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

A few days later, it was Qin Shoudao's birthday.

When Qin Le presented his father with the carefully prepared birthday gift—the purple-gold alchemy furnace used by Laozi in his early years, along with the fire-nurturing wood that contained a wisp of embers—Qin Shoudao was stunned for a moment. Then, a bright smile instantly bloomed on his face, and his eyes narrowed into slits.

He patted Qin Le's shoulder heavily, grinning from ear to ear: "Not bad, not bad! Good lad, all these years of raising you haven't been in vain! You still know how to care for your dad!"

Hearing this, Lin Wanrou, who was arranging medicinal herbs nearby, couldn't help but roll her eyes elegantly and said coolly, "You talk as if you're always at home and have done some great service. I've hardly ever seen you in the past few years."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing half of Qin Shoudao's excitement.

He scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, his tone apologetic and wistful: "Well... wife, you're right. I was too fixated on things a few years ago, always feeling like I was falling behind, and desperately trying to catch up, which resulted in neglecting the family. From now on... from now on, I'll stay home and refine pills, and I won't wander off anywhere."

Looking back, Qin Le had been working almost entirely in the Alliance's alchemy department since he was about fifteen years old, rarely going home except for major holidays and special circumstances.

The reason was simple: he saw his wife making rapid progress in alchemy, with all sorts of ingenious ideas emerging one after another, while he himself seemed to be stagnating.

That anxiety, coupled with his desire not to burden his partner and his urgent need to walk alongside her, led him to choose to bury himself in arduous self-study.

This is not some laughable sense of pride, but the most basic thought of a Daoist couple—only by progressing together can they stay together for a long time.

Stagnation can even breed inner demons.

Fortunately, the years of reflection were not in vain.

Now, although he dares not say that he has surpassed his wife's boundless creativity, he can at least offer many solid and insightful suggestions on the understanding of traditional alchemy, the control of fire and the harmonization of medicinal properties. He is no longer the bystander who can only watch his wife's back but is powerless to catch up.

As for surpassing Lin Wanrou in scientific research and innovation?

Qin Shoudao never dared to hope for it.

That unique talent for inspiration cannot be acquired simply through hard work.

"Oh ho." Lin Wanrou turned around, crossed her arms, and looked at him with a half-smile: "Judging from your tone, Lao Qin, you've really improved a lot these past few years, haven't you?"

"Of course!" Qin Shoudao puffed out his chest, regaining some confidence, with a hint of smugness: "We'll work together to forge a batch tomorrow, and you'll see."

"Sure, I'm just waiting to see what it's like." Lin Wanrou raised an eyebrow, looking on with anticipation.

Watching her parents' long-lost, playful yet heartwarming interaction, Qin Le couldn't help but laugh as she stood to the side.

Such scenes were indeed rarely seen during the years my father was in seclusion.

Qin Shoudao's birthday was spent in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere with his family of three.

Holidays are like sand slipping through your fingers, always passing by unnoticed.

Before we knew it, it was time for the new school term to begin.

At seven o'clock in the morning, Qin Le had just opened his eyes when he heard his parents discussing something in hushed but still clear voices in the living room.

"You failed just now, it's definitely because you put in too much Tianyuan Fruit! The medicinal properties were too strong, disrupting the overall harmony."

"No, no, we didn't put in enough Heavenly Origin Fruit. The 'Spirit-Guiding' effect isn't enough to activate the main ingredient!"

"Then try using only half! First, ensure the pill forms; if the effect isn't sufficient, then find a way to compensate with other auxiliary ingredients!"

"But the pills refined that way won't achieve the desired effects!"

"First, make the elixir! Then add more ingredients gradually according to the proportions! The way of alchemy emphasizes gradual progress. When are you going to change your impatient nature?"

"..."

Since Qin Shoudao returned home, similar theories of alchemy have been presented almost every day.

Qin Le was already used to it, and even found the background noise somewhat comforting. As long as it didn't interfere with his meals or sleep, he let them talk.

After washing up, Qin Le walked out of his room. In the living room, the couple was still huddled in front of the pill formula blueprints, pointing and discussing, completely unaware that their son had come out.

Qin Le greeted them, but they just mumbled "uh-huh" and "yeah" in response.

Qin Le shrugged, ate breakfast, and then headed out to the academy.

As soon as they arrived at the academy gate, they saw a familiar figure—Chu Xiaonan, and his younger sister Chu Anran, who was always incredibly eye-catching.

The girl's rainbow-colored long hair was still dazzling in the morning light.

Chu Xiaonan was accompanying her younger sister to complete her enrollment procedures. They were entering their senior year of college, and Chu Anran had also successfully entered the undergraduate program with the highest score in the actual college entrance examination.

What's even more remarkable is that, due to her special identity as the reincarnation of a rare and auspicious creature from the Seven-Colored Auspicious Clouds, she was chosen by the Queen Mother of the West during the divine selection ceremony and directly accepted as her personal disciple.

"Old Chu, Little Anran, good morning!" Qin Le greeted them with a smile as he walked over.

The brother and sister turned around at the sound and smiled when they saw Qin Le.

"Good morning, Brother Qin Le!" Chu Anran's voice was clear and crisp.

"Good morning," Chu Xiaonan nodded in response.

The three chatted as they walked into the college.

However, Chu Anran had to find her dormitory to settle down before she could go very far.

Chu Xiaonan naturally had to go along—in his words, he had to show his younger sister around the academy so she wouldn't get lost.

Chu Anran was somewhat speechless at her brother's concern.

Cultivators possess divine sense, which can easily encompass the entire academy; how could they possibly get lost?

But she knew that these were her parents' repeated instructions before she left home, so Chu Xiaonan didn't dare to ignore them and had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.

The opening ceremony ended at noon.

Qin Le arrived at the cafeteria and met up with several of her dining buddies. Chu Anran didn't come along; she went to eat with her high school classmates.

The group got their food and sat around a table.

Chen Yun ate a few bites, then suddenly sighed with some emotion: "Time flies... It feels like in the blink of an eye, we only have one year left as students."

"Yes," Chu Xiaonan nodded in agreement, "It feels like we just finished the mock college entrance exam yesterday, and today we're graduating."

At this moment, Li Yanran put down her chopsticks, looked at them, and smiled, "Instead of wasting your time being sentimental here, you should think more about what will happen after graduation."

"After graduation?" Chu Xiaonan paused, her hand still holding the food she was picking up. "What else can I do? Continue cultivating, of course. At most, I'll find a different place to go into seclusion."

In his view, graduation is just a change of training ground, and there is no essential difference.

Li Yanran shook her head, her expression turning serious: "I think that besides cultivation, you also need to prepare for what happens after 'ascension'."

"Make preparations? What preparations?" Luo Qiuyue asked softly.

The others also looked over.

Li Yanran pursed her lips, her tone becoming solemn: "After ascending to the Heavenly Realm, we... can no longer descend to the mortal realm whenever we want. And your parents and relatives are still in the mortal world."

They had heard the phrase "the difference between immortals and mortals" since childhood, but they had never truly experienced the cold and helpless reality it contained.

Even now that they have comprehended the laws and entered the path of immortality, they subconsciously avoid this issue, or rather, they are unwilling to think about it in detail.

At this moment, after Li Yanran so bluntly pointed it out, the group fell silent instantly. The noise of the cafeteria seemed to be shut out, and an indescribable sense of heaviness quietly permeated the air.

Yes, what happens after ascension?

Parents and family members are not necessarily immortals; their lifespans are limited.

They have an almost endless lifespan, but they may have to watch their loved ones grow old and pass away one by one over a long period of time, and the number of times they can go back to visit them will become very few.

Perhaps... we will never see each other again.

The time I have to spend with my family has really started to count down.

After a long while, Wang Zhiheng finally spoke with a wry smile, his tone complicated: "Yanran... these words... actually didn't need to be said so soon."

His words expressed the shared feelings of everyone present except Qin Le.

Some realities, even if we know they exist, we'd rather they be revealed later, much later.