The Long Journey to Immortality

The newly discovered spirit stone mine naturally fell into the hands of the Han family.

The other two companies agreed that the company was the biggest winner at this meeting.

The main focus of the competition among the three parties is still on resources such as cultivation sites.

After all, a medicinal herb garden requires a long period of management.

None of the three families would consider moving their locations voluntarily, thus affecting the "harvest" of various spiritual plants.

Although the arrogant Taoist had made some outrageous remarks before the meeting, neither the Han family nor the Lu family were as determined to eliminate the Qian family, which ranked third, as the meeting itself.

The Han family remained calm and collected, with the few cultivators only speaking occasionally.

The Lu family's repeated attacks were simply to ensure that the number and quality of the resources they acquired were worthy of their second-place position.

While everyone spoke politely, they were extremely calculating when it came to their own interests.

After about 45 minutes, the three parties reached a consensus based on the tone established by their debate and finalized a plan for the allocation of resources over the next century.

In addition to acquiring a new spirit stone mine, the Han family also exchanged a previously unremarkable cultivation site for Weiyang Lake, which was controlled by the Qian family.

The results show that there was no significant change in quantity, but there was an improvement in quality.

Even Han Lu, who wasn't very clear about the situation within the clan, could only say "satisfied" with this result.

Although the Lu family did not receive the same preferential treatment as the Qian family among the three families, they still gained a lot of new benefits, ranking second.

Not only could they get a share of the Qian family's medicinal herb garden, obtaining an area for cultivating spiritual plants, but they also successfully acquired "shares" in the Qian family's spiritual mine.

You can get a portion of the spirit stones by contributing money and effort.

This was a timely help for the Lu family, who were facing a major problem of reduced spirit stone production.

As for the Qian family, who suffered considerable losses, they didn't have many complaints.

They were treated much better than the third-ranked family in the past. It was a stroke of luck that they were able to preserve so many benefits after losing the battle.

There's nothing I can do; I brought this on myself and can only swallow my anger.

It was a somewhat happy ending, with the three families signing an agreement, marking the successful conclusion of this once-in-a-century gathering.

There was a banquet after the meeting, but before the banquet, Han Lu accepted the invitation of Master Kongkong to accompany him to the arena to practice a few moves.

In this duel, only Xuanfeng Daoist was watching from the sidelines.

The two fought fiercely for nearly a quarter of an hour. On the arena, the Empty Hermit used all his skills, but he couldn't even force Han Lu to use one-tenth of her abilities, let alone unleash any true spiritual techniques.

Having exhausted half of his spiritual power, the recluse Kongkong took the initiative to end this sparring match, which was not as interesting as he had imagined.

Xuanfeng Daoist took the initiative to comfort him and told Kongkong Jushi about his sparring with Han Lu back then.

The previously depressed Hermit Kongkong felt much more relaxed and regained his original intention to spar with Han Lu.

He even said with relief, "It's fortunate that I was able to meet Fairy Zhenfeng at this time. Otherwise, if I were to meet Fairy Zhenfeng a hundred years later, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have the chance to spar with her."

The implied meaning of the recluse of emptiness was that Han Lu might successfully advance to the Nascent Soul realm a hundred years later.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Zhenfeng," Xuanfeng Daoist asked cautiously, "I suppose you're not far from reaching the Nascent Soul Realm."

Xuanfeng Daoist witnessed Han Lu's rapid cultivation speed.

In his view, Han Lu's advancement to the Nascent Soul Realm before the age of two hundred was a foregone conclusion.

Han Lu answered lightly, using a metaphor, "It's like the sunlight has already pierced through the gap between my eyelids and entered my eye sockets, but I'm too tired to open my eyes yet."

"It will probably take some more time to gather enough strength to take that crucial step."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Xuanfeng was overjoyed.

Although Han Lu was practicing at the Zhengyi Sect.

However, as long as a Nascent Soul cultivator emerges from a family, they can bring endless benefits no matter where they are.

At the banquet, the three cultivators were friendly but maintained a certain distance from each other.

Although this banquet was much more lavish than the one Han Lu had enjoyed with her disciples and friends a few days ago, it lacked a certain something.

In less than half a day, the Han family returned to their own territory aboard Xuanfeng Daoist's ark.

Bringing back good news will undoubtedly become a topic of conversation among the Han family cultivators for some time to come.

Because she was in a hurry to take Han Yinshuang back to the Zhengyi Sect to participate in the competition, Han Lu did not stay at the Han family for long.

Before leaving, when bidding farewell to the clan leader and elders, the three of them presented Han Lu with a storage bag.

"Please accept this small token of respect, Fairy Zhenfeng," Han Nian said respectfully.

The storage bag contained some supplies, which was a way for the Han family to express their attitude towards Han Lu.

Han Lu did not refuse and readily accepted the storage bag.

However, as soon as they returned and boarded the ark, Han Lu handed the storage bag to Han Yinshuang.

Han Yinshuang declined repeatedly, but Han Lu said, "You deserve a lot of credit for this trip. If you hadn't informed me about this, the Han family wouldn't have been able to obtain so many benefits."

"You deserve this token of gratitude."

"These things can only play their proper role when they are in your hands."

Han Yinshuang understood what Han Lu meant.

Seeing that Han Lu was determined to do so, she no longer stood on ceremony and generously accepted the materials. She was thinking about how to use these resources so that she, who was already close to the Pseudo-Core Realm, could smoothly form a high-grade Golden Core.

In the competition a few days later, Han Lu and Wen Erya's disciples all performed well and achieved good results.

After the competition, Han Lu focused most of her energy on her own cultivation, except for spending more time on Lü Feiyan.

Aiming for the Nascent Soul Realm, Han Lu aspires to take that crucial step within thirty years.

[Author's Note] It's sped up.

Chapter 1169

Twenty-seven years is a small part of a mortal's life, an entire cultivation life for a Qi Refining cultivator, the time required for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to advance to a minor realm, and the time for a Golden Core cultivator to complete a long period of seclusion.

For Han Lu, who possesses the Golden Core cultivation level, the True Spirit Bloodline, and a lifespan of at least three or four thousand years, it was just a blink of an eye.

Although countless events, both big and small, occurred during those twenty-seven years, they did not affect Han Lu's cultivation.

They relied on elixirs, spiritual plants, and a large amount of resources.

Han Lu's cultivation progress in the late stage of the Golden Core realm was much faster than she had imagined.

The process of helping a woman awaken her inner energy is like a pregnant woman becoming pregnant.

The only difference might be that even cultivators who nurture their Golden Core don't know how many years it will take to complete this enormous task.

Pregnant women, however, know that they can give birth to a child after ten months of pregnancy.

Han Lu's cultivation is like a pregnant woman taking all sorts of supplements during her pregnancy.

Most of the supplements that pregnant women take may be useless, but the many pills and spiritual plants that Han Lu took based on the principles of cultivation and the experience summarized by her predecessors were all very useful and greatly beneficial to her daily cultivation.

Otherwise, even Han Lu would not have been able to sense the changes inside and outside the golden core in her dantian and perceive the power of heaven and earth in the darkness within just twenty-seven years.

Han Lu clearly understood that feeling of being able to attract "sunlight" simply by opening her eyes; that was the heavenly tribulation beckoning to her, a Golden Core cultivator with considerable cultivation.

Whenever she opens her eyes, the sunlight stings her still-childish eyes.

If she can endure it and face the blinding sunlight, she will see a new world, a new world that only Nascent Soul cultivators can see and feel.

This feeling is very tempting.

At this moment, Han Lu finally understood why many cultivators at the late-stage of the Golden Core realm, who were skilled in cultivation but lacked strength, would choose to challenge the Heavenly Tribulation, which was almost impossible for them to overcome.

"This is a kind of instinctive temptation that lies dormant within a cultivator."

In her heart, Han Lu used a more direct and vulgar metaphor to describe this feeling, a temptation that Wen Erya, Yi Qiyan, and Qiu Peng could not resist.

Reaching the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Realm is not only a joyous occasion for Han Lu, but also for Xianyu Ji, who has been sitting in the position of the Sect Master of the Zhengyi Sect for forty years.

The fact that an elder broke through to the Golden Core realm during his term of office can be considered a great achievement for the sect leader.

Xianyu Ji was unlucky; apart from Shi Xinshan Jushi, who had just become the sect leader, attempting to transcend the tribulation, no other elder had tried.

This time, Han Lu is about to undergo a tribulation, and Xianyu Ji will naturally not treat Han Lu, an acquaintance, unfairly.

He only hoped that Han Lu would successfully overcome her tribulation, so that double happiness could come to his door, bringing a perfect end to his soon-to-be-completed tenure as a sect leader.

Han Lu didn't have much experience with tribulations; she had only been a spectator a few times and had witnessed the spectacular scene of a Nascent Soul cultivator undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation of the Divine Transformation Realm in the Moon Pearl.

Han Lu still remembered the array formations she had witnessed when she observed the ceremony in the Moon Pearl. During her twenty-seven years of cultivation in the late Golden Core stage, she had also sought out array masters to help restore and modify them.

Although the revised array is far inferior to the array set up by Senior Wang Han when he underwent his tribulation, it is sufficient for Han Lu, a cultivator with deep karmic connections, to undergo her tribulation.

That array formation had been drawn into array flags and stored in Han Lu's storage bag.

The Immortal Pavilion contributed significantly to this effort. Including the cost of hiring help and crafting the array flags, Han Lu spent a total of 15,000 spirit stones to prepare everything.

Han Lu plans to keep this set of battle flags, which she acquired at great expense, as a family heirloom.

After she survives the tribulation, someone will be found to care for and restore her, so that she can be passed down from generation to generation.

Just like the carefree umbrella that Han Lu found in the Zhengyi Sect.

Friends and disciples can borrow it if they need it.

Let this hard-won good thing play its greatest role.

Faced with Xianyu Ji's offer of help, Han Lu did not stand on ceremony and generously asked for some supplies and the "bad luck charm" Xiaoyao Umbrella.

Although Han Lu had not yet decided on the exact day and place to undergo the Nascent Soul Realm tribulation, since no one else needed this treasure for the time being, Xianyu Ji decisively handed over this magic weapon passed down from the ancient cultivation era to Han Lu ahead of schedule.

When Han Lu obtained the Carefree Umbrella, she felt a little uneasy, fearing that the misfortune experienced by the sect elders who had used the umbrella to try to transcend tribulations would befall her.

Although Xianyu Ji had found someone to completely repair the Xiaoyao Umbrella decades ago, Han Lu still asked the artifact spirit Ping'er to help her examine it carefully.

After confirming that there were no problems, Han Lu incorporated this powerful magic weapon for dealing with heavenly tribulations into her tribulation-crossing plan.

Even with these two powerful tools for overcoming tribulations, Han Lu was still not satisfied.

As usual, at such a crucial moment, she clearly knew that her senior sister Wen Er Ya, who was proficient in divination, would step in.

Over the years, Wen Erya has studied astrology extensively.

Taking this opportunity, she also consulted the stars in the sky and cast a divination for her close friend Han Lu.