The Long Journey to Immortality

Xiao Ran had no particular knowledge of tea.

He prefers alcohol.

Therefore, it's impossible to tell the difference between the tea Han Lu carries and the tea from the Dayu Dynasty.

This high-end tea, which can be sold for 2,000 yuan per half jin in the ancient cultivation secret realm, is somewhat "wasteful" to brew into tea and enter Xiao Ran's stomach.

After offering a few perfunctory compliments—"fragrant tea" and "delicious"—Xiao Ran simply sipped his tea, waiting for Han Lu to ask a question first.

“Fellow Daoist Xiao Ran,” Han Lu put down the teapot and said, “I am somewhat ignorant. I wonder if you could tell me about that Senior Wenren?”

"Has Fairy Han never heard of Senior Wenren?" Xiao Ran was slightly surprised.

Han Lu lied, "My master has never mentioned to me that there is such a talented cultivator in the Great Yu Dynasty, so naturally I have no way of inquiring about him or knowing about him."

Xiao Ran recalled that Han Lu had mentioned her master in passing, and expressed his understanding, "Alright, which part would you like to hear, Fairy Han? It just so happens that I've been staying in Jiang'an Prefecture, where Senior Wenren lived when he was in the Qi Refining stage, for a while now, and I've heard a lot of interesting stories about him."

Han Lu casually replied, "Just say whatever you want. Anyway, I've never heard of Senior Wenren's deeds before, so whatever you say will be quite new to me."

Xiao Ran nodded, pondered for a moment, took a sip of tea, and then continued, "Senior Wenren is considered the most famous cultivation genius in the last thousand years."

"Initially, Senior Wenren studied under the Hanshan Sect in Jiang'an Prefecture. He successfully opened up a total of twelve spiritual veins in just seven hundred days of cultivation in the sect."

"The Hanshan Sect is just a small sect in Jiang'an Prefecture. Naturally, it cannot and has no way to accommodate a genius like Senior Wenren."

"After Senior Wenren successfully advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage after two years of cultivation, he was targeted by the Jitian Palace."

"It is said that the Jitian Palace offered considerable terms to get Senior Wenren to join them, and even threatened that if Senior Wenren did not switch allegiance, the Jitian Palace would make the Hanshan Sect have no place in Jiang'an Prefecture."

"Only Wenren himself knows what he was thinking at the time."

"All we know is that Senior Wenren had no choice but to bow his head to the overwhelming force and joined the Jitian Palace, becoming the closed-door disciple of a Nascent Soul elder in the Jitian Palace."

Upon hearing this, Han Lu couldn't help but comment, "This Extreme Heaven Palace is really domineering."

Xiao Ran disagreed, saying, "The actions of the Extreme Heaven Palace are reasonable and there's nothing to criticize or nitpick about."

Based on this incident, Han Lu recalled the various insidious and poisonous artifacts that appeared on the arena before, which seemed to be magical treasures that only evil cultivators would carry, and felt that Xiao Ran's statement was very apt.

"That's true, at least there was no fighting or killing. Fellow Daoist Xiao, please continue."

Regarding Wenren Mu's achievement of opening twelve spiritual veins in two years, Han Lu felt that it was nothing to boast about in front of her now.

She was more curious about Wenren Mu's condition when he was building his foundation and his current situation.

"There have been far fewer rumors about Senior Wenren after he entered the Jitian Palace."

"But I heard that the Jitian Palace provided Senior Wenren with the best cultivation environment."

"For me, when I cultivate, I usually take one Spirit Gathering Pill every half month to enhance the effect of cultivation."

"But Senior Wenren, you can get a True Essence Gathering Pill every day in the Extreme Heaven Palace."

Upon hearing the name "True Essence Gathering Pill," Han Lu couldn't help but interrupt, "So Senior Wenren's ten-year Golden Core was probably achieved by piling up pills, right?"

Xiao Ran nodded in agreement, “That’s right. But I must admit that even if Senior Wenren relied on a large amount of pill resources to cultivate, it is still a remarkable thing that he was able to advance to the Golden Core stage and form a second-grade Golden Core in ten years.”

Han Lu was certain that Xiao Ran had become a half-fan of Wenren Mu through his influence in Jiang'an Prefecture, so she stopped criticizing him on this detail and changed the subject, asking, "When did Senior Wenren achieve the Golden Core stage? And what realm is he at now?"

Xiao Ran did a mental calculation: "Senior Wenren formed his Golden Core eighty years ago. About thirty years ago, news spread that Senior Wenren had successfully advanced to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Presumably, he is not far from the late-stage of the Golden Core realm now."

Han Lu felt "jealous" at the speed at which Wenren was improving his cultivation level, but she still had to admit that this senior Wenren was definitely a first-class genius, whether in the Great Yu Dynasty or the Central Plains.

Before Han Lu could ask any questions, Xiao Ran continued the conversation, "However, what I admire most about Senior Wenren is his superb sword control skills."

"If I could receive some guidance from Senior Wenren on the true essence of swordsmanship, my swordsmanship skills would surely improve to a higher level."

When swordsmanship was mentioned, Xiao Ran was reminded of his promise to Han Lu.

"Fairy Han, didn't you want to ask about swordsmanship?"

Xiao Ran's words gave Han Lu a better understanding of Wenren Mu and dispelled her curiosity about this genius. She then followed Xiao Ran's lead and brought up the important matter, "That's right, I do have a lot of questions. I hope Fellow Daoist Xiao will not hesitate to give me your guidance."

"Of course, of course," Xiao Ran said with a smile. "I will never forget the kindness that Fairy Han has shown me. Naturally, I will not keep anything from you. Fairy Han, please ask whatever you want. As long as I know the answer, I will definitely tell you in detail."

So Han Lu used the duel between Xiao Ran and the Taoist priest from the distant mountains as an example and asked Xiao Ran three questions.

Xiao Ran answered in detail, and even emphasized the "point technique" in his swordsmanship.

Unfortunately, such a verbal response ultimately falls short of being meaningful.

Although Han Lu could understand every word Xiao Ran said, there were still some points she couldn't figure out when she started practicing.

However, based on Xiao Ran's words, she could be certain that Xiao Ran had already cultivated the "Word Technique" to a relatively deep level, a level that would be recognized by the "Seven Kill Sword Technique" as a mastery of a word technique.

"How about this," Han Lu stood up from her seat and drank the warm tea in one gulp, "would Fellow Daoist Xiao Ran mind having a private spar with me?"

"Of course I don't mind," to be honest, Xiao Ran was also very curious about Han Lu's strength. "Shall we fight now?"

“Of course, it’ll be right in the courtyard.” Han Lu casually released a burst of spiritual energy, pushing open the door that was already half-closed.

"Isn't it too small? And it won't be convenient for us to use our skills." Xiao Ran would rather go to the martial arts arena to compete with Han Lu.

Han Lu said, "No need, I have my own way."

Chapter 280 Approaching the Bottleneck

Because these accommodations prepared for guests are intended for future Qi Refining disciples who will join Jiulong Mountain, the courtyards attached to the rooms are not very large.

The only commendable aspect is its spaciousness.

Han Lu and Xiao Ran left the room together and came to the small courtyard, where they stood face to face, about five meters apart.

"The understanding of swordsmanship is about skill rather than strength," Han Lu explained. "So, I would like to trouble Fellow Daoist Xiao to take up your sword and attack me without using spiritual power. Let us be like knights-errant in the mortal world, having a contest of swordsmanship."

"To be precise, you exerted your full sword intent, and I passively experienced it while maintaining a defensive posture."

"Talking without doing is not as effective as experiencing it firsthand."

Han Lu's idea caught Xiao Ran's eye. The swordsmanship he practiced on the battlefield did not emphasize strength but rather skill.

Han Lu's arrangement allowed him to easily display his various sword techniques while ensuring that their duel could take place in a relatively private setting within the courtyard.

Therefore, and since the idea was proposed by Han Lu, Xiao Ran naturally had no objection whatsoever.

Xiao Ran agreed, "Fairy Han's idea is good, let's do it your way."

The two of them tacitly took two steps back, widening the distance between them to about ten meters.

Drawing out his soft sword, Xiao Ran suddenly remembered something. "Fairy Han, swords have no eyes. Even if I don't use any spiritual power, my [Follow Your Heart] is still a second-grade magic weapon."

"How about I go find some ordinary iron and compare it with yours?"

"Follow Your Heart" is the name of Xiao Ran's spirit sword. Considering the characteristics of a soft sword, this name is quite fitting.

Han Lu didn't take Xiao Ran's words to heart; she had already thought of that.

"It's alright. The clothes I'm wearing have defensive capabilities comparable to a mid-grade fourth-rank magic weapon. If you don't use your spiritual power, your sword won't be able to hurt me so easily."

After her cultivation level reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, the grade of Han Lu's Phoenix Feather Robe also increased.

As Han Lu said, with just her clothes on, Xiao Ran's sword would be able to strike her unharmed unless he deliberately aimed at her exposed vital points.

Hearing Han Lu's words, Xiao Ran was slightly surprised and joked, "I didn't expect Fairy Han to be from a wealthy family."

Han Lu did not answer, but instead took out the spirit sword "Qing Shuang" that she had chosen more than a month ago from her storage bag.

Xiao Ran was startled again when he saw Qing Shuang appear in Han Lu's hand.

Although Xiao Ran was not an expert in appraisal, he could still tell that the "Azure Frost Sword" in Han Lu's hand was at least a mid-grade magic weapon.

Considering Han Lu's unintentional act of "flaunting wealth," he suddenly understood why Han Lu would so generously lend him, a friend he had only known for an hour, a magical item worth a hundred spirit stones as a wager.

Xiao Ran had a new guess about Han Lu's identity.

"She must be the young lady of one of the top cultivation families in Dongzhou Prefecture. No wonder she was able to become a disciple of a Golden Core cultivator."

Based solely on this spirit sword, which was clearly of exceptional quality, Xiao Ran was filled with anticipation for the upcoming competition.

"Can we begin?" Han Lu held the sword somewhat awkwardly, looking at Xiao Ran not far away.

Compared to wielding a sword in combat, she is more adept at using sword control techniques in magical combat.

However, in the following matches, she mostly played the role of being "beaten up." These slight discomforts were minor and would not interfere too much with her understanding of Xiao Ran's swordsmanship.

Xiao Ran said, "Okay, let's begin."

After saying that, Xiao Ran flicked his wrist, causing the soft sword in his hand to tremble in the air and make a sound, as if he was preparing for a powerful sword move.

However, without using spiritual power, even though Xiao Ran was a pseudo-core cultivator, he couldn't use his spiritual sword to perform any powerful moves.

Just as Han Lu had described, the two of them, like two ordinary swordsmen, moved swiftly and agilely in the small courtyard, exchanging nearly twenty moves in a very short time at a speed barely visible to the naked eye.

With the bloodline of a true spirit, Han Lu surpasses Xiao Ran in physical strength by a considerable margin.

However, Xiao Ran's understanding of the true meaning of swordsmanship surpasses that of Han Lu.

Therefore, the two engaged in a fierce battle of swordsmanship, resulting in a draw.

After the battle ended, Han Lu's gaze was slightly unfocused. She was still savoring the few rounds of the battle and appreciating the true meaning of swordsmanship contained within them.

Xiao Ran's gaze towards Han Lu was slightly different. He swung his soft sword and flexed his wrist, thinking to himself, "This Fairy Han probably doesn't specialize in external martial arts."

He also added another point to his evaluation of Han Lu: "She is very strong".

After pondering the question in her mind for a moment, Han Lu asked Xiao Ran another question.

Xiao Ran did not know what Han Lu's purpose was in asking such questions and seeking knowledge, but he did not refuse to answer.

With a pseudo-core cultivator who could barely be considered proficient in swordsmanship, Han Lu was able to learn a great deal from his teachings and answer all her questions.

However, this only reduced the distance between her and the barrier that was preventing her from breaking through upwards from one meter to half a meter. There was still a long way to go before she could actually make contact with the barrier and break through it.

"A small success, which at least shows that fighting Xiao Ran was somewhat effective," Han Lu comforted herself.

Indeed, this approach yielded far greater improvement than Han Lu's solitary meditation.

Taking advantage of her current state, Han Lu engaged Xiao Ran in two more intense battles before letting him leave.

However, the effect of the last two matches was much worse than that of the first match, only reducing the distance from half a meter to forty centimeters, which was better than nothing.

"I'm still a bit short," Han Lu murmured as she sat in the bathtub enjoying a hot bath back in her room. "Perhaps only a real fight with a cultivator of Xiao Ran's level will allow me to break through this bottleneck."

It's difficult to achieve something like this, which requires time to hone and understand, in a quick way. It's already quite remarkable that Han Lu has been able to do this well.

Feeling the comfort of her skin against the hot water, Han Lu temporarily put aside her cultivation, closed her eyes slightly, and enjoyed this pleasant and leisurely feeling until the hot water turned cold before reluctantly getting out of the bathtub.