The Long Journey to Immortality

He would exchange a few words of greeting as a senior member or sect elder, and that would be the end of his mission.

The reason why Yan Bo treated Han Lu this way was quite simple.

When Yan Bo had just entered the sect and was still a Qi Refining disciple, it was at the time when Han Lu's great achievements in the Dayu Dynasty were being widely spread.

At that time, Yan Bo, who was just starting out and still a young man, naturally regarded Han Lu as his idol.

Meeting and speaking with his idol, Yan Bo, whose cultivation was still far inferior to Han Lu's, naturally restrained his temper and treated her with utmost respect, only wanting to leave a good impression on Han Lu.

In Han Lu's view, the conversation, which was merely a matter of etiquette, excited Yan Bo for a long time. This matter made him even happier than winning against the Xuan Yang Valley cultivators on behalf of his sect that day.

Han Lu got off to a good start, the battle between the Nascent Soul elders ended in a draw, and Yan Bo won the third match with overwhelming force.

Now, even though only three of the five battles to divide the mine have been fought, the Zhengyi Sect has already successfully obtained 50% of the mine's profits and is only one step away from becoming the final winner.

Xuan Chengzi even began to anticipate a great victory for the Zhengyi Sect in the matter of the Yuanshui mineral vein.

Taking this as an opportunity, during his term, the Zhengyi Sect sounded the first horn of counterattack against Xuan Yang Valley in the Central Plains.

Then his role as sect leader was worthwhile.

The next day, it was Nian Haoge's turn to take the stage.

Like Han Lu back then, Nian Haoge was already somewhat famous in the Central Plains region when he was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Part of this fame came from Han Lu; it was earned through the title of "disciple of the True Phoenix Fairy."

Another group earned their reputation through their own skill and skill with their spirit swords.

An unknown cultivator is not necessarily weak, but a renowned cultivator is definitely strong.

The Zhengyi Sect was very confident in Nian Haoge's combat strength, and the Xuan Yang Valley also regarded Nian Haoge as an invincible opponent.

Although they didn't say it aloud, fearing it would affect morale, most Xuan Yang Valley cultivators were already thinking about how to win the final battle after seeing Nian Haoge take the field.

As expected, Nian Haoge's performance in the battle between the Xuan Yang Valley cultivators above the source water did not disappoint the elders of the Zheng Yi Sect.

Not only did they win, they won spectacularly.

Under the unrestricted rules, Nian Haoge, who only cultivates the Seven Kill Sword Technique, can unleash his spiritual sword without restraint and bring out 100% of his combat power.

Without any scruples, Nian Haoge not only won the match, but also cut off his opponent's arm and destroyed three magical artifacts, winning with great prestige.

After the battle, his arm was reattached by the combined efforts of the Golden Core cultivators, but the Xuan Yang Valley cultivator was truly terrified by Nian Haoge and developed a mental block.

In the future, when he fights with others again, he will inevitably recall today's battle and Nian Haoge's ferocious demeanor in front of him.

There was another banquet at the Taiping Sect that day, but this time it was smaller in scale.

The cultivators of the Zhengyi Sect are already looking forward to the next, even greater victory.

The pressure from this series of magical combat competitions fell entirely on the two cultivators who participated in the final battle.

However, just as no matter how strong the spectators' subjective will is, it cannot change the outcome of the battle.

When faced with pressure, as long as it is handled properly, the final outcome is still determined by the cultivator's own strength.

Xiao Liangjun's victory over Wen Erya was mainly due to his intelligence and the fact that he made sufficient targeted preparations before entering the arena.

In terms of pure strength, he is inferior to Wen Erya.

And who is the opponent in this battle? It is a pseudo-core cultivator from Xuan Yang Valley. Even if Wen Er Ya comes, she may not be able to win.

This series of twists and turns makes him an expert in civil wars but an incompetent one in foreign wars, a statement that is quite apt for Xiao Liangjun.

Lacking intelligence and with his own strength inferior to his opponent, Xiao Liangjun was almost powerless to retaliate against an opponent determined to win.

There will be no loss even if you lose the contest.

Faced with a disadvantage, Xiao Liangjun lacked the will to win. He still vividly remembered the scene of the Xuan Yang Valley cultivator losing his arm yesterday, and the thought of preserving himself completely squeezed out his desire to reverse the situation and win.

Without much resistance, Xiao Liangjun chose to surrender, handing over the last 20% of the profits.

In the end, after many twists and turns, the five-match battle concluded, with the Zhengyi Sect taking home 70% of the profits with a significant advantage of three wins, one draw, and one loss.

As for Xuan Yang Valley, due to this series of failures, they could only barely pocket 30% of the profits.

Although he didn't achieve a complete victory, Xuan Chengzi was still in a great mood because he had gained an advantage.

Considering the harmony within the sect, and with several disciples present this time, he maintained a superficial harmony with Xuan Yang Valley.

When discussing the mineral vein with Daoist Tonglong again, he emphasized joint development and shared benefits, showing none of the sarcasm he displayed towards Xuan Yang Valley on the first day.

Xuan Chengzi made grand pronouncements, so Long Daoren naturally wouldn't dredge up old wounds again.

With his mind focused on the final five years of his term, Long Daoren spoke only about the future, never mentioning the past.

They chatted and laughed happily. Both the North and South factions gained something from the division of new resources, but in the end, the Zhengyi Sect proved to be the superior force.

The high-level cultivators and elite disciples from both sects did not linger outside the sects and returned together, leaving behind a large number of technicians and craftsmen to continue studying underwater mining techniques.

Half a month later, news came from the Great Yu Dynasty that there were indeed many underwater spirit stone veins in the Great Yu Dynasty, and that the Great Yu Dynasty also had a mature underwater mining technique.

After another half month of wrangling, the two major sects and the Jitian Palace made a small exchange of benefits and introduced this mature technology to the Central Plains.

Three months later, the first batch of Qi Refining Realm miners from small sects on both sides of the Yuanshui River entered the underwater mine and officially began mining spirit stones.

Once the spiritual vein had been operating for the first month and the more than two thousand spirit stones mined had entered the Zhengyi Sect's warehouse, the matter of the source water mine was officially considered to have come to an end.

Because of this unexpected treasure, the Central Plains cultivation world, which had been slightly disturbed, returned to its usual tranquility.

Chapter 767 Golden Core Cultivator Wen Erya

Fifteen years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The large number of spirit stones buried beneath the source water caused a ripple in the originally peaceful cultivation world of the Central Plains.

However, with the cultivators in the Central Plains yearning for stability, this ripple disappeared after the interests were completely divided up, and the cultivation world returned to peace.

For the past fifteen years, Han Lu has spent 99% of her time in the sect.

There were only two things he did.

One thing is to focus on one's own spiritual practice.

The second thing is naturally teaching and nurturing students.

Thanks to two fortuitous opportunities during her Core Formation and Harmony Realm cultivation, Han Lu's progress in the Golden Core Realm was much faster than that of ordinary cultivators.

Not to mention there are also a large number of elixirs to assist them.

The average Golden Core cultivator of the Zhengyi Sect can only afford to take three to four Yellow Dragon Pills a month to aid their cultivation.

However, thanks to her family and the rewards and care from her sect, Han Lu needs to take at least fifteen pills during her one-month cultivation period.

The pills were being forcefully swallowed, coupled with his already outstanding talent.

Naturally, when Han Lu had only been in the Golden Core Realm for twenty-one years, the first trace of the Golden Core pattern could already be faintly seen on her Golden Core, meaning she was only one step away from advancing to the mid-stage of the Golden Core Realm.

This progress was two or three years faster than her optimistic predictions, and it was so smooth that she couldn't believe it. Sometimes, when she was casually browsing through miscellaneous books, she would even wonder if she was the protagonist in a cultivation novel.

Having witnessed the brilliance of the senior and female seniors, and especially after receiving affirmation from the senior, Han Lu's desire to advance to the Nascent Soul Realm intensified due to the exceptionally smooth progress of her cultivation.

Han Lu's personal cultivation went smoothly, and she also excelled in teaching and educating people in the sect.

The year after the water returned from the source to Zhengyi Gate.

The first two disciples to enter Han Lu's sect, He Lanyan and Shen Xingsheng, completed the Foundation Establishment process based on the eleventh level of Qi Refining and successfully advanced to the early stage of Foundation Establishment. They became the second and third disciples in Han Lu's sect, after Nian Haoge, to be personally trained by Han Lu and advance to the Foundation Establishment realm.

However, unlike other Golden Core Elders, Han Lu's educational philosophy is that of a "guide".

Although He Lanyan and Shen Xingsheng advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm at a considerable speed under her tutelage, and their talents were enough to allow them to make further progress on their cultivation path, Han Lu still chose to completely "let them grow freely," maintaining only the most basic master-disciple relationship, just as she had done with Nian Haoge.

That's about right, it's like you've graduated from your apprenticeship.

This approach is based on the experience gained from Nian Haoge and many other self-cultivation practitioners.

Han Lu believes that one must rely on oneself to cultivate immortality; having a master's constant assistance is not necessarily a good thing.

The two disciples, who had complex feelings for Han Lu, could understand this and were willing to continue to follow Han Lu's wishes and move forward on the path of cultivation.

He Lanyan has completed her apprenticeship, and He Lanwei has also chosen this opportune time to leave.

Unable to advance further to the Foundation Establishment Realm, she, like many cultivators from cultivation families, chose to return to her family and start a new life with a new identity.

The year after his two disciples completed their apprenticeship, Yu Hetong also successfully established his foundation.

Han Lu did not give special treatment to this disciple whose potential was slightly inferior to Nian Haoge; she arranged for him to graduate just like Nian Haoge.

She only gave a few words of advice when Yu Hetong graduated, and told her that if she still cherished the bond between master and disciple after advancing to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, she could return to the sect and continue to be her disciple, just like Nian Haoge.

Subsequently, Han Lu treated her second, third, and even fourth batches of disciples in the same way, without exception.

However, when it comes to time, no one can say for sure.

Fifteen years later, Yu Hetong, on whom Han Lu had placed high hopes, became the disciple of another elder in the sect in order to better cultivate, and did not return to the sect as promised.

Han Lu didn't experience any particular emotional fluctuations. She was only saddened for a moment, but after recalling her original intention in arranging for her disciples to graduate, she put the matter out of her mind again.

On the contrary, Shen Xingsheng and He Lanyan not only became Daoist partners and had a son and a daughter, but also both advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and returned to Han Lu's "embrace". This gave Han Lu two more Foundation Establishment disciples besides Nian Haoge, who had successfully advanced to the late stage and Qiu Peng, who had advanced to the mid-stage, during the past fifteen years.

In the next few years, Wu Tianqi and other "loyal disciples" will also return to the sect after cultivating alone in the sect and advancing to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

It is conceivable that in five or ten years, Han Lu's disciples will be numerous and independent, with a group of promising disciples leading her to challenge the Golden Core Realm, the greatest hurdle in cultivation in the human realm.

Once Nian Haoge or Qiu Peng successfully advances to the Pseudo-Core Realm, it will be the day that Han Lu, this wanderer, returns to the wilderness once again.

However, before considering these future matters, Han Lu wanted to protect Wen Erya this time.

Finally, more than twenty years after Han Lu advanced to the Golden Core Realm, Wen Erya also took this step after staying in the Pseudo-Core Realm for three years, preparing to try to form her Core.

Although she inherited Wang Han's lineage, Wen Erya still couldn't accurately predict her own fate.

Therefore, Han Lu helped to divine when and where Wen Erya should attempt to form her core.

Although Han Lu's divination skills did not increase much after advancing to the Golden Core realm, divination was no longer difficult for her.

After spending half an hour and performing ten divinations, Han Lu obtained ten locations and pointed out the way to Wen Erya.

Like Han Lu, Wen Erya chose to spend three years in seclusion before heading to a small island in the North Sea with Han Lu this year. With Han Lu as her protector, she attempted to take a crucial step on her path of cultivation.

The most powerful demonic beast on that island was only at the Qi Refining Realm. With Han Lu protecting her, there was naturally no safety issue with Wen Erya's Core Formation.

Wen Erya also made a significant contribution to compiling the three volumes of "Common Sense." Naturally, at the most crucial moment of Core Formation, Heaven also bestowed good fortune and lent Wen Erya a helping hand.

With sufficient accumulation and the help of fate, Wen Erya unsurprisingly formed a first-grade golden core, paving the way for further advancement and a stable nascent soul.