The Long Journey to Immortality

This matter benefited the vast majority of the sect's diligent disciples, and naturally won applause.

Secondly, in each subsequent competition, two elders will take the stage to compete.

This event brought less tangible benefit; it was merely a feast for the eyes and an opportunity to broaden one's horizons. Naturally, the applause from the stands was not as enthusiastic as that for the first joyous occasion.

After recounting these two matters, Qingxu Daoist then announced the start of the competition once again.

Chapter 1089 The Stand

Because of this sparring match between the elders, many disciples who had advanced from various levels of preliminary rounds to the final sixty-four were still sitting in the stands.

Upon hearing Qingxu Daoist announce the start of the competition, the 640 disciples in the stands stood up and rushed towards the arena area in the center of the stands.

Hongtong straightened his clothes before standing up from his seat.

Sitting next to his apprentice, Qiu Peng kept lecturing on the guidelines, hoping that his disciple could continue his previous performance in the competition.

After all, being the king of the academy during the minor competitions is not a real skill; only by standing out from the crowd in the major competitions can one be considered a genius among their peers.

Hong Tong is only eighteen years old and has only been cultivating for three years, but under Qiu Peng's guidance, he has already developed a clear methodology, like a hybrid who has been influenced by both the ancient cultivation secret realm thought and the Central Plains cultivator thought.

Although he is still a mentally immature teenager, Hong Tong is not impetuous like other young people, and is even more mature than Qiu Peng was back then.

Qiu Peng had said the same things seven or eight times before, but Hong Tong listened intently, hoping to win the battle later by relying on his wise words.

After giving many instructions, Qiu Peng solemnly patted Hong Tong's shoulder and encouraged him, "Grandmaster just stole the show. She's watching you from the viewing platform right now, so don't let her down."

Upon hearing this, Hong Tong subconsciously looked towards the viewing platform, only to see Han Lu looking towards it.

Although the distance was too great and they didn't make eye contact, so he wasn't sure if Han Lu was really looking at him, Hong Tong could still feel boundless motivation just from that.

"Master, I'm going. I'm sure I'll make it to the finals and win the championship this time."

After making his promise, Hong Tong decisively used his lightness technique to jump directly from the stands into the arena.

Jumping off a stand nearly thirty meters high is not something an ordinary Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator could do.

You won't die from the fall, but you'll most likely get injured.

However, Hong Tong, the grand-disciple of Han Lu and the disciple of Qiu Peng, was not an ordinary cultivator.

As he fell from the sky, he used magic to condense water vapor out of thin air, creating a piece of ice about an inch thick beneath his feet.

As you step onto the ice shards, use your weapon-controlling techniques to give the ice shards a brief but powerful boost in the air, creating an effect similar to flying on a sword.

This action was repeated five times. Accompanied by Qiu Peng's cheers, Hong Tong steadily placed his feet on the bluestone ground of the arena area and entered the competition venue as a fifth-level Qi Refining disciple of Dongshan Academy.

Hong Tong's unique entrance not only won praise from Qiu Peng, but also drew comments from many of his fellow disciples who were leaping over his head.

Some say Hongtong is impolite.

Some say that Hong Tong's skills in controlling weapons were superb.

Some say that Hong Tong is clearly very strong and will definitely win the championship.

Some cultivators inquired about Hong Tong's whereabouts, hoping to lay an ambush at the "private estate".

Upon learning that Hongtong was Han Lu's grand-disciple, Hongtong received high praise.

How could someone who is a disciple of the True Phoenix Fairy be anything less than exceptional?

Although the process differed from previous competitions, the Zhengyi Sect, this massive and stable "machinery," still operated in a very smooth manner, slowly unfolding the curtain.

Han Lu sat on the viewing platform, briefly dealing with a few fellow elders who were just nodding acquaintances but still went up to congratulate and greet them. She originally wanted to have a close conversation with Wen Erya, just like during the minor competition, and watch the battle together.

But she discovered that Wen Erya and Xiao Ran were already inseparable.

How did they become so inseparable?

They moved their chairs slightly closer, leaning their bodies together to whisper and breathe in each other's warm breath.

Seeing this scene, Han Lu felt somewhat uncomfortable.

After some thought, she decided to follow the course of action she had already figured out in the East China Sea and silently support Xiao Ran and Wen Er Ya's relationship.

In this situation, how should we offer our support?

That means not going to bother them, and not being an annoying third wheel.

Turning her head to the side, making sure Wen Erya and Xiao Ran were temporarily out of her sight, Han Lu searched for Piaomiaozi's location.

Wen Erya had an appointment with someone, and Piaomiaozi naturally had companions to watch the battle with.

The elders and vice-directors in charge of the inner treasury at Dongshan Academy are having a lively discussion with Piaomiaozi, who just became the director of Dongshan Academy a few years ago.

They were talking about the rising stars of Dongshan Academy, and which Dongshan Academy disciples were likely to win the championship or achieve excellent results such as advancing to the finals in this competition.

This topic was somewhat unfamiliar to Han Lu, who hadn't returned to the sect for almost twenty years, and it wasn't appropriate for her to get involved.

"What about Nian Haoge?"

Han Lu then looked at her apprentice sitting to her side and behind her.

Little did anyone know, Nian Haoge had already entered the stage of closed-eye meditation.

Nian Haoge, who doesn't particularly enjoy teaching apprentices or training newcomers, showed little enthusiasm for the mere Qi Refining Realm competition.

She might take a closer look when it comes to the finals, but it's only the top 64 so far. If no familiar disciples are going to fight, she'd rather spend more time cultivating.

Asking her to watch the game together is probably not going to work out.

“Then…” Mentioning Nian Haoge, Han Lu naturally thought of Qiu Peng again.

Looking again at Qiu Peng's seat in the stands and the empty seat next to him that used to belong to Hong Tong, Han Lu suddenly had an idea.

Han Lu transmitted her voice to Daoist Qingxu, asking, "Sect Master, may we go to the stands to watch the battle?"

"What's wrong?" Master Qingxu joked, "You don't like the chairs here?"

"Of course not," Han Lu offered a few reasons for herself. "Sitting here would be in the way of Er Ya making friends, and I also want to take this opportunity to teach one of my disciples and, by the way, get closer to the other disciples in Dongshan Academy."

When Qingxu Daoren was the vice dean of Dongshan Academy, he always adhered to the principle of "coming from the disciples and going back to the disciples".

In his view, there was nothing wrong with Han Lu's idea.

"Of course, the sect rules do not stipulate that elders must sit on the viewing platform to watch the competition," Qingxu Daoist replied. "I imagine that if a few disciples could sit next to you and watch the competition with you, listening to your analysis of the battle, it would certainly have a great positive impact on their future cultivation careers."

"Go ahead, just keep a low profile. Elder Zhenfeng just made a big splash."

Han Lu could still understand the subtext of the last sentence.

Leaving quietly was not difficult for her.

After using illusion magic to create the illusion of someone meditating with their eyes closed in their seat as a disguise, Han Lu then used some of the most basic transformation techniques to transform into a phoenix the size of a palm and quietly left.

Even Wen Erya, who was sitting next to Han Lu and focused on flirting with Xiao Ran, didn't notice Han Lu's departure. The Han Lu beside her had become an imposter.

Chapter 1090 Playing Tricks

Transforming into a phoenix no bigger than an ordinary sparrow, Han Lu soared above the competition arena for a while before landing in a secluded spot beside the arena.

After transforming back into human form, Han Lu did not conceal her appearance or use illusion magic to disguise herself, but she did slightly change her hairstyle, letting her long hair down, and also changed the style of her phoenix feather robe.

Wearing the uniform of an inner disciple, Han Lu, with her long hair reaching her waist, walked down the corridor of the competition arena. Most of the disciples who saw her simply regarded her as a beautiful senior sister.

At most, she was just a pretty senior sister who looked about 80% like Elder Zhenfeng, who had just made a big splash on the arena.

After circling around for a while, Han Lu finally arrived at the area where Qiu Peng was sitting in a very simple manner.

Fortunately, the seat next to Qiu Peng was still empty, which saved Han Lu a lot of trouble.

With the thought of teasing Qiu Peng in mind, Han Lu approached him, coughed lightly, changed her voice, and asked, "Senior brother, is this empty seat taken?"

Hearing a pleasant, soft, unfamiliar female voice, Qiu Peng, who was still single, subconsciously thought that his destined partner had arrived, so he quickly turned around and said warmly, "Junior sister... please..."

Qiu Peng is currently at the late Foundation Establishment stage. If he is in the stands, calling out "Junior Brother" or "Junior Sister" to a stranger will most likely not be a mistake.

However, this time, Qiu Peng stopped talking after only saying half of what he had said.

The reason was that the other party sat down and closed the distance between him, Qiu Peng realized that the "junior sister" in front of him, whose identity and cultivation were unknown, looked 90% like his master.

"This..." Qiu Peng muttered to himself, glancing at the distant viewing platform.

Seeing that Han Lu was still sitting on the viewing platform, Qiu Peng breathed a sigh of relief and dismissed the suspicion that had just begun to form in his mind.

He calmly continued, "Junior Sister, please sit down. May I ask your name?"

Han Lu had only intended to tease Qiu Peng and scare him, but she did not expect that the illusion she had created on the viewing platform would completely fool Qiu Peng and make him mistake her for someone else.

Going with the flow, Han Lu also "let her childlike heart come out" and introduced herself, "Senior brother, just call me Junior Sister Qin."

Hearing these gentle words, Qiu Peng felt as if his heartstrings had been plucked, and he couldn't help but feel his heart surge and his face turn slightly red.

"Could it be..." Qiu Peng thought excitedly, "Could it be that I'm going to have a double success in both my career and love life in this competition?"

Despite his thoughts, Qiu Peng outwardly maintained the composure and demeanor expected of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"My name is Qiu Peng, and I am at the late Foundation Establishment stage," Qiu Peng introduced himself by highlighting the most attractive aspect he had developed in his interactions with female cultivators. "Junior Sister Qin can call me Senior Brother Qiu."

"I wonder which academy Junior Sister Qin belongs to? I know quite a few fellow disciples in the East Mountain Academy, but I have never met Junior Sister Qin before."

Qiu Peng knew, of course, that the "Qin Shimei" in front of him was definitely not a disciple of Dongshan Academy, but he still asked the question in order to use it as a starting point to get closer to her.

Han Lu thought to herself, "It seems that Qiu Peng is quite the romantic. He probably thinks about solving his single status every day. Maybe I should lend a hand in this matter?"

Han Lu had no intention of having a teacher-student relationship with Qiu Peng, but she used this opportunity to tease Qiu Peng and teach him the lesson that "women are liars."

"Senior Brother Qiu," Han Lu called her disciple "senior brother" without blushing, "I cultivate at Xishan Academy, so naturally Senior Brother Qiu has never seen me."

"Why did Sister Qin arrive at the stands so late?" Qiu Peng used this question to try to introduce another major selling point of his.

Han Lu casually made up a story, "I wanted to come to the Five Elements Mountain Academy earlier to watch Elder Xianyu's battle, but I made progress in my cultivation yesterday and forgot about the time, so I arrived late."

"Junior Sister Qin" is a cultivator from Xishan Academy, so it's perfectly normal for her to support Xianyu Ji.

"That's a pity. The battle between Elder Xianyu and my master, Fairy Zhenfeng, was quite spectacular..." Qiu Peng said regretfully, while showing off his master to "Junior Sister Qin".

"The True Phoenix Fairy is actually Senior Brother Qiu's master?" Han Lu feigned surprise.

Qiu Peng said with his head held high, "My master took me as his disciple when he had just advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. It has been almost fifty years since then."

"It's quite a coincidence," Qiu Peng's gaze lingered on Han Lu's features for a moment longer, "I wonder if anyone has mentioned to Junior Sister Qin that you look about 80% like my master, Fairy Zhenfeng?"

"No, that's not true. My cultivation is still in its early stages; I've only been cultivating in the sect for eleven or twelve years," Han Lu continued, spouting nonsense. "No one has ever mentioned this to me. I suppose it's because Fairy Zhenfeng is usually not in the sect, and few of my fellow disciples from Xishan Academy have seen her true face."