The Long Journey to Immortality

Most restless Nascent Soul cultivators like this female senior can only stay in the mortal realm for about two hundred years.

At that time, either they will pass through the heavenly tribulation and continue living in the human world.

Either ascend before the Heavenly Tribulation arrives, thus fulfilling the will of Heaven that is determined to drive away those at the Nascent Soul stage.

Currently, both Nascent Soul cultivators in the Zhengyi Sect have less than fifty years left before they must leave the mortal realm and enter a higher level of the world.

Naturally, even female seniors who joined the Zhengyi Sect after reaching the Golden Core Realm and only had a slight sense of belonging to the sect would still want to leave something behind for the sect.

The fact that Han Lu, the most promising elder among the younger generation of the Zhengyi Sect, is taking the initiative to come and teach them is one of the things they want to keep.

Han Lu had no idea how the news of her receiving Fang Lin's inheritance reached the senior's ears, but naturally she didn't lie to this teacher who had come to her door to keep this now less important secret.

"Senior is right. I did have a fortuitous encounter in the ancient cultivation secret realm and received the inheritance of the ancient cultivator Fang Lin, learning his sword technique, the Seven Kill Sword Art."

“My apprentice, Nian Haoge, also practices this technique.”

The senior woman nodded slightly. "Although the ancient cultivation methods are old and not necessarily more advanced than the new methods developed by later generations, most of them emphasize returning to simplicity and conforming to the will of heaven. They are the most original expression of reason and truth."

“Practicing these techniques is a great test of a cultivator’s comprehension.”

"Tell me a general overview of Senior Fang Lin's martial arts techniques. I'll listen and see where I can offer some guidance."

The female senior at the Nascent Soul Realm maintained sufficient respect for Fang Lin, an ancient and powerful figure.

After all, her opponent far surpassed her in terms of battle record, cultivation level, and contributions to the human race.

When giving guidance to Han Lu, he said he was only giving guidance in a certain aspect, and he didn't dare to make any grand promises or take on too much responsibility.

Han Lu had experienced similar scenarios several times, and when she briefly mentioned the "Seven Kill Sword Technique" to others again, she was much more familiar with it than she had been decades ago.

He recited the seven-word mantra once, and then used the spirit sword formed from the sword pellet to demonstrate to the female senior the "Pointing Word Mantra" and "Transformation Word Mantra," which he had now mastered from a novice.

Having accomplished all this, Han Lu leaned on her sword, hoping that the female senior could guide her in the way of swordsmanship as a senior expert, so that she could have an "enlightenment" and understand the other techniques in this way, thus paving the way for advancing to a higher realm and improving her combat power.

"I see, how interesting!" The female senior, who prided herself on being an expert in swordsmanship, praised repeatedly. "This classification simplifies the complex, making the techniques closer to the essence of swordsmanship, and also makes it easier for younger generations to practice the techniques and continue their cultivation along the path of Senior Fang Lin."

Then, she fell into deep thought, pondering how she, who had always been a loner, should selectively pass on a portion of what she had learned in her life to Han Lu, according to the rules set by Senior Fang Lin.

Han Lu wasn't in a hurry. She waited patiently by her side and even took out tea leaves and teaware from her storage bag to brew a cup of fragrant tea for the female senior, as a gesture of hospitality.

After about fifteen minutes, the female senior finally sorted out her thoughts and said, "Based on these seven categories, I only dare to say that I have achieved some mastery of the four-word formula, but as for how to distinguish them specifically, the sword intent I have comprehended can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words."

"Here's what we'll do, Han Lu. Do you have any ordinary iron here? Lend me one, and I'll practice it for you a few times. How much you can comprehend depends on your comprehension."

Upon hearing this, Han Lu was overjoyed and handed a steel sword made of new steel to the female senior.

Holding the steel sword, the female senior first casually swung it a couple of times to get used to its weight, strength, and other characteristics, lest she, a Nascent Soul cultivator, use too much force and destroy the ordinary iron in her hand without expressing her sword intent.

Standing up from her seat, the senior woman said, "Move aside a bit and look carefully."

Han Lu took two steps back, making room, and fixed her eyes firmly on the female senior.

Wielding her sword, the senior female swordswoman used the chair she had just been sitting on as her imaginary enemy, stopping short of defeat and using simple movements to demonstrate the true essence of swordsmanship she had accumulated over nearly 1,700 years.

She tried to completely etch the image of the female senior wielding the iron into her memory.

Han Lu watched intently, and soon became absorbed in the text.

The female senior's every move seemed to connect the scattered insights in Han Lu's mind like threads.

Han Lu's rapidly working brain caused a distorted perception of time.

She only felt herself immersed in it, lost in thought, for a moment in a daze.

When she came to her senses, the image of the female senior wielding her sword still lingered in her mind, but all that remained before her eyes was a steel sword carelessly tossed on the ground.

The female senior has disappeared without a trace.

Han Lu did some quick calculations and realized that she had actually been standing there for two whole days.

After squinting for a moment and reflecting, Han Lu was certain that she had indeed learned something from the female senior who had long since left.

However, to truly internalize these things and elevate her understanding of a particular technique to a minor level, Han Lu needs more time and practical experience.

The Qi Refining Realm competition was not yet over, and Han Lu, concerned about her disciples' situation, temporarily abandoned her idea of ​​continuing to cultivate and comprehend here and returned to the competition venue.

His late arrival and absence for a whole day did not arouse any suspicion from others. Only Yunmin Daoist and Piaomiaozi asked him a few questions via telepathy.

In response, Han Lu simply said that she had suddenly gained some insight a couple of days ago and spent a day and a half in meditation, which is why she missed one day.

"But it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early..."

Yunmin Daoist did not explain clearly, but Han Lu knew the reason just by glancing at the only arena in the competition area where disciples were still fighting.

Yu Hetong is engaged in a fierce battle with his opponent on the ring, vying for the championship.

At this moment, Yu Hetong held an absolute advantage on the stage. If Han Lu had arrived half a quarter of an hour later, she would definitely have missed witnessing Yu Hetong's victory.

I wonder if he sensed that his master had returned to the viewing platform and was watching his battle.

Yu Hetong fought with increasing ferocity, defeating his already struggling opponent with overwhelming force and successfully winning a championship title.

Applause erupted from the viewing platform, with Han Lu, as the teacher, naturally being the most enthusiastic.

Chapter 755 Competing for the Championship Again

Yu Hetong won the championship, but Han Lu's other six Qi Refining Realm disciples did not have it as easy as Yu Hetong.

Apart from Wu Tianqi, who was equally outstanding and won the championship, the others did not even make it to the finals.

Although this situation was within Han Lu's expectations, it still left her somewhat disappointed.

This proves that she doesn't have the Midas touch; at most, she can only make the already outstanding Azusa trees even better.

Fortunately, all seven disciples, including Mingxin who was eliminated early, met the standards set by Han Lu and completed the tasks assigned by Han Lu, which made the result of this competition a victory.

That very night after the Qi Refining Realm competition ended, Han Lu happily summoned her seven disciples to her residence for a celebratory banquet.

The food at the banquet wasn't high-end or rare, but because it was cooked by Han Lu, a master at the Golden Core Realm, it naturally had a unique flavor.

After celebrating the victory, reviewing the results, distributing the rewards, and giving the two final winners some guidance on selecting magic treasures from the inner treasury, Han Lu's competition for her seven Qi Refining Realm disciples came to a pleasant and smooth end.

The Qi Refining Realm competition has come to an end. Next, it will be the turn of Nian Haoge and Qiu Peng, the two disciples of Han Lu with the highest cultivation levels.

Since the day it was confirmed that the two of them would team up with Wen Erya, the three of them have been training together for about twenty-five or twenty-six days.

Han Lu was unaware of the specific results, how much their abilities had improved, or how much teamwork they had honed.

But when she saw the three of them again after finishing her three days of duty at the Elementary Secret Realm Test and one day of follow-up work, Qiu Peng gave Han Lu a different feeling than when she saw him seven or eight days ago.

I have gained some confidence.

"Is it because you feel more confident that Senior Sister Wen is leading you on your adventures in the secret realm?" Han Lu teased her disciple, whose foundation was the least solid, without any mercy.

“Master is right,” Qiu Peng nodded, being an honest man, and added, “However, I played well in both matches today and won both, which is one of the reasons why I think this way.”

There are very few early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators who, like Qiu Peng, team up with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to participate in the advanced secret realm test.

Naturally, his exam order was also specially arranged because of the subjects he was taking.

While his fellow disciples of the same cultivation level were fighting and solving puzzles in the secret realm, he was on "vacation" outside.

He would participate in the grand competition once his fellow disciples at the early Foundation Establishment stage left the secret realm and began the arena tests.

Finally, Qiu Peng will take the advanced secret realm test with Wen Erya and Nian Haoge, and the final ranking will be determined based on the overall scores.

The exam environment was a bit unusual, so the goals Han Lu set for Qiu Peng naturally couldn't be done in the usual way.

Logically speaking, Han Lu thought that Qiu Peng's current ranking among the disciples in the early Foundation Establishment stage of the sect was already quite good.

However, with Wen Erya and Nian Haoge as his two strong teammates to help him complete the Secret Realm Test, getting a top-four finish was almost a certainty.

Taking everything into consideration, Han Lu ultimately decided that Qiu Peng, an ordinary cultivator, should be ranked at least in the top 100.

It now seems that Qiu Peng's two consecutive victories on the first day have indeed given him considerable confidence in completing the tasks and targets set by Han Lu.

"Tell me how you won." Joking aside, Han Lu didn't want to dampen her disciple's enthusiasm.

Sure enough, upon hearing Han Lu's question, Qiu Peng became animated and embellished the story, recounting his first duel with an "outsider" after arriving at the sect.

Wen Erya and Nian Haoge were also watching the battle that day.

Naturally, at this time, the two of them also participated in it in their own ways.

Wen Erya smiled without saying a word, occasionally chiming in and praising Qiu Peng a few times.

Just as Qiu Peng found Han Lu to his liking, Wen Erya also felt that this junior suited her taste.

Nian Haoge, on the other hand, simply smiled and remained silent. Occasionally, when she heard Qiu Peng exaggerate to an excessive degree, she would point out his mistakes, thus exposing her junior brother's shortcomings in an open and fair manner.

The atmosphere was harmonious.

Leaving aside the difference in cultivation levels between cultivators, this is probably the ideal scenario for cultivators to get along most harmoniously and positively.

On the final day of the Foundation Establishment stage disciple arena competition, Han Lu and several Golden Core stage elders, including Xianyu Ji, set off once again to set up a high-level secret realm in preparation for the next round of testing.

This time, the examination venue for the Advanced Secret Realm Test was set in the so-called "Sky Kingdom," a world composed of countless giant rocks suspended in the air.

The elders, including Han Lu, have one more task in this world compared to other worlds.

The restrictions located in the middle of the world were reinforced, allowing disciples who accidentally fell during battles in the secret realm to slowly fall through the air and be successfully sent out of the secret realm, thus saving their lives.

This matter is quite complicated and will require a lot of spiritual energy. Most importantly, it requires careful attention and meticulousness to avoid any oversights.

Even with the addition of two elders with mid-stage Golden Core cultivation as supplementary members, helping Han Lu and the others in this matter.

It took several Golden Core elders a full twelve hours before they could confidently say that everything was foolproof.

While the grand competition at Zhengyi Sect was in full swing and the three disciples participating in the sparring were about to be selected, the selection process at Xuan Yang Valley had only just begun.

There's no way around it; Xuan Yang Valley conducts a small test every three years and a large test every twelve years.

It's not easy for a temporary organization to conduct a selection process that is both broad and wide-ranging.

In the end, the Zhengyi Sect, which had been considering postponing the competition for a few days in order to make the most of the competition, received a request from the Xuan Yang Valley instead.

Through friendly dialogue and tacit negotiation, the schedule for the five sparring matches to compete for the source water vein was slightly modified and finally finalized.

The original plan for January was to have only direct sparring between Golden Core elders on that day.

That is, the match that Han Lu participated in proceeded as scheduled.

The disciples' three sparring sessions will be held after the "Underwater Mining Operation Technology Exchange Conference".

The meeting was tentatively scheduled for forty days after the first negotiation meeting.