The Long Journey to Immortality

"Is it because I can breathe in spiritual energy faster, allowing it to repeatedly wash away the thin membrane covering my body, thus causing the medicinal effects of the pill to dissipate more quickly?"

Han Lu felt that the Turtle Breath Pill, as the source of that thin film, might be the truth behind the situation.

Slightly regrettable, Han Lu increased the cost of cultivating this secret technique by another 30%.

"Fortunately, we managed to seize 50% of the resources in the Dragon and Phoenix Treasury."

"Otherwise, even I would feel the pain of practicing in this way."

Chapter 1145

After another half day of cultivation, having fully utilized the effects of the Turtle Breathing Pill, Han Lu ended this brief period of cultivation.

She did not make any further calculations after her spiritual practice, such as estimating her lifespan or calculating what progress she had made.

Spiritual practice is just like investing.

It's more important to find a great track to run on than to worry about short-term gains and losses.

A day later, Mo Zhehan came to see Han Lu.

When they said goodbye, the two didn't say much.

The two had already said enough during their journey to the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Vault.

After a brief farewell, Mo Zhehan ended with a small joke.

"I hope that when I come to the Central Plains again next time, I will be able to see the Supreme Elder, Fairy Zhenfeng."

Mo Zhehan had a somewhat reckless attitude, only wanting Han Lu to advance to the Nascent Soul Realm as soon as possible, so as to completely extinguish his hopes.

Han Lu ignored this part and simply took Mo Zhehan's words as a blessing between friends.

"If you return to the Central Plains in thirty or forty years, you should be able to see it." Han Lu was full of confidence in advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm within fifty years.

After escorting Han Lu for a short distance, Mo Zhehan bid her a proper farewell and flew alone toward the teleportation portal.

This parting may truly be just as the two joked, that they will not meet again for thirty or forty years.

After bidding farewell to Mo Zhehan and figuring out that he should have already returned to the Dayu Dynasty through the portal, Han Lu sent out her paper sword to report the results of her trip to Xianyu Ji.

Han Lu did not discuss the specific distribution of the spoils with Xianyu Ji.

Although a 50/50 split was in accordance with the rules, she decided to wait until Mo Zhehan left the Central Plains and the matter was already settled before reporting the final outcome to Xianyu Ji, the current leader of the Zhengyi Sect.

In the paper sword, Han Lu only briefly explained the general situation, which was more like "squeaking".

The main purpose was to wait for Xianyu Ji's invitation to discuss the matter in person.

Xianyu Ji easily understood Han Lu's subtext and took the initiative to invite her, so there was no need for Han Lu, the sect elder who had helped the sect earn a lot of profits, to wait outside his door.

At the agreed time, Han Lu met the busy man in Xianyu Ji's office without having to wait long.

Compared to their last meeting, Xianyu Ji seemed more "tired" to Han Lu this time.

Of course, a Golden Core cultivator is not only tired from handling official duties; this is more of a psychological state that is reflected outwardly, manifesting in their facial appearance.

"What's wrong?" Han Lu asked with concern, "Are you worried about things in the East China Sea?"

Xianyu Ji knew that the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Vault was in the East Sea, and that Han Lu had just returned from the East Sea. It was not surprising that Han Lu knew about the Dragon Clan's "Reclaim Lost Territory Movement" to the west.

“Hmm,” Xianyu Ji shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, “I was just worrying about this matter when many merchant houses in the East China Sea sent a joint letter hoping that we could promise to protect them and provide them with shelter, so as to prevent the True Spirit Beasts in the East China Sea from taking advantage of us.”

"However, even as the sect leader, I cannot have absolute authority in the face of such a major event."

"I imagine that the Valley Master of Xuan Yang Valley has also received a similar letter of distress and is probably troubled by this matter as well."

Xianyu Ji's trust in Han Lu was no less than that of the previous three sect leaders.

“Han Lu,” Xianyu Ji asked for Han Lu’s advice, “You are familiar with the Pavilion Master of the Immortal Pavilion and are good friends with the young master of the Immortal Pavilion. You know the situation in the East Sea like the back of your hand, but you have a general idea of ​​it.”

"If you were in my position, how would you act?"

Upon hearing Xianyu Ji's plea for help, Han Lu did not immediately launch into a long explanation, but instead directly presented a series of conclusions she and Mo Zhehan had reached during their journey home.

She feigned seriousness, pondered for a full ten breaths, and then answered the question as if she had given it considerable thought.

"If it were me, I would first try to understand the matter more deeply from multiple perspectives, and I might even take the initiative to send sect elders to negotiate privately with the East Sea Dragon Clan."

"After figuring out what the dragons are thinking, we will reply to the letters of appeal sent by the East Sea Chamber of Commerce."

"No matter what the intelligence we obtain is like," Han Lu concluded, "we must help with this, but we must collect a protection fee."

"If the Dragon Clan cannot make a commitment to us, we will issue a public statement condemning the Dragon Clan east of the East Sea, and offering support to the human forces represented by the East Sea Chamber of Commerce, while..."

"Collect another large sum of protection money."

Xianyu Ji inquired about another scenario, "What if the dragons are afraid of us, or don't want to go any further at all? Would we then secretly promise them another small sum of money?"

Han Lu nodded in agreement, “That’s right. This way, the prestige and strength of the Zhengyi Sect will not be damaged, and we can earn a sum of spirit stones with a clear conscience.”

Han Lu is an upright cultivator from the Central Plains in terms of morality. She may use schemes and tricks, but she would never rack her brains to engage in infighting on matters of principle.

The same applies to the cultivators of the Zhengyi Sect, including Xianyu Ji himself.

That's why she gave that advice.

If the Extreme Heaven Palace were to encounter this matter, she couldn't say for sure what the fate of the East Sea would be, but it would most likely suffer a huge loss and be ruthlessly fleeced.

Han Lu's suggestion coincided with Xianyu Ji's initial plan in some respects. After listening to it, he naturally nodded repeatedly, feeling that he could give it a try.

After inquiring about some possible exclusive information from Han Lu and chatting for a while, Xianyu Ji finally brought up the matter of the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Vault.

Aside from omitting the small detail about her kiss with Mo Zhehan, Han Lu recounted the entire story of the trip almost entirely truthfully.

When Xianyu Ji heard that Han Lu had obtained so many resources and cultivation manuals from the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Vault, his eyes lit up.

Although he was well aware that these things were Han Lu's opportunity and her property, he also knew that Han Lu would definitely honor the agreement and trade a portion of them with the sect at a suitable price.

If the deal is large enough, then it can be considered one of his achievements during his tenure.

Although Han Lu and Xianyu Ji were having a rather formal discussion at this time, focusing on business, this matter had been prepared in advance. The two, who were relatively familiar with each other, quickly drafted a process and set a strategy.

"This matter will be handled by the Seven Flower Fairy. I hope the outcome will be a happy one and a win-win situation." Xianyu Ji felt he had offered a good deal.

Han Lu joked, "It's a win-win situation for Zhengyimen, winning twice."

As a member of the Zhengyi Sect, and an important one at that, Han Lu was right.

Before parting, Xianyu Ji gave Han Lu another task.

"The research and development of magical artifacts led by the Qingxu Sect Master has made some progress, and now we need an elder at the Golden Core stage to assist us."

"Han Lu, how about I leave this matter to you?"

Chapter 1146

The advantage of having the previous sect leader choose the new sect leader of the Zhengyi Sect became apparent at this time.

Many large-scale projects that take decades or even centuries to complete can be successfully continued and remain consistent to the end.

The new sect leader and the old sect leader are in a "successor" relationship, not a "competitor" relationship.

The two generations of sect leaders did not oppose for the sake of opposing.

This is one of the reasons why the Zhengyi Sect has been able to maintain long-term stability and prosperity.

Han Lu knew about this, but she was somewhat surprised that it had only taken twenty or thirty years to achieve initial results.

"I will help," Han Lu promised first, accepting the task before bringing up other matters.

“I remember,” Han Lu recalled the general situation she knew, “Qingxu Daoist was hoping to develop a magic weapon that could be operated and used by three to four Foundation Establishment cultivators at the same time. This magic weapon should have the ability to help a combat team of three to four people to fight against Golden Core cultivators.”

"At the time, this seemed like a fantasy to me."

"I never expected that results would be achieved in less than fifty years?"

Based on her own judgment, Han Lu did not believe that the so-called achievement could reach the level envisioned by Qingxu Daoren.

Xianyu Ji replied, “Indeed, it is a difficult and arduous task. There are countless problems to overcome. We would be grateful if we could produce a prototype of that magic weapon within a hundred years.”

"It will probably take two or three hundred years to complete it completely."

"Right now, the magical artifacts we've developed are just the very beginning of a prototype..." Xianyu Ji found a suitable word to describe it, "It's like the difference between an infant and an adult."

Han Lu smiled and said, "Although they are young and weak, they have potential."

“That’s right,” Xianyu Ji nodded in agreement with Han Lu’s assessment. “Therefore, in order to verify whether the current research and development direction is correct, the sect weapon refiners responsible for developing magical artifacts have asked me to help arrange for a Golden Core elder to help test the magical artifacts.”

"I think you are very powerful and a true spirit, so you are just right to take on this important task."

"It will only take up half a month of your time at most, and going every few days will be enough."

Xianyu Ji's view of Han Lu was no different from that of the previous sect leaders. It was only because he was more familiar with Han Lu and had a closer relationship with her that he entrusted her with some important tasks.

The principle that Xianyu Ji, Qingxu Daoist, and Xuanchengzi applied as "Elder Zhenfeng" was to allow Han Lu to contribute to the sect as much as possible without spending too much energy on trivial matters outside of cultivation.

“That would be best,” Han Lu said, happy to help the sect with some important tasks that didn’t require too much effort. “How should I begin? Where are those sect cultivators who are responsible for developing magical artifacts?”

“Those three cultivators are currently researching magical artifacts in a secret chamber beneath the Five Elements Mountain Academy,” Xianyu Ji handed a jade tablet to Han Lu. “They are protected by numerous restrictions and formations. You just need to follow the instructions on the jade tablet to find them easily.”

"As for how to cooperate specifically, you'll just have to follow their arrangements," Xianyu Ji joked. "Han Lu, you shouldn't mind being directed by a few Foundation Establishment cultivators for a few days for official business, right?"

Xianyu Ji knew the answer.

“Of course I don’t mind,” Han Lu said, taking the jade token. “I will do my best to cooperate, help test the magic weapon, and make this work progress as quickly as possible.”

Unlike some Golden Core cultivators, Han Lu did not have a strong sense of hierarchy and was willing to befriend disciples and colleagues in the sect whose cultivation was inferior to hers.

This is also one of the reasons why Xianyu Ji arranged for Han Lu to handle this matter.

Having learned how to get to the secret room, Han Lu bid farewell to Xianyu Ji and strolled there leisurely.

The five major courtyards of Zhengyi Gate, built on high mountains, all possess magnificent underground architectural complexes.

While not as extreme as hollowing out the mountain, it still provided enough space for the high-ranking cultivators of each mountain academy to conduct some private and secret matters.

These buildings are hidden inside the mountains and protected by numerous restrictions and formations. Only a few cultivators know the location of the entrance.

Like Han Lu, all she knew was how to enter the secret chambers of Dongshan Academy.

Without Xianyu Ji's guidance, even if she searched the Five Elements Mountain Academy for three days with her divine sense, she might not be able to show up and fulfill her promise.

Following the map on the jade tablet, Han Lu strolled for a hundred breaths before finding an ordinary-looking room in the Five Elements Mountain Courtyard.