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

Time flies, and the ordinary yet fulfilling days pass by one by one. In the blink of an eye, the second semester of the university has also come to an end.

Tang Chen, Qian Shuning, Zhao Yaya, and other senior students officially graduated from the college and embarked on a new stage in their lives.

From then on, they will continue their cultivation under the guidance of the divine soul fragments in their respective seas of consciousness. They will also need to rely on themselves to strive for and exchange for various cultivation resources through the alliance's channels and by completing tasks, unlike when they were students, when they could obtain them relatively easily from the academy.

However, for graduates like Qian Shuning and Zhao Yaya, who have already reached the perfect state of refining emptiness and merging with the Dao, the need for most conventional resources has already decreased.

What they crave most right now is a higher level of enlightenment from a powerful being, a deeper understanding of the laws and the Great Way. External aids are temporarily relegated to a secondary position.

For those graduates who have not yet reached perfection, or are still in the stage of refining the spirit and returning to emptiness, the future path should be more pragmatic.

They need to actively acquire resources to support their cultivation through various tasks and contribution exchanges issued by the alliance. While the difficulty won't be too high, it certainly won't be as easy as it was at the academy.

The first day of the holiday, early morning.

Qin Le got up early, and after washing up, she took a rare opportunity to carefully groom herself in front of the mirror.

He doesn't usually care much about his appearance; as long as he's clean, tidy, and presentable, that's fine—after all, with his face, it's hard for him to be unattractive.

But not today. Grandma is currently staying at home, and if she doesn't dress properly, she'll definitely get a lecture. Grandma's emphasis on etiquette and rules is almost ingrained in her bones.

The origin of this persistence can be traced back to before the gods descended to earth and ushered in the era of universal cultivation of immortality.

My maternal grandmother came from a long-standing scholarly family with strict family rules and extremely high requirements for the behavior, demeanor, and style of her children.

Even after the world changed drastically and cultivating immortality became mainstream, many people in the family still maintained this tradition. My maternal grandmother grew up in this environment from a young age.

As for Qin Le's mother, Lin Wanrou?

She certainly learned these rules when she was a child, but she was rebellious by nature and didn't care much for those rules and regulations.

In addition, before she obtained the ancient alchemy furnace from Shennong, she often got covered in soot and dirt from the furnace explosions during alchemy, and she didn't care about her appearance, so she naturally didn't have much confidence to ask her son to do the same.

Grandma's temporary stay was largely due to her disapproval of her daughter's unkempt manners, and her determination to correct her behavior.

After finishing, Qin Le went downstairs.

Inside the restaurant, Grandma and Mother Lin Wanrou were preparing breakfast. Both were dressed appropriately, their hair neatly styled.

However, the look in Grandma's eyes when she looked at Lin Wanrou always carried a hint of helpless disappointment—clearly, the lecture had already taken place before Qin Le got up.

Seeing Qin Le come downstairs, Grandma's face immediately lit up with a kind smile. She looked him up and down, and seeing that he was neatly dressed and full of energy, she nodded in satisfaction.

"Xiao Le is awake? Come here quickly, it's time to eat breakfast."

Grandma wasn't incapable of understanding the casualness of young people in private, but in front of her, basic manners and decorum had to be maintained.

This is her bottom line, and a habit ingrained in her bones since childhood.

Out of sight, out of mind; but once she saw it, she couldn't help but speak out.

"Good morning, Grandma and Mother." Qin Le greeted them as usual and went over to have lunch together.

After breakfast, Qin Le made an excuse to go out. Staying at home requires constant attention to one's words and actions, which is manageable, but it's never as comfortable and relaxed as being outside.

Stepping out of his house and breathing in the cool morning air, Qin Le felt much more relaxed. He took out his phone and sent a message to a group chat with only a few of his lunch buddies.

Qin Le: Anyone free? Want to go out for a stroll?

As soon as the message was sent, replies started popping up one after another.

Chen Yun: Where to?

Chu Xiaonan: I'm free!

Li Yanran: @Wang Zhiheng, where are you? Come out now!

Wang Zhiheng: Here I am, I was just practicing my sword.

Luo Qiuyue: Where are we going?

Lu Qingshuang: Okay.

Seeing everyone's response, Qin Le couldn't help but smile.

Qin Le: I don't know, let's talk about it when we get out. Same place as always, meet at Baiwei Square.

He didn't have any specific plans; he just wanted to get some fresh air and find someone to go with to kill time.

The others understood this implicitly and replied that it was no problem and they would be there soon.

For them, once they reach the stage of refining emptiness and merging with the Dao, the accumulation of spiritual power is no longer the primary concern; what is more important is the comprehension of the laws.

However, comprehending the laws of nature is not something that can be achieved by simply shutting oneself away in solitary meditation. Going out and observing the various aspects of the world may actually lead to insights and sudden enlightenment.

At Baiwei Square, everyone gradually arrived.

Once Lu Qingshuang, the last to arrive, had quietly stood still, Qin Le smiled and said, "Everyone's here. So... where to go? Do you have any ideas?"

Everyone looked at each other, clueless for a moment. After a moment of silence, Li Yanran suddenly raised her hand, her eyes lighting up:

"How about... we go check out the 'real college entrance exam' later?"

These words surprised everyone.

The actual college entrance exam... for them, that was a year ago.

In just one year, everyone has experienced and changed a lot. Looking back on those days when we teamed up to hunt Chaos Beasts and compete for points in the secret realm, it feels like a lifetime ago.

Qin Le smiled and glanced at the others: "I think this is a good suggestion. What about you?"

"Sure, let's go see how the current freshmen are doing."

"No problem, let's reminisce about our old days."

"Okay, let's go take a look."

They all nodded in agreement. Going to see the college entrance exam would be a way to reflect on their own journey.

Having decided on their destination, the group chatted and laughed as they walked towards the examination area near the Alliance headquarters.

A large crowd had already gathered outside the examination hall.

High-ranking members of the alliance watched from a distance, while many students who had been eliminated or had already completed their exams looked up at the huge magical light screen in the sky—which displayed real-time images of various parts of the secret realm and a constantly scrolling leaderboard.

The arrival of Qin Le and his group did not attract much attention. They found a good spot to sit down and their eyes were all drawn to the top of the leaderboard.

Currently ranked first is a name called Li Feiyu, with 3069 points, from the Heavenly Court Academy.

The second place went to a girl named Tang Xuanxuan, with 3037 points, from Sanqing Academy.

Third place: Ye Si, with 3023 points, Confucian Academy.

Upon seeing that familiar name, Li Yanran chuckled, her tone tinged with a hint of exasperation:

"Sisi is such a disappointment, only ranking third."

Judging from her familiar tone, she clearly has a close relationship with this Ye Si.

"Third place is still pretty impressive, okay?" Chu Xiaonan couldn't help but say.

In a normal college entrance examination, the competition is extremely fierce, and those who can get into the top three are truly outstanding individuals.

Their class last year was a special case because of Qin Le, a special individual. They successfully hunted down the Domain Lord and gained the opportunity to listen to the Sage's sermon, which made the second half of the class almost a waste of time.

Although Lu Qingshuang ultimately ranked first, no one really cared much about it.

"You don't understand." Li Yanran shook her head and explained, "That girl, in her second year of high school, successfully 'cultivated literary talent' by studying Confucian classics on her own, and became a 'Confucian cultivator' ahead of schedule. Her starting point and strength were far superior to those of other students in the same period."

"He became a Confucian scholar in his second year of high school?!" Chu Xiaonan was genuinely surprised this time, her eyes widening slightly.

Everyone else, except for Wang Zhiheng who seemed to know the truth, also showed surprise.

Before university, the academy does not teach any systems other than the basic cultivation methods.

To be able to cross the threshold of Confucian cultivation at this stage solely through one's own comprehension, one's understanding and temperament are absolutely those of a top genius.

Thinking about it this way, Li Yanran's disdain for her being ranked third seems... to make some sense?