The Long Journey to Immortality

Chapter 778 The Final Selection

The cabinet system of the Southern Dynasties was quite complex.

They were the emperor's secretaries, playing a supporting role in governance. Offering suggestions and helping the emperor realize his political ideas were among their responsibilities.

At the same time, they were the leading group of officials in the court, the communication link between officials and the emperor. Rooted in the bureaucratic class, they could be said to be the representatives passively chosen by officials, and the front-line members who resisted imperial power.

This complex identity makes the position of a cabinet minister both powerful and prestigious, yet also a position that puts them in a precarious position.

Taking the blame is one of his daily tasks.

A cabinet minister is considered to have a "long life" if he can serve in the cabinet for five years, while it takes almost a lifetime for an official to rise from a low-ranking position to the cabinet.

The cabinet ministers are all relatively old, and the stable and peaceful environment in the north and south makes them mostly conservatives among conservatives.

Contentment with the status quo and resistance to innovation are almost the hallmarks of every cabinet minister.

Having clarified these two points, Han Lu and Wen Erya had already made a rough guess about how the cabinet ministers would evaluate the various policy proposals put forward by the candidates before they summoned the cabinet ministers to brainstorm.

However, speculation is one thing, but it's still necessary to bring it up for discussion.

Due to Han Lu and Wen Erya's cultivation levels and the power they currently wield, they were hindered.

The six cabinet ministers were even more apprehensive in front of Han Lu and Wen Erya than they were in front of the emperor, fearing that these two Golden Core cultivators, who were "outside the Three Realms" and not bound by mortal rules, might break the rules and chop them up at the slightest provocation.

During discussions and analyses, the language used was exceptionally conservative and restrained, and ample room was left for interpretation when drawing conclusions.

With such an attitude and mood, discussions and deliberations were almost entirely based on what Han Lu and Wen Erya, two laymen, said, which naturally led to low efficiency.

Despite its low-key approach, it still had some effect, enabling Han Lu and Wen Erya to roughly understand whether the policy directions given by the seven candidates were generally correct.

Wen Qing spoke the most in front of the two, and naturally submitted the most anonymous proposals to the cabinet for discussion.

The cabinet did not oppose the plan to undertake large-scale construction and build comprehensive transportation infrastructure, nor the plan to further promote the science of "common sense." In fact, many cabinet ministers strongly supported the latter and expressed their support.

The treatment of those reforming the bureaucracy within the cabinet was drastically different from that of other reformers.

Just as Han Lu had asked Wen Qing the day before, how could the cabinet ministers agree to a suicide plan that involved putting a rope around their own necks?

The fact that the plan was so thoroughly opposed only convinced Han Lu and Wen Erya that it was indeed the right strategy, and their affection for Wen Qing grew even stronger.

Within an hour, the two left the cabinet to try one last private maneuver to finalize the selection.

Sitting face to face again, Han Lu and Wen Erya were both incredibly calm.

After two days, they both have an answer in their hearts.

"Junior sister, who do you think we should choose?" Wen Erya asked.

Han Lu pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, and then replied, "Perhaps Wen Xing'an is better. If there are no major changes in the world, under his leadership, the Southern Dynasty may not get better, but it certainly won't get worse."

“Perhaps?” Wen Erya noticed this word.

"Well, because Wenqing is actually quite good, but under her leadership, the Southern Dynasty might become better, or it might become worse."

After all, the general trend of the world is what it is. As long as we honestly guard our own little plot of land, there shouldn't be any major problems.

However, if one "courtesy" themselves by taking the initiative to reform, even if their intentions are good, they may end up suffering disastrous consequences.

Wen Erya's thoughts were not much different from Han Lu's.

She sighed and said, "If Wen Qing were ten years older, perhaps I would choose her now."

Wen Er Ya preferred a monarch with practical management experience to take the throne.

Great minds think alike; Han Lu thought the same way.

She sighed as well, and said, "Since that's the case, then let's choose Wen Xing'an. It's the right choice..."

Suddenly, a thought flashed into Han Lu's mind.

"Senior sister, how about this..."

Han Lu shared her idea with Wen Erya, who listened and nodded repeatedly.

“That’s a good idea,” Wen Erya pressed, “but who should we partner with?”

"What about the eldest prince?" Han Lu had someone in mind. "His lifespan is suitable, his personality is suitable, and he has a certain prestige, so he can keep the cabinet in check."

“Excellent,” Wen Erya praised, “Let’s go find the Crown Prince now and give it a try.”

Han Lu and Wen Erya set off again to find the eldest prince, who had just returned to the capital less than a day ago.

As the eldest son of the old emperor, the eldest prince naturally needed to attend the funeral, which is why he traveled thousands of miles back to the capital with grief.

Knowing that he was too old and it was almost impossible for him to ascend the throne, he was extremely surprised when he saw Wen Erya and Han Lu arrive. At first, he thought that one of his sons had caught Wen Erya's eye.

When Wen Er Ya explained her purpose and expressed her desire to cooperate with the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince's eyes lit up.

The eldest prince was naturally not going to refuse such a great gift.

The matter was settled easily, and Han Lu and Wen Erya breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that they had handled the matter perfectly and secured a guarantee for the future of the Wen family in the Southern Dynasty.

As a Golden Core cultivator, Wen Erya was not worried at all about the Crown Prince breaking the contract in the future. Even if he did break the contract, it would only be an internal family dispute, and she was absolutely confident that she could turn the tide with swift and decisive measures.

The next day, the new emperor of the Southern Dynasty was announced to the public.

The eldest prince later ascended the throne, making all the gambling dens in the Southern Dynasty incredibly wealthy.

Upon hearing this news, Wen Qing was stunned and lost in thought for a long time.

Fortunately, Wen Erya and Han Lu's letter, along with a letter of appointment, were quickly delivered to Wen Qing.

The letter of appointment was signed by the eldest prince, arranging for Wen Qing to leave the capital and take up her post as a female official ahead of schedule, to go to the countryside to hone her skills and cultivate herself.

The letters between Han Lu and Wen Erya were exceptionally simple.

Han Lu's letter contained only two words: "waiting".

Wen Er Ya encouraged Wen Qing to gain more experience and gave hints about the next steps.

Although Wen Qing didn't understand it immediately, she made a bold guess based on the letters from the two seniors and the Crown Prince's physical condition.

I composed myself, packed my bags, and felt full of ambition.

Wen Qing had already made preparations for attending the funeral, then going out to serve as an official, and even for succeeding to the throne as the Empress of the Southern Dynasty ten or fifteen years later.

The funeral of the old emperor and the enthronement ceremony of the new emperor were completed in just ten days in accordance with etiquette.

After staying in the capital for another half month, Wen Erya and Han Lu finally left.

Upon returning to her sect, Han Lu went straight to her quiet room on Cold Cicada Peak.

She felt that she had accumulated enough experience and it was time to exert her strength and make an attempt to reach the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

[Author's Note] I actually have an idea for my next book: a fictional world where a veteran, encouraged by his neighbors, tries to enter politics and become a member of parliament for his district. However, completely clueless, he has no idea how to begin, participate in the election, or advocate for his community. Just as he's struggling with this, a young woman suddenly appears, offering to be his political consultant (in a parallel world, she's a version of himself with twenty years of political experience). Thus begins an interesting and satirical story. (It's unlikely to be popular, but I'll probably write a few chapters for my own amusement.)

Chapter 789 The Dan Pattern is About to Be Completed

From the day Han Lu advanced to the Golden Core realm until today, she has only cultivated at the early stage of the Golden Core realm for twenty-two years.

In terms of length, this period of time was almost the same as the time she spent cultivating in the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Why is there no exponential increase in cultivation time when one is clearly at a higher level of cultivation?

This is mainly because before reaching the Golden Core stage, a cultivator's diligence is just as important as their talent during cultivation. Only by possessing both can one advance in cultivation at a faster pace than ordinary cultivators.

After advancing to the Golden Core realm, a cultivator's talent and comprehension become more important than diligence to a certain extent.

There are even legends that the most outstanding geniuses in the upper realm of the spirit world can draw twelve pill patterns on a golden core in one go, achieving in just one or two days what mediocre people cannot accomplish even if they exhaust their lifespan.

Han Lu didn't know if the legend was true or false, but it could reflect some of the characteristics and key points of cultivation after a cultivator advances to the Golden Core realm.

Thanks to two fortuitous encounters and her already outstanding comprehension and talent, Han Lu's efficiency in drawing a single pill pattern is five to six times that of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator.

Naturally, her cultivation speed in the Golden Core Realm was five to six times faster than that of ordinary cultivators.

It is perfectly normal that she could achieve in twenty years what an ordinary cultivator could accomplish in one hundred and twenty years.

In fact, if Han Lu hadn't slightly delayed her cultivation due to a few trivial matters and teaching, she would have been even more fortunate.

That day will come a year or two earlier.

After settling down in the quiet room atop Cold Cicada Peak, Han Lu gently touched the waist token at her waist twice, activating the protective barrier and the spirit-gathering array in the quiet room simultaneously.

A large amount of spiritual energy from the summit of Hanchan Peak poured into the quiet room. Han Lu, with her keen sense of energy, could clearly see the light blue specks of light in the air even with her eyes open.

The superior environment can provide considerable assistance to Han Lu in breaking through the relatively easy bottleneck from the early to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm.

Feeling the pleasant environment, Han Lu was not in a hurry to enter a meditative state and begin to complete the last few strokes of the first Danwen. Instead, she first began to focus on calming her mind and completely freeing herself from the mundane troubles of the past few days.

Han Lu tried hard to find the possible flaws in making the same decision as Wen Erya, and asked herself questions and answered them, seeking various ways to understand and resolve her doubts, telling herself that she had done a good job and there was no need to worry about it anymore.

He asked seven or eight questions, then pondered deeply, considered everything carefully, and answered them one by one.

After answering the last question, she still held onto some hope and imagined for a moment the scene of ascending the throne as the Empress of the Southern Dynasty after more than ten years of trials and tribulations, leading the people of the Southern Dynasty into a prosperous era. Only then did Han Lu's state of mind become as calm and undisturbed as when she was cultivating.

"Okay."

murmured to herself, then closed her eyes, circulated her cultivation technique, and silently visualized the sea of ​​clouds in her dantian. Once again, she controlled her consciousness and focused her attention on the golden core, which was now vastly different from what it had been twenty years ago.

Although the first Dan pattern has not yet fully formed, several lines can already be seen forming a "relief" on Han Lu's first-grade golden core.

The relief pattern was 90% similar to the first cinnabar pattern she was about to paint.

This time, she is in seclusion to complete the final part of her appearance.

When the relief completely transforms into the shape of a cinnabar pattern, then she can be considered to have truly completed a cinnabar pattern, thus completing the leap from the early stage of the Golden Core realm to the middle stage.

For ordinary cultivators, the biggest improvement brought by advancing from the early stage to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm is that they can control the Golden Core to leave their bodies and use it as a basis to perform some spells and secret techniques, using the Golden Core as a magic weapon.

This change was somewhat useless to Han Lu, who was already capable of doing so. With numerous methods and abundant magical treasures, she didn't need to use such a foolish method to fight against others.

Therefore, for Han Lu, if she is able to advance this time, the biggest gain will be the elixir pattern and the increase in total spiritual power brought about by the advancement.

Following the guidance of the Seven Kill Sword Technique, the first dan pattern that Han Lu drew on the golden core was related to improving the quality of the spirit sword transformed from the sword pellet.

Before the Danwen was completed, Han Lu's sword pellet spirit sword, based on the foundation of a first-grade golden core, could have a quality comparable to a spiritual treasure, which gave her an advantage over cultivators of the same realm or those of higher realms who were not wealthy.

With the addition of this new pill pattern to the golden core, the quality of the sword pellet spirit sword can be improved slightly.

According to the cultivation manual, if there are three identical pill patterns on a first-grade golden core, then the sword pellet spirit sword can truly transform into a magic weapon comparable to a low-grade spiritual treasure, making the sword pellet spirit sword even sharper.

Don't underestimate this low-grade spiritual treasure. The mere mention of the word "spiritual treasure" puts it ahead of countless high-grade spiritual artifacts. Not to mention, this sword pellet spirit sword is perfectly compatible with its user, Han Lu, and they are of one mind.

If Han Lu can make further breakthroughs in the profound mysteries of swordsmanship, then traveling the world with a sword will not be just empty talk.