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

As Chen Yun walked out of the Alliance building, he let out a long, heavy sigh, as if to expel all the tension from his chest.

The invisible pressure on his shoulders also dissipated.

"Damn... it's finally over, I was so nervous." He raised his hand to wipe away non-existent cold sweat and said with a wry smile.

He was personally summoned by the Jade Emperor, and then went to give a lecture to a group of alliance weapon refiners whose cultivation and experience far surpassed his own...

For the past three or four hours, he had been on edge, barely daring to relax for a moment.

"Why don't we hold off on going back to the academy?" Qin Le suggested with a smile, seeing his surviving expression. "How about we take a walk around outside and relax a bit?"

"Okay." Chen Yun thought for a moment and nodded, "I haven't had lunch yet, let's find a place to fill our stomachs first."

Come to think of it, ever since he went to university, he hasn't really had a chance to relax.

Every day was spent either in class or in the weapon-refining workshop, disassembling and assembling, writing and calculating. The days were fulfilling, but also like a bowstring that was always fully drawn.

In addition, the valuable materials invested by the Nezha master added an extra layer of pressure to produce results.

Fulfilling, joyful, but also... mentally exhausting.

We definitely need to catch our breath.

"Let's go," Qin Le said with a smile. "What do you want to eat? You decide."

"Hehe..." Chen Yun's eyes lit up, and a sly smile instantly appeared on his face: "You... really want me to place the order?"

Seeing his expression, Qin Le sensed something was wrong, but since the words were already out, she had no choice but to nod reluctantly: "...I'll go have a meal with you."

He was starting to regret it. Chen Yun had a rather...unique taste when it came to food.

He loves to eat insects.

Deep-fried, salt and pepper, grilled... all kinds of insects are delicious in his eyes.

Many people shy away from this kind of food, but Chen Yun ate it with great relish and often praised it, saying:

Crunch and crisp!

Qin Le had been dragged to try it a few times by him before.

Admittedly, setting aside the visual impact of the ingredients, the taste...

Really fragrant!

The two hailed a taxi and headed straight for Baiwei Plaza.

Finding the familiar little shop famous for its insect dishes, Chen Yun didn't even glance at the menu, and simply waved his hand at the waiter:

"The usual, a little of everything!"

In less than half an hour, the small square table in front of them was filled with all kinds of insect feasts.

Deep-fried centipedes are golden and crispy, salt and pepper bamboo worms are fragrant, and charcoal-grilled cicada pupae are glistening with oil...

"It smells so good!"

Chen Yun picked up a string of deep-fried centipedes that was longer than his palm, and without hesitation stuffed the whole thing into his mouth, making a crunching sound, looking completely blissful.

Qin Le chuckled, picked up a skewer of deep-fried cicada pupae, and took a bite. The outer shell was crispy, the inside soft, and the flavor was savory with a unique umami taste.

Yeah, it really is... delicious!

After the disc operation, the two bought a cup of milk tea to tide them over, then took a taxi to another place—

Museum of Technological Weapons in the Mortal Era.

This is a rather special museum, which displays and preserves various technological weapons and models that once dominated the world in the mortal era.

Chen Yun's descent into the wrong path of using technological artifacts was inextricably linked to his childhood visits to this place, where he was deeply impressed by the powerful and aesthetically pleasing creations.

"No matter how many times I watch it... I still think it's incredibly cool."

Chen Yun stood beneath a scaled-down, streamlined model of a space destroyer, looking up with fascination in his eyes.

Seeing his expression, Qin Le teased, "You like it? With your current weapon-forging skills, it shouldn't be too difficult for you to forge a real one yourself when you get back, right?"

Chen Yun, however, abandoned his joking expression and shook his head seriously:

"That's different. To refine them now would violate the core principles that led to their creation."

"What philosophy?"

"Absolutely practical." Chen Yun's gaze swept over the numerous fighter jets, tanks, and gun models in the exhibition hall, his tone filled with respect: "Weapons from the mortal era served the most brutal and realistic warfare, with each design pursuing ultimate effectiveness. I can now easily forge a 'magical artifact warship' that resembles it in appearance, but in today's cultivation era, its practicality... is almost nonexistent."

Unless he can completely improve it and integrate it into the formations, talismans, and energy systems of the cultivation civilization, making it a truly suitable weapon of war for this era. But that is an extremely massive system engineering project, far beyond his current capabilities and energy.

"So, let's leave them here for now." Chen Yun smiled, his eyes still shining. "Later... maybe there will be a real opportunity to create something different."

"Alright then." Qin Le nodded understandingly without saying anything more.

The two strolled leisurely around the museum, and then wandered to the nearby Xianyuan Street, hoping to find some interesting trinkets.

Unfortunately, the Fairy Street of Destiny no longer holds any surprises for them.

No matter how good the goods circulating on the street are, they can hardly compare to the top-tier resources that the Jade Emperor specially granted to Chen Yun.

It should be noted that most of the goods on Xianyuan Street come from the Wanbao Secret Realm, and the rare and precious materials in the secret realm are mostly scraps that the gods and immortals of the celestial realm can no longer use or have discarded.

In wartime, the truly valuable resources would have been plundered long ago by the front lines to support the war effort.

At this critical juncture, extraordinary encounters and celestial opportunities have become extremely rare, whether in the mortal realm or the heavenly realm.

Many cultivators ascend to the celestial realm ahead of time, mostly for the richer spiritual energy and more opportunities for cultivation, rather than hoping for a windfall.

The two strolled around until evening before returning to the college.

After relaxing outside for half a day, Chen Yun's accumulated mental and physical fatigue was completely swept away.

After having dinner with Qin Le, Chu Xiaonan, and the others, he plunged back into his brightly lit weapon-refining workshop and resumed his obsessive research.

The next morning.

As usual, Qin Le was idly sitting in a quiet pavilion in the academy. He had only been sitting down for a short while when a tall and graceful figure walked over and sat down opposite him.

It's Zhao Yaya.

"Senior, is something the matter?" Qin Le asked, somewhat surprised.

Zhao Yaya nodded, getting straight to the point, a hint of slyness in her smile:

"I want to know... what exactly is Qian Dachui's 'unspeakable' secret?"

Qin Le smiled and shook her head: "Sorry, senior, the senior himself doesn't agree, so I can't say anything."

He wasn't one to gossip. He didn't want to offend people unnecessarily by talking about their secrets, especially such obviously and deliberately concealed private matters.

Zhao Yaya seemed to have expected this. Far from being disappointed, her smile widened, and she lowered her voice, saying:

"Then... let me guess?"

She paused, a knowing glint in her eyes, and said, word by word:

"That guy Qian Dachui... likes me. So every time we spar, he looks fierce, but he's actually secretly holding back, right?"

Qin Le: "…………"

He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

How is he supposed to respond to that?

Zhao Yaya recited the standard answer word for word!

He could neither admit it on Qian Shuning's behalf nor deny it by lying through his teeth.

"It seems I was right."

Seeing Qin Le's momentary speechlessness and subtle expression, Zhao Yaya smiled and drew her conclusion.

"You guessed it yourself." Qin Le sighed and quickly distanced himself, "I didn't say it."

"Do you need to tell me?" Zhao Yaya glanced at him, her tone carrying a hint of smugness, as if she already knew. "I've had a feeling for a long time, but... I was just not quite sure."

"I see..." Qin Le couldn't help but ask gossipily, "So, senior... what are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yaya raised her chin slightly, snorted, and spoke in a crisp and decisive tone, with a hint of disappointment:

"I don't have any particular thoughts. I'll wait for that coward to confess himself. I want to see how long he can keep it to himself!"

When it comes to feelings, girls are often much more perceptive than boys. She had already noticed Qian Shuning's little scheme long ago.

But that guy was incredibly patient and refused to make it clear, which made Zhao Yaya both annoyed and... inexplicably expectant.

She wasn't completely indifferent to him, of course.

Otherwise, with so many talented students in the academy, why would she always target Qian Shuning for sparring?

It's nothing more than... creating opportunities for him.

However, it seems that Comrade Qian Dachui has not yet fully seized this opportunity.