Junior sister, I really need to control you

She naturally had no intention of keeping male concubines, but...

The painting is innocent!

Moreover, it's such a beautiful painting, and it embodies my best friend's hard work. It wouldn't be right to just throw it away or burn it, would it?

So naturally she kept the scroll.

But you can't tell these things to your apprentice.

Therefore, after a moment's thought, the woman spoke up: "Let's not talk about this Fellow Daoist Li for now. Do you know what state Xuanzhen Temple is in now?"

"This disciple does not know," Meng Yu shook his head.

"It is said that this Xuanzhen Temple was the number one Taoist temple under the Zhengyang lineage several hundred years ago, and it was far superior to Shouyi Temple, which was ranked second at the time. Some people even thought that Xuanzhen Temple would eventually develop into an independent lineage."

The woman said slowly.

"However, later, the most powerful patriarch in Xuanzhen Temple mysteriously disappeared, and Xuanzhen Temple gradually declined, from being firmly in first place to fluctuating among the top five."

"Top five?" Meng Yu asked in confusion. "I have never heard of Xuanzhen Temple being among the top five Taoist temples."

“Because that was almost thirty years ago,” the woman shook her head. “Back then, I was just a newly initiated disciple.”

"At that time, Xuanzhen Temple was second only to Shouyi Temple, and it could be described as having a grand presence and a long history."

“At that time, Xuanzhen Temple valued quality over quantity when accepting disciples. The number of disciples in the temple was small, but there were many with profound cultivation.”

"Thirty years ago, the Zhengyang lineage fought a great battle against the demonic path. Several True Persons from Xuanzhen Temple, under the guidance of True Persons from my Yutan Temple, went deep into the demonic array and broke through its key points in one fell swoop. Their contribution was truly remarkable."

"But not long after the great battle, a disaster suddenly broke out within the Xuanzhen Temple. Almost all the disciples died, and several masters almost all perished. Only one survived, but his cultivation was completely destroyed as a result."

"Even the ritual troops in the temple, which were specifically tasked with dealing with the danger of the demise of the Taoist lineage, were killed or fled. Xuanzhen Temple was almost wiped out overnight."

Even with her calm and detached nature, Meng Yu was filled with surprise at this moment.

The destruction of a Taoist temple that might be even more powerful than Yutan Temple overnight is rather alarming.

"What kind of disaster is it? Won't the Dharma lineage help?" Meng Yu couldn't help but ask.

"Logically, we should help, but things happened too fast. The Dharma lineage, which had just finished a great battle with the demonic path, was also severely weakened and couldn't react in time."

The woman shook her head: "As for the specific disaster... there are many rumors, but no one knows the exact truth."

"Some say that Xuanzhen Temple was too prominent in the great battle, which attracted the revenge of a Corpse-Dissolving Immortal from the demonic path."

"Some say that someone from Xuanzhen Temple was turned or possessed by the demonic forces during the great battle, which destroyed Xuanzhen Temple from within when it was at its weakest and most unprepared."

"Some people say that when the Xuanzhen disciples went deep into the heart of the demonic realm to break the formation, they were all placed under a secret curse, which only took effect after the battle."

"Therefore, the several venerable masters of our Jade Altar Temple also bear responsibility for instigating them to infiltrate the heart of the demonic path and break the formation."

"There is also a rumor that after Xuanzhen Temple went deep into the heart of the demonic path, it obtained an ancient demonic magic weapon, so it brought it back to the temple, intending to refine it to remove its demonic nature and turn it into its own."

"As a result, the magic weapon was too powerful. The cultivators who refined the demonic nature suffered backlash, fell into the demonic path, and died fighting each other in a frenzy."

“There are many different versions of the story.” The woman shook her head. “But the truth is probably only known to the surviving master and the higher-ups of the lineage.”

Meng Yu remained silent.

This level of event was completely beyond her imagination.

“That’s why I was so shocked when you mentioned Xuanzhen Temple,” the woman said. “You should know that Xuanzhen Temple has been defunct for nearly thirty years and will be disbanded next year.”

"If it weren't for the fact that the lineage takes into account the contributions and achievements of Xuanzhen Temple, Xuanzhen Temple would have been disbanded long ago, and their spiritual lineage would have been divided up to Shouyi Temple."

"Disbanded?" Meng Yu was stunned.

“It’s impossible now,” the woman said. “The reason the lineage wanted to disband Xuanzhen Temple before was mainly because there was no hope of reviving Xuanzhen Temple’s lineage.”

"But now it seems that Li Yinsheng... is unassuming and low-key, but in reality he is a cultivation genius that is rare to see in hundreds of years."

"With this person around, the lineage probably won't disband the Xuanzhen Temple."

At this point, the woman suddenly smiled and said, "This time, Shouyi Temple's wishful thinking is going to fall through."

"These people are arrogant and domineering, looking down on everyone. They sit on the throne of the number one Taoist temple, but all they do is bully their fellow Taoists and take advantage of other Taoist temples."

The woman frowned: "It's a good thing they can't get the spiritual vein of Xuanzhen Peak now, otherwise they would definitely be even more domineering."

Meng Yu nodded in agreement.

She also disliked sticking to one's own views.

"By the way, Yu'er," the woman said, "you must keep Li Yinsheng's cultivation and talent a secret and not spread it, lest Shouyi Temple be prepared in advance and come up with some evil plan."

"Hmm." Meng Yu nodded. "But what about Huanghe Temple?"

"They're in the wrong and have suffered in silence, so they probably don't want to make a fuss," the woman said.

"Moreover, that Master Huanghe is known for his upright conduct, and he probably wouldn't do anything unreasonable."

Meng Yu nodded, and was about to ask again about the painting by Li Yinsheng in his master's hand.

"By the way, Yu'er, don't go back to the shop recently. Send a communication talisman to the shop to inform your junior brothers and sisters not to spread rumors," the woman said.

“Yes,” Meng Yu asked, “then what should I do if I stay in the temple?”

"The bamboo in Huangzhu Temple, which has been planted for ten years, will be ready to bear fruit in a few months. At that time, they will have to guard against the monsters that have become spirits in the surrounding area that will steal their food."

The woman said, "That's why they came to my Jade Altar Temple to invite a True Man and several disciples to set up an array to prevent any demons from sneaking in."

“After careful consideration, I realize that most of the deacons in the temple are busy, and your mastery of array formations has surpassed that of many deacons. So I will trouble you to make the trip.”

Meng Yu nodded and bowed, "This disciple obeys."

"Alright, there are still a few months left. Go and prepare well. Study the formations that isolate and restrain demons to avoid any mishaps later."

The woman gave her instructions.

Meng Yu bowed again, then turned and left.

Watching her apprentice's departing figure, the woman quietly breathed a sigh of relief—good, she had gotten away with it.

"Master," Meng Yu hesitated for a moment as she reached the door before speaking, "Could I also make a copy of your painting?"

Abbot of Yutan Temple: ...

……

Late at night, in front of the main hall of Xuanzhen Temple.

With the Cold Leaf Sword in hand, Mu Xiaoyu was diligently practicing the Two Elements Dividing Light Sword technique that Li Yinsheng had taught her during the day.

Li Yinsheng sat to the side, cracking sunflower seeds and giving instructions.

He could cast spells with his fingers instead of a sword, something Mu Xiaoyu couldn't do yet. At this moment, she was holding the Cold Leaf Sword while adjusting the flow of her magic power, and her other hand was making hand seals.

Almost six hours have passed since she started practicing during the day.

Finally, as the Frost Leaf Sword in her hand drew a sharp and smooth slash, a bright sword light flew out from the Frost Leaf Sword, swept across two or three zhang in the night, and dissipated into countless points of light.

"Me! Me! Me! Me!" Mu Xiaoyu, drenched in sweat, exclaimed excitedly, "Senior brother, I did it! I did it!"

But Li Yinsheng didn't have time to respond to Mu Xiaoyu's excitement, because at the same time Mu Xiaoyu unleashed the sword light, a loud and clear sound resounded in his ears.

New gold lettering appeared.

[The Will to Cultivate: The First Steps in the Way of the Sword!]

Congratulations to the Lord of the Cave Heaven for learning the first sword technique of considerable quality in your life. This is the first step on the path of sword cultivation!

The path of sword cultivation emphasizes courage and diligence. In the next three years, please diligently practice the "Two Elements Dividing Light Sword" you have learned, and try your best to improve your mastery of it and cultivate more sword light!

Once the sword light of "Two Elements Dividing Light Sword" reaches a certain level, you can claim the reward.

This training program will last for three years, after which it will be closed.

Cultivation Rewards:

Successfully cultivating four sword beams will be rewarded with two years of cultivation.

Successfully cultivating eight sword beams will be rewarded with four years of cultivation.

Successfully cultivating sixteen sword beams will be rewarded with eight years of cultivation.

Successfully cultivating thirty-two sword beams will be rewarded with sixteen years of cultivation.

Successfully cultivating sixty-four sword lights will be rewarded with thirty-two years of cultivation.

[Cultivating 128 sword lights will reward you with 64 years of cultivation]

Looking at the goals and corresponding rewards written in gold, Li Yinsheng's lips twitched involuntarily.

Again.

Don't you have any tasks that are even slightly easier than the ones you give out with your cheat code?

Even someone with average talent might not be able to master four sword lights even after three years of hard training!

So the total time limit is only three years?

Can one cultivate one hundred and twenty-eight sword beams in three years?!

Li Yinsheng felt a splitting headache.

Moreover, the motivation for cultivating this sword technique is quite different from before.

Acquiring cultivation techniques, advancing one's position in the temple, and accumulating talisman money—these are all cultivation goals that can be achieved to some extent through shortcuts.

But how can one take shortcuts in the real practice of magic?

Chapter 38 True Man's Magical Treasure, White Rainbow Sword

Early in the morning, Li Yinsheng came out of his bedroom.

He does not advocate repressive education.

Therefore, although he was quite troubled by the newly released cultivation guidelines from Dongtian last night, he did not say anything to the excited Mu Xiaoyu such as "Don't get carried away," "You need to work harder," or "Why don't you compare yourself with the geniuses from other Taoist temples?"

Instead, he praised her and promised to take her to Baoguang Temple in three days to buy new snacks as a reward for her hard work in cultivation.

Of course, despite the praise, the traditional "marrow cleansing" treatment would still continue as scheduled that night.

So this morning, my junior sister once again enjoyed a half-hour of sleeping in.

Moreover, Li Yinsheng gave her another half-hour break because he did indeed have things to do during that half-hour.