The Long Journey to Immortality

Han Lu nodded slightly, pointed to the two oxen not far away, and said, "In my opinion, this matter was completely an accident, so the Lin family does not need to make any compensation for the dead oxen."

As soon as Han Lu finished speaking, more than twenty villagers on one side of the ditch cheered, almost kneeling down and shouting "Lord Fang is wise!"

Meanwhile, the villagers on the other side of the ditch were in a state of anger but dared not speak out.

This was indeed an accident, but anyone who suffers a loss and doesn't receive compensation will feel resentful.

Han Lu saw this scene and, without keeping anyone in suspense, said everything she hadn't finished saying.

"but."

After a reasonable transition, she continued, "The Xu family did indeed suffer a loss, losing an ox, so I will make a ruling on this matter..."

"The dead ox was handed over to the butcher to be butchered and cooked, and today the two families will share the meal."

"I will use my healing magic on the injured ox to restore it to its health, and then the two families will share it, one family per day."

“Once new cattle are tamed, I will give the ox to your two families to make up for the loss.”

After explaining her decision, Han Lu asked one last question, "Is this ruling fair and reasonable?"

This time, neither side had any complaints and praised "Lord Fang's" decision.

According to the ruling, the forty people were assigned to do farm work under the clerk's arrangement, while the other group carried the oxen to the butcher to butcher and cook them.

Han Lu then used a very simple healing spell to treat the injuries on the ox in her hand, and casually used a weapon manipulation technique to hang the detached plow on the ox's back.

After doing all this, Han Lu was wondering if the assessment was over when the world around her underwent another change, just like before.

"Did I pass the assessment?" Han Lu was thrilled, feeling she had made a brilliant decision.

But soon, the world around them did not return to darkness; Han Lu simply jumped from one period of Fang Lin's memory to another.

Han Lu was slightly disappointed by this, but also felt it was perfectly normal.

"To truly understand a person's character, one cannot judge them based on just one incident. It is perfectly normal for me to have to make several choices and experience several difficult situations."

Just as the world was changing, the mark on the back of Han Lu's hand sent her a message, telling her some basic information about this memory.

This time, Senior Fang Lin has already left that ordinary little town called Tanxi Village.

Having just become the second cultivator of the Eastern Human Race to advance to the Nascent Soul stage, he has already become a core figure in the Eastern Human Race.

Previously, Fang Lin could only decide the fate of a thousand people, but now, as the second greatest expert of the human race, he has the power and ability to decide the fate of a million people.

Fighting alongside Fu Ding, the first human cultivator in the world, in the ancient battlefield, forming alliances and maneuvering became his main task.

The two actively lobbied among several alien races that were friendly to humans, trying to win over allies for humanity in order to survive in the cracks.

Han Lu had seen this story in ancient books and knew about it.

However, with only two Nascent Soul cultivators, the human race was still a small race in the ancient cultivation era, barely managing to occupy a piece of land.

For the sake of racial development, Fang Lin and Fu Ding divided their responsibilities both internally and externally.

Fu Ding, the founder of human cultivation, was mainly responsible for educating the younger generation within the team and cultivating the new generation of cultivators.

Fang Lin, on the other hand, took on the role of a diplomat.

As the world around her gradually became clearer and more natural, Han Lu thought to herself, "What choice will I have to make now?"

Chapter 246 The Third Challenge

Soon, Han Lu understood why the mark on the back of her hand had revealed Fang Lin's identity in this memory.

Numerous decisions requiring them converged on her in her "office" through various means and channels.

Han Lu felt as if she were a student taking a political exam, and she had to make many decisions in a short period of time as the senior Fang Lin that would affect the fate of the entire Eastern human race.

When a conflict arises with a neighboring small tribe, should one reason with them or resort to violence?

If a conflict of interest arises with a certain powerful spiritual clan, should one make concessions or seek the intervention of allies to gain benefits from the situation?

A human cultivator died in the territory of a medium-sized alien race. Should this matter be investigated, and what methods should be used to appease the tribe?

A powerful clan to which a certain eastern human race depends has made unreasonable demands. Is this because they are willing to compromise and pay more tribute?

……

Han Lu's memories of Fang Lin during this period jumped rapidly, her brain working almost non-stop, thinking about how to handle these matters so that the Eastern Human Race could continue to reproduce and develop in this wild world.

These matters are several times more difficult than handling village disputes.

Even though Han Lu racked her brains, she wasn't confident that all the decisions she made were correct and that they would allow her to pass the third test.

Fortunately, Han Lu's understanding of the ancient cultivation era far surpasses that of other cultivators who entered the ancient cultivation secret realm.

She had seen many of the events in this third test in historical records, and knew what decisions Fang Lin made in the face of these major events during that ancient cultivation era.

Whether it's following the established rules or making some improvements based on Fang Lin's decision according to one's own ideas, this became Han Lu's approach to answering the questions.

What was clearly a moral and political question testing Han Lu's overall perspective and moral character turned into a history question because of Han Lu's all-night study of ancient history.

As for those who had no reference points, Han Lu would retreat whenever possible, prioritizing stability, based on the actual situation of the human race during this period.

Over a period of roughly two hundred years, Han Lu made nearly twenty leaps and twenty decisions that were enough to change history, and the world around her finally underwent new changes.

Seeing that the world around her had not returned to darkness, Han Lu, who was feeling a little dizzy, couldn't help but complain, "Any more? How many more difficult problems do you want me to solve?"

For Han Lu, handling such complex matters and making the right choices was just as difficult as fighting a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

It's normal for her to complain a little.

However, the third test did not end because of Han Lu's complaints.

The scenery in the void world was reorganized and changed again, and Han Lu followed Fang Lin's memories to another period of the ancient cultivation era.

The surrounding scenery was not much different from before, except that the map in Gu Xiufanglin's "office" was slightly different.

Their territory has expanded considerably, having already occupied the Central Plains, the Western Regions, and the Southern Frontier.

Even without the mark reminding her, Han Lu knew that Fang Lin must have already broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, reaching the pinnacle of cultivation for cultivators in the mortal realm, the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

Under the leadership of Fang Lin and the ancient human cultivators, the human race became the new rulers of the continent.

At this point, the dilemma presented to Han Lu shifted from merely surviving in a precarious situation to how to govern the world.

At this time, Fu Ding had already ascended to the Spirit Realm, and Fang Lin, who ranked first in both cultivation and seniority, became the true leader of the Eastern Human Race.

Although the cultivation restrictions in the ancient cultivation era were not as stringent as they are now, cultivators like Fang Lin, whose cultivation level had reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, could still only stay in this world for another two hundred years.

How to make the most of this limited time to consolidate the fruits of victory and ensure that the human race can stand tall in the Central Plains for a long time became a difficult problem for Fang Lin and other ancient cultivators.

Conquering the world is easy, but governing it is difficult.

Although she wasn't playing the emperors of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Han Lu still deeply understood this point as Fang Lin.

What system should be used to manage such a vast territory, with cultivators governing mortals?

And how should we continue to cultivate a new generation of cultivators in an era when weapons are no longer needed?

Who should he choose as his successor after ascending to immortality, along with several other renowned ancient cultivators?

How should we treat those barbaric spirits who stood with the human race in the ancient cultivation era?

……

With so many problems, Han Lu felt her already swollen brain become even more dizzy and lightheaded.

Fortunately, Han Lu was knowledgeable about history, and many of the multiple-choice questions had answers she already knew, which made her much more at ease when answering these important questions about governing the country.

"How do you manage such a vast territory? You can divide it into the Central Plains, the Western Regions, and the Southern Frontier."

“The Central Plains were then divided into North and South according to the source of the river, and two wise human beings were enthroned as emperors, and the region was governed by cities.”

……

"What should we do with the remaining true spirits?"

"The land west of the Western Regions shall be designated as the New Wilderness, and all the true spirits shall reside there."

……

For major issues, as long as they were reasonable, Han Lu followed Fang Lin's methods and approaches. For a few unreasonable ones, such as when dealing with issues in the southern and western regions, Han Lu would make slight changes.

Several more countries were deliberately established, and several recommended leaders were appointed. Regions were divided and governed according to ethnic customs to prevent the Western Regions and Southern Frontier from becoming as chaotic and disorderly as they would be 100,000 years later.

With no one to consult on minor matters, Han Lu continued to act according to her own ideas.

This time, however, the strength of the human race is no longer what it used to be.

With numerous Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation cultivators backing her up, Han Lu, who wields great power, naturally finds it easier to make decisions.

Not to mention, there's also Wang Han, a strategist with predictive abilities, who occasionally offers a few words of advice.

Three hundred years ago, nine out of ten options would have destroyed humanity, and only one was barely acceptable.

Three hundred years later, seven out of the ten options will make the human race stronger, while the other three will only cause minor damage. No matter which option you choose, you will not feel any psychological pressure.

Again, there were twenty choices. This time, Han Lu thought quickly and acted quickly, completing the final part of the test in less than half an hour.

After Han Lu, on Wang Han's advice, issued the final order to establish the "Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm," the void world returned to darkness.

Facing the only source of light in this world, Han Lu felt a little uneasy.

"Does this count as approved?"

After waiting patiently for a moment, a familiar burning sensation suddenly came from the mark on the back of her hand, and Han Lu was overjoyed.

Sure enough, Fang Lin's voice rang out again soon, giving Han Lu a final assessment: "Barely qualified. I hope you can maintain your original aspirations in the future, rush to the front when calamities come, and live up to the expectations of me, Fellow Daoist Wang Han, and others."

After he finished speaking, a stream of information far surpassing the previous two transmissions flooded into Han Lu's brain from the imprint.

"This feeling is awful..."

She fainted again before she could finish speaking.

[Author's Note] I don't know if this is too cliché.

Chapter 247 Seven Killing Sword Technique

While Han Lu successfully passed the three trials in the black void space, the other talented cultivators who left the ancient cultivation secret realm also accepted the trials left by the ancient cultivators under the guidance of Senior Wang Han, based on their gains in the ancient cultivation secret realm, and tried to seize the greatest legacy left by the ancient cultivators in this world.

But things didn't go as planned.