The Legend of the Netherworld

Lin Jiao had a hint of complacency on her face as she smiled and said, "The Sect Master did put a lot of effort into teaching me, but you, the Dirty Taoist Priest, are no ordinary person either. Your suppression just now was quite strenuous for me."

After hearing this, the dirty Taoist chuckled and replied, "You are still young, and your path to cultivation has just begun. As long as you don't rush for quick success and take steady steps, you will definitely become a top cultivator in the future."

Lin Xiao couldn't help but interrupt as he listened to the conversation between the two. "What about me, Senior Dirty Taoist Priest? When will you teach me martial arts? I want to learn your Dragon Shadow Fist and Four Seas Wandering Dragon Steps, too!"

The dirty Taoist priest glanced at Lin Xiao and said with a hint of ridicule: "When you can complete the task of carrying water fifty times, I will teach you."

"Ah?" Lin Xiao's face suddenly fell, and he felt that carrying water fifty times seemed like an unattainable goal.

Seeing this, Lin Jiao couldn't help but chuckle, and the dirty Taoist priest also smiled. Then, the dirty Taoist priest patted the dust off his body, stood up and left: "I will return to the cave to continue practicing. You two can chat slowly."

After saying that, he walked leisurely towards the cave, and his figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.

Lin Xiao turned to look at Lin Jiao. Lin Jiao still had a faint smile on her face, but it quickly turned into a hint of worry. She whispered, "The academy has really changed a lot over the years. We all used to practice together and make progress together, but since I went into seclusion eight years ago, I found that the academy has changed."

"There are more and more fights in the academy. Qi cultivators fight with each other, body cultivators fight with each other, and even Qi cultivators fight with body cultivators. The fights are endless."

Lin Xiao frowned when he heard this and said, "I didn't realize that when I participated in the initiation ceremony and enlightenment ceremony, everyone was quite harmonious."

Lin Jiao sighed and said, "That's because the Sect Master is here. When the Sect Master is here, the academy appears harmonious on the surface, but Senior Brother Ye Xuan told me that when the Sect Master is away, the situation inside the academy is completely different."

Lin Xiao nodded, and suddenly remembered the issue of distributing Immortal Jades. He asked in confusion, "Is this why the academy now directly distributes Immortal Jades to new students?"

"It should be related," Lin Jiao replied. "Using external forces to help students improve quickly is indeed effective in the short term, but in the long run, whether the foundation is solid or not is still a question."

The two chatted about some other things and the sky gradually darkened.

Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Jiao decided to go back down the mountain. Lin Xiao was a little worried about her going down the mountain alone, so he suggested, "I'll take you down the mountain. It's not far anyway."

Lin Jiao smiled faintly and didn't refuse. She waved her hand and used the fire control technique. The flames in front of her burned a bright path on the ground.

Lin Xiao accompanied her all the way until they reached a fork in the road. Then Lin Jiao turned around and said to him, "You go back. I can walk on my own."

"Okay, then be careful on the road." Lin Xiao stood where he was, watching Lin Jiao go away. He didn't turn around until her figure disappeared into the night, then he turned around and returned to the back mountain.

Back in the hut, Lin Xiao calmed down and continued to practice the "Boundless Heart Sea Sutra". As the night deepened, the hut was filled with a faint energy, and Lin Xiao gradually immersed himself in the state of practice.

The next morning, Lin Xiao started his water-carrying task again. After a few days of training, his physical strength and skills had improved significantly.

On this day, he actually successfully completed twenty-six trips to carry water, one more than the day before.

Time flew by, and two months had passed in the blink of an eye. After constant training and tempering, Lin Xiao finally completed the task of carrying water fifty times that day. With day after day of physical training, Lin Xiao clearly felt the tremendous changes in his body.

The muscles in his legs, arms, waist and abdomen became extremely strong and powerful, and he could even feel the power surging in his muscles when he walked.

That night, Lin Xiao couldn't wait to run into the cave and find the dirty Taoist priest, looking forward to the next instructions.

The dirty Taoist priest was sitting cross-legged on the stone bed. Seeing Lin Xiao come in, he nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Yes, you have completed the first stage of the task. Your next task is to fill the well. But there is a small tip, you need to carry more than fifty trips of water every day to ensure that the well is truly full of water."

Lin Xiao was puzzled after hearing this, but he didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he simply replied, "Okay." He knew the dirty Taoist's words must have a deeper meaning and weren't just arbitrary restrictions. So he returned to the hut, continued to rest, and practiced the "Boundless Heart Sea Sutra" as usual.

The next day, Lin Xiao set out again to fetch water. Although the water level in the well was rising so slowly that it was hardly noticeable, he remained patient and persisted in his task of fetching fifty times a day.

Three months passed peacefully. During this time, Lin Jiao would visit him from time to time, bringing him all kinds of delicious roast chicken, roast duck, and roast lamb to share with Lin Xiao and the Taoist priest.

Finally, one day in the fourth month, Lin Xiao excitedly discovered that some water could be seen in the well.

This made him feel that his efforts were not in vain. However, at this moment, the dirty Taoist priest appeared again and made more demanding demands.

"From today on," the dirty Taoist said, "you will tie sandbags to your hands and feet and continue to carry water."

Lin Xiao couldn't help but feel bad when he heard this, but he still obeyed the dirty Taoist's request. That day, he began a new challenge with the extra weight on his shoulders.

However, the process of fetching water was much more difficult than he had imagined. That night, he barely completed forty trips, and the water level in the well actually dropped.

Helpless, Lin Xiao had to grit his teeth and keep carrying water until dark.

He carried the load until midnight, then dragged his tired body back to the hut.

In the next ten days, Lin Xiao trained hard while adapting to the weight. The physical fatigue and muscle soreness made it almost impossible for him to fall asleep.

After ten days of adaptation, Lin Xiao gradually resumed his daily fifty-trip water-carrying schedule. With the weight-bearing exercises, his body became stronger, and the flow of spiritual energy in his body became smoother.

Two months later, Lin Xiao finally saw the water level in the well rise again.

This time, the water surface was close to the wellhead.

Excited Lin Xiao immediately ran into the cave and couldn't wait to find the dirty Taoist priest.