Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

The downfall of the Eight Trigrams Sect did not hinder the Mortal Life Path from unifying Mount Wutai.

With such a terrifying example set, the number of small and medium sects coming to pledge allegiance was unending, reaching a thousand in a single day.

Moreover, these fringe cultivators were not only willing to recognize Wei Dongliu as the master of the Mortal Life Path and obey his orders, but they also offered up their sects' registers of cultivator names and all their cultivation technique manuals without holding anything back.

What once seemed like an unwieldy and disconnected Mortal Life Path was now quickly being consolidated under Wei Dongliu's forceful hands, tightly controlled within his grasp.

However, more problems were gradually coming to light.

"Now, on Mount Wutai, there are still seven sects of the fringe that we haven't dealt with," Jiang Lian said with a smile brimming with amusement, "In my opinion, there's no need for my husband to take action personally. Just send a few Nascent Soul Elders, accompanied by Golden Core Cultivators, to recruit them, and that should suffice."

"Mhm," Wei Dongliu mused, "The real problem now is..."

"The Buddhist Sects," Jiang Lian said slowly.

Due to past mismanagement, Mount Wutai had not only attracted various fringe sects but also a large number of Buddhist sects that settled down over thousands of years, roughly amounting to no fewer than fifty.

What's more troublesome is that although the Mortal Life Path is eclectic, it is still ultimately a Daoist denomination and could not possibly assimilate the distinct Buddhist sects...

In fact, when these more than fifty Buddhist temples settled on Mount Wutai, they neither registered with the Mortal Life Path nor paid any protection money.

It is said that because they are powerful, many of them have enlightened monks, which made the three main sects quite wary of these Buddhist temples, making them difficult to handle, thus they have been left unaddressed.

If Wei Dongliu were to assess, he would say that the current weakness of the Mortal Life Path was partly due to historical issues, but the main reason was the inaction of the Blood Sea Ancestor.

The Sect Guardian Immortal, in order to heal his foundational injuries, even went so far as to turn to Buddhism, so how could his subordinates dare to provoke the Buddhist Sects? What if they upset the Blood Sea Ancestor?

This was the same reason Ling Yunpo was unwelcome in Shushan, the underlying cause being the individual preferences of the immortals affecting the stance and attitude of the entire sect.

"I'll go find the Blood Sea Ancestor," Wei Dongliu declared as he rose to his feet.

"I'll accompany my husband," Jiang Lian said affectionately as she held onto his arm, whispering in his ear with a smile, "And while we're at it, we can ask when our Daoist Companion ceremony can be held. The Master of Ease has urged us several times already!"

Wei Dongliu suddenly shuddered.

Oh no, Yuan Yang at risk!

"My wife," he said, touching Jiang Lian's small hand and speaking slowly, "It's fine to become Daoist Companions, but the cultivation technique I practice is special, and I need to retain my Yuan Yang. I hope my wife can understand."

"My husband," Jiang Lian mimicked his tone, speaking gently, "It's fine to become Daoist Companions, but after marriage, I would like to have a child as soon as possible, and I hope my husband can understand."

"A child? But there's no hurry, right?" Wei Dongliu asked in alarm.

"No hurry for what?" Jiang Lian prompted him to repeat himself.

"No hurry…" Wei Dongliu got stuck midway, then sighed, "Why the rush for a child? After all, both of us are cultivators with long lives ahead. There's no need to be in a hurry to have offspring, right?"

Jiang Lian smiled without saying anything, yet her expression was resolute, showing not the slightest trace of waiver.

Indeed, cultivators do have extended lifespans, but without achieving immortality, they are still subject to life-span limitations, and with the unpredictability of the heavens, one cannot guarantee perpetual safety.

Heavenly Demons, however, possess bodies that neither die nor age, and their lifespan is endless, different in nature from that of cultivators.

Having a child earlier also stemmed from concerns about future uncertainties.

Besides, attacking with a child in tow as opposed to without one is quite a significant difference!

Seeing that she was not persuadable, Wei Dongliu felt somewhat uneasy, and could only steer the conversation away, while inwardly he became more alert.

Alas! Why has Jiang the Witch become so aggressive these days?

If it really comes to that, and she insists on pushing me, could it be that I must follow the example of those who flee from fire, and escape in advance?

Right! What if I ask Ah Jing to disguise herself as me, and on our wedding night, cast an illusion on Jiang the Witch to make her believe she has shared a night of passion with me? Wouldn't that be perfect? Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

"What kind of lousy idea is this!" Kunlun Mirror burst out in embarrassed anger. "If you don't want to do it just tell her straight! What's the point of plotting and scheming like this?"

"I'm only doing this because I'm worried she won't be persuaded," Wei Dongliu defended himself.

"So if she won't be persuaded, you'll just give me trouble, is that it?" Kunlun Mirror snarled menacingly. "I warn you, Chen Guanshui, if you keep targeting me with your plans, I will immobilize you when she forces herself on you, so you can't struggle free, and let her manipulate you into eighteen different forms!"

"If you do that, I won't repair the heavens!" Wei Dongliu also revealed his trump card, speaking with indignation.

"If you don't repair the heavens, I'll immobilize you, so you'll be constantly drained by that witch until you eventually give in!" retorted Kunlun Mirror equably.

The two of them bickered back and forth like this until they finally reached the summit of Central Peak.

They saw the Blood Sea Ancestor still practicing his austere meditation, seated motionless beneath the massive rock, half of his body nearly a snowman.

"I'm already aware of your purpose for coming." Before Wei Dongliu could speak, the Ancestor said in a hoarse voice, "I once acquired a secret Buddhist technique in Puzhi Temple and owe them a debt, therefore, that temple you must not touch, but all other Buddhist temples can be pushed over."

Puzhi Temple? Wei Dongliu gave it a moment's thought, then remembered it was the temple where the Demon Buddha Yu Shen had entered parinirvana.

"Alright," he simply nodded in agreement.

"The little maiden pays respects to the Ancestor." Jiang Lian said with a hidden smile, "The grandmaster has sent me to ask, when can Wei Daoist Friend and I become Daoist Companions?"

Upon hearing this, the Blood Sea Ancestor opened his eyes, looked at her, then at Wei Dongliu, and finally laughed:

"If you are both so eager, then it wouldn't be amiss to tie the knot today."

The one in a hurry isn't me… Wei Dongliu complained inwardly and then heard Jiang Lian joyfully say:

"Thank you, Ancestor!"

.........

Since neither party had parents or family, the Blood Sea Ancestor and the Grandmaster of Ease acted as elders and proclaimed the union to heaven and earth. After that, the two were officially acknowledged as Daoist Companions.

As evening fell, in Shiping Mountain, Wei Dongliu returned to his room to rest and saw his newlywed wife quickly follow him in.

"Husband, allow your wife to help you out of your clothes," Jiang Lian coaxed softly.

"There's no need," Wei Dongliu quickly rejected, "Tonight, I am not going to bed, but instead I will sit in meditative concentration."

"Time is precious, husband, why be so reserved?" Jiang the Witch giggled behind her hand and languidly began to undress, revealing her jade arms and a good portion of her fragrant shoulders.

Wei Dongliu's face twitched, and after a elongated pause, he finally said:

"Wife, my cultivation technique requires me to preserve my Yuan Yang, I'm not joking with you."

"If my Yuan Yang is compromised, it will greatly hinder my cultivation. Surely, wife, you wouldn't want your husband's progress in cultivation to stall, would you?"

Jiang Lian paused upon hearing this, her beautiful eyes filling with tears as she looked at him plaintively and murmured:

"Why must husband speak like this? Do you really detest me so much that you avoid me as if I were a venomous snake?"

"I haven't avoided you as if you were a venomous snake…" Wei Dongliu feeble defended himself with half a sentence before he was overwhelmed by the rush of Jiang the Witch, and they tumbled into an entwined heap.