The Long Journey to Immortality

Upon hearing the name of Fairy Zhenfeng, the other two cultivators at the table looked at their fourth companion.

“I remember Elder Zhenfeng was Hongtong’s grandmaster. She was incredibly powerful,” a disciple with messy hair exclaimed. “Legend has it that she frequently traveled between the Great Yu Dynasty, the Wilderness, and the Central Plains. The information she got from Elder Zhenfeng must be accurate.”

“Pan Zhang, continue. With such a system, everyone can participate in the management of the sect. The Soul Breaking Sect will naturally flourish and prosper.”

The disciple with messy hair is a supporter of "Western-style democracy".

Although he has not yet entered the circle of the "Western Democratic Society" due to his short time in the sect and shallow cultivation, he is still a relatively important peripheral member. He usually puts a lot of effort into this and speaks out loudly for the majority of ordinary disciples.

However, the story was fabricated to attack "progressives" like this disciple, so naturally the development and ending of the story were not as he had imagined.

“As far as I know, that’s not the case,” Hong Tong, Qiu Peng’s apprentice, said before Pan Zhang could speak. “The Duanhun Sect disappeared a hundred years before our master traveled to the Dayu Dynasty. It was swallowed up and divided by several major sects in the same prefecture. It is said that there were several major battles, and many people were killed or injured.”

"Lü Kan, you've guessed wrong."

Hong Tong was not interested in things like Western democracy; within the Zhengyi sect, he belonged to the type of cultivator who focused solely on spiritual practice.

It was precisely because of his "political views" that Qiu Peng revealed some secrets to him, asking him to help with things, in order to repay Han Lu for the large amount of cultivation materials she had given him.

"Huh?" Lü Kan was somewhat surprised. "No way, Pan Zhang, is that really true?"

Pan Zhang nodded and recounted the rumors he had heard.

"The story I heard is almost identical to what Hongtong just said, only in more detail."

"It is said that because the sect leader is elected, many cultivators in the Broken Soul Sect have focused their efforts on vying for fame and fortune."

“Every time the sect leader changes, all sorts of people take the stage, giving speeches every few days and promising many benefits to the disciples who have voting rights.”

"Legend has it that this sect leader, who was at the Qi Refining Realm, directly promised each Qi Refining Realm disciple three spirit stones from the sect every month, which garnered a large number of votes and ultimately led to his election."

Upon hearing this number, the disciple who had remained silent among the four exclaimed in surprise, "Three spirit stones? That's no small amount. Our Zhengyi Sect controls nearly 80% of the cultivation resources in the Southern Dynasty, yet we only receive the equivalent of two and a half spirit stones in material supplies per month. How can such a small sect have such generous benefits?"

“Pu Xinjue, don’t just listen to it and think it’s good. Spirit stones aren’t something that can be conjured up with magic,” Pan Zhang pointed out the key point. “Legend has it that the Broken Soul Sect squeezed every last drop of magic treasures and resources out of their treasury for the benefit of these three spirit stones.”

"Even so, it only lasted for ten years before it was changed back to the original monthly allowance of one spirit stone."

"Breaking faith with others has caused that Qi Refining Realm sect leader to lose all his prestige."

Lü Kan frowned, wondering why such a thing had happened.

Hong Tong added, "Not only that, although during the thirty years that he was the sect leader, the Qi Refining cultivator successfully advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage with the help of the sect's abundant resources, his cultivation level was still lower than that of the surrounding sects."

“Whenever there is external communication, his aura is five points weaker than that of the Golden Core Realm sect leaders of other sects.”

"When my master told me this story, he always said that it was because of this Qi Refining Realm sect leader that the Soul Severing Sect declined."

"In the end, the sect was completely destroyed because external forces intervened in the election of the Soul Severing Sect, using spirit stones to pave the way and promote an internal traitor to the position."

"With a traitor who had no interest in his own sect becoming the sect leader, the Soul Breaking Sect was completely destroyed in just three years."

After finishing his story, Hong Tong quickly ate the food in front of him, planning to seek guidance from his master Qiu Peng on cultivation issues and also report on his mission progress.

Hongtong was focused on satisfying his appetite, while Lü Kan had lost all interest in eating.

After hearing this story, he began to doubt for the first time the legitimacy of his work and whether it could truly bring happiness to his disciples and make the sect stronger.

This was something he had never considered before.

Noticing the expression on Lü Kan's face, Pu Xinjue, as Lü Kan's best friend, couldn't help but ask a few questions.

When Pu Xinjue learned that Lü Kan was troubled by Western democracy, he offered some words of comfort and guidance.

"Whether we implement the current system or hold elections, as long as the sect can grow stronger, it will always be beneficial to us disciples."

"Do you think the current leader of the Qingxu Sect is unworthy of his position?"

Lü Kan retorted, "Of course not. Sect Master Qingxu is humble and manages the sect in an orderly manner. He is definitely a competent and good sect master."

Pu Xinjue then asked, "How does the Qingxu Sect Master compare to the sect master in the story?"

"That is naturally far superior to countless others." Lü Kan still had a basic sense of right and wrong.

“Of course,” Pu Xinjue analyzed. “The Qingxu Sect Master is not only a Golden Core cultivator, but he also worked hard for nearly fifty years as the Vice Dean and Dean before finally becoming the Sect Master.”

"When it comes to management, the Qingxu Sect Master is a professional."

Pu Xinjue succinctly revealed the foundation of the Zhengyi Sect's tradition of appointing a sect leader.

[Author's Note] In the blink of an eye, 2020 is almost over. Time really flies.

Chapter 1051 Recent Situation

Similar debates were taking place throughout the Zhengyi Sect.

Because he had communicated with Han Lu in advance, when Qingxu Daoren directed his personnel to make external announcements, he always used Han Lu's name and had Elder Zhenfeng, who frequently traveled between the Wilderness and the Great Yu Dynasty, endorse the announcements.

This move did, however, slightly increase Han Lu's fame among the younger generation of disciples, even though she had been away from the sect for almost twenty years.

Some old, stale stories have been brought up and circulated again.

After who knows how many years, Han Lu has once again become the most popular cultivator in the sect in a short period of time.

As a result, Qiu Peng, a monk already known for his "education," also gained considerable fame.

At this time, apart from his cultivation speed and combat strength being far inferior to Han Lu's back then, Qiu Peng's management in other aspects even surpassed Han Lu's several times when she made a big splash, making him a well-known figure in Dongshan Academy.

Some outer disciples who still harbored dreams would even take the initiative to visit Qiu Peng, hoping to receive his guidance.

Within a few days, Qiu Peng had taken in two more talented disciples, expanding Han Lu's lineage.

While Han Lu was helping the sect identify and solve problems, Wen Erya was also busy.

She was busy preparing to visit Zhan Yujun.

Spend a little time investigating the current situation of Zhan Yujun's two children who have joined the Zhengyi sect.

On the one hand, I wanted to see if I could find a reason to visit them instead of using "visiting a friend on their deathbed" as an excuse.

On the other hand, it is also an attempt to understand Zhan Yujun's current situation from this perspective, and to see how this old friend has been doing all these years.

Zhan Yujun's son, Guan Long, and daughter, Guan Feng, both successfully entered the Zhengyi sect to cultivate at the age of fifteen.

However, the experiences of these two young people on the path of cultivation were quite different.

Guan Long has been working at Sun Yat-sen University for many years, mainly responsible for the morning and evening classes of young disciples.

Guan Long inherited his parents' exceptional talent for cultivation and successfully cultivated to the early stage of Foundation Establishment over fifty years.

Although there is little chance of advancing to the late Foundation Establishment stage, the Pseudo-Core stage, or even the Golden Core stage.

However, he should be able to advance to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage within a hundred years, becoming a cultivator who ranks in the upper-middle tier of the Central Plains cultivation world.

Guan Feng, however, left the Zhengyi Sect after cultivating there for ten years.

At that time, Guan Feng, who had just advanced to the fifth level of Qi Refining, joined a small sect in the Southern Dynasty to continue his cultivation journey.

Unfortunately, despite his hard work and diligent cultivation, Guan Feng ultimately failed to cross the threshold of the Foundation Establishment realm before the age of thirty.

The subsequent events were not recorded in the Zhengyi Sect's disciple records, and Wen Erya had no way of verifying whether Zhan Yujun's daughter, Guan Feng, returned to her mother's side and settled for an ordinary life or continued to try to forge ahead on the path of cultivation.

Back then, Guan Long and Guan Feng met with Han Lu and Wen Erya immediately after joining the Zhengyi Sect.

Naturally, after learning about Guan Long's recent situation, Wen Erya didn't take any detours and went directly to see Guan Long.

Although he knew that the two elders who were quite influential in the sect were his mother's old friends, Guan Long had never thought of using this relationship to his advantage in the sect since he was twenty years old.

Therefore, he was quite surprised when Wen Erya came to him again.

"Senior Wen, may I ask what brings you here to see me this time?" Because of their past relationship, Guan Long did not address Wen Erya as Elder Wen, but instead used the title "Senior" to slightly improve their rapport.

Wen Erya got straight to the point and asked, "In a few days, Elder Zhenfeng and I plan to visit your mother and catch up."

"I've come today to inquire about the current situation of your parents."

Guan Long didn't think too much about it and simply replied, "My father passed away three and a half years ago, and now my mother lives alone at home."

“The matter of cultivation has long been put aside, but in the years my mother’s cultivation has still improved a bit, reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining.”

"She still looks like she's in her early forties, but she doesn't look young anymore."

……

Wen Erya's question was broad, so Guan Long's answer was naturally fragmented.

After rambling on for about fifteen minutes, Wen Erya finally learned the many things she wanted to know.

Considering the actual situation, Wen Erya thought to herself, "In that case, the gift that Han Lu, Xiao Ran, and I prepared should still be liked by Yu Jun."

Over the years, Zhan Yuyun's cultivation level has improved so much that Wen Erya is 90% certain of making this judgment.

After all, if a cultivator no longer has even the slightest dream of cultivation, he certainly won't spend any more time on cultivation.

As long as you have a dream in your heart, a dreamlike world that allows you to briefly fulfill your dream will definitely be a good gift.

Feeling much relieved, Wen Erya, as an elder, asked Guan Long a few more questions and gave him some pills and spirit stones.

Before leaving, Wen Erya hesitated for a long time, but still told Guan Long, Zhan Yujun's son, a very important matter.

"Guan Long, the reason why Elder Zhenfeng and I went to visit your mother at this time was because we calculated that she had only four and a half months left before the day she left us."

Hearing this, Guan Long was stunned for a moment before slowly exhaling and saying, "Has this day finally come?"

When his father passed away, Guan Long had already mentally prepared himself for this day to come.

"If you're not too busy lately, it would be best to go home before that day arrives and spend more time with her."

After saying this, Wen Erya prepared to leave.

Looking at Wen Erya's retreating figure, Guan Long said loudly, "Elder Wen, Mother would be very happy to see you and Elder Zhenfeng at this time."

“She used to tell me and my sister that being able to meet you and Elder Zhenfeng was the greatest luck of her life.”

"Please don't feel guilty."

Upon hearing this, Wen Erya paused for a moment.

Without answering, Wen Erya simply raised her hand to indicate that she had heard Guan Long's words before continuing to leave.

In the blink of an eye, the agreed three days had passed.

That afternoon, Han Lu went to find Wen Erya.

This time, the two did not travel by ark, but instead traveled discreetly by flying.

On the way, Wen Erya told Han Lu the information she had gathered.