The Long Journey to Immortality

The curious Feng Hong will surely stay close to the other person and be a loyal listener.

"Fengwu, I've brought my sister with me." Feng Hong interrupted the little story time that belonged to the young phoenixes with her loud voice.

Following the sound, the phoenixes looked towards Han Lu and Feng Hong. The adult fire phoenix, surrounded by the fledglings, spotted Han Lu from afar.

Han Lu noticed a slight change in the other person's expression, a hint of joy appearing on their face, and naturally assumed that her guess about the other person's identity was correct.

Before her younger brother could respond, the fire phoenix stepped forward and greeted Han Lu, "Miss Han, it's been over thirty years since we last met. How have you been?"

Han Lu smiled and said, "I'm doing quite well. I originally wanted to look for you in Phoenix Perch Forest, but I didn't expect that it was the crucial moment for your cultivation advancement. So I thought I would wait until you successfully advanced and returned to Three Phoenix Forest before we met again."

"Feng Tian, ​​it's been thirty years since I last saw you. You've changed so much!"

Looking at the handsome young man in his early twenties in front of her, Han Lu found it hard to connect him with Feng Tian, ​​the young phoenix who had gone to Phoenix Perch Forest with her thirty years ago.

Chapter 714 Sparring

The young phoenixes were expecting a clash of titans, but to their surprise, Han Lu and Feng Tian were acquaintances. They started chatting and laughing as soon as they met, seemingly having forgotten all about standing up for their younger brother.

“Isn’t this an advancement to the Transformation Realm?” Feng Tian straightened his back and said, “Of course, his appearance is quite different from when he was a fledgling phoenix.”

"I feel really bad that I missed meeting Miss Han at Phoenix Forest before."

"I had planned to visit Miss Han as soon as I returned to Sanfeng Forest, and also to thank Clan Chief Fengyou and Senior Feng Rubing, but I didn't expect to be entangled by my younger brother Fengwu."

……

Feng Tian apologized, but neither his expression nor his tone of voice made it easy for Han Lu to connect him with the cheerful and quick-witted young phoenix from thirty years ago.

Han Lu could only explain this by saying that she had "grown up".

"It's just a small matter." Lightly brushing aside the small favor she had done for Feng Tian back then, Han Lu took out the gift she had originally prepared for Feng Tian from her storage bag.

"When we went to Phoenix Perch Forest, you mentioned that you enjoyed reading interesting miscellaneous books."

"Here are three volumes of 'Common Sense.' They're not particularly valuable, but I think you'll like them."

Han Lu still remembered the ten-odd days she spent with Feng Tian, ​​and naturally, she was full of confidence when choosing a commemorative gift for him.

Sure enough, Feng Tian, ​​who had lived in Phoenix Perch Forest for more than thirty years, had never heard of such a masterpiece co-authored by Han Lu and Wen Erya.

He thanked her, took a look, and then beamed with delight, exclaiming, "Interesting!"

When he noticed Han Lu's name among the editors on the book cover, he was even more eager to have Han Lu tell him a detailed story about this miscellaneous book so that he could broaden his horizons.

The two adult phoenixes chatted happily, while the fledgling phoenixes watched in a daze.

The anticipated clash did not occur.

The two, who were expected to clash, shook hands and made peace before the battle even began.

Especially Feng Hong and Feng Wu, the two instigators, were even more frustrated, wondering how the story had taken this turn.

Feng Hong reacted quickly. Through the conversation between Han Lu and Feng Tian, ​​he immediately connected it with some stories his parents had told him and quickly understood the whole story.

Knowing things that his "arch-enemy" didn't make Feng Hong feel quite smug.

Under his carefully crafted rhetoric, the young Fengwu, in order to satisfy his thirst for knowledge, had no choice but to temporarily bow down to his adversary.

Having regained the upper hand and achieved final victory, Feng Hongcai generously shared, in the manner of a victor, the story of how his sister met Feng Wu's brother.

Han Lu and Feng Tian were unwilling to fight each other, and the young phoenixes also temporarily put aside their differences. Naturally, a battle that was supposed to take place here ended before it even began.

The two adult phoenixes gathered with the fledglings once again, and this time Han Lu was the speaker.

Originally, Han Lu only had superficial exchanges with the young phoenixes and had no experience of such in-depth understanding.

This unexpected event actually gave Han Lu the opportunity to integrate into the group of young phoenixes.

Han Lu is skilled at storytelling and has many stories to tell.

As Feng Hong listened to these stories, which he already knew, and heard his companions' exclamations of admiration, a sense of smug satisfaction arose within him, like a top student preparing for his lessons.

Fortunately, the nursery's training courses started early, so the fledglings still had to attend classes.

Otherwise, Han Lu's story would probably have to be told from morning till night before the young phoenixes, still wanting more, would let it go.

When the school bell rang, the young phoenixes left one after another, and Feng Hong was no exception.

Soon, only Han Lu and Feng Tian remained in the phoenixes' secret base.

Just when Han Lu thought Feng Tian would still be flipping through a few pages of "Common Sense" and seeking her knowledge again, Feng Tian made a request she hadn't expected.

"Miss Han, would you like to have a match with me?" Feng Tian was eager to try. "Since advancing to the Transformation Realm, I haven't had a chance to fight with any other phoenixes."

"I heard that Miss Han has already harmonized three bloodlines and become a Four-Winged True Phoenix."

"Today I would like to broaden my horizons, and I would also like to ask Miss Han to exchange ideas with me and give me some pointers."

Feng Tian took the initiative to ask for a battle, making his reasoning very clear. Han Lu, who had long wanted to find a True Spirit of the same realm to test her new methods, naturally did not refuse Feng Tian's request.

However, on the surface, she maintained an image of "yearning for peace." After a few words, she expressed her deep emotion and agreed to Feng Tian's challenge.

Acting discreetly, the two reached an agreement to fight in human form.

Where should we play?

Since it's just a friendly sparring match, and the principle is to stop when the point is reached, then it doesn't matter where we fight.

The two didn't care too much about the location and directly chose to have their duel on the lake next to the phoenixes' secret base.

Perhaps because he had borrowed some ancient culture from Phoenix Perch Forest, Feng Tian was quite gentlemanly. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Han Lu on the lake, he added, "Please enlighten me."

Thinking of testing new moves on Feng Tian, ​​Han Lu naturally took this sparring match seriously.

He immediately transformed into a semi-real spirit state, and then displayed his shadow avatar in front of Feng Tian, ​​transforming his shadow into a huge black phoenix with the help of the Fierce Phoenix Divine Power, thus announcing that this sparring battle had entered a white-hot state from the very beginning.

Feng Tian had seen several fierce phoenixes use similar methods in the Phoenix Perch Forest, and when he faced them personally, he never seemed flustered.

Circulating his cultivation technique, Feng Tian unleashed the True Flame of the Fiery Phoenix, attempting to retaliate with this method.

Unexpectedly, just as these true flames were released, Han Lu took out the Hun Tian Bag, silently recited the incantation, and used ice and frost to neutralize and dissolve them while using her magic weapon to collect the true flames into the Hun Tian Bag.

The black phoenix removed the obstacle in front of it, and the already agile black phoenix naturally rushed to Feng Tian's front in the first instant.

Wielding her phoenix claws, Han Lu controlled the black phoenix bird to make two feints at Feng Tian's vital points.

Before Feng Tian could even react, he was handed over to Han Lu.

Although Feng Tian was somewhat bewildered by his defeat, he still readily admitted his failure.

Just as he was about to say a few nice words to praise Han Lu and challenge her to a few more rounds of combat, Han Lu revealed her true nature.

"Again, again!" victor Han Lu volunteered for another round.

The two exchanged blows for ten rounds on the lake before Han Lu finally let the repeatedly defeated Feng Tian leave the battlefield. She then generously picked up a book of common sense and explained a few points to Feng Tian as a reward for being her sparring partner before they parted ways.

Having suffered such a crushing defeat, Feng Tian was filled with mixed emotions. He could only lament the vast difference between phoenixes and realize that he was perhaps truly not cut out for martial arts combat.

Chapter 715 The Phoenixes' Talents, Travel

Although the phoenixes all inherited a portion of the true phoenix's bloodline and are true spirits, they possess lifespans far exceeding those of human cultivators at the same level.

However, just like human cultivators, they also have differences in talent among themselves.

Those with exceptional talent, like Feng Rubing, cultivated to a level comparable to the late Nascent Soul stage in just a thousand years despite being an Ice Phoenix. If she hadn't gotten into trouble and been forced into a five-thousand-year-long Nirvana slumber, she might have already successfully advanced to the Divine Transformation stage and ascended to the Spirit Realm.

Those with slightly less talent, like Feng You, need to cultivate for three thousand years to reach the late Nascent Soul stage.

But this is already his limit. If he wants to go any further, he can only hope for a miracle or a stroke of luck.

Phoenixes like Fengyou are among the most powerful beings in the human realm, extremely rare.

For the vast majority of phoenixes, reaching the Transformation Realm in a hundred years and the Nascent Soul Realm in two thousand years is already the best outcome.

There are also quite a few phoenixes that are even worse off, remaining stuck in the Transformation Realm for their entire lives.

This is already a blessing bestowed upon us by the divine favor of a true spirit.

If we include the human race in this scenario...

In the presence of the phoenix and other true spirits, the human cultivator who toiled his entire life but remained a mere novice was a complete tragedy and a joke.

What was the situation with Feng Tian, ​​who was completely powerless against her just now?

Han Lu felt that the fire phoenix she had been in contact with for some time was not a genius like her parents.

Spending a thousand years to barely advance to the Nascent Soul realm should be Feng Tian's final destination.

It's no wonder that many phoenixes don't devote all their energy to cultivation, which lacks positive feedback, but instead focus on hobbies such as playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

A few phoenixes who are devoted to this path, upon discovering that relying on their innate true spirit bloodline has reached its limit, will consider switching to the human path, seeking an alternative route to pursue that distant end. Feng Hanchi once did just that, but when he realized that this path was also impassable and that he no longer had several hundred years of lifespan left, he completely let go and turned his attention to nurturing the next generation and engaging in basic research.

It is worth mentioning that after true spirits such as phoenixes advance to the Nascent Soul Realm, they are usually forced to ascend prematurely within a few years due to being excluded by the will of Heaven, unlike human cultivators who can stay in the mortal realm for at least two hundred years as Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

This may also be one of the reasons why the true spirit, which has become "desireless," did not break out of the wilderness to seek revenge.

Although she noticed the change in Feng Tian's expression, Han Lu, who turned to leave and say goodbye to Feng Tian, ​​had no intention of comforting him at all.

Many people perish on the path of cultivation, and Feng Tian is one of the lucky ones.

If she truly wanted to be kind and comfort people, how could she possibly comfort everyone?

Besides, Feng Tian might experience a setback before achieving success. Perhaps a great opportunity will come his way in the future, and he might even advance to the Nascent Soul stage before Han Lu.

Han Lu, who had just given a gift, didn't want to be seen as a bad person with no emotional intelligence.

A thorough understanding of "emotional intelligence" is also very important for monks.

In the days that followed, Feng Tian would occasionally return to Han Lu's residence to look for her.

Either ask her, the editor, about the questions she couldn't understand in "Common Sense".

He could either ask her, the powerful woman who had defeated him ten times in a row, for advice on cultivation.

Over time, Fengtian, who was already somewhat familiar with Han Lu, became the phoenix that Han Lu knew best in the Three Phoenix Forest besides her family.

This made Feng Hong, who didn't have a high opinion of Feng Tian, ​​very unhappy. It was as if Feng Tian had taken away his sister, and he was very hostile towards him. He himself became even more aggressive, wishing he could spend ten out of twelve hours a day by Han Lu's side.

With two interesting people by her side, Han Lu's life in Sanfeng Forest became a bit more interesting.

As winter fades and spring arrives, the vegetables that Han Lu has carefully prepared have finally reached maturity.

After being harvested by Han Lu, these vegetables became a side dish for the young phoenixes, causing Han Lu to stir up a small disturbance in the Three Phoenix Forest once again.