The Long Journey to Immortality

In a corner of the square, some people were chatting with fellow disciples they knew or didn't know.

The conversation was simple: they tried to sell the Spirit Pearls they had collected in the secret realm.

After all, each cultivator has a different goal in the competition.

Although the final results have not yet been released, it is still easy to calculate the approximate ranking of each person based on the number of people queuing in front of each colored light strip to register their results.

Many teams that have achieved their expected results but don't have a lot of spirit stones in their pockets will use their business acumen at this time to try to exchange spirit stones for spirit beads and do something "helpful".

Because this matter is just a simple transaction on a small scale and will not affect the overall situation, the Zhengyi Sect never interferes too much at this time, nor has it ever restricted the rules.

Apart from a few wealthy young men who went too far, no one has been punished for this matter.

Naturally, more and more cultivators are relying on their "money power" to make a final effort to improve their ranking in the final stage of the Grand Competition Secret Realm.

The competition was fierce, and the already limited market became even more unbalanced in terms of supply and demand.

Only a very small number of Spirit Beads are sold by a very small number of teams, so naturally, the price of a Spirit Bead rises accordingly.

In the past, a Spirit Rhinoceros Pearl that could sell for twenty spirit stones was considered a high price.

However, in this competition, even if many cultivators spend a high price of twenty-five or thirty spirit stones, they may not be able to buy one.

Before long, the twenty-odd Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls for sale in this small market were snapped up by several wealthy cultivators.

Some of the cultivators, their faces beaming with joy, happily divided up the spirit stones they had collected, marveling at the business opportunities the competition had brought them.

Another group of cultivators, carrying their own and the spirit beads they had bought, quietly moved to the queue in another color of light, marveling that the power of spirit stones was much more useful than the power of spiritual energy at this moment.

The stories of two different types of cultivators are unfolding on the same stage, but everyone's attention will still be more focused on a small number of elites.

After Wu Ke and his two teammates, who were "just there to make up the numbers," were eliminated, the discussion about the ranking order of this test became increasingly intense.

Based on the reputation and popularity of the four teams of cultivators among the disciples, everyone was ranked.

Furthermore, among the four teams still remaining with Daoist Yunmin, only Wen Erya from Han Lu's team was at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Therefore, despite their renowned reputation within the sect, Han Lu and her two companions were still looked down upon and considered the fourth-place candidate by the majority of Zhengyi Sect disciples.

The few disciples who believed that Han Lu and her two companions could win the championship were mostly acquaintances of Han Lu.

In particular, Zhong Wencheng, who was well-informed, had already learned about Han Lu and the other two's general activities in the secret realm through various channels before the end of the secret realm course.

Although he didn't know the exact number of Spirit Beads that Han Lu and the other two had collected, he was certain that they would at least rank in the top two in this test, causing some gamblers who blindly believed that realm was equivalent to combat power and performance to lose everything.

The second team of volunteer cultivators were no less famous in the sect than Han Lu and her two companions.

The cultivator who spoke before Han Lu was named Shang Wenxuan. He came from Zhongshan Academy and was one of the most famous geniuses in the sect before Han Lu spent a year advancing from the early stage of Foundation Establishment to the middle stage.

Although his two teammates, Jia Haoqiong and Fang Riming, were slightly less talented than him, they were still among the top elites in the Zhengyi Sect.

Five years ago, Shang Wenxuan, Jia Haoqiong, and Fang Riming were still early Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, this team, composed of three cultivators who had only been at the early Foundation Establishment stage for two years, won fifty-three Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls at the end of the competition.

Their achievements in competing against numerous mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators have made them prominent figures in the sect and universally recognized rising stars.

And they did not disappoint their fellow students and elders who recognized their talent.

Five years later, having successfully advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, they once again stood beside Daoist Yunmin and delivered another outstanding performance.

Many cultivators from Zhongshan Academy, after seeing the three of them harvest at least fifty Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls in the secret realm once again, began to imagine that in fifty or sixty years, Zhongshan Academy would have one, two, or even three more Golden Core cultivators.

Cultivators have exceptional memories, and Daoist Yunmin naturally remembered the names of these three genius cultivators from the sect.

Just like the previous scene of shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries when going on stage, this time, however, Daoist Yunmin and the other two were chatting about things in the secret realm.

Compared to Wu Ke just now, Shang Wenxuan and the other two were treated a level higher by Daoist Yunmin.

When Daoist Yunmin mentioned the three's gains in the secret realm, Shang Wenxuan took out all the Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls from his storage bag.

Daoist Yunmin casually raised his hand, and the numerous Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls were arranged neatly in groups of ten, floating in the air.

With just a glance, everyone could tell exactly how many Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls Shang Wenxuan and his companions had obtained in the secret realm.

After counting the Spirit Beads, a disciple who was closer to the center of the plaza couldn't help but exclaim, "One hundred and twenty-eight? Could it be that Senior Brother Shang and his two companions are going to win the championship this time? That's truly amazing!"

This statement is absolutely correct. In the past, a score of 128 Spirit Beads would have been enough to make a small team win the championship in the Secret Realm competition.

The monk's words were naturally heard by everyone on the stage.

Han Lu and Wen Erya showed no change in expression, and Yi Qiyan even had a slight urge to laugh in this serious setting.

One of the other two groups of cultivators had smiles on their faces.

The third team of cultivators, however, wore bitter expressions. Clearly, after a brief comparison, they knew that their team was doomed to fail to reach the top spot in this Secret Realm Test.

Shang Wenxuan and his two companions initially smiled and were quite pleased with themselves upon hearing these praises.

But when they noticed the expressions of Han Lu and the other six cultivators, as well as the approximate location where Daoist Yunmin wrote the battle results on the red list, their smiles vanished.

Many onlookers below the stage also noticed the mystery behind Yunmin Daoist's writing of the list.

"Oh, so the sect leader really is the sect leader. So you already knew the final result."

"Judging from the position of the pen, Senior Brother Shang's team is only ranked third?"

"One hundred and twenty-eight Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls and you're only ranked third? This competition is too fierce."

……

Arriving full of enthusiasm but leaving disappointed, Shang Wenxuan and his two companions, despite achieving results that were the envy of hundreds and thousands of their fellow disciples, still left the stage without a smile.

This is probably the trouble of being a "top student".

Upon seeing that Shang Wenxuan and his two companions were ranked third instead of second, the three men, who had just been smiling, suddenly stiffened and felt a sense of foreboding.

This time, when Daoist Yunmin spoke again, Han Lu quickly stepped forward first.

"Sect Leader Yunmin, this time your disciple Han Lu will present the pearl."

Chapter 556 Winning the Championship

Yi Qiyan had originally planned to appear last as the champion, but since Han Lu had already stepped forward and said those words, she, as a "guest" of the Zhengyi Sect, naturally couldn't offer any objections.

Wen Erya, who had the Spirit Rhinoceros Pearl in her storage bag, stepped forward, and the three of them came to stand in front of Daoist Yunmin.

In terms of familiarity, Han Lu and Wen Erya are definitely the disciples that the sect leader, Yun Min Daoren, is most familiar with among the more than 30,000 disciples of the Zhengyi Sect, apart from Yun Min Daoren's disciples.

"Han Lu, Wen Er Ya, it's really impressive that you two have achieved such results in your first competition. You have a bright future ahead of you."

Han Lu and Wen Erya said in unison, modestly, "Sect Leader, you flatter us."

"Don't be so modest," Daoist Yunmin said with a smile. "I have learned about your actions in the secret realm through several elders."

Immediately afterwards, Daoist Yunmin looked at Wen Erya and said, "Wen Erya, I never expected that you, at such a young age, could tame the true spirit of the phoenix and use it for your own purposes. It is truly remarkable."

Upon hearing Daoist Yunmin speak of the True Spirit, Han Lu and Wen Erya's expressions changed slightly, while the onlookers below the stage erupted in an uproar.

True spirits, creatures that exist only in "stories of the ancient cultivation era" and in the remote wilderness, are as distant as the Nascent Soul realm for most cultivators.

Han Lu and Wen Erya had discussed their story in advance, intending to tell a perfect lie at this moment and completely cover up the matter.

"Sect Master, this phoenix was only borrowed from a senior, not owned by me. Bringing it into the secret realm was a blatant act of opportunism. I am ashamed that you bring it up now."

Upon learning that the True Spirit Phoenix did not belong to Wen Erya, Daoist Yunmin felt a pang of regret.

He had originally planned to call Wen Erya back for a meeting to inquire about the phoenix's gender and see if they could "breed" together, thus adding a few more demonic beasts and spirit beasts with true spirit bloodlines to the sect's spirit beast pen.

Fortunately, this matter was only secretly on Yunmin Daoren's mind. If Han Lu knew about it, she would probably be furious.

After chatting with Han Lu and Wen Erya for a few moments, Daoist Yunmin looked at Yi Qiyan.

Although Yi Qiyan had only met Yunmin Daoist twice, she was the Holy Maiden of the Five Poisons Sect, so at this time, Yunmin Daoist regarded her as the representative of the Five Poisons Sect, a major sect in the southern border.

When facing Yi Qiyan, Daoist Yunmin treated her like an acquaintance, speaking to her with a kind and gentle tone.

The topic of their conversation had nothing to do with the secret realm, but rather with Yi Qiyan's master, the leader of the Five Poisons Sect.

Yunmin Daoist had met the leader of the Five Poisons Sect a few times, and they could barely be considered nodding acquaintances.

Now, the two sides have made contact through Yi Qiyan's visit to the Zhengyi Sect. Yunmin Daoist, who had been thinking of "joining forces" with the other party, naturally wanted to make more public statements to show his sincerity.

As a saintess of the Five Poisons Sect, Yi Qiyan had experienced many such diplomatic occasions and handled them with ease.

On the stage, Daoist Yunmin chatted enthusiastically with Han Lu and the other two. At this moment, even the disciples who had been practicing in seclusion for many years could see that Han Lu and the other two had a close relationship with Daoist Yunmin, which was completely different from the disciples of the previous two groups.

Such special treatment naturally leads to much speculation.

It's understandable that Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan received such special treatment.

No one could fathom what background or ability Han Lu possessed that would command such respect from someone of the Zhengyi Sect's leader.

After saying a dozen or so digressions, Daoist Yunmin finally continued talking about the competition.

"We can talk about this later."

"Now quickly take out the Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls and let me see what you have gained in the secret realm."

Although he sensed through his divine sense that Han Lu and the other two possessed an unprecedented number of Spiritual Beads, making them the champions this time, Daoist Yunmin still did not know exactly how many Spiritual Beads were in their hands.

Yunmin Daoist was also very much looking forward to this final result, hoping that a significant record could be made during his time in charge of the sect.

Not wanting to chat about family matters or exchange pleasantries in front of everyone, Wen Erya didn't dawdle and directly took out all the Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls from her storage bag.

Numerous spirit beads emerged from the storage bag one after another.

This was the first time in over two hundred years of being in the Zhengyi Sect that Yunmin Daoist had ever seen so many Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls taken out of the storage bags of a group of cultivators at once.

He was caught off guard and his reaction was slow, causing the spirit beads to fall to the ground with a clattering sound.

The onlookers below the stage gasped in surprise, while the group of cultivators who had just felt a sense of foreboding turned ashen-faced.

With so many Spirit Beads, it's obvious without even counting that their numbers far surpass those of theirs.

The top spot in the secret realm subject test is already in Han Lu's hands.

Seeing the Spirit Rhinoceros Beads rolling all over the ground, Han Lu quickly imitated the posture of Daoist Yun Min and used her artifact control technique to arrange the Spirit Rhinoceros Beads in groups of ten for easy counting.

In the blink of an eye, everyone had counted them all.

"Two hundred and sixty-two?"

After calculating the number, Daoist Yunmin was slightly disappointed and said regretfully, "The performance was not bad, but it's a pity that I'm still a little behind that senior from three thousand years ago. I didn't break the record of the sect competition."

After saying that, Daoist Yunmin continued to write on the first line of the red list, "appointing" Han Lu and her two companions as the champions of the Secret Realm Course, even though two teams had not yet tallied their results.

After Yunmin Daoist said that, Han Lu and Wen Erya, who had been focused on winning the Secret Realm Course, remembered the commemorative event of "breaking the record".

More than three thousand years ago, three Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from the Zhengyi Sect obtained a total of 270 Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls during the Grand Competition Secret Realm Subject Test.