The Long Journey to Immortality

In his heart, the dream of being able to still be as free and unrestrained as Han Lu after advancing to the Golden Core Realm seemed somewhat unattainable.

The selection of disciples to participate in the battles between Yuanshui River and Xuanyang Valley is mainly based on their performance in the arena competition.

However, because Wen Erya had a better reputation within the sect, the vice sect leaders and branch deans who were assigned to handle the matter still held a democratic vote among the seven of them before reaching the final result.

Wen Erya missed the chance to stand on the same big stage as Han Lu by just one vote.

Xiao Liangjun, this dark horse, became the disciple representing the Zhengyi Sect in the late-stage Foundation Establishment level battle at Yuanshui.

The outcome of Wen Er Ya's competition was not satisfactory.

However, Nian Haoge continued to maintain his dominance in the sect competition.

None of the eight opponents he encountered on the arena could withstand Nian Haoge's attacks for even a hundred breaths.

Having won two championships, Nian Haoge naturally became the other sect representative without any objection.

As for the disciples who participated with the cultivation level of the early Foundation Establishment stage, they also experienced a minor setback.

The reason is not complicated. It is mainly because both disciples who participated in the final round of the competition were seriously injured during the sparring and it is difficult for them to recover in a short period of time.

In this way, the third and fourth ranked disciples benefited, winning the opportunity to represent the sect in the fight for honor.

With the "protection" of several elders, the two finally competed to determine the final candidate.

Just as the two major sects had selected three disciples and were about to have a friendly competition between them.

The delegations from both sides who remained in their respective small sects on either side of the river each received a paper sword.

The contents of the paper sword were not complicated; it simply reported the results of a private duel between two Nascent Soul Realm experts who had found a secluded location.

The outcome surprised both sides.

When Han Lu heard that the final result was a draw, with each side taking 10% of the profits, she even doubted whether this battle had really taken place in the human world.

The final outcome was whether the two sides' leaders reached a tacit understanding and turned hostility into friendship.

Like Han Lu, there were quite a few Golden Core elders who shared similar thoughts.

However, no one could contact the two elders, and it was impossible to verify whether the truth was consistent with the speculation.

Xuan Chengzi took the initiative to send a letter, and Long Daoren replied quickly. Both leaders chose to follow the arrangements of their sect's Supreme Elder, confirm the results, and acknowledge this somewhat unexpected outcome.

Currently, the score is 3 to 1. In terms of the interests of the Yuanshui mineral vein, Zhengyi Sect still holds the upper hand thanks to Han Lu's victory.

The division of the spoils went quite smoothly, but the cultivators who participated in the technical exchange meeting felt a bit of pressure.

Unlike mining ores and screening spirit stones in mountain gullies and underground, working in the not-so-clear and hydrologically complex river water of Yuanshui is ten times more difficult.

Not to mention that the former only requires ordinary people to complete the work.

The latter requires a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage to attempt mining.

In this matter, cost control is even more important than mining ore.

Even if these monks were hired at a low price.

There were many challenges and problems, and it was the first time dealing with similar issues, so naturally, the exchange did not go smoothly.

As the proposed plan was put forward, experiments were conducted at the source water.

The cultivators from the two major sects in the North and South who were proficient in this path put forward at least twenty solutions, but only three of them were likely to be put into practical use.

It seems that before the spirit stone veins beneath the source water can be truly mined on a large scale and become a new source of spirit stones for the two major sects, further research, certification, and scientific experimentation are needed.

Perhaps, the Yuanshui mine will not be truly operational for several months after the two major factions reach an agreement.

[Author's Note] The Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner, and I only have to work three days this week...

Chapter 765 Seeking Help from Others, the Next Generation

The exchange meeting did not go smoothly, which caused some trouble for Xuan Chengzi and Long Daoren.

After all, if the spirit stone mines in the source water cannot be mined, then even if one obtains 100% of the profits, it's just empty talk.

Not to mention that this matter is already known to many minor sects.

The inability to accomplish such a trivial matter is a blow to the reputation of both major sects.

Therefore, in order to facilitate the progress of this matter, and based on the idea that many hands make light work, Han Lu and other accompanying Golden Core Realm elders were also invited to participate in the discussion.

While the idea of ​​pooling wisdom was correct, involving a group of authoritative but not professional Golden Core elders not only failed to resolve the issue smoothly but also gave the technical staff, who were already somewhat clueless, a major headache.

Explaining to the Golden Core elders that mining spirit ore using Golden Core techniques was not feasible became the most frequent task these technicians did during their discussions.

However, there are indeed Golden Core cultivators as knowledgeable and open-minded as Han Lu.

Although the elders' involvement caused 90% of the trouble for the technicians, their 10% help still played a role to some extent.

Like Han Lu, who didn't understand the technology, she honestly chose the path of blindly trusting experts.

After listening and observing extensively, I finally offered a suggestion that wasn't really a suggestion.

"No mineral veins existing under rivers have ever appeared in the Central Plains. We lack the technology and experience to mine such spiritual stone veins."

"What about the East China Sea? Are there any mineral veins hidden deep on the seabed in the East China Sea that have been mined and utilized?"

"Or perhaps it's the Great Yu Dynasty? The Great Yu Dynasty's territory is hundreds of times larger than the Central Plains."

“There must be many mineral veins existing beneath lakes and rivers there.”

"And because the average resources of cultivators in the Great Yu Dynasty are scarce, these resources that are difficult to utilize will definitely be valued and tried to be used."

"Although I have been to the Great Yu Dynasty several times, I have never paid attention to this kind of information."

"But it seems that the Great Yu Dynasty, or rather the Jitian Palace, should have mastered the technology of underwater spirit stone mining."

"If we can obtain it cheaply, whether by reference or by using it directly, it should be able to solve this problem."

Han Lu spoke very carefully, indicating that she was not entirely confident.

But her words were indeed reasonable, and naturally they were adopted by the skilled craftsman in charge of the next step, becoming the fourth solution that could be tried.

Han Lu, representing the Zhengyi Sect, not only contributed her strength during the battle, but Xuan Feng Daoist, who had suffered a defeat at Xuan Yang Valley, also tried to provide assistance with his own abilities, hoping to make amends and not want to fall behind.

Xuanfeng Daoist delivered a paper sword to the Gu family for help, hoping that the family's skilled craftsmen and cultivators could provide assistance.

The wisdom of these craftsmen and monks was transformed into Xuanfeng Daoist's own creativity and ideas at the exchange meeting, and was eventually recognized by technical personnel from both the North and South, becoming the fifth highly feasible solution.

With five plans in hand, the technicians were finally relieved. They were just waiting for the supplies allocated by the sect to arrive so that they could organize more resources to conduct further trials and develop this mine, which contained at least four million spirit stones.

On the fifth day of the exchange meeting, the three Foundation Establishment disciples from both sides finally arrived at their respective residences on the banks of the Yuanshui River as scheduled.

The three events will be held over three days.

Although it was somewhat protracted, it received unanimous approval from both leaders.

Upon arriving at the Taiping Sect, Nian Haoge was assigned a separate residence, but at Han Lu's invitation, she stayed with Han Lu, eating and living together.

Through Nian Haoge's words, Han Lu finally learned the full details of the sect competition a few days ago.

When Han Lu learned that Wen Erya had missed the opportunity to come here because she didn't have a ticket, she felt quite sorry that the two of them had missed a long-awaited opportunity to fight side by side.

Han Lu was curious about the sect competition, and Nian Haoge was naturally also curious about Han Lu's battle with the Golden Core cultivator from Xuan Yang Valley.

It was within Nian Haoge's expectations that her seemingly omnipotent master would win. She was simply curious about how Han Lu had won and what powerful, novel, and unheard-of new techniques her master had learned.

Han Lu's feelings for Nian Haoge are somewhat like those of a mother for her daughter. She can talk to Nian Haoge about many things that she can't even tell Wen Erya.

He recounted the battle from a few days ago from his own perspective.

As the victor, Han Lu spoke with great pleasure. Hearing that Han Lu had won in this way, Nian Haoge was naturally in a good mood, and his slightly tense mood, which was originally due to the competition with the elites from the north, also relaxed a lot.

Han Lu did not provide Nian Haoge, who already possessed a strong ability to think independently, with the same special guidance she gave Qiu Peng and other Qi Refining Realm disciples before this battle.

After giving a brief hint, Han Lu simply tutored Nian Haoge in swordsmanship as usual, while also mentioning the "female senior" and copying a picture of the female senior demonstrating swordsmanship and teaching into the jade tablet.

In advance, Han Lu instructed her to study more after advancing to the Golden Core Realm, to comprehend and understand new things about swordsmanship, and to incorporate them into her own practice.

This is another generous gift.

The next day, Zhengyi Sect and Xuanyang Valley announced the list of disciples who would participate in the three duels and agreed to hold the first duel in the afternoon at the same location.

The cultivator representing the Zhengyi Sect in the early Foundation Establishment level battle came from Zhongshan Academy. He was an elder's personal disciple and was said to be related to him, making him a true second-generation immortal.

Han Lu didn't know how strong this disciple was, but she didn't think highly of him.

The reason is not complicated: she didn't like this disciple's personality; he was too flamboyant and arrogant.

If the strength is comparable, then arrogance will turn into showing one's true colors.

If one's strength is insufficient, then arrogance will turn into conceit.

Of course, challenging Nian Haoge to a duel in front of all the elders and not taking Nian Haoge seriously was also one of the reasons why Han Lu disliked him.

If it weren't for the fact that he was about to represent the Zhengyi Sect in the expedition, Han Lu would have even expected this inexperienced disciple to be taught a lesson by the cultivators from the north and to receive a brutal beating from the cultivation world, so that he would realize his own strength and position.

However, many things are not subject to the will of the audience.

Although Han Lu didn't like this young "second-generation fairy", he was indeed quite capable.

This was his first time representing his sect in battle, and he wasn't intimidated. According to several elders who knew him well, he displayed 99% of his abilities during the duel.

He won easily, and even Han Lu had to admit that he did have the right to be arrogant. She even began to wonder why such a powerful cultivator would only rank third in the sect's grand competition arena.

"Could it be because the two disciples who advanced to the finals are even more powerful? When did the sect have so many promising juniors?"

Like many of the audience members present, Han Lu noted down the name that might one day shine in the Zhengyi Sect and in the Central Plains cultivation world.

"Yan Bo".

Chapter 766 The Dust Settles

Yan Bo won, and the members of the Zhengyi Sect naturally couldn't help but celebrate again.

Having won the duel, and with a promising newcomer emerging, Xuan Chengzi and the sect elders were overjoyed.

The gathering was filled with laughter and joy, much like the day Han Lu defeated Xuanfeng Daoist.

As a senior colleague, Han Lu naturally needed to exchange a few words with Yan Bo, her junior colleague, in this social setting, and offer some encouragement.

Facing Han Lu, Yan Bo was no longer as arrogant as before, but instead became extremely respectful, like a mouse encountering a cat.

Han Lu was unaware of the reason behind it, nor did she have the inclination to delve into the cause of Yan Bo's change.