But now the instructor felt that he had misjudged before.

Jason Reed: "I started cultivating late, and I was already not young when I began my practice, so I can only work harder and dare not slack off in the slightest."

The instructor was satisfied: "If you cultivate diligently, although you won't make it to next year's ordination ceremony, you still have hope for the one four years from now."

In this world, at the Celestial Master’s Residence, the grand ordination ceremony for Daoist novices to become official disciples is held every three years.

One of the basic requirements to participate in the ordination is to reach the peak of the first heaven realm, that is, the twelfth level of Qi Refinement.

The cultivation methods available to Daoist novices only include the foundational chapters for the Qi Refinement stage.

To participate in the ordination and become an official disciple, receiving the true transmission, one must obtain the orthodox teachings to aspire to the second heaven Foundation Establishment realm.

Chapter 4: Opportunities Differ in Quality and Rank

If possible, Jason Reed would much rather catch up to next year's ordination ceremony directly.

Because time waits for no one, and cultivation waits even less.

Compared to some novels he had read on Blue Star before transmigrating, cultivators in this world are somewhat unique.

Cultivators may possess great powers and astonishing destructive force, but their lifespans are not casually a thousand or ten thousand years long.

In summary: very tough, but short-lived.

Shortness is a big problem, and besides that, another major issue is decline.

Without attaining immortality, no matter how high the realm or how long the lifespan, cultivators will still grow old and weak.

From what Jason Reed currently knows, unless cultivators in this world continuously break through realms and surpass themselves to increase their lifespan limit, there is no such thing as growing stronger with age.

If you don't break through after a certain age, you will only lose hope of further progress, gradually weaken, and may even fall from your current realm.

That image of an immortal with a celestial aura, white hair, and a childlike face still standing at the peak only exists in two scenarios:

First, compared to their elderly appearance, their current age is still far below their own lifespan limit.

Second, they are indeed old now, but when they were young, they were even stronger than their current, older self.

So, becoming famous doesn't have to be early, but making progress must be.

The younger you are, the more drive you have, the faster you improve, and the greater your potential.

For Jason Reed, who only started cultivating at eighteen, being able to start at a sacred place like the Celestial Master’s Residence was already very lucky, helping him make up for a lot of lost time.

But there’s less than a year left until the ordination ceremony at the beginning of next year.

In cultivation, the higher the realm, the harder it gets and the more time it takes.

Just relying on a single special supplement like the purple-gold lingzhi isn’t enough; more supplements are needed... Jason Reed thought to himself.

The instructor had no idea how many thoughts flashed through the young man’s mind in an instant. He sighed to himself, "It was truly impressive that Senior Sister brought you into our Daoist sect and led you to the Celestial Master’s Residence."

Jason Reed: "You’re right."

Senior Sister’s name is Emily Grant.

The instructor before him was actually not from the same lineage as her.

But among the true disciples of the Celestial Master’s Residence of the same generation, everyone was used to calling her "Senior Sister."

Because Emily Grant is the chief disciple of the current Celestial Master.

Senior Sister is actually not that old, but her reputation is huge.

There are many elders within the Celestial Master’s Residence, but outside, many people call her the "Second Celestial Master."

It was this very Second Celestial Master who brought Jason Reed back to the Celestial Master’s Residence.

However, she doesn’t seem particularly reliable.

She especially likes to wander everywhere. After bringing Jason Reed back to the mountain, she left again and hasn’t returned since.

Jason Reed didn’t publicize this much and just let things take their natural course.

Instructor: "It’s good that you’re gradually getting the hang of cultivation, but remember to balance work and rest, and don’t be impatient."

Jason Reed: "Yes."

The instructor nodded in satisfaction.

Jason Reed’s rapid progress in cultivation surprised him, but not to the point of shock.

As for progressing faster than he expected, it wasn’t particularly eye-catching either.

Mainly because over at the Eighth Courtyard, a new rising star had recently emerged.

After Ethan Brooks obtained a pure gold lingzhi, his progress skyrocketed and he began to attract attention.

However, Jason Reed had heard that recently, quite a few people had been making things difficult for Ethan Brooks.

In the Sixth Courtyard, a few familiar Daoist novices chatted about this as well.

Senior Brother Bolton, who had recovered enough from his injuries to walk again and regained his energy, said mysteriously:

"Actually, it’s simple. I heard he offended a Daoist priest from the residence on the mountain!"

Jason Reed: "Because of that pure gold lingzhi?"

Senior Brother Bolton: "Yeah, I heard they wanted to refine a batch of elixirs, but it kept failing because the lingzhi terrace had dried up and there was no more gold lingzhi. This time, the terrace revived and new gold lingzhi appeared, a rare opportunity, but the pure gold lingzhi was swallowed by Ethan Brooks. How could that not make people resent him?"

"The Daoist priests in the residence wouldn’t stoop to Junior Brother Brooks’s level, right?" a nearby novice asked hesitantly—not so much out of sympathy for Ethan Brooks, but more out of fellow feeling.

Senior Brother Bolton sighed: "Of course the Daoist priests wouldn’t make a big fuss over it, at most just sigh at the missed fate. But there are plenty of people in the novices’ courtyard who want to curry favor with them, so they set their sights on giving Ethan Brooks a hard time."

Jason Reed recalled the lot he drew back then: