The Long Journey to Immortality

As for Han Lu?

After displaying their prowess that day, no one dared to cause trouble for Han Lu.

She watched the entire match almost as a spectator.

Finally, the dust settled and the list was released.

Han Lu, Zhong Kaige, and Fu Tianqiao were the first to be chosen to represent the Zhengyi Sect and the disciples of the Central Plains and the Jitian Palace in East-West exchanges.

Chapter 599 Candle Dragon Mo Zhehan

Just as the two major sects in the Central Plains were taking advantage of the information gap to secretly select disciples, trying to circumvent the Seven Mountains Alliance and embezzle the fruits of the East-West exchange.

The Jitian Palace, however, made a grand show of this major event that concerned the cultivation worlds of both the East and West, including all its disciples who had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage in the selection list.

An event similar to the Zhengyi Sect's grand arena competition was in full swing at the Jitian Palace.

Nearly 1,500 late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Jitian Palace will fight fiercely for seven days on several arenas to compete for seven spots.

To increase the enthusiasm of its disciples, the wealthy and powerful Jitian Palace prepared generous rewards even for the selection competition.

Many of these rewards are cultivation resources that help False Core cultivators form their Golden Core. Therefore, many False Core cultivators who originally intended to cultivate peacefully in the Extreme Heaven Palace and spend their last days before becoming Golden Core cultivators actively participated in the selection competition, hoping to make contributions to their sect and earn more cultivation resources for themselves.

As for why, even though the Heavenly Palace has eight slots, the selection competition only offers seven slots for competition?

This is not because the Jitian Palace is being generous and wants to give the last spot to another sect in the Dayu Dynasty.

Rather, it's because the last spot had already been decided internally.

The Palace Master of the Extreme Heaven Palace, Venerable Zhetian, deliberately gave the last qualification for the competition directly to one of his top disciples.

Because that disciple was already famous and exceptionally strong in the Jitian Palace, with top-notch popularity and combat power, he had a 99% chance of winning a qualification even if he directly participated in the selection competition.

Therefore, Venerable Zhetian's arrangement was not only not opposed, but was supported instead.

After all, the absence of a strong competitor is ultimately beneficial to the vast majority of cultivators participating in the selection process.

As the illegitimate master of the Extreme Heaven Palace, the Heavenly Venerable is eager to enhance the prestige of his new force within the sect, ensuring the success of this major undertaking while also claiming credit for himself.

Once his protégé triumphs in the final friendly match and wins the championship, his little maneuver at that moment will allow him to reap all the benefits.

The calculations were making a great fuss, but the disciple of the Heavenly Venerable was not so satisfied.

Like Han Lu, he longed for more opportunities to spar with cultivators of the same realm, but the arrangement by the Heavenly Venerable deprived him of that chance.

Unable to disobey his master's orders, he could only challenge his two fellow disciples who were going to participate in the selection competition a few days before the competition began. He called it "pre-competition training," but in reality, it was just to let this "battle maniac" have some fun and fight a few matches with others.

In a martial arts arena within the Jitian Palace, three cultivators were locked in battle within a restrictive formation.

Although it was two against one, if a discerning cultivator were watching from the sidelines, they would certainly be able to tell at a glance that the cultivator fighting alone had the upper hand in the battle.

The cultivator who fought two opponents had scales on his skin and dragon horns on his head. His appearance and the aura he exuded were three-tenths similar to Han Lu, who had become a half-true spirit.

The three displayed their skills and fought for nearly a hundred breaths. Finally, with a dragon's roar, the two cultivators flew off the arena and crashed solidly into the array's light barrier. They fell off the arena along the light barrier, losing this sparring match where they outnumbered the other two.

It was just a friendly exchange, and they were fellow disciples.

The victorious cultivator quickly dispelled his cultivation technique and rushed forward to check on his two junior brothers' injuries.

"Junior Brother Ren, Junior Brother Mi, are you alright?"

The two cultivators who had been knocked off the stage rubbed the slightly sore parts of their bodies, grimaced, and barely managed to stand up.

Ren Cai replied, "Senior Brother Mo, I'm fine, it's just that my butt hurts a little."

Mi Yufei said, "Senior Brother Mo, I can't lift my arm. Can you take a look?"

Mo Zhehan quickly took out a pill and helped Mi Yufei take it, while simultaneously casting several spells to help heal her injuries.

The selection competition was just a few days away, and Mo Zhehan didn't want to hurt his junior brother by going too far and preventing him from participating in the competition in full condition.

Fortunately, the injuries were not too serious. With simple treatment and Mo Zhehan's medicine, Mi Yufei was able to move freely again in no time.

Rubbing his arm, Mi Yufei said gratefully, "Thank you, Senior Brother Mo."

Mo Zhehan said, "I'm the one who injured you, so what's there to thank me for?"

Then, Mo Zhehan talked about the sparring match they had just had and the selection competition that would be held in a few days.

"What insights did you two gain from that battle? If you continue to perform like this in the next few days, you two will likely not win more than three matches and will bring shame to your master."

Although the two were just two insignificant disciples among the many disciples of the Heavenly Venerable, the Heavenly Venerable still set a target for them to win three selection matches.

If they fail to complete the task, the two will have to undergo three years of arduous training in a dark room before they are allowed to leave seclusion.

Recalling this matter, Ren Cai and Mi Yufei couldn't help but cry, saying in unison, "Please enlighten us, Senior Brother."

Mo Zhehan smiled and "reviewed" the two of them, recalling the gains and losses in their sparring session, fulfilling his responsibility as their senior.

Ren Cai and Mi Yufei listened attentively, feeling that Mo Zhehan's few words had hit the nail on the head and given them some insights.

"In the next few days of the selection competition, pay close attention to what I just mentioned. With a bit of good luck, winning three matches shouldn't be a problem."

Having received such great help, Ren Cai and Mi Yufei could not repay it with spirit stones, so they could only express their gratitude and praise in words.

Ren Cai was more familiar with Mo Zhehan and knew Mo Zhehan's preferences. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Mo. If I am lucky enough to win four or five matches in the selection competition, I will definitely bring a pot of spirit wine to thank you."

After expressing his gratitude, Mi Yufei brought up the friendly match.

"Even if Senior Brother Ren and I joined forces, we couldn't defeat Senior Brother Mo. I think the championship three months from now will definitely be in Senior Brother Mo's hands."

Mo Zhehan didn't mince words and spoke the truth, "Probably. If I could combine the Candle Dragon Divine Power with spells and magic weapons to perform it more perfectly, then I would be able to fight even some elders in the early stages of the Golden Core realm."

"With that condition, participating in this friendly match against Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Central Plains should not be a problem for him to win."

Finally, because this unexpected major event disrupted his original cultivation plan, he couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity, I originally planned to try to form my core and advance to the Golden Core realm a month later."

"But because of this matter, we have to postpone the Core Formation."

"Based on my calculations, the next best time for me to find something simple will be in two years. In the end, I've wasted a lot of time."

Ren Cai and Mi Yufei comforted him, "Senior brother, there's no need to regret it. If you win the championship and obtain that treasure called Earth Mother Spirit Liquid, and then spend two more years accumulating more, you will definitely be able to form a top-grade Golden Core."

"Perhaps, five hundred years from now, Senior Brother will become the Palace Master of the Extreme Heaven Palace."

After the Palace Master abdicates, the next Palace Master is chosen from among the former Palace Master's disciples and junior brothers; this is the rule of the Extreme Heaven Palace.

The words were pleasant to hear and suited Mo Zhehan's taste, so Mo Zhehan couldn't help but smile and say, "Thank you for your kind words, junior brothers. I hope everything goes well."

Chapter 600 Secret Meeting

Mo Zhehan, who, like Han Lu, possesses the bloodline of the True Spirit, is full of confidence and has made full preparations. He is just waiting for the East-West Friendship Match to begin in three months, when he will make a name for himself and become famous throughout the East and West.

If he, born in the Great Yu Dynasty and being warlike, knew of Han Lu's existence, he would definitely develop a strong interest in her and rack his brains to plan a contest with her to determine who is better.

After two days of competition, the selection process within the Zhengyi Sect has come to an end.

The next day's selection competition was scheduled for two weeks later.

The two cultivators who failed to qualify in the first round and ranked fourth and fifth will compete against several disciples who have returned to their sects after receiving the news, vying for the last spot in the competition.

During the break between the two-day selection competition, Elder Qingxu was entrusted with an important mission by the sect leader of Yunmin Sect: to go to Xuanyang Valley as a special envoy to discuss the East-West Friendship Match with the person in charge of Xuanyang Valley.

Although the friendly matches will not take place in the East and West for another two and a half months, the two major sects in the Central Plains, who want to act quietly and prevent the Seven Mountains Alliance from finding out about this matter, must prepare and arrange many things in advance to achieve the effect of secrecy.

In Yunmin Daoist and Long Daoist's plan, the best outcome would be to gain enough benefits from the exchanges with the Dayu Dynasty for several years before the Seven Mountains Alliance discovered their scheme and intervened.

On this day, after settling many trivial matters in the branch academy, Daoist Qingxu quietly left the sect, carrying the entrustment of Daoist Yunmin and Venerable Qingyang. He flew through the air and arrived at the teleportation gate connecting the Great Yu Dynasty and the Central Plains.

Although the matter of the teleportation portal was made public among the high-ranking members of many sects, the responsibility of guarding the portal ultimately fell to the three major sects of the Central Plains.

Furthermore, due to its own insufficient strength, there are not many Golden Core elders in the sect. The Seven Mountains Alliance is only responsible for providing certain funds and participating in the setup of the teleportation gate's array, and has not arranged for any personnel to be stationed here.

This allowed Zhengyi Sect and Xuanyang Valley to successfully conceal the arrival of the special envoy from the Great Yu Dynasty and to plan their interactions and trade with the Great Yu Dynasty in the West, thus securing benefits for both the northern and southern sects.

After greeting the two Zhengyi Sect elders who were stationed there and had known the news in advance, Qingxu Daoist arrived at a residential area that had been built for no more than ten years and found a secret room hidden in the building complex.

He manipulated the hand seals, broke the formation, and opened the door to the secret chamber. Daoist Qingxu sat inside, patiently waiting for the arrival of the special envoy from Xuan Yang Valley.

The secret chamber here is protected by a complete array, ensuring both safety and privacy.

The secret meeting only agreed on a date but not a time. The special envoy sent by Xuan Yang Valley was tied up with other matters and did not arrive at the secret room to meet Qingxu Daoist until sunset.

Upon seeing the visitor, Daoist Qingxu was somewhat surprised.

For a cultivator who didn't know many fellow cultivators in the Central Plains cultivation world, meeting an acquaintance at this time was naturally somewhat unexpected.

"Fellow Daoist Fan," Qingxu Daoist greeted with a smile, "I never expected that we would meet again today after ten years."

The cultivator addressed as Fellow Daoist Fan was also surprised; he hadn't expected that it would be Daoist Qingxu acting as a special envoy of the Zhengyi Sect to handle this matter.

"Brother Qingxu, ten years ago you were complaining to me that you were not successful in the sect. It seems that things are different now. You have been entrusted with important responsibilities and have become the right-hand man of Sect Master Yunmin."

"Isn't Fellow Daoist Fan the same?"

The two exchanged a smile, silently lamenting the unpredictability of fate.

Fan Qian is an elder of Xuan Yang Valley with the cultivation level of the early Golden Core stage. Ten years ago, he was assigned by the sect to handle the plague, just like Qingxu Daoist.

The two, both feeling frustrated and unfulfilled in their sects, met and became friends at that time.

When acquaintances meet, even those carrying heavy responsibilities can't help but chat for a few minutes.

After catching up on each other's recent situations, discussing their respective positions within their sects, and reminiscing about the past, the two finally got down to business.

"I wonder what arrangements Master Yunmin of the Zhengyi Sect has for the venue of this friendly match?" Fan Qian first asked about the Zhengyi Sect's thoughts.

Yunmin Daoist explained everything to Qingxu Daoist, so naturally Qingxu Daoist had no problem answering the question.

"The sect leader has two ideas."

"Firstly, if we hold the match here and everything is arranged properly, the friendly match, which will only last for two days, should not be noticed by the Seven Mountains Alliance."

"After all, cultivators of the Great Yu Dynasty don't write their thoughts on their faces. It's just a friendly sparring match between cultivators. Even if the Seven Mountains Alliance sees it, they won't overthink it or realize the truth."

"Secondly, after the cultivators of the Great Yu Dynasty arrive in the Central Plains through the teleportation gate, they will immediately take a flying magic weapon to a small island in the East China Sea."

"There is absolutely no possibility of being exposed when fighting in that place."

"But this requires a lot of preparation in advance, and it will be quite troublesome."

Upon hearing this, Fan Qian smiled and said, "Great minds think alike. Valley Master Long's idea is exactly the same as Sect Master Yun Min's idea."

If you share the same opinion, then communicating with each other will naturally save a lot of effort.