The Long Journey to Immortality

Wen Erya listened attentively; clearly, she hadn't been joking.

Zhan Yujun felt somewhat uncomfortable around Han Lu and Wen Erya, and Wen Erya felt the same way.

With her ever-ambitious nature, she naturally harbored thoughts of secretly comparing herself to Han Lu.

Wen Erya was unwilling to let her junior sister Han Lu overtake her by taking advantage of her.

The competition was fierce, and a few disciples with business acumen seized this last business opportunity, setting up their stalls outside the arena area to openly sell materials.

Because there are many viewers but few participants, in order to make these materials have a larger market, these materials about the participating cultivators are given names such as "viewing guides" and sold to the public. They even include some "gossip" and "benefits" to arouse the interest of ordinary cultivators to buy them.

Han Lu and Wen Erya were both not short of spirit stones, and the two generously took out a spirit stone to buy each other's level of "exposés", thinking of putting into practice the old saying "know yourself and know your enemy and you will never be defeated".

To everyone's surprise, the two lost interest after flipping through a few pages of the exposé, their attention completely drawn to the bonus "perks," clinging to the coverless booklet.

The so-called "benefits" were actually just portraits of beautiful female cultivators and collections of paintings depicting high-level cultivators battling.

Although the beautiful female cultivators in the collection do not expose their breasts, they are dressed provocatively, revealing their white thighs and forearms. Every smile and frown is captivating and irresistible.

They played it close to the line.

Because the paintings were sold within the Zhengyi Sect, all the female cultivators with names and surnames in the collection are from the Northern Dynasties.

Merchants who make money by selling flowers don't want to be stabbed through the heart by a spirit sword falling from the sky while they're counting spirit stones.

However, both Han Lu and Wen Erya were beautiful female cultivators. Although Han Lu still had parts of Xiaoyaozi and Feng Bailu inside her, she didn't pay much attention to those erotic pictures.

Han Lu and Wen Erya were focused on the part of the painting collection that depicted high-level cultivators fighting.

Under the painter's brush, these unimaginable scenes are brought to life.

The lifelike images, coupled with a few lines of explanatory text, inspired longing in cultivators like Wen Erya and Han Lu, who aimed to achieve the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages.

Compared to this content, the information about the top sixteen cultivators who advanced to the second and sixth levels of the Qi Refining Competition naturally seems rather dull.

After looking through the picture book, Han Lu and Wen Erya still searched for each other's names in the information with great interest, wanting to see what others thought of them.

The two pages were thin, but after reading them, the expressions on their faces were completely different.

Wen Erya had a big smile on her face, while Han Lu had a gloomy expression.

In the information, Wen Erya was described as a strong contender for the championship at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and only a few magical tools that Wen Erya used in the battle were briefly introduced, without revealing her full background.

Han Lu, on the other hand, was only rated as one of the top eight.

Not only that, the writer also listed many non-existent flaws of Han Lu based on his own subjective assumptions, and criticized her ruthless and indiscriminate fighting methods against her fellow disciples.

Looking at Han Lu's expression and glancing at the booklet in Han Lu's hand, Wen Erya realized the reason for Han Lu's bad mood and quickly comforted her, "Junior sister, don't take it too seriously. This is just the opinion of the person who wrote this article. Maybe, in other people's eyes, you not only have a good image, but are also a strong contender for first place."

After saying that, as if to prove that what she said was true, Wen Erya made another trip and spent money to buy another booklet.

To everyone's surprise, the contents written above were even more offensive, with added embellishments and the rumors circulating in Dongshan Courtyard.

Holding the booklet, Wen Erya looked slightly embarrassed and said, "Anyway, I think that's just the kind of person my junior sister is, and besides..."

"This is a good thing."

"Just think of it as buying materials for others, casting a spell on your competitors who want to understand you, making them underestimate you."

These two sentences made Han Lu's expression soften slightly.

A series of events that happened to her made Han Lu wonder if she had inexplicably made some kind of grudge within the Zhengyi Sect, which was why someone would deliberately smear her and spread such obviously unreliable rumors.

After the two finished looking at the free picture book that came with the newly purchased booklet, the third round of the competition in the afternoon was about to begin.

The two arrived, signed in, and exchanged blessings before temporarily parting ways to head to their respective competition arenas.

The afternoon schedule had already been posted in front of the arena. As soon as Han Lu arrived at arena number two, she immediately learned who her opponent in the round of 16 would be.

"Su Wen, Sun Yat-sen Academy?"

After noting down the name, Han Lu opened the booklet, which was missing two pages, with a slightly disgusted expression.

Despite her resentment towards the fellow cultivator who wrote this "viewing guide," Han Lu couldn't help but open it, wanting to learn some information about the opponents.

After flipping through a few pages, she found Su Wen's name.

"Predicting the top four?"

"Skilled in external martial arts, an outstanding body cultivator?"

Just two simple lines of text gave Han Lu a general understanding of the opponent she was about to face.

Chapter 104 Su Wen

The vast majority of cultivators do not focus on external martial arts techniques during the Qi Refining stage.

After all, magical arts that can summon wind and rain are more appealing to young people whose minds are not yet mature than martial arts skills.

Su Wen is definitely an anomaly among the Qi Refining cultivators of the Zhengyi Sect.

But his unusualness wasn't limited to this aspect.

The booklet in Han Lu's hand, excluding the two pages she tore out, had more than forty pages in total, five of which were filled with information about a Zhongshan Academy cultivator named Su Wen.

This is not because Su Wen is a top-notch genius who has attracted the attention of the cultivators who write the reports.

Rather, it's because Su Wen's talent for cultivation is truly mediocre. He has already spent a full eight years at the second level of Qi Refining, and has participated in one major competition and several minor competitions. There is a lot of information to write about.

To make this booklet more worth its price, the editor naturally devoted a lot of attention to Su Wen.

In his youth, Su Wen was a chivalrous figure in the secular martial arts world. He was skilled with a sword and was known for his generosity and making many friends, earning him a considerable reputation in the secular martial arts community.

By the age of twenty, he had already become one of the top ten martial arts masters in the world.

In pursuit of a higher realm, he resolutely joined the Zhengyi sect at the age of twenty, becoming an ordinary outer disciple.

Although Su Wen possessed spiritual roots, his spiritual root aptitude was mediocre, and his qi perception was even worse. Accustomed to being a chivalrous hero in the martial world, he found it difficult to find his place in the Zhengyi Sect, and naturally, he encountered considerable setbacks on his path of cultivation.

The first two years were alright, with one spiritual vein opened up each year, which was neither fast nor slow.

His martial arts skills combined with his cultivation techniques enabled him to achieve a top-eight ranking in the academy in the small competitions of those two years.

He is a model of a martial arts practitioner who has transformed into a cultivator.

But in the following years, he made no progress and became an "older cultivator" stuck at the second level of Qi Refining. In the end, he even gave up on himself and focused on honing his bones and muscles, no longer hoping to advance to the third level of Qi Refining.

Thus, Su Wen became a unique figure within the Zhengyi Sect.

Although he had been stuck at a certain level of Qi Refining for three years, his good results in the small and large competitions prevented him from violating the sect rules, allowing him to continue cultivating in the Zhengyi Sect.

Having cultivated in the Zhengyi Sect for ten years, Su Wen, now thirty years old, has accumulated a vast amount of combat experience. His external martial arts skills have also reached their peak at the second level of Qi Refining. Ordinary cultivators at the fourth or even fifth level of Qi Refining are not necessarily his match.

In last year's competition, relying on his iron fists and steel-like body, Su Wen won the championship and became the number one person at the second level of Qi Refining in Zhongshan Academy.

If the rules of the Zhengyi Sect are not changed, Su Wen will most likely continue to live and cultivate in this strange state within the sect, accumulating cultivation resources and wealth.

Only when he grows tired of this kind of life in a certain year will he take the initiative to "retire to his hometown" and return to the world of martial arts to once again be a chivalrous hero who punishes evil and promotes justice.

However, that's a matter for the future.

This year's competition offers generous rewards, and Su Wen is also thinking of showing off his skills on the stage to fill his storage bag even more and save up more "retirement funds".

Han Lu, a cultivator skilled in external martial arts, had encountered him before and had clashed with him several times.

The booklet in Han Lu's hand also described in words three battles in which Su Wen was defeated in the previous small and large competitions, so that the cultivators who read the "Battle Guide" would know what Su Wen's shortcomings and weaknesses were.

This information was quite useful. Han Lu read it carefully twice, summarized it, and memorized it so that she could use it during the battle later.

Han Lu's match was scheduled for the penultimate game of the round of 16. She could only watch from the sidelines after the afternoon match started, observing her opponents by referring to the information in the booklet in order to prepare for the subsequent match.

Su Wen, on the other hand, kept glancing in the direction of Han Lu.

Having just celebrated his thirtieth birthday, Su Wen felt a surge of fighting spirit when he saw the match schedule.

He also paid for information, so he naturally knew about Han Lu's reputation as a "witch".

Su Wen only wanted to teach Han Lu, this "witch," a lesson as soon as possible, to punish evil and promote good, and to regain the feeling of wandering the world when he was young.

While Han Lu was waiting backstage, Wen Erya's match had already begun.

Wen Erya continued to use her numerous magical artifacts to suppress her opponent from the start, gaining an early advantage.

However, having already entered the round of 16, Wen Er Ya's opponents were very eager to win and unwilling to surrender easily.

In the end, Wen Er Ya had no choice but to be ruthless and crack open the man's head to win the match under the referee's decision.

One of the disciples advanced to the top eight, and several Golden Core elders who were familiar with him all stepped forward to congratulate him.

The abbot of Dongshan Academy, Wuhu Jushi, also noticed this. Recalling the list that Piaomiaozi had submitted more than a month ago, he subconsciously turned his gaze to the No. 2 arena.

"Sure enough, Han Lu has also made it into the top sixteen. It seems that Piaomiaozi did not mention Han Lu and Wen Erya's names without reason."

Thinking of this, the Hermit of the Five Lakes spread his divine sense, wanting to use it to perceive the words on the match list in front of the second arena and find out who Han Lu was going to fight.

“Su Wen? I think I’ve heard that name before. Fellow Daoist Longtu, is Su Wen a famous person from your Zhongshan Academy?” Wuhu Jushi asked casually, looking at the Dean of Zhongshan Academy sitting next to him.

As the dean of Zhongshan Academy, Daoist Longtu naturally knew Su Wen. He smiled and said a few words, briefly introducing Su Wen to the Hermit of Five Lakes.

"Su Wen's potential is average, but in terms of combat strength, he is top-notch among Qi Refining Level 2 cultivators." Longtu Daoist couldn't help but praise this peculiar disciple who might bring honor to Zhongshan Academy in the competition.

Upon hearing this, Wuhu Jushi couldn't help but shift his attention away from the number ten arena closest to the viewing platform, becoming more eager to watch the match between Han Lu and Su Wen.

"However, even if Han Lu defeats Su Wen, it won't change anything. If the opening of the secret realm is delayed by three years, she might have a chance to compete for the qualification to enter the secret realm."

During the negotiations, the number of people from each major force entering the secret realm was determined. Wuhu Jushi did not think that Han Lu, who was only at the second level of Qi Refining, had a chance to squeeze into the list of seven people in seven hundred days and represent the Zhengyi Sect into the secret realm.

On the second arena, pairs of cultivators were battling it out to determine who was superior.

Han Lu watched the game while referring to the booklet.

While watching the competition, she was surprised to discover that the cultivator who compiled the information actually had a keen eye, and his predictions about the participating cultivators were almost always accurate.

The prediction that they would be eliminated in the round of 16 proved true.

Those predicted to have the strength to win the championship indeed won easily.

The two cultivators, whose strengths were predicted to be similar, "got their wish" and fought three hundred rounds on the arena before a winner was decided.

This increased Han Lu's confidence in the booklet, and she temporarily forgave the monk who sold the information for spreading rumors about her.

After waiting for about an hour in the audience, the sixth match finally ended.

With the restrictions lifted, the two cultivators who had just finished their battle left the stage, and Han Lu and Su Wen jumped onto the arena almost simultaneously.

After handing out the waist token, before the competition even started, Su Wen couldn't wait to step forward and said, "Han Lu, you witch, today I'm going to beat you to a pulp and let you experience the pain of those fellow disciples you defeated."