The Long Journey to Immortality

Wen Erya's match was scheduled for one of the last few matches. When she saw Han Lu arrive, she asked with concern, "Han Lu, are you done? You won, right?"

"Yeah, I ran into a not-so-great opponent, and I took him down in two moves." Han Lu said this without any hint of boasting.

"Junior sister is indeed amazing," Wen Erya said, pulling Han Lu along and pointing to the arena. "Top 32, why don't you teach me a couple more moves here?"

Compared to Han Lu, Wen Erya lacked confidence after watching a few matches. Naturally, she hoped that Han Lu, her junior sister who had always helped her, could give her some more guidance and a temporary intensive course.

Han Lu didn't offer any pointers or instruction, but simply said, "I'll watch the competition and chat with my senior sister. By the way, senior sister, when is it your turn to go on stage?"

Wen Erya said, "The third to last match is still a while away."

So the two of them sat together in the audience below the stage, chatting and discussing the cultivators fighting on the sixth arena.

As the saying goes, an outsider's perspective is often clearer. While watching the match from the sidelines, Wen Erya gleaned just as much from Han Lu's words as she had from her previous sparring matches with her partner.

Han Lu didn't hold back either, and in line with the theme of winning the competition, she shared her unique understanding of combat techniques.

Last-minute cramming can be somewhat effective.

When it was Wen Erya's turn to step onto the stage, although she had forgotten most of the knowledge Han Lu had just imparted, she still remembered some of the fighting techniques for Qi Refining cultivators.

Facing an opponent from the same Dongshan Academy, Wen Erya still made use of his expertise as "Daoist Duobao" and used the Hundred Treasures Control Technique to defeat his enemy by relying on the many magical items in his storage bag.

Compared to other Qi Refining cultivators, Wen Erya's battles with others were much more entertaining.

The magical artifacts possessed a myriad of strange and wonderful powers. Several different artifacts were used in turn, drawing the attention of many people to the sixth arena.

The audience enjoyed the show, but the gentle and refined opponent on stage was extremely frustrated.

He unleashed several magical artifacts, but was overwhelmed by the sheer number of attacks. Forced to cope, he managed to hold out for ten rounds before being sent flying by the Soul-Locking and Suppressing Tower, which was using a "physical attack." The Ink Beast caught him in mid-air and carried him to the edge of the arena's barrier, whereupon the referee declared him the loser.

Wen Erya was already quite familiar with the use of these magical tools at her disposal.

After watching these twenty-odd matches, Han Lu felt that Wen Er Ya would have no problem making it into the top eight just by relying on these magical items.

Upon seeing this, Han Lu suddenly felt resentment towards Xiaoyaozi.

"If Xiaoyaozi had left a few more suitable magical artifacts in his cave, I might be able to compete with mediocre cultivators at the seventh or even eighth level of Qi Refining now."

While the grand competition of the Zhengyi Sect was in full swing, in a secluded place in the Five Elements Mountain Academy, two Foundation Establishment cultivators who were unable to go to the venue to watch the competition chatted while carrying out symbolic guard duties.

The two chatted idly, speculating about what secret treasures were hidden in the heavily guarded secret room, and wondering if their familiar junior brothers could make further progress in the competition.

With their shallow cultivation levels, they were completely unaware that a mysterious figure had infiltrated the Zhengyi Sect and was secretly watching them from the shadows.

[Author's Note] Let me write my thoughts on the book's release here.

To be precise, this is the fourth book written by Laishuke. Due to personal limitations, subject matter, and other reasons, this book may not achieve the same level of success as "Live Streaming Genius". Therefore, the goal of writing this book will be more realistic.

I hope to resolve the existing plot points and update at least 4000 words daily, completing this book without stopping, just like my previous books.

I hope that readers who like this book or simply like me will give it some support, which will motivate me to create more.

Four updates today, totaling 4 words.

Chapter 99: Stealing a Treasure

“Senior Brother Duan, the task Master assigned us is really good,” one of the two guarding the secret chamber pointed to the secret chamber behind him and said, “I really can’t imagine who would be so audacious as to steal things from the Zhengyi Sect.”

“That’s right, I got this job from Master,” said Senior Brother Duan. “Junior Brother Ruan, it’s because I remembered you were a few contribution points short of exchanging for your desired secret technique. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought you along. I would have had Junior Sister come with me. It would be more interesting for her to stand guard here.”

"Our Foundation Establishment cultivators' competition is in two days. Now that you've earned contribution points, don't slack off. Quickly cultivate that secret technique to a minor level of mastery, so as not to embarrass your master."

"Then I must thank you again, Senior Brother. Don't worry, once I master the secret technique of transforming spiritual energy into wings, I will definitely achieve good results in the competition." After making such a boast, Junior Brother Ruan felt a little uneasy, so he added, "At least I won't embarrass Master."

"By the way, Senior Brother Duan, how's it going with you and Junior Sister? Any progress?" Junior Brother Ruan asked with concern.

Senior Brother Duan shook his head helplessly, looked into the distance with a melancholy expression, and said, "If there were any progress, this good thing wouldn't be for you. Junior Sister has fallen for Junior Brother Shen, who just entered the sect. That kid has a handsome face, and he's probably going to ruin my life's happiness..."

Halfway through his sentence, Senior Brother Duan suddenly noticed something amiss in the direction he was looking. "Hey? Junior Brother Ruan, look, isn't the light over there a bit messy?"

Junior Brother Ruan looked in the direction Senior Brother Duan was looking. "Indeed, there's something twisted under the shade of the tree, with a strange feel to it. Is there some kind of restriction set up there to prevent thieves?"

The secret chamber, which the two symbolically guarded, was heavily protected by numerous restrictions. It wouldn't be surprising if there were a few more restrictions, similar to "hidden sentries," not far outside the chamber.

Feeling bored standing there, Senior Brother Duan said, "Why don't I go take a look?"

But no sooner had he finished speaking than something unexpected happened to them.

A thunderous sound rang out from the chaotic light and shadow, and before the two could react, they collapsed to the ground, falling into a coma.

Immediately afterwards, a figure shrouded in black mist appeared, leaping over twenty meters in a single step to arrive in front of the secret chamber.

The mysterious man muttered to himself, "Sigh, I told the Palace Master a long time ago not to send me on these petty thieving missions. Sure enough, after not using it for so long, these two Foundation Establishment juniors actually saw through my stealth spell."

He looked down at the two men lying on the ground and said, "You two are lucky. Otherwise, if I wasn't worried about you being protected by protective spells that would expose my whereabouts, I would have killed you both to prevent what happened earlier from getting out and ruining my reputation."

After saying that, he raised his hand again and cast a spell.

A small magic circle appeared on the foreheads of the two cultivators lying on the ground.

The mysterious man temporarily imprisoned their souls to prevent them from suddenly waking up and ruining his grand plan.

With his worries gone, the mysterious man turned his attention to the restriction he had been secretly observing and studying.

After standing in front of the secret room for a long time, the mysterious man muttered to himself.

"This thing is not difficult to break, but it is mostly connected to the mind of the person who set it up. It will take some effort to sneak in silently."

After speaking, the mysterious man took out a porcelain bottle from his storage bag and poured all the potion inside onto the door of the secret chamber.

The magic circle pattern radiating light from the stone gate's upper courtyard dimmed slightly, and faint white smoke emanated from the point where the medicinal liquid came into contact with the magic circle.

The mysterious man was clearly a master of formations.

That wasn't all. After the medicinal liquid weakened the power of the magic array slightly, he took out a brush made of the downy hair of an unknown spirit beast and a small black gold bowl containing an unknown silver powder from his storage bag.

The mysterious man dipped a pen into a bowl of silver powder and began to carefully draw on the magic circle on the stone gate.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the mysterious man added a few strokes to the magic circle before muttering to himself, "This way, we can create the illusion that the magic circle has not been destroyed, and deceive the person who set it up through disguise."

After speaking, the mysterious man collected several props and quickly set up three barriers outside the secret room to prevent soul probing.

Everything was ready except for the final touch. Having thoroughly explored the magic array, he casually unleashed several bursts of spiritual energy, attacking several vital points at the entrance to the secret chamber.

With proper casting, the magic circle on the door of the secret chamber turned dark and lost its light.

Seeing this, the mysterious man chuckled and raised his hand again, using his skill in manipulating artifacts to lift the heavy door of the secret chamber, which weighed several thousand pounds.

The secret room was dark and gloomy; even with the door open, not a single ray of light could penetrate it.

Clearly, in addition to this stone door, there are also restrictions at the entrance to the secret chamber.

This was within the mysterious man's expectations. He did not believe that the sect's most precious treasure, belonging to the Zhengyi Sect, the second-largest sect in the Central Plains, was protected by only a single restriction.

The secret room was pitch black, but to the mysterious person with profound magical power, it was no different from a bright room.

Even before entering, he could easily spot the small white porcelain bottle, no bigger than an adult's palm, displayed on the central shelf of the secret room.

"Is this the Heaven-Stealing Bottle?"

Seeing such a treasure right before his eyes, even a cultivator of such high cultivation level who had seen many storms couldn't help but get excited.

Looking into the pitch-black secret room, the mysterious man pondered for a long time, unable to think of a way to break the restriction that he could not see at all.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and the mysterious man, as if he had made a great decision, finally released one of the spirit beasts from the spirit beast bag.

A beam of light dissipated, revealing only a small insect that looked about seven-tenths like a mosquito beside the mysterious man.

"Go, give it a try."

The mysterious man pointed to the darkness before him, then made several hand seals, temporarily linking his mind with the small insect.

The spirit insect flew forward a few meters and successfully entered the secret chamber without triggering any restrictions.

The mysterious man breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the insect had successfully passed through the barrier.

Just as he was about to investigate the secret chamber to find a way to break the final barrier at the entrance, he suddenly sensed a murderous intent. He quickly snapped back to reality and instinctively cast a defensive spell.

Sure enough, a spirit sword attacked from the horizon with fierce force. Fortunately, the mysterious man reacted quickly, otherwise he would have been killed in one move.

A cultivator dressed in a green robe appeared outside the secret chamber, his expression not very pleasant. "Which fellow Daoist has come to visit my Zhengyi Sect? A dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, why not use the main gate and instead engage in such despicable acts of petty theft?"

Immediately afterwards, the green-robed cultivator released a burst of spiritual energy, activating the array in the secret chamber. The restriction that had just been broken by the mysterious person took effect again, and the heavy stone door closed once more.

Upon seeing the uninvited guest, the mysterious man knew that his trip had been exposed and his plan to steal the Zhengyi Sect's most precious treasure had completely failed.

Ignoring the need to recall the spirit pet he had painstakingly found, the mysterious man turned to the green-robed cultivator and asked, "May I ask which Supreme Elder of the Zhengyi Sect you are, and where did I go wrong on this trip?"

"Qingyang," the green-robed cultivator introduced himself, "you cowardly thief, you came here to steal things without even asking around properly, you don't even know which day of the month our Zhengyi Sect uses this Stealing Heaven Bottle to make potions."

"Luckily, I'm the one handling this troublesome matter this month. If it were Yunmin or Wuhu, those younger ones, I'm afraid you, you scoundrel, would have succeeded."

“I see, it was my oversight,” the mysterious man said, feigning distress. He dispersed the black mist around him, bowed, and said, “I am Wang Han Jushi from the Jitian Palace. I apologize to Fellow Daoist Qingyang.”

“The Heavenly Palace? I think I’ve heard of that place,” said cultivator Qingyang. “However, no matter where you’re from, this isn’t something that can be resolved with a simple ‘sorry.’ You dare to covet the treasure of my Zhengyi Sect, you’ve got some nerve. You’d better stay here obediently.”

[Author's Note] 6000 words on the second day after release (no more bursts of words after that).

Chapter 100 The Tacit Understanding Among Nascent Soul Cultivators: If You Can't Win, Join Forces

Although Qingyang kept saying he wanted to keep Wang Han Jushi in the Zhengyi Sect, in reality he couldn't wait for Wang Han Jushi to escape so he could have a chase with him and they could settle their score once they were out of the Zhengyi Sect's territory.

The Zhengyi Sect is currently holding a grand competition. If a battle between Nascent Soul cultivators were to break out in front of the Five Elements Mountain Academy, it could very likely affect the competition venue.

Although there are many Golden Core cultivators in the venue, who can provide some protection for the lower-level disciples, there will always be oversights.

Even if he captures the opponent, the lower-level elite disciples within the sect will be caught in the crossfire, which is still a loss for the Zhengyi Sect.

Although he had been in seclusion for a while, Venerable Qingyang, as the Supreme Elder of the Zhengyi Sect, was aware of the matter of the ancient cultivation secret realm.

Venerable Qingyang did not want any unexpected situations to occur, causing these promising newcomers who might enter the ancient cultivation secret realm in two years to perish prematurely in this pointless place.

With the immediate goal of driving away the Hermit of Delusional Cold, Venerable Qingyang, whose cultivation was one level higher than the Hermit of Delusional Cold, launched the first attack.

Twelve spirit swords of the spirit weapon level flew out of Venerable Qingyang's storage bag, formed two simple sword formations in the air, and then approached Layman Wanghan not far away.

The quality of Venerable Qingyang's spiritual sword is a thousand times better than that of a Qi Refining cultivator's spiritual sword, and his skill in controlling weapons is ten thousand times greater than that of an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator.

Within a distance of only thirty meters, and in less than half a breath, all twelve spirit swords arrived.

Upon seeing this, Layman Wanghan's expression changed slightly, and he quickly waved his sleeves twice in response.

The robe worn by the recluse of Wanghan was equally extraordinary.