Chapter 12: Diligent Mu Xiaoyu

High above Xuanzhen Temple.

Li Yinsheng descended from the sky, firmly grasping the back of Mu Xiaoyu's collar. This time, she didn't scream. Li Yinsheng was rather impressed by her adaptability; after being taken on just one flight, she had already conquered her fear of heights. Then again, it was highly likely her attention was just distracted.

"Hehe... hehehehe..." Mu Xiaoyu cradled her newly acquired Qiankun Bag, a silly grin plastered across her face.

After leaving the shop at Zulu Temple, Li Yinsheng hadn't brought Mu Xiaoyu straight back. Instead, he made a trip to a shop run by Gengyan Temple, spending five hundred talismanic coins on a large batch of Nourishing Essence Pills.

While he was purchasing the Elixir, Mu Xiaoyu browsed the roadside stalls set up by disciples from other Daoist Temples, buying quite a few snacks. Now that she had a Qiankun Bag, she happily splurged sixty or seventy talismanic coins in one breath, buying two portions of every snack that caught her eye. One portion was for herself, and the other was for Li Yinsheng. Had she not been worried about the food spoiling before they could finish it, she would have gladly spent all two hundred of the talismanic coins she brought along.

Once Li Yinsheng released her collar and her feet touched solid ground, Mu Xiaoyu carefully secured her Qiankun Bag before asking, "Senior Brother, what else did you go buy?"

"Nothing much, just a thousand Nourishing Essence Pills," Li Yinsheng replied.

"A thousand Pills!" Mu Xiaoyu exclaimed in shock. "Are we going to eat them like rice? Can the two of us even finish that many?"

"Not the two of us," Li Yinsheng said, shaking his head. "Just you."

"Uh..." Mu Xiaoyu began counting on her fingers. "I only consume four or five Nourishing Essence Pills a day when cultivating. A thousand Pills would last two hundred days, which is over six months..."

"They won't last that long," Li Yinsheng said, shaking his head.

"Did I calculate wrong?" Mu Xiaoyu wondered aloud.

"No, your consumption is going to increase." Li Yinsheng retrieved the Quenching Essence Lock from his Qiankun Bag. Within the piercing cyan light glowing in his palm hovered a solidified mass of earthy-yellow cloud vapor.

"Don't move." Li Yinsheng patted Mu Xiaoyu's head with his free hand. Under her bewildered gaze, he gently pushed the mass of earthy-yellow cloud vapor into her chest.

Mu Xiaoyu only felt a faint breeze brush against her front. She watched helplessly as the cloud vapor sank into her body, yet she felt absolutely nothing. There was no discomfort, nor was there the soothing warmth of the tiny heat currents generated during her martial arts practice.

"Senior Brother? Is this the Magical Artifact? I don't really feel anything," Mu Xiaoyu said, the confusion in her eyes deepening.

"Start practicing first," Li Yinsheng instructed. "Get into your stance and begin Breathing so I can observe."

"Oh."

Mu Xiaoyu took two steps back, settling into a steady Sanhe Posture, and focused entirely on her Breathing. Compared to her initial attempts when her legs would shake uncontrollably, she already looked the part after just a few days of practice. Her stance was stable, and her Breathing was rhythmic.

Li Yinsheng formed a hand seal, subtly activating the Quenching Essence Lock inside her body.

Instantly, Mu Xiaoyu felt as if heavy sandbags had been strapped to every inch of her body. From her shoulders to her arms, from her elbows to her wrists, from her waist and abdomen to her thighs, and even from her knees down to her ankles—there was not a single spot that didn't ache with oppressive weight. Her legs gave out, and she immediately plopped down onto the ground.

Having collapsed so suddenly, Mu Xiaoyu couldn't process what had just happened. She simply looked up at Li Yinsheng in a daze.

"Senior Brother, I fell down..."

Li Yinsheng reached out and pulled her to her feet. "Falling down is normal. You'll be fine once you get used to it."

"My body feels so heavy." Mu Xiaoyu lifted an arm. It felt as if it had been filled with lead. This sensation wasn't entirely unfamiliar to her—over the past few days, whenever she finished her training, she would experience a similar heavy, sinking feeling alongside the soreness.

But she hadn't even started practicing today!

She tried lifting a leg and was met with the exact same leaden weight. Finally realizing what was going on, her eyes went wide as she stared at Li Yinsheng. "Senior Brother! Is this because of that Magical Artifact?"

"To be precise, it's not a 'problem.' This is exactly what it's supposed to do," Li Yinsheng replied.

"Didn't you say this Magical Artifact would help speed up my cultivation? Why is it like this?" Mu Xiaoyu asked, her face draining of color.

"This *is* helping speed up your cultivation. Haven't you heard of how Mortal Martial Masters train?" Li Yinsheng asked. "They wear the Iron Sand Robe to add weight during their practice, which allows them to temper their Physique much faster."

"So..." Mu Xiaoyu's voice trembled as the reality fully dawned on her. "This Magical Artifact is basically an Iron Sand Robe meant for Cultivators?"

"Exactly." Li Yinsheng nodded with a smile. "However, the Quenching Essence Lock is a hundred times more sophisticated than an Iron Sand Robe.

"First of all, the burden it places on you is constant and uniform. It covers your entire body evenly, so there are no blind spots, nor will any specific area bear too much weight.

"Secondly, the weight it applies can be adjusted through the Restrictions inside it. For example, the current load on your body is only sixty catties. But at its highest, it can be adjusted to a thousand catties."

"A thousand catties!!!" Mu Xiaoyu's voice pitched into a distorted shriek. "I'll die, won't I? I'll definitely be crushed to death!"

"Don't be afraid. The weight will naturally be increased gradually. You'll only reach a thousand catties once you've cultivated the Qingxuan Scripture to the Third Layer," Li Yinsheng reassured her. "For now, just use the sixty catties to adapt. Tomorrow, I'll increase it to seventy catties so you can try it out."

"Senior Brother, how about we return this Quenching Essence Lock?" Lifting her lead-filled arms, Mu Xiaoyu grabbed the corner of Li Yinsheng's clothes, putting on her most obedient and endearing face. "This thing costs a thousand talismanic coins! It's so, so expensive. Xiaoyu bought a lot of snacks today, so I want to save you some money."

"Junior Sister, did you forget? This Quenching Essence Lock was a free gift." Li Yinsheng rubbed her head, his expression overflowing with paternal affection. "Besides, why would I begrudge a mere thousand talismanic coins? Helping you speed up your cultivation is more important than anything else. We can skimp on anything but cultivation, and we can let anyone suffer but the children."

Pausing for a moment, Li Yinsheng added, "Furthermore, this Magical Artifact isn't just for when you are cultivating. With this heavy burden on your body, simply moving around—whether you're running, walking, or even eating—will have the effect of tempering your Physique."

Spring was in the air and the sun shone brightly. Whether it was within the temple or on the distant mountain peaks, everything was a lush, vibrant green. Yet, to Mu Xiaoyu, all the scenery before her eyes was rapidly turning a dull, lifeless grey.

Still, she refused to give up.

Keeping her grip on Li Yinsheng's clothes, she asked even more sweetly, "Then, Senior Brother, won't this Magical Artifact need its weight adjusted frequently?"

"Of course. As your Physique grows stronger, the weight must be continuously increased to ensure the effects don't diminish," Li Yinsheng replied.

"Then having you constantly adjust the weight for me would be too much trouble for you. I'd feel terrible if it affected your own cultivation," Mu Xiaoyu said, blinking her large, innocent eyes. "Why don't you just teach me the method to adjust the weight? That way, whenever I feel it's getting too light, I can increase it myself."

"Oh?" Li Yinsheng looked at her with a half-smile. "Is my Junior Sister truly this self-disciplined?"

"Mhm!" Mu Xiaoyu nodded vigorously. "Xiaoyu is very self-disciplined!"

"And this diligent?"

"Mhm! Xiaoyu is very diligent!"

Li Yinsheng first offered an approving smile, but then he shook his head with a look of deep regret. "What a pity. Any Magical Artifact always requires Magical Power to operate. Since you don't have Magical Power yet, Junior Sister, you naturally cannot adjust it."

Mu Xiaoyu froze completely.

"But as I mentioned before, once you cultivate the Qingxuan Scripture to the Second Layer, you'll be able to condense Magical Power. With the Quenching Essence Lock to assist you and an ample supply of Nourishing Essence Pills, as long as you put in the effort, reaching the Second Layer won't take too long," Li Yinsheng consoled her.

Mu Xiaoyu's expression shifted several times before she finally seemed to accept her fate. Taking a deep breath, she declared firmly, "Alright! I will definitely cultivate hard and reach the Second Layer as soon as possible!"

"Such great ambition, Junior Sister!" Li Yinsheng laughed. "With this kind of ambition, why worry about not achieving the Immortal Dao?"

"Hehehe..." Praised by Li Yinsheng, Mu Xiaoyu let out a somewhat embarrassed, silly giggle.

"It is currently only 3:00 PM. If you cultivate until Midnight, that's another four hours of practice. Don't waste it..."

Li Yinsheng stopped and shook his head. "No... since you just said how diligent you are, let's have you practice until 1:00 AM today. After all, you didn't cultivate this morning, so you still need to make up for lost time.

"Come, Junior Sister. Let's start with the stance you just collapsed from. I will accompany you in your cultivation!"

Mu Xiaoyu was left utterly speechless.

Wanting to weep but shedding no tears, Mu Xiaoyu gritted her teeth and assumed a trembling Sanhe Posture once again. Enduring the crushing pressure bearing down on her entire body, she began Breathing.

To cultivate Magical Power as quickly as possible and gain control over this damned Magical Artifact, she had to practice!

Watching Mu Xiaoyu grit her teeth through her cultivation, Li Yinsheng nodded in satisfaction.

However, there was one minor detail he had accidentally forgotten to mention to her. Operating a Magical Artifact did indeed require Magical Power, but having Magical Power alone wasn't enough. One also needed to master the specific Technique corresponding to the Restrictions within the Magical Artifact.

Still, seeing his Junior Sister cultivating with such exceptional diligence and effort, he figured it was best not to disturb her for now.