The Long Journey to Immortality

Han Lu added, "I am deeply grateful for Venerable Qingyang's care. I am able to achieve what I have today because of Venerable Qingyang's guidance back then. I hope that Venerable Qingyang will do me the honor of coming to my humble abode for a gathering today."

“These past few days, my parents have also been visiting the sect. I think Venerable Qingyang would be very happy to get to know my father and mother.”

Before Venerable Qingyang could agree, Han Lu turned to Layman Wanghan and said, "Please also support Layman Wanghan."

"The three of us can warm wine and tea, chat about life, and discuss the cultivation of the Great Dao at the Nascent Soul stage."

Since Han Lu took the initiative to ask, the two Nascent Soul Realm elders naturally had no reason to refuse.

The three chatted and laughed happily, and agreed to meet again this evening.

As evening approached, Layman Wanghan and Venerable Qingyang arrived one after the other.

Although there is no custom in the Central Plains for "old" Nascent Soul cultivators to give gifts to "new" Nascent Soul cultivators, the two Nascent Soul cultivators who came to visit still prepared a gift for Han Lu.

Venerable Qingyang was more familiar with Han Lu's situation and knew that Han Lu had more resources in her storage bag than he did, so he simply gave her a magical robe suitable for female cultivators as a gift.

Its clothing is gorgeous and it possesses many supernatural powers.

Although it is far inferior to the Phoenix Feather Robe that grew on Han Lu's body due to her true spiritual power, it is still a decent magic weapon.

Unaware of Han Lu's specific situation, the recluse Wang Han naturally gifted her a bottle of pills worth four thousand spirit stones.

Among them are four Nurturing Infant Pills and one Nine-Turn Spirit Pill, totaling five pills.

Both of these pills are top-quality pills that are beneficial to the cultivation of the Nascent Soul Realm. As a gift for Han Lu, who has just advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, they are a little "extra" but still very appropriate.

No matter how small, it's a token of goodwill, so Han Lu naturally wouldn't refuse either gift, lest she disrespect Venerable Qingyang and Layman Wanghan.

Inviting the two into the house, a small gathering of only four people took place at Han Lu's home.

Only Fengyou accompanied Hanlu in entertaining the guests.

The four sat around a small table, on which was laid out a delicious meal prepared by Han Lu herself.

After just one bite, the two of them showered Han Lu with praise, as if they were already bestowing upon her the title of "God of Cookery."

They received such warm and high-class hospitality from their host.

This made the two guests, who had initially thought it was just a formality, feel right at home, and their opinion of Han Lu rose to a new level.

The combination of family members and "strangers" was a bit odd, but as the patriarch of the Phoenix Clan, Feng You readily complied with the situation and showed no discomfort whatsoever.

While enjoying various delicacies, they also drank spiritual wine and savored fragrant tea. The topics of conversation at the table ranged from all over the world and changed very quickly.

Of course, Han Lu, who had just advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, was still the main character in most of the discussions.

Even Qingyang Venerable, who already greatly admired Han Lu, offered to act as an intermediary and speak on her behalf, without knowing that Han Lu had already reached an agreement with Sect Master Xianyu to return home, so that Han Lu could reunite with her family.

Of course, the most popular topics at the dinner table were still about the wilderness and the cultivation of the Nascent Soul Realm.

Qingyang Venerable, who only frequented the Central Plains, the East China Sea, and the Western Regions and had never been to the wilderness, was very curious about the situation there.

After asking many questions, it was clear that if the wilderness weren't so dangerous for a pure human cultivator like Venerable Qingyang, he would most likely have followed his own inclinations and traveled there during his lifetime to appreciate the scenery so different from the Central Plains.

Compared to Venerable Qingyang, who has essentially been sentenced to "death" on the path of cultivation, Layman Wanghan is more interested in topics related to cultivation.

Wang Han Jushi, who was nurtured by the cultivation culture of the Great Yu Dynasty and eventually became a Nascent Soul cultivator, did indeed possess some Nascent Soul cultivation techniques that were unknown to cultivators in the Central Plains.

They shared these items with Han Lu and other Nascent Soul cultivators, and indeed, there were many issues worth discussing, allowing them to share their thoughts and insights.

After a hearty meal, at the suggestion of Venerable Qingyang, everyone played "Mahjong," a game invented by Queen Wenqing in the mortal realm of the Central Plains.

Apart from Venerable Qingyang, the other three Nascent Soul cultivators, including Han Lu, had little experience with this game of dominoes, but after Venerable Qingyang's explanation, they easily grasped the essentials of the game and became experts.

At the card table, the four of them played back and forth for twelve rounds, each winning and losing. Han Lu, whose luck had been consistently good since her reincarnation, had a slight edge.

It wasn't until midnight that Venerable Qingyang and Layman Wanghan left one after the other, leaving only Han Lu and Fengyou sitting opposite each other enjoying tea.

After the guests left, the father and daughter cherished their time alone and chatted happily about things that were only between them.

The next day, Han Lu didn't get up until noon and took a long-awaited nap in her room, a nap that was somewhat "wasting time" for a cultivator.

Calculating the time, and estimating that the major cultivation had ended, Han Lu then summoned Kong Du.

Lü Feiyan will return to the southern border or the East China Sea with her parents in a few days, temporarily leaving Han Lu, who has taken care of her for nearly thirty years.

Now, the only disciple Han Lu still needs to take care of and nurture is Kong Du.

Kong Du is not only Han Lu's disciple, but also Han Lu's most loyal "fan".

Kong Du was undoubtedly the happiest among all the disciples when Han Lu advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm.

[Author's Note] The newly released domestically produced single-player cultivation game is quite good.

Chapter 1187

Kong Du has a good talent for cultivation.

Although he longed to become a sect elder under Han Lu's tutelage, just like his senior brother Qiu Peng and senior sister Nian Haoge, after cultivating at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage for fifteen years, he already had a good idea of ​​his chances of advancing to the Golden Core stage.

Therefore, about four or five years ago, Kong Du began to devote some of his energy to the sect.

He became Piaomiaozi's subordinate, joined the Zhengyi Sect's Dongshan Academy, and began to be responsible for managing the Dongshan Academy's daily major cultivation activities.

This is why Han Lu sent out the paper sword at just the right time, calling for Kong Du, who had just finished work, to come and meet her.

Han Lu neither supported nor opposed her disciple's decision.

In her view, Kong Du and Qiu Peng were somewhat similar, both being cultivators with their own ideas.

However, Kong Du's talent was inferior to Qiu Peng's, who had taken the elixir, and Qiu Peng's methodology and values ​​were more mature than Kong Du's.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Kong Du arrived at Hanchan Peak from the academy to pay his respects to his master, Han Lu.

"Greetings, Master." After bowing respectfully, Han Lu gestured for Kong Du to sit down.

Once Kong Du was seated, Han Lu explained why she had come to find him.

"I have already made an agreement with the sect leader that I will return to the wilderness to live with my family in the future."

"Although you have now advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, your future prospects are not very clear." Han Lu said tactfully. As his master, she was well aware of Kong Du's cultivation progress and wanted to help her "number one fan" advance to the Golden Core stage and realize his dream of cultivation.

Han Lu paused, observing the change in Kong Du's expression, before continuing, "The person I'm most worried about when I leave is you."

"I have arranged two paths for you. Listen to them and think about how to arrange your future."

Han Lu was definitely going to leave, so she simply presented Kong Du with a multiple-choice question rather than a subjective one.

"The first path is to receive a generous amount of resources from me, worth at least ten thousand spirit stones, and continue your cultivation in the sect to see if there is any hope of advancing to the Golden Core stage and fulfilling your dream."

"Of course, if you're willing, you can ask your fellow disciples for guidance while you've received the materials," Han Lu said, bringing up something she had discussed with Kong Du in the past. "Your fellow disciple Qiu will definitely be happy to exercise my authority as your master and guide you in your cultivation."

The first path Han Lu pointed out to Kong Du offered incredibly generous benefits and was quite attractive.

Kong Du was indeed somewhat tempted after hearing this, but he still asked, "Master, is there a second or third option?"

“Of course there is,” Han Lu offered an unusual reasoning, “The second path is to come with me to the Wilderness, and then return to the Central Plains after advancing to the Golden Core Realm.”

"Although I can't guarantee it, the probability of advancing to the Golden Core Realm by cultivating alongside me is definitely higher than the probability of you cultivating alone or being tutored by Qiu Peng."

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages.

“But if that’s the case, you might not be able to return to the Central Plains for twenty or thirty years…” Han Lu paused, then continued, “And it’s also possible that in the end it will all be for nothing.”

Han Lu thought this would be a fairly simple multiple-choice question, and that Kong Du would definitely choose the first option decisively.

But who would have thought that Kong Du's devotion to the Dao was far more resolute than Han Lu had imagined.

After hesitating for a long time, Kong Du finally answered, "Master, I choose the first path."

With the master-disciple relationship mostly over, Han Lu couldn't help but sigh.

"Alright, in that case, I hope you can follow your senior brothers and sisters to cultivate diligently," Han Lu took out a storage bag that she had prepared beforehand, "This storage bag contains a large number of spirit stones, pills, and spiritual plants needed by Foundation Establishment cultivators for cultivation."

"That should be enough for you to use and cultivate to the Pseudo-Core Realm."

He tossed the storage bag to Kong Du, who raised his hand and caught it steadily.

“In the future, I will stay in the sect for at least six months. During these six months, if you need to find me, please come without hesitation. We will still be master and disciple.”

The words were spoken bluntly, and the scene was not one of life and death, but both of them were somewhat saddened.

In the world of cultivation, becoming master and disciple is a matter of fate, and for Han Lu and Kong Du to meet and become master and disciple in such an unusual way is an even greater kind of fate.

It was hard-won, and its departure is a great pity.

There was no final lesson. Han Lu had Kong Du check the supplies in the storage bag. After confirming that there were no omissions and the supplies were sufficient, she let the disciple leave briefly.

It's not time to part ways yet, so dragging things out now will only make it harder to truly say goodbye.

After leaving Han Lu's residence, Kong Du shed two tears, recalling an incident that happened more than ten years ago when he returned home to visit his seriously ill mother.

At his mother's bedside, who was over eighty years old, he tried to recount the wonderful and joyful things he had encountered during his spiritual practice, hoping to put his concerned mother at ease.

Most of the wonderful and joyful things that happen on the path of cultivation are related to Han Lu.

Hearing that her son was being taken such good care of by a revered True Phoenix Fairy, not only the seriously ill mother, but even the father, who was standing by the bedside and was once a cultivator of the Zhengyi Sect and also held the "True Phoenix Fairy" in high esteem, smiled at that sorrowful moment.

Now that the source of joy during his cultivation has been cut off, Kong Du's feelings can be described by more than just the word "complex".

He even felt a little regretful, regretting not choosing the second path.

But now that we've come out of this situation, there's absolutely no reason to turn back.

With a long sigh, having let go of a burden and a constraint, Kong Du's state of mind unexpectedly experienced a breakthrough.

After seeing Kong Du off, Han Lu closed her eyes and meditated for fifteen minutes at home to sort out her feelings before getting up and walking to the Five Elements Mountain Academy.

She planned to keep her appointment on this day and visit the Nascent Soul cultivator, Senior Zhen, who had always valued her highly.

Han Lu chose to walk mainly because she wanted to take a closer look at the scenery inside the Zhengyi Sect, preparing to leave this sect that had influenced her "two lifetimes" without any regrets.

The entrance to the small world where the True Senior resides remains as dilapidated as it was decades ago.

Han Lu gently knocked on the door, and after about a hundred breaths, the broken door finally opened to her.

There was no appointment; I just booked a random time, so it's normal to wait a bit longer.

Han Lu quickly stepped into the portal and once again saw that unique little world.

After advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm, Han Lu also gained the ability to fly in this small world.

Out of respect, Han Lu continued walking, passing through the long corridor on the lake, and arrived at the island in the middle of the lake.

This time, the senior did not fish by the lake.