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

In the blink of an eye, several days of the New Year have quietly slipped away. Qin Le and her parents have finished visiting relatives and finally managed to steal a few moments of leisure.

That morning, after Qin Le finished breakfast, he was about to take his phone out of his pocket to ask in the group chat if anyone was free when Chen Yun's message popped up on his screen first.

Chen Yun: Qin Le! Come to my house quickly! I can't hold on any longer!!!

Upon seeing this line of text, Qin Le couldn't help but smile.

Qin Le: Am I being pressured to find a Daoist partner again?

Chen Yun: Come quick! This is an unbearable burden!

Qin Le: Okay, I'll be right there.

Qin Le smiled and replied, then stood up and went out.

Qin Le could understand why his elders were so eager to urge these young people to find a Daoist partner.

The path of cultivation is long, and the longer one walks it, the more detached one tends to be from romantic love.

If you don't find someone who understands you while you're young and full of energy, when your heart is easily stirred, you'll likely end up with a life of quiet detachment, facing the long years alone.

Moreover, Chen Yun is a complete artifact-forging fanatic, obsessed with tinkering with those cultivation artifacts that incorporate modern technology, looking like he's going to dedicate his life's passion to the great cause of scientific research.

It's perfectly normal for his family to be worried about him.

When Qin Le arrived at Chen Yun's house, he had just pressed the doorbell when Chen Yun rushed out and opened the door in a great hurry.

Beside him was a miniature, black-and-white, furry, and somewhat endearing iron-eating beast.

Chen Yun was originally not very interested in establishing a bloodline contract with the demon race, but for some reason this iron-eating beast took a liking to him and kept pestering him until he had no choice but to accept it.

As for the reason?

It all started during the war between the two tribes, when Chen Yun pulled out the iron hammer that contained the ancient aura of Chi You.

The familiar feeling etched deep within the bloodline of the Iron-Eating Beast made her instantly attached to Chen Yun.

Chen Yun named her Yuanyuan because when she curled up, she really did look like a round, fluffy ball.

"Let's go, let's go!"

Chen Yun grabbed Qin Le and turned away from his house without looking back. At this moment, he didn't want to stay a second longer.

Dragging Chen Yun forward, Qin Le asked with a smile, "So, where are we going to take refuge?"

It's the New Year right now, and most shops on the street are closed. They can only wander around aimlessly, as there's really nowhere particularly good to go.

"Anywhere is fine! Just not at home!" Chen Yun's answer was resolute.

They hadn't walked far when their phones vibrated simultaneously in their pockets. They took them out and saw it was a message from Chu Xiaonan in a group chat.

Chu Xiaonan: Do you two want to come over and set off fireworks together? [Image]

The accompanying photos show various fireworks neatly arranged on the ground, just waiting for a single flame to ignite their brilliance.

Qin Le and Chen Yun exchanged a glance, their fingers flying across the keyboard almost simultaneously.

Chen Yun: I'll be there right away!

Qin Le: Wait for me!

The moment the message was sent, Qin Le reached out and grabbed Chen Yun, along with Yuan Yuan, who had been quietly rubbing against him and absorbing Daoist energy. His thoughts stirred slightly.

The surrounding space rippled almost imperceptibly, and the next moment, the two people and the bear appeared in the sky above Chu Xiaonan's yard.

Chu Xiaonan had already activated the protective array in her home, guiding them to land safely.

His twin siblings, who had just turned five, immediately waved their little hands happily to greet him.

Qin Le and Chen Yun responded with smiles to the two adorable little ones.

As soon as Qin Le landed, the spirit turtle that had formed a bloodline contract with Chu Xiaonan slowly crawled over.

That's right, the beast he ultimately contracted was not the ferocious demon he had originally longed for, the one that could enhance his offensive power, but the spirit turtle that had been his equal in the exchange battle, with neither of them able to defeat the other, and the battle ending in a draw.

At first, Chu Xiaonan was somewhat reluctant—why would a body cultivator like him need such a hard shell?

But one sentence from the spirit turtle completely moved him:

"Wouldn't it be good to let the opponent experience what a 'wall of despair' really looks like?"

Chu Xiaonan was intrigued. He could almost see the frustrated expressions on his future enemies' faces as they confronted his impenetrable defenses, their expressions a mixture of gritted teeth and utter helplessness.

Thus, the contract was reached.

The spirit turtle also received a new name—Xuanheng, an elegant name given by Li Yanran.

Based on Chu Xiaonan's original naming style, he would probably be called Iron Egg or Hard Shell.

"Hey Chu, you're all geared up this year?" Chen Yun said with a smile, patting Chu Xiaonan on the shoulder after landing.

At this time last year, Chu Xiaonan hadn't prepared so many tricks.

"I accidentally forgot last year, so I have to make up for it this year and have a good time!" Chu Xiaonan grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

He himself wasn't particularly interested in fireworks, but his two little ones loved them.

As for his younger sister, Chu Anran, she had to go about her business with their parents today, so the responsibility of taking care of her naturally fell on his shoulders as her older brother.

"These big guys might not be able to roam freely in the yard, right?"

Qin Le pointed to several large fireworks displays next to him, each taller than a person, and laughed.

Safety wasn't an issue, since everyone present was a cultivator.

However, these large-scale fireworks are best appreciated from a distance; getting too close makes it difficult to fully appreciate their magnificence as they fill the night sky.

"It's alright, let's play with the smaller ones first. We can save the bigger ones for tonight, when we find an open space." Chu Xiaonan had already made arrangements.

The small courtyard suddenly became lively. The two little ones were the most excited, running around the yard with all sorts of sparklers, drawing bright but short arcs of light.

Qin Le, Chen Yun, and Chu Xiaonan, three big boys, each had a box of Black Spider products and started playing a game of mutual destruction.

You throw one at my feet, and I'll time it perfectly and bounce one onto your back.

These small firecrackers are naturally no match for cultivators; they're purely for fun, to see who reacts quickly and who can trick people more accurately.

Of course, Qin Le, who had mastered time and space, had the upper hand. The timing and location of the firecrackers' explosions were almost entirely within his control.

Watching the two human cubs carefree waving fireworks, the three teenagers played and chased each other like children. Xuan Geng and Yuan Yuan, who were lying in the corner, exchanged a silent glance and saw deep confusion in each other's eyes.

"Tell me, what's the point of them doing all this?" Xuan Geng transmitted his divine sense, his tone full of confusion.

Wouldn't it be better to use this time to circulate the energy through the body a few more times and refine the technique further?

"How would I know?" Yuan Yuan lazily shook her round head and replied with her divine sense, "It's a complete waste of time."

In their deeply ingrained belief, strength is the eternal foundation of everything.

Instead of wasting precious energy on things that seem to yield no results and only provide fleeting pleasure, it's better to seize every minute to cultivate yourself and become stronger.

They could barely understand Qin Le's actions—after all, he had already comprehended the Dao of Immortality and achieved immortality, so time no longer seemed so pressing for him.

But Chu Xiaonan and Chen Yun, who have not yet become immortals and whose path to immortality is still long, are so idle and unproductive, which is really puzzling to these two demon companions.

The war in the heavens is not yet over, and the threat of chaos remains. Shouldn't we be racing against time?

"Perhaps... this is what humans often refer to as 'a balance between tension and relaxation'?" Xuan Geng pondered for a moment, recalling a term he had heard before.

"Who knows?"

Yuan Yuan remained noncommittal, shifting to a more comfortable position while her gaze remained fixed on the incongruous yet strangely harmonious lively scene in the yard.

They couldn't understand, yet were keenly aware, that the human race's balanced approach was perhaps destined to be completely different from the demon race's instinctive path of valuing strength and prioritizing efficiency.