Junior sister, I really need to control you.

It didn't take long for Li Yinsheng to accept reality.

Clinging to his last shred of hope, he sat cross-legged on the white jade platform and began to meditate and cultivate his inner energy.

The Qingxuan True Scripture progresses step by step. The first level focuses on cultivating the body and vital energy. The second level begins to temper the body while nurturing magical power. By the fourth level, the physical foundation is already solid enough, and the focus shifts to refining qi, eliminating the need for martial arts stance training.

While meditating and cultivating, Li Yinsheng still held onto a sliver of hope.

What if this so-called "please cultivate on your own" is just a formality?

Perhaps as soon as he sits down and begins to cultivate, his cultivation level will automatically and rapidly increase, and he could gain thirty years of cultivation in just a short while.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Yinsheng opened his eyes in despair.

Cultivating here and cultivating outside are at the same speed, there is no difference.

However... it's not entirely useless here.

Feeling the slight increase in cultivation within his body due to this period of practice, and his own state of being full of energy, Li Yinsheng had a few insights.

Cultivating Qi requires focusing the mind, concentrating the thoughts, and circulating one's spiritual power throughout the body. During this process, one must maintain a high level of concentration at all times; the slightest carelessness can lead to the loss of all previous efforts or even demonic possession.

Li Yinsheng hears several stories almost every year about "a disciple of a certain Taoist temple who was too eager for quick success in his practice, made mistakes, and ended up going astray in his cultivation," which is truly lamentable.

Based on Li Yinsheng's own experience, cultivation takes a huge toll on one's mind and spirit. It's like having a math class in his previous life where the teacher only lectures and doesn't write anything on the blackboard. Moreover, the lecture speed is comparable to reciting tongue twisters. The people in the audience not only can't lose focus, but they also have to think along with the teacher while doing radio calisthenics.

Most importantly, one must be fully focused throughout the entire process. One cannot misunderstand a single word in class or make a single mistake in exercise; otherwise, one will be punished, or even executed.

Such mental strain means that even though the cultivators of various Taoist temples are all gifted, intelligent, and exceptionally clever, only a few can concentrate on cultivation for more than four hours a day, and many can't even last three hours.

As for using meditation to replace sleep and rest, that's pure fantasy.

Even the legendary immortals who are no longer mortals and can go without food and drink probably cannot treat cultivation as rest.

Even with his two lifetimes and the tranquility he developed from studying exam papers in his previous life, Li Yinsheng could only manage to meditate for five or six hours a day—

Furthermore, it must be divided into two or three hours each in the morning and evening, otherwise there is a risk of losing one's mind and going into a state of demonic possession.

But he estimated that he had just practiced for at least twenty or thirty hours straight, yet he felt no mental or physical fatigue and remained refreshed.

Normally, with his cultivation level, let alone cultivating for twenty or thirty hours straight, even just staying awake for twenty or thirty hours straight would make him incredibly sleepy.

Similarly, after all this time, he did not feel the slightest bit hungry or thirsty.

"It seems the advantage of this place is that cultivation doesn't drain the mind, nor does it require food, sleep, or rest; one can cultivate indefinitely..."

Li Yinsheng's eyes twitched; he didn't know whether to say it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Are we supposed to stay here and cultivate our skills for thirty years?

Li Yinsheng stood up, tiptoed, and looked around. The endless lake water surrounded the white jade platform beneath his feet.

"What's the difference between this and being locked up in jail..." he couldn't help but complain.

The pale gold lettering on the white jade platform has changed.

[The master of the grotto may leave at any time. After leaving, any remaining rewards will be forfeited, and the master will be unable to re-enter until the next reward claim.]

Li Yinsheng fell silent.

What kind of unfair terms are these?! I worked so hard to complete it... my junior sister worked so hard to complete the task, why can't you even let me receive the reward in installments?!

Why should I?!

After calming himself down, Li Yinsheng gritted his teeth and sat down cross-legged again.

Quitting is impossible. Practicing outside is mentally and physically exhausting, and you have to spend time eating, drinking, sleeping, and using the restroom. I really enjoy practicing inside.

……

Time stands still in the mountains, and years pass unnoticed.

Li Yinsheng didn't know exactly how long he had been cultivating. At first, he could estimate the time based on a vague feeling, but as time went on, he could no longer remember.

In particular, since there is no change of day or night in this grotto, the moon is always hanging in the sky, and the lotus flowers on the water are always blooming, he has no reference to judge the time.

All he knew was that as he cultivated on this white jade platform, the cultivation he had accumulated over nearly twenty years began to gradually increase.

At first, the increase was only a tiny bit, but gradually it increased to one or two tenths of the original cultivation level, then to three or four tenths, then to more than half, and eventually the increase in cultivation level was equal to the original cultivation level...

The advancement in cultivation level also propelled the Qingxuan True Scripture from the fifth level to the sixth level, and then from the sixth level to the seventh level...

During that time, he thought about quitting countless times. After all, even if he didn't feel sleepy or hungry, and had no physical discomfort, the long loneliness and boredom, and the resulting irritability, were still extremely torturous.

Moreover, this grotto-heaven didn't even allow him to be distracted or slack off for too long.

Whether he stopped to admire the scenery, wanted to change his mood to practice magic, or simply spaced out, as long as he didn't practice for even a little longer, the golden characters on the white jade platform would warn him that he had to "leave the cave," and he could only immediately sit down cross-legged and continue practicing.

There were moments when he even regretted completing the task too quickly—if he had delayed his junior sister's learning of the cultivation technique, the reward of cultivation points would have been twenty years and ten years, and he wouldn't have had to endure it so much.

Although he could give up the remaining rewards at any time, he was truly reluctant to do so and could only grit his teeth and persevere.

If nothing unexpected happens, this will definitely not be the only time he cultivates here.

Although future rewards may not always be this long, there will be countless times. If you can't even handle the first one, what will you do in the future?

This tattered painting can't be claimed on installment, are we really going to waste the reward?

Li Yinsheng's only consolation was that his cultivation place was relatively open, not in a closed cave or meditation room.

Otherwise, given the extreme boredom and oppression, he definitely wouldn't have been able to hold on until now.

Perhaps because he gradually got used to it, the frequency with which he felt bored or irritable decreased as time went on.

In the end, he seemed to have completely calmed his mind and was fully immersed in meditation.

He was awakened from his cultivation by the clear, melodious sound of a bell that seemed to come from nowhere.

Li Yinsheng suddenly opened his eyes. Before him was no longer Mingyue Hehu Lake, but Mu Xiaoyu, who was still in the punching stance.

He wasn't sitting cross-legged in meditation; instead, he stood upright next to Mu Xiaoyu, just like before.

Li Yinsheng subconsciously activated his magical power.

Its magical power is about one and a half times stronger than before.

He had twenty years of cultivation before, which means that the thirty years of cultivation he was rewarded with was equivalent to thirty years of normal cultivation, rather than thirty years of non-stop cultivation every day.

Therefore, he estimated that he had only cultivated in that cave for a little over ten years.

And now, the Qingxuan True Scripture...

He had already reached a certain level of proficiency at the fifth level, and now, with the boost from thirty years of cultivation, he simply reached the eighth level in one fell swoop!

What was originally just a stream that required his conscious effort to circulate was now transformed into a small river that flowed on its own at all times.

"Alright, judging from your movements, you've already grasped the basics of the Qingxuan True Scripture. Take a break," Li Yinsheng said to Mu Xiaoyu.

Perhaps because he had been sitting in that cave for too long, only occasionally muttering to himself during breaks in his cultivation, his tone of voice was now somewhat uneven, sounding as if he had a very heavy and strange accent.

However, Mu Xiaoyu was completely oblivious to this. The moment she heard those words, she leaned back and landed on her bottom, letting out a long sigh: "Hoo-hoo—"

Her face showed only relief and numbness from exhaustion.

She's sore all over now, and if she could go back to the time when she had to make the choice, she would definitely grit her teeth and choose the one that would make her hand slip.

Let alone forty slaps, even if she were slapped a hundred times, or even four hundred times, she would still choose to have her palm slapped!

If I make a mistake, the sect rules and regulations will punish me, instead of this senior brother forcing me to cultivate for four hours straight!

"Waaah..."

Mu Xiaoyu sat on the ground, feeling more and more wronged as she thought about it. Her nose tingled, and she felt like she was about to cry.

She's going to cry right now in front of this awful senior! Cry at the top of her lungs! Cry outside his room while he's sleeping! Cry all night! Make him scream!!!

"Junior sister behaved well today, so punishment will be waived."

Li Yinsheng casually said, "Although the Nourishing Yuan Pill can replenish vital energy, it cannot stop the feeling of hunger. I remember that in addition to the leftover steamed buns from before, there was also a bag of candied plums, a jar of wild honey, and a jar of pickled bamboo shoots in the dining room. Junior sister, take them all as a reward for your entry into the Pure Profound True Scripture in one day."

Mu Xiaoyu froze for a moment, sniffed hard, and swallowed the saliva that was gushing from her mouth—oh no, she couldn't cry anymore.