Never waste a single second; dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to continuously strengthening and becoming stronger.

As the saying goes, "What the superiors do, the subordinates follow," and Su Lin's attitude towards cultivation as the abbot can be considered an excellent example for all disciples of the sect.

Soon, six months later, the first grand competition for all disciples of the sect was held.

As the abbot, Su Lin naturally couldn't stay in seclusion any longer, so he was awakened by Xiao Linlin.

Upon being awakened, Su Lin did not immediately observe the changes inside and outside the sect, but instead went to find Li Xingtian.

The sect is under Xiao Linlin's control. Whether he himself is in control or not doesn't really matter. As long as Xiao Linlin doesn't bring it up, it means that everything in the sect is fine and nothing major has happened.

Since nothing serious has happened, focus more on your cultivation level, and...

“Grandmaster, two months ago when I was in seclusion, I sensed a wisp of Nascent Soul aura, but since then no Nascent Soul cultivators have visited us.”

"Oh, brat, your spiritual sense has solidified again? I hid it so well, and you still found out."

"Grandmaster! You've broken through?!"

Faced with Su Lin's complicated and surprised question, Li Xingtian simply shook the wine pot in his hand and said lazily, "Not yet, it should be soon."

"Lin'er, how far have you progressed in your six months of seclusion?"

“I have been consolidating the foundation and have not made any progress.”

Su Lin paused for a moment, then honestly replied, "I'm still in the early Golden Core stage."

There was absolutely no progress. He took each step with utmost care, strictly adhering to his master's advice on cultivation: better to be a hundred steps slower than an inch faster.

"Tsk, it's alright, actually there's room for improvement."

Li Xingtian stroked his chin and clicked his tongue in approval: "If you keep dragging this out, you'll be left far behind by me."

When Li Xingtian said this, his old eyes narrowed into slits, unable to hide his joy.

You brat!

Let you chase me, let you catch me!

I've been cultivating diligently for the past six months, and I've already surpassed you by more than half a realm! I'll be able to reach the Nascent Soul stage soon!

Su Lin could vaguely sense Li Xingtian's thoughts, but he was more concerned about another question: "Grandmaster, do you mean... I can also try to break through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

"Nonsense!"

Li Xingtian frowned immediately and rebuked sharply: "Breakthrough what? How long have you been at the Golden Core stage? Even the most talented cultivators in this world need at least several years to go from the Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage! It shouldn't take less than a year at the fastest. How long have you been here!"

"If you're in such a hurry to break through, how can you cultivate a solid Golden Core? How can you solidify your foundation? What's the use of just seeking speed? If you can't beat others, you're just a piece of trash!"

Su Lin nodded in deep agreement with Li Xingtian's lesson. He had fully benefited from a solid foundation and felt that this path was the right one.

A solid foundation brings ease; accumulating knowledge and experience before unleashing it is the true path to success.

"But Grandmaster, if that's what you say, why did you break through to the Nascent Soul stage so quickly?"

"Am I close? How am I close? I haven't broken through yet, I'm just likely to break through, understand?"

"You entered the path later than me, yet you progressed faster than me..."

"You think you can compare to me?"

Li Xingtian narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled contemptuously: "What is your aptitude, and what is mine? It is normal for the latecomer to surpass the former. I only sought a breakthrough because I had exhausted all my cultivation. And you? You have mastered the skills of the Golden Core stage by heart?"

"That makes sense."

Su Lin pondered for a moment, then nodded seriously.

The ancestor's talent was unparalleled in the world; he was the only one of his kind in the world, appearing only once in billions of living beings.

What am I, Su Lin? I don't even have an SSS-level cultivation talent, so naturally I can't compare to my grandmaster's cultivation speed. It's better to be more down-to-earth.

Having fooled the kid, Li Xingtian took a sip of wine and said calmly, "Besides, you think you can just break through like that? You're still in the early Golden Core stage, and you want to break through to the Nascent Soul stage? Do you really think it's that easy?"

"The path of cultivation becomes increasingly difficult as you progress; it's not something you can simply do as you please, understand?"

"Grandmaster... Alright, I understand."

Su Lin hesitated for a moment, but then nodded in agreement: "I'll take it slowly."

Seeing his hesitation, Li Xingtian frowned and asked, "Can you really break through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

"I'm fairly certain."

Su Lin humbly bowed his head: "During these six months of seclusion, I've accumulated a few more strands of inspiration, which are still being refined and consolidated, and can be used at any time."

His spiritual energy quality and reserves are more than sufficient, and he has learned a great many Taoist techniques. He is excellent in all aspects, and as long as he has enough inspiration, breaking through to a higher realm is just a matter of time.

Unexpectedly, Li Xingtian's lips twitched upon hearing this: "A few strands of inspiration?"

His question was one of disbelief, but because of his calm tone, Su Lin mistook it for a question to himself and honestly replied, "Four strands of inspiration were just enough to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, but I remembered my master's teachings, so I did not break through during my seclusion."

What kind of bastard talent does this brat have?

The system didn't specify any special talent he had, so how come his inspiration seems to be flowing out like it's free?

Someone who only has a wisp of inspiration in one realm is already a top-tier genius, something unattainable! You have so many inspirations before even finishing one realm? And you can even save them all?

What do you take inspiration for? Do you think it's some fine wine in my gourd that I can drink whenever I want?

Look at your humble tone, you brat. Do you think a few strands of inspiration are nothing to mention?

Li Xingtian remained expressionless for a moment, then pointed to the bustling crowd outside the main hall: "The competition is about to begin, you need to go out."

He didn't want to communicate with Su Lin anymore, at least not for the next few days.

Li Xingtian really didn't want to spend all his time in seclusion, just to compete with his grand-disciple in the cutthroat world.

Seriously, stop rolling around. Even our master gets tired!

"Yes, Grandmaster."

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