Junior sister, I really need to control you.

Within the Xuanzhen Temple, a branch of the Taihao Immortal Sect in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

"This Xuanzhen Temple... is, after all, a branch of the Zhengyang lineage, one of the twelve lineages of my Taihao Immortal Sect."

"Although I've heard that Xuanzhen Temple suffered a great calamity and heavy losses more than twenty years ago, so much time has passed. Why does it feel like Xuanzhen Temple... hasn't recovered at all?"

A middle-aged monk dressed in a dark brown Taoist robe stood in a dilapidated Taoist temple, somewhat dumbfounded.

Everything he saw lacked any celestial aura. Of the dozen or so houses in the temple, most had collapsed, and the rest were on the verge of collapse, with only three or four remaining intact.

Although the main hall in the center still maintains its grandeur, a closer look reveals numerous patches of discoloration, with several particularly striking red marks on the painted pillars.

This Taoist temple didn't even have the money to completely repaint the pillars of the main hall; they could only repair the damaged parts individually.

Moreover, if his divine sense was correct, a vegetable garden had been cultivated in the open space behind the Taoist temple.

The vegetables inside even looked quite... plentiful.

"It's no wonder that the Zhengyang lineage wants to disband the Xuanzhen Temple and rename and take back this Xuanzhen Peak, given that the once prestigious Xuanmen sect has fallen to such a state."

The middle-aged cultivator couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "Such a vibrant mountain, rich in spiritual energy, its spiritual veins are probably among the top five of the forty-eight peaks under the Zheng Yang lineage."

"It's such a waste to have wasted almost half a century of life on a Taoist temple that's so desolate. I wish Tingyun Temple had such abundant spiritual veins..."

"Senior brother, I'm still here. Can you be a little more tactful?" said the handsome young man standing to the side, his eyes twitching. "I am the acting abbot of Xuanzhen Temple."

The middle-aged cultivator blinked, looked over somewhat awkwardly, and bowed slightly: "This junior brother is Li... uh, Li Yinsheng, right?"

"Don't blame me for being blunt, senior brother. After all, the news that your Xuanzhen Temple has been in decline for so long and will be disbanded and its peaks taken back next year has already spread throughout the Zhengyang lineage. Even if I pretend not to know, wouldn't that be a bit hypocritical?"

Li Yinsheng was speechless—the other party was indeed right. Ever since the news spread that his own Taoist temple would be disbanded next year, this was the eighth person from another Taoist temple to come and "visit".

The reason is not hard to understand: a few mountain peaks are said to contain "spiritual veins".

"Spiritual veins" will emit spiritual energy. Being in the spiritual energy is very beneficial for cultivators, whether they are refining their qi, tempering their body, nourishing their spirit and soul, or even planting herbs and refining pills.

Therefore, the more of these spiritual veins and spiritual essence, the better.

However, there are not many mountains that can generate spiritual energy, and they are all owned within the Zhengyang lineage.

Once Xuanzhen Temple is disbanded, other Taoist temples under the Zhengyang lineage will have the opportunity to seize Xuanzhen Peak and its spiritual veins, rename them, and use them for their own purposes.

However, people from other Taoist temples at least put on an act, claiming they were there to show concern for other Taoist temples under the same lineage.

They would even feign concern and offer a few words of concern, and even knew to bring cheap fruits and medicinal herbs as gifts, never mentioning the matter of Xuanzhen Peak's ownership—

Of course, their gazes and consciousness never left the spiritual veins of Xuanzhen Peak, as if they had already taken the mountain as their own.

Over the past few months, Li Yinsheng, the acting abbot, has gone from feeling humiliated and angry at the beginning to being basically numb now.

But this person in front of me is really going too far. He arrived without even saying hello, started looking around, and then made personal attacks.

"How should I address this senior brother? Have you also taken a fancy to this mountain below my Xuanzhen Temple?" Li Yinsheng asked expressionlessly.

He thought the other person was an open and honest person who would readily admit it, but to his surprise, the other person shook his head.

"I am a Taoist priest from Tingyun Temple, surnamed Zhang. I have not come here for Xuanzhen Peak." The Taoist priest surnamed Zhang spoke with a sincere expression, which did not seem to be fake.

"Junior Brother Li, haven't you heard? At the end of last month, Shouyi Temple announced that they have too many disciples and their spiritual veins are overburdened, so they desperately need Xuanzhen Peak."

"They are guarding the temple, hoping that the Xuanzhen Temple will be disbanded and Xuanzhen Peak will be vacated. They also hope that other Taoist temples under the Zhengyang lineage will not compete with them, and that they will repay them in the future."

"Shouyi Temple is the largest Taoist temple under our Zhengyang lineage. Since they are determined to win it, other Taoist temples naturally don't dare to compete for it."

When Li Yinsheng heard the news, he was not greatly affected.

After all, he had become numb to it.

But another question arose in his mind: "If it's not for Xuanzhen Peak, then what exactly are you here for, Senior Brother Zhang?"

"Actually, it's for you, Junior Brother Li!" The cultivator surnamed Zhang rubbed his hands together, looking exactly like a middleman trying to swindle a recent college graduate into a factory.

"Once Xuanzhen Temple is disbanded, won't you have nowhere to go? I wonder if Junior Brother Li would be willing to join my Tingyun Temple then?"

The cultivator surnamed Zhang laughed and said, "I've heard that Tingyun Temple is at least one of the top ten Zhengyang lineages, with hundreds of disciples, flourishing incense offerings, and a long history. It wouldn't be beneath you to join my temple, would it?"

Li Yinsheng shook his head and smiled wryly: "I appreciate Senior Brother Zhang's kindness."

"Senior Brother Zhang may think that I am capable of becoming the acting abbot of Xuanzhen Temple because I must have some extraordinary talent and cultivation, but in fact, my cultivation is mediocre and my aptitude is quite ordinary..."

"Hey, Junior Brother Li, what are you saying! Do you think your senior brother is only trying to recruit you into the temple because he sees your potential?" The cultivator surnamed Zhang shook his head repeatedly.

"I knew long ago that your cultivation was mediocre and your aptitude was ordinary. After all, although it is said that you have been cultivating since childhood, you have never participated in the Dao Examination in all these years, and there are no stories about you among your peers."

The cultivator surnamed Zhang said sincerely, "If he were truly a genius, no matter how low-key he was, he wouldn't still be unknown by now."

Li Yinsheng's face darkened: "What exactly did Senior Brother Zhang see in me?!"

"It's not that my senior brother has taken a liking to you, it's that my Aunt Miaoyin from Tingyun Temple has a special fondness for you!"

The cultivator surnamed Zhang continued rubbing his hands, looking at Li Yinsheng's angular face with a hint of eagerness.

"She's currently looking for her eighteenth cultivation partner, and coincidentally, a female disciple was selling your portrait the other day. Guess what happened?"

The cultivator surnamed Zhang spoke with a smile on his face, as if he were happy for Li Yinsheng.

"Hey! She took a liking to you the moment she saw your portrait! She insisted that I invite you to the temple, saying that now her eighteenth Daoist partner is settled!"

Li Yinsheng remained silent.

"Junior Brother Li, with a face like yours, how many female disciples in the entire Zhengyang lineage aren't considered beautiful? I used to think that physical appearance was useless for cultivation, but now I realize how shallow I was!"

The cultivator surnamed Zhang spoke with great enthusiasm: "Although Aunt Miaoyun is over eighty years old, her cultivation is profound, and she has mastered the art of preserving her youth; she looks like a young girl!"

"Moreover, what she cultivates is the orthodox path of dual cultivation, absolutely not the evil art of 'sexual intercourse.' Now that she has taken a liking to you, Junior Brother, you've really struck gold."

"Brother Li," Li Yinsheng sighed, turned and left, "I still have many miscellaneous matters to attend to at my temple. If you have nothing else to do, please return."

"Hey, hey, hey, Junior Brother Li, don't go! Martial Aunt Miaoyun is serious. She asked me to tell you that if Junior Brother Li is willing to become your Daoist partner, she will not only cover your cultivation expenses but also give you two thousand talisman coins every month."

"And another thing! She knows that your temple is still supporting a senior who has lost all his cultivation, and she said she wouldn't mind if you took that senior to Tingyun Temple..."

The monk surnamed Zhang followed behind, earnestly trying to persuade him.

"Besides, Junior Brother Li, your talent is mediocre. You only have a good appearance. Once Xuanzhen Temple is disbanded, you can only enter a small Taoist temple and become an ordinary disciple who copies scriptures and rings bells, earning at most three or four hundred talisman coins a month."

"What future could there be in living like this compared to following Master Miaoyin? This is a great opportunity for you!"

"Senior brother," Li Yinsheng stopped and sighed, "do you know the Moon Crane Immortal of Songyue Temple and the Jade Luan Immortal of Gengyan Temple?"

"Junior Brother Li also knows these two seniors?" The cultivator surnamed Zhang asked with awe.

"They are all senior masters who have mastered the art of dual cultivation. Many years ago, they had already achieved the status of True Person and reversed their aging. In terms of cultivation, they are probably more than two hundred years old."

When the words "True Person" were mentioned, a hint of awe appeared in the eyes of the cultivator surnamed Zhang.

"I, Guan Miaoyin, have always held these two seniors in the highest esteem and have always hoped to achieve the status of a True Person through the dual cultivation path, just like them..."

"The month before last, Master Yuehe sent someone to invite me to be his Daoist partner, offering to provide me with five thousand talismans per month," Li Yinsheng said.

The cultivator surnamed Zhang was immediately stunned.

Li Yinsheng continued, "Last month, True Person Yu Luan sent someone to invite me to be her Daoist partner, offering me 6,000 talisman coins per month and a top-grade refined gold magic sword as a gift."

The cultivator surnamed Zhang was dumbfounded.

After his expression changed several times, he gave an awkward laugh: "The matter of a Daoist partner is of great importance, and Junior Brother Li should consider it carefully."

"Alright, Junior Brother Li, please consider it. I've delivered your message. Go back and report now, and I'll come to visit again in a few days..."

As he spoke, the cultivator surnamed Zhang pulled out a talisman from his waist, took a few steps into the air, and rode away on the wind.

Watching the other person's figure grow smaller and smaller in the air, a hint of fear and envy flashed in Li Yinsheng's eyes—

This person can fly by using the Flying Talisman, but he can neither afford the talisman nor has the cultivation level to use it so flexibly.

The other party seemed amiable and frank, but in the end, he was a cultivator with at least thirty or forty years of experience.

Since he transmigrated to this world, he has been cultivating diligently since he was nine years old, and has now been cultivating for thirteen years.

However, limited by their aptitude, no matter how hard they try or how much they neglect sleep and meals, their cultivation achievements are at most equivalent to about twenty years of cultivation for an ordinary cultivator.

To be honest, that Taoist's cultivation level was almost twice that of his.

Thinking about how he had cultivated diligently for thirteen years and yet only achieved this much, Li Yinsheng couldn't help but lament his own usefulness and the incompetence of his cheat system—

With a single thought, a vivid and illusory picture unfolded in his mind—

Countless lotus flowers and lotus leaves stand in the vast lake, and a full moon shines through the night sky. Directly below the full moon is a white jade platform about ten feet in diameter.

At the same time, in the night sky depicted in the painting, moonlight transformed into lines of pale golden characters.

Lord of the Cave Heaven: Mu Xiaoyu

Aspiration for spiritual practice: None

Cultivation Rewards: None

This is his cheat code, it's been with him since the first day he transmigrated.

At the same time, this is also a cheat code that has never played any role.

It's not hard to tell from the information given by the cheat system that the owner of this cheat system doesn't seem to be him at all!

Mu Xiaoyu! Who exactly is Mu Xiaoyu?! How could you be so selfish as to write your name on my cheat system?!

A series of "drip-drip, clang-clang" sounds of suona horns and drums rang out from outside the door, interrupting Li Yinsheng's thoughts, and he was immediately stunned.

Although Xuanzhen Peak is located on the edge of the Ten Thousand Mountains and is not completely isolated from the mortal world, it is still far from human habitation.

Whether it's a funeral or a wedding, holding it at the entrance of their Xuanzhen Temple is a bit of an abstract concept, isn't it?

……

A moment later, Li Yinsheng pushed open the pitted wooden door of Xuanzhen Temple.

Sure enough, there was a group of mortals outside dressed in very festive clothes, not only beating drums and gongs, but also scattering flower petals everywhere.

At the very center of the crowd was an enormous sedan chair, painted with gold and adorned with jade, agate, pearls, and other precious stones, making it extremely grand.

The sedan chair bearers were all eight feet tall, with sharp eyes and bulging temples. Li Yinsheng could sense that they were full of vigor and must have been trained martial artists from the mortal dynasty.

Upon seeing someone emerge, the sedan bearers lowered the sedan chair, and a middle-aged man and woman led a girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old out of the sedan chair. Both the man and woman were extraordinary, dressed in luxurious clothes, and it was clear at a glance that they were of noble status in the mortal world.

The girl looked pretty and charming, dressed in equally luxurious clothes, with an exquisite phoenix jade pendant hanging from her waist, so delicate that even the feather patterns were finely carved and lifelike.

Her delicate, fair face clearly bore the features of the man and woman; she was obviously their daughter.

The little girl looked tired from the journey, listless, with some crumbs of pastry still stuck to the corner of her mouth.

The middle-aged man walked with a powerful stride, his face weathered and his body exuding a fierce aura. In the mortal world, he would seem to be a general of the highest order, but when he reached Li Yinsheng, he immediately bowed down in obeisance.

"Mu Hu, Prince of Wuwei, Left General, Governor of Yanzhou, and Head of the Mu Clan of the Dayong Dynasty, pays respects to the Immortal Master and wishes you boundless blessings and longevity!"

As the middle-aged man bowed, the woman behind him and her daughter also bowed. The other sedan chair bearers, servants, and those banging gongs and drums simply knelt down.

"Please rise, everyone. This is a place of seclusion in the mountains, where worldly etiquette is not observed."

Having been born in the People's Republic of China in his previous life, and having cultivated immortality on the mountain since childhood in this life, Li Yinsheng was experiencing so many people kneeling before him for the first time. He felt somewhat uneasy, but on the surface, he remained calm and composed.

"There is a distinction between immortals and mortals. How did you all find your way to my mountain gate? And why are you making such a racket, disturbing my peaceful cultivation?"

"Immortal, please forgive me!" Mu Hu, who had just stood up, hurriedly bowed again. "I, no, no, I was unaware that the immortal cherished tranquility. Forgive me, forgive me!"

"As for how Xiao Wang came to be here... A hundred years ago, my Mu family ancestor had a relationship with a Taoist master from Xuanzhen Temple. The Taoist master left behind a geomantic map and said that if the Mu family had the talent to cultivate Taoism in the future, they could come to the map and become his disciples."

"Xiao Wang's daughter is exceptionally intelligent and quick-witted from a young age. Xiao Wang thinks she might have some divine talent..."

Li Yinsheng remained silent.

He now truly understands what his online friend meant by "joining the National Army in 49"—he has such a great injustice right in front of him.

Xuanzhen Temple is about to close down, and you've come here seeking enlightenment! Are you just here to freeload a farewell dinner?

"Xuanzhen Temple is no longer accepting disciples. Prince Mu can try other Taoist temples under the Zhengyang lineage. If your daughter truly has the aptitude for cultivating immortality, there will naturally be a Taoist temple willing to accept her."

As Li Yinsheng politely declined, he subconsciously shook his head.

He knew that the listless-looking little girl wouldn't be accepted by any Taoist temple—

Because she has no root.

The term "innate capacity" refers to any quality in a person that is conducive to spiritual practice.

For example, a strong physique, wider meridians than ordinary people, or a photographic memory, or even a naturally stronger soul than ordinary people, such as the ability to see ghosts and gods.

Some are even born with exceptional talents, possessing a special constitution or even attracting extraordinary phenomena.

Although there are countless different possibilities and forms of "root capacity", even the lowest level of root capacity is extremely rare, one in ten thousand.

Ordinary people without any innate talent can cultivate, but it's not worth it.

Those without inherent potential will not achieve much even if they cultivate diligently for a lifetime; their greatest benefit will be a slight extension of their lifespan.

For those who have achieved success in cultivation, their innate qualities are like a luminous pearl. Whether an ordinary person has innate qualities or not can be seen at a glance simply by circulating their magical power.

He had just checked, and this girl had no potential.

"Immortal Master!" Mu Hu was immediately anxious when he heard Li Yinsheng refuse without hesitation.

"No need for further words. Fate determines one's destiny. If I say I won't accept you, that's all I mean... wait a minute."

Li Yinsheng's heart stirred slightly, and with a glimmer of hope, he asked, "Your surname is Mu, so what's your daughter's name?"

"My daughter's name is Xiaoyu. She was born after a traveling Taoist priest who was passing by and divined her fate..." Prince Mu immediately said respectfully.

Mu Xiaoyu!

Li Yinsheng's gaze fell on the void, staring at the golden characters that only he could see—the characters read "Mu Xiaoyu".

"Ahem, although Xuanzhen Temple no longer accepts disciples, I have witnessed the deep love that Prince Mu has for his daughter, a love so profound it could move even Heaven. Today, I will make an exception and accept you into the temple!"

Li Yinsheng solemnly said, "However, the rules need to be made clear beforehand; new disciples cannot begin cultivation immediately upon entering the sect!"

"First, she must enter the sect as a disciple to copy scriptures and learn Taoism. She must undergo a period of observation that can last from one to three years before she can receive the transmission of the cultivation method."

"Only after you have made some progress in your cultivation, distinguished yourself, and gained the favor of a master in the temple, may you become a disciple, cultivate more profound methods, and even obtain a Dharma position. Are you willing to abide by these rules?"

Prince Mu was stunned, not knowing why Li Yinsheng's attitude had suddenly changed completely, but in just a moment or two he reacted and quickly bowed down:

"Yes, yes, thank you, Immortal Master! It's only natural for immortals to observe their disciples for three years! Little Fish, Little Fish, come quickly and pay your respects to your senior brother!"

Facing the respectful Prince Mu, Li Yinsheng was also somewhat unsure of himself.

Although he kept the girl, his cheat ability didn't seem to have changed. Could it just be a coincidence that they had the same name?

"Greetings, Senior Brother!" Mu Xiaoyu followed suit and bowed.

The moment Mu Xiaoyu bowed down, the sound of a grand bell suddenly echoed in Li Yinsheng's mind.

The cheat system that hadn't worked for over a decade, from the time he transmigrated until just now, suddenly surfaced in his mind on its own.

A dreamlike painting unfolds, revealing countless lotus flowers and leaves standing tall in a vast lake, with a full moon illuminating the night sky, and the pale gold characters formed by the moonlight changing.

Lord of the Cave Heaven: Mu Xiaoyu

The will to cultivate oneself: The four essentials of cultivation are "Dharma, wealth, companions, and place," with "Dharma" being the most important!

However, as the saying goes, "the secrets of a skill should not be passed on to six ears." The transmission of skills and techniques is of utmost importance and has never been lightly passed on since ancient times.

Now that the Lord of the Cave Heaven has joined a cultivation sect, he should strive to demonstrate his talent and his aspiration for the Dao, and gain the sect's recognition as soon as possible so that the sect can teach him the cultivation techniques and he can learn them quickly.

This is the first and foremost thing in spiritual practice!

Cultivation Rewards:

Those who master the technique after more than a year will be rewarded with three months of cultivation time.

Those who master the technique within a year will be rewarded with six months of cultivation experience.

Those who master the technique within six months will be rewarded with a year's worth of cultivation experience.

Those who master the technique within three months will be rewarded with three years of cultivation experience.

Those who master the technique within a month will be rewarded with ten years of cultivation.

Those who master the technique within ten days will be rewarded with twenty years of cultivation.

[Those who master the technique within a day will be rewarded with thirty years of cultivation]

As the information surged into his mind, Li Yinsheng froze.