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

The next morning, after breakfast, Qin Le was sitting on a bench on the tree-lined path of the college, yawning listlessly.

My phone vibrated.

Qin Le took it out and saw that it was a message from Tang Chen.

Tang Chen: Junior Qin Le, are you free? If it's convenient, could you come over to the small pavilion in the ginkgo forest behind the mountain?

Although he didn't know what the other party wanted, Qin Le replied to the message quickly.

Qin Le: Okay, I'm coming over now.

Tang Chen: Okay, we'll wait for you here.

Qin Le put away his phone, stood up, and walked slowly toward the back mountain.

Before long, he arrived at the quiet grove marked by several ancient ginkgo trees. In a clearing in the grove, a hexagonal stone pavilion sat quietly.

There were already more than ten people in the pavilion, some standing and some sitting, talking in hushed tones in a relaxed atmosphere.

Apart from Tang Chen, the rest of the people were all familiar faces—without exception, they were all top-tier senior students in the academy who had already grasped the essence of the realm and whose cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the Refining Void and Harmonizing the Dao.

They are only one step away from reaching the realm of Earth Immortals, but those who can take that final step are extremely rare.

Upon seeing Qin Le arrive, Tang Chen immediately smiled and waved, "Junior Brother Qin Le, please sit here."

Qin Le followed Tang Chen's instructions and entered the pavilion, sitting down on the stone bench Tang Chen had offered. Curious, she asked, "Senior Tang Chen, why did you summon me...?"

A tall, elegant senior student smiled and said, "It's like this, Junior Brother Qin Le. A few of us just happened to be here discussing cultivation matters, and there's a question we've been arguing about for a long time without reaching a conclusion. We'd like to hear your opinion."

Qin Le recognized this senior, Zhao Yaya, who was skilled with a long-handled broadsword and had a fierce attack. She was a well-known sword fanatic in the academy.

"What's the problem?" Qin Le asked.

"After grasping the essence," Zhao Yaya's smile faded, and her expression turned serious, "should we still spend a lot of energy delving into specific spells and supernatural abilities, or refining swordsmanship and spear techniques? Both paths seem to potentially touch upon the 'laws,' but our energy is limited, making it difficult to do both. The focus of our debate lies in which should come first, and which is more important."

After she finished speaking, more than a dozen eyes in the pavilion focused on Qin Le, filled with undisguised anticipation.

The dozen or so people gathered here to discuss the Dao—although it might be presumptuous for them to talk about the Dao when they haven't yet reached the level of the laws, exchanging and verifying with each other is very beneficial to their cultivation.

But we've hit a roadblock on this topic today.

After listening, Qin Le honestly shook his head: "I haven't thought about this question in depth myself, so I'm afraid I can't give any 'standard answer'."

"That's alright." Zhao Yaya wasn't disappointed and pressed on, "Tell me your thoughts on these two paths? The realm of intent is a subordinate level to 'law,' and magical arts, swordsmanship, and spear techniques also originate from the evolution of laws. Theoretically, whichever path you choose, isn't it possible to eventually touch upon the laws?"

They understood that Qin Le hadn't thought about it in detail—this guy was a skipper, jumping directly from the mortal realm to the immortal path, and he hadn't experienced those troublesome hurdles in between.

Qin Le pondered for a moment and said, "My opinion is that you should take whichever path allows you to progress faster. Although it sounds like a truism, that's often how it works in reality."

"But what if..." a burly, kind-faced senior student spoke up, his voice booming, "What if the progress on both paths seems about the same? Then how should we choose?"

Qin Le also remembered this senior, Qian Shuning, nicknamed Qian the Hammer. He was used to wielding a giant hammer that was taller and heavier than himself. When he wielded it during the Heavenly Soldier Trial, his power was terrifying. He was a formidable person.

"If the progress is similar," Qin Le said almost without hesitation, "I personally prefer the artistic conception."

"Why?" Qian Shuning asked intently.

He needs a reason that can convince himself, not just a simple conclusion.

"Magic spells, swordsmanship, knife skills, spear techniques..." Qin Le said slowly, his gaze sweeping over the people in the pavilion, "No matter how good or exquisite they are, they are ultimately things created and passed down by others. You can learn them, you can use them, but they are ultimately someone else's 'way,' someone else's 'insight.' But the realm of understanding that you comprehend, no matter how strong or deep, is the prototype of your own 'way,' which you have truly touched."

A brief silence fell over the pavilion.

The dozen or so senior students were all pondering these words. They understood Qin Le's meaning—foreign techniques could certainly be learned from and could enhance combat power, but they were ultimately just resources from elsewhere.

Even if the understanding I gain is immature, it is still my unpolished jade, the most fundamental cornerstone for building my own path in the future.

If the two are equally efficient, one should naturally prioritize carving one's own jade.

The atmosphere then became lively again. More than a dozen senior students began to ask Qin Le for advice on various difficulties and confusions they encountered in their cultivation.

Although Qin Le's actual combat strength was far inferior to theirs, he had already surpassed them in terms of his understanding of the Dao.

Many of the obstacles that puzzled them were suddenly cleared up after Qin Le pointed them out in just a few words.

Qin Le was also very open-minded, offering clear advice when possible and frankly telling people what he couldn't be sure about at the moment, but always trying to provide some ideas or observations from his own perspective.

This exchange and consultation lasted for more than two hours before we knew it. Everyone gained something, and their faces showed more or less a thoughtful or enlightened expression.

Zhao Yaya flexed her wrists and sighed with some regret, "It's a pity we can't go down into the arena and fight it out like we used to."

Qian Shuning nodded in agreement: "Yes, it would be great if it could still be like the 'Three Academies Exchange' era."

"There's nothing we can do," Tang Chen said with a helpless smile. "Since the undergraduate departments have all been merged, the 'Three-College Exchange' program has naturally been canceled."

Seeing their nostalgic and regretful expressions, Qin Le asked curiously, "Um... what is this 'Three Academies Exchange'?"

He didn't know much about the university department before the merger. Previously, the university department was relatively closed off, and internal information rarely leaked out.

Even when senior students who had gone on to university came back to the high school to ask him for advice, they rarely talked about specific matters related to university.

"That's how it is," Tang Chen explained. "Before the university departments were merged, there was a regular 'Three-Academy Exchange' every month. Everyone would gather together to discuss their cultivation experiences and debate the Dao. If they had any insights or differing opinions, they could invite someone to the arena to spar and verify their thoughts in real combat."

In addition to exchanging ideas and discussing different approaches, the exchange meeting will also rank the overall performance of students from each college.

The top-ranked academy receives an additional batch of cultivation resources from the alliance, and the academy usually rewards its students with academic credits.

Although it wasn't a large sum, it was still an incentive.

Although the "Three Academies Exchange" is now history, the monthly Heavenly Soldiers Trial offers more substantial and generous rewards, so students no longer miss the old prizes.

"I see." Qin Le said, understanding dawning on her.

At this moment, Zhao Yaya suddenly stood up, looked at Qian Shuning, and a fighting spirit flickered in her eyes:

"Qian Dachui! Come on, let's go to the training ground and practice! I just heard what Junior Qin Le said, and I'm itching to get my hands dirty!"

Upon hearing the nickname, Qian Shuning immediately jumped up and down: "Damn it! How many times have I told you not to call me Qian the Hammer! Zhao the Madman, are you looking for a beating?!"

Zhao Yaya didn't care at all, grinning, "I'll give you a chance! We'll see how you are on the training ground!"

Before she finished speaking, she had already darted out of the pavilion like a cheetah. Qian Shuning let out a low growl, picked up the terrifying giant hammer, and strode after her.

Seeing this, the other senior students also stood up with smiles.

"Let's go, let's go see what's going on!"

"Zhao the Madman and Qian the Hammer are going to clash—that's going to be a sight to behold!"

"Shall we open the betting? I bet Zhao the Madman will win!"

The pavilion instantly became lively.

Tang Chen smiled and looked at Qin Le: "Want to go take a look together?"

Qin Le stood up from the stone bench, patted the hem of her clothes, and a smile appeared in her eyes:

"Let's go."

He certainly wouldn't miss out on something exciting to watch.