiritual power at the Qi Refining stage, this is especially important," Piaomiaozi added.

Han Lu nodded, already understanding how she should behave during cultivation.

Turning these two spiritual veins into wide roads that allow twelve carriages to pass side by side is what Han Lu should do.

With this goal in mind, Piaomiaozi also taught his top disciples many techniques for expanding spiritual energy channels during cultivation.

The progress of the cultivation civilization is slow, and most of the content taught by Piaomiaozi consists of key points that were summarized thousands or tens of thousands of years ago.

Of course, how to establish a subtle connection between the last two spiritual veins and the currently empty Qi Sea and Dantian is also part of Piaomiaozi's teachings.

A master and his student sat facing each other, one talking eloquently and the other listening attentively, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

After leaving Piaomiaozi's residence, Han Lu had a clear plan for her cultivation over the next few months and set many small goals for herself during her cultivation.

With Piaomiaozi's guidance, Han Lu was no longer confused and had a clear direction. As a result, Han Lu was able to continue to move towards the peak of the Qi Refining stage at an inhuman speed.

While Han Lu was diligently cultivating, news came from the arena of the eight major sects outside the Zhengyi Sect.

Eight cultivators stood out from numerous cultivators of the same level and dominated a competition area.

Ultimately, through communication between the eight major sects, Zhengyi Sect, and Xuanyang Valley, the final selection competition for the qualification to enter the ancient cultivation secret realm was held in Moyu City of the Southern Dynasty, with Moyu Sect responsible for organizing the event.

Each of the three major sects arranged for a deputy to attend the ceremony, adding a touch of grandeur to this event with only eight cultivators participating.

The competition was scheduled four months before the opening of the Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm. The sects that nurtured these eight cultivators all mobilized their entire families, with almost all their disciples coming to the Moyu Sect in Moyu City to cheer for their outstanding disciples.

The seven rounds of competition were held over seven days, and the strength of these cultivators, who had gained the absolute support of their respective sects, had improved considerably since they participated in the regional preliminary selection.

If Han Lu and Wen Erya had time to come here to watch the battle, they would most likely cheer for some of them.

The round-robin format, which was fair and just, made the competition less exciting. By the sixth day of the competition, two cultivators had emerged as the most likely contenders for the spot.

Ultimately, due to the head-to-head results, one of the two monks who both won six matches became the final champion.

Amid cheers from his fellow disciples, Duan Yun, a cultivator from the Southern Dynasty who studied under the Nanshan Sect, received the token symbolizing the "entry ticket to the Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm" from the White Fairy of the Seven Mountains Alliance, becoming the first cultivator confirmed to be able to enter the Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm.