The Long Journey to Immortality

Although he was several years older than Han Lu and Wen Erya, his combat experience was far inferior to theirs.

As they began to cast their spells according to plan, the scroll in Wen Erya's hand was already fully unfurled.

Compared to the Grand Competition, Wen Er Ya's spiritual power has increased slightly, and her control over the scroll in her hand has also improved considerably.

With Han Lu protecting her, she held nothing back and unleashed the full power of the scroll. In the blink of an eye, three ink beasts broke free from the scroll's restraints and were "reborn" on the arena.

A few breaths later, numerous spells attacked from the direction of Song Zhengqi and the other three. They planned to rely on their numerical advantage and what they thought was a superior quantity of spiritual power to win the competition.

The spirit sword, which was roaming outside, found an opportunity to attack. At the same time, Han Lu used "Five Elements Qi" to help her and Wen Erya.

The Five Elements Qi requires a lot of spiritual power to be used, but this spiritual power is not too much of a burden for Han Lu, who currently has a total of 109 acupoints.

The pale white aura blocked all the spells coming from the front, and when Wen Erya's three ink beasts ran around on the arena and Han Lu's golden sword launched a sneak attack in the air, the already somewhat chaotic battle completely descended into a chaotic melee.

Song Zhengqi, a cultivator from a small sect, had never encountered such a troublesome magical artifact as the Ink Beast, so naturally he couldn't think of a way to deal with it for the time being.

Not to mention Han Lu's top-grade Thunder Bamboo Golden Sword.

With Han Lu's weapon control technique, she appeared and disappeared without a trace in the eyes of these four cultivators who had hardly ever engaged in combat. Even if they summoned their inferior spiritual swords to try and fight her, they would be knocked away and defeated in just one round.

The four people, who had barely managed to unite their strengths, were now forced to fight their own battles.

Unable to appeal to each other, the four men, including Song Zhengqi, were defeated one by one.

Han Lu and Wen Erya did not expect that after only one round of direct confrontation, the four of them would be defeated by the two.

From any perspective, these four were far inferior to Wen Erya and Han Lu, but they were defeated in just one encounter, which was still beyond their expectations.

Since it was just a friendly spar, Wen Erya and Han Lu immediately stopped using their various techniques when the two Foundation Establishment cultivators called "stop".

Han Lu casually put the spirit sword back into her storage bag, looked at the four disheveled people not far away, and said, "They're too weak."

Accustomed to sparring with experts from the Zhengyi Sect, Song Zhengqi and the other cultivators at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining were far weaker than Han Lu had imagined.

Even after winning, he still had to act innocent. Song Zhengqi, who felt like he had just had a perm after being electrocuted by Han Lu, was even more furious.

Unfortunately, he was now defeated by Han Lu and Wen Erya, so he could only threaten, "Han Lu, I'm not feeling well today, and my spiritual energy isn't flowing smoothly. You won this time. But if you have the guts, come to Tangmen and fight me a year from now. I, Song Zhengqi of Tangmen, swear to avenge today's defeat."

"Tangmen?" Upon hearing this word, Han Lu's eyes lit up. "Tangmen? I've looked it up. That sect is right next to the ancient Yanyang Sect, which has the Bihan Pill."

So, with the idea of ​​defeating Song Zhengqi in the future and finding a good guide in the area, Han Lu made a haphazard move and accepted Song Zhengqi's challenge, saying, "No problem, I'll come to Tangmen to find you in a year. You must train diligently, or I'll knock you down in one move again."

Song Zhengqi looked surprised. He had only acted rashly in anger, which was why he had sent out the challenge letter.

Han Lu's quick acceptance of the challenge put him in an awkward position.

The ban has been lifted.

Because Han Lu and Wen Erya had established an overwhelming advantage early on in this competition, neither of them went all out in the end.

The four looked disheveled, but they had not suffered any serious injuries. The two brothers, Lan Daoren and his disciple, would not become enemies because of this.

If they can't even beat two opponents with four of them, then a tag-team battle or a one-on-one duel is out of the question.

Although Ran Siyuan was somewhat embarrassed by the fact that his four disciples were easily defeated, he still openly admitted that Lan Daoren was superior in disciplining his disciples.

“I lost,” Ran Siyuan said seriously. “Junior Brother Lan, it seems you are still stronger.”

Chapter 134 Invitation to Come Out of Seclusion, A Trip to the Library

In the cultivation world, might makes right.

With fewer men against more, the unnecessary argument ended, and after the sparring session, the group seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness that had just occurred.

At Ran Siyuan's invitation, Lan Daoren led Wen Erya and Han Lu to the courtyard of the small building to enjoy tea, admire the scenery, reminisce about the past, and talk about the future.

Ran Siyuan seemed to praise Wen Erya and Han Lu highly, reminisced about the glorious past, and then inquired about Lan Daoren's life in the capital.

"Junior brother, how have you been lately? Living in the palace must be very comfortable."

"No, not at all," Lan Daoren scratched his nose and said, "Although I am a cultivator, I still need to abide by some rules in the palace. If it weren't for the emperor promising me a lot of spirit stones and other cultivation resources every month, I would have left long ago."

This is a bit of an exaggeration. In the end, Lan Daoren was still "worshipped" in the palace, and even the emperor of the Southern Dynasty spoke to him with great respect.

Back then, Wen Er Ya's mother had to use a lot of persuasion to convince Lan Dao Ren to become Wen Er Ya's master.

Upon hearing this, Ran Siyuan's face lit up with joy, and he said, "Junior brother, now that the thirteenth princess has come of age and joined the Zhengyi Sect, your situation in this palace is somewhat awkward. How about this, come back to the Tang Sect with me?"

"The sect is currently lacking a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Junior Brother who is capable and skilled at training junior disciples."

"If you and I, as fellow disciples, work together, we can definitely take Tangmen to a higher level."

"As for spirit stones and pills, junior brother will naturally receive his share."

The so-called thirty-year oath was just one of the reasons why Ran Siyuan came to the capital to find Lan Daoren.

Another purpose was to persuade Daoist Lan to return to his sect and take up an official position like him, so as to contribute to the Tang Sect.

Lan Daoren was somewhat moved by this, as Ran Siyuan's reappearance did indeed remind him of the wonderful times he had spent in his sect.

Back then, when the two were competing and cultivating in the Tang Sect, they made similar vows.

However, despite his attraction, Lan Daoren had already developed a strong desire for the bustling world after living in the capital of the Southern Dynasty for several years.

He didn't want to return to his simple life of the past, having to worry about the trivial matters of the sect.

While I may not be willing, it wouldn't be appropriate to directly refuse.

Lan Daoren pondered for a moment, then drank the tea in his cup in one gulp before replying, "Senior brother, I need to think about this matter some more. It just so happens that Er Ya has something to attend to, so I'll take her with me and leave first today. I'll come to see you again after the New Year."

This wasn't entirely an excuse; Lan Daoren knew that Han Lu and Wen Erya planned to borrow books from the Royal Library.

Upon hearing this, Ran Siyuan roughly understood Lan Daoren's intentions. He was slightly disappointed, but he did not show it on his face.

After exchanging pleasantries and reminiscing about the past, the two parted ways.

Before leaving, Han Lu gave Song Zhengqi a glare, reminding him not to forget the challenge a year from now.

Han Lu felt that if she had a local like Song Zhengqi, who might know about the Cold-Repelling Pill and the Flame Sun Sect, to guide her, her chances of finding the pill would increase by three percent.

On the way back, Lan Daoren thanked Han Lu repeatedly.

Although he didn't care much about the outcome of this "sparring match," Han Lu had ultimately put in the effort, allowing him to win against his former rival.

In addition to verbal expressions of gratitude, Master Lan proactively offered three Meridian Opening Pills as a gift.

Han Lu didn't stand on ceremony for the small gift.

Lan Daoren rode his spirit sword and carried the two to the outside of the first palace wall of the Southern Dynasty's imperial palace before setting them down.

Although Lan Daoren was a palace monk, he did not have the authority to fly his sword over the palace.

"I'll leave you here. Erya, come visit your master when you have time. I'll test your studies again and see what you've learned in the Zhengyi Sect over the past six months."

After saying that, Master Lan flew away on his sword.

Although the palace is jokingly referred to as the "deep palace compound," its walls are simply taller and more magnificent than those of ordinary courtyards.

Four imperial guards with minor cultivation levels stood guard at the palace gates, checking the identities of visitors attempting to enter.

With Princess Wen Erya leading the way, Han Lu and Wen Erya encountered no difficulties whatsoever when they entered the first palace wall.

The imperial guards, blind to his true worth, deliberately made things difficult for him. The cliché of Wen Er Ya revealing his identity and displaying his prowess didn't happen here.

On the contrary, even before Wen Erya presented her princess decree, some imperial guards recognized her as a prominent member of the royal family, calling her "Thirteenth Princess," bowing and greeting her, and making way for Wen Erya and Han Lu.

The area behind the first palace wall was not the most important part of the palace, so it was normal that Han Lu, a stranger following behind the thirteenth princess, was allowed to enter without being checked.

The Royal Library, located between the first and second palace walls, was not a forbidden area accessible only to members of the royal family.

Many officials who lived and worked in the capital were also allowed to enter.

Furthermore, the Royal Library would open to students of the Imperial Academy for a few days each year, both to win over the hearts of the people and to demonstrate to the outside world the Southern Dynasty royal family's emphasis on Confucian education.

When Wen Erya led Han Lu to the Royal Library, the doctors working there gave Wen Erya, this distinguished guest, the highest level of hospitality.

When it was learned that the two were looking for books about the ancient times of cultivation to borrow, Wen Yuan, the counselor in charge of the daily operation of the Royal Library, specially arranged for a "Doctor of History" to accompany them in order to provide assistance.

With nearly 100,000 books in the Royal Library, the help of this history PhD who was familiar with the library certainly saved Han Lu a lot of trouble.

Although this PhD in history is more proficient in the history of previous dynasties, he also has some knowledge of the ancient history of the ancient times.

When he learned that Han Lu wanted to find historical stories about the special time point at the intersection of the Third and Fourth Ages, he quickly helped Han Lu select three sets of books that met her requirements from among many books.

Because of the long passage of time, no written records or books from the ancient times have survived to this day. Therefore, the books that this PhD in history selected and gave to Han Lu were all compiled and revised by later generations.

One of the three sets of books provides a detailed account of the stories of the four ancient cultivators who were active in the Central Plains region.

One set of studies investigated the many true spirits and alien races that existed in the ancient cultivation era.

The last set is a general history book, which examines the history of the Koshu era in various ways, lists in detail the major events that occurred in the third and fourth generations, and draws a very detailed timeline.

Although these books may not seem very interesting, they are definitely much more helpful to Han Lu than the storybooks provided by someone who just talks.

None of the three sets of books were unique copies, and Han Lu encountered no difficulties in borrowing them under the name of Wen Erya.

However, the donation matter required a lot of Wen Erya's persuasion.

It was only Wen Yuan, the counselor in charge of the daily management of the Royal Library, who was willing to add these stories, which they, as scholars and doctors, considered to have little value, to the library’s collection for public lending and exhibition.

Leaving the Royal Library, Han Lu patted the storage bag containing three sets of books at her waist and sighed, "Looks like I'll be busy for a while."

Chapter 135 New Year

As the Spring Festival approaches, the festive atmosphere in the already bustling capital of the Southern Dynasties is becoming increasingly strong.

Although Han Lu had been staying in Princess Wen'erya's mansion reading and cultivating since visiting the Royal Library, she could still sense from the servants bustling in and out of the mansion, busy changing the decorations to reflect the festive atmosphere, that this day, which was of utmost importance to ordinary people in the Central Plains, was about to arrive.

The three sets of books obtained from the Royal Library were far more dull and uninteresting than the storybooks told by a single person, but Han Lu, due to the opportunity of the "Moonlight Pearl World," still forced herself to sit upright at the desk and carefully read them, like a student about to take the imperial examination.

The three sets of books contain nearly two million words in total, and it will take a lot of time to thoroughly "digest" these difficult and obscure historical texts.

On New Year's Eve, Han Lu, who had been studying diligently, only managed to read 500,000 words and sort out the historical context, but she only reached the level of "knowing".

A lot of hard work was spent, but the results were only so-so.

There was nothing she could do; Han Lu was forced to passively accept things within the "Moonlight Pearl World" and was unable to actively explore it.

An opportunity as obvious as the "True Phoenix Manual" is ultimately difficult to present directly to Han Lu through these historical texts.

If Han Lu had even the slightest ability to actively explore the "Moon Pearl World," this wouldn't have been so difficult.

As New Year's Eve arrived, Han Lu no longer had any reason or motivation to stay in her room and study a pile of history books.