The Long Journey to Immortality

[Author's Note] The weather is getting warmer.

Chapter Ninety: The Grand Competition Begins

The Zhengyi Sect's competition consists of multiple steps, and the content of the competition varies for cultivators of different realms.

If you are only at the Dao Child Realm, then these competitions related to combat will be "none of your business." You only need to write a test paper on cultivation to be considered as having participated in the competition.

As for the ranking results of the competition, they are naturally related to the exam scores.

Cultivators like Han Lu, who are at the first to twelfth level of Qi Refining, do not need to undergo theoretical testing. Instead, they will be directly divided into ten groups and sent to the arena.

One floor is grouped together, and the tenth floor is grouped with the eleventh and twelfth floors for the competition.

Han Lu and her disciples need to step onto the arena and compete in a round of seven matches within three days.

With seven wins out of seven, they advanced directly to the second round.

If a team wins six out of seven matches, then several tiebreaker matches will be needed to determine the remaining qualifying spots.

The competition continues until the top 64 players in that group are selected.

If you lose five out of seven matches, you will be punished by having a portion of your monthly supplies deducted from your sect's allowance.

However, if one loses six out of seven battles, or even seven out of seven battles, one will be severely punished, even to the point of being expelled from the sect.

Compared to the Qi Refining stage disciples, the Foundation Establishment stage disciples not only have their competition start a week later, but also have an additional test in addition to the arena battles.

Disciples at the pre-, mid-, and late-stage Foundation Establishment levels were divided into three groups and took turns entering a secret realm that was isolated from the world by several Supreme Elders through a series of restrictions, for exploration and training.

The ranking order is determined by the number of resource points obtained from the secret realm.

The environment within the secret realm is complex, and the danger is much higher than that of the arena where there is someone to provide medical care. During each competition, Foundation Establishment cultivators are often maimed or even killed in the secret realm due to accidents that prevent them from receiving medical treatment.

This happened time and time again, but the higher-ups of the Zhengyi Sect never once considered stopping this cruel trial.

In their view, this was a way to make the disciples of the Zhengyi Sect see blood and grow rapidly in this peaceful and prosperous era.

It's better to bleed in the secret realm established by the sect than to lose your life in vain after leaving the sect.

At present, Han Lu, whose cultivation level is still shallow, does not need to worry about the secret realm. Her only goal now is to win a great victory on the arena and at least advance to the second round and achieve a top-sixty-four ranking.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Because Han Lu's first match was scheduled for the morning of the first day, she unusually did not stay up all night to cultivate. Instead, she lay down on the bed that she hadn't used much and slept comfortably all night, in order to be in the best condition to face her first opponent.

After eating until she was half full in the cafeteria, Han Lu walked against the flow of people toward the arena area next to the university.

Compared to Han Lu, who could sleep in a little later and was leisurely walking towards the Dongshan Academy arena area, most of the Qi Refining disciples of the Zhengyi Sect started the first day of the competition in a rather busy state.

Like Wen Erya, who received a yellow paper sword letter and had to set off early to Zhongshan Academy to participate in this grand competition.

Therefore, Wen Erya made a special trip the night before the competition to check out the venue with Zhan Yujun, who was also participating in the competition at Zhongshan Academy, so as not to be caught off guard and miss the competition.

The competitions for the third and sixth levels of Qi Refining were both held at Zhongshan Academy.

A month before the competition, Zhan Yujun also successfully advanced and became a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining.

She had mixed feelings about this.

Zhan Yujun was happy about her improved cultivation level, but also regretful that she couldn't compete against Han Lu, who had just advanced to the second level of Qi Refining, in the competition.

Outside the entrance barrier in the academy's arena area, many disciples from different academies were already waiting, ready to enter as soon as possible.

Looking beyond the barrier, Han Lu could see many cultivators busy making final preparations for the competition.

These cultivators busy within the restricted area are all at the Foundation Establishment stage. Many of them do not work at the academy but were temporarily seconded there to help out during the competition.

Han Lu and several hundred other Qi Refining cultivators waited orderly outside the barrier for nearly a quarter of an hour before one of Han Lu's acquaintances stepped out of the barrier and walked into the crowd.

Si Xing'er, the chief disciple of the Transmission Hall of Dongshan Academy, stood in front of the barrier and called out to the crowd, "Junior brothers and sisters, please enter the arena in an orderly manner and find your competition area according to the number in front of the arena."

Immediately afterwards, she casually released the restriction and made way for him.

The crowd entered in an orderly fashion, without any crowding.

We are all cultivators, and we all respect our status. We would never do something so foolish that only an uncultured old woman would do.

Once inside the arena, and after the number of people around her had decreased slightly, Han Lu took out the paper sword from her storage bag. She then glanced at the arena number to make sure her memory wasn't wrong and it wouldn't delay important matters.

"On the morning of the first day, at arena number ten, the opponent was Xiao Hao from Xishan Academy."

As Han Lu searched through the arenas one by one, she was surprised to find that the arena where she had her second duel with Wen Erya was marked with the number "10," which was exactly the venue for her first match.

A week later, the arena had been completely restored to its original state, with no trace of damage visible.

The restrictions on the arena have obviously been strengthened to prevent the competition from being delayed due to damage to the arena.

In front of Arena Number Ten, two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the academy were responsible for maintaining order and organizing the competition. One of them had a red cloth tied around his arm, clearly also working as a physician.

In front of the arena, there was a blackboard on which the order in which the disciples who were to compete on this arena would be written.

With a quarter of an hour to go before the competition officially began, and taking advantage of the fact that there were only a dozen or so people in front of the arena, Han Lu quickly went forward to check which match she had been assigned to.

There were nearly eighty matches taking place on ring number ten in a single morning.

Han Lu, who arrived at the arena early, was quite lucky. She only needed to wait for the four matches to finish before she could step onto the number ten arena and show off her skills, without having to spend too much time waiting.

Han Lu has two more matches to play in the afternoon. Although she is very strong, she doesn't want to let the previous match affect her performance in the afternoon.

Han Lu wanted to be able to go on stage early, so she found a spot near stage number ten, occupied it, and patiently waited for the competition to officially begin.

As time went on, the number of cultivators in the arena area increased, all of whom were at the second or fourth level of Qi Refining.

Nearly four thousand disciples from various academies of the Zhengyi Sect gathered together, creating quite a lively scene.

When the time came, Si Xing'er, who had been guarding the entrance to the arena area, changed the barrier at the entrance to a semi-open state, allowing only exit but not entry.

Immediately afterwards, Abbot Wuhu of Dongshan Temple appeared in the sky above the arena area.

The disciples listened with their heads held high as the Five Lakes Hermit delivered a short speech.

"...Now, I declare the competition open."

The academy cultivators in front of each arena were busy once again. One cultivator was responsible for calling out the names of the first contestants and verifying their identities based on their tokens, while another cultivator was responsible for controlling the arena's restrictions and acting as a referee and healer.

The key to combat between low-level cultivators is speed.

They lacked many methods and spiritual power, possessing neither powerful magical tools nor profound spells.

In addition, the matchups are randomized, and it is not uncommon for two cultivators of the same level to have a huge difference in strength on the arena.

Therefore, the two contestants who go up to the ring to compete can usually determine the winner after a few rounds.

Han Lu wasn't very interested in watching this kind of low-level fighting.

She had been resting with her eyes closed until she heard the academy monk call her name. Only then did she open her eyes, leap lightly, and step onto the arena.

It's confirmed that it will be available on Friday, with 4-5 updates that day, around 10 AM or 5 PM.

Chapter Ninety-One: Talent Show?

Upon stepping onto the arena, Han Lu showed her identity token to the academy cultivator in charge of arena number ten.

The cultivator made a hand seal to verify Han Lu's identity.

Although no Zhengyi Sect disciple has ever dared to hire a "gunman" to fight for them during a major competition, there have been occasional instances where confused disciples have misheard names, entered the wrong arena, or unintentionally entered by someone with the same name.

Therefore, verifying identities before the competition begins, which may seem redundant, is still a necessary and important step.

After the identity token was returned to Han Lu's hands, Han Lu's opponent finally squeezed through the crowd and climbed onto the ring in a rather unladylike manner, appearing before Han Lu with his clothes askew.

"Xiao Hao?" a student from the academy asked instinctively.

“That’s right, that’s right.” Xiao Hao quickly took out his identity token.

After confirming that the two individuals' identities were correct, the academy cultivator stepped down from the arena and returned the time and venue to the two who were about to compete.

After their colleagues left, the academy cultivators who were in charge of the referee and physician duties immediately activated the arena's restrictions, temporarily isolating the arena from the outside world to prevent Han Lu and Xiao Hao's misfired spells from hitting other cultivators watching the excitement and waiting for the competition below, thus avoiding unnecessary trouble.

"Each of you step back twenty paces..."

Han Lu and Xiao Hao saluted each other, then followed instructions and distanced themselves from the other party.

"Okay, now listen to my commands."

"3."

Xiao Hao placed his hand on the storage bag at his waist. He had already planned everything and was seventy percent confident that he could win over Han Lu, this beautiful female cultivator.

The stereotypes about female cultivators are deeply ingrained in the cultivation world. Most male cultivators believe that, due to their personalities, most female cultivators are better at cultivation than combat.

In a special arena like the Grand Competition, where opponents are at the same level as oneself, it's quite normal for Xiao Hao to feel a little contempt for Han Lu.

"2."

Han Lu did not adopt a posture of being on high alert.

Although Xiao Hao's series of disheveled actions might be a feint, Han Lu still didn't think the opponent not far away had a chance to defeat him.

Adaptability, minimizing losses, and easy victory were her goals for the first match.

"3, 2, 1, begin!"

As soon as the academy monk in charge of the referee finished speaking, the two on the arena began to move.

As always, Han Lu recited the "Treading Water Without Leaving a Trace" technique she learned from Fu Chen, using her lightness magic to adapt to any situation.

Xiao Hao then took something out of his storage bag.

"Guqin?"

Looking at the Luoxia Guqin floating in front of Xiao Hao with its wave-like sides, Han Lu certainly didn't think that Xiao Hao was going to play a piece for her during the competition and give a talent show.

Several thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant, wondering what kind of supernatural powers this ancient zither possessed.

"Perhaps it's a magical artifact used for soul attacks? The probability is low, after all, it's just a magical artifact."

"Maybe when it's played, it will unleash attack moves similar to sword energy?"

"Or perhaps it requires severing the strings during the execution, so that the seven strings can be used like thin whips to attack?"

Unsure of what move her opponent would use, Han Lu instinctively unleashed her "Five Elements Qi" and quickly ran towards Xiao Hao's location.

As Xiao Hao took out the guqin, a faint red hue appeared at the tips of his ten fingers.

Spiritual energy condensed at his fingertips. Xiao Hao slightly raised his eyes to glance at Han Lu's approximate location, and then began to pluck the strings, playing the Luoxia Guqin in front of him with some clumsiness.