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

"Qin Le, I have a feeling... Old Wang is a bit like a 'gold digger'?"

Looking at the husky version of Wang Zhiheng on the ground, still getting used to walking on four legs, Chen Yun stroked his chin and spoke with a mischievous expression.

Upon hearing this, the others were taken aback for a moment, then their eyes swept back and forth between Li Yanran and the bewildered husky, and the corners of their mouths couldn't help but turn up.

Upon hearing this, Qin Le chuckled and shook his head: "Not yet... It's hard to say what will happen after he ascends to the Heavenly Realm."

"That makes sense!" Chen Yun nodded immediately, expressing his deep agreement.

Hearing the two of them talking back and forth, the others looked at Li Yanran and Wang Zhiheng with even more teasing eyes.

Indeed, as Qin Le said, Wang Zhiheng is not yet considered a kept man. They are all students in the same school, so the difference in resources is not too great.

But once they ascend to the Heavenly Realm, the situation will be completely different—the resources, protection, and connections that Li Yanran's quasi-saint mother can provide will be unmatched by others.

That's what it means to be a kept man... no, it's about having powerful backing.

Of all those present, perhaps only Qin Le could completely disregard the differences brought about by this background.

After all, he is the only direct disciple of the Goddess Nuwa, which carries immense prestige and makes him one of the top backers in the Three Realms.

Instead of being embarrassed or annoyed by her friends' knowing looks, Li Yanran raised her chin with a smug expression.

"Chen Yun, are you envious of Zhiheng from our family?"

"Yeah! I'm so envious!" Chen Yun immediately put on his dramatic act, pounding his chest and stamping his feet, putting on a heartbroken look: "Why! Why isn't I the one who can live off a woman!"

His exaggerated performance made everyone else burst into laughter.

Chu Xiaonan chuckled and patted Chen Yun on the shoulder, offering him "advice": "Don't be discouraged, Old Chen! After you ascend, try your best to find a near-saint Daoist partner and surpass Old Wang in the 'soft rice' race!"

"Great idea!" Chen Yun immediately wiped the pain from his face and gave Chu Xiaonan a thumbs up: "It's settled then, target: Quasi-Saint Dao Companion!"

The group laughed and joked with each other for a while, filling the dormitory with a cheerful atmosphere.

After the jokes were over, they dispersed and returned to their own homes.

Wang Zhiheng needs to make the most of the month-long effect of the Transformation Pill and fully comprehend the laws of heaven and earth.

Chu Xiaonan and Luo Qiuyue also needed to go back and take the pills; they couldn't waste this precious boost to their comprehension.

Chen Yun and Lu Qingshuang had already taken the lead, and naturally they didn't want to fall too far behind.

Time flies, and the first semester of junior year quietly came to an end in this seemingly ordinary rhythm, in which everyone was working hard in silence.

Qin Le had been secretly hoping that the traitors of the Three Realms who had stolen the special Dharma Body would make some kind of commotion. He was even prepared to be a target and figure out their methods.

But no matter how long they waited, until the end of the semester, there was still no response from the other party.

After thinking about it carefully, Qin Le understood.

In their attempt to seize the Dharma Body, those traitors suffered heavy losses at the top and also in the middle and lower ranks, making it impossible for them to recover their strength in a short period of time.

Even if they have a conspiracy, they need to recover their losses first.

Furthermore, putting yourself in his shoes, if he were the leader of the traitors who had just succeeded, the other side would certainly be on high alert and would never act immediately.

The best strategy is to wait patiently until the storm passes and the target's vigilance lowers before delivering a fatal blow.

From this perspective, the other party's decision to remain inactive actually makes them appear more professional and patient.

During this semester, several of Qin Le's dining buddies achieved breakthroughs.

Chu Xiaonan comprehended the laws of the mountain.

Luo Qiuyue successfully elevated the already perfected Five Elements conception into the Five Elements Law.

Wang Zhiheng, on the other hand, comprehended the Law of Metal.

At this point, apart from Li Yanran, who was focused on painting and whose progress was slightly slower but whose mindset was peaceful, all the core members of Qin Le's small circle had entered the Earth Immortal realm.

Interestingly, apart from Lu Qingshuang and Luo Qiuyue who advanced smoothly along their original paths of enlightenment, the laws of Chu Xiaonan, Chen Yun, and Wang Zhiheng deviated to varying degrees and were not entirely from the same source as the enlightenment they initially comprehended.

This can be seen as a combination of their personal characteristics and a stroke of luck.

After comprehending the laws, Chu Xiaonan, Luo Qiuyue, and Wang Zhiheng took turns challenging the Tower of Babel, and unsurprisingly all of them made it to the fifth floor, leaving their names at the top of the leaderboard.

Their success was like throwing a boulder into a calm lake, reigniting the passion for cultivation among all the students in the academy.

Seeing familiar classmates make breakthroughs one by one, the sense of urgency and the motivation to catch up are more direct and intense than any preaching.

Li Yanran is not anxious about falling behind temporarily. She has her own pace, and her accumulation of artistic conception has reached perfection, so a breakthrough is just a natural outcome.

She estimated that in another year or two, she would be able to take that step steadily.

What's the rush?

The path of spiritual practice is ultimately one's own.

On the first day of the holiday, Qin Le wanted to sleep in, which was a rare occurrence for her.

Unfortunately, God did not wish.

With a bang, the door was kicked open without any politeness.

Lin Wanrou rushed in and, without saying a word, grabbed Qin Le, who was still in bed, by the collar and shook him awake like a rattle drum.

"Mom... what's wrong... so early in the morning?"

Qin Le was still sleepy, yawning, her voice full of languidness from not having had enough sleep.

Lin Wanrou released her grip, plopped down on the edge of the bed, a bright smile spreading across her face, but her tone left no room for refusal:

"Son, wake up, run an errand for Mom."

"Running errands?" Qin Le rubbed his eyes, somewhat surprised. "Those tons of spiritual herbs you asked me to buy last time, are they all used up so quickly?"

He remembered clearly that the last time he went to the Heavenly Realm to purchase supplies, his mother's list was calculated by the ton, which should have been more than enough to last for decades.

"No, there's plenty more!" Lin Wanrou waved her hand and explained, "I've been working on a new kind of pill recently, which requires a rather special medicinal herb that I forgot to include last time. Could you go and get some more for me?"

"What special medicinal material?" Qin Le asked curiously.

Something that his mother is particularly interested in must be something special.

"Netherworld Grass!" Lin Wanrou's eyes lit up as she said excitedly, "I'm going to use it to refine the 'Ghost Transformation Pill'!"

"A... a ghost-transforming pill?" Qin Le wondered if he was still half asleep.

"That's right!" Lin Wanrou said matter-of-factly, "I'm just curious about what it feels like to become a ghost! A cultivator's soul leaving the body feels nothing like a real ghost. But your mom is an Earth Immortal now, so dying isn't easy, and even if I did, I couldn't become a ghost. So, I can only research elixirs myself to experience it!"

Qin Le: "..."

Qin Le had long since given up trying to understand her mother's wildly imaginative and always-on-the-frontline-of-exploration-and-interesting thought processes.

Because in the end, she always ends the discussion with an irrefutable reason: Because it's so much fun!

Faced with this ultimate reason, any questioning seems pale and powerless.

"Alright, alright," Qin Le sighed resignedly. "I'll go run errands for you. How much?"

Lin Wanrou thought for a moment and gave a quantity that perfectly matched her style as a pill-refining fanatic and hoarding expert: "Give me... five tons first."

"...I'll try my best." Qin Le's lips twitched, speechless.

Buying Netherworld Grass by the ton?

Only his mother could do something like that.

"Hurry up, I need it for my experiment!"

Lin Wanrou patted her son's shoulder with satisfaction, left those words, and then hurried away.

Watching his mother's departing figure, Qin Le shook his head helplessly.

He did know about the Netherworld Grass.

That is a spiritual plant that is a specialty of the underworld. It grows in extremely yin places and absorbs the essence of yin energy from the underworld.

It has little use for living beings in the mortal realm and is only used in a few unorthodox elixirs.

However, for ghost cultivators in the underworld, the pure yin energy contained in the Netherworld Grass can be directly absorbed for cultivation. In addition, the yield is decent and the amount of yin energy contained is moderate. Over time, it has become one of the basic currencies circulating in the underworld.

After getting up, washing up, grabbing two still-warm meat buns from the kitchen, and downing a cup of soy milk, Qin Le finally woke up completely.

It's time to go.

With a thought, he vanished from his home. The next moment, he appeared before the magnificent gates of the Alliance headquarters.

If he wants to go to the underworld, he has to ask the Jade Emperor to open the door first.