The Long Journey to Immortality

However, she didn't immediately agree, but instead asked, "Senior sister, did you discover something while you were doing the divination?"

Wen Erya shook her head. "No, it's just a simple, baseless guess."

Han Lu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Perhaps the sect leader has also considered this possibility, but he just didn't mention it to me."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically chosen so many elders to be in charge of this matter, right?"

Wen Erya gave a soft "hmm," then rubbed her temples and said with a sigh, "I never imagined that the thousand-year calamity that the ancient cultivator once predicted would actually be this."

"Although knowing the truth makes me worried, upon closer reflection, it's much better than knowing nothing at all."

"Knowing what you're about to face allows you to try to resolve it."

Wen Erya always had a good attitude, and she quickly turned this difficult problem into an optimistic one.

Han Lu felt much relieved to see that Wen Erya was able to accept the matter so quickly.

After all, it was her small suggestion that led to Wen Er Ya being drawn into the matter prematurely.

"By the way, Senior Sister, you must not mention this to anyone else," Han Lu said, pointing to the name of a cultivator, "not even Xiao Ran."

Understanding why Han Lu hadn't told her about this earlier, Wen Erya also understood why she shouldn't tell others about it either.

After making repeated promises, Wen Er Ya made a vow, neither too big nor too small, promising to keep her mouth shut.

After seeing Wen Erya off, Han Lu gave Kong Du a few simple pointers before beginning her own cultivation.

Because of the grand competition and a series of trivial matters related to the Eastern Land, she hadn't been able to sit peacefully in the Spirit Gathering Array for some time to practice breathing exercises.

However, after only half a night of practice, Han Lu found herself unable to sit still.

It will take at least another six months to complete the drawing of the eleventh Dan pattern.

Improving her strength at its core wouldn't help her increase her chances of winning in her sparring match with Master Xinshan a month later.

Instead of sitting and cultivating, she should spend time honing her sword skills and practicing several sword formations more proficiently. Only then can she "exhale with pride" and extinguish the arrogance of the Hermit of Xinshan.

Han Lu didn't want to lose to this fellow elder who had taken the initiative to provoke her.

She wouldn't even accept a hard-won victory, let alone a loss.

We must win decisively and leave this arrogant Elder Xinshan speechless.

Because Han Lu has put "handcuffs" on herself to restrain herself, she is unable to use many moves that contain true spirit elements.

This allowed Han Lu to use some sword formations that she didn't usually employ in combat.

"Master Xinshan is also skilled in using spirit swords. If I can defeat him head-on with a spirit sword, then no matter how unruly he is, he should be convinced of my abilities." Han Lu directed and acted out a play in her mind, feeling that this should be considered a perfect ending.

Among the many sword formations, the "Four Phoenix Sword Formation" that he used when sparring with Xianyu Ji was not used due to the restrictions of the rules.

At this point, among the sword formations that Han Lu was skilled in, only the Starry Sky Sword Formation and the Nine Dragons Thunder Formation remained, which could broaden the horizons of the Hermit of Xinshan under specific rules.

"During this month, I will practice these two sword techniques more and see if I can improve them."

"Oh right, I can also ask my senior sister to be my sparring partner. She definitely won't refuse."

"Haoge can also help."

Thinking of this, Han Lu smiled and said, "If I heard that the sword formation was practiced to beat up Xinshan Jushi, I would be happy to help."

Under Han Lu's "rumors," Xinshan Jushi has become a "pervert" with lustful thoughts and audacity.

Wen Erya, Nian Haoge, and others shared a common hatred with Han Lu.

Han Lu was certain that as long as she was willing to ask, Wen Erya and Nian Haoge would definitely be willing to lend a helping hand.

On her own, Han Lu took the lead in demonstrating the Starry Sky Sword Formation in the huge training room.

Although the weather was bad that day, the stars were all hiding behind thick clouds.

But when Han Lu unleashed the sword formation, the stars responded to her with even greater intensity than before.

Faced with this unexpected situation, Han Lu was both delighted and puzzled.

I am delighted that this will surely increase the power of the sword formation considerably.

He was puzzled as to why he had achieved such an effect after not practicing this sword formation for many years.

"Could it be that my swordsmanship has reached an even higher level? Definitely not."

Han Lu asked herself a question and then answered it herself; she wasn't confident enough to be narcissistic.

"Why is that?"

Standing in the sword formation, looking at the stars above her head drawn by the spirit swords, Han Lu suddenly had a conjecture.

"Could it be..."

Chapter 1087

Han Lu has a very rich ability to make associations.

The idea that the formation is based on the power of the stars and uses a spirit sword to set up an array quickly reminded him of a skill he had only recently begun to explore that was also closely related to the stars.

"Could it be because I studied astrology under Senior Hao Cuixing that my Star Sword Formation was so powerful and advanced by leaps and bounds?"

This inference was reasonable and well-founded. In the absence of corroborating evidence, Han Lu assumed this conjecture to be true within a mere ten breaths.

Han Lu further deduced, "In other words, if I diligently cultivate the Heavenly Connection Technique and can truly communicate with the stars like Hao Cuixing and my senior sister, it will greatly benefit my ability to unleash the Star Sword Formation?"

Han Lu's long-standing "pain" stemmed from her failure to master astrology.

Although Han Lu tried to cultivate the Heavenly Technique several times during her last period in the wilderness, she failed each time.

This greatly dampened her enthusiasm for practicing this technique that allows her to communicate with the stars.

Later, when Yu Donghai taught this "art" to Wen Erya, Wen Erya's success somewhat rekindled her desire to continue trying.

Now that Han Lu is 90% certain that cultivating the "Heavenly Connection Technique" and communicating with the stars will assist her in cultivating the Star Sword Formation, her enthusiasm, which had been extinguished for about three or four years, has been rekindled.

"Let's give it a try," Han Lu said, waving her hand to dispel the sword formation. "The sword formation has been practiced for so many years, and it's impossible to improve much in just one month. Why not try a different approach and use the Heavenly Connection Technique as a starting point to strengthen communication and connection with the stars, thereby gaining new insights and new understandings?"

With just a few words and the "outstanding effect" she had witnessed when she used the sword formation, Han Lu easily convinced herself.

Leaving the training room, since her goal was to communicate with the stars and cultivate the Heavenly Connection Technique, Han Lu naturally wanted to find a place where she could look up and see the sky.

Arriving at her own waterside pavilion courtyard, Han Lu raised her hand and swept away all the dust on a piece of bluestone ground. She then took out an ordinary Dharma seat from her storage bag and placed it on the open ground.

After completing these two arrangements, she slowly sat on the throne and began to practice the "Heavenly Path Technique" she had learned many years ago, trying to have a good talk with the stars who were in "vacation mode" on this night when there were few stars for a month.

However, that evening, Han Lu, who was in high spirits, was still met with a cold shoulder.

Not a single star in the sky responded to her passion.

However, because this move could somewhat strengthen the Star Sword Formation, Han Lu did not get discouraged as easily as before.

Continue to cultivate diligently, even during the day.

Although the stars are not visible during the day, and only the sun is visible, Han Lu, after practicing with Hao Cuixing for a while, understands that the Star Sword Formation is just as effective as it is during the day. The reason why the stars are not visible is simply because the sun is too dazzling.

Han Lu's focus on cultivation made Kong Du, who had become somewhat arrogant after joining a "wealthy family," even more serious.

Even his master, who was only a little over a hundred years old but had already reached the late stage of the Golden Core realm, was so diligent, meditating and cultivating in the courtyard day and night. What reason did he have to be lazy or slack off?

With the help of a large number of pills provided by Han Lu.

Just ten days after becoming Han Lu's disciple, Kong Du successfully opened another acupoint, bringing his cultivation one step closer to the eighth level of Qi Refining.

With remarkable progress, Kong Du was filled with excitement and gained more confidence in realizing his ideal of cultivating truth. He also attributed 90% of the credit for his recent success to Han Lu.

On the eleventh day, Han Lu woke up from her cultivation and, in accordance with her previous agreement with Kong Du, sent him to the inner disciple residence prepared for him by Dongshan Academy.

Before parting ways, Han Lu naturally sent another gift.

Fifty spirit stones, some pills, and a magical artifact.

Compared to the first gift, it was a bit meager, but for Kong Du, a "second-generation immortal whose father wasn't very good," these things were already considered a great gift.

After giving a brief explanation and instructing Kong Du to seek guidance from Qiu Peng, Han Lu hurriedly returned home to continue "asking the heavens and observing the stars."

Despite her diligent cultivation, Han Lu, who had already reached the Golden Core stage, could not achieve the remarkable progress and inspiring results that Kong Du, who was still only a Qi Refining cultivator, had made in just a few days.

Perhaps it's because Han Lu lacks the opportunity in this regard, or perhaps it's because Han Lu simply doesn't meet the standards of the discerning stars.

Ultimately, during the twenty-seven days of practicing the "Heavenly Connection Technique," Han Lu still failed to take that crucial step.

Not a single star was willing to pay attention to Han Lu, and the path to practicing astrology using this method was not yet open to her.

However, the Star Sword Formation that Han Lu mastered did indeed improve as Han Lu had guessed, thanks to the help of practicing the Heavenly Connection Technique.

If we say that twenty-seven days ago, Han Lu's Star Sword Formation was only at the level of a top-tier Golden Core cultivator, then...

After talking to Xingchen for a full twenty-seven days, the Star Sword Formation that Han Lu inherited from the ancient cultivator Fang Lin had already vaguely acquired combat power comparable to a Golden Core Great Perfection cultivator.

However, to see how well it performs in practice, we still need to test it with a few whetstones.

Without hesitation, Han Lu sent a paper sword, seeking Nian Haoge's help.

These trivial matters, along with testing the sword formation inherited from Senior Fang Lin, made Han Lu feel that Nian Haoge, a disciple who practiced the Seven Kill Sword Technique, was a better sparring partner than Wen Erya.

Just as Han Lu had expected, Nian Haoge did not refuse and came to Han Lu's home almost immediately to serve as her sparring partner.

In the last three days before the duel, the master and disciple lived and practiced together for the first time in a long time.

Over three days, Han Lu and Nian Haoge fought a total of seven matches before finally stopping.

Needless to say, Han Lu won every time. The most important thing was that it gave Han Lu a deeper understanding and appreciation of the enhanced Star Sword Formation, making her more adept at using it in actual combat.

Having taken advantage of her apprentice, Han Lu certainly wouldn't forget to give him "a reward."

After generously teaching Nian Haoge the Heavenly Connection Technique and briefly explaining how it would help with the cultivation of the Star Sword Formation, Nian Haoge, accompanied by Han Lu, attempted to communicate with the stars for the first time using the Heavenly Connection Technique.

Like Nian Haoge, she didn't succeed even once, and Han Lu, as her mentor, had mixed feelings.

In addition to this technique, Han Lu also invited Nian Haoge to watch the battle.

"Opportunities for Golden Core cultivators to compete in swordsmanship are rare. You will come with me."

"By standing by and witnessing, you might gain some insights and experiences in the process."

Nian Haoge could not obtain what he desired.

[Author's Note] It was a bit laggy the day before, but it stopped lagging after I lowered the graphics and texture settings. The shooting mechanics are terrible.