The Long Journey to Immortality

Ten days and a hundred practical training sessions did not allow her to improve the Transformation Technique to a minor level; they only made her technique of using her spirit sword to neutralize spells a little smoother.

On the contrary, he was skilled in dealing with the "striking" technique of objects, and thanks to Fu Tianqiao's habit of using magical weapons in combat, he made relatively significant progress.

Han Lu, who had not yet reached a bottleneck, was unsure which of the two the "Seven Kill Sword Technique" text she had comprehended and partially mastered would be.

Because a highly skilled and popular pseudo-core cultivator arrived several days late, the competition for the last spot was slightly delayed until the arrival of that important figure, at which point it secretly resumed.

Coincidentally, Han Lu knew this important figure, or more precisely, Feng Bailu knew him.

At that time, Feng Bailu, who was still cultivating at Dongshan Academy, was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to be invited to listen to a "master class" by a senior brother in the late Foundation Establishment stage, along with three other cultivators who had been stuck in the early Foundation Establishment stage for a long time.

That senior brother taught a good class, but unfortunately, Fengbai Road at that time was a piece of rotten wood that had not yet been carved, and it did not break through because of it.

Now, more than twenty years have passed, and that senior brother has advanced from the late Foundation Establishment stage to the Pseudo-Core stage.

Three years ago, I set off to travel to the East Sea, hoping to do more good deeds, accumulate good karma, and at the same time seek out some magical treasures and resources that would help me form my golden core.

This time, he, who always cared about the sect and frequently worried about important matters of the sect in his spare time, returned without delay after receiving the message from the sect.

When he appeared in Daoist Yunmin's training room, Han Lu, Fu Tianqiao, Zhong Kaige, and other fellow cultivators who participated in the selection all respectfully paid their respects to him.

He was Xianyu Ji, a pseudo-core cultivator who was the most senior and had the highest cultivation level among the disciples of Dongshan Academy. All the disciples of Dongshan Academy had to call him Senior Brother.

Xianyu Ji's arrival essentially made the third round of selection a foregone conclusion.

Even after all these years, Han Lu, who is still somewhat of a fan of Xianyu Ji, has often applauded and cheered for Xianyu Ji's wonderful performance on the stage.

In just two hours, the third round of selection, in which eight cultivators participated, came to an end, with Xianyu Ji emerging victorious.

After the competition, Han Lu and the other three were kept behind, where Daoist Yunmin personally explained many matters related to the selection competition.

Finally, Master Yunmin asked the four to discuss and arrange a new order.

He did not explain the specific reasons, lest some of the four people be overly modest in order to avoid going to the Great Yu Dynasty.

This approach is tantamount to tacitly acknowledging that Xianyu Ji is ranked first.

But the final result was beyond Yunmin Daoist's expectations.

Faced with the joint recommendation of the three, Xianyu Ji was quite modest and suggested that Han Lu be ranked first, with himself in second place.

He had his reasons for making such a suggestion.

"I've heard about how Junior Sister Han defeated Junior Brother Zhong in one move. To be honest, I couldn't do that. It's only right that Junior Sister Han be ranked first."

Being praised like this by someone she used to look up to was enough to make Han Lu feel incredibly excited.

Zhong Kaige, who was used as an example, didn't know whether to be happy or resentful.

She resented that her own messy affairs had been brought up again, but was also happy that she would get to work under her senior brother Xianyu Ji for a while longer.

Once the chief was chosen, everything became simple.

Before long, Daoist Yunmin obtained the final result.

Han Lu ranked first, Xianyu Ji second, while Zhong Kaige and Fu Tianqiao ranked third and fourth respectively.

[Author's Note] To express the deep condolences of all ethnic groups across the country for the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the fight against the COVID-4 epidemic and for the compatriots who passed away, a national mourning event was held on April 4, 2020.

Thank you to the heroes who rushed to the front lines, contributing their strength and even sacrificing their lives for the country and its people. We mourn every one of those who tragically lost their lives to the virus, forever remaining in this winter.

Chapter 603 Twisting the Rope

Is Han Lu, who is capable of using True Spirit techniques, stronger, or is Xianyu Ji, who has already reached the False Core Realm and enjoys a high reputation in the sect, more powerful?

Daoist Yunmin could not make a judgment.

Although he was a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator who could use his divine sense to make a relatively intuitive assessment of a cultivator's strength, that was limited to detecting the aura and spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from that low-level cultivator.

Based on the results obtained by Daoist Yunmin through his divine sense, he could only know that the amount of spiritual power in Han Lu's body, who had just advanced to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, should be about the same as the amount of spiritual power in Xianyu Ji's body, who had been in the Pseudo-Core Realm for several years.

As for who would win in a fight, given that both sides would use all their skills, Daoist Yunmin still leans towards Xianyu Ji.

At times like these, Xianyu Ji, who has a higher reputation, longer cultivation period, and a higher level of attainment, is obviously more favored.

However, since it was agreed beforehand that the final ranking would be based on the results of the discussion among the four people, the subsequent decision-making and arrangements should naturally follow the ranking order.

With the rankings finalized, it became easier to arrange the competition zones for each of the four participants.

Han Lu, who was nominated by Xianyu Ji and ranked first, will be regarded as the strongest among the four disciples sent from the Central Plains to the Dayu Dynasty, and the most likely candidate to win the championship.

Xianyu Ji will remain in the Central Plains to participate in the East-West Friendship Tournament in the Central Plains region, as a second line of defense, and try to bring this championship into the hands of the Central Plains cultivators.

Compared to these two powerful heavyweights, Daoist Yunmin put a little more thought into arranging the competition areas for his disciples Zhong Kaige and Fu Tianqiao, who were "just participating for the sake of participating".

Because Zhong Kaige was defeated by Han Lu in one move during their competition, Daoist Yunmin thought of separating Zhong Kaige and Han Lu to prevent them from having any further conflicts in the Dayu Dynasty, which would affect the overall interests of the Central Plains.

As it happened, Yunmin Daoist noticed that Fu Tianqiao and Han Lu had a fairly good relationship, and it would be perfect for these two female cultivators to travel through the portal together to participate in the competition in the Great Yu Dynasty.

After a moment's thought, Daoist Yunmin told the four of his plans and asked if they had any objections.

The four of them didn't have any particular idea about where to compete.

Apart from Xianyu Ji secretly regretting missing the opportunity to go to the Dayu Dynasty, the four of them did not raise any objections.

Han Lu, in particular, was already looking forward to crossing the portal two months later and setting foot in the Great Yu Dynasty again.

"I wonder what's become of those friends I made in the Great Yu Dynasty after almost ten years."

Several faces flashed through her mind, and Han Lu couldn't help but smile.

Putting aside the few inexplicable battles in the Dayu Dynasty, Han Lu's experience in the Dayu Dynasty was barely pleasant.

Now, ten years later, all that remains in my memory are the beautiful memories.

Before disbanding, Daoist Yunmin gave a few more words of advice, much to everyone's dismay.

First, he instructed everyone to keep the matter a secret.

Secondly, it serves as a reminder to everyone to be well-prepared and not to be careless, lest they lose their lives in the arena.

The third promise was that the sect would provide the four with some substantial assistance, and that they should return in three days so that he could lead them to the sect's secret vault to select a magical artifact for protection.

Han Lu and Xian Yuji, whose storage bags were overflowing with riches, didn't have any particular thoughts. They even tacitly stepped aside and gave the opportunity to choose magic treasures to Fu Tianqiao and Zhong Kaige, who needed them more.

Upon hearing this, Fu Tianqiao and Zhong Kaige, whose magical treasures in their storage bags were not particularly high-level, were overjoyed, feeling that this was a great opportunity to greatly improve their strength.

The actions of the two made Daoist Yunmin feel that the Zhengyi Sect was indeed on the right track, and that the disciples they were cultivating were not only highly skilled and had outstanding combat power, but also had a gentlemanly demeanor.

Knowing that the two were indeed wealthy and would not lack a magic weapon, Daoist Yunmin respected their wishes and gave the magic weapon that was originally intended to be distributed among the four people only to Fu Tianqiao and Zhong Kaige.

This act, worth a thousand spirit stones, greatly improved the previously strained relationship between the four.

After Daoist Yunmin announced the end of the meeting and "sent" the four people away, the four, who had only known each other for a few hours, even went so far as to leave the mountain together at Xianyu Ji's suggestion. They found a private room in a tavern in a village at the foot of the mountain and set up a table for a meal.

At the banquet, the four cultivators, whose cultivation levels were at least in the late Foundation Establishment stage, toasted each other with ordinary wine and chatted about almost any topic that could be openly discussed.

The four kept the matter of secrecy firmly in mind and did not discuss anything about the friendly match between East and West in this place.

Only when Xianyu Ji, who was a few days late returning to the sect, took the initiative to ask, did Han Lu and the other two cautiously reveal some things about the Jitian Palace and the Dayu Dynasty. They spoke as if they were telling legends rather than discussing any concrete facts.

The banquet lasted for about half an hour before it came to an end.

With the help of the not-so-intoxicating, ordinary wine, the relationship between the four became even smoother, and they were no different from ordinary friends.

After the gathering ended, Xianyu Ji deliberately took a detour to find Han Lu again, and they agreed to have a chance to practice and spar together a few days later.

Han Lu naturally didn't refuse the opportunity to compete against her former idol.

However, a few days later, due to a slight accident, Han Lu's sparring match with Xianyu Ji had to be postponed.

As a prominent figure in the sect, Xianyu Ji's return to the sect became known to many fellow disciples, and people flocked to visit him.

In just half a month, Xianyu Ji's schedule was packed full, leaving no time for several consecutive hours to have a good, uninterrupted battle with Han Lu.

Helpless, after explaining the matter through letters exchanged with paper swords, Han Lu could only make a slight regretful trip to the Seven Mountains Alliance to do some superficial work, following the instructions of Daoist Yunmin, to seek "instruction" from Yu Feng Feng Yufei.

Coincidentally, when Feng Yufei left Fengqilin back then, she also invited Han Lu to meet. Several years ago, when helping to deliver a letter home, Feng Yufei also brought up the old matter again.

Han Lu took this opportunity to fulfill her promise, so as not to be too disrespectful to this Phoenix Clan senior whose cultivation surpassed hers.

First, send a letter to report the itinerary and inquire whether Feng Yufei is available to receive him.

After Feng Yufei replied with a welcome message, Han Lu set off westward to the Seven Mountains Alliance, located between the Western Regions and the Central Plains.

Traveling on her sword, Han Lu arrived at the mountains and valleys of the Seven Mountains Alliance from the Zhengyi Sect in less than half a day.

This was her second time visiting the Seven Mountains Alliance. Last time, escorted by Feng Rubing, Han Lu only passed by the Seven Mountains Alliance without venturing inside.

This time, however, she came with good intentions, as a junior, to visit friends in the third-ranked sect in the Central Plains.

Chapter 604 The Thirsty Feng Yufei

The mountains located between the Western Regions and the Central Plains form a very interesting buffer zone.

The loose alliance of seven sects, established in these mountains, is now the Seven Mountains Alliance, the third-ranked sect in the Central Plains.

Compared to the Zhengyi Sect and Xuanyang Valley, which were located in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the area controlled by the Seven Mountains Alliance was not large, making it impossible to recruit mortals to join the sect on a large scale.

Not only that, the Seven Mountains Alliance also cannot receive support from mortal dynasties, and must maintain all its income and expenses on its own.

These two limitations in manpower and financial resources meant that although the Seven Mountains Alliance occupied a good feng shui location, it could only rank third among all the sects in the Central Plains, and as time went on, it fell further and further behind the top two sects, Xuan Yang Valley and Zheng Yi Sect.

In addition, the long-standing and frequent conflicts between the Central Plains and the Western Regions have also become a major obstacle to the development of the Seven Mountains Alliance.

Compared to the Southern Frontier, the cultivators in the Western Regions are stronger and more restless. Before the Seven Mountains Alliance was formed, they occasionally fought each other.

This unstable environment makes the average combat strength of the Seven Mountains Alliance cultivators rank first among the three major sects, but it also makes it difficult for the Seven Mountains Alliance cultivators to focus on cultivation. Many geniuses either perish early or are preoccupied with the trivial matters of the sect and become weary of cultivation.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and the Seven Mountains Alliance, eager to make further progress, naturally began to devise ways to catch up.

Hundreds of years ago, the Seven Mountains Alliance tried to get closer to the Western Regions, and recently they have strengthened their cooperation and even intervened in the internal affairs of the Western Regions in a more extreme way.

These actions showed signs of breaking away from the Central Plains and joining the Western Regions.

It's no wonder that the Zhengyi Sect and Xuanyang Valley chose to exclude the Seven Mountains Alliance and enjoy the fruits of East-West exchange alone.

Since it is called the Seven Mountains Alliance, it is naturally composed of seven sects that are located on seven different mountain peaks.

The alliance is led by seven factions on a rotating basis.

Every thirty years, two of the seven sects will send an elder with at least a mid-stage Golden Core cultivation level to serve as the alliance leader and deputy leader.

Like Situ Alliance Leader and Bai Xianzi, whom Han Lu had met before, they took the positions of leaders of the Seven Mountains Alliance by doing things in this way.