Chapter 5: New Mission, Wealth of Cultivation

At noon, Mu Xiaoyu was sweating profusely in the open clearing before the main hall of Xuanzhen Temple.

The coarse Daoist Robe she wore was almost completely soaked with sweat. Strands of hair hung messily from her forehead and temples, sticking to her face, and her dripping sweat had even left spots on the ground.

Li Yinsheng stood to the side, holding a slender bamboo stick pointed toward the ground. Whenever Mu Xiaoyu's movements slightly deformed, or whenever there was a flaw in the flow of her Breathing, he would immediately tap her acupoints or joints with the bamboo stick to help her adjust her posture or breath.

The next Lesser Yang Dao Examination was at the end of next year. Li Yinsheng did not expect Mu Xiaoyu to achieve a good rank in it. The Lesser Yang Dao Examination was a competition between the young disciples of the Daoist Temple and the young disciples of the higher-up Dharma Vein. Back when he had twenty years of Cultivation, he was only at a C Class level, let alone his junior sister who had just become a Beginner yesterday. But... his Cultivation was different now.

Although fifty years of Cultivation and the eighth layer of the Qingxuan Scripture were not considered particularly powerful among the many Daoist Temples, he had only received a reward once. If he could receive a few more rewards in the future and raise his Cultivation even higher—perhaps even reaching the Daoist Realm with over a hundred years of Cultivation—he might very well be able to train his junior sister much faster. Even if the next Lesser Yang Dao Examination was too soon, given his junior sister's age, she would still make it in time for the one after that in over four years, right before she exceeded the age limit.

If she could achieve a C Class evaluation, there would be a reward of thirty years of Cultivation. If she reached B Class, the reward would soar to eighty years. And if she could reach A Class... Li Yinsheng shook his head, tossing aside that rather absurd thought. No matter how far he could train Junior Sister Mu in the future, they had to start working hard right now! The Lesser Yang Dao Examination only allowed young disciples under the age of twenty to participate. His junior sister was already fifteen this year; they had to fight for every second!

Mu Xiaoyu, who was currently practicing her punches and Breathing, had no idea what Li Yinsheng was thinking. She only felt that every single part of her body was aching and sore. Although as she practiced, a warm current the thickness of a chopstick would flow through her limbs and bones, slightly soothing the areas it passed through, it was merely a drop in the bucket. Her whole body continued to ache more and more.

But she truly did not dare to stop. Although this handsome senior brother never had a fierce tone or expression when he spoke, the content of his words was absolutely terrifying. Whipping her hands with a rattan cane! Fifty times! Furthermore, he was currently holding a slender bamboo stick. Being hit by a bamboo stick... would probably hurt just as much as a rattan cane, right?

The more Mu Xiaoyu thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She had never wanted to become a Cultivator in the first place. It was all because her parents insisted on saying strange things like, "We can only have peace of mind and go all out if you go up the mountain." They had coaxed and tricked her into coming up here. When she left, her parents had lied to her, saying the mountain was full of delicacies like fresh bamboo shoots and mushrooms, as well as delicious wild game, and that the grains eaten by immortals were incomparable to anything in the Prince's Mansion. Only then had she reluctantly agreed to come.

Though, to be fair, the pickled spring bamboo shoots from last night were indeed quite delicious. They were fresh, crisp, tender, and fragrant, with a faint sweetness lingering in the aftertaste. After a few chews, the crisp and tender shreds of bamboo shoots seemed to melt in her mouth... Then there was that wild honey. It was even clearer and more translucent than the oil at home. The moment the jar was opened, it was as if a dozen floral scents marched into her nose with beating drums and clanging gongs, smelling even more fragrant than the Hundred-Flower Garden at home during the spring bloom. She had only eaten a little bit last night, yet her mouth tasted as sweet and refreshing as if she had been drinking sweet spring water all night. The floral fragrance at the tip of her nose even seemed to linger until morning...

But it still wasn't worth it! Besides, no matter how delicious they were, there were only pickled spring shoots and wild honey! She had every kind of delicious food imaginable back home! She cried out in her heart, "WAAAH! Mother, Father, where are you? I want to go home! I really want to go home!"

At the thought of going home, she couldn't hold it in any longer. Mustering her courage, she stopped punching and Breathing, and turned to look at Li Yinsheng. If she got beaten, she got beaten! Getting beaten hurt, but practicing martial arts also hurt! What if she got expelled from the Daoist Temple after the beating? Wouldn't she be able to go home then?

When she was little, her family had hired a female tutor to teach her to read, and that was exactly how she had angered the tutor into leaving. If she couldn't memorize her texts, she would get her palms smacked. But even when her palms were smacked, she still refused to memorize anything. Eventually, the tutor became so furious that she went to her parents and resigned. Only then did she realize that her tutor had actually been going easy on her when smacking her palms—her parents' smacks hurt way more than the tutor's!

"Hmm? Why did you suddenly stop, Junior Sister?" Li Yinsheng asked in confusion, looking at Mu Xiaoyu.

Mu Xiaoyu first took two even breaths, then planted her hands on her hips, revealing an expression of one facing death without flinching. "Senior Brother! I really can't practice anymore! Just beat me!"

After saying this, Mu Xiaoyu extended her left hand and laid it flat. Her palm was taut as she waited for the bamboo stick to land on her. She still felt very apprehensive in her heart. Although she had been disciplined growing up, her tutors had all been female and didn't have much strength, so the palm smacks hadn't hurt that badly. Her father did have a lot of strength, but as long as she let out a few cries, the force of his palm smacks would lessen.

Her senior brother was a Cultivator; surely his beatings would hurt more than her father's, right? Mu Xiaoyu held her breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and turned her face away.

The hard bamboo stick rested lightly against her palm.

Mu Xiaoyu froze for a moment. Her eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes and looked at Li Yinsheng.

Li Yinsheng gave her a gentle smile. "What are you talking about, Junior Sister? You haven't violated any temple precepts, so why would I beat you?

"You must be tired from practicing, right? Just tell me directly. There's no need to hold it in. Cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation; if you're tired, just take a rest."