Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

"My lord, are you aiming to break through to the realm of immortality?"

Chen Hong was puzzled. He wrote down all of Ye Xuan's instructions. As a short-lived being and a mere mortal at the early stage of Qi Refining, he naturally had no concept of the Longevity Realm.

He only knew about the Heavenly Dao restriction of the Short-lived Realm: all short-lived species have their essence and blood extracted at birth, and for at least thousands of years, no matter how talented a person is, they have been unable to break this restriction.

"Don't worry about me. Immortal Willow will be rooted in Shuitian Village forever. You should cultivate diligently, and perhaps you will have a chance in the future."

Ye Xuan's words were not entirely a joke. If the limitation of the Short Life Realm only restricts the lifespan of living beings, then there should be a path to breakthroughs in cultivation.

He himself did not yet know how the Golden Core cultivators in this world broke through to the next level, if he were simply a human being.

But Ye Xuan isn't human...

If he so desires, he can still illusory his true form into a Heavenly Dao Body, while his consciousness resides within the willow tree, continuing to cultivate entirely in the form of the Immortal Willow.

The novel "The Immortal Willow" already contains a method for humans and willow trees to coexist after consciousness takes human form, and the Heavenly Dao Body merely accelerates this process.

For humans, breaking through to the Golden Core stage might be as difficult as ascending to heaven, but for a celestial willow, as long as it has enough nutrients, it can naturally continue to grow.

Ye Xuan shared some of his guesses with Chen Hong, saying:

"You are all worshippers, and you have the seed of immortality within you."

If they successfully break through in the future, the nutrients provided by the immortal seed will likely help the short-lived species make up for its initial deficiencies.

Chen Hong suddenly realized something, and his right hand unconsciously rested on his dantian, his eyes shining brighter.

Shuitian Village, Lanzhen Town, Changning County... This is the farthest distance he has ever traveled in his life. Before that, he never imagined that his life could go any further.

But now?

He dared not quite imagine that he might one day ascend to the Realm of Immortality, but he still thought about it...

After giving his final instructions to the people of Shuitian Village, Ye Xuan left the short-lived species to their own devices, but he also began searching for a blessed land.

He used his senses to explore the upper realm along the way, and he remained cautious. Fortunately, the location of Liuxian Dongting was around Shuitian Village.

Once outside of Shuitian Village and Lan Town, one's senses would be detached from the Realm of Immortality, and thus would no longer be threatened by Liu Xian.

The corresponding locations he knows so far are that Shuitian Village corresponds to Liuxiandong Pavilion, while Wangdu corresponds to the location of the immortal lineage.

After three days of searching and exploration, Ye Xuan finally arrived at a place rich in spiritual energy, following the ancient records of the capital.

Ye Xuan is situated amidst towering mountains and steep ridges, surrounded by valleys and unique peaks. In the center lies a natural spiritual spring, where mist swirls and spiritual energy can be faintly seen flowing and rising like fireflies.

This place is called "Lingxi Valley". According to the ancient records of the capital, it is a rare place in the short-lived world where spiritual energy gathers.

He used his senses to carefully explore the connection between this place and the Realm of Immortality.

The realm of immortality corresponding to this valley is a desolate and barren land, where there seem to be no immortals, let alone any immortal lineages.

"This place is free from the prying eyes of the higher realms and the disturbances of different sects, making it the perfect location for breaking through to a higher realm."

As Ye Xuan muttered to himself, the blue and white energies around his body flowed naturally. He sat cross-legged beside the spiritual spring and began to circulate the "Longevity Willow" mental cultivation method.

At the dantian, the long-condensed azure-white energy began to rotate violently, showing signs of condensing into a pill. At the same time, the immortal willow in Shuitian Village, a thousand miles away, seemed to sense something, and the white flowers at the top of its crown suddenly bloomed, with a powerful vitality pouring in across the void.

The spiritual energy at the spring was drawn in, forming a visible vortex that enveloped Ye Xuan.

His consciousness gradually sank into his body. Upon introspection, he could see the spiritual energy surging like rivers in his meridians, eventually converging into his dantian, where it continuously compressed and solidified...

After an unknown amount of time, a dazzling golden light quietly appeared at the center of the vortex in the dantian.

The golden light was initially as faint as a star, but it grew rapidly under the nourishment of the blue and white energies, gradually transforming into the outline of a nascent elixir the size of a pigeon egg.

On the surface of the elixir, blue and white patterns intertwine and flow, seemingly conveying the meaning of the endless cycle of life in plants.

Although Ye Xuan had never seen the golden core of other cultivators, he was certain that this was it, and that it was extraordinary!

Just as the nascent core was about to completely solidify, a crisp "bang" sound rang out in his mind.

"It broke again?!"

Ye Xuan immediately sent his perception soaring into the sky, landing on that desolate wasteland. After a careful examination, he still couldn't find any influencing factors.

No one was stopping him. He wasn't even from this world, so there was no Heavenly Law to restrict him. So where did the problem lie?

Sitting by the spiritual spring for a long time, Ye Xuan's brows remained furrowed.

"Could there be something wrong with the willow tree?"

He realized his mistake earlier; perhaps he shouldn't have focused his spiritual energy on himself, but instead nourished the willow tree first, allowing it to grow and then help him grow...

The scene of Shuitian Village suddenly appeared in his mind's eye. Ye Xuan changed his path, focused his mind again, and began to circulate the "Longevity Willow" mental technique. However, this time, the object of his condensation of the blue and white energies was changed to the immortal willow a thousand miles away.

The white flower on the willow tree, under the influence of the spiritual energy drawn by the Taoist robe, had every petal swaying and fluttering wildly.

The abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth is constantly nourishing this towering willow tree...

But as time passed, the willow tree seemed to have little effect on Ye Xuan's body compared to the significant changes it had just undergone.

It still stands on the lakeside, still hasn't grown much, and remains the same height and thickness as before.

"Not enough spiritual energy!"

Ye Xuan finally came to his senses. If his failure to form his core was due to not knowing the specific method, then the problem was that the nutrients in the willow tree's body were insufficient, since there was no issue with the internal circulation.

I need more spiritual energy, but where can I find so much spiritual energy all at once?

Ye Xuan sat blankly by the spiritual spring, staying in this valley for half a month.

In just half a month, the world of short life has undergone earth-shattering changes. For example, the temples of immortals that were demolished and rebuilt all over the world have been replaced, and the layout of the capital city has changed.

The current emperor is still Li Chong, but the royal family and the common people no longer need to offer their essence and blood to the so-called immortals. If a baby is born now, take him to Shuitian Village to receive the immortal seed, and he will live to be a hundred years old.

Li Chonghe and the royal family were not equals with the temple of the immortals. Everyone in the world was a worshipper, worshipping the towering willow tree together.

After that, whenever a baby is born, or a worshipper makes a breakthrough and the immortal seed sprouts and takes root, it will bring a bit of nourishment to the willow tree.

Though the feedback from a single wisp of life force may be weak, if there are thousands upon thousands, they will eventually become as vast as the ocean, endlessly sustaining life...

Regaining his composure, Ye Xuan looked at the white flower on the willow branch. Compared to half a month ago, it had become even more crystal clear and flawless.

Ye Xuan slowly opened his eyes, a flash of blue-white-gold light appearing and disappearing in them. He stood up, sensing the tremendous changes also taking place within his body—

Golden light shone brightly within his dantian, and the illusory elixir solidified completely, transforming into a substantial golden elixir that was a blend of blue and white with golden patterns inside!

The moment the pill was completed, Ye Xuan's aura surged dramatically. The clouds above Lingxi Valley were pushed aside by an invisible force, revealing a clear blue sky. Flowers bloomed in the valley, vegetation grew wildly, and the spiritual springs boiled...

"Golden Core Realm, achieved."