The Long Journey to Immortality

"Did they tell me a specific date for our meeting?" Han Lu pressed.

Xianyu Ji shook his head, "No, but Senior Zhen said you can go to see him anytime within this month."

Han Lu had a plan in mind, nodded slightly, and was already considering which questions she couldn't understand during her cultivation journey to bring up.

After recounting these two events, Han Lu thought that her meeting with Xianyu Ji would end in casual conversation, just like before.

But unexpectedly, Xianyu Ji brought up another important matter.

"Han Lu," Xianyu Ji suddenly stopped addressing Han Lu as Elder Zhenfeng and called her by her name as a friend, "Before you underwent your tribulation, your parents and I talked for a while, and we talked about many things."

Han Lu sat upright, waiting for Xianyu Ji to continue.

Xianyu Ji continued, "Among them is the matter of when you will return home and settle in the wilderness."

“I know you’re embarrassed to bring this up, and you feel the timing isn’t right, but your father, mother, and brother really hope you can return to the Wilderness as soon as possible and settle down in… the Three Phoenix Forest.” Xianyu Ji mentioned the place where the Illusion Phoenixes lived rather awkwardly.

"Today, I also want to ask you what your thoughts are."

There were some things Han Lu couldn't say, so Feng You and Feng Rubing helped her put them out there.

Han Lu pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I have indeed been thinking about going home to live, but although Lü Feiyan has returned to her parents' side, another Kong Du is still cultivating under my tutelage... If I were to hastily return to the wilderness, I would not be a good master."

"Furthermore, I am still an elder of the Zhengyi Sect. It is not something I can do to abandon my obligations and responsibilities to the sect and return to the wilderness."

"That's why I hesitated when I was still in the Golden Core stage."

Because of her close ties and emotional bonds with the Central Plains, Han Lu hesitated and was not as decisive as usual in this matter.

Xianyu Ji sensed the hidden meaning in Han Lu's words and followed up by asking, "So, after advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm, your thoughts have changed?"

Han Lu nodded. "That's right, it is indeed different."

"I had this conversation with my parents back then..." Han Lu said, recounting her arrangements for returning home when she first returned to Sanfenglin.

Of course, what Xianyu Ji said was only a shortened version, simply to show that she had the idea of ​​making plans after advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm back then.

"I just didn't expect that I could become a Nascent Soul cultivator so quickly," Han Lu paused before continuing, "If it were now, at my speed, I could fly at full speed for at most twelve or thirteen days to get from the Three Phoenix Forest to the Central Plains."

"Kong Du is at most three or four years away from advancing to the late Foundation Establishment stage. With Qiu Peng guiding him, I can rest assured."

There is no reason why no cultivator can be separated from his master's care even after reaching the late stage of Foundation Establishment, let alone Kong Du, who is a cultivator with his own ideas and thoughts.

"Now that I've advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, as long as the sect can find me a convenient communication magic item, even just the simplest long-distance communication magic item, I can settle down in the Three Phoenix Forest with peace of mind."

As a friend, Xianyu Ji strongly supported Han Lu's decision to return to live with her parents. "That's easy. I'll send someone to the secret vault to see if there are any magical treasures with similar functions. If not, we'll search for treasures in the Immortal Pavilion. I'll help you solve the problem no matter what."

Han Lu nodded, but still had concerns, "Would this harm Sect Master Xianyu?"

"No," Xianyu Ji joked, "I have only merits, no demerits, for being able to keep a Nascent Soul Elder happy and serve the sect for a long time."

Hearing this, Han Lu finally felt relieved. "Then I'll leave it to you."

Chapter 1185

Xianyu Ji did not hesitate and agreed to the matter as promised, helping Han Lu to make it happen as a friend and the head of the Zhengyi Sect.

After leaving Xianyu Ji's place and seeing her relatives who had temporarily settled in her home, Han Lu became even more certain that now was the right time to return home.

When Feng Hong, who had always hoped to live with her sister, told her parents about the results of her communication with Xianyu Ji, she was the happiest.

Feng You, who had taken the initiative to bring up the matter of returning home with Sect Master Xianyu Ji, apologized first, saying that it was wrong of him to bring it up without consulting his daughter.

Having abandoned his wife and children years ago, Feng You has been trying to be a good father to make up for his past mistakes after reuniting with Han Lu.

His apology at this moment is the best sign that he has achieved academic success.

Han Lu certainly wouldn't blame her father at this time.

"If it weren't for my father, I'm afraid I would have had to hold back these words for another ten or twenty years before I could say them."

The father and daughter's differing attitudes at this moment are the reason for the close relationship within Han Lu's family.

After hearing Han Lu's final arrangements, Feng You instructed, "Don't rush to go home. You must settle things in the Central Plains before going home."

Fengyou didn't want his daughter to give up her "career" for the sake of family.

Han Lu nodded and said, "I know, I will handle it seriously."

"I'll go back in six months at most."

I wonder when Xianyu Ji will be able to deliver that magical artifact.

In addition, the idea that he would leave the sect to cultivate right after advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm didn't sound very appealing.

Han Lu then gave herself an extra six months to prepare, and also took the opportunity to settle some unresolved sect affairs.

After leading her parents on a tour of their home, Han Lu then took her younger brother for a stroll around Zhengyi Gate.

Having lived in the wilderness for many years, this was the first time Feng Hong had seen so many human cultivators and so many things that could only be seen in the Central Plains.

Just as Han Lu had imagined, this family trip was sure to be incredibly fun for her younger brother, Feng Hong.

Later, a disciple from the Five Elements Mountain Academy delivered a jade tablet to Han Lu's residence.

Reading the information in the jade tablet, Han Lu finally gained a better understanding of the superstructure above the mainstay of the sect.

Besides Han Lu, who had just advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, there were a total of eight Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in the Zhengyi Sect.

Two are in the late stage of Nascent Soul, four are in the middle stage of Nascent Soul, and two are in the early stage of Nascent Soul.

The well-balanced ratio of the old, middle-aged, and young generations ensures that the Zhengyi Sect can maintain its absolute dominance in the Southern Dynasty for at least the next hundred years, continuing to be the leader of the Southern Dynasty's cultivation world.

Han Lu had met Qingyang Venerable several times, had many exchanges with him, and had even worked together on missions. Qingyang Venerable was at the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

He reached the Nascent Soul realm approximately 1,200 years ago.

Back when he was a disciple of the Zhengyi Sect, he was a genius on par with Nian Haoge.

According to the jade tablet, Venerable Qingyang was once regarded as the next Nascent Soul cultivator in the Zhengyi Sect.

Unfortunately, Venerable Qingyang encountered several problems on his path to replenishing his spiritual root, and now he has basically lost the possibility of advancing to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

This is why Venerable Qingyang is so enthusiastic about sect affairs and often takes on the important task of external exchanges.

They probably share the same thoughts as the former Misty Child.

Elder Mo Yun, who failed in the last operation to hunt down Feng Ruyi, was also a cultivator at the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

He advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm about seven hundred years ago, but because his cultivation method only focused on the speed of cultivation, he stumbled and struggled when he passed the Nascent Soul Tribulation.

Like Venerable Qingyang, he repeatedly suffered setbacks in the process of replenishing his spiritual root, and his path of cultivation had likely come to an end.

Their similar circumstances may explain why Elder Mo Yun and Venerable Qing Yang are not "close".

The other six elders of the Zhengyi Sect also each have their own stories.

Han Lu memorized the true appearances of all eight elders so that she would know who they were when she encountered them in the Zhengyi Sect or when they went out on missions together in the future.

Seven days later, the Taoist Grand Assembly presided over by Han Lu was held on time at the Five Elements Mountain Courtyard in the Zhengyi Sect.

Apart from Wen Erya and Han Lu, whose Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining realm disciples received special treatment and were allowed to attend as observers, most of the other participants were Golden Core realm elders from their sects.

Taoist Xuanfeng also participated.

He hoped to learn something from this fellow clansman who would be helpful to his future spiritual practice.

Thirty-three Golden Core cultivators came, nearly half of whom were acquainted with Han Lu.

As Xianyu Ji had said that day, two Nascent Soul Realm elders also came to show their support.

One of them was Venerable Qingyang, whom Han Lu was quite familiar with.

Another one is Wang Han Jushi, who once belonged to Jitian Palace but defected to Zhengyi Sect through a teleportation portal due to factional struggles.

Wang Han Jushi, who knew that Zhengyi Sect had established diplomatic relations with Jitian Palace, originally planned to flee Zhengyi Sect again.

However, after he realized that the current Palace Master of Jitian Palace, Zhetian Venerable, had no intention of killing him, he settled down in the Zhengyi Sect with peace of mind, enjoying the treatment of a Supreme Elder of the Zhengyi Sect and cultivating peacefully in the Central Plains.

More than a hundred years have passed, and the temperament and habits of the current Layman Wanghan have been assimilated to some extent by the cultivation atmosphere in the Central Plains and the Zhengyi School, making him resemble a genuine cultivator from the Central Plains.

I have always been curious about Han Lu, a genius cultivator in the sect, and I also know that Han Lu is the cultivator in the Zhengyi Sect who has the closest connection with the Dayu Dynasty.

It was only then that Layman Wang Han seized this opportunity to get to know Han Lu and make further efforts to establish himself within the Zhengyi Sect.

The things Han Lu said when lecturing in public could not be compared to the whispered conversations she had with Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan that day.

Han Lu didn't mention many of the truly "secret" techniques at all.

This is partly because she is not particularly familiar with the elders, and partly because Han Lu is still young and not suitable to be a teacher to her peers and elders.

At the Daoist Assembly, Han Lu spent 50% of her time talking about trivial platitudes, 30% talking about her understanding and insights into swordsmanship, and 20% chatting and sharing her views and opinions on mental cultivation.

Swordsmanship and mental state are two things that are more abstract and mysterious than the cultivation of the Golden Core realm.

Given Han Lu's already publicly acknowledged identity as a successor of ancient cultivation techniques, it would be easier for her fellow disciples to accept her as their teacher when she imparts these two things through words and deeds.

The evangelistic conference lasted only four hours before it came to an end, leaving the enthusiastic audience wanting more.

Participants who encountered problems in cultivating their mind also gained some insights.

After the conference ended, Han Lu did not leave immediately, but instead took the initiative to go up and chat with the two senior elders of the sect who had come to support and listen to the lecture.

Chapter 1186

Of the two Nascent Soul Realm elders, Han Lu was only familiar with one of them. She had only seen the other, Wang Han Jushi, through the jade tablet given to her by Xian Yuji, and had never had any contact with him.

However, on this occasion, Han Lu was still willing to exchange a few words with the two fellow disciples who took the initiative to show their goodwill.

However, to become friends, one should at least be acquainted with the other, exchange a few words, and become somewhat familiar with each other.

"Congratulations to Elder Zhenfeng on successfully advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm. If I remember correctly, in the more than 100,000 years of history in the Central Plains, probably only a few sages from the late Ancient Cultivation Era advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm faster than Fairy Zhenfeng."

"This move can be described as unprecedented and unparalleled."

Having become acquainted with Han Lu, Venerable Qingyang praised Han Lu, whom he had watched grow up, without any reservations or reservations.

Wang Han Jushi, who was not familiar with Han Lu, was a little more conservative.

He continued Qingyang Venerable's words, adding, "As far as I know, there is no young cultivator in the Great Yu Dynasty as outstanding as Elder Zhenfeng."

No one dislikes being praised, especially when it comes from a cultivator who is older and has a slightly higher cultivation level. Han Lu was no exception.

"You two elders are too kind," Han Lu smiled slightly. "I have only made some small achievements. How can I compare with the sages and great men of the ancient cultivation era?"