The Long Journey to Immortality

Qiu Peng was happy to help when he heard about this, to relieve Han Lu's worries, and to find himself a few interesting and talented junior brothers and sisters.

Han Lu selected five people from the list of no more than thirty, and Qiu Peng also selected five, making a total of ten.

This is just a shortlist; further screening is needed.

After the formal commencement of the apprenticeship ceremony, Han Lu will then examine and evaluate each potential disciple in the elegant room before making her final selection.

She couldn't guarantee that an outstanding young person, just like she had been more than forty years ago, wouldn't unexpectedly appear at this year's apprenticeship ceremony.

However, Han Lu still needs to think carefully about what exactly to test, what scores and special conditions to use to decide whether to accept someone as a disciple.

Qiu Peng offered many suggestions, even mentioning an interview activity in the ancient cultivation secret realm, giving some examples that greatly inspired Han Lu.

Three more days passed, and one morning, the inner treasury lent the Ark vehicles to the Foundation Establishment disciples who had received the guiding mission.

Nearly twenty arks, carried by forty Foundation Establishment disciples, sailed south towards cities throughout the country.

Quickly, it returned with a hundred people in a single day.

They even visited a Zhengyi Sect outpost on a bustling island in the East China Sea, and spent four and a half days transporting ten East China Sea children who aspired to join the Zhengyi Sect to the sect.

As a Golden Core disciple participating in this apprenticeship ceremony, Han Lu naturally sat in the elegant room of the Five Elements Mountain Academy and waited patiently when the first ark returned.

On the first day, only three people entered the private room to undergo Han Lu's test.

When accepting a disciple, the most important thing is not to look at what level the other person is at now, but to see how much cultivation resources they will receive after becoming a disciple, how much room for development they will have after receiving guidance from Han Lu herself, and whether they can go far on the path of cultivation.

At this moment, cultivation talent is more important than realm or strength.

Han Lu focused her tests on these disciples who were about to join the Zhengyi Sect, carefully examining their talents and whether they were truly suited for the "tedious work" of cultivation.

Han Lu's test was not complicated, but it was definitely different from the tests that other Golden Core cultivators set up when accepting disciples.

First, she used her divine sense to examine his body to see if there were any illnesses or ailments that would hinder his cultivation, and to check if there were any oversights or mistakes during the introductory test.

Then, give the other person another test paper to see how good their basic knowledge is and whether their character and temperament suit Han Lu's taste.

The third step is to get the other person into a meditative state. If they can enter a meditative state very quickly, it naturally means that they are superior in terms of mental state and maturity.

Finally, Han Lu had to verbally answer questions from the other party, just like an "HR" conducting an interview in an ancient cultivation secret realm.

The questions asked were all insightful, seemingly unrelated to cultivation, but in Han Lu's view, they could determine a cultivator's future fate.

In the end, relying on her privileges and not worrying about other Golden Core cultivators stealing her away, Han Lu's reply to all the disciples who came to her private room was to go back and wait for news. If there was no response after five days, they were eliminated.

Although this annoyed the Waiku and Xuefu, who were responsible for welcoming the newcomers, it allowed Han Lu to happily walk through every inch of the wheat field and then go back to pick out the three largest ears of wheat from her memory.

Chapter 733 Three New Apprentices

After the apprenticeship ceremony concluded, based on her memory of the new disciples who had come to the elegant room for the "interview," Han Lu sent paper swords to three of them, conveying the good news that they had passed the test and become her disciples.

It took Han Lu five days to interview thirty-three new disciples.

The final result of selecting three out of thirty-three was achieved after a preliminary selection and a second round of screening. It is conceivable that these three new disciples chosen by Han Lu are more talented than the four disciples that Han Lu simply selected from among the many outer disciples.

Although these three new disciples are exceptionally talented, Han Lu couldn't say for sure what their ultimate achievements would be, or whether they could go further on the path of cultivation than the other four.

After all, there are quite a few cultivators in the cultivation world like Piaomiaozi, whose talent is only average but who eventually overtakes others and becomes the first to achieve the Golden Core stage, surpassing countless "geniuses".

Han Lu didn't dare to guarantee that every disciple who became her student would achieve great things and fully unleash their potential.

After sending out the three paper swords, Han Lu then sent a telepathic message to the three inner treasury cultivators who had already been informed.

As an elder of the sect, Han Lu disliked using her privileges to command others, but her privileges still existed.

The notification was sent out, and the inner treasury disciples who had been notified in advance were there to meet with them.

Naturally, Han Lu's series of unconventional arrangements were ultimately carried out smoothly.

The three new disciples, overjoyed with the good news, packed their belongings and moved out of the compound where the outer disciples lived, amidst the envious glances of their roommates, and moved into new rooms that had already been vacated and prepared for them.

Having moved into their new home and received clothing and resources befitting inner disciples, the three disciples, now under Han Lu's command, did not waste a moment and hurriedly headed to Cold Cicada Peak following the instructions in the paper sword.

On the way, the three "coincidentally" met, and after walking together for a while, one of them, who was more perceptive, realized that something was wrong.

After exchanging a few words, the three of them figured out their relationship as senior and junior brothers and sisters before even meeting Han Lu.

A brief self-introduction led to a nodding acquaintance, thus beginning a friendship that would last at least ten years.

The area below Hanchan Peak remained heavily guarded. The only road accessible to Qi Refining disciples was blocked off, with a Foundation Establishment disciple standing guard as a symbolic gesture.

Originally, this checkpoint was guarded by two Foundation Establishment disciples, but under Xuan Chengzi's idea of ​​"eliminating redundancy," it was reduced to one. It is said that in the future, it will be guarded by Qi Refining disciples, as a reward rather than "labor."

After all, even at the foot of Hanchan Peak, the spiritual energy is more abundant than that near Dongshan Academy.

After exchanging greetings, Han Lu's paper sword became the pass for the three newcomers who had only been in the program for no more than five days.

They made way and pointed out the directions. It took the three of them about five minutes to walk from the foot of the mountain to Han Lu's residence without using any lightness spells.

Upon arriving at the door, before even politely knocking, Han Lu, who had been keeping an eye on her new apprentice walking along the mountain path with her divine sense, proactively used her spiritual power to open the door to the three of them.

Qiu Peng, who was exhausted from writing textbooks, was assigned to act as a "greeter," which also allowed him to experience being the "senior brother" in front of his junior brothers and sisters who were only fifteen or sixteen years old.

After deliberately taking a detour, Qiu Peng led the three around half of Han Lu's residence, listening to a few more words about "Senior Brother," before finally leading them to their destination at Han Lu's urging.

This was the second time Han Lu had met these three disciples who had just joined the Zhengyi Sect. Unlike their first meeting in the elegant room, Han Lu was not as friendly as she had been. Instead, she unusually adopted the dignified demeanor of a Golden Core Elder.

Upon seeing Han Lu, the three hesitated for a moment before making different choices.

The only female cultivator chose to kneel and bow, saying, "Greetings, Master."

The other two male cultivators simply clasped their hands in a respectful bow, lowered their eyes, and said, "Greetings, Master."

The female cultivator among the three was named Ming Xin. She had only been cultivating at home for two years and had only reached the first level of Qi Refining. However, because she had good talent, a gentle personality, and her way of dealing with people suited Han Lu's taste, Han Lu chose her and decided to take her in as a disciple.

In her opinion, Mingxin's talent was only slightly better than that of the Helan sisters, and under her tutelage, there was an 80% chance that she would advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The two male cultivators were named Yuan Jinghui and Wu Tianqi.

Coincidentally, this new disciple named Yuan Jinghui is a descendant of Yuan Xin and Yuan Fei, and has some connection with Han Lu.

He began practicing cultivation at the age of nine, and at home he still used the cultivation method given to him by Han Lu to begin his training.

Six years have passed, and he has already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining after entering the sect, making him one of the best among this generation.

He had good talent and some "karma" with Han Lu, which is why he became Han Lu's chosen new disciple and had his name recorded in Han Lu's lineage.

The last disciple was Wu Tianqi.

He is from southern Xinjiang, but only lives there. His parents are from the Central Plains. He is the only one of Han Lu's three newly accepted disciples who is not on the candidate list.

In terms of talent, Wu Tianqi was not outstanding among the thirty-three people interviewed by Han Lu, but he was valued by Han Lu because of his special physique.

Although the spiritual root within Wu Tianqi's body is only of high quality, it can transform between five attributes depending on the time of day, making it a Five Elements Dharma Body.

This particular trait, if it can be controlled, will greatly benefit his ability to perform magic.

Looking further ahead, when Wu Tianqi advances to the Nascent Soul stage, he won't need to worry about replenishing his spiritual roots, saving him a lot of time searching for rare and precious materials.

Fortunately, it was nighttime when Wu Tianqi underwent the entrance examination, and he happened to have a water elemental root in his body. Otherwise, he would not have been able to be admitted to the East Mountain Academy and have his unique physical characteristics discovered by Han Lu.

The three had slightly different attitudes, but Han Lu didn't care about that at all.

His gaze swept over the three disciples, and he said indifferently, "No need for formalities."

Fortunately, Qiu Peng wasn't watching at that moment. Otherwise, seeing Han Lu's attitude, he, who was quite familiar with Han Lu, would most likely have teased his master in his heart, calling him "pretentious."

There are advantages to maintaining a certain air. At least, when explaining some "strict" reward and punishment rules to these three newcomers who have just begun their cultivation journey and still have some unrealistic fantasies about cultivation, they can accept them calmly without feeling any rebelliousness.

The way to treat outer disciples who have suffered hardships and setbacks in the cultivation world is certainly different from the way to treat newly initiated genius disciples.

After explaining the rules for becoming her disciples, Han Lu did not ask the three to introduce themselves again. Instead, she unilaterally arranged for them to stay with her for seven days so that she could personally guide them and prevent any major mistakes from occurring in their paintings, which were barely finished.

Chapter 734: Textbook Released

Because they had only been disciples for a short time, the three of them had only attended two morning classes and participated in one major cultivation session in terms of receiving sect education.

As an aside, the "benefit" of the Great Cultivation, a great thing for the disciples, has also undergone minor modifications and upgrades under Xuan Chengzi's guidance.

Disciples from the inner and outer sects will separate and enter two different spirit-gathering arrays to meditate and cultivate, participating in the "Great Cultivation."

Although this arrangement increased the sect's expenses and created an "artificial separation" and "differential treatment" between inner and outer disciples, it did not cause any controversy because it improved the cultivation effects of both inner and outer disciples. In fact, it was praised by many "poor" disciples.

Lacking a control group, Wu Tianqi and Ming Xin, two of the three newly initiated disciples, naturally did not know how much care Han Lu's arrangement had given them. They simply assumed that every disciple who entered the Golden Core Elder's tutelage would enjoy such treatment. Apart from saying "thank you" verbally and accepting Han Lu's arrangement, they did not feel much gratitude in their hearts.

Only Yuan Jinghui, who came from a prestigious family, expressed his heartfelt gratitude, feeling fortunate to have found a dedicated and highly skilled master.

So, under Han Lu's arrangement, the three of them changed their accommodations twice in one day, and finally settled down temporarily in a guest room in Han Lu's house.

That evening, Han Lu sent a telepathic message, inviting each of her three disciples to meet with her alone, and attempting to guide their cultivation using the experience and methods that had already been successful with Yu Hetong and the other three.

Yuan Jinghui and Ming Xin are skilled practitioners, having received orthodox Central Plains cultivation education. Han Lu doesn't need to worry about them; simply providing resources and a little help from senior experts is sufficient.

Wu Tianqi, however, had only cultivated for some time in the outer sect's residence before coming to the Zhengyi Sect, and he had not yet opened even the first acupoint.

In addition to his unique physique, Han Lu needs to put more effort into him.

On the first night, Han Lu first explained to Wu Tianqi the difference between his physique and that of ordinary cultivators, and taught him a technique that allowed him to freely control the changes in his physical body and spiritual roots.

Having just entered the world of cultivation, Wu Tianqi was overjoyed to learn about the special features of his body. He put aside the troubles he had just experienced a few days ago, which were unable to open even the first acupoint.

After the interview screening, Wu Tianqi was selected by Han Lu, so his comprehension must be quite good.

Han Lu spent half an hour teaching Wu Tianqi the method, and another fifteen minutes explaining the difficult points. She also gave him some pills and spirit stones before letting Wu Tianqi, who had been accepted as her disciple, leave.

Before leaving, Han Lu made it clear to Wu Tianqi that he must first cultivate this technique before considering which spiritual root attribute to use for further cultivation.

Do not rush into things or act on your own initiative.

Because Wu Tianqi knew nothing, Han Lu taught him very carefully, personally imparting to him the part of cultivation knowledge that new disciples should have learned in the morning lessons.

Wu Tianqi took Han Lu's serious and earnest words to heart and agreed repeatedly, not daring to be negligent in the slightest, for fear of inadvertently ruining his originally bright and promising path of cultivation.

When teaching her second batch of apprentices, Han Lu did not forget to lighten her own burden while inheriting the successful experience from the first batch.

She also employed the outsourcing methods commonly used by Golden Core cultivators in teaching their disciples.

However, considering the personalities and cultivation levels of the first batch of six disciples, Han Lu only instructed the Helan sisters to be responsible for educating and guiding the three of them, acting as their "little masters" during daily cultivation.

That's it.

Seven days later, Yuan Jinghui and Ming Xin reported their cultivation progress to Han Lu and received a considerable amount of cultivation resources before being sent away from Hanchan Peak.

Wu Tianqi was kept for another half month until he fully mastered the method of controlling the Five Elements Body Spiritual Root taught by Han Lu, and selected the main cultivation method for the Qi Refining stage from the five cultivation methods before he was allowed to go down the mountain to cultivate alone.