The Long Journey to Immortality

Everything seemed to be falling into place naturally. Han Lu felt that even if Mu Yijin hadn't appeared, Mu Erjin and Mu Sanjin would have appeared in front of Xianyu Ji, giving him one or two reasons to fall in love with her.

"It sounds like this is already a done deal. Don't you plan to spend more time together and test the waters?" Han Lu, the "newbie," was giving advice to Xianyu Ji, a seasoned veteran who had been on at least ten blind dates.

"No need. Actually, we've been together for a long time. We originally planned to get married last year, but it was delayed for a year because of Yi Jin's mother's passing." As he spoke, Xianyu Ji put away the scroll and took out a red envelope from his storage bag. "It will be on an auspicious day in March. I would appreciate Elder Zhenfeng's presence."

After opening the red envelope and admiring it for a while, Han Lu carefully folded and put it away, promising, "Definitely, definitely."

Han Lu stopped discussing her future wife with her ex-boyfriend and steered the conversation back to their friendly competition.

Han Lu asked Xianyu Ji if he had any special ideas.

Xianyu Ji's answer was consistent with what he had said to Qingxu Daoren before.

"Do your best."

"It would be best if we could cooperate with Master Qingxu's plan."

"If that doesn't work, then at least strive to have a clear conscience."

The phrase "having a clear conscience" sounds somewhat inappropriate here.

But after a moment of reflection, Han Lu was able to understand the meaning behind it.

"I understand what you mean," Han Lu nodded slightly and said with a smile, "When the time comes, if I beat you to a pulp in front of tens of thousands of sect disciples, don't shed tears."

Xianyu Ji retorted, "Are you crying because you finally beat me? I'll try my best to control myself."

After saying this, the two laughed in tacit agreement, clearly understanding each other's mindset regarding the upcoming competition in a few days.

When the topic of the competition came up, it naturally turned to the two men's apprentices.

Xianyu Ji achieved Core Formation twenty years earlier than Han Lu, but he still doesn't have a single disciple who has advanced to the Golden Core realm, or even the late Foundation Establishment stage.

But this did not dampen Xianyu Ji's enthusiasm for taking on apprentices and educating people.

Now, if we include the disciples who have given him some guidance on a daily basis, there are at least two hundred disciples cultivating in Xishan Academy who can call Xianyu Ji “Master”.

There are also nearly thirty disciples who are officially registered under his name.

One side has many outstanding students, while the other side lacks the skill to teach apprentices but has a great enthusiasm for it.

Naturally, this conversation turned into Han Lu teaching Xianyu Ji how to teach his apprentices.

Xianyu Ji had hoped to get some valuable advice from the expert Han Lu.

However, they never expected that their strategies, methods, and approaches to training disciples were completely diametrically opposed.

Xianyu Ji followed the "compulsory education" route, and taking in students was equivalent to opening an "advanced class" or "competition class," which did not deviate from the scope of general education.

Han Lu, on the other hand, received an elite education, and she was among the elite of the elite.

Not only do they consider many factors when recruiting disciples, but they also spare no expense in investing in and spending on their disciples.

How could Xianyu Ji possibly learn Han Lu's philosophy of teaching and nurturing students?

After listening to Han Lu's sharing of her experience as a master, Xianyu Ji couldn't help but ask, "Han Lu, how many spirit stones did you spend on each of your disciples?"

Han Lu was stunned for a moment, then said, "I've never thought about this before... Now that I think about it..."

Three breaths later, Han Lu gave a precise figure: "On average, I have taught a total of seventeen disciples. If you include the rewards and gifts such as pills, magic weapons, and spirit stones, I must have spent at least ten thousand spirit stones."

Upon hearing this number, Xianyu, who was short of money, exaggeratedly expressed his emotions, "Han Lu, do you still need a Golden Core Realm disciple? What do you think of me?"

Han Lu understood what Xianyu Ji meant.

But instead of joking along with Xianyu Ji, she said seriously, "Xianyu Ji, I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong."

"It's just that for a large sect, concentrating resources is the only way to cultivate more outstanding disciples."

“I believe that if you reduce the number of apprentices by one-third and raise the entry requirements slightly, it will be much better.”

"Then we will definitely be able to train a disciple who can successfully form the Core Formation in the future."

Xuan Chengzi and Qingxu Daoren, who were committed to streamlining the organization and the number of disciples, were among the supporters of Han Lu's educational approach.

Xianyu Ji, however, belonged to another faction.

This was a clash of ideas and perspectives, and Han Lu didn't foolishly go overboard in this regard.

Before Xianyu Ji could refute or explain the reasons for his "universal love," Han Lu began to talk about the more practical "exam-oriented education techniques."

These things are more direct and effective. Although Xianyu Ji also knows a lot about them and has been teaching his apprentices, he is still a little inferior to Han Lu, the expert.

The newly acquired "knowledge" made Xianyu Ji temporarily forget the fundamental issue of arguing with Han Lu.

Xianyu Ji's only goal at this stage is to teach his apprentices more "exam-taking skills".

After discussing the competition, the topic shifted several times, but mostly revolved around Han Lu.

Clearly, the desolate wilderness, a mysterious place that most cultivators from the Central Plains had never set foot in, held the same allure for Xianyu Ji.

Han Lu left after having dinner at Xianyu Ji's home.

Upon returning to their residence, the disciples were still reviewing and reflecting on the day's training under Qiu Peng's guidance.

Han Lu, who had been listening in the background, soon realized that Qiu Peng had perfectly completed the task she had assigned him, doing an excellent job as a substitute teacher and not letting her down.

Chapter 1082 Playing Chess

The question of how to allocate resources to educate disciples of different talent levels within their respective sects has always been a hotly debated topic in the cultivation world.

According to Han Lu's knowledge of modern history, this matter was most fiercely debated four or five thousand years ago.

It was a very chaotic era, the last darkness before dawn.

At that time, Xuan Yang Valley and Zheng Yi Sect in the north and south had already vaguely occupied the leading position.

Any cultivator with a broad perspective will foresee the arrival of a relatively peaceful and harmonious era.

How to rebuild a new order in the cultivation world after the great war became a difficult problem for some of the victors to consider.

One of the key issues is how to treat disciples accepted during peacetime.

In chaotic times, besides pursuing ascension, improving combat power is even more important for cultivators.

In order to become the "top sect", each sect spends a lot of resources on the daily cultivation of its cultivators rather than on the construction of the sect.

In almost every sect, only disciples who have the potential to advance to the Golden Core realm receive the best care.

The elite strategy was brought to its fullest extent.

However, as times change, the vast majority of ordinary disciples who fail at the very beginning of their cultivation journey cannot be neglected. These are the cornerstones of the sect.

If these ordinary disciples are unwilling to serve, the sect cannot function. So how can we negotiate to establish a new sect and make it bigger and stronger in peacetime?

Therefore, major sects like Zhengyi Sect and Xuanyang Valley began to implement "compulsory education" in order to establish their image as major sects and expand their influence.

However, the smaller sects outside of Zhengyi Sect and Xuanyang Valley were not willing to lag behind.

They didn't aspire to be the leader, but they did want to surpass the surrounding sects.

On one hand, they rely on the Zhengyi Sect or Xuanyang Valley, and on the other hand, they take advantage of the last chaotic time to plunder resources and materials, and spend more of these hard-won resources on a few genius disciples.

They hoped that one of them could advance to the Golden Core Realm or even the Nascent Soul Realm, thus elevating the entire sect and allowing it to achieve a "class leap."

Although it wasn't as extravagant or extravagant as Han Lu's, it wasn't much different.

If Qiu Peng were to join a slightly smaller sect, he would likely receive treatment similar to that of a Golden Core cultivator in the Zhengyi Sect.

There is no right or wrong in these two approaches; it's simply a matter of adapting to local conditions and the times.

Han Lu carefully nurtured several disciples, helping them progress faster and further on their cultivation path, earning her the reputation of a "famous teacher".

Xianyu Ji was extremely diligent and taught without discrimination, which made him a trustworthy and respected teacher in the eyes of a wider range of disciples.

Each has its own merits.

With the grand competition approaching, Han Lu, in addition to tutoring her students and planning the upcoming "exhibition match" with Xianyu Ji, has also begun to work on her chess skills.

Originally, chess competitions were only held during smaller matches.

However, in recent years, due to its widespread popularity, and at the request of his disciples, the chess competition, which was also very popular with Daoist Qingxu, has been brought to the stage of the grand competition.

The competition among the players is no longer limited to "internal battles" within the Benshan Academy.

The exchanges between the mountain colleges have become an important part of this event, which is no less competitive than a grand tournament.

During the grand competition, each mountain academy first selects its sixteen strongest chess players, who are then sent to the Five Elements Mountain Academy for a fierce battle.

The championship title won after a fierce battle also sounds very nice, called "Tianyuan".

The rewards for disciples who obtain the title of "Tianyuan" are even higher than those for the champion of the Qi Refining Realm competition.

This is one of the reasons why the competition is so popular and attracts so many students who love chess.

Having finally returned from the Wilderness Bird Gathering and received personal guidance from the Peacock Clan Master, Han Lu felt that her strength had improved by leaps and bounds and that she could defeat herself twenty years ago. Naturally, she was paying close attention to this competition.

He only wanted to wash away the humiliation of being eliminated in the first round of the Hundred Birds Tournament, and come to the "newbie zone" of the Zhengyi Sect to become a "scraping master" and have a few exhilarating victories, so as to teach the young chess players in the sect how to play chess.

Despite being full of confidence, Han Lu still decided to find a master to practice with first.

After all, the atmosphere of practicing chess has been strong in the Zhengyi Sect in recent years. Even if she, the champion from twenty years ago, has made great strides in her skills, she may not be able to dominate the competition.

Better safe than sorry, Han Lu decided without hesitation to find another expert to spar with and test her own abilities.

Whom are you looking for?

Han Lu did not hesitate to choose Xuan Chengzi as her sparring partner.

"It would also be a good opportunity to share with him the efforts and preparations I made in the wilderness for the cataclysm, and then find out through him what preparations the sect has made over the years, and which cultivators and forces have shared this information with."

To kill two birds with one stone, Han Lu sent out paper swords and arranged a time with Xuan Chengzi, who was mostly engaged in arduous cultivation, before finally paying him a visit.

The "date" was to take place three days before the competition.

When Han Lu met Xuan Chengzi, she was surprised to find that the former sect leader's cultivation had improved considerably over the years.

Judging from his aura, he is already close to the peak of the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, and is only one step away from breaking through to the late stage.

Clearly, Xuan Chengzi received a generous "reward" after stepping down as sect leader.

Just like the Daoist Yunmin before him, he used this "windfall" to achieve great success on his path of cultivation, and drew several Dan patterns in just a few years.

At this rate, it's not impossible for him to attempt tribulation and advance to the Nascent Soul realm within fifty years.

Han Lu was surprised by Xuan Chengzi's cultivation speed, and Xuan Chengzi was equally surprised by Han Lu's cultivation efficiency.