Junior sister, I really need to control you.

At dawn, in a secluded corner of Xuanzhen Temple, in front of a quiet room.

Li Yinsheng knocked gently on the door: "Uncle Jiang."

"Junior Nephew Li?" A somewhat weak female voice sounded from inside the door, carrying a hint of surprise.

"You usually cultivate until 9 AM before you arrive, why are you here so early today? Don't stand outside, come in."

Li Yinsheng pushed open the door and entered. The room was very simple, with only a large soft couch, a futon, and a table. A woman dressed in white was lying on the soft couch.

She looked to be under thirty, with extremely beautiful features, except for her slender, willow-leaf eyebrows, which were sharp like two sword marks, so fierce that they inspired awe.

However, the lack of color in her face diluted her sharpness.

"Junior brother," the woman Li Yinsheng addressed as Uncle Jiang looked at him, "you seem more reserved than usual today. Are you in a bad mood?"

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle-Master. I'm fine. I've just been cultivating for a little longer recently," Li Yinsheng shook his head.

He simply brushed it off vaguely, partly because the matter of the grotto-heaven was not to be discussed with outsiders, and partly because it was a long-standing habit.

Uncle Jiang was once a prodigy in his youth, but now his cultivation has been completely destroyed.

Over the years, unless absolutely necessary, he has never brought up matters of spiritual practice with her, lest he cause her to be reminded of painful memories and become depressed.

"I have some things to report, my junior brother," Li Yinsheng said, changing the subject. "Someone came yesterday seeking immortality and guidance."

"My junior disciple observed that although she lacked natural talent, she was determined and persevering, so he took it upon himself to bring her into the temple."

"She had already mastered the basics of the Qingxuan True Scripture yesterday. However, it was too late then, and I was worried about disturbing my martial aunt's rest, so I waited until now to inform her."

"All affairs of Xuanzhen Temple are managed by you. Even I, a cripple, am entirely dependent on your unwavering care. You can take charge of the affairs of the temple," Uncle Jiang said softly.

"Besides, even when my meridians were intact, I didn't understand those ordinary matters in the temple," she patted the empty spot on the soft couch, "Don't stand there, come, sit down and let's talk."

Li Yinsheng sat down beside the soft couch, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

It seems that his master had no complaints about him teaching such a profound mental cultivation method as the Qingxuan True Scripture to a disciple who had just entered the temple and had no potential.

"Those without innate talent are not necessarily incapable of cultivation, but their achievements will ultimately be limited."

Uncle Jiang said softly, "Your intention in teaching her the Qingxuan True Scripture is good, but she may not be able to handle it."

"This technique is easy at first but becomes difficult later, and it places great emphasis on a solid foundation. Those lacking talent often progress very slowly when they reach even slightly deeper levels. Moreover..."

"Besides, Xuanzhen Temple is about to disintegrate. When that happens, she will have no master and no one to guide her. If she blindly practices a superior technique, she will be more likely to make mistakes and go into qi deviation."

"Don't worry, Uncle-Master, I have my own plans," Li Yinsheng said in a deep voice, pressing one hand on the soft couch. "Xuanzhen Temple will not be disbanded."

Before that, he had no confidence in preserving Xuanzhen Temple, let alone any idea of ​​it.

Even the worst Taoist temples have abbots with seventy or eighty years of cultivation, while slightly larger temples have masters with over a hundred years of cultivation.

The reason why Xuanzhen Temple was to be disbanded was because there had been no capable monks to take charge of the temple for many years.

This heavy burden was something he, with only twenty years of cultivation, could not possibly bear.

But now...

Although with his current cultivation level of around fifty years, he is indeed still somewhat lacking in the ability to shoulder this heavy responsibility.

But... isn't there still a year before Xuanzhen Temple is dissolved?

Uncle Jiang had no idea where Li Yinsheng's confidence came from. He reached out and gently pressed on the back of Li Yinsheng's hand, his eyes clear as water, reflecting a hint of heartache and guilt.

"Yinsheng, the decline of Xuanzhen Temple is due to our incompetence and our failure to live up to our ancestors. You are just a junior, so you don't need to bear these responsibilities. You have already been very tired over the years."

"Your innate talent is not bad, and you have perseverance. After the Xuanzhen Temple disbands, there will always be a Taoist temple willing to take you in, so your path of cultivation will not be cut off. However... however..."

At this point, a blush rose on her originally pale face: "Just don't get any wicked thoughts and be bewitched by Yuehe or Yuluan to become one of those... male concubines or male prostitutes."

"Although you may be able to live a few days of luxury, it will inevitably hinder your spiritual practice. When you grow old and lose your beauty, it will be too late to regret it."

Li Yinsheng was stunned: "Uncle-Master, is that the kind of person you see me as?"

"Of course not," Uncle Jiang shook his head, "It's just that a few days ago, when I was helping you tidy up your room, I happened to glimpse a piece of scrap paper, on which...on which..."

She lowered her head, staring at the edge of the bed, avoiding looking at Li Yinsheng, before speaking the rest of her words.

"The list above details the benefits of being Yuehe's or Yuluan's male concubine, comparing and analyzing the pros and cons one by one..."

"Cough cough cough cough!" Li Yinsheng interrupted forcefully with a cough. "Uncle-Master, let's talk about serious matters! Serious matters! Like... like... that... uh, the Dao Examination! Yes! The Dao Examination!"

"The Taoist examination at the end of next year! Xuanzhen Temple will be disbanded. The root cause is that the position of abbot has been vacant for many years, and the entire temple exists in name only."

"Although I am recognized as the acting abbot of the entire Xuanzhen Temple, the lineage above and other Taoist temples do not recognize me."

"After all, in the Xuanzhen Temple right now, not counting your junior sister who just joined, it's just the two of us," Uncle Jiang said softly. "Their refusal to acknowledge us isn't entirely without reason."

Li Yinsheng pretended not to hear and continued, "According to the rules of the Zhengyang lineage, only cultivators who have obtained a second-class evaluation in the Zhengyang Dao Examination are qualified to become the abbot of a temple, so as to prevent the abbot from being a figurehead without real power."

"Therefore, as long as I can win a second-class grade in the Zhengyang Examination next year, I can truly inherit the position of abbot of Xuanzhen Temple."

Li Yinsheng said in a matter-of-fact tone, "With the abbot in place, the Zhengyang lineage will naturally not disband the Xuanzhen Temple."

"Nephew," Uncle Jiang looked at Li Yinsheng with concern, "I told you long ago not to push yourself too hard. Look at you, you've been cultivating day and night, to the point of losing your mind."

"Don't cultivate these next few nights, get a good night's sleep," Uncle-Master Jiang earnestly advised.

Li Yinsheng: ...

Although he had long anticipated that his martial uncle would have no confidence in him, he still felt incredibly mocked.

Of course, that's normal.

The Dao Examination of the Zhengyang lineage is held every three years, and it is not open to cultivators of all ages at the same time; rather, it is divided into two sessions.

The purpose of this event, which is limited to young disciples under the age of twenty, is to select promising but underdeveloped young disciples from various lineages and temples for early and focused training.

The other event allows cultivators of any age and position from both lineages and Taoist temples to participate, in order to select cultivators with sufficient strength to take on important responsibilities.

A session limited to young disciples is called the "Young Yang Session," while a session open to all cultivators is called the "True Yang Session."

The results of both rounds will be divided into five grades—A, B, C, D, and E—based on the cultivators' performance, from highest to lowest.

Although both the "Shaoyang" and "Zhengyang" events received highly valuable evaluations, their significance is entirely different.

The evaluation of Shaoyang field represents potential, while Zhengyang field represents strength.

Therefore, only those who achieve a Grade B rating in the Zhengyang field are qualified to be called the Abbot.

But with his previous cultivation level, let alone the Zhengyang field, he couldn't even be rated as a second-class student in the Shaoyang field.

Each time a Taoist examination is held, the disciples of the Zhengyang lineage above will participate together with the disciples of all the Taoist temples under their jurisdiction.

The number of places in the top tier is extremely limited, and they are almost all snapped up by the most outstanding disciples of the Zhengyang lineage.

Most of the remaining disciples of the lineage can also be rated as Grade B, which takes up most of the Grade B slots.

In this situation, many Taoist temples do not have a single disciple who can achieve the second-class ranking.

For example, the Tingyun Temple, to which the person who came yesterday belonged, was said to be among the top ten among all Taoist temples, but it often took two or three sessions for a disciple to receive a second-class evaluation.

Then this disciple will be groomed by the entire Taoist temple as one of its future pillars.

Even the most prestigious Taoist temples, like Shouyi Temple and Songyue Temple, typically only have one or two disciples with a second-class evaluation per session.

Although Li Yinsheng had never participated in the Shaoyang Field Dao Examination before, he asked himself honestly, with his previous cultivation level, he would have been lucky to even get a C grade evaluation in the Shaoyang Field.

As for the Zhengyang Field, which has absolutely no restrictions on the age or position of cultivators...

Not only will all the deacons and abbots of Taoist temples participate, but many cultivators from the lineage will also participate.

Even those who hold positions above the abbot in Taoist temples and have considerable influence within the lineage can be relegated to a second-class rating if they are unlucky.

Of course, the Daoist examinations for the Zhengyang lineage, whether in the Shaoyang or Zhengyang sessions, are not mandatory. Therefore, these important figures do not participate in every Daoist examination.

Li Yinsheng estimated that with his current cultivation of only fifty years and his mediocre magical skills, he would probably only be at the lowest level in Zhengyang Field.

But he only received the reward once.

If he comes a few more times, he has no doubt that he can get a grade of B or higher in Zhengyang Field—not to mention B, even A is not impossible.

His main concern was that if he received this reward a few more times, he might go crazy.

……

When the sun was high in the sky, Mu Xiaoyu came out of her bedroom and stretched in the sun.

Although yesterday she was tormented for several hours by that handsome senior brother, just like an ordinary martial arts master practicing martial arts, leaving her sore all over and seeing stars.

But when she woke up today, she found herself feeling refreshed and full of energy, as if the aches and pains of last night were just a dream.

Mu Xiaoyu moved a long table from her bedroom and placed it in the courtyard. She lay on the table, basking in the sun, and stuffed the candied crabapple she had taken the night before into her mouth.

Last night she brought all the steamed buns from the vegetarian room back to her own room. She ate five before going to bed and then ate four more with bamboo shoots this morning. She has already gone through more than half of a jar of pickled bamboo shoots.

She also ate a lot of wild honey as a snack.

I have to say, although life on the mountain was exhausting, the bamboo shoots and honey were absolutely delicious! They were even better than the so-called "royal tribute" honey back home!

"So comfortable..." Lying on the long table, feeling the lazy warmth and the sweet and sour taste melting in her mouth, Mu Xiaoyu squinted her eyes, feeling very comfortable.

Until a broad shadow blocked her sunlight.

Mu Xiaoyu opened her eyes and gave a smile that looked more like a grimace to the obstacle blocking her sunlight: "Senior brother..."

"It seems that Junior Sister has no lingering fatigue," Li Yinsheng nodded slightly. "Although the early stages of the Qingxuan True Scripture seem similar to ordinary martial arts, they are actually completely different."

"Ordinary martial arts rely on strengthening muscles and bones, squeezing blood and qi from the bone marrow. Although it can make one as strong as an ox and able to chase a galloping horse, it ultimately depletes the body's fundamental vital energy."

"Even if you take supplements throughout your life, you will still be full of injuries and illnesses in old age, all because you have overdrawn your energy."

"The Pure Mystery True Scripture, on the other hand, is solely for strengthening vital energy. The abundant blood and energy in the future will also be due to the natural nourishment of vital energy."

Li Yinsheng laughed and said, "That's why after practicing ordinary martial arts, one feels extremely tired the next day, but after practicing the Qingxuan True Scripture, one will definitely feel refreshed after a good night's sleep."

"However, the Qingxuan True Scripture is not a physical cultivation method. Once the foundation is solid and one's own vital energy is abundant, one can begin to cultivate magical power. As for the blood and qi themselves, they are not very important."

"Then will we be able to just meditate and not practice martial arts stances anymore?" Mu Xiaoyu's eyes lit up.

"I guess so," Li Yinsheng nodded.

"When will I be able to reach that level?" Mu Xiaoyu asked hurriedly.

"The second level of the Qingxuan True Scripture begins to cultivate magical power, but it still requires the tempering of the body and the methods of nourishing the vital energy and building up the blood. This method is no longer useful once you reach the fourth level."

"Junior sister, your aptitude... requires considerable effort. If you want to reach the second level, with my guidance, it should take one or two years."

Li Yinsheng stroked his chin: "As for the fourth level... if Junior Sister is diligent enough, I think she has a good chance of completing it in ten years."

In fact, he was already trying to say as little as possible.

With Junior Sister Mu's aptitude, it is indeed possible for her to reach the second level within two years.

However, the Qingxuan True Scripture is easy at first and difficult later. With her aptitude, it would be normal for it to take her twenty years to cultivate from the second level to the fourth level without external help.

"Huh? It takes this long!" Mu Xiaoyu's eyes widened immediately.

Before Li Yinsheng could answer, Mu Xiaoyu seemed to have thought of something. She jumped down from the long table, opened her big, watery eyes, looked up at Li Yinsheng, and spoke with a hopeful expression.

"Since you can practice other things from the second level, can you just meditate from the second level onwards? Practicing less might make it faster."

Li Yinsheng's eyes widened even more than hers, and without thinking, he swung his hand and smacked her hard on the head.

"Do you want to die? You dare to alter cultivation techniques so casually!"

"Woo!" With a sound like the knocking of a wooden fish, Mu Xiaoyu squatted down, clutching her head.

"All the techniques have been meticulously improved by countless predecessors. Changing even a single word could lead to qi deviation and demonic possession. Do you still dare to practice only a part of it?"

Li Yinsheng's face darkened: "Looks like I really will have to keep a close eye on you from now on!"

"Waaah..." Mu Xiaoyu squatted on the ground, looking up at Li Yinsheng, "Senior brother, I'll practice as usual, but can I rest today?"

"This is your second day up the mountain." Li Yinsheng looked down, his face expressionless.

"But... I practiced for four hours yesterday, constantly practicing stances, boxing, and breathing exercises. It was so tiring..."

Mu Xiaoyu looked aggrieved, her eyes moist, as if she might cry at any moment.

"I already said, the Qingxuan True Scripture doesn't overdraw your body; the fatigue from practicing can be relieved with a good night's sleep..."

Halfway through his sentence, Li Yinsheng suddenly stopped, looking at the tears in Mu Xiaoyu's eyes, and then at the empty golden characters on the scroll.

After he completed the task and received the reward last night, the cheat system returned to normal, and there are no new tasks at the moment.

"Alright, consider it a reward for you entering the Pure Profound Scripture in less than half a day. I'll give you a day off to rest well," Li Yinsheng said.

Anyway, the golden finger doesn't have any tasks right now, and the girl looks to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. She probably used to live a life of luxury, and suddenly leaving her parents to cultivate hardship on the mountain, she needs some time to adjust.

The tears in Mu Xiaoyu's eyes instantly turned into joyful, colorful light.

"Besides, you are currently in the foundational stage, so there is really no need to rush. In any case, you are only just beginning, and there is no way you will be able to catch up with next year's Shaoyang Changdao examination."

Li Yinsheng casually remarked, "Why not focus on cultivation first, and then participate in the Shaoyang Ceremony four years from now when you reach the second or even third level..."

The familiar, resonant sound of bells and drums echoed in Li Yinsheng's ears, the scroll unfolded before his eyes, and new golden characters appeared.

[Cultivation Ambition: Shaoyang Dao Examination - Now that the Lord of the Grotto-Heaven has joined the sect, he should distinguish himself in the Shaoyang Dao Examination, which tests the potential of disciples, and gain the sect's attention and cultivation!]

Lord of the Grotto Heaven, please make every effort to obtain a high-level evaluation in the Shaoyang Field Dao Examination.

Once the master of the grotto-heaven is over twenty years old or has achieved a first-class rating in the Shaoyang field Dao examination, this cultivation journey will begin the Zhengyang field Dao examination phase.

Each time the Lord of the Cave Heaven receives a rating, a lower-level rating reward will be issued at the same time, but each reward can only be claimed once and cannot be claimed repeatedly.

Cultivation Rewards:

He passed the Shaoyang Field Examination and received a Grade E evaluation, for which he was awarded one year of cultivation.

He passed the Shaoyang Field Examination and received a Grade D rating, for which he was rewarded with ten years of cultivation.

He passed the Shaoyang Field Examination and received a Grade C rating, for which he was awarded twenty years of cultivation.

He passed the Shaoyang Temple Dao Examination and received a Grade B rating, for which he was awarded fifty years of cultivation.

[Those who pass the Shaoyang Temple Examination and achieve a first-class rating will be rewarded with a century of cultivation.]

Looking at the new task that appeared before him, Li Yinsheng was surprised, silent, and then seemed to be deep in thought.

"Really? Can I really rest today?" Mu Xiaoyu cheered and jumped up from the ground.

"Of course it's fake!" Li Yinsheng's expression turned serious. "Learning the Dao is like guarding a forbidden city; one must be wary of thieves by day and tremble with fear by night! You want to rest after only one day of practice?"

"Know that spiritual practice is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind! Fishing for three days and drying nets for two is already incredibly lazy; do you really expect to fish one day and dry nets the next?"

"What rest? Come on, junior sister, let's go cultivate! The early bird catches the worm, and since you've already missed morning practice, you need to work twice as hard to make up for it!"

Mu Xiaoyu was stunned at first, seemingly unable to immediately react to Li Yinsheng's words.

A few breaths later, her delicate face flushed red at a visible speed, and a crystalline glow appeared at the corners of her eyes.