The Long Journey to Immortality

His cultivation level might be a little lacking, but his strength is by no means as poor as most people imagine.

Recalling the information about Yin Yixing in the documents, Han Lu slowly formulated a battle plan in her mind, reminding herself of the many details she needed to pay attention to during the battle.

After standing in front of the fourth arena for a moment, Han Lu stepped onto the arena at the call of a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the academy. A moment later, Yin Yixing stood on the other side of the arena, their eyes meeting.

Yin Yixing's attire was not unusual; he followed the path of a typical male cultivator, appearing unremarkable and having nothing to do with being handsome.

Standing on the arena, he looked like an ordinary passerby, not at all like an elite cultivator who had the opportunity to enter the ancient cultivation secret realm.

Nevertheless, Han Lu still politely bowed and introduced herself as the challenger, "Han Lu from Dongshan Academy."

Yin Yixing's expression changed slightly when he heard Han Lu introduce herself.

He returned the greeting after a moment, saying, "Yin Yixing, Xishan Academy."

Han Lu was no longer the unknown player she was two years ago. Many viewing guides listed her as a top favorite to become one of the final seven.

In addition, Han Lu's advancement to the twelfth level of Qi Refining in two and a half years has made her quite popular in the Zhengyi Sect. Even the academy once invited Han Lu as a special lecturer to give an evening class and share her cultivation experience with the newly entered disciples.

What's most unusual is that Han Lu, whose cultivation speed is exceptional, is precisely the object of comparison that many people use to criticize Yin Yixing behind his back.

These rumors naturally reached Yin Yixing's ears. So, even though Yin Yixing had only heard of Han Lu's name and had never had any contact with her, he still harbored some resentment towards her, feeling that Han Lu had caused him unnecessary controversy and trouble.

"That Han Lu must have used some crooked methods to open up her acupoints, otherwise how could she have advanced so quickly?"

Yin Yixing had muttered these words to himself countless times.

It was precisely because of this that, upon learning that his first opponent was Han Lu, Yin Yixing's fighting spirit instantly soared to its peak. He wished he could tear Han Lu apart to silence those who doubted him.

Han Lu sensed a hint of hostility in Yin Yixing's gaze, which puzzled her slightly.

"I don't even know him, why is he looking at me like I'm his father's killer?" Han Lu muttered to herself.

The two stared at each other for about three or four seconds before the Golden Core cultivator in charge of the arena's array restrictions activated them.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator from the academy, who had just verified the identities of the two, acted as the referee, standing below the arena and solemnly announcing the start of the countdown.

Han Lu has made up her mind to make a name for herself in these five "victories" so that she won't be "chosen" every day during the next six days of the competition and become a favorite challenger.

Therefore, after the referee announced the start of the match, she did not hesitate at all and used the strongest spell she could cast at the moment.

As the "True Phoenix Manual" inner cultivation method circulated within his body, three snow-white feathers sprouted from his left arm, which was concealed by long sleeves, and his originally black eyes were tinged with a hint of sapphire blue.

In almost an instant, Yin Yixing felt the surrounding air suddenly drop by at least fifty degrees. Even he, a cultivator from Xishan Academy who practiced fire-attribute techniques, couldn't help but shiver and almost bit his tongue, mispronouncing the incantation in his mouth.

"What's going on?" Yin Yixing suddenly realized that an indescribable pressure was emanating from Han Lu, and this aura was even comparable to that of his senior brothers and sisters who had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Unsure of Han Lu's true intentions, Yin Yixing chose to remain calm and continue using his magic to confront Han Lu head-on.

After reciting the incantation, Han Lu released 30% of her spiritual power in an instant.

"A thousand miles—frozen."

In an instant, an extremely cold spiritual force erupted outward from Han Lu as the center.

The moisture in the air was instantly frozen, turning into ice particles that fell onto the arena.

Even with the protection and reinforcement of the restrictions, the marble that made up the arena froze instantly, making a "crackling" sound, as if it would shatter into pieces at any moment.

Only after the icy fog brought by the extreme cold dissipated did the few spectators in the audience realize what was happening.

On the other side of the arena, Yin Yixing had been frozen into an ice sculpture. He could only blink within the transparent ice, but he couldn't even move a finger.

Seeing this, the Golden Core cultivator standing nearby quickly removed the restriction and hastily announced Han Lu's victory.

The moment the restriction was lifted, the extremely cold spiritual energy that had been confined to the arena spread outwards, causing the spectators around the arena to shiver.

Once the fourth arena lost its protective barrier, the marble arena succumbed to the extreme cold power in an instant.

The ring collapsed with a crash.

The loud noise drew everyone's attention.

Han Lu was prepared. The golden sword that had not been drawn before flew out. With her Qi Refining stage cultivation, she used her sword flying skills to easily leave the messy area. She floated gracefully and landed in an open space next to the ruins of the arena.

Having done all this, Han Lu felt she had done enough. She then silently recited the incantation, dispelled the secret technique, and released Yin Yixing from the ice block, who hadn't even had a chance to use a single move.

At the same time, Han Lu also put a pill to restore her spiritual power into her mouth.

Having escaped the ice, Yin Yixing sat amidst the rubble, still shaken. The hostility in her gaze towards Han Lu had vanished, replaced only by fear.

[Author's Note] Could you please vote for this game? It would make Yi Xue Jiang, a Dota fan of ten years, a little happier.

Chapter 161 Defending the Arena

Seeing Yin Yixing kneeling amidst the rubble of the broken stone arena for a long time, the Golden Core cultivator in charge of that arena rushed forward to provide first aid.

Han Lu acted with great restraint, and did not inflict any irreparable damage on Yin Yixing.

However, the coldness that accompanied the extremely cold spiritual energy entering Yin Yixing's body and lungs could not be eradicated in a short time. With the coldness entering his body, Yin Yixing was temporarily unable to freely use spiritual energy or spells, and could not even cultivate.

To be completely cured, Yin Yixing needs to take the appropriate medicine every day for at least half a month to ensure that there are no sequelae and that he recovers his body.

The Golden Core cultivator used his divine sense to quickly check Yin Yixing's physical condition.

After confirming that Yin Yixing was not seriously injured, they waved to several academy cultivators who were serving in the arena area. They helped Yin Yixing off the stage and had him treated by a specialist physician to recover from his injuries.

Just as he was about to find Han Lu to discuss the upcoming matches, Han Lu approached him and apologized, "I accidentally damaged the arena, Elder. What about the rest of the matches..."

With such formidable strength at the Qi Refining stage, and such impeccable manners, the Golden Core Elder, who was merely there as a guest referee, naturally had no intention of accusing Han Lu of "damaging public property." He smiled and said, "You are truly a formidable young man. That secret technique you just used was absolutely brilliant."

"You flatter me," Han Lu said with a humble smile. "I've only just achieved a basic level of proficiency, and there are still quite a few flaws in my execution. Otherwise, I wouldn't have lost control and ruined the arena."

The secret technique of freezing a thousand miles is the true spiritual power of the Ice Phoenix. If a true spirit of the Ice Phoenix, such as Feng Rubing, were to use it, it would indeed be able to freeze a thousand miles and transform the world with the power of one person.

Han Lu can only unleash the full power of this move now, but it is enough to deal with Qi Refining cultivators in the confined environment of the arena.

"It's a small matter," the elder waved his hand and said, "It's just a matter of a fighting arena. Han Lu, wait here for a moment while I go and ask the sect leader for instructions."

Such an unexpected event was naturally not anticipated by the elders who formulated the rules.

In the event of an emergency, the best solution is to consult the person in charge when they are present.

The sound of the stage collapsing was quite loud, and Yunmin Daoist, who was watching the selection competition from the viewing platform, naturally noticed what happened on the stage where Han Lu and Yin Yixing were.

Before the Golden Core cultivator could even take to the viewing platform to ask for instructions, Daoist Yunmin had already used a divine thought to secretly tell him how to handle the situation and make the necessary arrangements.

There are a total of twenty arenas in the Five Elements Mountain Academy, but only seven were used that day. After Han Lu destroyed one of the arenas, her subsequent matches could only be held on the remaining unused arenas.

Led by the Golden Core cultivator, Han Lu, along with several fellow challengers and spectators, left the "ruins," traversed the entire arena, and headed to another arena.

The collapse of the ring was a grand spectacle, and naturally, those in the arena who hadn't yet stepped onto the stage noticed it to some extent.

In just a short while, many people had figured out what had happened and the news spread by word of mouth in the small space of the arena area.

Meanwhile, the audience was buzzing with discussion. Han Lu, who was already quite well-known in the Zhengyi Sect, once again made a name for herself in this public setting, allowing many of her fellow disciples who had only heard of her name to truly recognize her.

Thanks to Han Lu's tireless efforts, although the many negative labels that were originally generated by Zhong Wencheng's whimsical ideas still circulated within the sect, many positive halos also enveloped Han Lu at the same time.

After this incident, Han Lu will likely acquire some more strange nicknames and become the subject of much gossip and interesting anecdotes after the selection competition.

Compared to the onlookers, the challengers waiting for their matches to begin in the arena had a more direct experience, especially the three challengers who were ranked and were about to challenge Han Lu or the winner who defeated Han Lu.

They were placed so early in the challenge, and being elites within the sect, they naturally understood how terrifying Han Lu's move had been.

It's perfectly normal to feel shocked and even feel a bit of awe or fear towards Han Lu when something so far beyond the comprehension of a Qi Refining cultivator happens right before one's eyes.

After all, this reception might very well fall on my shoulders.

One of them even started thinking about whether he should strike a cool pose when he turned into an ice sculpture, so that he could lose in a more aesthetically pleasing way.

Han Lu had no idea what her future rivals were thinking.

She treated her match against Yin Yixing as just a small part of the entire competition and continued to act according to the plan she had already devised.

Soon, everyone arrived at a new arena. After the Golden Core cultivator and several academy cultivators tested the arena's restrictions to ensure they were intact, they hastily announced that the competition would continue.

After defeating Yin Yixing, Han Lu took his place as the new reigning champion. She needs to defeat three challengers to earn a chance to challenge the current reigning champion.

Before the Golden Core cultivator could announce the start of the next round, Han Lu took the initiative to step onto the arena, muttering to herself what kind of ruthless technique she should use to defeat her opponent in one move and show her prowess.

After a short wait, the academy's cultivators confirmed the identity of the next challenger, and a cultivator dressed in Northern Dynasty attire appeared on the other side of the arena where Han Lu was located.

The other party bowed to Han Lu and introduced himself, "Daoyue Sect, Duanran Mountain."

The name of this sect was quite unfamiliar to Han Lu, but considering that the other party's clothing was slightly different from that of the Southern Dynasty cultivators, Han Lu quickly remembered that the Thief Moon Sect was the only small sect in the Northern Dynasty that had an affiliated relationship with the Zhengyi Sect.

The Thief Moon Sect was established a hundred years ago. Its founder had a connection with the Zhengyi Sect, so although the sect was established in the Northern Dynasties, it had a close relationship with the Zhengyi Sect.

For this selection competition, the Thief Moon Sect was invited and arranged for Duanran Mountain, the most outstanding disciple of the younger generation of the Thief Moon Sect, to come to the Zhengyi Sect for exchanges, in order to show the friendship between the two sects.

"I wonder if being challenged so early is because Duanranshan has some skill, or simply to prove the close relationship between the two factions, or perhaps to let Duanranshan go and return as soon as possible, so as not to waste time in the Zhengyi Sect?"

Han Lu muttered to herself, but didn't forget to keep her mouth shut.

She returned the greeting respectfully with a smile, "Han Lu, East Mountain Courtyard, Zhengyi Gate."

Perhaps it was because it was his first time visiting Zhengyi Sect and his first time fighting someone on Zhengyi Sect's territory, or perhaps he was stunned by Han Lu's performance just now, Duan Ranshan took the initiative to start a conversation with Han Lu, saying, "I heard about Senior Sister Han's reputation as a genius when I was in Daoyue Sect. It is a great honor for me to fight with Senior Sister Han."

Han Lu wasn't sure if the other party was just being polite, so she replied, "It's just an empty title. Junior Brother Duan is able to participate in this competition, so he must be one of the best among the young cultivators. Please give me your guidance later."

After exchanging a few words, the two tacitly fell silent, waiting for the academy monks beside them to announce the start of the competition.

In that short time, Han Lu had already figured out how to shock the audience once again, so that after becoming the official champion, she could completely extinguish any challengers' desire to challenge her.

Chapter 162 Three Consecutive Victories

The previous match had only just ended when, as per the rules, the academy cultivator who was acting as the referee specifically asked Han Lu before the countdown, "Han Lu, do you need time to recover your spiritual energy?"

Han Lu shook her head and said, "Senior brother, I'm ready. Let's get started."

The body has many open acupoints, and abundant spiritual energy.

Although Han Lu used up 30% of her spiritual power in the previous arena match, she relied on numerous acupoints that could enhance the speed of spiritual power recovery, along with pills, and in just a short while, the amount of spiritual power in Han Lu's body had been fully restored, and it would not have any negative impact on her in this arena match.

Even so, the academy cultivator still followed the rules and calculated the time carefully. Without Han Lu requesting additional recovery time, he allowed Han Lu and Duan Ran Shan to stand on the arena for a little longer before signaling the two to begin the match.

After counting to three, Han Lu immediately summoned the paulownia wood flute that had been with her for two years and which she had long since mastered, and began to use it on the arena.

Unlike other cultivators who use unusual musical instruments such as wooden flutes, Han Lu's method of using the wooden flute, which is several times more powerful than most cultivators, is quite interesting.

It was said that she was playing a piece of music on a wooden flute, but Han Lu did not put a section of the flute in front of her mouth. Instead, she used it as if she were riding a sword.

Han Lu tossed the wooden flute into the air, letting it fly and move intermittently. Using her spiritual power, she simulated pressing the holes on the flute with her hands to change the pitch, allowing the wind flowing into the flute to replace her mouth, freeing her hands and mouth so that she could cast spells or sing a few lines to the music while using the wooden flute as a magical tool.