Junior sister, I really need to control you.

Above Xuanzhen Temple.

Li Yinsheng grabbed Mu Xiaoyu by the back of her collar and fell from the sky.

This time, Mu Xiaoyu didn't scream. Li Yinsheng was quite impressed with her adaptability. She had overcome her fear of heights after only being flown once.

However, it's also possible that her attention was distracted.

"Hehe...hehehehe..." Mu Xiaoyu held the newly acquired Qiankun bag, grinning foolishly.

After leaving the shop at the Casting Furnace Temple, Li Yinsheng did not bring Mu Xiaoyu back directly. Instead, he went to the shop at the Cultivation Temple and spent five hundred talismans to buy a lot of Nourishing Essence Pills.

While he was buying pills, Mu Xiaoyu bought a lot of snacks from other Taoist disciples who had set up stalls by the roadside.

Since she already had a Qiankun bag, she spent sixty or seventy talismans in one go and bought two portions of every snack she was interested in.

One was for herself, and the other was bought for Li Yinsheng.

If she weren't worried about the food spoiling, she would have spent all two hundred coins she brought.

After Li Yinsheng lowered her collar and put her feet on solid ground, Mu Xiaoyu carefully hung up her Qiankun bag before asking, "Senior brother, what else did you buy?"

"It's nothing, just a thousand Nourishing Essence Pills," Li Yinsheng said.

"A thousand!" Mu Xiaoyu exclaimed in surprise. "Are we going to eat them like food? Can the two of us finish them?"

"Without me," Li Yinsheng shook his head, "you'd be the one eating."

"Uh..." Mu Xiaoyu counted on her fingers, "I only eat four or five Nourishing Yuan Pills a day when I cultivate, a thousand pills can last for two hundred days, which is more than six months..."

"It won't take that long to finish," Li Yinsheng shook his head.

"Did I miscalculate?" Mu Xiaoyu wondered.

"The consumption has increased." Li Yinsheng took out the Quenching Yuan Lock from his Qiankun Bag.

Within the chilling blue light emanating from his palm, a cloud of earthy yellow mist solidified.

"Don't move." Li Yinsheng patted Mu Xiaoyu's head with his other hand, and in her bewildered gaze, gently pushed the cloud of earthy yellow mist into her chest.

Mu Xiaoyu only felt as if a gust of wind had blown across her chest, and then watched as the clouds disappeared into her without her noticing anything.

There was neither discomfort nor the comfort of a small stream of heat generated during practice.

"Senior brother? Is this a magic artifact? I don't seem to feel anything." Mu Xiaoyu's eyes were filled with increasing doubt.

"You should practice first," Li Yinsheng said. "Show me your standing meditation and breathing exercises."

"oh."

Mu Xiaoyu took two steps back, planted herself firmly in a three-pronged stance, and focused on her breathing exercises.

Compared to when her legs were shaking badly during the initial standing meditation, she has already taken on a certain appearance after only a few days of practice, with a steady posture and orderly breathing.

Li Yinsheng made a hand seal, slightly activating the Tempering Yuan Lock within her body.

Mu Xiaoyu suddenly felt as if a heavy sandbag had been placed all over her body.

From shoulders to arms, from elbows to wrists, from waist and abdomen to thighs, and even from knees to ankles, every part of my body felt heavy and sluggish, and I suddenly sat down on the ground with a thud.

Suddenly sitting on the ground, Mu Xiaoyu was not in a good enough state to react to what had happened, and could only look up at Li Yinsheng blankly.

"Senior brother, I've fallen..."

Li Yinsheng reached out and helped her up: "Falling is normal, you'll be fine after a while."

"I feel so heavy," Mu Xiaoyu said, raising one arm.

Her arm felt like it was filled with lead, a feeling that wasn't unfamiliar to her—these past few days, after each training session, she experienced a similar feeling of heaviness throughout her body, in addition to soreness.

But she hasn't practiced her skills yet today!

She tried lifting her leg again, and it still felt like it was made of lead.

At this moment, she finally realized what was happening and stared wide-eyed at Li Yinsheng: "Senior Brother! Is it a problem with that magical artifact?!"

"To be precise, it can't be called a problem; this is the intended effect," Li Yinsheng said.

"Wasn't this supposed to be a magical artifact that could help me accelerate my cultivation? How could it be like this?" Mu Xiaoyu exclaimed in shock.

"This is to help you accelerate your cultivation," Li Yinsheng asked. "Haven't you heard that mortal martial artists practice martial arts? They wear iron sand armor and can carry heavy loads during training, which will help them strengthen their bodies faster."

"So..." Mu Xiaoyu's voice trembled slightly as she finally realized what was happening, "This magical artifact is essentially the iron sand armor used by cultivators?"

"That's right," Li Yinsheng nodded and smiled, "However, the Tempering Yuan Lock is a hundred times better than the Iron Sand Armor."

"First of all, the burden it places on you is constant and even, covering your entire body without any blind spots or places that are too heavy."

"Secondly, the weight it applies to you can be adjusted through its restrictions. For example, right now you are only carrying 60 pounds, but at its highest, it can be adjusted to 1,000 pounds."

"A thousand jin!!!" Mu Xiaoyu's voice was shrill and distorted. "I'm going to die, aren't I? I'm going to be crushed to death!"

"Don't be afraid, the weight will be increased gradually. You'll have to reach 1,000 jin before you can reach the third level of the Qingxuan True Scripture," Li Yinsheng comforted him. "For now, use 60 jin to get used to it, and I'll help you increase it to 70 jin tomorrow."

"Senior brother, how about we return this Qi Refining Lock?" Mu Xiaoyu raised her leaden arms, grabbed Li Yinsheng's clothes, and looked obedient.

"This stuff costs a thousand talismans, it's so expensive! Little Fish bought so many snacks today, she wanted to save her senior brother some money."

"Junior sister, have you forgotten? This Qi Refining Lock is a free gift." Li Yinsheng patted her head with a loving expression.

"Besides, what's a mere thousand talisman coins to me? Helping you speed up your cultivation is more important than anything else. We can't be poor in cultivation, and we can't let our child suffer."

After a pause, Li Yinsheng added, "Furthermore, this magical artifact can be used not only during your cultivation. With the added burden, any movement you make, whether running, walking, or eating, will have a certain effect on strengthening your physique."

Spring is in full bloom, the sun is shining brightly, and whether in the center of the temple or on the distant mountain peaks, the scenery is lush and beautiful.

But Mu Xiaoyu felt that everything in front of her was rapidly turning gray and lifeless.

But she still didn't give up.

She continued to clutch at Li Yinsheng's sleeve, becoming even more obedient as she asked, "Senior brother, does this magical artifact need its weight adjusted frequently?"

"Of course, as your physique improves, the weight must also increase to ensure that the effect does not diminish," Li Yinsheng said.

"It would be too much trouble for you to have your senior brother adjust the weight so often. I would feel bad if it affected your cultivation," Mu Xiaoyu blinked her big eyes. "Your senior brother told me how to adjust the weight. Whenever I feel it's too light, I can increase the weight myself."

"Oh?" Li Yinsheng looked at Mu Xiaoyu with a half-smile. "Junior Sister is so self-aware?"

"Mmm!" Mu Xiaoyu nodded repeatedly, "Xiaoyu is very self-disciplined!"

"So diligent?"

"Hmm! Little Fish is very diligent!"

Li Yinsheng first gave an appreciative smile, then shook his head with regret: "What a pity. All magical artifacts require magical power to operate. Junior Sister doesn't have magical power, so naturally she can't adjust them."

Mu Xiaoyu froze.

"However, as I mentioned before, once you've mastered the Qingxuan True Scripture to the second level, you'll be able to condense your magical power. Junior Sister, you have the Tempering Yuan Lock to assist you, and you have plenty of Nourishing Yuan Pills. As long as you're willing to work hard, reaching the second level won't take too long."

Li Yinsheng comforted him.

Mu Xiaoyu's expression changed several times, but finally, as if resigned to her fate, she took a deep breath and said firmly, "Alright! I will definitely cultivate diligently and reach the second level as soon as possible!"

"Junior Sister, what ambition you have!" Li Yinsheng laughed. "With such ambition, what is there to worry about in achieving immortality!"

"Hehehe..." Mu Xiaoyu smiled shyly after being praised by Li Yinsheng.

"It's only Shen Shi (3-5 PM) now. If we practice until Zi Shi (11 PM-1 AM), we can practice for another four hours. Junior Sister, don't waste this time..."

"No..." Li Yinsheng shook his head. "Since Junior Sister just said she's diligent, let's practice until 1-3 AM today. After all, we didn't practice this morning, so we need to make up for it."

"Come, junior sister, let's start cultivating together, beginning with the stance you just fell down!"

Mu Xiaoyu: ……

With tears welling up in her eyes, Mu Xiaoyu gritted her teeth, planted herself in a trembling three-pronged stance once more, and began to breathe heavily under the immense pressure all over her body.

In order to quickly develop magical power and control this damned magical artifact, I must practice!

Looking at Mu Xiaoyu gritting her teeth and cultivating, Li Yinsheng nodded in satisfaction.

However, there was something he accidentally forgot to tell Mu Xiaoyu.

Manipulating magical artifacts does require magical power, but it's not enough to just have magical power; one must also master the incantations corresponding to the restrictions within the artifact.

However, since my junior sister is cultivating so diligently, let's not disturb her for now.