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

The next morning, Wang Zhiheng had just finished breakfast and was about to go to Li Yanran with the gifts that Qin Le and the other two had helped prepare when his phone vibrated first.

It was a message from Li Yanran, asking him to go to the back mountain of the academy.

Although Wang Zhiheng was somewhat puzzled, he immediately replied "okay" and then hurried towards the back mountain.

Soon, he met Li Yanran at the agreed location.

Beside her stood a young man in white, a stranger—handsome with a resemblance to Li Yanran in the eyes and brows, who was looking at her with a faint smile.

Upon seeing Wang Zhiheng arrive, the white-clad youth moved with lightning speed, appearing beside him like a ghost. He casually placed his arm around Wang Zhiheng's shoulder and smiled, saying:

"Not bad, my sister has pretty good taste."

younger sister?

Li Yanran's...brother?

Wang Zhiheng's mind went blank for a moment, but he still politely said, "Hello, my name is Wang Zhiheng."

"Yes, I know." The young man in white smiled broadly. "My name is Li Wuyou. Don't be so nervous. Come on, let's go over there and talk to each other alone for a bit."

Before he finished speaking, he put his arm around Wang Zhiheng's shoulder, and in another flash, the two of them disappeared from the spot, leaving Li Yanran standing there with a hint of helplessness on her face, but no worry.

She knew her brother's personality all too well; although he seemed carefree, he was by no means someone who would act recklessly.

Another deserted mountain hollow.

Li Wuyou casually waved his hand, and an invisible array barrier enveloped the surroundings, blocking all detection.

This effortless array formation technique caused Wang Zhiheng to tremble slightly—it was the first time he had ever seen someone so easily and casually create an array.

Suppressing his surprise, Wang Zhiheng composed himself and asked, "Senior, what would you like to talk to me about?"

"Don't call me senior." Li Wuyou waved his hand casually, "I'm only a little over two hundred years old, still young. Just call me Brother Li."

"Brother Li," Wang Zhiheng readily agreed, "You wanted to see me...is there something you wanted to say?"

Li Wuyou's overly enthusiastic attitude left Wang Zhiheng somewhat bewildered—he had already prepared himself to be scrutinized and even harassed.

Li Wuyou smiled, his expression becoming more serious:

"That's right. My mother is currently in seclusion, so she doesn't know about you and Yanran yet."

"And then?" Wang Zhiheng pressed.

"Then..." Li Wuyou looked at him, her smile filled with encouragement, but also with an undeniable seriousness: "You must reach the minimum ascension standard before she emerges from seclusion. Then, ascend with Yanran and go to pay your respects to her."

"May I ask... how long until you emerge from seclusion, senior?" Wang Zhiheng's mind raced, and he understood what the other party meant.

He must break through to the Celestial Immortal realm before Li Yanran's mother emerges from seclusion—this is the bottom line for gaining recognition.

"It will take anywhere from ten to twenty years."

Li Wuyou said with a smile, but her eyes remained fixed on Wang Zhiheng's face, observing his reaction.

"This..." Wang Zhiheng was speechless for a moment.

He had to prepare for the worst—ten years. To break through to the Celestial Immortal realm before the age of thirty was something no one had ever accomplished in the more than five hundred years of cultivation history in the mortal realm.

Of course, Qin Le was an exception—he attained enlightenment from a mortal overnight, which cannot be explained by ordinary standards.

But apart from Qin Le, there has been no precedent.

Li Wuyou patted his shoulder, his tone still relaxed, but the weight in his words was profound:

"I know the pressure is immense. But for your own sake, and for Yanran's—you must do it."

Wang Zhiheng took a deep breath, looked up at Li Wuyou, his gaze calm and firm:

"I will do it."

Li Wuyou is right. Whether for his own sake or for Li Yanran's, he has to do it.

The last time he liked Luo Qiuyue, it was one-sided, and it ended tragically. He accepted it.

But this time, he and Li Yanran were mutually in love, and he absolutely could not allow it to end in regret again.

"Not bad, that's ambitious." Li Wuyou's eyes showed satisfaction, and he patted his shoulder again: "I'll be waiting for you in the Heavenly Realm, future brother-in-law."

After saying that, he transformed into a streak of light, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the horizon in an instant.

As he left, the array he had casually set up also quietly dissipated.

Wang Zhiheng gazed in the direction where he disappeared and let out a soft breath—in any case, his brother-in-law Li Wuyou did not object, which was already an excellent start.

"What did my brother... say to you?"

Before anyone knew it, Li Yanran had walked over, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Wang Zhiheng turned to look at her and smiled, "It's nothing. He told me to cultivate diligently, and then... ascend to immortality with you."

Li Yanran paused slightly, then a gentle smile appeared in her eyes as she softly replied, "Yes. Let's work hard together."

"Okay, let's do our best together." Wang Zhiheng nodded, took out an exquisite gift box from his pocket, and handed it to her: "By the way, happy birthday. This is... a gift for you."

Li Yanran took the box and opened it. Inside was an exquisitely crafted silver bracelet, radiating spiritual light, with a faint, ethereal aura swirling around it.

She didn't ask any more questions, but simply left her mark on the bracelet with her divine sense, and then put it on her slender wrist.

"Thank you." She raised her wrist to look at it, a sweet smile on her face. "I really like it."

She could naturally guess that Qin Le and the others must have helped her make this bracelet—there are very few people in the mortal realm who possess the Dao of Immortality, and apart from those few high-ranking members of the alliance who came down from the Heavenly Realm, only Qin Le would help so selflessly.

Wang Zhiheng clearly couldn't persuade those important figures to come.

On a bench along a tree-lined path in another part of the back hill.

Qin Le was leaning lazily back in his chair when he saw Luo Qiuyue walking towards him with slightly heavy steps and obvious weariness on her face. He couldn't help but wonder:

"What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Luo Qiuyue sat down next to him and gave a bitter smile: "I only now realize... that being a 'mortal' is such a tiring thing."

Having experienced it for less than a day, she had already deeply felt the hardships of being a mortal—it was far more than just losing her powers.

Eating, drinking, defecating, sleeping are just the basics; all sorts of trivial matters in life keep popping up.

For example, students must wash their clothes by hand – the college does not provide washing machines for students; in fact, washing machines, such appliances from the mortal era, have long since disappeared.

After all, a simple method of cleaning clothes is far more convenient and thorough than any machine.

Unable to use magic, she could only deal with these trivial matters, which she could have resolved with a single thought, just like a real mortal.

This is a daily routine she has never experienced in the past eighteen years.

"Keep going, take your time to get used to it," Qin Le smiled, her tone full of understanding.

Having lived as a mortal for eighteen years, he knew all too well what kind of exhaustion Luo Qiuyue meant by it.

His mother spent all her time in the alchemy room, and he learned most of these daily chores by himself through trial and error.

"This is the only way," Luo Qiuyue sighed softly, somewhat helplessly.

She could ask someone to perform a cleansing ritual, but that would make the experience of living a mortal life incomplete.

These trivial, even somewhat tedious, daily tasks are an inseparable part of being an ordinary person.