The Long Journey to Immortality

Han Lu asked cautiously, trying not to reveal any secrets, "Elder Yun Min, I heard that there is a Nascent Soul Realm senior in the sect who has been traveling outside for nearly a hundred years? The one who sent down sweet dew to resolve the plague decades ago."

Can you tell me about her?

Han Lu's questions were so detailed that it was clear she already knew a lot of confidential information about this matter, which surprised Daoist Yunmin somewhat.

However, since Han Lu did not bring up the source of the information, he naturally did not ask any further questions, but decided to explain his answer in more detail.

"I do know some of that, but I can't tell you everything."

"But before I say anything, you must promise to keep this a secret and not spread it around or leak any secrets."

Yunmin Daoist's words were just a formality. Without waiting for Han Lu's reply, he continued to talk about that senior.

"That senior probably advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm about two hundred years ago."

"Originally a rogue cultivator from the East Sea, he came to the Central Plains after advancing to the Golden Core Realm in order to find a safe place to cultivate and became an elder of my Zhengyi Sect."

"Her advancement to the Nascent Soul stage was already somewhat unexpected by the sect leader who took her into the sect at the time, and her advancement to the Divine Transformation stage almost made the sect leader, who was at the mid-stage Golden Core stage, faint with excitement."

……

At this point, Daoist Yunmin paused for a moment, considering whether he should reveal more to Han Lu.

Before she could finish speaking, Han Lu's already intense curiosity was completely piqued.

But it was not the right time to ask further questions; she could only keep it to herself and wait for Daoist Yunmin to provide more details.

About a hundred breaths had passed when Han Lu was wondering if Daoist Yunmin was lost in thought.

As a fierce battle on the arena at the tenth level of Qi Refining came to an end, a cheer from the stands seemed to have flipped a switch, and the voice of Daoist Yunmin rang in Han Lu's mind again.

"I don't know much about that senior. I only heard about her from others. I have never actually met her."

Master Yunmin spoke of the matter of the sweet dew descending, saying, "It is said that the senior was extremely competitive and acted in a very domineering and capricious manner."

"That day, I and several elders brought you and Wen Erya back to the sect from the Northern Dynasty. We talked to others about how the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators from the Northern Dynasty helped to eliminate that purple monster."

"This matter probably somehow reached her ears."

"It seems they wanted to start a competition, that's why..."

He was only halfway through his sentence when Yunmin Daoist suddenly spoke up and exclaimed, "Oh dear!"

With a scream, Yun Mindao fell backward. The soft chair that had been placed steadily on the viewing platform suddenly flipped backward, throwing this mid-stage Golden Core cultivator to the ground.

Han Lu quickly got up and helped Yunmin Daoist up, asking with concern, "Hey, what's wrong, Yunmin Daoist? Are you alright?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Daoist Yunmin looked surprised, clearly saying something against his will.

Facing the questioning looks from his fellow disciples, he explained loudly, "I've just been a bit distracted during my cultivation lately, and I just lost focus, which is why I tripped and fell. I guess I need to spend some time getting out and about to calm my mind, haha."

The excuse is somewhat clumsy, but it also makes sense; no one will bother to investigate the culprit.

Han Lu, who had been communicating with Daoist Yunmin through divine sense, naturally knew that Daoist Yunmin was giving an excuse.

"Elder Yunmin, what's wrong?" Han Lu asked using her divine sense.

"It's alright, it's alright," Yunmin Daoist dared not tell Han Lu the truth, "I misspoke about what happened just now."

"That senior descended the sweet dew with a kind heart after discovering the suffering of the people."

"Alright, that's enough about that. Let's watch the game, let's watch the game."

After saying this, Daoist Yunmin practically glued his eyes to the arena, not daring to be distracted in the slightest, clearly terrified by the disaster he had just inexplicably brought upon himself.

Upon hearing Yunmin Daoist's evasive words, a startling idea popped into Han Lu's mind.

"Could it be that the senior in the Nascent Soul Realm is in the sect and overheard the message Yun Min Daoist sent me with unfathomable means, and was dissatisfied with Yun Min Daoist's evaluation of her, which is why he took action to punish her?"

"If that's really the case," Han Lu thought to herself, recalling Yun Min Daoist's disheveled appearance and his comments about that senior, "then it's truly a case of trying to cover up the truth."

Chapter 753 Uninvited Guest

Regardless of the process, the outcome, or Han Lu's thoughts.

During the first day of the competition, which lasted for five hours, Daoist Yunmin did not make a fool of himself in front of his fellow disciples again, and Han Lu did not receive any warning from a Nascent Soul cultivator she did not know.

It seemed that everything was just as Yunmin Daoist had said, and that he had simply lost his focus and fallen to the ground.

Putting aside this little incident, Han Lu, sitting upright on the viewing platform, was in a good mood.

All seven disciples made an appearance, putting on a series of wonderful performances that ended in victory for her.

Even Ming Xin, whom Han Lu least favored, achieved remarkable results thanks to her rich experience in combat and the valuable lessons she learned from sparring with her fellow disciples before the competition.

They won two consecutive matches and advanced to the round of 16.

Such achievements rekindled Mingxin's desire to take another step forward on the path of cultivation, which had been stagnant due to her stagnant cultivation level.

All the disciples advanced to the top sixteen. When the first day of the competition ended, Daoist Yunmin looked around furtively for a while before turning to Han Lu and offering his congratulations.

Several elders around Han Lu, who were also at the early stage of the Golden Core realm and had witnessed her performance in the recent "Four-Person Sparring Tournament," stepped forward to congratulate her, hoping to build a closer relationship with her and that this promising cultivator would remember their names.

Han Lu didn't like such polite formalities, but she couldn't help but feel pleased when others complimented her.

After responding to Yunmin Daoist's congratulatory message, Han Lu exchanged a few more pleasantries with the surrounding cultivators before finally managing to leave to find Piaomiaozi and offer her congratulations to her master.

As the head of Dongshan Academy, Piaomiaozi naturally recruits a group of disciples every few years to train and train them, following the rhythm of the Grand Competition.

In this competition, four of his disciples advanced to the knockout stage.

Although only two of the four can continue to participate in the second day of the competition, it is still a good result worth celebrating.

Han Lu took the initiative to congratulate her, and Piao Miaozi's reaction was one of "being flattered," which made Han Lu a little strange.

She offered a few words of congratulations, and based on what she had seen, she commented on and praised the two outstanding disciples under Piaomiaozi's tutelage before concluding her work.

As she turned and left the viewing platform, flying back to her residence, Han Lu thought to herself.

“A few days ago, when I asked my master about the preparations for the competition, he wasn’t like this at all.”

"What happened?"

This kind of question can't be asked directly; Han Lu can only observe carefully and try to find the answer.

Back at her lodgings, Han Lu's home on Hanchan Peak these past few days could only be described as "desolate".

Qiu Peng and Nian Haoge were taken away by Wen Erya and temporarily stayed at her home for special training and intensive training.

The disciples who participated in the competition returned to their respective residences to rest after each day's competition. They would only visit their master when they encountered difficulties or needed help healing their injuries or illnesses.

Han Lu casually released the restriction and flew into it. She originally intended to observe the rare flowers in the courtyard for a while and then play the zither to calm her mind. However, her keen senses told her that something was amiss in her residence.

"It seems... there are... guests."

Han Lu keenly sensed that, besides the two servants who lived in the mansion and provided her with daily services, there was a fourth person in her house.

Han Lu could only sense the other party's presence, but could not use her divine sense to determine the other party's exact location.

The fact that the other party was able to break through the protective restrictions set up by the sect for the residence of the Golden Core elder so silently makes their identity and cultivation level obvious.

At least a Nascent Soul cultivator.

They sneaked in quietly, but didn't hide furtively, so they probably meant no harm.

Han Lu naturally described the other party as an "uninvited guest".

After figuring out the situation, Han Lu pondered for a moment, then addressed the flower stand in a loud voice, "Senior, may I ask what brings you to my residence?"

A moment after these words were spoken, a divine sense entered Han Lu's mind.

She was a girl I didn't know.

"Not bad, young man. You actually managed to detect my arrival. No wonder that cowardly good-for-nothing hiding in the small world wanted me to come here and give you some pointers."

"Come to me immediately."

Although the sender did not specify their exact location, Han Lu was able to trace the source of the telepathic message and roughly determine the sender's current location.

Sensing that the other person was actually sitting upright in her bedroom, which was full of protective restrictions, Han Lu was delighted. "It really is that senior female cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm."

Without any hesitation, Han Lu flew over a hundred meters through the air and flew straight into her bedroom through the window, finally meeting the sect senior with whom she had some past interactions.

Although Senior Zhen did not tell Han Lu what the female cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm looked like, Han Lu, knowing that such a powerful senior from the sect existed, naturally imagined what she looked like based on the information she knew.

Now that they've met, by simply comparing her imagined image with the other person's actual appearance, Han Lu realized that she had guessed about 70% of the time correctly.

With a slender face and features reminiscent of the Southern Frontier, this senior, who was born in the East Sea but joined the Zhengyi Sect at the Golden Core stage, clearly possessed some Southern Frontier blood.

Her neat short hair perfectly matched the "competitive and strong-willed" personality described by Yunmin Daoist.

His clothing style was the most traditional Central Plains style, and he was no different from ordinary Qi Refining cultivators except for his temperament and aura.

This blend of traditional and unconventional attire truly reflects the image of this senior in Han Lu's mind.

"Senior," Han Lu bowed respectfully, "may I ask your name?"

“Just call me senior, I like it,” the female cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage continued, her short hair and straightforward demeanor mirroring her own. “Your place is nice, the chairs are quite comfortable, and all those strange and unusual things, you must have brought them from the ancient cultivation secret realm.”

Han Lu nodded in agreement, but did not explain the origins of these "industrial products" to the other party one by one.

After exchanging pleasantries and creating a harmonious atmosphere, the senior female cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage finally got down to business.

"Many years ago, I heard about you because of the plague, and I felt that you were extraordinary at that time."

"Decades have passed, and only yesterday did I learn that you had advanced to the early stage of the Golden Core realm and become an elder of the sect."

The senior's gaze swept over Han Lu from head to toe, as if trying to see through her and figure out what made her extraordinary.

"Tsk tsk, indeed not bad. Excellent talent, and also possesses the bloodline of the True Spirit. His lifespan is several times longer than that of ordinary human cultivators. He should be able to advance a few more steps in his lifetime."

Under such an aggressive gaze, Han Lu felt like a pig being weighed and sold.

"No wonder that cowardly good-for-nothing who was hiding in the small world begged me to teach you swordsmanship a few days ago."

After explaining his purpose again, the senior asked, "Han Lu, your swordsmanship is inherited from the ancient cultivator Fang Lin, right?"

Chapter 754 The Senior's Instruction

After advancing from the late Nascent Soul stage to the Deity Transformation stage, the countdown to a cultivator's ascension to the Spirit Realm begins.

The length of the countdown varies, and it can even be slowed down or extended in some ways.

Like the true senior, by living in a small world attached to the human world, one can stay in the human world for a longer period of time and remain in the Zhengyi Sect as a Nascent Soul cultivator for at least three hundred years.