The Long Journey to Immortality

Han Lu wasn't going to the academy on any official business; she was going to find her "cheap master," Piaomiaozi.

Since being entrusted with an important task and becoming the number one figure in Dongshan Academy, Piaomiaozi, a Golden Core cultivator who was already enthusiastic about serving the sect, has been even more actively involved in his new job.

Seven days a week, the previous Golden Core cultivator who controlled the Dongshan Academy only appeared at the academy for half a day.

However, Piaomiaozi spent three out of seven days working at the academy, actively participating in academy affairs and leading the disciples working there to strive for a brighter future for Dongshan Academy.

For example, the time for the Zhengyi Sect to recruit a new batch of disciples is not far away.

The academy is responsible for recruiting new students and also needs to coordinate with the internal treasury to "reject" people based on the results of the last small competition. Naturally, Piaomiaozi spends more time sitting in the academy and overseeing the overall situation.

If Han Lu wanted to find him, she would naturally go to the academy, rather than visit him in person.

Even though Han Lu was Piao Miao Zi's prized student, she still waited for a full quarter of an hour at the academy before being allowed to meet him in Piao Miao Zi's office.

As they entered the room, Si Xing'er, a cultivator from the academy who had previously interacted with Han Lu, had just finished discussing official business with Piao Miaozi and was walking out of Piao Miaozi's office.

Si Xing'er naturally knew about this junior sister who had become famous in recent years, and being a friendly person herself, she greeted Han Lu even more warmly at this moment.

Han Lu was a very popular figure in Dongshan Academy over the past ten years, so Si Xing'er naturally remembered Han Lu's name and appearance.

Han Lu also remembered this senior sister who had given her a great opportunity, so she returned the greeting in a friendly manner, "Greetings, Senior Sister Si. Is Master Piaomiao available now?"

"Elder Piaomiao just finished discussing recruitment with me, and there's an opening right now," Si Xing'er said with a smile. "Junior Sister Han Lu, please go in quickly."

Since Piaomiaozi was an official at the academy, Si Xing'er knew that she would definitely have more contact with Han Lu in the future, so she naturally wouldn't try to chat with Han Lu at this time, while delaying Han Lu's business, in order to try to get closer to each other.

Inside the room, Piaomiaozi was busy with her work, but she only looked up when Han Lu entered and gestured for her to sit down.

Seeing Piaomiaozi, who used to be "carefree" in the sect, in this state, Han Lu couldn't help but say, "Master, there's no need to work so hard. You are an elder of the sect and a Golden Core cultivator. Overseeing the overall situation is already fulfilling your duty. It would be better to leave such troublesome matters to the disciples in the academy."

Piaomiaozi put down the thick stack of papers in his hand and laughed, "I'm just enjoying myself."

"I finally have the chance to contribute to the sect as a Golden Core cultivator, how could I miss this opportunity?"

Piaomiaozi felt that he owed seven-tenths of his success to the cultivation of the sect, and naturally, as a kind-hearted person, he would take every opportunity to express his gratitude and give back to the Zhengyi Sect.

"Han Lu, what brings you here today?"

Han Lu explained her purpose.

One thing was to give a report, informing Piaomiaozi that he had advanced to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

The second thing was her preparations for advancing to the Golden Core realm. There were some difficulties, so she thought of seeking help from Piaomiaozi.

"You've advanced to the late Foundation Establishment stage? You're truly impressive."

"Back then, I struggled for a full twenty-seven years in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage before barely advancing to the late-Foundation Establishment stage. Indeed, each generation is stronger than the last."

The average time for a cultivator to advance from the mid-Foundation Establishment stage to the late-Foundation Establishment stage is thirty years, so Piaomiaozi's achievement is not bad.

……

"Find a cultivator in the sect who is proficient in swordsmanship to learn from?" Without explaining the reason for this approach, Han Lu simply raised the matter and asked Piaomiaozi to help her find a master.

“This is not difficult; I have a good candidate right here,” Piaomiaozi quickly replied.

Chapter 564 Planning Ahead

To elevate the Seven Kill Sword Technique to the Golden Core realm, one must comprehend another word technique and bring it to the minor completion level.

As a precaution, Han Lu, who was in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, thought of finding another teacher to teach her swordsmanship, hoping that he could guide her.

Of course, the new master's skill level doesn't need to be too high, since even the best master can't surpass Fang Lin's; his main role is to inspire.

But the level can't be too low; it can't end up with Han Lu passing on the Fanglin Daoist tradition to him, thus gaining another disciple in return.

Therefore, Han Lu came to find Piaomiaozi, hoping that Piaomiaozi, who had been in the Zhengyi Sect for more than two hundred years, could find her a good teacher.

The fact that the candidate was chosen so quickly surprised Han Lu.

"Huh? Master, who is it? Is it a Golden Core cultivator from some sect?"

As far as Han Lu knew, none of the Golden Core cultivators from the Zhengyi Sect whose names she recognized or had heard of could be considered masters of swordsmanship, and they probably couldn't offer her much help in the path of swordsmanship.

She subconsciously thought that Piaomiaozi was going to name a senior from outside the sect for her.

“That’s right,” Piaomiaozi said, “He’s an elder in the sect. You should know him. Take a guess.”

Piaomiaozi and Han Lu played a little game between master and disciple.

Han Lu's eyes were filled with confusion. Several names flashed through her mind, but she couldn't find a result that she thought was even close to the correct answer.

"Disciple does not know, Master, which senior is it?" Han Lu asked bluntly, unable to guess.

“It’s Master Jin,” Piaomiaozi said, mentioning the Daoist name of the elder he was closest to in the sect. “Master Jin was famous in Beishan Academy for his exquisite swordsmanship when he was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

"Now, almost eighty years have passed, and I imagine his swordsmanship has only improved."

"Although he is not your famous ancient cultivation master, he should be able to give you a few pointers at this time without any difficulty."

When Piaomiaozi spoke, he used rather conservative words, as if he were introducing a Golden Core cultivator to a Foundation Establishment cultivator as a master, rather than asking Han Lu to be on equal footing with Jin Zhenren.

The reason is that Fang Lin has a illustrious reputation, his disciple is exceptionally strong, and Jin Zhenren, a Golden Core cultivator, is too "weak".

Piaomiaozi was not skilled in swordsmanship and did not know the extent to which Han Lu had mastered the swordsmanship of Senior Fang Lin.

In fact, he had already felt a little regretful after making the erroneous recommendation of Jin Zhenren.

When Han Lu heard the name "Jin Zhenren," she also felt that it was somewhat unreliable.

The fact that the name "Jin Zhenren" did not appear on the list of masters that Han Lu had just guessed shows that Han Lu, who had advanced to the late Foundation Establishment stage and whose strength had increased significantly compared to seven years ago, did not take this "useless" Golden Core cultivator seriously.

Compared to Piaomiaozi, who thrived in the sect thanks to Han Lu and Wen Erya, Jin Zhenren's situation in the sect remained unchanged over the past seven years.

Even if there is no hope of advancing to the Golden Core stage, he is still a marginal figure in the sect. Only when a Golden Core cultivator is needed will the dean of Beishan Academy remember that there is such a person in the academy.

In addition, during the competition two years ago, Jin Zhenren made a small mistake by overstepping his authority in the secret realm and inadvertently interfering in the competition.

If the position of elder of the Zhengyi Sect were not based solely on cultivation level and not on contributions, Jin Zhenren would most likely have become the first Golden Core cultivator to be expelled from the Zhengyi Sect as an elder.

Given this situation, even with Piaomiaozi's recommendation, Han Lu was unable to establish complete trust in Jin Zhenren.

Noticing the change in Han Lu's expression, Piaomiaozi could guess what Han Lu was thinking.

But he didn't criticize Han Lu for being arrogant at all. He simply said, "Han Lu, why don't you try to find Master Jin? Even if his skill level is just average, he should be able to exchange a few words with you. Maybe you'll suddenly have a spark and get some inspiration."

"If Master Jin's strength is insufficient, then I will find you another master to guide you in the way of the sword."

With his newfound leadership over the Dongshan Academy, Piaomiaozi now enjoys a much wider network of connections within the Zhengyi Sect.

If he really wanted to, he could definitely find a suitable kendo master for Han Lu.

Hearing Piaomiaozi's words, Han Lu knew that Piaomiaozi understood her concerns.

Thinking that there was no harm in trying, she readily agreed, "Please write a letter of introduction, Master, so I can take you to find Elder Jin."

Han Lu only exchanged a few words with Jin Zhenren, and she still needed to rely on Piaomiaozi's connection to truly get in touch with Jin Zhenren.

"This is easy, just wait a moment."

Picking up her pen, Piaomiaozi put in the same effort she usually showed when practicing calligraphy, and neatly wrote a letter of introduction for Han Lu.

“Take it directly. Fellow Daoist Jin knows you,” Piaomiaozi blew the ink off the paper, folded it, and pushed it to Han Lu’s side. “With this letter, I think True Person Jin will definitely exchange sword techniques with you out of respect for me and Senior Fang Lin.”

Piaomiaozi could imagine the scene of Jin Zhenren excitedly chatting with Han Lu all night in his only area of ​​expertise after learning Han Lu's purpose.

Han Lu accepted the letter and thanked him repeatedly.

Before leaving, Han Lu made another statement similar to "the only flaw of a leader is that he doesn't take care of his health," expressing her concern for Piaomiaozi.

Holding the "invitation letter" given by Piaomiaozi, Han Lu summoned her spirit sword and used the privilege she had gained from winning the competition to fly on her sword within the Zhengyi Sect.

It took her less than half a minute to arrive at Beishan Academy.

Han Lu knew where Jin Zhenren lived.

Because she had made a mistake and held no official position, Han Lu didn't think much of it and went directly to Jin Zhenren's residence to pay her a visit.

One of Jin Zhenren's disciples, who was also acting as the gatekeeper, explained the purpose of Han Lu's visit, and Han Lu was quickly invited into the courtyard to meet Jin Zhenren.

Hearing that it was Han Lu, an old friend's prized student, who had come to visit, Master Jin took it very seriously.

Not only did he choose to meet Han Lu in his home's tea room, but he also specially instructed his disciples to bring out the finest tea from the Northern Dynasty to entertain Han Lu.

Jin Zhenren would often express his envy for Piaomiaozi's two fortunate disciples in front of him. Sometimes, Jin Zhenren would even pester Piaomiaozi to do him a favor and help him out, guiding him, the least respected Golden Core cultivator in the Zhengyi Sect.

"Han Lu, come, have some tea first, then we can talk business."

Jin Zhenren proactively poured tea for Han Lu, showing no signs of being a Golden Core cultivator.

Han Lu's visit at this time undoubtedly indicates that she has something to ask of him.

Jin Zhenren had no airs of a Golden Core cultivator; he only wanted to get closer to this talented female cultivator who was likely to become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future.

In Jin Zhenren's view, befriending Han Lu directly would make it much easier to cultivate a high-achieving disciple like Piaomiaozi.

[Author's Note] The top five European football leagues have also been suspended, and the situation abroad is becoming increasingly dire. It has truly been a year of many disasters.

Chapter 565 Golden Immortal

After taking a sip of tea, Han Lu did not comment on or praise the excellent tea prepared by Jin Zhenren, but instead went straight to the point.

After handing over the "letter of introduction" written by Piaomiaozi, Han Lu said, "I came here through my master's introduction to seek guidance from Elder Jin on swordsmanship. I hope Elder Jin will be generous in giving me his instruction."

Having only unfolded half of the letter of introduction, Jin Zhenren was taken aback upon hearing Han Lu's words, thinking to himself, "Why would this Piaomiaozi think of introducing me to be his esteemed disciple's swordsmanship teacher?"

Without changing his expression, Jin Zhenren pretended to read the text in the letter of introduction, while his mind was occupied with how to handle the matter.

After a long pause, Jin Zhen finally spoke, "Han Lu, if I remember correctly, you should be considered a disciple of the ancient cultivator Fang Lin, right?"

Rumors had long circulated within the Zhengyi Sect that Han Lu was a disciple of the ancient cultivator Fang Lin.

After all, Han Lu's sudden emergence and combat power far surpassing that of cultivators at the same level necessitate a reasonable explanation from the vast majority of ordinary cultivators.

Han Lu had been to the ancient cultivation secret realm and gained more from it than Wen Erya.

Furthermore, cultivators who entered the ancient cultivation secret realm underwent tests by the ancient cultivators before leaving, and some even received the inheritance of the ancient cultivators.

Naturally, the claim that Han Lu's power, which surpasses that of cultivators of the same realm, comes from the great master Fang Lin, is quite popular within the Zhengyi Sect.

Although Han Lu never admitted or denied the matter, Jin Zhenren, as Piaomiaozi's friend, certainly knew the truth. Knowing that the rumor had hit the bullseye once again, he unintentionally revealed the truth.

With the powerful Fang Lin leading the way, Jin Zhenren naturally found it somewhat absurd that Han Lu wanted to find a sword master.