Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

As he spoke of “being pierced through the chest by sword light, plummeting swiftly downward as if drowned by water,” he was finally interrupted by the Jade Capital Sect Leader, who could no longer contain himself:

“So what? Did he reveal the whereabouts of the Tai Yin Suming Sword?”

“No,” Ling Yunpo shook his head and said, “I woke up directly.”

Thus, everyone couldn’t hide their disappointment, and the Guan Family patriarch turned to ask:

“Is it possible to enter the dream once more?”

“The Art Calculation doesn’t allow for a second guess,” Jian Buyan smiled as he declined.

“Why is that?” the Jade Capital Sect Leader asked with a frown, “Is there a risk of backlash? Or is the second calculation inaccurate?”

“It can be calculated,” Jian Buyan still smiling, “And it’s accurate, but it would mislead.”

The crowd fell silent.

In the art of calculation, the most frightening thing is “accuracy that misleads,” which is much more terrifying than “inaccuracy.”

An apparently correct but erroneous conclusion is more insidious than a completely wrong one.

While the elders discussed the next plan of action, Ling Yunpo went to An Zhisu’s side and asked with concern:

“Senior Sister An, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” An Zhisu hesitated as if wanting to say more.

In the dream, when she stepped into Yin Xiaojing’s shoes, she could feel the other’s heart-wrenching pain, as well as the regret for having been born a demon.

Of course, sympathizing with Yin Xiaojing was deemed entirely politically incorrect in the current Shushan, so she dared not to voice it, only hiding it quietly in her heart.

The Guan Family patriarch and the Jade Capital Sect Leader, among others, had a collective discussion for a while, and finally decided that since another calculation was not possible, they would use the method of a sweeping search once again.

The so-called sweeping search meant maintaining Ling Yunpo’s Sword Bone resonance and having him walk all over Heavenly Gate Peak, trying to lure out the Tai Yin Suming Sword that might be hidden in some corner.

The search operation took a full five hours, nearly wearing Ling Yunpo thin, only to ultimately declare a fruitless endeavor.

Returning to Qingluo Peak utterly exhausted along with Senior Sister An, Ling Yunpo didn’t have the mood to talk, planning to quickly return to his room for meditative rest.

After taking a few steps forward, he only saw An Zhisu standing in the shadows, seemingly weeping.

Ling Yunpo: ???

Hold on, is Senior Sister An so sensitive? Getting so immersed in a little movie?

“Senior Sister?”

“I’m fine,” An Zhisu said, obviously against her true feelings.

Having spent so much time together, Ling Yunpo had already figured out his Senior Sister An’s temperament, and so he feigned ignorance, saying:

“Then let’s go back and rest for now.”

Seeing that her junior brother did not inquire further, An Zhisu, with no other options, took the initiative to speak:

“Junior Brother, while I was in the dream today, stepping into Yin Xiaojing’s shoes, I kept feeling something…”

“Feeling a bit of sympathy for her?” Ling Yunpo ventured.

“Yes,” An Zhisu nodded.

“It’s normal for Senior Sister An to think that way,” Ling Yunpo gently coaxed, “But you are not Yin Xiaojing; you are An Zhisu.”

“Think about it, if our Qingluo Peak had a pair of junior brother and sister, and our master had invested a lot of effort in them. Suddenly we discover the junior sister is a demon, the junior brother wants to flee with her, and moreover, take our Qingluo Peak’s treasure away…”

“Then I would stop them and plead on their behalf to our master,” An Zhisu said without hesitation.

Ling Yunpo grunted and then remembered his Senior Sister’s temperament; she was so protective that she disregarded reason. He had no choice but to change his words again:

“Then let’s consider the disciples of another peak. Now one of them is a demon, and another wants to elope with her, planning to take away the treasures of our Qingluo Peak. What would you do?”

“Why would the disciples of another peak take away the treasures of our Qingluo Peak?” An Zhisu first asked in puzzlement, then her tone became stern, “Of course, kill them!”

“Exactly,” Ling Yunpo sighed, “Different identities and positions lead us to completely different attitudes when facing the same issue.”

“If Senior Sister were in Yin Xiaojing’s position, torn between racial righteousness and her husband’s and children’s well-being, she would naturally feel incredibly pitiful.”

“But Senior Sister is not Yin Xiaojing; you are An Zhisu. You’re not Ouyang Zhao’s wife, but you are my Ling Yunpo’s… cough, Senior Sister, so it’s better to consider it from the perspective of a Shushan disciple.”

“I see,” An Zhisu then smiled gently, “Junior Brother need not worry; I won’t be troubled by this anymore.”

After helping his Senior Sister untangle her complex thoughts, Ling Yunpo took his leave to return.

An Zhisu went back to her room, gazing at the moonlight shimmering outside the window, and suddenly sighed again.

Ling Yunpo had persuaded her to consider things from the standpoint of Shushan’s greater good, and of course, she understood his meaning.

However, she had an instinctual fear of “sacrificing individual interests for the collective good” because over the past decades, the Various Peaks of Shushan had used excuses such as “for the righteousness of the sect” and “Sentiment Inquiry Path is heretical” to collude against and jointly ostracize Qingluo Peak.

An Zhisu could fend off provocations and malice from fellow sect disciples with her formidable martial force, but she had no good solutions for the exclusion and difficulties posed by those who wore the mask of righteousness.

If one day, the Shushan Shangqing Faction decided to kill my Junior Brother in the name of justice, what should I do? Even more, if my master after emerging from seclusion also took the side of the sect, what then?

If it really came to that… should I choose righteousness over kinship, or follow in Ouyang Zhao’s footsteps and betray the sect…

An Zhisu bit her lip in silence, her mind in turmoil, and she couldn’t even enter a state of meditative concentration.

The next morning, Ling Yunpo woke from his meditative concentration and cycled through several Grand Circulations according to the “Supreme Primordial True Record,” completing his Refining Mansion practice for the day.

Once a cultivator reaches the Refining Mansion Rank, they must practice breathing and refine Qi daily, using True Yuan to moisten the Purple Mansion within their Dantian.

To be honest, it’s quite boring.

In the Qi Refining Rank, the cultivation allows one to see the Qi Sea within the Dantian expanding with each advance in practice;

In the Marrow Cleansing Rank, one can see the turbid qi within the marrow being gradually cleansed by the constant flushing of True Qi.

Both stages result in noticeable changes, giving cultivators a clear sense of achievement.

However, the Refining Mansion Rank is different, with cultivators mechanically immersing their Purple Mansion in True Yuan day after day, with almost imperceptible changes.

After finishing the morning practice, Ling Yunpo picked up a broom and went to sweep the entrance of the temple.

He hadn’t been sweeping for long when he saw Lin Duanshan and Guan Shanyue descend from the sky on Sword Light.

“Why are you sweeping again?” Guan Shanyue asked, puzzled.

“Let’s talk about the important matter first,” Lin Duanshan interrupted her, “The miasma in the Hundred Thousand Mountains is about to dissipate.”

“Oh,” Ling Yunpo responded listlessly.

The Hundred Thousand Mountains, located to the south of Shushan, is a vast landscape of mountain ridges teeming with Demonic Beasts, Spirit Grass, and ancient ruins. However, for over three hundred and fifty days a year, they are enveloped in deadly miasma that not only hinders the spread of Divine Sense but also damages the physical foundation of cultivators if inhaled over a long period.

The Eastern Emperor Path lies within Yu Long Mountain inside the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Its method of traversing the miasma is a closely-guarded secret of the Sect, coveted by the Shushan Shangqing Faction but thwarted by the miasma, preventing incursion.

Yet, during the coldest two weeks of the year, which are also the least hot days in the Southern Border, the miasma encasing the Hundred Thousand Mountains slowly dissipates.

At this time, the Shushan Sword Immortals would form groups and travel southward, competing with cultivators from the Eastern Emperor Path for various resources, always returning fully laden.

But what does that have to do with me?

Ling Yunpo continued sweeping, only to hear Guan Shanyue say:

“As compensation for participating in yesterday’s sword-seeking event, the elders secured two slots for Qingluo Peak.”

Upon hearing this, Ling Yunpo paused, raising his eyebrows.