The Long Journey to Immortality

Therefore, before entering the ancient cultivation secret realm, the Zhengyi Sect naturally had to provide simple training and development to the seven selected arena champions, even those who only stayed in the position for a short time, so that they would not be at a loss and miss the opportunity after entering the ancient cultivation secret realm.

These three shelves of books are the first step, for the officially selected champions to study on their own.

Once the list is officially finalized, the Zhengyi Sect will arrange for a large number of experienced Golden Core elders to mentor the seven "treasure hunters" who have entered the ancient cultivation secret realm, in order to maximize the sect's profits from this matter.

For this purpose, the books on the three bookshelves were all books that the monks usually regarded as miscellaneous books.

It relates to restrictions and formations.

There is information about identifying magical artifacts.

There are biographical books about cultivators who ventured into various secret realms to explore and search for treasures.

Of course, there are also books about the ancient cultivation era and the ancestors of the human race.

Even Master Yunmin's understanding of ancient cultivation realms was not much greater than that of ordinary cultivators like Wen Erya and Han Lu. Naturally, in terms of preparation, the Zhengyi Sect could only strive for comprehensiveness.

With so many interesting books to keep them company, Han Lu and Wen Erya's lives at the Five Elements Mountain Academy these past few days haven't been too monotonous or boring.

In the following days, Han Lu's "plan" worked, making her the most relaxed person among the seven main champions.

Wen Erya and another contestant who "fought their way up" to the top, these two contestants, who were considered relatively weak by many, repeatedly became the targets of other challengers.

It is not shameful to bully the weak and fear the strong. In the eyes of many elite cultivators who have challengers, winning and gaining the qualification to enter the ancient cultivation secret realm is the most important thing.

Fortunately, Wen Erya was very strong, and the information about the "geniuses" provided by Zhong Wencheng was also very accurate, which made Wen Erya confident in winning several of her title defense battles.

After winning seven consecutive matches and proving her strength, the challengers who had their eyes on Wen Erya's position completely gave up and turned their attention to other people.

However, another champion who had fought his way up fell in the gauntlet battle, making this current champion the object of desire for all challengers.

Due to the competition format, a strange phenomenon has emerged.

On the final day of the qualifying rounds, the six reigning champions remained firmly in their positions, with no challengers attempting to issue a challenge.

The seventh position, however, is filled by a different person every now and then.

Many outstanding disciples, who had been hiding until the very last moment, fought tooth and nail for this one spot.

The fierce competition led to the selection process ending in a stalemate at the last minute.

No one guessed the final result.

Surprisingly, it was a disciple from the Zhongshan Academy who was usually unknown and had only made it to the top sixteen in the previous competition, who stood on that stage until the end of the selection competition.

Upon learning from the referee that he had ultimately won, the already battered and bruised disciple wept bitterly, shouted and laughed wildly, and celebrated unrestrainedly on the stage.

No one, not even the three sect leaders present, would stand up at this moment to criticize this overly excited disciple for his lack of manners.

On the contrary, Master Yunmin even took the initiative to applaud and congratulate the disciple on his victory, saying that his hard work over the past few years had paid off.

After the selection competition ended, the seven finalists were invited to the council hall of the Five Elements Mountain Academy.

At this moment, the Golden Core elders realized that out of the fourteen "treasure hunters," only two had made it into the final seven-person list.

Lu Liangcai was one of them.

Another player, Jing Jin, made it into the list of fourteen based on his performance in the competition.

This result left the three sect leaders and five deans who had selected the "treasure hunters" momentarily bewildered, wondering if they had made a mistake based on past experience and were blind to the true value of the treasure, thus causing a great talent to be wasted.

Looking at the five somewhat unfamiliar faces among the seven people, Daoist Yunmin couldn't help but say, "The emergence of new talents within the sect is a great blessing."

This timely remark softened the expressions of the high-ranking officials somewhat.

None of the seven people standing in the center of the room pondered the deeper meaning of those words. Even cultivators like Han Lu and Wen Erya, who had long considered a spot as theirs, were immersed in joy and delight at that moment.

After the three sect leaders offered words of encouragement, the head of the Dongshan Academy, Wuhu Jushi, who had three disciples on the list of seven, became the one to announce the task arrangements for the remaining month and a half.

After discussing matters that the seven already knew, Han Lu, Wen Erya, and the others left, while the "dark horse" disciple, still wearing blood-stained clothes, was left behind to receive individual treatment from several elders to prevent any lingering illness that could affect the treasure hunt in the secret realm a month and a half later.

The matter of the ancient cultivation secret realm was no longer relevant to the vast majority of cultivators, but for Han Lu, Wen Erya, and others who had already delved into the core of the matter, this momentous event, which was enough to shake the very foundation of the Central Plains cultivation world, was only just beginning.

Chapter 175 Another Intelligence War

The specific "advanced training courses" were scheduled to begin on the third day after the selection competition ended and last for one month.

The initial three days of free time were mainly used to allow the seven "treasure hunters" to settle their personal matters and focus their attention on this important matter concerning the future of the sect.

After all, this matter involves fighting and killing; to put it bluntly, it's giving the incompetent among the treasure hunters some time to make their final arrangements.

Of course, allowing the dark horse cultivator Long Yingzhe, who ultimately made it onto the treasure hunters' list, time to recover from his injuries was also one of the reasons why the sect's higher-ups made such an arrangement.

With their objectives clear, the "treasure hunters" naturally followed the sect's wishes and made their own arrangements.

Lu Liangcai temporarily bid farewell to the Zhengyi Sect to find his newlywed wife and enjoy some time alone together, while also reporting the good news to his great-father-in-law, who was at the Golden Core stage.

Jing Jin also went home, but he went to find his mother, who had just celebrated her fiftieth birthday alone at home, to fulfill his duty as a son as a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator.

Wen Erya didn't do much; she simply wrote a letter and sent it back to the capital of the Southern Dynasty, telling her parents, who didn't know when they would receive a letter, about the big and small stories that had happened in the past six months.

Having long since severed all worldly ties and having no relatives or friends left in the world, Han Lu was unlike other Qi Refining cultivators who had worldly attachments.

Even during her three-day rest period, she was still worried about the ancient cultivation secret realm.

Having the memories of Xiaoyaozi, she knew far more about the cruel side of the cultivation world than other Qi Refining cultivators.

Xiaoyaozi lived in the East Sea for many years, which was not as peaceful as the Central Plains cultivation world.

There were many extraordinary encounters, both big and small, and numerous life-and-death battles between cultivators.

It's a bit of an exaggeration to say that Xiaoyaozi fought his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, but he did indeed have the souls of more than a dozen cultivators in his hands.

This environment shaped the personality and way of dealing with people of the cultivator Xiaoyaozi, which is why even when he established a Daoist cave, he still hid some ruthless methods within it, hoping to continue his Daoist lineage in that bizarre way and pursue that unattainable end.

Han Lu knew perfectly well that outside the ancient cultivation secret realm, the three Qi Refining cultivators might even address each other as brothers and exchange greetings when they met.

However, once inside the ancient cultivation realm, the peaceful atmosphere of the Central Plains cultivation world will cease to exist in the face of enormous profits.

Conflict is inevitable. Of the thirty Qi Refining cultivators who entered, perhaps only half will be able to return with valuable treasures a month later.

Therefore, upon returning to Dongshan Academy, Han Lu immediately sent another paper sword, "summoning" Zhong Wencheng to come to her residence the next day to meet her.

The paper sword contained a brief explanation of the purpose of summoning Zhong Wencheng. So, upon arriving at Han Lu's courtyard, Zhong Wencheng, who had already been promoted to Han Lu's advisor, immediately began to complain to his "lord" about his difficulties and pour out his grievances.

"Senior Sister Han, I really can't do this job, it's just too difficult."

"As you know, I'm just an information merchant who makes up stories to sell for money. I can't even handle everything within the Zhengyi Sect, so how could I possibly know what's going on in the world?"

"You'd be better off asking your friend, Senior Sister Wen. With her royal status, it wouldn't be easy for her to find out about these hostile forces and the other twenty-three Qi Refining cultivators who entered the Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm."

Zhong Wencheng pointed out a clear path for Han Lu, only hoping that she wouldn't be burdened with these troublesome and difficult things.

The annual competition is just around the corner. A cultivator like him, who is neither the best nor the worst, will naturally have to worry about the competition for a while. Whether it is to avoid being punished or to try to win a good ranking, it will require extra effort and time.

Zhong Wencheng realized that he didn't have time to help Han Lu solve this big problem during this period.

Han Lu ignored Zhong Wencheng's various excuses and asked directly, "Are you thinking about preparing for the small competition and afraid of wasting time running around for me?"

Stared at by Han Lu's seemingly penetrating gaze, Zhong Wencheng had no courage to lie and nodded slightly, saying, "That's somewhat true."

Han Lu chuckled and said, "That's easy. I'll still have plenty of free time a month from now. I can tutor you for a few days and give you some pointers. It might be difficult for you to win the small competition, but advancing to the top 64 of your branch will definitely be no problem."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wencheng's eyes lit up. "Senior Sister Han, is this really true?"

"Would I lie to you?" Han Lu said. "You've helped me a lot, so it's only right that I give you a little something in return."

These words were reasonable and well-founded, and Zhong Wencheng was indeed somewhat tempted.

"Besides..." Han Lu continued, "Given your cultivation level, you'll most likely have the opportunity to try Foundation Establishment in the future."

"Don't you want to expand your business and make a name for yourself in the Central Plains region?"

That's a bit of an exaggeration, but Zhong Wencheng had indeed thought about it.

He realized that this ancient cultivation secret realm was also an opportunity for him.

Let him fulfill the dreams that only occasionally appear in his dreams.

“Senior Sister Han, as long as you keep your word, I’ll help you,” Zhong Wencheng said immediately. “However, I have one small request.”

Han Lu asked, "What...requirements do you have?"

"Could you give me some operating funds?" Zhong Wencheng gestured as if counting money. "Senior Sister Han, I'm not asking for payment, it's just that I'll be traveling around a lot, and I might need to spend money to buy intelligence..."

Zhong Wencheng's voice grew softer and softer. Based on his experience dealing with other female cultivators, he concluded that the matter was unlikely to succeed.

To everyone's surprise, Han Lu agreed without hesitation, "Tell me, how many spirit stones do you need? Do you need me to provide you with some gold or silver as well?"

Han Lu's straightforward answer surprised Zhong Wencheng. "How about giving me ten, no, five spirit stones first? Gold and silver are not necessary."

Han Lu speaks decisively and acts even more decisively.

After counting out fifteen spirit stones from her storage bag, Han Lu placed them directly on the table and pushed the scattered spirit stones in front of Zhong Wencheng with both hands. "Fifteen spirit stones in total, that should be enough for you."

"That's enough, that's enough," Zhong Wencheng hurriedly put the spirit stones into his pocket, as if afraid that Han Lu would go back on her word and take the money back. "Senior Sister Han, I promise to handle your matter perfectly."

Han Lu thought about it a lot and said with a smile, "This is not only helping me, but also helping the Zhengyi Sect. At that time, I will help you deliver the intelligence you compiled to the sect leaders."

"Let the sect leaders hear your name and know that there is such a talented person as you in the sect."

"Wouldn't it be more convenient if you wanted to find a job through this door in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wencheng thanked him profusely and made up his mind to work hard, continue investing in Han Lu, a promising stock, and incidentally earn spirit stones to build a reputation.

"Here, I'll lend you this flying artifact for now. Make good use of it."

Clutching the spirit stones and the magical artifacts lent by Han Lu, Zhong Wencheng murmured to himself as he left Han Lu's residence, "Han Lu's loyal partner, the Supreme Elder of the Zhengyi Sect, is quite a title."

[Author's Note] The rain was continuous.

Chapter 176 Special Training Ends, Another Great Treasure Received

Having received the activity funds and the flying implements, Zhong Wencheng dared not slack off in the slightest.

The next day, with Han Lu's help, he got the opportunity to leave the sect and travel around the Central Plains. He began to help Han Lu collect information on the cultivators who entered the ancient cultivation secret realm, apart from the seven cultivators from the Zhengyi Sect.

The information on the ten cultivators from Xuan Yang Valley was the easiest to obtain.

Just as there are intelligence dealers like Zhong Wencheng in the Zhengyi Sect, there are naturally similar figures in Xuanyang Valley.

Meanwhile, the selection competition in Xuan Yang Valley was in full swing. Zhong Wencheng, who came to visit as a Zheng Yi Sect cultivator to "broaden his horizons," easily obtained the information of many talented people in Xuan Yang Valley by spending only a few spirit stones.

All he needed to do was wait, wait for the ten "treasure hunters" to be selected in the fierce competition, and then organize and refine the information of these ten people from the basic information booklet, so that he could complete the task assigned by Han Lu.