Chapter 15: The Joy of Admin Privileges, 34 Years of Cultivation!

Under the scorching sun, inside Xuanzhen Temple.

Li Yinsheng sat on his meditation cushion. He shifted his attention away from Mu Xiaoyu, who was still eating dried candied dates, and looked at the Golden Characters on the scroll in front of him.

Seeing the Cultivation Aspiration that appeared this time, he was taken aback for a moment before sighing inwardly.

Although these Cultivation Aspirations offered rich rewards, not a single one of them was simple.

Compared to the previous "wealth" aspiration, the time limit for this Cultivation Aspiration was ten times more generous, but the increase in difficulty was far more than tenfold.

He had ten years to elevate his status within the temple.

His junior sister was fifteen years old this year, which was considered quite late for a beginner. Generally, a Daoist Temple accepted disciples between the ages of seven and thirteen.

Ten years meant she would be between seventeen and twenty-three.

At this age, most were still formal disciples. Very few could become True Disciples. Those who did generally possessed dazzling talent and were fought over and reserved early on by the Stewards, the Temple Master, or the Vice Temple Master.

As for becoming a Direct Lineage before surpassing this age group...

A genius of this caliber might still be far inferior to his Martial Uncle, but they would definitely be a B Class genius in the Lesser Yang Dao Examination. In a way, becoming a Steward's Direct Disciple in one's early twenties was even harder than securing a B Class in the Lesser Yang Dao Examination.

Since a Direct Disciple was meant to inherit the Steward's position, they were tested not only on their talent and Cultivation but also on their ability to perform the duties of the role.

Typically, before a Steward selected a Direct Disciple, they would test every True Disciple for seven or eight years—sometimes even over a decade. Only then would they choose the one whose combined talent, Cultivation, temperament, and compatibility with the position made them the most suitable to be a Direct Lineage.

For a normal Cultivator, becoming a Direct Disciple of a Daoist Temple within ten years basically meant they had a boundless future, with a very high chance of eventually becoming a Temple Master.

However, such cases were incredibly rare. Even with shady backroom deals and complex backgrounds, it was no easy feat.

Li Yinsheng had once heard of a Daoist Temple where the Vice Temple Master colluded with the Steward in charge of the treasury, arranging for the Vice Temple Master's direct blood relative to become the Steward's Direct Disciple.

At the time, the relative had only been a beginner for twelve years and was exactly twenty years old when they became a Direct Disciple.

When the matter was exposed, it provoked intense outrage throughout the entire Daoist Temple. Ultimately, it alarmed a Daoist of that temple, who personally intervened. The Steward's Cultivation was crippled, and he was expelled from the temple. The Vice Temple Master was also severely punished; though allowed to remain in the temple, he could no longer even serve as a Steward.

This alone showed just how difficult it was to become a Direct Disciple within ten years. After all, while a Direct Disciple was nominally still a disciple, they already had one foot in the door of the Daoist Temple's administration.

As for aiming even higher and becoming a Steward within ten years...

Li Yinsheng had never even heard of such a thing.

Even a prominent figure like his Martial Uncle had started cultivating at the age of four, and she only obtained an A Class in the Lesser Yang Dao Examination when she was almost twenty.

At that time, she might have been qualified to serve as a Steward, but if the time limit was ten years, she would have actually exceeded the limit by five years.

Therefore, for a newly accepted beginner disciple to become a Direct Disciple within ten years was already the absolute peak. Reaching the step of "promoting to a Steward" was flat-out impossible.

As for subsequently being promoted to Vice Temple Master or becoming Temple Master, that was simply a pipe dream.

Unless... someone could blatantly bend the rules for this new disciple without any reservations!

Looking at Mu Xiaoyu, who was looking shifty by the water vat and attempting to slack off, the corners of Li Yinsheng's mouth curled up slightly.

What a coincidence. Right now, he was the Deputy Temple Master of Xuanzhen Temple.

Furthermore, he didn't have to worry about the temple's only Daoist punishing him for "favoritism."

"Ahem!" Li Yinsheng coughed lightly. Putting away the scroll, he said sternly, "Junior Sister!"

"Senior Brother!" Mu Xiaoyu instantly stood up straight. "I wasn't slacking off, Senior Brother!"

"I didn't say you were slacking off," Li Yinsheng said. "I just thought about it carefully, and making you a formal disciple is actually a bit inappropriate..."

"Senior Brother, I really wasn't slacking off!" Mu Xiaoyu interrupted him, her face filled with urgency. "I was just thinking about it in my head, I haven't actually slacked off yet..."

"What are you panicking for? I didn't say I wouldn't promote you." Li Yinsheng stood up. "Junior Sister, do you think you have the confidence to take on the position of a Steward?"

Mu Xiaoyu looked confused at first, then stunned and bewildered. She tried to process the question, only for her entire being to fall into an even deeper state of stupefaction.

It wasn't that Li Yinsheng didn't want to directly promote Mu Xiaoyu to Vice Temple Master, but position promotions in a Daoist Temple couldn't be done just by saying a few words.

Every position had a corresponding Dharma Seal and Daoist Certificate, and one had to register their name in the corresponding Talismanic Register, much like how mortal officials had their own registries.

Although the Daoist Temples under the Zhengyang Dharma Vein enjoyed a high degree of autonomy, appointments and dismissals at the level of Temple Master and Vice Temple Master could not bypass the Dharma Vein.

For Dharma positions of Steward and below, the Talismanic Register was kept within the Daoist Temple, and the Dharma Seal and Daoist Certificate were also issued by the temple. The Dharma Vein wouldn't interfere.

However, the Dharma Seals and Daoist Certificates for the Temple Master and Vice Temple Master were issued by the Dharma Vein, and the corresponding Talismanic Register was also held there.

This was precisely why Li Yinsheng was only a "Deputy Temple Master."

Even though he managed all the affairs of Xuanzhen Temple, and the previous Temple Master's Dharma Seal and Daoist Certificate hadn't been reclaimed by the Dharma Vein and were still in his hands, he was not qualified to register his name in the "Temple Master of Xuanzhen Temple" slot of the Zhengyang Dharma Vein's Talismanic Register.

He hadn't even registered his own name in the Dharma Vein's Talismanic Register. If he dared to drag his junior sister to the Dharma Vein and say, "Excuse me, I'd like to register my junior sister, who has only been a beginner for a few days, as the Vice Temple Master of Xuanzhen Temple in the Talismanic Register," they would just kick both of them out.

Fortunately, with the Temple Master's Dharma Seal and Daoist Certificate in hand, appointing a Steward was entirely within the proper procedures for him.

As for what Cultivation this Steward possessed...

That wasn't important.

When it came to the appointment or dismissal of a mere Steward, the Dharma Vein wasn't just too lazy to intervene—they were too lazy to even know about it. They simply couldn't care less.

Although he couldn't do anything about the Vice Temple Master level at the moment, getting his junior sister to the Steward level would still instantly grant him thirty-four years of Cultivation!

Right now, the only minor obstacle standing between him and those thirty-four years of Cultivation was that he first had to remember the procedure for appointing a Steward, as well as where exactly the Stewards' Dharma Seals, Daoist Certificates, and Xuanzhen Temple's Talismanic Register were stored.

For over a decade, these items had never served any purpose and had no use whatsoever.

If it weren't for this Cultivation Aspiration, Li Yinsheng wouldn't have even remembered their existence.

While Li Yinsheng was trying to recall the location of the Dharma Seals and the Talismanic Register, as well as the appointment procedure, Mu Xiaoyu was still thinking with a blank expression.

She thought, "What happened? Who am I? Where am I? Why did Senior Brother say he wants me to be a Steward? Aren't Stewards super amazing? Am I dreaming?

"Wait... a dream? Now that I think about it, this is exactly like the dream I had last night.

"Gasp... could it be that I actually haven't woken up yet?

"Or maybe when Senior Brother called me this morning, I didn't actually get out of bed and am just going back to sleep right now?

"That's right! I've only been cultivating for a few days. How could Senior Brother possibly tell me to become a Steward?

"I must still be in a dream!

"Since I'm in a dream, what do I have to be afraid of!"

Feeling that she had comprehended everything, Mu Xiaoyu puffed out her chest, raised her head, and strode over to Li Yinsheng. "Senior Brother, are you really letting me be a Steward?" she asked.

"Of course..." Li Yinsheng paused mid-sentence.

He noticed that Mu Xiaoyu's expression had changed.

A sudden, intense confidence had appeared out of nowhere on her face. It was as if a reincarnated Great Power had abruptly regained their past life's memories and Cultivation, causing her imposing aura to skyrocket ten or a hundred times over!

"Steward, my foot! Being a Steward isn't enough!" Mu Xiaoyu shouted crisply. "I want to be the Temple Master! From now on, this lady is the Temple Master!

"As for you, Senior Brother..." She pondered for a moment. "Senior Brother, you can also be a Temple Master, but I won't cultivate anymore. You have to cultivate for six hours every day! And you have to prepare snacks for me daily! I get to eat seventy percent, and you only get the remaining thirty percent!"

Li Yinsheng stared dumbfounded at the suddenly emboldened Mu Xiaoyu.

"Junior Sister, did you cultivate so much you lost your mind? The Qingxuan Scripture shouldn't have this kind of side effect..." Li Yinsheng reached out and placed his hand on Mu Xiaoyu's forehead.

"Insolent!" Mu Xiaoyu pushed Li Yinsheng's hand away. "You're the Senior Brother in my dream, so you have to listen to me!"

"In your dream?" Li Yinsheng was stunned for a good while before he finally realized what was going on, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "You think you're dreaming?"

Li Yinsheng gasped inwardly. He thought, "Holy crap! The stories about people going crazy from sudden joy were real!"

Before Mu Xiaoyu could say anything, Li Yinsheng formed a Technique, and the weight of the Quenching Essence Lock on her body instantly doubled.

Mu Xiaoyu swiftly and cleanly collapsed flat onto the ground.

Sprawled on the ground, Mu Xiaoyu remained silent for a long time. When she finally looked up at Li Yinsheng, her voice was completely devoid of emotion, as if she had let go of all worldly desires.

"Senior Brother, I'm still dreaming right now, aren't I?"

Li Yinsheng crouched down and gently patted the top of her head. "That's right, Junior Sister. In a way, you were just daydreaming."

"WAAAH!"

Mu Xiaoyu let out a sorrowful wail and buried her face in the dirt.

Late at night, at Midnight, in the main hall of Xuanzhen Temple.

Li Yinsheng walked toward a cabinet in a room within the side hall—he had finally remembered the procedure for appointing a Steward and where the necessary items were kept.

Having exhausted every last bit of her strength, Mu Xiaoyu swayed and staggered behind Li Yinsheng like a walking corpse.

"Senior Brother... I was wrong... I really know I was wrong..." Mu Xiaoyu's voice dragged out weakly, as she no longer had the energy to speak properly. "Just let me go back to rest... I won't be naughty anymore..."

"Go back to rest now?" Li Yinsheng turned his head and chuckled. "Does Junior Sister not want to be the Temple Master anymore?"

"I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare!" Mu Xiaoyu's exhausted body shivered. She subconsciously took two steps back, her face filled with terror. "Senior Brother, I'll never dare to do it again!"

"Don't be afraid," Li Yinsheng comforted her gently. "As for the Temple Master, you'll be able to take on the role sooner or later. I believe you have the potential, but unfortunately, you can't right now.

"However, even though you can't be the Temple Master, you can still continue to be a Steward."

As Li Yinsheng spoke, he waved his hand to open the cabinet. An ancient Talismanic Register flew out from inside and landed in his grasp.

Following that, a Steward's Dharma Seal for managing the slaying of demons and eradicating of evils, along with a White Jade Daoist Certificate, flew out and landed in Mu Xiaoyu's hands.

Li Yinsheng unrolled the Talismanic Register on the desk and took out a cinnabar brush, a box of Seal Paste, and the Temple Master's Dharma Seal.

"Come, Junior Sister," Li Yinsheng called out with a smile to Mu Xiaoyu, who was holding the seal and certificate, looking completely lost. "Come over here, sign your name, and press your fingerprint."

A moment later, Mu Xiaoyu's name appeared on the Xuanzhen Temple's Talismanic Register.

A drop of Mu Xiaoyu's blood was dripped onto a Dharma Seal and a Daoist Certificate.

At the same time, Li Yinsheng's vision blurred, and he once again appeared on the familiar White Jade Platform in the center of the lake.

The wind remained the same, the water remained the same, and the moonlight over the lotus pond remained the same.

Li Yinsheng looked down at the Golden Characters surfacing on the White Jade Platform.

[Through their own arduous efforts, the Master of the Cave Heaven has been promoted to a Steward of the Sect. The Cultivation Aspiration is partially fulfilled. The reward this time is thirty-four years of Cultivation. Please cultivate independently to claim it.]

Having long known this would happen, he let out a relieved smile and swiftly sat down cross-legged.

Cultivate!