Thirsty?
Ye Lingyuan's eyes lit up.
Right, water!
Life source could only provide the power of life, but life itself required water to sustain.
He took out a flask of water from his Nine Dragon Ring and carefully fed Zi Linling a few sips. Then, with a thought, he began to mobilize the water element in the air.
Soon, water seeped into the yellow sand, rapidly absorbed by the roots of the spiritual herbs.
The leaves, which had been somewhat withered, slowly regained their radiance.
It worked!
Ye Lingyuan rejoiced inwardly.
But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the leaves that had regained their luster wilted again.
What to do?
Ye Lingyuan's eyes flickered with a sharp light, his mind racing.
He had originally thought that with Zi Linling's Life Spring Eye, it would be easy to nurture life.
But now, life had been nurtured, yet it could not be sustained and withered away in moments, returning to its original state.
What to do?
He couldn't let Zi Linling constantly maintain it with life source, could he?
Besides, Zi Linling's current condition did not allow her to output life source for extended periods.
He was lost in thought, unaware that Zi Linling in his arms had opened her eyes.
When Zi Linling took in her surroundings, she immediately felt a sense of unease.
"Ye Lingyuan, why are we still here?"
Ye Lingyuan's already jumbled thoughts were instantly disrupted.
"There was a slight problem, so we haven't passed the trial yet."
Ye Lingyuan's words made Zi Linling's heart skip a beat.
"Help me up to see!"
Although her spirit was weak, her complexion had improved considerably.
Ye Lingyuan shook his head and said, "Rest a little longer, this king will handle it soon!"
Soon?
Zi Linling smiled faintly. How could she not know Ye Lingyuan was comforting her?
Even with her eyes closed, she had sensed the surging water spiritual energy.
"Help me up!"
A trace of determination appeared in Zi Linling's eyes.
Ye Lingyuan shook his head again and said, "Lin'er, you've done very well. Leave the rest to this king."
Zi Linling stubbornly shook her head, pushed Ye Lingyuan away, and rolled out of his embrace.
As she was about to get up, she discovered the withered leaves.
Previously, due to the angle, Ye Lingyuan's deliberate obstruction, and her inability to use her mental power temporarily, she hadn't noticed.
Now, upon seeing them, she was greatly shocked.
Ye Lingyuan shook his head helplessly and helped her up, saying, "Lin'er, why are you so stubborn!"
Zi Linling glared at him and said, "Ye Lingyuan, do you think you can hide this from me?"
"This king..."
"Enough, stop with the useless talk. You've already tested the water spiritual energy, which means the root cause isn't here."
Zi Linling interrupted Ye Lingyuan's unfinished words. Although she knew Ye Lingyuan was concerned for her, she was still a little angry.
As she spoke, she once again gathered her dwindling mental power and began to mobilize the life source in her dantian.
With the re-injection of life source, a verdant radiance once again flowed through the withered leaves.
Ye Lingyuan wanted to stop her, but it was too late.
In just a breath or two, Zi Linling's face turned as pale as paper.
Her vision went black, and she was about to collapse.
"Lin'er!"
Ye Lingyuan exclaimed in alarm and caught her just in time.
Zi Linling struggled to open her eyes and smiled, "It shouldn't wilt again, right?"
Ye Lingyuan's heart ached as if being sliced by a knife.
His Lin'er was only twelve years old, she should be hiding behind him, protected by him.
Ye Lingyuan glanced at the leaves that were once again wilting and said, "Rest for a while."
"It seems it still won't work!"
The light in Zi Linling's eyes dimmed slightly, and she smiled, "Let me recover first.
Then, she slowly sat cross-legged on the ground and closed her eyes.
In the Seven-Colored Space, the leaves of the Tree of Life trembled violently.
Zi Linling's nearly shattered consciousness was directly pulled into the Seven-Colored Space.
"Child, are you alright?"
Zi Linling felt a rich life aura surge into her consciousness. The feeling of imminent shattering instantly vanished.
She smiled faintly and said, "I'm fine, I just overused my mental power."
"In that case, quickly recover here!"
The canopy of the Tree of Life shook violently, and a dense life force surged into Zi Linling's body like a tide.
Zi Linling couldn't bear to waste the Tree of Life's kindness.
She smiled gratefully, closed her eyes, and diligently absorbed the life force.
An incense stick later, Zi Linling's mental power had recovered to its peak state.
The leaves of the Tree of Life rustled.
"Child, did you encounter a very powerful enemy?"
Zi Linling shook her head and said, "It's not an enemy, but a difficult problem."
"A difficult problem? Can you tell this old man about it?"
Zi Linling smiled faintly and said, "Senior Tree of Life, I was just about to ask you about this matter!"
"I am currently on the eighth trial, in a world of utter stillness..."
Zi Linling meticulously recounted what had happened in the eighth trial and said, "Senior Tree of Life, what is going on?"
"Child, do you know what is needed to form life, besides life source?"
Zi Linling was stunned for a moment, and an answer blurted out.
"Water and sunlight!"
This was knowledge she had learned in biology in her past life.
The Tree of Life shook its crown and said, "Child, while what you've said is important, there's a prerequisite, and that is the Law of Life."
"The Law of Life?"
Zi Linling asked in confusion, "Why?"
The Tree of Life said kindly, "Law, also known as principle, or method and rule. The method is how it is shaped, and the rule is the principle that must be followed."
Zi Linling seemed to understand but not quite. Although she had begun to grasp the Law of Life, it was something that could only be felt, not articulated.
Now, with the Tree of Life's explanation, she felt even more bewildered.
"The Law of Life refers to the method and principles of life formation. Only by conforming to the rules can life continue. If the rules are not met, even if life is formed, it will quickly perish."
"Therefore, to shape life in a world, one must see if the laws of that world permit it."
"According to your description, the Law of Life likely does not exist in that dead world, which is why the life you nurtured could not be sustained."
At this, Zi Linling finally felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.