The Long Journey to Immortality

"Otherwise, you will not only die on the spot, but you will also implicate your friends and fellow disciples, causing trouble."

Upon hearing Han Lu's words, Kong Du couldn't help but gasp.

"Thank you for saving me, senior." Kong Du did not doubt the truth of the matter, but was curious about who Han Lu, who had saved him, was. "May I ask how I should address you, senior? Since you saved me during the competition, you must be an elder of the sect?"

“Not bad,” Han Lu introduced herself simply, “I call myself True Phoenix Fairy.”

"Senior is the True Phoenix Fairy?" Kong Du's face lit up with joy, clearly indicating that he had heard of Han Lu's name long ago and was an admirer of hers.

"Huh? You've heard of my name?" Han Lu was slightly surprised. After all, she had been away from the Central Plains for almost twenty years. Among young cultivators like Kong Du, who were not even twenty years old, very few knew her name or her deeds.

Kong Du nodded in agreement.

After realizing that the beautiful female cultivator in front of him was the True Phoenix Fairy whom he had admired since childhood, his voice became much louder.

“My father was also a cultivator in the Zhengyi sect, and he heard your legendary stories when he first entered the sect.”

"When I was little, I loved listening to my father talk about Elder Zhenfeng's deeds. Like my father, I admired you very much."

Then, Kong Du recounted several stories he had heard with great enthusiasm.

These stories exaggerate and embellish Han Lu's life to some extent, but they are largely true.

Finally, Kong Du said regretfully, "It's a pity that I have an earth elemental root instead of a water elemental root, so I have no chance to cultivate at Dongshan Academy and become your disciple."

Suddenly, Kong Du felt a glimmer of hope. He looked at Han Lu with pleading eyes and said, "Elder Zhenfeng, could you please have some compassion and take me as your disciple?"

"I will definitely cultivate diligently under your tutelage and strive to advance to the Golden Core realm, so as to bring you glory."

Han Lu was somewhat perplexed by these words.

Regardless of Kong Du's cultivation level, she indeed did not intend to take on any more disciples, let alone one from another mountain academy.

However, Han Lu found it difficult to refuse a "fan's" request outright.

So she decided to find some reasonable excuses to refuse.

"My requirements for accepting disciples are very high," Han Lu stated, implying, "Moreover, I often do not cultivate within the sect for several years or even more than ten years. The resources and education that my disciples receive are far less than those who become disciples of other Golden Core cultivators."

"In that case, do you still wish to become my disciple?"

Kong Du said, "Of course, becoming your disciple has been my dream since I was eight years old. Now that I have the opportunity, of course I want to give it a try."

"Although I haven't become an inner disciple yet, that was due to some unexpected circumstances," Kong Du said confidently. "As long as your demands are too excessive, I will definitely be able to meet them."

Han Lu nodded slightly. Looking at Kong Du's appearance, she couldn't help but think of a good friend of hers.

"Alright, tell me first, what level of cultivation are you at now, how old are you, and how many years have you been cultivating in the sect?" Han Lu asked some common questions first, intending to nitpick later.

Kong Du replied coherently, "Replying to Elder Zhenfeng, I am currently nineteen years old, with a cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining, and I have been cultivating in the sect for three and a half years."

"Huh?" Kong Du's answer surprised Han Lu slightly. "You're only nineteen years old, yet you've already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. Why are you still cultivating in the outer sect?"

"Could it be that none of the elders at Zhongshan Academy think highly of your talent?"

Speaking of this, Kong Du felt somewhat ashamed and said, "This is probably because I have been in the sect for three years, but I have not been able to participate in even a small or large competition."

"Without results, you can't become that sharp dagger in your pocket and actively show your edge," Kong Du complained under his breath, quite frustrated. "I was planning to show off my skills in front of my fellow disciples during this competition, but who knew I would encounter such a strange thing again."

Kong Du was unable to participate in the previous two small competitions for various reasons.

After nearly three months of hard work preparing, disaster struck during a mission.

When he was under the control of illusion, he was so confused and dazed in his daily life that how could he possibly stand on the arena and fight three hundred rounds with someone?

Therefore, although Kong Du did have the strength to advance to the top 64 in this competition, he ultimately had no choice but to be a spectator in the stands.

"You're really unlucky," Han Lu shook her head, feeling sorry for Kong Du's fate. "Your talent is enough to make you my disciple, but I don't just look at talent and cultivation when I take on disciples."

Hearing Han Lu's words, Kong Du, who considered himself an unlucky guy, finally felt that he had a stroke of good luck.

Kong Du said, "Then please test me."

"Okay." Han Lu was actually considering taking on a disciple.

After saying that, Han Lu raised her hand again and cast an illusion.

Feeling dizzy, Kong Du shook his head and mumbled, "What an awful feeling."

Just as Lü Zhi and others experienced the illusionary test cast by Han Lu, Kong Du, who had only known Han Lu for a little over fifteen minutes, also enjoyed this special treatment.

Because it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, the illusion created by Han Lu was neither clever nor realistic.

But it was more than enough to fool a novice like Kong Du.

Ten breaths later, Kong Du woke up, still vividly remembering everything that had happened in the illusion, but he didn't know whether his response was in line with Han Lu's wishes or not.

With trepidation, Kong Du cautiously asked, "Elder Zhenfeng, what is my answer...?"

Han Lu laughed and said, "You've got it wrong. You should call me Master now."

Chapter 1095 Responding to the Secret Meeting Invitation

"Master, please accept my bow." Kong Du was overjoyed and reacted quickly, immediately performing a grand salute.

Han Lu smiled and sighed in front of Kong Du, "Life is truly unpredictable. If it weren't for your talent and character being exactly to my liking, I would never have accepted you today."

"Although you are my disciple and are considered under my name, Qiu Peng will be responsible for guiding your cultivation on a daily basis."

Upon hearing an unfamiliar name, Kong Du asked, "Master, who is Qiu Peng?"

"Qiu Peng is your senior brother. He is now at the late Foundation Establishment stage. He has inherited my true teachings and is quite skilled at teaching disciples," Han Lu never hesitated to praise Qiu Peng in front of others. "You will gain a lot from following him in your daily cultivation."

"As for the issue of Zhongshan Academy, I think it shouldn't be a problem for you to become my disciple in Zhongshan Academy as long as I ask."

When Han Lu decided to take on disciples within the sect a long time ago, she studied the many rules of the Zhengyi Sect regarding the matter of taking on disciples.

Even if Kong Du is a disciple of Zhongshan Academy, as long as he is still in the outer sect, he can join Han Lu's sect.

Although Kong Du didn't quite understand Han Lu's arrangement, he wouldn't blindly say "no" since he had just become Han Lu's disciple.

"I will follow Master's arrangements." Kong Du bowed gracefully, as if he had been a disciple of Han Lu for decades.

Having passed the test, Kong Du's performance was exactly as Han Lu had expected.

The decision to accept a disciple came as a complete surprise, so Han Lu naturally hadn't prepared any gifts.

Thinking simply and directly, Han Lu didn't care about Kong Du's surprised look and directly "wrapped up the red envelope" in front of him.

A moment later, a storage bag containing a full one hundred spirit stones and one hundred spirit-gathering pills was delivered to Kong Du.

"After you have been training under my tutelage for a while, I will prepare two more magical implements for you to use," Han Lu said, outlining her plan. "You will stay here with me for the next three days to rest and recuperate. I will also take this opportunity to guide your cultivation so that today's incident will not happen again."

Han Lu persisted in her claim that "Kong Du's cultivation was flawed." Kong Du, who didn't understand why he was in such a daze, didn't think much of it and simply blindly believed Han Lu's explanation, trusting her authority.

Han Lu stayed in Kongdu to protect the "witness".

She felt that she might be able to extract some important information from Kong Du.

"Yes, Master, I will definitely follow you and cultivate diligently these next few days." Kong Du was very excited and put the matter of watching the competition out of his mind.

Kong Du had planned to use his outstanding performance in this competition as a stepping stone to enter the inner circle.

Now, by a stroke of good fortune, although he missed the grand competition, he has become a disciple of Zhenfeng Xianzi of the Zhengyi Sect, whom he has admired since childhood.

At this moment, Kong Du was even happier than when he first entered the field and discovered his exceptional talent after his spiritual root was identified.

Seeing the smile on Kong Du's face, Han Lu also felt that she had done a good job.

Two paper swords were sent out.

In a letter containing a paper sword, she arranged for the only two servants in her household to help Kong Du prepare his lodgings.

The second letter was from Han Lu to Qingxu Daoist, reporting the situation and handing over the secondhand information she had obtained to this leader of the sect.

After the paper sword was issued, before Kong Du could fully settle down, Han Lu invited him to sit down, saying, "Bring me your cultivation technique, and I will explain it to you and give you some pointers."

Since she was going to put on an act, Han Lu didn't slack off at all and continued to cover up the truth and keep the secret in her own way.

Kong Du hurriedly took out the cultivation technique he had been practicing since he entered the sect from his storage bag, hoping that Han Lu would help him find the mistakes, fearing that the "self-destruction" would happen again.

Since the purpose is to answer questions and provide guidance, the main focus is on Kong Du asking questions and Han Lu answering.

Through a series of questions and answers, Han Lu discovered that although Kong Du did not have the potential to establish a school of thought like Qiu Peng, he had his own ideas about cultivation.

He has many interesting and useful ideas, and he is also very good at summarizing patterns and lessons learned.

Although there is no famous teacher to guide me, I rely solely on the daily morning and evening classes for guidance and practice.

However, if we're talking about flaws, Kong Du doesn't have many, in fact, very few.

"This is truly an unexpected bonus."

Noticing Kong Du's potential and independent thinking ability, Han Lu's initial concerns vanished.

"In this way, even if I am not here, as long as Qiu Peng is willing to check on Kong Du's cultivation from time to time, as long as he has sufficient resources, even if he is alone, Kong Du will definitely be able to achieve success in his cultivation."

"Even if I don't achieve the Golden Core stage, advancing to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage shouldn't be a problem."

With two disciples at the "Golden Core" level under her tutelage, Han Lu's horizons have broadened considerably.

In her view, Kong Du should at least advance to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage to live up to expectations and be worthy of the title "Disciple of Elder Zhenfeng".

In less than half an hour, Han Lu had a more accurate assessment of Kong Du's general abilities and potential through question and answer, and Han Lu also had a clearer plan on how to cultivate a disciple like Kong Du.

Personalized instruction is one of her strengths in teaching.

Due to an unexpected turn of events, Han Lu gained a disciple upon returning home, while Qingxu Daoist on the viewing platform was not as relaxed and at ease as Han Lu.

If something unexpected happens, he, as the sect leader, will not have time to sit idly by and wait for his doom.

Several elders were sent to the stands to stand guard in order to defuse any possible "self-destruction attacks" as soon as possible. At the same time, the sect's supreme elders were contacted to make various arrangements.

It wasn't until Qingxu Daoist received a message from Han Lu, learning that Kong Du had been subjected to illusions and had his mind controlled in Xuanxuan Village outside the sect, that he breathed a sigh of relief.

Based on the intelligence, Qingxu Daoist once again sent his disciples to the inner treasury to check which disciples had visited Xuanxuan Village in the past month, and to regard these disciples as "suspicious targets" in order to narrow down the target.

After spending a tense morning without any further incidents, and receiving the good news that nothing had happened at the Heavenly Bottle Thief Elder's place, Qingxu Daoist finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, the first day of the elimination rounds, which lasted for four and a half hours, came to an end.

Hong Tong is very strong and easily eliminated two opponents of the same level who were far inferior to him, thus advancing smoothly to the top 16.

Wen Erya's disciples also saw significant improvement in their skills after receiving special guidance from Han Lu.

Of the three disciples who advanced to the top 64, all but one also successfully advanced to the top 16.