The Long Journey to Immortality

However, Wen Erya's way of educating her apprentices is more traditional and slightly different from Han Lu's teaching methods.

Of Wen Erya's twelve disciples, only three could be considered to have exceptional combat power, while the other nine were only of average level, with most of their achievements lying in cultivation.

Individualized instruction.

Han Lu imparted general combat experience and skills to her three disciples with higher combat strength, aiming to fundamentally improve their combat power.

For disciples with slightly lower skill levels, Han Lu taught them "exam-taking skills," hoping to improve their scores and rankings in the competition.

Just as Han Lu was helping Qiu Peng and Wen Erya's disciples prepare for the battle, she finally made up her mind to go to the bamboo forest again.

While taking the Heaven-Stealing Bottle's spiritual liquid, make an attempt to see if you have the chance to awaken the spirit that may still exist in the Heaven-Stealing Bottle.

Chapter 1070 Mysterious Female Cultivator

Han Lu flew low over the Five Elements Mountain Academy and quickly found the bamboo forest that formed the illusion array to protect the Stealing Heaven Bottle.

One is born, the second is cooked.

Having had the experience of collecting spiritual liquid under the guidance of Daoist Qingxu the first time, Han Lu was much more skilled when she did it alone the second time.

She plunged into the bamboo forest, and this time she didn't even glance at the hundred roads that once again appeared before her.

Driven by instinct, she found the true path hidden in the bamboo forest in less than ten breaths, cutting through the thorns and brambles as she moved forward.

With a clear mind, Han Lu relied on the resistance to illusions granted to her by the Illusion Phoenix bloodline and was not fooled by the illusion array.

Having gained experience and knowing that the pain from traversing the bamboo forest was an illusion, Han Lu walked the "mountain of knives" with an almost expressionless face, as if she had given up the feeling of pain.

Once on the right path, the illusion array cannot restrain Han Lu in the slightest.

In less than a hundred breaths, Han Lu easily walked out of the illusion array and arrived at the core area of ​​the bamboo forest.

This time, the two disciples guarding the cave where the Heavenly Bottle was stored were the same two Han Lu had seen last month.

This position typically rotates every six months to a year.

The bamboo forest is not only quiet and full of spiritual energy, but the sect also reimburses the disciples who guard this place for the cost of spirit stones used in the spirit gathering array.

In addition, you will receive a generous reward after completing the guardian mission.

Being a security guard here is a top-notch job.

This sinecure is usually reserved for disciples highly regarded by the elders.

The two disciples who are guarding this place now are the descendants of an elder in the sect.

On their second visit to this place, the two disciples were no longer as wary of Han Lu as they had been the first time, and instead greeted her with utmost respect.

"Greetings, Elder Zhenfeng."

Han Lu nodded slightly in return, and asked a perfunctory question, "Have any other elders visited here in the past two months?"

One of the two, who appeared to be the older one, replied, "The sect leader came half a month ago, but only stayed outside the cave for a quarter of an hour before leaving."

Having no intention of finding out about Daoist Qingxu, Han Lu did not continue to ask about this matter.

"Before me, which elders were responsible for coming here to collect the spiritual elixir?"

Han Lu asked this question because she wanted to know which other Golden Core elders in the sect, besides herself, were highly regarded by the sect's higher-ups.

The younger disciple smiled and replied, "Elder Zhenfeng, my senior brother and I have only been on guard here for three months. It's a short time. Apart from Elder Zhenfeng and the sect leader, we have only seen Elder Xianyu enter this cave."

"Xianyu Ji? He should have already advanced to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm by now," Han Lu thought to herself, recalling the cultivator who had once pretended to be her lover. "It's been a while since I've seen him. I remember Elder Xuancheng was quite optimistic about Xianyu Ji when he was still the sect leader."

"When the Qingxu Sect Master first took office, he arranged for him to serve as the vice dean of the Xishan Academy."

"A few days ago, Xianyu Ji was sent here to carry out this important matter. It seems that the Emotion Sect Master also intends to cultivate Xianyu Ji."

Recalling a conversation she had with Xuan Chengzi before he stepped down, Han Lu made a bold guess: "Maybe he will be the next sect leader."

The thought that perhaps another elder who was close to her would become the sect leader brought a smile to Han Lu's face.

The two disciples in front of Han Lu were puzzled, so they simply continued to maintain their respectful demeanor and waited for Han Lu to continue.

"Elder Xianyu, I am familiar with him. I didn't expect that he obtained the qualification to come here before me," Han Lu replied casually. "Alright, you two can leave for now. I need to open the stone gate and collect the spiritual liquid."

"Yes." After replying, the two disciples skillfully left work early.

Although they were both very curious about what the cave behind the stone gate looked like, and what the Heaven-Stealing Bottle hidden inside looked like.

However, they still followed Han Lu's instructions and obediently returned to their residences to avoid suspicion.

The two monks assigned to guard this place were no fools.

Losing a good job for a moment of curiosity is not worth it.

The two cultivators chatted idly about what to eat for dinner that night before quickly leaving.

After the two left, Han Lu recited the "code" consisting of 108 characters to the stone lion on the stone gate.

Golden Core cultivators have exceptional memories. Even after a month, Han Lu still remembered every single word of that password clearly.

The password was correct, and the stone lion roared, as if it were pushing open the stone door with all its might.

After lingering outside the stone gate for a while, Han Lu took several deep breaths before slowly stepping inside once the gate was fully open.

Upon entering the cave, Han Lu did not rush to collect the spiritual liquid. Instead, she patiently waited for the stone door to close completely, ensuring that no possible stalkers could enter the cave through the gap in the opening and closing of the stone door, thus guaranteeing absolute safety.

Han Lu didn't want the Heavenly Bottle to suffer even the slightest accident while she was tasked with collecting the spiritual liquid.

Standing in the dimly lit cave, Han Lu waved her hand, casually releasing countless streams of spiritual energy to light up several spiritual lamps hanging on the cave walls.

Just as Han Lu was about to approach the Stealing Heaven Bottle to remove the last and second restriction, she suddenly discovered that there was a second person besides her in the suddenly brightened cave.

As the lights came on, a female cultivator dressed in ancient clothes appeared between her and the Stealing Heaven Bottle.

She wore a light blue Taoist robe that could barely be considered fashionable in the ancient cultivation era.

Her hair fell naturally to her waist, and although it was a little messy, it still made her slender back even more charming. In particular, the clothes around her chest were squeezed out slightly, which showed that she was a person with a broad mind like Han Lu.

She was tall, even half a head taller than Han Lu, who had deliberately changed her height when she advanced to the Golden Core stage.

Her heart leaped into her throat, and Han Lu subconsciously assumed a fighting stance, her hand already on the storage pouch at her waist.

Countless thoughts raced through Han Lu's mind, and she even prepared to actively trigger the restriction, thereby activating the alarm and sending out a distress signal.

However, after thinking it through, Han Lu still did not act rashly.

"Who are you."

Since they were able to appear here so quietly, it was more likely that they were friends rather than enemies. Han Lu decided to try to communicate and find out the situation.

Even if the other party is uncooperative, this can be used as an opportunity to buy time.

The female cultivator, whose origins were unknown, chuckled, turned to look at Han Lu, and said, "What, didn't you always want to meet me? Now that I've come out on my own initiative, you can't even remember who I am?"

Chapter 1071 The Spirit of the Heaven-Stealing Bottle

"Have you always wanted to meet me?" This question gave Han Lu an idea. Almost immediately, she thought of something that she wouldn't dare to think about in real life and that she only dreamed about.

"Could it be," Han Lu swallowed, not as calm and collected as a Golden Core cultivator, "that you, senior, are the spirit of the Heaven-Stealing Bottle?"

"Congratulations," the female cultivator smiled at Han Lu, then quickly reverted to her icy expression, "You got it right, but there's no reward."

For some reason, perhaps because of the spirit's unenthusiastic attitude, Han Lu did not feel the excitement she should have felt when she suddenly encountered such an opportunity.

Although she felt the chances were slim, Han Lu still tried her best to communicate and exchange ideas with the female cultivator in front of her who claimed to be a spirit of a weapon, despite the fact that this was such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Senior Spirit, you've come to see me today. Is there something you need?" Han Lu asked cautiously, trying to get information from the source.

The spirit's cold voice reached Han Lu's ears, "Seeing that no one was around, I wanted to get some fresh air, but who knew you would just walk in."

Although these words came from the spirit of the artifact, they had a sense of keeping people at arm's length.

However, considering her slow movements when she entered the room earlier, Han Lu judged that the spirit was lying.

Han Lu thought to herself, "The spirit of the True Senior, Ayu, can enter and exit magical artifacts and conceal her form in an instant."

"It took me at least ten breaths to enter the cave and light the spirit lamp. If the spirit didn't want to show itself to me, it would have hidden back in the Stealing Heaven Bottle long ago. How could I have seen it?"

"Hehe," Han Lu chuckled to herself, "She definitely wanted to meet me on purpose, but was just too embarrassed to say it outright."

Although she didn't know the spirit's intentions, Han Lu had a better understanding of its thoughts and knew how to act.

Directly pointing out the spirit's thoughts would be asking for trouble, so Han Lu simply pretended to be deaf and dumb, and even actively cooperated with the "shy" spirit, making her happy.

"I apologize for my rudeness and disturbing your cultivation, senior," Han Lu said, bowing. "I wonder how long you need to get some fresh air and clear your mind. I will come back to collect the spiritual liquid later to complete the task assigned to me by the sect."

As she spoke, Han Lu made a move to leave.

Turning around, Han Lu counted her steps.

Sure enough, just as she counted to three, the spirit, who had been looking aloof, called out to Han Lu, who was trying to avoid the situation.

"Wait a minute," the spirit continued to maintain its "do not disturb" stance, but its words were completely at odds with its tone and expression. "It's been a long time since I've chatted with anyone. I think you're quite good-looking and have the bloodline of a phoenix spirit. You must be an eloquent and knowledgeable cultivator."

"Come closer and tell me about what you've seen and heard outside this place."

To make the words sound more like an order than a request, the spirit pointed to the empty space beside it, "ordering" Han Lu to stand there.

Han Lu was eager for it, but she didn't show it too much.

“Senior Spirit, what you say is quite right. At my age, in terms of experience, no one among my peers has seen or known as much as I have.”

Han Lu quickly stood at the spot indicated by the artifact spirit, looked at the artifact spirit which was only three steps away from her, and asked, "Senior, what do you want to hear? I will tell you everything I know."

The spirit was clearly prepared for this meeting. Although Han Lu was not as enthusiastic as she had imagined, it did not affect her plans.

"Let's talk about the Zhengyi Sect first," the spirit said calmly.

This time, Han Lu did not intend to obey orders. "Senior Spirit, may I ask how to address you? It is too impolite of me to keep calling you Senior Spirit."

"Feng Cang calls me Ping'er, so you can just call me Senior Ping."

Although the spirit of the artifact had no cultivation, it was the spirit of the Heaven-Stealing Bottle, and its seniority and age far surpassed Han Lu's, so it naturally maintained the demeanor of a senior expert.

Han Lu said, "Okay, Senior Ping."

Faced with such diverse questions, how to answer them and what to include in the answer becomes a major problem.

Han Lu was basically convinced that as long as her answers to the questions satisfied the spirit of the Stealing Heaven Bottle, there would be no possibility for her and the spirit to continue their relationship.

Han Lu didn't expect the spirit of the Heavenly Bottle to follow her with the bottle.