The Long Journey to Immortality

In less than a month, all three disciples had left a good impression on Han Lu.

Although the two disciples are only fifteen years old, they are independent and self-reliant, just like she and Wen Erya in the past. They are suitable for being semi-free-range, occasionally giving guidance and providing more resources.

Although the disciple Wu Tianqi was exceptionally perceptive, his foundation was still somewhat weaker than Qiu Peng's. Fortunately, he was a blank slate; otherwise, it would have taken a great deal of effort to train him.

Han Lu felt she needed to spend more time working on this exceptionally talented disciple.

Only after protecting and supporting it until it reaches the third or fourth level of Qi Refining can we let it develop on its own.

With a clear plan in mind, Han Lu no longer worried about the three new apprentices.

On the one hand, he focused on his own cultivation, striving to advance to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm within about thirty years.

In addition, she also wanted to find some external martial arts techniques to strengthen herself, so as not to waste the Li Feng bloodline that had only been in harmony for a few years.

Of course, Han Lu did not forget the task she had assigned to Qiu Peng.

Not only did she not forget, she also promptly asked her eldest disciple for the teaching materials when the three-month deadline arrived.

Qiu Peng did not disappoint Han Lu.

He delivered a rather unrefined, two-hundred-page book to Han Lu.

The title, "A Guide to Combat in the Qi Refining Realm," was Qiu Peng's own idea, written on the cover. It serves as a highly apt and reasonable summary of the book's content.

Han Lu contributed some effort and provided some directional guidance when the textbook was first compiled.

Therefore, the content of the book was not too unexpected for Han Lu, and it effectively conveyed Han Lu's combat philosophy in the Qi Refining Realm through words.

When it comes to teaching materials, what Han Lu values ​​most is their ability to educate and nurture students, enabling her disciples to learn independently and allowing her or other "junior teachers" to use the book to teach new disciples.

It must be said that Qiu Peng did a good job in this regard, having received a scientific and systematic education in the ancient cultivation secret realm.

It guides students step by step, combining theory with practice, and emphasizes "fresh content", "diverse ideas", "aesthetically pleasing layout" and "interesting examples".

Qiu Peng, who has excellent drawing skills, even added illustrations to the textbook, giving it a refreshing feel.

After Han Lu read it through, her two "good, good" comments reassured Qiu Peng.

But when Han Lu turned around, her next words made Qiu Peng's heart jump again.

“But my opinion doesn’t matter. We also need to see what your junior brothers and sisters think of this textbook,” Han Lu returned the book to Qiu Peng and gave him a note. “Go to the academy tomorrow and make ten copies of this book. Let’s see how it goes.”

"If it's really good, you'll definitely get a reward."

"I will follow Master's arrangements." Qiu Peng, who was usually unserious, was not careless in this matter.

He didn't want to be a senior disciple who misled his students.

Soon, the "Guide to Combat in the Qi Refining Realm," written by Qiu Peng, was delivered to every disciple in Han Lu's lineage who was still in the Qi Refining Realm.

As for how good this book really is, only time will tell.

Chapter 735 Two and a Half Years

Over the next two years, under Han Lu's tutelage, the disciples' cultivation speed could barely be described as "lightning fast".

But that's normal.

The talents of these individuals were already considered above average among cultivators.

With the abundant resources provided by the "rich kid" Han Lu, and the "theoretical and practical guidance" given by Elder Han Lu, how could they possibly slow down?

As the third year of the disciple-acceptance competition approached, although only Nian Haoge and Qiu Peng were Foundation Establishment cultivators under Han Lu's tutelage and could participate in the two Foundation Establishment level competitions, Shen Xingsheng and He Lanyan, two of Han Lu's nominal disciples whose cultivation was already quite high, had also reached the tenth level of Qi Refining.

If it weren't for the fact that Han Lu and the other two had broadened their horizons and developed loftier ideals for cultivation, determined to reach at least the eleventh level of Qi Refining before forming their core, they would definitely have already achieved the Foundation Establishment stage and become leaders among their peers in the Zheng Yi Sect.

He Lanwei was slightly less skilled than her cousin, but under Han Lu's guidance, she also advanced to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

This speed isn't slow.

However, to Han Lu's dismay, He Lanwei seemed to have hit a bottleneck after advancing to the ninth level of Qi Refining, and her cultivation speed slowed down considerably.

She should be able to reach the tenth level of Qi Refining and attempt to advance to the Foundation Establishment Realm within two or three years, but that is clearly her limit.

Yu Hetong, who was only at the second level of Qi Refining and had to start over by changing his cultivation method, unsurprisingly ranked at the bottom among this batch of registered disciples.

After nearly two and a half years of training under Han Lu, he only barely managed to reach the seventh level of Qi Refining.

The speed is above average, but the strength lies in the solid foundation.

In Han Lu's opinion, Yu Hetong is the one among these four disciples who is most likely to advance to the Golden Core stage.

How many possibilities are there?

After hearing Han Lu's praise, Yu Hetong subconsciously asked about it, but Han Lu just smiled and didn't say anything, only adding "one percent" in her mind.

For a cultivator who is still in the Qi Refining stage, a 10% chance of advancing to the Golden Core stage is already a very high probability. It's just that saying it out loud might be a bit unpleasant and would subconsciously spoil the mood.

If the four disciples who were selected from the outer disciples in the first batch are like this, what about the other three disciples whom Han Lu regards as "rough jade" and "thousand-mile horses"?

It's slightly better, but not enough for Han Lu to say that anyone can definitely achieve the Golden Core within fifty or a hundred years.

Yuan Jinghui, who has the deepest foundation, has successfully opened two spiritual veins in the past three years and is expected to become the third Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Yuan family.

Although Mingxin was very respectful when serving Hanlu, she also took the initiative to help Hanlu solve her problems and run errands.

However, the resources she gained from these "contributions to her sect" did not make her superior to others.

One spiritual vein per year. Although this is partly due to the complexity of Ming Xin's cultivation method, which requires opening about twenty acupoints to open one spiritual vein, it also proves that Ming Xin has not lived up to her talent.

If she hadn't received a large amount of resources from Han Lu for her cultivation, her achievements would likely have been similar to those of ordinary disciples.

Han Lu misjudged this disciple.

Mingxin's future is uncertain, but Hanlu has not given up on her. She continues to discipline and guide her according to the rules of the sect, being generous when she needs to be and strict when she needs to be, thus maintaining this master-disciple relationship that has only been established for a little over two and a half years.

What about Wu Tianqi, the only one among the three who was chosen by Han Lu as her personal disciple and enjoyed the same treatment as Qiu Peng and Nian Haoge?

He did not disappoint Han Lu.

After spending half a year supplementing his theoretical knowledge and mastering the method of manipulating the five elements attributes of his spiritual root under Han Lu's guidance, he began his "lightning-fast" cultivation path.

In just two years, Wu Tianqi advanced to the seventh level of Qi Refining. If Han Lu hadn't known that Wu Tianqi's cultivation method required opening twelve acupoints on average to open one spiritual meridian, she would have thought that Wu Tianqi had used some shortcut or cultivated an inferior technique to achieve this.

During the two mini-competitions, Wu Tianqi did not disappoint Han Lu.

Once she came in second, once she came in first. If it weren't for her lack of experience when she first participated in the small competition and the fact that she had just advanced to the third level of Qi Refining and hadn't yet stabilized her realm, Han Lu was certain that Wu Tianqi could have replicated the feat she had accomplished.

Based on their current performance, if Yu Hetong has a 10% chance of achieving the Golden Core stage, then Nian Haoge has a 40% chance.

Wu Tianqi falls somewhere in between, with a 20% chance of being right.

These three, along with Qiu Peng, form the "rising generation" of Han Lu's lineage.

Entrusted with important responsibilities by Han Lu, Qiu Peng's performance over the past two years has been less than satisfactory.

He will likely remain in the early stages of Foundation Establishment for eight or nine years, like a cultivator with above-average talent, before he can advance.

However, she knew that Qiu Peng was clearly the kind of cultivator who had accumulated knowledge and experience before making a breakthrough, and he was full of uncertainties. She was sure to be right to expect him to achieve the Golden Core stage.

If Han Lu wants to "redeem" herself by training a Golden Core cultivator for the Zhengyi Sect, her hopes still rest on these four people.

At this time, with three months to go before the competition, Han Lu, who attached great importance to the matter, resorted to the method of "intensive training" again, hoping to help her disciples improve their "performance" in a short period of time and win glory for her in the competition.

Han Lu paid particular attention to Qiu Peng, who was in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and Nian Haoge, who was in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

It was a certainty that the two disciples would team up to participate in the Secret Realm Test, so helping the two disciples, who had very limited social circles in the sect, find a third teammate became a major task for Han Lu.

Fortunately, Wen Er Ya was there.

As a result, a strange team was registered in the advanced group of the Secret Realm Science competition.

All three were Foundation Establishment cultivators, but their cultivation levels differed.

However, with players like Wen Erya and Nian Haoge who can carry the team on equal footing, even if Qiu Peng is a "burden" who drags the team down, this team's performance in the Secret Realm is guaranteed, and making it into the top four is not a problem.

The disciples who were only at the Qi Refining stage practiced with each other under Han Lu's arrangement to enhance their skills.

With Han Lu's help and support, and her medical services, the group was able to spar more freely than the disciples outside, quickly finding their own winning methods in a manner similar to "fighting," increasing their proficiency in spells and their compatibility with magical artifacts.

After two years of testing, Qiu Peng's textbook was officially put into use for the first time.

Qiu Peng, who was also preoccupied with his own competition, was even dragged by Han Lu to teach a few classes, becoming a teacher for his junior classmates.

While Han Lu was worrying about her disciples' performance in the competition, a major event was taking place in the Central Plains.

A boat crossing the Yuan River leads to a major event involving two major sects in the North and South.

Chapter 736 Source Water Spirit Mine

On this day, the river was as turbulent as usual, but the crosswinds were very strong on the two-hundred-meter-wide river.

At this time of year, the already dangerous water source becomes even more treacherous.

It takes anywhere from ten days to half a month, becoming an insurmountable natural barrier in the eyes of ordinary people.

Some ships that normally rely solely on human power for navigation are unable to provide shipping services at this time. The vast majority of mortals who are in a hurry to cross the source water to the other side have to seek help from the large ships operated by the local governments, or simply pay a considerable fee to hire cultivators to cross the source water by boat.

This is a considerable source of income for the sects on both sides of the Yuan River. In the Central Plains, where many people regard cultivation as a "profession," these sects are willing to contribute spiritual power to provide services to ordinary mortals and subsidize the sect's operating expenses.

Of course, there are also ferry associations formed by businessmen who specialize in operating ferry services.

Some of these ships will be quite powerful and capable of handling such extreme weather.

Some are simply bold, thinking of filling a market gap, and still attract business with low prices under such adverse conditions.

These daring ships would find a perfect match in these dangerous times with equally fearless but penniless travelers.

They braved the storms and waves to set sail and make a living.

We must be wary of both the wind and waves, and the large ships that roam the river with impunity.

On this terrible day, a poor family, desperate to seek refuge with their wealthy relatives in the Northern Dynasty, rented a small boat and, together with a skilled swimmer, embarked on this perilous journey.

At first, things went smoothly, but as several large ships made the already turbulent river flow even more complicated, the small boat became difficult to control on the river.

The boatman frowned, gripping the rudder, his eyes fixed on the river, his body sensing the wind direction, carefully maneuvering the boat to try and find a safe passage on the river.

The family of three leaned against the already dilapidated cabin wall, trying to maintain their balance, and comforted themselves that the storm would soon pass, they would soon reach the Northern Dynasty, see their relatives, and live a prosperous life.

Unexpectedly, the next second, a giant wave, three meters high, crashed down on the small boat.

Waves rise, waves surge, waves recede.