The Long Journey to Immortality

It is great, glorious, and correct, so correct that no one can find fault with it.

However, as correct as it may seem, such a significant leap is unacceptable to many conservative-minded people who feel that this move violates ancestral traditions.

In those days, young phoenixes had to undergo trials arranged by phoenixes of other races. Only by passing the trials could they obtain the essence and blood of phoenixes of other races and sing.

Now he has "slipped up" and is making a living by relying on personal connections and his looks.

The old fogies were unwilling to "make any more changes" and completely tarnish the prestige of this sacred matter.

However, they had no idea that they had fallen into a trap.

The phoenixes, who already knew about this, sang in unison, using the theory that "if tearing down the roof is too much, then we'll tear down the windows," and brought out the new rules that had actually been established.

Every thirty years, a "Harmony Conference" is held, during which each ethnic group can send one or two outstanding young talents to harmonize with the bloodlines of other ethnic groups.

Although it involves more blatant exchanges of interests, it has indeed become easier for people to accept.

As expected, this matter was approved by all the representatives.

The only change is that the interval has been changed from once every thirty years to once every one hundred years, so as to match the long lifespan of the phoenix spirit in terms of rhythm.

Feng You, the only one present who could represent the clan in making the decision, praised the matter highly, saying it was a meritorious deed for generations to come.

After accomplishing one task, Feng Xiao hesitated for a moment, but decided to follow the previously established plan and bring the more important second task to the table for discussion.

[Author's Note] I have spent some time explaining the organizational structure and internal culture of each organization in the book, simply because I am interested in this aspect and it can better explain the motivations of the members within the organization.

Chapter 703 Phoenix Sovereign

However, there are still many preparations to be made in the plan.

Many matters that required discussion but were trivial to the Phoenix Clan were brought to the forefront.

Taking this opportunity, Feng Xiao carefully chose his words and mentioned in front of everyone the number of Phoenix Clan members, the security of Phoenix Perch Forest, the reconstruction and renovation of some buildings in Phoenix Perch Forest, and the exchanges and cooperation between various clans.

Feng Xiao even came up with a rather creative suggestion: to organize a matchmaking event every fifty years to encourage blood fusion among the nine phoenixes and contribute to increasing the number of phoenixes in the phoenix clan.

These minor issues either receive widespread discussion and approval, or they merely spark controversy and don't even qualify to be communicated to higher authorities.

As for the last item, the "Blind Date Event," it was criticized by many stubborn phoenixes, who said it was a bad idea that would destroy the independence and purity of the Nine Phoenix bloodline.

Although these phoenixes are not as old as Fengyou, their thoughts seem to have traveled from 100,000 years ago.

Feng You, on the other hand, felt that he should avoid making any appearances on this issue, lest he bring up Han Lu's past and be attacked by the conservative Phoenix Birds, thus suffering disaster.

The meeting lasted for about 15 minutes. Han Lu sat next to Feng You and listened to the discussions of the phoenixes. She felt that although her body and bloodline had returned to the phoenix clan, her thoughts were very different from those of many phoenixes.

"If there are many phoenixes in the Three Phoenix Forest who hold such outdated ideas, then I am probably more suited to living in the Central Plains than to settling down in the Three Phoenix Forest."

Han Lu made up her mind to take this opportunity to carefully observe the Three Phoenix Forest and determine whether it was a suitable place for her, a cultivator who was not yet a hundred years old and was born in the Central Plains.

These minor issues were discussed in detail for about half an hour.

In conclusion, the participants engaged in an informal discussion, exchanging views comprehensively and frankly. This led to the identification of a series of questions, improvement measures, and plans, ultimately guiding the development of several feasible practical goals. Following this process, it was concluded that some suggestions warrant further detailed and comprehensive discussion, but require careful supplementation…

There was a lot of work to be done, and few of the delegates could make decisions. On some slightly sensitive issues, they simply expressed their complete opposition to avoid causing trouble.

Many suggestions that seemed beneficial to the race were directly rejected, but Feng Xiao did not roll up his sleeves and use his youthful vigor to debate with the old fogies.

He simply smiled and responded.

Many of these minor issues are just smokescreens, deceptive tactics, simply raised to muddy the waters.

The response was exactly what Feng Xiao had expected.

Having lived in Phoenix Forest for nearly two hundred years, he had long since figured out the "ideological composition" of the people in the Phoenix Clan.

After successfully filling the hall with a conservative and old-fashioned atmosphere, Feng Xiao then revealed his true intentions, pretending as if he had just remembered something, and expressed his concern about the "fake and real phoenix" with multiple bloodlines seizing power in Heming.

This seemingly alarmist worry becomes reasonable in this atmosphere of strong conservatism and a pursuit of freedom.

Accustomed to independent living and managing their own clan affairs, the phoenixes naturally engaged in a heated discussion on this topic.

If Feng Xiao hadn't specifically mentioned the legend of the True Phoenix leading the phoenixes to revive, and the fact that the True Phoenix was the leader of the phoenixes before the True Spirit Era, these freedom-loving phoenixes might have wanted to elevate the issue to another level and directly prohibit the Nine Phoenixes from becoming the supreme ruler of their race from the perspective of racial law.

Ultimately, Feng Xiao's two "old sayings" led the matter to develop as he wished.

All the representatives agreed to convey this issue back to the clan and leave it to the clan chief for a decision.

The decision stipulates that only those who ultimately achieve the status of True Phoenix can lead the Nine Phoenixes and become their nominal leader.

The decision is that all it takes is to achieve the Seven True Phoenixes and recreate the accomplishments of the predecessor from the True Spirit Era to become the ruler of the Nine Phoenixes.

Everything went smoothly, except that Feng Xiao was surprised that Feng You and Han Lu, whom he considered to be ambitious, did not raise the slightest objection to the matter.

In fact, a father and daughter were even advocates of antiquity.

Feng You publicly stated that he would only accept the reappearance of the true phoenix to lead the phoenix bird, and would not support a leader who was not legitimate.

Fengyou and Hanlu saw this matter very clearly.

Those who had been observing were aware that this issue was raised in response to Han Lu, who possessed the Heming Three Bloodlines.

Having no ambition to begin with, and knowing that without external pressure, the nine phoenixes could no longer unite as one, Feng You decisively chose to make a statement at this time, cutting off all ties to avoid unnecessary trouble and misunderstandings with other phoenixes.

Finally, regarding the resolutions that had been largely passed, the representatives, led by Feng Xiao, discussed several detailed rules, each taking notes to send back to their clan for the clan leader to make a decision.

In particular, the open discussion on the "Harmony Conference" led to seven different proposals from the delegates.

The conference lasted for almost two hours before it came to an end.

Two phoenixes who frequently visited the Great Yu Dynasty were left behind by Feng Xiao, who began to work on renovating and building new houses for the phoenixes in the Phoenix Perch Forest.

Soon, several renowned craftsmen from the Great Yu Dynasty will be invited to the wilderness at great expense to guide the Phoenix in construction.

After the conference concluded, Han Lu was finally "freed".

However, Feng Xiao's proposal of a "matchmaking event" at the conference provoked some enlightened representatives who were concerned about their children's marriages.

Coincidentally, Han Lu was the only one present who seemed like a suitable marriage partner, and with her parents present, these representatives were so enthusiastic after the meeting that they had the idea of ​​becoming the in-laws of the Huanfeng clan's patriarch.

As a father, knowing his daughter's intentions, he did not hesitate to help her block these people from her clan.

After glancing furtively at her father's back, Han Lu quickly sent a telepathic message saying "Reject all," before hurriedly following Feng Hanchi away.

However, just when Han Lu thought she had avoided trouble, she didn't expect that Feng Hanchi would make another arrangement that couldn't be more obvious.

Feng Wuyi, who had only met Han Lu a few times, was chosen by Feng Hanchi to be Han Lu's tutor and guide her in cultivating "Li Feng Pian".

Han Lu wasn't stupid or blind, so she immediately understood what Feng Hanchi was thinking by making this arrangement.

However, her studies were of utmost importance, and she could not refuse Feng Hanchi's arrangements.

Fortunately, Feng Wuyi's mind wasn't on "matters between men and women," which made Han Lu feel less awkward during her month-long cultivation and allowed her to learn some practical things.

Unfortunately, cultivation is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Although there has been progress and things are moving in a positive direction, there is still a distance to go before achieving significant success.

However, Feng Hanchi could see clearly that Han Lu had thoroughly understood "The Legend of Li Feng" and only needed some time to refine her understanding.

After instructing Han Lu to strengthen her daily practice, he, as her master and teacher, granted her a vacation to return home.

Before parting, Han Lu presented Feng Hanchi with a tea set that she had prepared beforehand as a "thank-you gift" to express her gratitude.

Feng Hanchi only had a moderate liking for tea, but his passion for antiques made him quickly regard this set of historical teaware as his most prized possession.

Almost half a year after arriving at Fengqilin, Han Lu was finally able to set off again with her father to Sanfenglin to reunite with her mother and her younger brother whom she had never met before.

Chapter 704 Going Home

Half a year is usually just a blink of an eye for a true spirit.

However, this was not the case for Han Lu, a true spirit who was not yet a hundred years old.

She experienced and gained a lot in the past six months.

This journey westward from Zhengyi Gate is already worthwhile even if we only go this far.

Although he had harmonized with the bloodline of Li Feng, he had not yet reached the minor success level in cultivating the "Li Feng Chapter" technique and was unable to use his supernatural powers.

However, the changes that the Li Feng bloodline brought to Han Lu's body were clearly manifested during this journey from Fengqi Forest to Sanfeng Forest.

Even without transforming into a true spirit, Han Lu's physical strength has increased nearly tenfold compared to before.

Transformed into a true spirit, Han Lu even felt that her current self could "arm wrestle" with her former self, and could take on twenty opponents at once.

Of course, the effectiveness of external martial arts is not solely determined by strength, but when it comes to traveling by air, having more strength and endurance can significantly improve speed.

This time, Han Lu was able to keep up with Feng You's pace while flying without Feng You deliberately slowing down.

In fact, when Han Lu first took flight after transforming into her true form, she was slightly faster than Feng You, who had already reached the late Nascent Soul stage.

Of course, even if Feng You uses spiritual power to accelerate, Han Lu still cannot catch up with her father.

However, this alone was enough to make her happy, even though she was feeling down because of the difficulties she encountered in practicing the "Li Feng Chapter" technique.

After taking off, the father and daughter headed straight for Sanfenglin, without any intention of delaying along the way.

Last time, with Han Lu and the young phoenix Feng Tian holding them back, it took the group seventeen days to complete this journey.

This time, the two, eager to return home, flew at almost full speed. In just seven days, before sunset on the eighth day, they caught a glimpse of the Three Phoenix Forest in the distance.

More than 30 years have passed, and Sanfenglin has not changed much. In fact, in Han Lu's opinion, it is almost exactly the same as it was 30 years ago.

Transforming into human form, the father and daughter flew through the forest.

Feng You deliberately lingered half a step behind Han Lu, wanting to see if her daughter still remembered the road and where "home" was.

As it turns out, the monk's memory was indeed quite good.

More than 30 years ago, Han Lu lived in Sanfeng Forest for a full three months.

Upon her return, facing the almost unchanged Sanfeng Forest, she easily found the right path.

After flying low among the paulownia trees in the forest for no more than two minutes in front of her father, Han Lu was greeted by the settlement of the three phoenixes in the Three Phoenix Forest.

"Let's go see Ru Bing first." Due to the complicated relationship, Feng You did not refer to Feng Ru Bing as "mother" in front of Han Lu.

Han Lu nodded slightly and went straight to Feng Rubing's residence with her father.

Unexpectedly, Feng Rubing was in seclusion at the time, and had set up a fairly complete set of restrictions to refuse all visitors.

With no other option, Han Lu had to postpone her reunion with her mother.