The Long Journey to Immortality

This small change made Han Lu and the others, who were still engrossed in their cultivation, stand out and attract more attention.

Among the eight girls, there is another one who, like Han Lu, is still in meditation and cultivating.

Among the other eighty-odd teenagers, four also closed their eyes, trying their best to capture the already scarce spiritual energy in the air.

After flying for nearly three hours, the flying boat temporarily landed on a clearing in the mountains. Another, more amiable-looking Zhengyi Sect cultivator came to the cabin and took over the shift from the cultivator who had acquired many unpleasant nicknames in just a few hours.

"Dinner time."

"If you can't hold it in anymore and need to relieve yourself, go outside and find a small patch of grass to take care of it."

"Don't feel embarrassed. Most of you can't even be considered cultivators yet."

"You have 15 minutes. Don't go too far. If you get lost, we won't wait for you."

After making a small joke and distributing dinner using storage bags filled with food that had been prepared in advance, the atmosphere in the cabin suddenly became much more relaxed.

Everyone got up and moved around, some taking care of their bodily needs, others collecting their meals.

Han Lu had just emerged from her meditative state and was thinking of getting up to get her meal when she discovered that someone had kindly placed two paper-wrapped sesame seed cakes in front of her.

“I got this for you, eat it quickly,” a girl next to Han Lu suddenly spoke up, “Of all the food prepared for us every day, this sesame seed cake is the only one that tastes good.”

The girl was dressed in red and had the double buns that young girls who had just come of age liked the most. Her face looked more like that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl than a fifteen-year-old.

Han Lu didn't understand the girl's initiative to be friendly, but since the girl had helped her get her food, she should at least say thank you.

"Thanks. By the way, how did you know about this?" Han Lu picked up the sesame seed cake, took a bite, and replied vaguely.

The girl introduced herself, "Fang Ranran, from Jiushou City, boarded the flying boat half a day earlier than you."

Jiushou City was the first stop for these three guiding cultivators. Fang Ranran boarded the flying boat half a day earlier and naturally ate an extra meal, so she knew which of the various foods was easier to swallow.

"Han Lu, Mo Yucheng." Han Lu nodded slightly.

Upon learning Han Lu's surname, Fang Ranran immediately changed her address, "Sister Han, can you cultivate on this flying boat?"

"Yes, but it's a bit of a stretch," Han Lu replied truthfully.

"Why is this? I can't feel any spiritual energy at all when I'm meditating," Fang Ranran said, puzzled. "Even when I'm disobedient at home and locked in a dark room to reflect on my mistakes, it's not like this."

"It's probably because of the Qi sensation," Han Lu explained, since they were bored during the meal. "If it weren't for a place like Mount Ling with such auspicious feng shui, the spiritual energy in the high sky would be thin, let alone riding a flying boat."

“Because Foundation Establishment cultivators possess a Qi Sea, they can cultivate easily in this environment.”

"However, cultivators in the Qi Refining stage cannot sense even a trace of spiritual energy unless they have an exceptional sense of Qi, because their magical power is still shallow."

Fang Ranran blinked, her confusion largely gone. "I see. Sister Han knows so much. You must be a member of one of the larger cultivation families in Moyu City."

"I guess so," Han Lu said casually, and began to lay the groundwork for her fabricated identity.

"By the way, does that mean Sister Han's Qi perception must be excellent?" Fang Ranran asked again.

In other words, it would be impolite to directly ask other young cultivators about their spiritual root attributes. Otherwise, Fang Ranran would definitely have asked more clearly at this time to satisfy her curiosity.

"It's alright, maybe it's because I'm better at cultivating in environments with scarce spiritual energy," Han Lu casually made up.

Whether it was because of her gender, face, or tone of voice, Fang Ranran talked a lot, but Han Lu didn't find her as annoying as Xue Ding.

After exchanging a few words, upon learning that Han Lu, like her, majored in water-attribute cultivation techniques, Fang Ranran, who was not yet a formal disciple of the Zhengyi Sect, changed her address to Han Lu as Senior Sister Han.

Han Lu disliked this familiar yet unfamiliar title, but she could only accept it calmly.

After a short rest, the group set off again.

At night, because the cabin space is not large, it is not easy for people to spread out their bedding and lie down comfortably to rest.

Even newcomers who weren't even considered Daoist novices could only follow Han Lu and the others' example, meditating and resting, barely managing to get through the night.

Many young men and women who had never practiced cultivation were rubbing their necks and waists and complaining as they ate breakfast the next day.

Fortunately, this terrible time didn't last long.

The flying boat sped along and arrived at the Zhengyi Gate on time.

As she left the flying boat and saw the familiar Zhengyi Sect gate appear before her eyes, Han Lu was filled with emotion.

But time waits for no one. She didn't linger in front of the mountain gate for long before following the three guiding disciples and the other disciples who hadn't yet entered the sect towards the Five Elements Mountain Academy where the mountain gate was located.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Six Great Mountain Academies, Teaching According to Aptitude

As the largest cultivation sect in the Southern Dynasty and the second largest in the Central Plains, the Zhengyi Sect has nearly 25,000 disciples.

With so many cultivators and novice practitioners gathered together, a considerable amount of space is needed to accommodate them, provide them with a good environment for cultivation.

The central region of the Southern Dynasties is rich in spiritual mountains. It is unknown whether the founder of the Zhengyi Sect, Master Lingshi, foresaw early on that his sect would flourish and grow, or whether he simply chose a sparsely populated but spiritually abundant cultivation paradise at random.

After ten thousand years of development, the Zhengyi Sect, which was originally just a small sect, has driven away or subdued all the other sects that were active in this area.

The Zhengyi Gate has now completely occupied this area, which has been renamed the Zhengyi Mountain Range.

This vast area was divided into six mountain courtyards, providing the disciples who joined the sect with the best cultivation environment they could find in the Southern Dynasty.

Han Lu and other disciples who have not yet entered the sect are currently active in an area called the Five Elements Mountain Academy within the Zhengyi Sect.

Unlike the other five academies, the Five Elements Mountain Academy is not responsible for recruiting disciples and training newcomers.

It is more like a school's administration building, gymnasium, and auditorium, where many major and minor matters involving multiple colleges or even the entire Zhengyi Gate are handled.

In addition, some Golden Core and Nascent Soul stage cultivators within the Zhengyi Sect who are not affiliated with any of the various mountain academies cultivate within the Five Elements Mountain Academy.

The legendary treasure of the sect, the "Heaven-Stealing Bottle," is said to be stored in a forbidden area within the Five Elements Mountain Academy.

The Five Elements Mountain Academy can be considered the central core of the Zhengyi Sect.

Han Lu and the others came here with the three guiding disciples so that, under the supervision of many cultivators belonging to the Transmission Hall, they could undergo a simple screening and classification in order to teach according to their aptitude.

Saying that teaching should be tailored to individual needs is just a nicer way of putting it.

In reality, it simply allows a few Golden Core cultivators who are interested in teaching disciples to select a few suitable disciples, so that newcomers with real potential who are expected to form a Golden Core or even achieve the Nascent Soul stage can receive more and better cultivation resources.

In order to allow the sect to continue to flourish, we should try our best to take off the second place and put on the crown of the number one sect in the Central Plains.

The flying boat landed not far from the Zhengyi Gate, but still some distance from the actual Five Elements Mountain Academy.

Throughout the journey, the three monks responsible for guiding the group kept their mouths busy.

The fierce-looking cultivator kept rambling on about the preparations and precautions needed for the upcoming branching ceremony, in order to avoid any mishaps that might anger the Golden Core cultivator who had come to accept disciples and cause trouble for his upcoming task.

Apart from Han Lu, even the "distinguished guests" and "connected individuals" temporarily forgot their dissatisfaction with that fierce cultivator. Everyone listened very attentively, afraid of missing a single word.

Simply put, it's about helping young men and women with slightly less talent and more mixed spiritual roots to make up their minds early on and decide which attribute of cultivation they should focus on.

The reason is simple: the five mountain academies responsible for accepting disciples accept disciples according to the attributes of their cultivation techniques.

Xishan Academy, where Feng Bailu once stayed, was a gathering place for disciples of the Zhengyi Sect who mainly cultivated fire-attribute techniques.

This time, Han Lu, possessing only a water-attribute spiritual root, naturally didn't need to struggle as much as before.

The East Mountain Academy, which teaches a large number of water-attribute techniques and secret methods and provides a large number of support for cultivators who specialize in water-attribute techniques, is her final destination this time.

Like Han Lu, the young men and women who already possess magical powers and have cultivated their family's techniques do not need to dwell on this matter.

For them, the key is to quickly find a more advanced and suitable cultivation technique after entering the mountain academy they have already decided to join.

Unlike the fierce-looking cultivator, the other two cultivators acted like tour guides at a scenic spot, introducing the Zhengyi Sect to young people who still yearned for cultivation and harbored dreams, so that these future junior brothers and sisters would develop a good impression of the Zhengyi Sect and have a greater sense of belonging in the future.

Although this arrangement was not pre-arranged by the three cultivators, it did achieve the desired effect.

Although the group rushed towards the Five Elements Mountain Academy without stopping, it still took them nearly an hour to reach their destination.

This can be considered a small test for these non-disciples of the Zhengyi Sect.

The fierce-faced cultivator had mentioned this matter in a veiled manner, so when everyone arrived at the Five Elements Mountain Academy exhausted, no one was tactless enough to show any dissatisfaction or utter a word of complaint.

They said they had arrived at the Five Elements Mountain Academy, but in reality they had only arrived at a group of buildings on the outermost edge of the academy.

The three guiding monks each instructed the group to line up according to the city they came from.

Fang Ranran, who had been clinging to Han Lu, had to temporarily part ways with Han Lu.

"See you at Higashiyama-in later."

Han Lu simply nodded, without making any verbal promises.

In her opinion, she would definitely be assigned to the inner sect.

Fang Ranran, who possesses gold and water-grade spiritual roots, will likely spend her Qi Refining cultivation career at the outer gate of Dongshan Academy.

At least for today, the two will most likely never have the chance to meet again after parting ways.

After the number of people was counted, the three cultivators led their respective groups into a large hall not far away.

The Zhengyi Sect only recruits disciples in the last few days, regardless of which city in the Southern Dynasty it is. Therefore, when the young people from the three northernmost cities arrived at the hall, there were already many new disciples from other cities in the Southern Dynasty gathered there.

In the huge hall, there were probably nearly a thousand people, who were lined up in five long queues.

Despite the large number of people, the place was orderly and there was no sense of chaos.

The practice of accepting apprentices twice a year has continued for nearly ten thousand years, so naturally no accidents would occur in this kind of setting.

The one leading Han Lu and the others was that fierce-looking cultivator.

Holding the files of everyone who had passed the Ink Rain test, he said, "Those whose names I call, come here to collect your files."

"Hang'an song."

“Bu Lü”.

"Xue Ding".

"Li Yiran."

……

Of the twenty-two people, only Han Lu and a dull-witted boy named Liu Yibo were not called by name.

After Xue Ding and the others received the files, the fierce-looking cultivator pointed them in the right direction, saying, "The five long lines represent the five mountain academies."

"East, South, West, North, and Center; Water, Wood, Fire, Metal, and Earth."

"Go and line up according to the attributes of the techniques you have learned or want to learn."

"As for the two of you, Han Lu and Liu Yibo, come with me."

Looking at Han Lu and Liu Yibo, who were being given special treatment by the fierce-looking cultivator and led away separately, some of the clever teenagers showed expressions of envy.