The Long Journey to Immortality

"Give me half a month, Senior Sister Han, and I will definitely produce the best intelligence I can, so that Senior Sister Han can get what she wants."

"but……"

Zhong Wencheng drawled out the words, showing no restraint in saying "competitors are enemies."

"But even so, I cannot guarantee that what I provide will be better than what those competitors who specialize in dealing with fellow Foundation Establishment cultivators will offer."

"If Senior Sister Han is in a hurry to see it, or wants a better piece of information, I can act as an intermediary and introduce you to two colleagues who get along well, to help you win the competition."

Zhong Wencheng's attitude of "it doesn't matter what I do, as long as Senior Sister Han is well" made Han Lu, who had no intention of blaming him, even more willing to give this collaborator, who was barely a friend, more trust.

She said with a smile that she described the matter as an opportunity for Zhong Wencheng to open up the Foundation Establishment cultivator market, praising Zhong Wencheng for his excellent performance in previous missions, and that she still entrusted this job to him in the end.

"Work hard, you'll get plenty of spirit stones," Han Lu said, then suddenly remembered that Zhong Wencheng also needed to participate in the Foundation Establishment Realm competition, so she asked, "How's your cultivation going lately? What level of Qi Refining have you reached? Do you need me to give you some extra lessons before the competition?"

"Just as we promised when we first met."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wencheng was overjoyed.

He was pleased with Han Lu's trust, and also pleased that Han Lu was willing to tutor him in his cultivation and help him prepare for the competition.

Putting himself in Han Lu's shoes, Zhong Wencheng had done a lot for her, and he certainly didn't want to be left out in the future.

Having just advanced to the seventh level of Qi Refining, Zhong Wencheng felt that his strength was at the very bottom of the list at this level.

Although he had previously relied on the "power of spirit stones" to achieve above-average results in the previous small competitions.

However, his extremely slow cultivation speed brought him to the brink of being "kicked out" of the sect. He must achieve a good result in this competition in order to continue to cultivate and earn money in the Zhengyi Sect.

Han Lu's words were like throwing two meat buns to a starving man.

Chapter 512 Active Preparations

"Yes, yes," Zhong Wencheng replied hastily, afraid that Han Lu would regret it. "I have seen how well Senior Sister Han has helped her junior brothers and sisters achieve in the previous two small competitions. I have been hoping that Senior Sister Han can give me some guidance again, since I am a junior who does not know much about Taoist magic."

Hearing this, she realized that the reward she gave had met Zhong Wencheng's expectations, and she felt less guilty for using Zhong Wencheng as a tool.

"It's not that exaggerated. I can't guarantee that if you study with me for a few hours, you'll be able to dominate the arena and achieve a top-32 or even top-16 result."

Han Lu remained as humble as ever.

"When the competition approaches, if you are not busy, you can come to me. Whenever I have time, I will give you some pointers."

"Of course, besides that, you will still receive plenty of spirit stones."

Despite being incredibly wealthy, Han Lu was still willing to use spirit stones to do business and repay favors with favors.

One transaction at a time, Zhong Wencheng was quite satisfied with this method of transaction.

Based on Han Lu's previous generosity, Zhong Wencheng felt he could make a fortune and bought a mid-to-high-grade magic item he liked before the competition to further enhance his combat power.

Before Han Lu left, Zhong Wencheng made several promises, which reassured Han Lu, who then entrusted the matter to him.

After all, there are still nearly eighty days until the competition begins, so even if Zhong Wencheng messes up, there is plenty of time to make up for everything.

Although they had acquired the "Hundred Thoughts Gathering God" technique early on and could cultivate it, Han Lu, Wen Erya, and Yi Qiyan all tacitly agreed not to do so before the competition was completely finalized.

It wasn't until four days after the three of them met, when the matter was 95% finalized and was about to be made public, that the three of them put aside their usual cultivation practices and held a second meeting at Han Lu's residence.

As they gathered together, Wen Erya learned that Yi Qiyan had been staying in Han Lu's courtyard for the past few days.

Unable to resist, as Han Lu's best friend, she felt a little jealous and enthusiastically offered to find a more comfortable place for her friend Yi Qiyan, who had come from afar.

Yi Qiyan, however, did not care about the simplicity of Han Lu's place and quite enjoyed the feeling of living with Han Lu.

Naturally, she repeatedly refused, saying that she was not a person who liked luxury or extravagance, and that staying at Han Lu's place was fine.

Two friends started practicing Tai Chi around her. Han Lu, who was in the eye of the storm, was a little confused and belatedly realized that she didn't know what her two friends were arguing about.

After rambling on for a while, Han Lu almost forgot whether the gathering was actually about deciding the three of them's dormitory assignments or some other important matter.

The discussion about this matter finally came to an end after about fifteen minutes.

In the end, Wen Erya was able to obtain the right to temporarily stay at Han Lu's residence.

She could stay in Han Lu's courtyard while the three of them practiced their martial arts techniques together, so that they could train together and develop their relationship.

After finishing these digressions, Han Lu took control of the meeting.

Under her arrangement, the three of them reported on the completion of their tasks one after another.

It was supposed to be a report, but Han Lu was the one doing most of the talking.

After all, Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan had already made significant progress in their work, while Han Lu's work remained shrouded in mystery, with no notable results in sight.

After explaining her situation over the past few days, Han Lu took out the "Hundred Thoughts Gathering Spirit" cultivation technique.

The purchase was described as being for three people to cultivate, and three contribution points were paid. Naturally, Han Lu also received three copies of the cultivation method.

Before they gathered together to study the techniques and practice together, Han Lu gave Yi Qiyan a special warning.

He admonished her of the rules of the Zhengyi Sect academy, telling her not to spread the cultivation techniques around and break the rules.

Although Yi Qiyan is not a conventional person, she still knows how to respect her friends, so she readily agreed.

Having obtained the cultivation technique a few days in advance, Han Lu naturally didn't just leave it there to gather dust; instead, she did some preliminary study.

Although she hadn't yet used it or mastered it, at this moment, Han Lu could still act as a teacher to Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan, just as she had explained the rules that day, and guide the two in their cultivation of secret arts.

The technique was not difficult, and the three of them were all genius cultivators. With Han Lu, who had some basic knowledge, guiding them, the three of them managed to learn the technique in just one hour.

Knowing that all three of them had mastered how to operate this secret technique, Han Lu took the initiative to suggest it.

"Shall we give it a try now?"

"According to the manual, the level of proficiency in using this secret technique will have a great impact on its effectiveness."

"If we start practicing early, I believe that in just a few days, the three of us should be able to master this secret technique and improve it to the point where we can use it in actual combat."

"With the remaining time, we can practice some combo techniques between each other while using the 'Hundred Thoughts Gathering Divine Power' secret technique. This will definitely improve our combat power when we explore the secret realm."

Han Lu has a general plan for the future.

Although she didn't originally care much about the competition, she was forced to take it to heart because of the involvement of her two friends.

After learning that winning the top two spots in the branch competition would grant her the privilege of flying on a sword within the sect for five years, she became even more determined to win the championship.

The Zhengyi Sect occupies a considerable area, and it was quite difficult for Han Lu to travel within the sect using lightness techniques at the Foundation Establishment stage.

If Han Lu could move around the sect by flying like a Golden Core Elder, that would be a reward several times better than hundreds or thousands of spirit stones.

Even if this reward only lasts for five years, until the next competition.

Han Lu's arrangement was reasonable, and Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan had no objections.

"Alright, then this time we'll use...Senior Sister Wen as the center for the secret technique."

The "Gathering of Divine Thoughts" secret technique requires one or more cultivators as the core to be cast.

Since there are only three people—Han Lu, Wen Erya, and Yi Qiyan—only one core member needs to be assigned.

The quality of this spellcasting core determines the effectiveness of the arcane spell.

The core of performing secret techniques is not determined by combat strength, the amount of spiritual power, or the realm.

Therefore, Han Lu's first thought was to have the three of them take turns acting as the core, to first determine this most crucial part, and then proceed to the next step of training.

Wen Erya nodded.

She switched seats with Han Lu and sat between Yi Qiyan and Han Lu.

After exchanging glances, the three simultaneously chanted incantations and unleashed the newly mastered secret technique, "Gathering the Divine Power of a Hundred Thoughts."

The secret technique was used in less than three breaths when hundreds of silvery-white, semi-transparent threads extended outwards from Wen Erya's head, like tentacles, and moved toward Han Lu and Yi Qiyan.

Han Lu and Yi Qiyan seemed to emanate an attraction, drawing these silvery-white threads to their bodies, causing these strange foreign objects to touch and connect with them.

Chapter 513 Three Attempts

These silvery-white threads are the medium through which cultivators using the "Hundred Thoughts Gathering Divine Power" secret technique exchange information.

The silk thread originally intended for nearly a hundred cultivators was used only to connect Han Lu, Wen Erya, and Yi Qiyan.

The "communication quality" is simply amazing.

Anyway, once the silvery-white threads connected the three of them, Han Lu received the message from Wen Erya almost immediately.

"That's it?"

"I think so." That was Han Lu's reply.

Yi Qiyan reacted a little slower, but quickly joined the "dialogue group".

"I feel like I've become a Golden Core cultivator and can use divine sense to transmit my thoughts, but it seems a little different."

Yi Qiyan found this method of transmitting information novel.

This feeling is indeed different from that of a Golden Core cultivator transmitting sound through divine sense.

It's as if you've kneaded a person's thought into a single point, and by simply touching that point, you can understand the other person's thoughts and ideas, which might require a minute of detailed explanation.

The efficiency of this communication is many times higher than face-to-face speaking or telepathy.

It's a pity that it requires a secret technique to prepare for, and it's too obvious. The effective distance for transmitting information is extremely short. Otherwise, it could really replace the secret transmission technique that only cultivators at the Golden Core stage can master.

Han Lu opened her eyes wide, paying attention to the silvery-white threads floating in the air between the three of them, as if trying to see clearly how thoughts and ideas were transmitted from them.

Wen Erya kept testing the secret technique, trying to figure out how to control it to transmit her thoughts to her two friends connected to her, and how to keep information she didn't want to disclose in her mind.

Yi Qiyan kept using secret techniques to transmit information to the outside world, as if she wanted to test the bandwidth of the "threads" and figure out how to use this secret technique to communicate with people.

The three of them conducted their own experiments, improving their proficiency in using the secret techniques.

Unfortunately, this was only the first time he had used the "Gathering of a Hundred Thoughts" secret technique.

However, just half a minute after the secret technique was activated, the originally crystal-clear white silk thread turned from white to red.

Wen Erya, who was at the core of the secret technique, suddenly felt a splitting headache and could no longer support the continued performance of the technique.

Three breaths later, the white silk thread connecting the three of them turned completely red, and a bloody smell suddenly filled the mouths of Han Lu and Yi Qiyan.

The threads broke, scattered, and disappeared into the air.

Feeling the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, Han Lu silently picked up her teacup, took two sips of tea, and tried to neutralize it with the aroma of the tea leaves.