Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

Eastern Emperor Realm, Central State.

The wars between the duchies that have lasted hundreds of years have now reached a fever pitch.

The North State, which had always been on the defensive, and the South State, silently licking their wounds, suddenly became formidable with the addition of the Eastern State's Dragon Clan.

Located in the heart of the continent and surrounded on three sides, Central State was the first to bear the brunt, soon suffering a disastrous defeat, barely able to retreat and defend thanks to the continuous support from the West State.

However, the internal pressure on the West State was significant.

In the earlier phases of the duchy wars, West State's White Tiger allied with Central State's Qilin to attack South State's Feathered Clan, and later to attack North State's Kun Race, typically in a two-against-one situation.

This was because the South and North States, being far apart and lacking sufficient mutual trust, had never formed a deep alliance.

With the Eastern State's Dragon Clan meeting these conditions, Ancestral Azure Dragon's opportunism and spectator stance led to it often swinging to neutrality, trying to avoid taking sides and making statements.

This global situation was originally extremely favorable to the West State... until the Eastern State suddenly changed its approach, aligning with the North and South States and declaring war on Central State, ending the good days.

With the Eastern State's involvement, not only did the balance of power shift instantly, but the many flaws of the North and South States' alliance were all remedied, and the continuous defeat of Central State became inevitable—insightful individuals within the West State quickly pointed out that winning a two-against-three was impossible, and saving themselves was the right course.

The White Tiger Clan made no statement, but soon the Eastern State faced infiltration and invasion by numerous assassins, sometimes with over a hundred assassination cases in a single month.

The targets of these assassinations were undoubtedly the key figures who had facilitated the alliance of the North, South, and Eastern States: Long Hu.

The Eastern State was also vexed by this because cultivators themselves possess many secretive means, making specific defenses nearly impossible, but Long Hu quickly made an indication:

No worries, it's all the same.

It was clear to all that as long as Long Hu remained alive, the three states would continue their siege, and either the West State or Central State would have to surrender sooner or later.

Either Central State couldn't handle the war pressure, or the surrender faction within the West State would prevail; in any case, the sooner one surrenders, the less loss they suffer, as time was on the side of the three-state alliance.

The conditions Long Hu offered to persuade the Eastern State were simple:

The Dragon Clan worldwide is one family. After Xuan Gui supported Qilin's ascent, look at how much political benefit was gained—I promise that Jiaolong can offer Azure Dragon that much and more, based on this foundation.

Just like supporting Qilin Prince Qi Weihuan in the North State, Ancestral Azure Dragon soon realized that although Jiaolong had the legitimate status, their overall strength was lacking, so even if they successfully expelled Qilin from the imperial capital, the Eastern State's Azure Dragon's assistance would still be indispensable in the subsequent power struggles.

The Dragon Clan worldwide is one family, how exquisitely phrased! Who would have thought that once a naive girl, Long Hu could now be so mature and wise... By the way, where's Long Long?

Long Long is stationed at Beiming Fanyang, guarding the rear.

Long Hu answered with a smile, and Ancestral Azure Dragon suspected nothing, immediately deciding to let the Dragon Clan join the war.

Now the Dragon Clan's participation is profitable, while Xuanwu fights for self-preservation, and the Vermilion Bird holds a deep grudge against Qilin, unwilling to let Central State win, so all three parties have strong motivations to push the war.

But... what about later?

If the North State catches its breath and the South State's hatred dissipates, will they still be willing to follow the Eastern State?

In the quiet of the night, Long Hu sat at her desk, continuing to review war plans, unable to feel drowsy.

Suddenly, she seemed to sense something, turning her head to look behind her.

The bedroom was empty; besides herself, no one was there.

It must have been an illusion, undoubtedly. After all, she was now the high and mighty Jiaolong's descendant princess, and no one could possibly enter her bedroom.

The man who truly treated her as a girl, who would burst in without knocking to scare her, play with her, hold and kiss her, was thoroughly and eternally gone.

Feeling a twinge of pain in her heart, Long Hu's tail swept behind the chair, as if searching for something to coil around, but soon it drooped lifelessly.

Just a little longer.

She rubbed the corners of her eyes, forcibly suppressing the grief in her heart, and continued to review political, war, and diplomatic intelligence.

Cultivation Realm.

Chen Guanshui fled from Xiangxi, hastily heading south until he reached the long, scorching shoreline, where he cautiously halted his sword light.

Are there pursuers?

Seems not...

If only Ah Jing were here, I wouldn't even be able to determine if there were pursuers or not!

Thinking of this, he looked up at the vast sky, finding nowhere to call home, and Chen Guanshui couldn't help but shed tears.

If encountering Junior Sister Xu in White City was mere coincidence, then meeting Senior Sister An in Southern Border, and Shi Liuli in Xiangxi, being discovered three times consecutively clearly can't be explained by coincidence any longer.

Someone must have tampered with me!

As for suspects, it was either the Summoning Sword or the Kunlun Mirror, no other possibilities.

Chen Guanshui pondered for a moment before turning the sword light and flying south.

The sword light crossed the vast ocean and eventually landed on a certain island.

This island seemed unremarkable, but hidden beneath the soil were mysteries, occupied by a large expanse of mysterious ice.

Even cultivators, if touched by this mysterious ice, would gradually become frozen, making their True Yuan difficult to circulate... Since Heavenly Demons would also be affected, these were often used by cultivators who have gone into Deviation to seal themselves, prolonging their lives.

Following the path in his memory, Chen Guanshui found the sword immortal ancestor.

The old man in black sat cross-legged, his eyes remaining closed as he spoke:

"Boy, your sword is interesting. Its magnificent sword light is unparalleled in my lifetime, never have I seen a Flying Sword that can compare."

This is the Tai Yin Suming Sword, how can it not be powerful?

Chen Guanshui thought to himself but said aloud, "I heard the senior is in retreat here, so I came to visit."

"Heard?" The old man in black asked leisurely, "Who told you?"

"Senior need not ask who." Chen Guanshui replied, "If I bore ill intentions towards senior, I would have acted already."

"Humph." The old man in black snorted disdainfully, but soon perceived through his Divine Sense this one's power was almost unmatched in the Nascent Soul Realm, and softened his tone to say:

"So, traveling across the Southern Sea for miles, what business have you with this old man?"

Chen Guanshui was silent for a moment, then said:

"I suspect someone manipulated me, possibly a spell that allows others to locate me anytime. I humbly request the senior's help."

"Heh." The old man in black laughed, "Locate? Could it be Art Calculation?"

"I offer you advice: do not provoke those masters of Art Calculation, each is a master of intrigue, you could die without even knowing why."

"For Art Calculation techniques, is there no way to shield against them?" Chen Guanshui asked persistently.

"Of course there is." The old man in black laughed heartily, "If you mastered Art Calculation yourself, using the same methods to conceal your destiny, you wouldn't be entirely defenseless."

"If I had those skills in Art Calculation, why would I come here to seek help from senior?" Chen Guanshui said disappointedly.

"If you're clueless about Art Calculation, then it's difficult." The old man in black replied leisurely.

Chen Guanshui keenly perceived that the other's remark was "difficult" instead of "impossible"; seeing the old man fall silent, he tactfully took out a book and said:

"I obtained this book in the past, and I hope senior will take a look."

The book was obtained in the Shennongjia Secret Realm from the Storage Bag of a benevolent Dragon Clan ancestor and contains Secret Techniques for calming the mind and strengthening the Daoist Heart.

Luo Yan had skimmed through it, noting its use for various states such as Deviation, impaired consciousness, unstable mindset, and thought of this ancient sword immortal stranded on a solitary island needing it.

However, originally appearing as Ling Yunpo, this ancestor's excessively hostile attitude deterred him from offering this in vain.

Now, having entirely forsaken Ling Yunpo's identity and appearing as the true Chen Guanshui, this old man indeed didn't recognize him, showing no animosity, so he planned to use this book to obtain crucial information.

The old man in black uttered a sound of acknowledgment, his body remained motionless, but the book in Chen Guanshui's hand was drawn by an invisible force, slowly floated to him, with its pages turning automatically for his reading.

After a moment, the old man in black exclaimed:

"There are indeed such mystical methods in the world? However, I notice many techniques similar to those crafted by the Dragon Clan."

"This scripture, did you snatch it from Demons? Considering its corresponding Rank, must have been a relic of ancient Demon Race, quite impressive…"

At this point, the old man suddenly remarked:

"Though the book is useful to me, I truly don't know any Art Calculation techniques, so I cannot fully resolve the issues affecting you."

"However, I do know a Secret Realm, remnants of an ancient human Sect, with Restrictions that can shield against Art Calculation."

"If you hide within that Secret Realm, you won't fear enemies using Art Calculation to pursue you... but this only treats the symptom, not the root. So take the book back."

Chen Guanshui inwardly scoffed: You've read the book in its entirety; what difference does it make than giving it to you outright? It's useless for me to take it back!

"If senior could share the location of the Secret Realm, I would be deeply grateful." He was happy to play the good man since the other cared for his reputation, "I shall gift this book to senior as recompense."

The old man in black was pleased with his tactfulness and said:

"It's coincidentally within the Southern Sea."

"To find that Secret Realm as a refuge, you must continue flying southward from here over eight hundred miles and encounter a deep Sea Eye..."