The Long Journey to Immortality

"Let's go. Remember, go all out," Senior True instructed as a final reminder.

"We guarantee the mission will be completed."

After speaking, Han Lu carefully avoided the small, unstable area within the portal, passed through it, and returned to the Five Elements Mountain Academy of the Zhengyi Sect.

Chapter 749 Pre-exam Arrangements

Where we come from, we return to.

When Han Lu left Senior Zhen's little world and returned to the Central Plains world where Zhengyi Sect was located, she still appeared in front of that dilapidated thatched hut.

Looking at the blazing sun overhead, Han Lu felt puzzled.

"I remember it taking at least two and a half hours to enter Senior True's small world, so why is it still afternoon?"

"Could it be that the flow of time in that world is different from that in the Central Plains?"

Han Lu had a vague feeling that this was the right answer.

Although she didn't know whether the time difference was intentional on the part of the senior or a minor oversight left when creating the small world, it didn't stop Han Lu from exclaiming "Amazing!" in her heart and singing a song of praise to this Nascent Soul Realm expert who had contributed so much to the sect.

Strolling along the mountain path, Han Lu walked back to the East Mountain Academy from the Five Elements Mountain Academy at a leisurely pace, just like an ordinary Qi Refining disciple.

Having just spent two and a half hours with a Nascent Soul Realm expert, Han Lu naturally had to savor the experience on her way back to her residence.

I ask for nothing more than to follow the instructions of the true senior and remember the stories he left behind in the Central Plains world, so that he will not become an unsung hero of the Zhengyi Sect in the next hundred or thousand years, completely forgotten and socially dead.

It must be said that Senior Zhen, as a top cultivator with enough talent and good fortune to reach the Nascent Soul Realm, had a story full of twists and turns.

From a storyteller's perspective, many of these events, without needing to be fabricated or exaggerated, could be directly incorporated into a storybook and become a storyteller's grand finale.

After all, for an ordinary storyteller, composing a story about a Foundation Establishment cultivator is already considered to be skillful in fabrication and knowledgeable.

Where have I ever heard of the life of a Nascent Soul cultivator?

This is not the emperor's golden hoe.

After returning to Dongshan Academy, Han Lu temporarily kept her meeting with Senior Zhen to herself and resumed her work on the competition.

Han Lu made a special trip to find Piaomiaozi, wanting to find out clearly what she, as a Golden Core cultivator participating in the competition, should do and what responsibilities she should bear in the competition.

Being in a university and having experienced countless similar service jobs, Piaomiaozi's experience in this area is a hundred times greater than Han Lu's.

He could easily offer a few pointers and then, in the manner of a master, teach Han Lu, the newly promoted elder, some basic rules.

As a Golden Core Elder who enters the secret realm and ensures the smooth conduct of the secret realm subject tests, Han Lu does not have a lot to do in the secret realm subject tests.

They took the lead and used their ingenuity to set up various tests suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators, and placed the Spirit Rhinoceros Pearl in the secret realm.

During the exam, he patrols the secret realm and arrives at the scene immediately when his disciples cry for help, resolving the danger.

Although there is a so-called "death quota" for each Secret Realm test.

It is permissible for a few disciples to die due to battles between disciples or inherent dangers within the secret realm.

However, minimizing the loss of disciples in the secret realm remains a key indicator of whether an elder has fulfilled their responsibilities in the competition.

After the exam, Han Lu also had a job.

Collect and retrieve the Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls that were still scattered in the secret realm.

Some of the monsters and spirit beasts that had been released into the secret realm for testing purposes were put back into storage bags and sent back to the sect for raising.

Together with other elders, they used swift and decisive methods to resolve some unstable factors in the secret realm that might affect its ecology, ensuring that the secret realm could remain unchanged and be successfully put into use in the grand competition twenty or thirty years later.

Han Lu listened attentively and occasionally asked questions, seeking advice from Piaomiaozi on her own ideas and experiences.

One spoke, the other listened; there was a hint of the past between them.

Three days passed after leaving Piaomiaozi's place. Following the sect's arrangements, Han Lu began preparing for the Grand Competition Secret Realm Examination with several other elders.

As is customary, as a newcomer to this matter for the first time, she was guided by an experienced elder.

The elder who was ultimately assigned this task was Xianyu Ji, Han Lu's former "rumored boyfriend".

The two received 240 Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls and then passed through the portal that had been opened to the secret realm, and began to set up the examination room for the early and middle Foundation Establishment disciples who were about to participate in the low-level secret realm test.

This time, the Secret Realm Department's test took place at the bottom of the sea.

Disciples participating in the low-level secret realm test need to experience a three-day adventure in the underwater world, enjoying the wonderful experience of fighting against humans and monsters underwater.

Upon entering the secret realm and venturing deep into the sea, the two Golden Core cultivators used a simple spell to allow themselves to breathe freely underwater and communicate easily.

Xianyu Ji originally intended to praise Han Lu's performance in the past few days and then share his experience and insights gained from participating in several competitions.

Unexpectedly, after hearing the kind words, Han Lu revealed that she had already obtained the true scriptures from Piaomiaozi.

The fact that Xianyu Ji, a "skilled worker," did not need to provide "safety and technical instructions" to Han Lu, a newcomer, before starting work naturally made their work much smoother and easier.

Holding a map obtained from their sect, the two first discussed and planned the location for placing the Spirit Rhinoceros Pearl on the map, then assigned tasks and went their separate ways.

Although he obtained a spirit beast bag from the sect, it contained more than ten demonic beasts that were suitable for survival in the sea and had a certain combat power.

However, Han Lu still preferred to use what was available, making use of the monsters and spirits that lived in the ocean to set up the "exam questions".

Find the monster's lair marked on the map and assess whether the monster living there is suitable to serve as an examiner.

If appropriate, place three to six Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls in its nest and set up an array to protect it. At the same time, launch a soul attack on the monster to control its mind and make it want to protect the Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls in its nest.

For a Golden Core Elder who was doing this for the first time, this series of operations was somewhat difficult.

However, because Han Lu was proficient in illusion magic, this set of skills was a piece of cake for her.

In no time, Han Lu was traversing the seabed according to the map, entrusting half of the Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls in her storage bag to the sea monsters for protection, or placing them in the formations she had carefully arranged.

Although Han Lu is not good at formations, she is still capable of giving Foundation Establishment disciples some challenging questions that they can barely solve, given her status as a Golden Core cultivator.

After a round, all eighty Spirit Rhinoceros Pearls in Han Lu's storage bag were hidden in the ocean in various ways.

Having completed her mission, Han Lu briefly surveyed the seabed again, looking for any other demonic beasts whose cultivation had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage.

During this time, Han Lu discovered a sea monster that had already advanced to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Without expending any effort, Han Lu simply transformed into her true phoenix form and released some of her true spirit's "domineering aura." The "exam beast" that had exceeded the limits in the low-level secret realm subject test was tamed by Han Lu and successfully put into her spirit beast bag, becoming the property of the Zhengyi Sect.

It might get a chance to appear next time during the Advanced Secret Realm test.

Chapter 750 The Disciples' First Grand Competition

Having completed the preliminary preparations, Han Lu was naturally given special attention by the other sect elders in charge of the matter. They were instructed to keep the secret and not to leak the questions to their disciples in private, thus affecting the fairness of the test.

Han Lu would certainly not do something that violates the rules.

Even after returning to his residence, Qiu Peng, who had rushed over upon hearing the news and temporarily interrupted his special training with Wen Erya, tried to get information from Han Lu by joking around and trying to get some news, but he didn't get a single useful piece of information.

Han Lu was quite frank and didn't hide anything from her apprentice.

She made it clear to him that she had only set up the examination room for the "low-level secret realm test" this time, and she did not yet know what the "high-level" test would cover.

One last thing: even if I knew, I couldn't tell you.

Qiu Peng's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. He could only silently accept the "disciplinary education" from his master, Han Lu, and obediently go to Nian Haoge and Wen Erya to help improve his combat strength. He tried to cram at the last minute and try not to be a burden or a drag on the team in the competition.

His relationship with his other apprentices was different.

When Qiu Peng was with Han Lu, he acted more like a younger brother who needed discipline than an apprentice.

The relationship between the two was even closer than that between Han Lu and Nian Haoge.

The competition is not only related to Han Lu's two Foundation Establishment disciples, but also to all Qi Refining disciples who will participate in this grand event held once every five years.

A month before the competition began, Han Lu set a performance target for each of her apprentices based on their abilities.

You must advance to the top 64.

You only need to win five out of seven open matches to complete the task.

You need to advance to the final day of the competition.

……

Those who fail to meet the targets will have their subsidies "reduced" and will lose an opportunity for "special training" in the future.

Successfully meeting the requirements will not only reward you with a large amount of resources, but you will also be allowed to cultivate in Han Lu's training room on Cold Cicada Peak for a certain period of time.

Wen Erya still had a lot of the cold-dispelling pills she had purchased, which she gave to these outstanding disciples of Han Lu.

Although the standards were high, they were all tailor-made, and coupled with extremely generous rewards, Han Lu's disciples had been eagerly anticipating the day of the competition.

Three days after Han Lu left the secret realm, the grand competition, which had been finalized after two minor adjustments to the rules by Xuan Chengzi, kicked off in the Zhengyi Sect with the Qi Refining Realm test as the vanguard.

The preliminary rounds of the competition were changed to seven rounds, to be held over three days. The order of the draw was also changed to be drawn on the spot to prevent cultivators like Han Lu, who were well-versed in intelligence, from taking advantage of their disciples in the competition.

The fourth day, three days later, is a rest day and a replacement day.

If there are vacancies in a certain level, or if a disciple who has advanced to the top 64 is injured and unable to continue fighting, then the vacancies will be filled on this day.

The main competition takes place from the fifth to the seventh day, and it is still a single-elimination tournament. However, the matchups for each round are determined in a "scientific" way by using a weighted mathematical score.

The goal is to ensure that the truly strong players stand on the grand stage in the final rounds.

The Qi Refining Realm competition lasted for seven days.

The Foundation Establishment stage is similar to the previous stage, except that the first three days are changed to the Secret Realm test.

The total timeframe of twenty-one days slightly conflicted with the dates for the competition for the Source Water Spirit Mine, but with several prominent names already on the elders' lists, this didn't have a significant impact.

As a Golden Core cultivator who actively teaches disciples, Han Lu naturally participated in the Qi Refining Realm competition as a spectator.

The viewing platform was much more lively during the major competition than during the minor competition.

Even in the initial "preliminary selection" scattered across various branches, there were as many as five Golden Core elders who, along with Han Lu, were present to observe and assess the demeanor of the new generation of disciples.

He laid a solid foundation and made ample preparations, and he also paid close attention to the training in combat techniques during his daily practice.

Naturally, none of Han Lu's seven Qi Refining stage disciples disappointed her in this competition.

The two disciples who had already advanced to the tenth level of Qi Refining, Shen Xingsheng and He Lanyan, both won five out of seven matches, achieving the small goal set by Han Lu.

The two needed to compete against fellow disciples at the eleventh and twelfth levels of Qi Refining, which is why Han Lu didn't set the goals too high for these two disciples with the highest cultivation levels in Qi Refining.

Of the two, Shen Xingsheng was stronger and successfully passed the replacement match on the fourth day, securing a spot to advance to the knockout stage.

He Lanyan fared slightly worse, winning one and losing one in the substitute match, and left the stage in disappointment.