Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

Being recognized as the Lord of the Golden Que did not bring any immediate and noticeable benefits.

Qiu Changtian guessed that this was probably just a form of identity verification... In any case, the actual benefits of winning the bet would have to be obtained through other means.

"You're back?" he suddenly asked in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Yes," the Kunlun Mirror replied.

"What Daoist Magic did you get?" Qiu Changtian asked.

"Take a look for yourself," the Kunlun Mirror transmitted the content of the Daoist Magic to him.

Qiu Changtian scrutinized it carefully and discovered that it was a Yimu secret technique for surveillance, called "Ethereal Green Spirit Technique." It could release dandelion-like seeds that floated on the wind; each seed extended the range of his Divine Sense scanning, acting like a relay.

He was subconsciously quite satisfied because Qiu Changtian's persona did not lack offensive methods (he had the Five Thunder True Law, Tianyuan Yiqi Sword) and defensive methods (Taiqing Yuanqi Smoke and Mist, Tide-Pushing Wave-Halting Flute), but what he had lacked was surveillance-type spells. For example, the hidden firebird that Xu Yinglian had summoned earlier could be very useful at critical moments.

However, Qiu Changtian gave it some thought and felt that something was off.

Wait, I have never had any surveillance spells before, but I've never encountered any related trouble...

Because Ah Jing can scan for me, right?!

The range is both vast and broad, with a one hundred percent accuracy rate and no omissions, and it doesn't even cost me any True Yuan!

"You broken mirror, why did you choose such a Daoist Magic to bring back?" Qiu Changtian said discontentedly, "What use do I have for this surveillance Daoist Magic?"

"How could it be useless?" the Kunlun Mirror asked, puzzled, "Don't you currently lack surveillance methods?"

"I…" Qiu Changtian was momentarily stunned, "Don't I have you?"

The Kunlun Mirror, caught off guard by the words, felt a sudden, indescribable touch of emotion and reassurance, but quickly realized the humor in the situation and said, with a touch of laughter and helplessness:

"But you can't always depend on me, can you? What if one day I'm not here anymore? What will you do then?"

"If one day you're not here…" Qiu Changtian was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Right?" the Kunlun Mirror said gently, "Surveillance is a technique that a cultivator must master, so you should really learn it."

"I know," Qiu Changtian sighed, "I'll go learn it then."

He suddenly remembered a film he had seen before his transmigration about a little boy who met a ghost by accident, and since then, the ghost became the golden finger by his side, guiding him to the pinnacle of his career and life.

However, at that very pinnacle, the ghost suddenly disappeared, leaving him to psychologically collapse, unable to recover for a long time...

At that thought, Qiu Changtian felt somewhat melancholic.

He thought of the profound bond he now had with Ah Jing; if one day Ah Jing were to leave him, he would probably be inconsolably upset.

Let's not think about that now. In the end, the heavens are still un-mended, and Ah Jing ultimately cannot abandon me.

The trial led by Liandu True Monarch had ended. However, the cultivators that failed weren't eliminated by the secret realm—after all, it had been said that there were a total of twelve True Monarchs in the secret realm, and each could grant one the position of the Lord of the Golden Que.

Therefore, the cultivators dispersed, each seeking other True Monarchs within the secret realm.

Xu Yinglian, however, was more astute; she surmised that since the number of True Monarchs corresponded to that of the Lords of the Golden Que, just because no one passed Jiuhua True Monarch's trial didn't necessarily mean that his qualification to grant the position would go to waste.

So she took Luo Baiyuan with her to inquire, and indeed received a forthright reply from Jiuhua True Monarch:

"Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart, indeed very astute."

"That's right, I just finished devising the next challenge, and since you've come to ask ahead of time, I will entrust this trial to the two of you."

"In this competition, there is a rather... unconventional True Monarch who has disguised themselves as one of you."

"Find her, expose her, and you will earn the qualification for the master of Golden Que from me. Of course, there's only one qualification available."

Xu Yinglian immediately perked up, ready to take Luo Baiyuan to look for the True Monarch.

Qiu Changtian also wanted to follow, but ended up being stopped by Liandu True Monarch:

"Where are you going? Changgeng True Person, you are the first one to earn the position of Golden Que's master, please follow me."

Qiu Changtian could only let them go first while he went off with Liandu True Monarch.

"Changgeng True Person, which sect did you apprentice under?" Along the way, Liandu True Monarch casually asked.

"I apprenticed under the Kunlun Taiqing Sect," Qiu Changtian replied.

"Kunlun, Taiqing Sect." Liandu True Monarch repeated the name, laughing, "That seems to be a very long time ago... In our era, there was only the Great Bright Divine Church of the Witch Clan in the Kunlun Mountain Range."

"Great Bright Divine Church?" Qiu Changtian asked curiously, "Does True Monarch mean Zhu Rong's Brightness Divine Palace?"

"No." Liandu True Monarch seemed surprised, as if he didn't expect him to know the relationship between "Zhu Rong" and the "Brightness Divine Palace," "Great Bright Divine Church was a product formed seven thousand years after the fall of the Brightness Divine Palace, comprised of the remnant Witch Clan, Human Race, and Demon Race, a cross-regional and loosely structured cultivation organization."

"Of course, it was much better than Zhu Rong's ancient times. The era you mentioned was one where the power of the strong was suffocating. Bloodline Rank was everything, and the inheritance of cultivation techniques and the mantle of Daoist tradition were completely disregarded, because no matter how hard you cultivated, your end point could never catch up to their starting point."

"If that is so," Qiu Changtian tentatively asked, "why did such an era come to an end, as well?"

"In this world, what is there that won't meet its end?" Liandu True Monarch laughed heartily, yet didn't directly answer the question.

The two passed through numerous corridors, eventually arriving at the highest tower within the Golden Que Secret Realm.

"Wait here for a moment," Liandu True Monarch instructed him, "The ceremony will begin once the twelve masters of the Golden Que have been assembled."

"What is the significance of the ceremony?" Qiu Changtian continued asking.

"The existence of the Golden Que Secret Realm naturally has its own reason," Liandu True Monarch said indifferently.

Fine, riddle master.

Qiu Changtian knew he would not learn more and could only wait patiently, wondering whether Junior Sister Xu would secure her position as the master of Golden Que without his guidance and reminders.

After some time, someone else was led over by another True Monarch, evidently also having passed the True Monarch's test to secure a position... Huh? It's actually Senior Sister An?

Hmph, it must be my future self, as Ling Junior Brother, who gave the opportunity to Senior Sister!

There's no helping it, this is just how a persistent character acts; you have to overcome difficulties when they arise, and create your own when they don't.

"Jiao Xiao True Person." Qiu Changtian greeted him respectfully.

"Changgeng True Person." An Zhisu returned the salute briefly and turned to the True Monarch who had brought her, "May I not stay in there? Being alone with a man in the same room, I'm afraid others might see and misunderstand."