The Long Journey to Immortality

This number, spanning thousands of years, has become a record that no one has been able to break.

Although only two of those three cultivators eventually advanced to the Golden Core realm and became elders of the sect, thus distinguishing themselves.

However, the other cultivator who finally collapsed ten meters from the starting point of his cultivation journey still managed to ensure that future generations would remember his and his two teammates' deeds in this way.

Han Lu and Wen Erya were somewhat disappointed at missing the chance to break the record.

However, they quickly regained their spirits.

After all, the championship in this subject is already secured.

There's plenty of time ahead; they'll definitely have several more opportunities to participate in the competition, especially the major one.

In the next competition a few years later, if the two of them improve their fighting strength a little more and keep this in mind, breaking the record should be a sure thing.

They did not give any "victory speech," and Han Lu and the other two simply left the stage amidst applause.

Beside the sun, the stars and moon will naturally appear dimmer.

The champion has been announced, and I've become just a supporting character.

The next two groups showed no interest on stage, as if they hadn't been ranked in the top five but had been eliminated.

The statistical work lasted for about fifteen minutes before it was declared over. With the posting of the second match schedule, the Grand Secret Realm Competition came to an end.

Chapter 557 Sisters' Rivalry

Because they ranked first in the Secret Realm test, Han Lu, Wen Erya, and Yi Qiyan received a special privilege.

That means they can directly advance to the top 64 based on their performance in the Secret Realm event without having to participate in the first two days of the round-robin tournament in the arena competition.

This arrangement is a tradition of the Zhengyi Sect's Grand Competition, mainly to allow the three cultivators who might "exhaust" the most in the first round to have a slightly longer rest time than others.

At the same time, we should make the first place in the Secret Realm subject more prestigious.

Yi Qiyan originally did not plan to participate in the second subject test.

However, Yi Qiyan felt that she hadn't had enough fun fighting in the secret realm because of Wen Erya's "winning people over with virtue" plan.

So, she finally decided to get involved again and continue participating in the Zhengyi Sect Grand Competition to get a feel for combat.

Due to their cultivation levels, the three participated in different groups in the second major competition, and the start times were also different.

Wen Erya is at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, so naturally she can only participate in the lowest level of competitions.

The large-scale arena tests at this level begin on the third day after returning from the lower-level secret realm.

Han Lu and Yi Qiyan are both mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators. To participate in a mid-level competition, they need to wait for some mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators who participated in the high-level secret realm test to return from the secret realm and rest for a day before the battle can begin.

Therefore, preparing Wen Erya for the arena competition became Han Lu and Yi Qiyan's task for the first few days after returning from the secret realm.

None of the three were injured in the secret realm, but they did consume some spiritual energy and felt somewhat tired.

Having emerged almost unscathed, and with Han Lu and Wen Erya already eager to win the competition, the championship in the ring event naturally became theirs for the taking.

Compared to Wen Er Ya, who participated in the competition for the first time five years ago, the current Wen Er Ya is not only far stronger than herself five years ago, but also has a completely different combat experience.

The so-called help for Wen Erya to prepare for the competition was more about helping Wen Erya find her rhythm and form on the stage, and incidentally giving Han Lu and the other two an excuse to spar with each other.

All three acknowledged each other's talent and abilities.

However, even after witnessing Han Lu's performance, which was comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator, in the secret realm, Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan were still unclear about the difference in strength between themselves and Han Lu, the strongest among the three.

It's natural to be curious about the unknown and want to test your skills in the ring to figure out the difference between you and others; that's perfectly normal.

But after actually sparring a few times in the ring, Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan both gave up the idea of ​​competing with Han Lu again.

Both were genius cultivators with their own pride. Han Lu could defeat them with ease, even when they were fighting with all their might. This was not a pleasant experience.

So, half a day later, the so-called preparations turned into Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan fighting, while Han Lu watched from below the stage, giving her opinions.

The three of them couldn't say for sure how much this training would improve their combat strength, but the feeling of spending four days together in harmony left them feeling refreshed.

After the other early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators at the same level as Wen Erya fought fiercely in a five-round round-robin tournament, the remaining sixty-three spots in the top sixty-four were determined.

Having realized he had improved considerably, Wen Erya appeared fully armed on the competition stage.

Although she only stayed in the early stage of Foundation Establishment for three years, Wen Erya was definitely one of the best at this level.

He has rich combat experience, numerous and high-quality magical treasures, and the amount of spiritual power stored in his body is comparable to that of a typical mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

In addition, she participated in the second test in perfect condition.

These advantages naturally made her unstoppable in the ring.

They won every game, with only the final championship posing a slight threat to Wen Er Ya.

However, it was only a threat. Wen Erya, who was already able to gain some advantage against a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator as outstanding as Yi Qiyan, eventually defeated her opponent and won the championship.

This smooth path to victory made Wen Erya feel a little unreal, and even a little disappointed.

But when Daoist Yunmin announced the final result in front of everyone and handed her the "Spirit Stone Trophy" symbolizing the champion, she still smiled broadly, happily waving the trophy to her two friends in the stands, and wishing them good results in her heart.

After Wen Erya finished the arena competition for early Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was Han Lu and Yi Qiyan's turn to take the stage.

The advanced-level Secret Realm test concluded two days before Wen Er Ya won the championship.

The winning team consisted of three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators who obtained a total of 137 Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls.

This result is definitely good news for Han Lu.

Even if she only wins the runner-up position in the ring event, she can still win the championship as the overall scorer.

However, this news did not diminish Han Lu's fighting spirit in the slightest, as she aimed for both the double championship and the overall championship.

In the round of 64, Han Lu's opponent was the bald monk Wu Ke.

Achieving fifth place in the Secret Realm subject is enough to prove that Wu Ke is an outstanding cultivator of the Zhengyi Sect.

However, he only obtained a mere fifty-one Spirit Beads, a feat that also proves that there is a fundamental gap between him and Han Lu.

Han Lu felt she had only used about 20% of her strength, yet she still managed to utterly defeat Wu Ke.

Luckily, Wu Ke shouted "I concede" quickly, otherwise he would most likely have walked onto the stage and left the arena lying down.

Having achieved an overwhelming victory, many Foundation Establishment cultivators participating in the high-level secret realm events finally began to take Han Lu, the low-level champion, more seriously.

Previously, many Foundation Establishment cultivators who participated in the high-level secret realm subject tests felt that Han Lu had exploited a loophole in the rules by deliberately competing with Wen Erya to give herself a legitimate reason to participate in the low-level tests and openly "smash the fish".

However, in this arena competition, some discerning cultivators could still see that Han Lu possessed superior strength.

Many contestants who considered the championship a sure thing began to seriously regard Han Lu, who had won first place in the Secret Realm course, as their biggest competitor.

In the round of 32, Han Lu's hand trembled, and she unexpectedly drew Yi Qiyan.

This gave many spectators watching from outside the ring something to get excited about.

This sudden infighting between the sisters made Han Lu quite unhappy.

On the contrary, Yi Qiyan felt it was a great honor to be able to spar with Han Lu on the competition stage, and she couldn't wait to use all her skills and show her full strength.

In the three years, Yi Qiyan has grown a lot, but Han Lu has not stood still either.

Because the practice of teamwork made both sides clear about each other's moves and routines, Yi Qiyan, who had some potential to rely on "mystery" to make a name for herself, was completely defeated by Han Lu.

The battle's plot is exactly the same as the sparring match three years ago that helped resolve past grievances.

Needless to say, Han Lu won.

Chapter 558 Dominating the Arena

Advancing by stepping over the "corpses" of her friends made Han Lu quite uncomfortable.

After the match, it was Yi Qiyan, the loser, who took the initiative to comfort Han Lu, the winner.

After being reminded by Yi Qiyan, Han Lu realized that even if she won the championship, it wouldn't affect Yi Qiyan, an "outsider," and even if she were eliminated at this point, it wouldn't be a loss for her, an "outsider." After silently grumbling about her right hand that had drawn the lots, she put the matter out of her mind.

After resting briefly in the rest area next to the arena and using pills to restore their spiritual power, once all the cultivators who had advanced to the top sixteen were announced, it was Han Lu's turn to draw lots again, this time for her "unlucky right hand" that had just been scolded.

This time, Han Lu drew a favorite to win the championship.

Han Lu recognized this person; he was Shang Wenxuan, who had won third place in the Secret Realm Subject Test a week ago.

To outsiders who are unaware of Han Lu's true abilities, her luck in the draw is terrible; she either encounters a friend or a formidable opponent.

However, Yi Qiyan and Wen Erya, who were well aware of Han Lu's strength, believed that no matter who Han Lu's opponent was, as long as she was willing to use all her means, there was no one she couldn't defeat, and drawing any opponent would be a good outcome.

Han Lu's knowledge of Shang Wenxuan's combat strength came entirely from Zhong Wencheng's intelligence data.

They were all speaking in generalities, and there wasn't much information about Han Lu that could actually be obtained on the stage.

What does Shang Wenxuan know about Han Lu?

It all stemmed from that meeting a week ago and the sparring match between Han Lu and Yi Qiyan just now.

The two were equally prepared before the battle, and Han Lu was even slightly better prepared.

However, Shang Wenxuan was at a slight disadvantage compared to the other cultivators competing on the same stage.

His master was Elder Mingjing.

This led him to misjudge the strength of Han Lu's team, mistakenly believing that their success in the secret realm was due to their intelligence and strategy, as well as the non-existent True Spirit Phoenix in Wen Erya's storage bag.

Unaware that Han Lu was the true spirit phoenix, Shang Wenxuan naturally didn't place much importance on the strength of Han Lu and the other two.

In his eyes, Han Lu was just a cultivator with some strength.

The reason Han Lu and her two companions were able to obtain so many Spirit Beads was largely due to Wen Erya's phoenix, the team's cleverness, and the three women's good looks.

The fight between Han Lu and Yi Qiyan just now seemed intense, but it was actually just the sisters putting on an act. Yi Qiyan gave way, which made Han Lu appear so formidable.

Such a judgment naturally led Shang Wenxuan to never regard Han Lu as an opponent of the same level from the beginning, let alone think highly of her. He regarded fighting against Han Lu as a difficult task, like sparring with a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator or a Golden Core cultivator.

This underestimation of his opponent caused Shang Wenxuan to suffer a great loss right from the start.

As soon as the referee shouted "start," Han Lu took out her spirit sword, casually swung it twice, and unleashed two sword beams.

Shang Wenxuan didn't take the two sword beams seriously at all, and simply activated the defensive magic treasures on his body to defend against them.

The sword light, wielded with the power of true spirit transformation, pierced through the defensive light barrier formed by Shang Wenxuan using a mid-grade magic artifact jade pendant with almost no resistance.

In an instant, a heavy snow began to fall on the Flaming Mountain in Shang Wenxuan's sea of ​​consciousness.

Just moments ago, Shang Wenxuan was full of fighting spirit, thinking of making a move to intimidate others. But now, he seemed to have caught a sudden illness, his senses were blocked, his limbs were out of his control, and it was as if his soul had been knocked out of his body.