When Yang Qing walked into his abode, he found Ma Yuan exactly where he expected to find him. He was hard at work transforming Yang Qing's compound into an immortal's botanical garden. It had an ethereal glow, mesmerizing scent, and refreshing melody of life. Yang Qing was surprised to discover that his aura which had contaminated every single part of his abode seemed to have been activated because of the changes around it. It felt like it was breathing and bonding with the changes around filled with excitement.

As he sensed its transformation, Yang Qing's eyes lit up as he could feel his cultivation base stirring. He could sense a budding mysterious truth growing within the aura that surrounded his abode as it blended in rhythmic synergy with the various forms of life around it from the birds to the insects, to the fish, to every plant, down to the spiritual qi. Every single living and non-living component seemed to be working in tandem with each other with his aura as the binding component.

As the originator, Yang Qing could see and sense this change all too well. The scene that only he could see was a wave of beautiful light curtain-like an aurora that was filled with lights of different colors with the prevalent ones being green, blue, earthen brown, and golden brown. That light curtain was pulsating with a mysterious aura as it enveloped the entire compound.

Ma Yuan was with his daughter Ma Ling tending to a young sap of royal crown maple. The ethereal light curtain that was flowing gently like an aurora borealis had covered them and the baobab. Yang Qing could see the vibrant colors within that light curtain flow in and out of Ma Yuan, Ma Ling, and the royal crown baobab.

Wavy threads of light flowed in and out of them, interconnecting with other lines crisscrossing all over the compound creating a cycling connection of life. Yang Qing felt the changes happening within that connection, it was like every component of his compound was communicating with one another.

From the connection he could feel the empyrean wasp hovering next to Ma Yuan seemed to be saying,"Oi, Ma Yuan, be careful with that baby maple, at that angle, it won't be able to produce the best sap.."

Though Ma Yuan couldn't hear the empyrean wasp or even realize its presence with how focused he was, somehow he kept adjusting the position of the royal crown maple in accordance with the wishes of the empyrean wasp.

As the royal crown maple was being moved, through the line, Yang Qing could feel its nervousness, the kind one would get at being in an unfamiliar place. The maple was like a little child thrown in a room full of adults and was familiar with none of them.

"Hhhelloo seniors.." it nervously transmitted as some of its leaves curled up in fear.

As Ma Yuan was moving it, that nervously slowly left its body and was soon replaced with a feeling of comfort.

"This feels nice.."

That feeling was transmitted to Ma Yuan who inadvertently found himself smiling even if he didn't know why.

All around the compound, Yang Qing could see conversations and interconnected relationships being established.

Whether it was the aqua butterfly that released tiny droplets of cool qi from its wings on winter goji berries that seemed to be getting a little too dry or the spirit-cleansing hibiscus that seemed to be beckoning the sapphire scarab beetles to have some of its nectar, or the green flame tree that was playing mediator by releasing its restorative, calming and nurturing essence to the shimmering ocean apple tree and the magma bark orange tree that seemed to be competing against each other or the ox head mushroom that seemed to be leeching of the excess fire energy from the soil because the mirage glow magnolia was feeling a little overwhelmed.

And for Ma Yuan, the instigator of all this, somehow whether it was the plants, the insects, and birds, even the earth itself seemed to know that he was injured somewhat so they kept pouring life energy into him with him none the wiser about it and it wasn't just him, even Ma Ling, though the greatest concentration was on Ma Yuan.

His core and dantian were still shattered, but Yang Qing could feel his body was being refined, reinvigorated, and elevated by the concerted efforts of the relations he had established with the different components of the environment.

Yang Qing could clearly see every aspect of his body being renewed, strengthened, and transformed to its optimal state, whether it was his skin, his blood vessels, organs, bones, or even his meridians that had long dried up ever since his dantian and core were shattered seemed like a cracked dry river bed that had been doused with short rain. There was still no water in it, but one could see there was a potential of a stream forming in there. The desiccation was being treated.

Because of the different elements flowing to him, no part was left unattended. Elemental body refinement went by a maxim. Water refines the spirit, wood refines the organs, earth refines the skin and bones and lastly, fire refines the blood and flesh. All elements combine you achieve the cycle of perfection and stability.

Even though there was no change to Ma Yuan's dantian, and his cultivation base was still crippled, the base state of his body was being restored to what his life order would be as a core formation expert. Yang Qing could feel his vigor and vitality being slowly pushed forward to what it should have been had his core and dantian remained intact.

The journey of cultivation was the transformation of one's body, essence, and spirit. Every time they improve by either a minor realm or a major realm, these three factors are continuously changed, and in the process, their entire being is transformed.

It is why cultivators stop needing food, sleep, and even breathing at a certain point. It is because their body, and how it functions changes. No longer do they need food to maintain their organ functions, or sleep to renew their bodies and minds.

The introduction of foundation pillars or cores changes that. Through pillars and cores, spiritual qi is absorbed and converted into an energy that the body survives, and slowly by slowly the body adapts, and is modified to subsist on that energy. Their bodies change and their minds along with it.

Ma Yuan's body was that of a core formation expert, but he lacked the core to sustain its functions which was why he needed copious amounts of food rich in spiritual qi to carry the job his core would have been doing. If he did not meet their needs, he would be lethargic and his body would slowly deteriorate over time, though it wouldn't be a drastic change, it would be there, and his original life expectancy would dwindle along with it.

As a late-stage core formation expert, he should have lived for at least 4,500 years, but with his core shattered, if he doesn't maintain the spiritual energy levels it requires, that expectancy would likely drop to 2,500- 3,000 years. Yang Qing had already planned to give him a few treasures rich in life essence to help like the vermilion lotus seeds or the green flame tree's leaves which when ground into a tea, though the flavor wasn't there, was rich in wood and flame element energy that would provide all the sustenance his body needed.

But seeing the changes happening before him, that seemed to no longer be needed.