The Long Journey to Immortality

Without saying any lines, Han Lu simply knocked on the door to inquire, leaving all the decision-making power to Senior Zhen.

Han Lu knocked on the door only three times before quickly withdrawing her hand to avoid appearing impolite or rude.

After patiently waiting for about ten breaths, just when Han Lu thought that the senior didn't want to see her, the dilapidated wooden door opened automatically.

The small world where Senior Zhen lived was once again opened to Han Lu.

"Han Lu, come in and talk to me."

The voice of the senior came from behind the small portal.

Han Lu was secretly delighted and replied, "Yes, Senior Zhen."

I turned slightly to the side and stepped into the portal.

After Han Lu had fully entered, the dilapidated wooden door of the thatched hut closed automatically, separating the two worlds.

Facing that lake once again, on that island in the middle of the lake where only Senior Zhen lived, Han Lu noticed that the place had changed slightly compared to forty years ago.

There are many more green plants on the island, and many strange fish that I have never seen before have appeared in the lake.

The sky was much darker, unlike the clear blue skies of yesteryear.

Right now, Han Lu feels more like the sky after the rain has stopped.

The white jade bricks that make up the corridor leading to the island in the middle of the lake are still brand new because few people have walked on it.

However, two new buildings have appeared on the island in the middle of the lake, which are clearly constructed using several new types of materials.

"Could it be that the true senior left this place and wandered around the mortal world all these years?"

These buildings sparked some speculations in Han Lu about the experiences of the senior in the past forty years.

But upon closer reflection, it makes sense.

Although cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage are subject to many constraints and restrictions from the laws of heaven and earth when they move around in the mortal realm, it does not mean that they cannot act discreetly outside.

Like another senior in the Zhengyi Sect who is at the Nascent Soul Realm, he has been traveling abroad for a long time.

Without thinking further, Han Lu walked towards Senior Zhen, who was still fishing by the lake with a willow branch in hand, and greeted him respectfully, "Senior Zhen, it's been a long time."

"Han Lu, it's been a while since we last met," Senior Zhen said, gesturing for Han Lu to sit down beside him as always. "What brings you here today?"

"Could it be that he's coming to learn fishing from me?"

Despite the vast difference in cultivation level between Senior Zhen and Han Lu, Senior Zhen showed no airs of a superior and even joked with Han Lu.

Upon hearing this, Han Lu seized the opportunity to get straight to the point and state her purpose: "Senior, it's quite a coincidence that one of the things I've come to visit is actually somewhat related to fishing."

Hearing this, the senior was very curious. "What, could it be that you really came here to learn how to fish from me?"

“No, that’s not it,” Han Lu continued, “I just wanted to ask you about the matter of artifact spirits.”

Speaking of the artifact spirit, Senior Zhen reacted quickly and said, "Could it be that you're also thinking of trying to see if you have any chance of forming a connection with the artifact spirit of the Heaven-Stealing Bottle?"

Han Lu smiled sheepishly and said, "That's right, you guessed it perfectly."

"It's only human nature." The senior didn't dampen Han Lu's spirits or comment with words like "wishful thinking" or "ignorance of one's own limitations."

"When Qingxu first came to see me after becoming the sect leader, it was also because of my treasure-hunting fishing rod..."

As he spoke, Senior Zhen put the willow branch aside, raised his hand, and grabbed at the air. Instantly, a dark green fishing rod appeared in his hand.

"This is the fishing rod. Although it is just a mid-grade spiritual treasure that is used in daily life, it gained sentience and a spirit eight hundred years ago because it came into contact with many rare and precious materials."

"Han Lu, would you like to see A Yu?"

Although it was the first time Han Lu had heard this name, based on the above, she could understand that the "Ayu" mentioned by the senior was the spirit of the fishing rod magic weapon in his hand.

"Is it alright?" Although Han Lu was very eager to see what a spirit weapon was, she still asked politely.

Senior Zhen smiled and said, "Of course, I think Ah Yu would like you."

As he spoke, Senior Zhen raised his hand and waved his fishing rod. Accompanied by a beam of emerald light, a phantom no bigger than a palm appeared beside Senior Zhen.

The phantom gradually solidified, and a spirit with a human upper body and a fish tail appeared in front of Han Lu.

"Mr. Zhen, did you call me?" Ah Yu looked at Senior Zhen and called him by his nickname.

“Hmm,” Senior Zhen turned to the side, pointed at Han Lu, and said, “This Fairy Han is very interested in you and wants to chat with you.”

Han Lu greeted her at the opportune moment, "Hello, Ayu."

"Hello, Fairy Han," Ayu floated in the air and approached Han Lu slightly, "What would you like to talk to me about?"

Han Lu didn't stand on ceremony, "Let's talk about artifact spirits. Ah Yu, do you know how to communicate with an artifact spirit that might still be asleep?"

Upon hearing the question, Ah Yu, who has a baby face, showed a slightly annoyed expression. "Hey, Fairy Han, why are you asking this question too? I've answered it almost five times already."

Clearly, before Han Lu, many other elders from the Zhengyi Sect had come to Senior Zhen to ask A Yu about this problem, all with designs on the Stealing Heaven Bottle.

"However, since you are so beautiful, Fairy Han, I will take the trouble to answer you again."

Ah Yu acted like a twelve or thirteen-year-old child, saying, "Listen carefully, I will only answer once."

Han Lu said expectantly, "Okay, I will listen carefully."

Ah Yu grinned mischievously. "I don't know."

Noticing the subtle change in Han Lu's expression, A Yu giggled and quickly disappeared back into her fishing rod.

Han Lu smiled bitterly, helpless after being tricked by the spirit.

The senior who already knew the answer explained for Ah Yu, "Ah Yu really didn't know about this, Han Lu, don't overthink it."

Han Lu nodded, then turned to Senior Zhen for help, "Senior Zhen, do you have any advice for me regarding this matter?"

After a moment of contemplation, the senior said, "I also tried it back then, but of course it ended in failure."

"Based on my experience of failure, I can only offer you one piece of advice."

"Take it easy. I think it all depends on fate."

"If you are destined to own the Heaven-Stealing Bottle, its spirit will naturally be willing to appear for you."

"If it's not there, forcing it is useless."

This statement is somewhat like "rambling nonsense," but it does hit the nail on the head."

Han Lu pondered for a moment and realized that it was indeed the case, and there was no need to worry or fret too much.

"Thank you so much, senior. I have learned a lot."

After thanking him, Han Lu did not take her leave immediately, but instead talked to Senior Zhen about other things.

Chapter 1066 The Floating Fairy

The other matters naturally refer to the calamities that will occur a thousand years later.

However, since the senior did not actually hold any official position in the sect, Han Lu's report was more like a junior sharing his life with his senior, talking about what he had been busy with all these years.

It was supposed to be a business matter, but it felt more like a private one.

Just as Han Lu had expected, the senior who had been living alone for a long time was very willing to talk to Han Lu about these things.

Because Senior Zhen had visited the Wilderness many times when he was in the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages, he and Han Lu had a lot in common when it came to the topic of the Wilderness.

Whenever he heard that Han Lu's preparations and investigations for the catastrophe a thousand years later were quite effective, Senior Zhen never hesitated to praise her.

Amidst laughter and conversation, Han Lu and Senior Zhen didn't seem like seniors and juniors who knew each other because they were from the same school; they were more like master and apprentice.

After listening to Han Lu talk about the calamity that would happen a thousand years later, Senior Zhen couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, it's a pity that I have been at the Nascent Soul stage for over 170 years. At most, I can only stay in the mortal realm for another three hundred years."

"Unless we can train a few genius disciples, we won't be able to contribute to the great war that may happen a thousand years from now."

Senior Zhen's sigh caught Han Lu's attention. With the curiosity of a low-level cultivator about higher realms, she cautiously asked Senior Zhen, "Senior Zhen, in this era, how long can a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator stay in the mortal realm after advancing?"

The amount of time a cultivator can stay in the mortal realm varies from era to era, as this is limited by the laws of heaven and earth.

In the ancient cultivation era, even cultivators in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm could roam freely in the mortal realm. As long as they could survive the minor heavenly tribulation that descended every three hundred years, they could live in the mortal realm for a long time.

After the great battle, perhaps because the intense fighting caused damage to the human realm, cultivators in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Realm were almost "forced" to ascend to the human realm immediately, while only cultivators in the early stage of the Nascent Soul Realm were allowed to remain in the human realm.

At the same time, the true spirits received special treatment because of their power.

Ten thousand years after the end of the great war, once the True Spirits break through to the Divine Transformation Realm, they will be bound by the laws of heaven and earth and forcibly ascend within three to four years.

As to the current situation, Han Lu, a cultivator who was only at the Golden Core stage, could only get the answer from Senior Zhen.

“Everyone’s situation is different,” Senior Zhen laughed. “A Nascent Soul cultivator like me, who is timid and hides in a small world, can stay for almost five hundred years.”

“Cultivators like Fairy Piao, who enjoy traveling even after reaching the Transformation Realm, often choose to ascend to the Spirit Realm before the Lesser Heavenly Tribulation arrives every three hundred years.”

"Legend has it that the laws of heaven and earth in the spirit world are different from those in the human world, and the minor heavenly tribulation occurs once every five hundred years."

"In this way, after ascension, the day of the heavenly tribulation can be postponed, thus gaining more time for cultivation in order to successfully face the tribulation."

The "fairy" Han Lu mentioned by the senior was probably the other Nascent Soul cultivator from the Zhengyi Sect who taught her some of the true meaning of swordsmanship that day.

With one question answered, Han Lu had other questions.

"Senior Zhen, why don't Nascent Soul cultivators ascend to immortality earlier?"

"The environment in the spirit world must be more conducive to cultivation."

"However, given the density of spiritual energy, there should be quite a few pills available to aid cultivation in the Nascent Soul stage, and they should be even more abundant and cheaper."

"Wouldn't that increase the chances of surviving the minor heavenly tribulation?"

Han Lu's idea was very simple: the more abundant the resources, the faster her cultivation would improve, and the higher her cultivation, the stronger her combat power.

To everyone's surprise, the senior shook his head upon hearing this, saying, "This matter is not as simple as you think."

"Han Lu, where did you get your knowledge of the Spirit Realm? Have you ever heard cultivators who have been to the Spirit Realm talk about it?"

Han Lu also shook her head, "Of course not, I learned it all from books and classics."

“Yes,” Senior Zhen said, “so much information about the spirit world comes entirely from the imagination of a certain cultivator, without any real evidence.”

"All monks feel fear when faced with the unknown."

“Cultivators like us in the Nascent Soul Realm are no exception.”

"Since I don't know what the situation is like in the spirit world, I might as well make more plans in the human world and accumulate more resources by relying on my transcendent status and cultivation."

"In this way, it will be more secure."