The Long Journey to Immortality

The Golden Core Elder made a special visit, and with such sincerity and the opportunity to rise to the top in one step, these outer sect cultivators, who were usually just "lower-level" in the sect, naturally wouldn't refuse.

In just one day, Han Lu gained two new disciples, Qiu Peng and Nian Haoge, who had the potential to advance to the Golden Core realm, as well as four new disciples who were only at the Qi Refining realm.

Han Lu did not discriminate against these four disciples.

He invited them all to his residence, intending to teach them personally and personally, and to provide them with a month of intensive training, so that these Qi Refining disciples who could participate in the minor competition could achieve good results in the minor competition five months later and make a name for Han Lu's lineage.

Once you have a reputation, it will be much easier to recruit more disciples.

Chapter 724 Teaching According to Aptitude

Han Lu's idea is good, but it will not be easy to implement and will take time.

Leaving aside the four disciples of varying abilities, just laying a solid foundation for Qiu Peng would inevitably take up a lot of Han Lu's time and energy.

Just as it is more difficult to modify a half-finished painting that has already been painted and the brush has been used than to create a new work on a blank sheet of paper.

"Re-education" of Qiu Peng, who had already been misled by his father, was much more difficult than teaching a thirteen or fourteen-year-old mortal who knew nothing about cultivation.

Fortunately, Qiu Peng is not a contrarian who has evolved from a single bar.

He showed no sign of stubbornness in the face of Han Lu, an authority figure.

He treated Han Lu with utmost respect and regarded her words as gospel.

While Han Lu was taking on apprentices, he studied diligently, leveraging his advantage of coming from an ancient cultivation realm and being adept at learning new knowledge. On the first night of the Q&A and learning session, he gave Han Lu a satisfactory answer.

The next day, through some unknown means, Qiu Peng became acquainted with Nian Haoge, whom he had only known for a day, and started calling her "senior sister" repeatedly, giving him another teacher to consult on his daily life.

Because Han Lu had given specific instructions, Nian Haoge was somewhat surprised that this Foundation Establishment junior brother would always ask such simple and basic cultivation questions, but she would still patiently give him the answers and occasionally elaborate on the questions, offering a few more pointers.

It was a blessing for Han Lu that her two disciples got along well, which allowed her to focus more attention on the four newly recruited disciples.

The day after being accepted as disciples, the four disciples, under Han Lu's arrangement, successfully became inner disciples of the Zhengyi Sect and moved into Han Lu's residence located halfway up Hanchan Peak.

In the blink of an eye, six of the seven guest rooms were occupied, and the mansion was much more lively than when Han Lu lived alone.

For the first lesson for these four disciples, Han Lu arranged it to be a group class held in the practice room of her residence.

This arrangement was made because the four were only nominal disciples and were not "worthy" of private lessons.

Secondly, although Han Lu and these four disciples now have the title of master and disciple, their relationship is only that of "one-time acquaintances".

Individual tutoring is not an option.

It would be better for everyone to get together, so that the fellow disciples can get to know each other better, truly understand each disciple's cultivation situation, and then prescribe the right medicine and teach according to their aptitude.

The night before, Han Lu used a paper sword to send out a "timetable" to her four registered disciples, informing them of the arrangements for the next few days.

The following afternoon, the four disciples who had just settled in Han Lu's residence that morning arrived a quarter of an hour early.

If it weren't for the fact that Han Lu had been away for nearly three years, these outer disciples who had only been disciples for a maximum of two years would have never heard of Han Lu's name. They would probably have been waiting in front of the training room in the morning.

Of the four disciples chosen by Han Lu, two were female cultivators and two were male cultivators.

The two female cultivators were named He Lanyan and He Lanwei, distant sisters who had just entered the sect a year and a half ago and were both at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

The two male cultivators were named Yu Hetong and Shen Xingsheng.

Yu Hetong is a disciple who has only been a student for half a year and has just advanced to the second level of Qi Refining.

Shen Xingsheng, on the other hand, had already participated in one major competition and one minor competition within the Zhengyi Sect, and had cultivated within the sect for a full two and a half years. His cultivation level was also the highest among the four.

At the fifth level of Qi Refining, he is not considered outstanding among his peers.

If Shen Xingsheng hadn't performed exceptionally well in both the major and minor competitions, he wouldn't have been chosen by Han Lu as a disciple.

When Han Lu arrived on time, the four of them had already become acquainted, addressing each other as senior and junior brothers and sisters based on their respective cultivation levels.

Because there is no master-disciple relationship between them yet, Han Lu speaks very frankly, without any regard for the feelings of the disciples who have just become her disciples.

She quickly came up with a few rules to restrain her disciples, along with some reward clauses.

Clear distinction between rewards and punishments is a quality that Han Lu believes is essential for a strict teacher, which is also what sets her apart from other Golden Core elders in the Central Plains who prefer to let their disciples grow up freely.

The rules weren't strict, but the rewards were plentiful. Naturally, none of the four disciples complained; on the contrary, it fueled their desire to cultivate diligently.

Following that, Han Lu generously taught the four of them two commonly used techniques in Qi Refining Realm combat, and asked them to learn them quickly in the training room and demonstrate their results in front of her.

"Consider it a classroom test to see how well you all understand," Han Lu explained.

It must be said that the four people chosen by Han Lu do have some talent for cultivation.

They were able to master both relatively simple spells in less than half an hour and successfully perform them in the training room.

Following the order in which the techniques were learned, Han Lu generously distributed the rewards, demonstrating her generosity.

Yu Hetong had the best comprehension and mastered these two not-so-complex techniques in just a quarter of an hour and a half.

He received a full twenty spirit stones, thirty meridian-opening pills, and a mid-grade magic weapon, a spirit sword, from Han Lu.

The two sisters, Helan Yan and Helan Wei, were about the same age, and it took them both about 15 minutes to fully master the two spells.

Both of them received spirit stones and pills, but Han Lu only made a promise about the magic weapon and did not give it to them on the spot.

Han Lu didn't have many magic items of the magic tool level in her storage bag.

She had already made up her mind to spend time and spirit stones to purchase some as a reward for her disciple.

Shen Xingsheng was the one at the bottom.

He was not good at cultivating magic, and he was nervous because of the success of his junior sisters and brothers. So Han Lu gave him no more rewards except for pills and a mere three spirit stones.

A simple test allowed Han Lu to roughly understand her four apprentices' aptitude for magic.

But that's only in terms of aptitude for magic.

After all, a cultivator's growth and cultivation is a comprehensive test. There are always many cultivators who are not proficient in magic but are skilled in combat and have profound cultivation.

After the test was completed, Han Lu asked the four disciples for their cultivation techniques and gave them time to answer their questions.

This was the first time the four of them had had the opportunity to seek guidance from a Golden Core cultivator, so they naturally wouldn't miss it.

Each person asked at least three questions, and Yu Hetong, who had only been cultivating for half a year, bluntly expressed his dissatisfaction with his current cultivation method to Han Lu, hoping that Han Lu would choose a suitable cultivation method for him.

Han Lu answered her apprentices' questions one by one, and she also did not refuse Yu Hetong's requests.

After class, Han Lu kept Yu Hetong behind for a while, giving him extra help and using her divine sense to "examine his body" to determine which cultivation method was suitable for this disciple who seemed to have the most promising future among the four.

The day after class, Yu Hetong received the cultivation manual and a note from Han Lu, who had brought them from the academy.

The note contained three or four hundred words, Han Lu's suggestions and detailed reminders for Yu Hetong to resume his cultivation.

Yu Hetong was naturally grateful to have such a thoughtful mentor, and his first thought was to find Han Lu to thank her in person and further improve his relationship with this good mentor.

To his surprise, he couldn't find any trace of Han Lu in the mansion.

When they asked Qiu Peng, the senior disciple they had only met a few times, they received the response that Han Lu had gone to see the sect leader.

Helpless, Yu Hetong had no choice but to swallow back the words of gratitude he had prepared and happily returned to his room to resume his cultivation.

Chapter 725 Speaking Frankly

Han Lu and Xuan Chengzi's meeting was arranged well in advance.

However, as the head of the Zhengyi Sect, Xuan Chengzi was extremely busy, and Han Lu had to wait quite a while to meet him.

This time, the meeting was not arranged in Gen Seiko's office, but in the reception room next to the office.

Naturally, this arrangement assumes that Xuan Chengzi and Han Lu's conversation, whether it is about official or private matters, will be conducted as friends rather than as a subordinate relationship between a sect leader and an elder.

Sitting face to face, Han Lu was about to greet him when Xuan Chengzi cut to the chase and spoke frankly.

"Elder Zhenfeng, when do you plan to leave the Zhengyi Sect and return to the Wilderness to reunite with your family?"

Xuan Chengzi's words couldn't be more straightforward.

One sentence set the tone for this conversation.

Han Lu was actually unwilling to reveal her plans to the sect, at least not to discuss these still uncertain matters with Xuan Chengzi when she had just returned to the sect and hadn't even settled in yet.

However, since Xuan Chengzi had already asked the question in this way, Han Lu naturally couldn't "play tai chi" or talk about other things at this time.

That would only cast a shadow over the "return to family" plan, which has not yet begun.

"Sect Leader, you have a discerning eye. I did indeed have such thoughts. This trip home has given me many insights..."

Han Lu focused more on family relationships and kinship, elaborating for quite a while before continuing, "However, having cultivated in the Zhengyi Sect for nearly forty years, I'm sure the Sect Master has seen my feelings for the sect."

“Back in the wilderness, I also came up with a few plans, trying to do the best of both worlds.”

"Perfect timing. Since you've asked the question, Sect Leader, if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you could give me some advice and be my consultant."

This was said merely to save face, not because I actually wanted Xuan Chengzi to help me pick and choose or interfere in my life.

Han Lu had made up her mind and wouldn't change it because of Xuan Chengzi's few words.

Xuan Chengzi could naturally tell that Han Lu's words had a hidden meaning. In addition, Han Lu had been recruiting disciples in a grand manner these past two days, which was practically written on her face as she wanted to "repay the favor". He could actually guess what Han Lu's plan was.

However, appearances still need to be maintained.

Han Lu gave a brief overview of her "thirty-year plan".

Xuan Chengzi would occasionally comment, but he only gave positive reviews and likes, without raising any objections.

This was partly because his position made it inappropriate for him to offer advice, but the main reason was that Han Lu's plan was indeed excellent and truly "the best of both worlds".

In particular, the series of plans and promises made by Han Lu are all things that can be seen to produce results in a short period of time, which is quite attractive to the ambitious Xuancheng Sect Master who may still have 30 years left in his term.

“Elder Zhenfeng is meticulous and her plan is thorough and comprehensive. I can’t find any fault with it,” Xuan Chengzi said. “However, there is one thing I would like to assure Elder Zhenfeng: whether Elder Zhenfeng is in the wilderness or in the Central Plains, the relationship between Zhengyi Sect and you can never be severed.”

"As long as the Zhengyi Sect exists, Elder Zhenfeng and other elders in the sect will receive its full support."

The first half of the sentence sounds like a threat, but the second half completely clarifies the relationship.

Although it remains to be seen whether, hundreds of years from now, Han Lu, the princess and first heir of the Huanfeng clan, will need to rely on the Zhengyi Sect or the Zhengyi Sect will need a top ally located in the wilderness, the fact that Xuan Chengzi said this at this time still demonstrates his support for Han Lu.

Upon hearing this, Han Lu simply went along with Xuan Chengzi's words and said the opposite, "I will also remember the kindness of the Zhengyi Sect. If the Zhengyi Sect is in trouble in the future, I will definitely help them."

The words were beautifully spoken, but coming from the mouth of the "pragmatist" Xuan Chengzi, they were not difficult to persuade Han Lu.

If Daoist Yunmin were to say this, Han Lu might add more to make her guarantee seem more sincere.

"That's wonderful. Elder Zhenfeng is indeed a person of great loyalty and righteousness."