The Long Journey to Immortality

This disciple, who has only been a student for a year and a half, is very likely to overtake others and snatch a spot to enter the ancient cultivation secret realm from among his many senior brothers and sisters.

When he saw the Hermit of the Five Lakes personally hand over a quarter of the top-grade spirit stone, symbolizing the "champion of the minor competition," to Han Lu, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "The younger generation is truly formidable."

Compared to the Five Elements Mountain Academy's inner treasury, the East Mountain Academy's inner treasury's magic treasure area is somewhat shabby, both in terms of quantity and quality, it is far inferior to the Five Elements Mountain Academy.

The only advantage is that most of the magical treasures in the Dongshan Academy's treasury are suitable for cultivators who practice water-attribute techniques.

Before selecting the treasures, Han Lu did not set a specific target. She simply strolled around the inner treasury and found that no magic weapon could give her the same "excitement" at the bloodline level as the Moon Pearl. Only then did she choose to add a flying magic tool to her collection.

This flying device usually looks like a small carriage model.

When infused with spiritual energy, the carriage model will instantly expand and grow into a smaller version of the carriage.

The spiritual energy within the magical implements condenses at the front of the vehicle, transforming into two winged winged horses.

When fully activated, the winged horse formed from spiritual energy will pull the carriage, allowing this magical artifact to carry the cultivator through the air.

The carriages aren't very big, but they can easily accommodate two or three people.

Among magical artifacts, those that grant Qi Refining cultivators the ability to fly are considered rare treasures.

Han Lu chose this magical artifact in preparation for the future.

She didn't want to enter the ancient cultivation realm only to find herself forced to travel on foot, falling behind others and only able to eat their leftovers.

After the small competition, another New Year arrived, but this time, Wen Erya had no plans to go home to visit her family, while Han Lu was still thinking about the one-year promise she had made with a certain "rookie cultivator".

"Oh, we're going to Tangmen for an appointment?" When Han Lu spoke to Wen Erya, she was somewhat surprised. "Weren't you joking back then?"

"Of course not." Han Lu explained to Wen Erya the purpose of her meeting from the beginning.

The chilling spiritual energy on Cold Cicada Peak can affect cultivators in the early and middle stages of Foundation Establishment, so it's not too late for Han Lu to search for the "Cold-Repelling Pill" now.

Upon hearing of such a miraculous elixir, Wen Erya could no longer sit still.

After Han Lu told her about what happened on Hanchan Peak, she never forgot it.

She had climbed Cold Cicada Peak once, but she could not cultivate on Cold Cicada Peak with the same Qi Refining cultivation level as Han Lu.

In this minor competition, her junior sister, who was originally five minor realms below her, was able to participate in the same level of competition as her. This made Wen Erya, who longed to become a Golden Core or even Nascent Soul cultivator, even more curious about the spiritual energy of Hanchan Peak. She also thought about climbing Hanchan Peak to see if she could improve as rapidly as Han Lu after taking the Cold-Repelling Pill.

"That sounds good, can I come along?"

Such an adventure-like experience is hard to find in the peaceful cultivation world, and Wen Erya also wants to participate.

Han Lu didn't mind Wen Erya getting involved. In fact, she had come to say goodbye to Wen Erya partly because she wanted to get Wen Erya to help her.

“Okay, with Senior Sister’s help, the probability of finding this Cold-Repelling Pill can be increased by 10% or 20%.

These were, of course, just polite words. Han Lu herself wasn't very confident that she could find the recipe or the elixir in the ruins, which had probably been explored countless times.

Han Lu guessed that if the Cold-Repelling Pill had really survived, it had most likely already been found by someone.

Finding a person might be easier than finding elixirs or prescriptions.

As a "second-generation royal," Wen Erya naturally possesses her own flying artifact.

On this day, after Han Lu easily obtained a leave slip from the inner treasury by relying on her status as "small competition champion" and "golden core disciple in name only", the two of them boarded the flying horse carriage that Han Lu had just obtained from the inner treasury and flew towards Tangmen, which was located in the northern region of the Northern Dynasty.

[Author's Note] Wufang Shizhai is a modified version of Wufangzhai. I'm from Jiaxing.

Chapter 139 Yan Zhaotang Gate

The flying technique has many advantages, but it has one major drawback: it consumes too much spiritual energy.

To fully propel the flying chariot chosen by Han Lu, it would require not only a cultivator at least at the fifth level of Qi Refining to continuously infuse it with a large amount of spiritual power, but also the installation of at least nine low-grade spirit stones for assistance, in order to make the flying chariot fly steadily in the air.

Fortunately, the two female cultivators traveling with them were both geniuses from the Zhengyi Sect. They had opened up far more acupoints than ordinary cultivators, possessed abundant spiritual energy, and had plenty of spirit stones in their storage bags.

Aside from the fact that we had to take turns driving, which made the journey a bit less enjoyable, this long trip, which spanned almost the entire north and south of the Central Plains, went without any problems.

After flying for three days, crossing the Yuan River, and entering the territory of the Northern Dynasty, Han Lu and Wen Erya welcomed the first snow of winter in the air.

The further north you go, the heavier the snow becomes.

It was fortunate that the two of them were traveling by flying artifact; otherwise, unless their lightness skills had truly reached the "Treading Snow Without a Trace" level of the "Treading Snow Without a Trace" technique, they would not have been able to move smoothly in this weather.

Tangmen is located in the northeastern part of the Northern Dynasties, which is the coldest area in the Central Plains.

In the summer, it was quite pleasant, and was regarded as a summer resort by many ordinary people who were suffering from the sweltering heat. Even the emperors of the Northern Dynasties had a summer palace in Yanzhao, the city closest to Tangmen, for their summer retreat.

But what about winter, when the New Year is approaching?

At this time, Tangmen and Yanzhao were very cold.

It's so cold that if you put a basin of water outside, it will freeze in the blink of an eye.

It's so cold that urinating or defecating outdoors in the terrible weather might lead to the confiscation of one's "tools of the trade."

Residents of the Yanzhao area are suffering terribly. Hiding indoors to warm themselves by fire and burn charcoal, each going about their own little life, has become their only way of life in winter.

This applies to mortals as well as cultivators. Even with sects setting up warming and temperature-raising formations for protection, leaving the sect to travel during the winter has become the choice for the vast majority of low-level cultivators practicing in the Tang Sect.

No wonder that last year during the New Year, Lan Daoren's senior brother Ran Siyuan led his four disciples to visit friends in the capital of the Southern Dynasty and escape the cold.

On the day before the Spring Festival, Han Lu and Wen Erya, who had been flying for five days, finally saw Yanzhao, which was covered by layers of snow in the distance, and the mountain where Tangmen was located was to the north of Yanzhao City.

"What about the Yan Yang Sect?" Wen Er Ya asked casually, looking at the snowy world below.

The Yan Yang Sect was the sect where the cultivator who wrote the biography and recorded the "Frost-Repelling Pill" once belonged.

The Cold-Repelling Pill can barely be considered a treasure of the Yan Yang Sect.

"I'm not quite sure of the exact location either," Han Lu said, since it happened thousands of years ago and this was her first time visiting Yanzhao. "It's probably in that area."

Han Lu pointed casually.

To the northwest of Yanzhao, all that could be seen was a blanket of white snow, and nothing else was visible.

Seeing this, Wen Erya understood even more clearly Han Lu's desire to find a guide.

"But what if that cultivator named Song Zhengqi deserts in the face of battle?" Wen Erya didn't have a good impression of Ran Siyuan's disciples either.

"Probably not," Han Lu said with a smile, understanding the mindset of a cultivator like Song Zhengqi. "Maybe he's been thinking about fighting me again all year and is now waiting in the sect for me to come to him so he can teach me a lesson."

Han Lu could hardly hide the smile on her face when she said this.

She was once able to crush Song Zhengqi on the arena when she was only at the third level of Qi Refining. Now, a year later, she has improved her cultivation to the ninth level of Qi Refining and feels that she can surpass Song Zhengqi in both combat power and realm.

Even if Song Zhengqi made the best preparations for the next battle, Han Lu felt that Song Zhengqi would not be her match.

"Even if he deserts in the face of battle, we can find someone else from the Tang Clan. With a little spirit stone, I believe someone will be willing to make the trip."

With two options in mind, Han Lu believed that since most of the cultivators in the Tang Sect were locals, she could settle the matter with money.

Small sects like Tangmen mostly have cultivators from villages and towns near the main sect, and they are often leftovers with insufficient talent from large sects like Zhengyi Sect and Xuanyang Valley.

The sect is small, with fewer than a hundred Qi Refining cultivators and usually only seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Apart from a few "geniuses" found from other regions, 99% of the cultivators in these small sects are locals who grew up in this area. In Han Lu's opinion, serving as a temporary guide shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Lan Daoren was a genius he found from elsewhere, while Song Zhengqi and other mediocre talents were local cultivators picked up from the leftover scraps of Xuan Yang Valley.

After circling the flying chariot over Yanzhao City once, the two continued flying towards Tangmen.

About fifteen minutes later, the flying carriage, under Han Lu's control, slowly landed on an open space about half a mile away from the gate of Tangmen Mountain.

Out of politeness, the two chose to put away their ritual implements and visit the house on foot.

Heavy snow blocked the mountain pass, and there wasn't a single person waiting to greet guests at the entrance of Tangmen.

In winter, although the Tang Sect will activate its sect's protective array to keep warm, the Tang Sect is, after all, a small sect, and the area covered by this protective array is not large.

Coupled with this awful weather, no one in Ren Tang Sect would have expected a cultivator to take the initiative to visit them.

Looking at the empty snowfield in front of them, Han Lu and Wen Erya were somewhat confused.

"Should we go in directly, or try sending a letter?"

After a moment's hesitation, Han Lu and Wen Erya decided to go straight in.

In this kind of weather, it's not easy to send a letter by paper; it's better to be reckless and save some effort.

It's not too late to explain your purpose once you've run into someone.

After exchanging a few words, Wen Erya realized that her idea was the same as Han Lu's, so the two set off again, passing through the Tangmen Mountain Gate and heading straight inside.

When the two arrived at the edge of the Tangmen Warmth-Preserving Formation, they finally saw a cultivator in a hurry.

After stopping them and explaining their purpose, Han Lu and Wen Erya, two beautiful female cultivators, were not subjected to any difficulties or questioning. On the contrary, this Tangmen cultivator, whose cultivation level was only at the Dao Child Realm, took the initiative to act as their guide.

"You need to see Senior Brother Song for something? To keep your appointment?" Hearing these words coming from the mouths of Han Lu and Wen Erya, two female cultivators with both cultivation and good looks, the Dao Child Realm cultivator showed a hint of envy on his face. "Senior Brother Song is in the sect. He's probably still fast asleep right now. I'll take you two sisters to find him."

Compared to Zhengyi Gate, the accommodation conditions at Tangmen Gate are vastly inferior.

Regardless of gender, all Qi Refining cultivators live in a large courtyard with twenty rooms. Some rooms house four people, while others house six.

Foundation Establishment cultivators are slightly better off, but their accommodations are still about the same as those of Han Lu, an inner disciple of the Zhengyi Sect.

When Han Lu and Wen Erya entered Song Zhengqi's room under the guidance of the Taoist boy, Song Zhengqi was indeed fast asleep there.

Han Lu wasn't in a hurry to be an unwelcome guest. She simply found a place to sit down and chatted with the Tangmen cultivators who had been eagerly approaching her, inquiring about the Yanyang Sect while patiently waiting for Song Zhengqi to wake up.

[Author's Note] VG's Water Buffalo duo played exceptionally well.

Chapter 140 Senior Han

With all the noise and commotion, Song Zhengqi, who was already in a half-asleep state, was far from able to lie down on the heated kang and sleep peacefully.

Hearing the female cultivator's voice inside the room, he woke up almost immediately after Han Lu finished chatting with the Tang Sect cultivators.

"This voice sounds somewhat familiar."

In a daze, Song Zhengqi lay on the bed, trying to recall whose familiar female voice it was.

"I think I heard about that around this time last year as well."

Thinking of this, Song Zhengqi suddenly jumped out of bed.

Seeing Han Lu sitting not far away, smiling and watching him, Song Zhengqi instantly recalled the embarrassing incident that happened in the capital of the Southern Dynasty last year, and the promise made that year, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

"Song Zhengqi? You're awake?" Han Lu asked with a smile. "Are you feeling alright? Get up quickly and have breakfast."

Han Lu's greeting caused Song Zhengqi's fellow disciples to misunderstand their relationship, and their gazes toward Song Zhengqi revealed a hint of envy.