Nuwa, the goddess of immortality, said that cultivating immortality does not require spiritual energ

"Come with me."

With a gentle wave of her hand, the goddess Houtu caused the surrounding scenery to ripple like water. In the blink of an eye, the three of them were no longer in the side hall, but in a more secluded space.

Before me was a circular pool about ten meters in diameter, its rim made of some kind of warm, lustrous jade.

The pool was filled with a milky white liquid that emitted a soft glow, flowing silently, with subtle, mysterious life fluctuations emanating from it.

Qin Le immediately recognized it as the Fountain of Life, one of the core elements of the Reincarnation System, a supreme sacred object that nourishes the origin of the soul and nurtures new souls.

At this moment, however, the water level in the pool was noticeably low, and the radiance was somewhat dim, indicating that a great deal of energy had been consumed.

"The first test," Houtu Niangniang's voice rang out, carrying a hint of barely perceptible expectation: "Help me replenish this pool of the Fountain of Life."

As soon as she finished speaking, the little clay figure Nuwa sitting on Qin Le's head burst out laughing: "Oh dear, little Houtu, I thought you were as easy to fool as before, but I didn't expect that after so many years, you've become a bit smarter."

"Hmph." Houtu Niangniang raised her chin slightly, a hint of smugness flashing across her face: "Don't always judge people with old eyes."

She set up this test for more than just a test.

The fierce war between the Celestial Realm and Chaos, which lasted for over a thousand years, resulted in the deaths of countless people.

In order to maintain the balance of all living beings in the three realms, the underworld needs to constantly guide newborn souls into reincarnation, so the consumption of the Fountain of Life is far greater than before, resulting in a deficit.

In addition, since Laozi had previously used some of the water to treat Jiuyou, the current reserves in the pool are already quite limited.

The natural recovery rate is far from keeping up with the consumption, and external forces must be used to accelerate the replenishment.

Qin Le is undoubtedly the most suitable and effective external force at present.

"I'm telling you, Little Houtu," the little clay figure Nuwa said with a hint of helplessness, "I've been gone for so long, and no one in the Three Realms has comprehended the Great Dao of Life? Even just the Immortal Dao level would be fine."

"Easy for you to say!" Houtu Niangniang couldn't help but roll her eyes at her. "Don't even mention the Great Dao or the Immortal Dao; even the Law of Life has remained uncomprehended for so many years. Do you think such supreme paths are so easy to grasp?"

"No wonder you set your sights on my little Lele," the little clay figure Nuwa chuckled, understandingly.

Indeed, as Houtu said, the laws, the immortal path, and even the Great Dao also have their own levels and depths. Time and space, creation, life, destruction... these are all the Dao at the top, extremely profound, and those who have been able to comprehend them throughout history are few and far between.

Although Chen Yun has grasped the essence of destruction, it is by no means easy for him to elevate it to the level of laws or even higher.

The test that the Goddess Houtu is putting her to now is clearly because she values ​​Qin Le's almost effortless talent for comprehending the Dao—he can comprehend whatever Dao he needs. He's practically a ready-made, top-tier supplementary tool.

"Enough with the nonsense, let's begin your test." Houtu Niangniang didn't want to discuss this matter any further.

This wasn't the test she had originally prepared, but since Nuwa had made such an outrageous bet, she wouldn't be surprised if she changed her mind and made Qin Le work for the Underworld for a while.

After all, although the Fountain of Life was strained, it could still be maintained with difficulty, and she originally planned to ask Nuwa for help when she could no longer hold on.

At this moment, Qin Le looked at the little clay figure above his head and humbly asked for guidance: "Mother Nuwa, how exactly should I do it?"

"..."

When Houtu Niangniang heard Nuwa address her as "Mother Nuwa," her lips twitched almost imperceptibly. She barely suppressed the urge to retort—well, given Nuwa's personality, this kind of thing is normal.

"Simple," the little clay figure of Nuwa said calmly. "First, go and comprehend the Dao of Life; that's the foundation."

"Alright."

Qin Le nodded, asked no further questions, and immediately sat down cross-legged by the pool. The little clay figure of Nuwa swayed and disappeared back into his sea of ​​consciousness.

Houtu stood quietly to one side, her golden eyes filled with scrutiny and curiosity. She believed Qin Le could do it, but she was curious how long it would take for this freak chosen by Nuwa.

The space fell into silence, with only the Fountain of Life emitting a faint light.

Time passed quietly, and about three hours later, a powerful, pure, and vibrant Daoist aura suddenly emanated from Qin Le's body, like a spring breeze and rain, bringing withered trees back to life.

This is... the aura of the Immortal Path of Life.

A golden glint flashed in Houtu Niangniang's eyes, a hint of surprise passing through them.

Although she had expected it, and although she knew that Nuwa was guiding her, she was still surprised by her ability to grasp and comprehend the Dao of Life in just three hours.

Meanwhile, within Qin Le's sea of ​​consciousness...

Originally, only the sealed marks of the two Great Daos of Time and Space and Creation floated quietly. Now, a new mark full of vitality has appeared next to it—the mark of the Great Dao of Life.

Similarly, it was gently and firmly sealed by Nuwa's power.

"Little Lele," the little clay figure Nuwa's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with laughter, "You probably don't want to stay in this underworld for months, do you?"

"Of course not." Qin Le replied without hesitation.

"Since you don't want to, then conjure up a 'Seed of Immortal Life' and throw it into the pool. That's the fastest way," Nuwa said with a smile, offering her solution.

"This... I just realized that the power of the Great Dao of Life in my Qi Sea is not enough to condense the Seed of Immortality." Qin Le was somewhat troubled.

He has only just grasped the Great Dao of Life, and his current power of the Great Dao is far from enough.

"Isn't that simple?" The little clay figure Nuwa's voice carried a familiar, mischievous laugh that made Qin Le's heart skip a beat.

Immediately afterwards, the little clay figure Nuwa drew upon the power of the Great Dao of Life, condensing it into a milky-white hammer of the Great Dao.

Upon seeing this Great Dao Hammer, Qin Le's face paled, and he instantly understood Nuwa's acceleration plan.

He gritted his teeth and pleaded with his last shred of hope, "Mother Nuwa... be gentle."

"Hey!"

Thump—!

His response was a crisp exhale from the little clay figure Nuwa, followed by a small hammer condensed from life force, which slammed solidly into his forehead.

An indescribable pain and dizziness struck like a tsunami. Qin Le's vision went black, and his consciousness sank into boundless darkness. His body went limp and collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.

The little clay figure Nuwa casually scattered the hammer, clapped her hands, and carefully reinforced the seal on the Dao of Life in Qin Le's sea of ​​consciousness to ensure that its aura would not leak out due to the upcoming changes.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why the surging vitality would still be present after the Immortal Seed is created.

Outside, Houtu Niangniang sensed Qin Le's sudden change in aura and his sudden unconsciousness, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "Narcissist, what did you do to him?"

The clay figure of Nuwa appeared above Qin Le's head, her expression saying, "You don't even need to ask, do you? Speed ​​things up! Or do you really want me to waste months here with you?"

Houtu Niangniang's lips twitched slightly: "You think I want to see you?"

"So, you should thank me," the little clay figure Nuwa said smugly. "If it weren't for my intervention, you would have been facing this 'face that makes you jealous' every day for the next few months."

"...Then I really thank you." Houtu Niangniang said irritably.

"You're welcome~" the little clay figure Nuwa replied with a smile.

The two said nothing more and quietly stood by. About an hour later, Qin Le, who had been unconscious on the ground, twitched his eyelashes and slowly woke up.

He propped himself up and subconsciously raised his hand to rub his forehead, which still ached slightly.

Without delay, he got up, walked to the fountain of life, and stretched out his right hand.

Within the palm of his hand, a pure, refined, and life-giving milky-white light began to flow and converge, emanating a refreshing and invigorating aura of immortality.

As Qin Le controlled it with his mind, the light became more and more solid, and the Daoist charm became more restrained. Finally, it transformed into a seed about the size of a pigeon egg, milky white all over, as if it were carved from the finest jade marrow. It quietly floated in his palm, and there seemed to be a faint pulse of life inside.

The Seed of Immortal Life.

Seeing the incredibly solid Immortal Seed in Qin Le's palm, and noticing his intention to throw it into the pool, Houtu Niangniang's pupils constricted, and she couldn't help but speak up to stop him:

"Wait! You...you're going to put this Immortal Seed directly inside?"

Qin Le paused, turned around, and looked at Houtu with some confusion: "Can't we do that? Mother Nuwa said this is the fastest way."

Could it be... that the method is wrong?