The Long Journey to Immortality

Chapter 658 Re-entering the Secret Vault

Although dealing with Daoist Yunmin and Xuanchengzi felt similar, Han Lu still preferred to talk more with Daoist Yunmin.

However, she did not dismiss Xuan Chengzi as someone "not suitable for close friendship" because of this trivial matter and a smile.

On the contrary, this only strengthened her belief that Xuan Chengzi was the leader who could lead the Zhengyi Sect to greater heights.

Xuan Chengzi brought Han Lu to the secret vault to select treasures on a whim, but before coming to the vault, he had already informed the Seven Flower Fairy, who was in charge of guarding the vault.

Two Golden Core cultivators strolled along the road, a scene rarely seen in the Zhengyi Sect.

However, the secret vault was located within the Five Elements Mountain Academy. Even though the two talked and chatted, and occasionally greeted the disciples who passed by and stopped to say hello, they still arrived at the secret vault in just a quarter of an hour.

A quarter of an hour was enough time for the Seven Flower Fairy to lead the other three disciples responsible for the security of the secret vault to wait for Han Luxuan Chengzi and Han Lu in front of the vault.

After greeting them one by one, Fairy Seven Flowers made sure to verify Xuan Chengzi and Han Lu's sect identities before she and her disciples unlocked half of the restrictions on the secret vault.

After Xuan Chengzi became the sect leader, he reformed the management model of the Zhengyi Sect.

Some positions that were not necessary for Golden Core cultivators were delegated or split up and filled by late Foundation Establishment disciples or even mid Foundation Establishment disciples, thus relieving the sect's burden.

Some unnecessary institutions and organizations were also eliminated or merged.

Universities, for example, have gained more power and responsibilities in this reform.

The management of the secret vault, internal vault, and external vault has reached a new level.

Several not-so-small corrupt officials were caught, and a few more steps were added to the management and distribution of materials.

Managers can supervise each other to prevent anyone from embezzling funds and making the already difficult-to-calculate accounts even more confusing.

For places like the Secret Vault, the level of strict management is naturally a step above.

Some are happy while others are sad, but the elders and disciples who care about the sect all know that this is definitely a good thing.

Upon entering the outer perimeter of the secret vault, the last half of the restrictions were broken with the help of Xuan Chengzi's token, which served as the sect leader's identity token.

"Elder Qihua, please arrange for a disciple to accompany Elder Zhenfeng into the secret vault to select a magic weapon."

Xuan Chengzi came here mainly to help open the door and show his attitude. In terms of helping Han Lu choose magic treasures, he is definitely not as good as the four cultivators who are in charge of guarding the secret vault.

However, there seems to be some explanation for the matter of the Seven Flower Fairy arranging for a Foundation Establishment disciple to accompany her.

It should be noted that Daoist Yunmin originally arranged for Elder Seven Flower Fairy to guide Han Lu.

At first, Han Lu didn't quite understand.

But once inside the secret vault, seeing the respectful demeanor of the Seven Flower Fairy's disciples beside her, she understood Xuan Chengzi's intention in making such an arrangement.

"Sect Master Xuanchengzi probably thought that since I had just become an elder, I would enjoy the respect of my disciples and juniors and enjoy the feeling of being superior, so he made this arrangement."

Han Lu didn't like this feeling, but she didn't reject it either.

After instructing her disciple, Wen Shengrong, not to be too reserved, she began to treat him seriously as a tour guide and salesperson, so that Xuan Chengzi wouldn't have to wait too long outside the secret vault.

After leading Han Lu to the area where the spiritual artifacts were stored, Wen Shengrong obediently followed behind Han Lu, only answering her questions when she asked them.

Han Lu was slightly annoyed by the low efficiency and spoke a few words more forcefully. After that, Wen Shengrong completely set aside class distinctions and took the initiative to ask Han Lu what she needed and wanted. Based on his understanding of the nearly fifty spiritual artifacts in the secret vault, he gave some reasonable recommendations.

Before long, Han Lu examined seven magical treasures on the four shelves and selected two that she thought were suitable, treating them as valuables that she had "deposited" with the sect thirty years ago.

According to Wen Shengrong, the hand mirror is a top-grade spiritual artifact, a magic weapon used in conjunction with illusions and soul attacks.

The other item is a fishing net, woven from the silk of a spider, a spirit beast in the Transformation Realm. It is a magical artifact used to trap and bind enemies, and its grade is not low, being a mid-fourth-grade spiritual weapon.

Neither of the two magical artifacts were among the most valuable spiritual weapons in the Zhengyi Sect's secret treasury, but in Han Lu's opinion, they were the kind of magical artifacts that were quite suitable for her to use.

Considering that Xiaoyaozi and her parents might still "bestow" treasures upon her, she chose to select only the right ones, not the expensive ones, at this time.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Han Lu and Wen Shengrong emerged from the secret vault.

As soon as they stepped out of the secret vault, the cultivators who had been waiting for a while quickly used their respective methods to reseal the vault and activate all the restrictions.

Xuan Chengzi chatted casually, inquiring about what treasures Han Lu had taken from the secret vault.

Han Lu took out the two magical treasures and introduced them in her own words.

Xuan Chengzi praised Han Lu, calling him a "pragmatic monk".

Meanwhile, the Seven Flower Fairy watched from the sidelines, keeping in mind that the two magical treasures belonged to Han Lu, and was thinking about registering this matter and completing the internal documentation after returning to her "office".

The Seven Flower Fairy is still needed to determine how to use the magical artifact.

Recording the specific information in the jade tablet, Han Lu used the method of exchanging knowledge among Golden Core cultivators for the first time to practice the techniques of using the two magic treasures. Finally, the approachable Han Lu began to resemble a Golden Core cultivator and a Golden Core elder.

The two magical artifacts are called "Illusion Mirror" and "Sky-Covering Net".

Their names sound quite boastful, and their supernatural abilities are, to a lesser extent, worthy of their names.

However, Han Lu still needs to practice more after refining them in order to truly unleash the full power of these two magical treasures.

After receiving the magic weapon and exchanging a few pleasantries, Han Lu flew back to her residence.

A year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Although Han Lu was not assigned any important tasks by Xuan Chengzi during this year, she still took the initiative to appear in the daily affairs of Dongshan Academy a few times through Qingxu Daoren, the dean of Dongshan Academy.

Although Han Lu knew that she was good at teaching disciples, she did not go to the disciple-acceptance ceremony to select good timber, considering that she did not know whether she would be able to return for three or five years after going to the wilderness. Instead, she attended a few evening classes as a Golden Core Elder, acting as a lecturer and imparting some basic knowledge and skills.

In this way, Han Lu, like Xian Yuji, did not develop a sense of estrangement from the disciples in the sect after advancing to the Golden Core realm.

When the year was up, Han Lu didn't make any pretense. She simply sent Xuan Chengzi a letter with a paper sword to report her travel plans. Upon receiving a reply, she set off immediately.

Although the destination was a remote wilderness, Han Lu still needed to stop at several places along the way.

Her first stop on this trip was a small town in the Southern Dynasties of Central China, where she was visiting friends.

Chapter 659 Visiting an Old Friend

Which old friend am I looking for? I am looking for Zhan Yujun.

Five years after Han Lu returned from the competition in Dayu Dynasty, Zhan Yujun and her boyfriend Guan Junyan ended their cultivation careers, left the Zhengyi Sect, found a place to live in a small coastal town in the Southern Dynasty, and began to live as ordinary people as possible, reintegrating into the mortal world.

Thanks to the help provided by Han Lu and Wen Erya during their cultivation in the sect.

Although Zhan Yuyun and Guan Junyan did not achieve great success in their cultivation and left the sect as cultivators at the eighth and seventh levels of Qi Refining respectively, they accumulated a fortune comparable to that of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

These riches are not much to ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators; they even think that these resources could be spent in just three years of cultivation.

However, for the two who have returned to the mortal world, this wealth is enough for them to live as "rich people" in the mortal world. Without consuming cultivation resources, they can live off this wealth for at least a hundred years.

From this perspective alone, Zhan Yujun, who embarked on the path of cultivation, is not a failure.

Although she did not become a Golden Core cultivator and a powerful figure as she had initially imagined.

However, she still extended her lifespan through cultivation, accumulated wealth, found her beloved, and obtained a life that she could consider fulfilling and happy as a mortal.

If one were to truly calculate and meticulously weigh the pros and cons, Zhan Yujun, who embarked on a different path early on, would definitely have achieved a "happy ending."

It can be said that Zhan Yujun is now living the ordinary life that Elder Haoge longed for before his death.

Han Lu entered the World Championship in the second year after winning the championship, while Zhan Yujun and Guan Junyan's wedding banquet was hastily held after the two had been living together for three years.

Over the course of three years, Zhan Yuyun and Guan Junyan, who had been in a relationship for more than ten years, successfully navigated a period of adjustment. After confirming that the other was indeed their soulmate, they sent out invitations and held a wedding, officially establishing their relationship and putting the important task of having children on the agenda.

It is worth mentioning that Zhan Yuyun and Guan Junyan were both surprisingly good at this.

Before the wedding even started, Zhan Yujun was already four months pregnant and eventually gave birth to a son and a daughter, completing the task of having both a son and a daughter early on, which is far superior to that of a certain "Zigong person".

Although they said they would send out invitations widely, in reality, not many people were invited to the wedding.

Besides their parents, whose hair had turned white, they only had a few close friends, such as Han Lu and Wen Erya, as well as the neighbors they got along well with when they settled in the small town.

That wedding was the last time Han Lu saw Zhan Yujun.

Although information about Zhan Yujun continued to reach her through various channels after Han Lu's deliberate instructions, she did not take the initiative to visit her again, lest she cause trouble for her friend who had already decided to leave the cultivation world.

Not causing trouble or taking the initiative to contact her doesn't mean Han Lu won't bring good news to her former best friend.

The matter that Han Lu had mentioned to Daoist Yunmin after returning from her travels and learning swordsmanship in the mortal world was finally resolved when Daoist Yunmin was about to hand over his position as the head of the sect.

The increasing number of "unruly individuals" with the skills of cultivators in the mortal realm has had a significant impact on the order of the mortal world, a fact noticed by both the northern and southern sects.

After much discussion and deliberation, a result was finally reached that was beneficial to both the cultivation world and the mortal realm.

All "disillusioned cultivators" who leave the two major sects and return to the mortal world can "affiliate" with the government of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Under the guidance of the government, they can assist in maintaining local security and eliminating those rogue cultivators who break the law.

This provides a legitimate and compliant opportunity for cultivators who have returned to the mortal world, possess abilities, and are willing to "fight for justice" to find new employment.

Zhan Yujun and Guan Junyan took this opportunity to temporarily become unofficial staff members of the local government, occasionally intervening when rogue cultivators caused trouble and earning commissions.

Having things to do adds a bit more flavor to their lives besides raising their children.

Han Lu took the initiative to visit Zhan Yuyun after fifteen years for two reasons: first, to fulfill a small dream that Zhan Yuyun had once made to her; and second, to visit her friend's children and see if these children, born to a pair of cultivators, had the dream of becoming cultivators themselves as they approached fifteen.

If someone has talent, Han Lu can help them immediately as an elder of the sect. If not, Han Lu will simply visit as an "aunt" to reconnect with her old friend.

Upon advancing to the Golden Core stage, Han Lu couldn't help but choose to travel by flying.

To put it bluntly, flying through the air is simply using spiritual power to lift oneself up and propel oneself forward.

This action will consume a lot of spiritual energy.

Han Lu could also do it when she was at the Foundation Establishment stage, but it couldn't last long.

Now, with two golden cores, her total spiritual power is large and her recovery speed is fast, making it easy for her to travel in this way.

Even when flying through the air, Han Lu, who possessed two Golden Cores, was far faster than other early-stage Golden Core cultivators.

Although traveling in this way is not comfortable, in terms of speed alone, it is even slightly faster than Xianyu Ji's journey using the magical artifact Ark.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Han Lu arrived at a small seaside town in the Southern Dynasty from the Zhengyi Gate in the central part of the Southern Dynasty.

It must be said that Zhan Yujun's choice of a "retirement location" was quite sophisticated.

Located near the sea, the area is economically developed. Although it cannot compare to the prosperity of the capital or other places, ordinary people can find everything they need here.

In addition, because this place has produced several great scholars and high-ranking officials, there are many people who pursue learning, and there are many private schools in the city, which can give children an early education, making it easier for them to choose any path in the future.

Of course, the most important thing is that this small town called "Wangshi" is safe and there are no pirates roaming the sea.

The reason for this is quite simple.

One of the only two naval forces in the Southern Dynasty was stationed at the naval port next to Wangshi City, so the villains naturally dared not roam around and cause trouble in this area.

For various reasons, Zhan Yujun and his wife chose to settle here.