The Long Journey to Immortality

The eighteen passengers on the Ark were quite disappointed when they learned that Han Lu and her two companions had chosen to "wait for the rabbit to run into the tree stump" in the following days.

The experience of earning Spirit Pearls by simply shouting a few words and watching a play has captivated these "unambitious" cultivators.

With this arrangement, there's probably no chance to snag such a bargain, so it's perfectly normal to feel a little unhappy.

The ark moved quickly, and in just ten minutes, Yi Qiyan found a woodland near a small lake.

This place is rich in spiritual energy and has stable geology, making it quite suitable for setting up magic arrays to defend against enemies.

The ark was lowered, and only Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan stepped off.

"Erya, what do you think of this place?"

Yi Qiyan inquired about Wen Erya's thoughts.

Since Han Lu was still recovering her spiritual power, the decision on where to set up camp was left to Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan.

Wen Erya rode her spirit sword and flew low around the small lake once. After calculating for a while, she picked up her abacus and replied, "This place is good. The scenery is beautiful and there are no monsters nearby. It is a good place to set up a defensive position."

When asked about her future behavior, Wen Erya frankly used the unpleasant term "cowardly" to describe herself.

"It's good that there are no problems," Yi Qiyan took out a formation flag from her storage bag. "Then let's set up a few formations here to defend against external enemies."

Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan, one a princess of the Southern Dynasty and the other a saintess of the Five Poisons Sect, had far more possessions in their storage bags than Han Lu, a "second-generation True Spirit" who had only returned to her clan a few years ago.

Both of them had several sets of array flags of different quality and function in their storage bags.

Because Yi Qiyan was quite proficient in formations, she was in charge of setting up the defensive formations.

While arranging several formations together is not as complex as constructing a high-rise building, if cleverly designed, the formations can avoid conflicts and even create some small synergies, enhancing each other's effects.

This was the first time Yi Qiyan had done this kind of work, so everyone was very careful and afraid of making any mistakes.

Lacking experience, Yi Qiyan proceeded cautiously.

Five sets of Five Elements formations, along with one formation that can isolate divine sense, are arranged around the ark on the lakeshore.

Using the simplest principle of the five elements' mutual generation, and based on Yi Qiyan's calculations, the power of the magic array alone could withstand a cultivator in the early stage of the Golden Core realm for a hundred breaths.

As long as you don't encounter a true spirit "monster" like Han Lu who can go toe-to-toe with a Golden Core cultivator, this level of strength is already sufficient in the secret realm.

After completing all these arrangements, Yi Qiyan opened the ark's door again.

Passengers who wish to remain on the ark can stay, while those who wish to leave can move freely within the area of ​​the formation.

Having paid the protection fee, no one would naturally think of breaking away from the protection of Han Lu and the other two kind-hearted people.

Spending the rest of your time leisurely in this secluded paradise by the beautiful lakeside would be quite an enjoyable experience.

Several cultivators took out their usual fishing rods from their storage bags and sat by the lake to fish.

Several cultivators took the initiative to gather around Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan, hoping to chat a few more words with these two important figures whom they usually didn't have the opportunity to "get close" to.

There are also quite a few cultivators who casually meditate, cultivate, or practice spells within the formation.

Although they can no longer obtain the Spirit Pearl through various means to improve their performance in the Secret Realm subject, they still hope to achieve good results in the Arena subject after their safe withdrawal.

A peaceful scene unfolded, as if this place were not a secret realm, but rather a mountain spring within the Zhengyi Sect, where a group of cultivators who were usually on good terms were having a tea party, relaxing and discussing Taoist practices.

During the remaining six hours, although some cultivators accidentally discovered this "Peach Blossom Spring" and sensed that it contained a large number of Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls, they were afraid of the many cultivators who had gathered there for some unknown reason and dared not take action.

Time passed peacefully.

Just before leaving the secret realm, Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan put away the array flags and, together with the others, passed through the twenty-one densely packed teleportation portals above the lake, thus ending the three-day secret realm test.

Chapter 554 Return

About five hundred cultivators gathered on a bluestone plaza within the Five Elements Mountain Academy.

Among them, in addition to more than 480 disciples, there were also many Golden Core elders from various sects.

Two of the three sect leaders also came to the plaza, waiting for the three days to pass before they would guide the sect elites who were still fighting in the secret realm back to their sects.

The disciples gathered here are divided into two categories.

One type of disciple has little to do with this Foundation Establishment Realm competition; they are just here to join in the fun.

For many cultivators who cannot go very far on the path of cultivation, such a scene of gathering Golden Core cultivators is rare.

The second category of disciples consists of cultivators who were eliminated early in this competition.

Each team will usually send at least one person to the scene to wait for all teams to leave the secret realm and complete the battle results registration here. They will then be informed of the final rankings of the first subject and the match schedule for the second subject's arena events as soon as possible.

Although these teams were eliminated early, they will still be ranked according to the order of elimination.

For the disciples of the Zhengyi Sect who hope not to fall into the lower ranks in the competition, this ranking is quite important.

Knowing this early on gives you peace of mind and allows you to determine your preparation rhythm for the remaining days, or simply prepare to "wait for death".

As the three-day deadline approached, the ancient bronze bell in the Five Elements Mountain Temple was rung.

The long-waiting Golden Core cultivators took their places, sitting cross-legged in the array already inscribed in the center of the square. They skillfully coordinated their hand seals to activate the teleportation portal.

Nine Golden Core cultivators cast a spell together, pouring a large amount of spiritual power into the formation. Three breaths later, the runes carved on the ground began to shimmer with a light golden light.

The next moment, a teleportation portal with a radius of seventeen or eighteen meters appeared about ten meters above the plaza.

Upon seeing that the teleportation spell was complete, Daoist Yunmin quickly instructed the disciples who had come to the square to watch to make way for a section of the area.

The portal remained in the air for about ten seconds before the first group of cultivators passed through it and returned to the Zhengyi Sect.

The three cultivators in the first group had all participated in the Foundation Establishment Realm competition multiple times and were well-prepared for their return.

Upon noticing that the scene before them had returned to the Zhengyi Sect, they reacted swiftly, summoning their spirit swords and taking a low-altitude flight before landing steadily.

With the successful return of these three cultivators, many more cultivators began their journeys back through the vast teleportation portal in the sky.

A few cultivators who were participating in the competition for the first time and whose reactions were a little slower indeed made a fool of themselves in front of the many onlookers, falling face-first to the ground in a miserable manner.

Han Lu and the other two had already figured out the entire process of the Secret Realm Course before participating in the competition. The information provided by Zhong Wencheng also clearly explained the steps for the return trip and that all the Zhengyi Sect disciples who remained in the Secret Realm would eventually return to the Five Elements Mountain Academy.

Therefore, the three of them were prepared in advance. When they left the teleportation portal, they each used their own methods. Even when they landed, they gathered together, avoiding the trouble of searching for each other in the crowd and regrouping.

The portal remained open for a full minute before all the disciples still inside the secret realm were teleported out.

As the bell rang again, the portal slowly closed, signaling the official end of the Foundation Establishment Realm Grand Competition Secret Realm Test for lower-level participants.

With so many disciples suddenly appearing in the square after returning from the secret realm, things naturally became chaotic again.

Daoist Yunmin cast a spell to make his voice louder, and after clearing his throat, he began, "Welcome back, everyone. Now we will begin to tally the number of Spirit Beads obtained by each team in the secret realm..."

Daoist Yunmin raised his hand and pointed, and a five-colored light ribbon flew out from his body and landed in a corner of the square.

There were already nine stewards of the inner treasury sitting there, in charge of compiling statistics on the Spirit Rhinoceros Pearl.

Teams that returned alone without obtaining the Spirit Pearl, please proceed to the green light band to register your ranking.

Teams that have obtained three or fewer Spirit Beads should proceed to the tables where the black light band is located for the battle results tally.

"Those who have obtained four to ten Spirit Beads, proceed to the red area..."

……

"Finally, teams that have obtained more than fifty Spirit Beads, come to me and I will register your results and put your names on the honor roll."

Master Yunmin never hesitated to reward the elite disciples of the sect.

Arriving here and handing over numerous Spirit Pearls in a grand display under the watchful eyes of his fellow disciples was, in his view, an excellent reward.

Following the arrangement of Daoist Yunmin, the more than one hundred teams that had just left the secret realm each found their respective destinations.

A small number of teams returned empty-handed, while the vast majority of teams were able to return with at least three Spirit Beads.

Apart from Han Lu and the other two, only four teams, each holding at least fifty Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls, came to the center of the square to hand over their tasks to Daoist Yunmin.

This number is arguably the lowest in all previous competitions.

In the past, it was quite normal for seven or eight teams to gather around the sect leader.

This shows how intense the battles were in this secret realm, with fewer but more outstanding teams acquiring more Spirit Beads.

Some cultivator teams that were "not good enough but not bad enough" were either directly eliminated or brought back to reality with poor results, ending their secret realm subject tests.

The cultivators who can come here are undoubtedly the elite of the elite in the Zhengyi Sect.

There were fifteen people in total. Although Daoist Yunmin couldn't call out the names of all of them, he could still call out the names of nine disciples, including Han Lu, and greet them to show his approachability.

After the five groups lined up, Daoist Yunmin smiled and looked at everyone, saying, "Who wants to go first?"

Golden Core cultivators possess keen spiritual senses, and in fact, Daoist Yunmin already knew which of the five groups possessed the most Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls.

Han Lu was used to such grand occasions and didn't think that bringing out a large number of Lingxi Pearls was something that would make her stand out. So, she thought she would be the first to appear, finish things quickly, and leave the stage as soon as possible.

But someone beat them to it.

"I'll do it!"

A bald monk took the first step forward and volunteered to be the first to appear.

His two teammates were somewhat helpless, but they had no choice but to take a step forward and come with their companions to the Taoist Yunmin to present the Lingxi Pearl.

The bald cultivator's name was "Wu Ke," and he was the least known of the fifteen cultivators on the stage. Even the information Han Lu obtained from Zhong Wencheng only mentioned this powerful figure briefly, without going into detail about how formidable he was.

After handing over the fifty-one Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls from their storage bags, Wu Ke and his companions received applause and a few words of concern and encouragement from Daoist Yun Min, thus concluding their test in a triumphant manner.

Wu Ke took the initiative to be the first to go on stage to "present his treasure," intending to make a quick appearance and then leave, not believing that his team could compete with other teams for the championship in this event.

Wu Ke and his two companions were already quite satisfied with exchanging a few pleasantries with several high-ranking members of the organization and making sure they remembered their names.

Master Yunmin held a brush and wrote several golden characters on a piece of red paper, showing off his calligraphy skills.

The three of them, Wu Ke and his companions, achieved their goal of writing calligraphy with vigorous strokes.

Having already used their Golden Core cultivator abilities to foresee the outcome, Wu Ke and his two companions naturally had their names written at the very bottom of the Golden List, leaving ample space for the other four teams.

"Who's next?"

Han Lu wanted to speak again, but someone beat her to it.

[Author's Note] There are just too many epidemic prevention checks after resuming work. It feels like every leader wants to check us once.

Chapter 555 A Hundred Aspects

In the center of the square, the five groups of people became the focus of everyone's attention.