Junior sister, I really need to control you.

In Uncle Jiang's room.

After chatting with Uncle Jiang for a while, Li Yinsheng suddenly remembered something.

He had never participated in the Daoist examination, but this Uncle Jiang in front of him was said to have received a first-class rating in the Daoist examination at Shaoyang Field when he was young.

This is extremely rare in Taoist temples; even if dozens of temples were combined, it would take many years to produce just one person who achieves the highest rank.

What's even more remarkable is that Aunt Jiang's top-tier evaluation back then wasn't at the bottom; it ranked among the top of all top-tier evaluations. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to achieve the status of a True Person at such a young age.

The rewards for the Shaoyang Taoist Examination are very generous, and those who can win the top grade in the examination will receive full support from the entire Taoist temple.

"Uncle-Master," Li Yinsheng said softly, "do you still remember the time you participated in the Shaoyang Dao Examination?"

Uncle Jiang paused for a moment, then raised his pale, wiry hand, his fingers weakly pinching Li Yinsheng's ear, and narrowed his eyes:

"You're past the age of attending Shaoyang Festival events, why are you still asking this? Are you trying to mock me?"

"Uncle-Master, am I that kind of person?" Li Yinsheng asked innocently.

"I'm asking on behalf of my junior sister who has just started her training. Cultivation always involves going through trials and tribulations, so I'd like her to take the Shaoyang Dao Examination. I'm asking you about it beforehand."

Li Yinsheng, who had never participated in the Shaoyang Dao Examination, said earnestly.

"Her?" Uncle Jiang's narrowed eyes widened instantly. "Did she offend you?"

"No," Li Yinsheng shook his head, "I think this child has a bright future, and I'm too busy nurturing her."

"You think having no innate talent means a bright future? Do you know that someone without innate talent, even if they cultivate for a lifetime, might not achieve the same level of cultivation as an ordinary cultivator in ten years?" Uncle Jiang complained.

"What good will it do to send her to the Shaoyang Dao Examination, other than letting her get beaten up in the first round? Although killing is strictly prohibited in the Dao Examination, quite a few people are still seriously injured."

Li Yinsheng was not surprised by this answer, and then asked more seriously.

"Um... So, what kind of evaluation does my junior sister think she could achieve in the two Shaoyang Dao examinations if she continued to cultivate diligently, neglecting sleep and meals, working tirelessly without rest, and practicing with extreme intensity?"

"They're all the lowest grade, E, there won't be any surprises," Uncle Jiang said without hesitation. "After all, to get a grade D rating, you need at least ten years of cultivation."

"For those of average talent, they should begin their studies at the age of six or seven, learn the scriptures for two or three years, and then begin their cultivation. From the moment they begin their cultivation, they cannot be lazy for even a day, so that they can accumulate ten years of cultivation before the age of twenty."

"As for that girl, her aptitude is poor, and she started cultivating late, with only four years to develop. Therefore, she can only be at the lowest level among those at the lowest level."

"So, if one wants to achieve a grade C, what level of cultivation would be a safe bet?"

Li Yinsheng glanced at Uncle Jiang's "Are you kidding me?" expression and immediately added, "I was just curious, that's all."

"Then you must have nearly twenty years of cultivation, and you also need to have decent magical skills, along with a magic weapon, even if it's a low-grade magic weapon, like your Frost Leaf Sword."

Uncle Jiang looked at the Qiankun bag at Li Yinsheng's waist and said with a smile.

"Uncle-Master, you don't need to emphasize that my Frost Leaf Sword is a low-grade magic weapon. Besides, low-grade magic weapons are already very expensive. I spent five thousand talismans even when I bought it at a 30% discount."

Li Yinsheng first expressed his indignation on behalf of his magical artifact, then asked, "What about something even higher? Grade B and Grade A?"

"Then they must be the cream of the crop and a prodigy among young talents." As Uncle Jiang spoke, he glanced at the mirror on the table in the distance.

Her face was reflected in the mirror.

"To get a second-class rating, one's cultivation level, even if it's not thirty years, can't be too far off. One also needs to have a fairly proficient combat spell, plus a mid-grade magic weapon, or some other outstanding ability."

"Furthermore, at this level, the cultivation technique must be of the Qingxuan True Scripture caliber. As for Grade A..."

A hint of pride, reminiscing about the glorious past, appeared on her face.

"First of all, you need at least thirty or forty years of cultivation. Based on your cultivation of the Qingxuan True Scripture, you would need to approach or even reach the seventh level."

"Secondly, one must possess at least one highly skilled killing technique; the more the better. Other techniques, such as escape techniques and secret arts, are also indispensable."

"Of course, you also need superior magic weapons. Moreover, a single high-grade magic weapon is often not enough. It is best to have several mid-grade magic weapons to complement it, so as not to be vulnerable to being targeted due to a weak approach. Unless you are a sword cultivator like me, one flying sword is enough."

"In addition, one must have experience in combat and magical duels..."

"If you lack confidence, bring more talismans. It's a bit of a shortcut, but it's not against the rules. Of course, I was too lazy to bring any when I participated..."

"Furthermore, what I just mentioned is only the lowest level within the top tier. To advance further, like I was back then, is even more difficult..."

As Uncle Jiang spoke, he became more and more engrossed, and a glimmer of light appeared on his pale face, as if he were reminiscing about the glorious past.

Li Yinsheng's heart sank more and more as he listened.

So what kind of monsters are those who get the top grade in the Shaoyang arena?

Before the age of twenty, one must possess forty years of cultivation, be proficient in combat, and wield multiple magical artifacts…

Although the mission states that as long as you make it into a certain tier, the reward is the same regardless of whether you rank at the top or at the bottom of that tier, just being at the bottom of Tier B is already extremely difficult to achieve.

Four years of cultivation, yet one can attain the cultivation level of an ordinary cultivator in thirty years—with this level of cultivation, one would already be at the sixth level of the Qingxuan True Scripture!

Junior sister, you must work hard!

After speaking for a while, Uncle Jiang caught his breath and then spoke seriously to Li Yinsheng again: "In short, I don't recommend that you have any expectations for that girl, because she will definitely disappoint you."

"After all, for her, it was already quite an achievement to cultivate to the third level of the Qingxuan True Scripture and live to be 120 years old without illness or disaster in this lifetime."

Li Yinsheng did not refute, but followed Jiang Shishu's words and asked about another matter that he cared about more.

"What my uncle says makes sense, but even so, we still need to get this junior sister to master the first level as soon as possible. Otherwise, she won't have the magic power to practice the spells she uses daily, and life in the temple will be very inconvenient."

"What's the big deal? Everyone starts like this. When I first started, I didn't know any magic either."

Uncle Jiang scoffed, "I don't even have magic right now. Does that mean I can't live without magic?"

"You are a true immortal, neither drinking nor eating, and you are untouched by worldly dust. You don't even need to bathe," Li Yinsheng said helplessly. "That junior sister doesn't know how to manipulate objects, so I have to fetch the water for her bath."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Uncle Jiang's expression immediately turned serious.

"Let me think. If the goal is simply to help her progress faster in the first level of cultivation, it shouldn't be too difficult. Let me think about it carefully..."

A moment later, her eyes lit up: "I've got it! Although I've never practiced the Pure Profound Scripture, I do know a little about it. The first level only tempers the body and nourishes the vital energy."

"Although the next two levels begin to condense magical power, it is still necessary to continue to solidify the foundation of the physical body. It can be said that the first three levels are mainly focused on physical strength."

"Yinsheng, have you ever heard of the Qi Refining Lock?" Uncle Jiang, who had come up with a solution, asked with a smile.

"Qiuyuan Lock? What's that?" Li Yinsheng shook his head.

"This item is a magical artifact used to aid in cultivation, which was refined by the Casting Furnace Temple many years ago. Although it is a magical artifact, it is refined with the energy of Earth, so it can be incorporated into the body."

"The Tempering Yuan Lock has no effect on combat. Its function is to cover the muscles and bones of the whole body, so that when cultivating, hundreds or even thousands of pounds of force can be evenly applied to the whole body. This is somewhat similar to ordinary people practicing martial arts while wearing iron armor, but it is a hundred times more effective."

Uncle-Master Jiang smiled and said, "This item is quite helpful for cultivators who are still in the stage of tempering their physique, and it has no side effects. It's just that wearing this while practicing will make it a little more tiring than usual."

"As long as there are no side effects, that's fine. As for being a little tired... How can we cultivators be greedy for pleasure and afraid of hardship and fatigue?" Li Yinsheng said with a determined look on his face.

"This item is only useful for beginners in cultivation, so its grade is very low. My nephew can buy it at the shop in the Casting Furnace Temple within the Baoguang Temple. I remember... it should only cost one or two thousand talisman coins."

Uncle Jiang instructed, "Help that girl master magic as soon as possible, so she won't be unable to even fetch water by herself."

"I understand, nephew." Li Yinsheng nodded, glanced out the window, and looked thoughtful.

"Speaking of which, it's almost Chenshi (7-9 AM)... Junior Sister finished her practice at Zishi (11 AM-1 PM) yesterday and went to sleep. She should get up and take a bath now. I'll go and wake her up for her practice."

"Okay, go ahead." Uncle Jiang nodded.

Li Yinsheng got up and walked away. When he reached the door, he seemed to remember something and turned to look at the book she had placed face down on the inside of the soft couch.

"By the way, Uncle-Master, I won't laugh at you for reading storybooks. You don't need to stick Taoist scriptures on the cover of every storybook."

Uncle-Master Jiang: "..."

"Furthermore, I plan to take my junior sister to Baoguang Temple tomorrow to buy the Qi-Refining Lock. Would you like me to buy you some new storybooks while I'm at it? The ones you keep flipping through are quite worn out," Li Yinsheng said with a kind expression.

A pillow was thrown at Li Yinsheng.

Li Yinsheng darted out of the room, not forgetting to casually cast a wind spell to blow the flying pillow back.