Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

There's still about a month left until the sixteenth of August.

In other words, if you plan to leave the Azure Dragon Clan, the time remaining is already running out.

"The so-called North Cape Cod Bay is a location amidst the floating ice fields of the North Sea," Shi Yao, who had returned to the Eastern State, said to Long Long. "I'm not entirely familiar with the exact location, so you'll have to set aside enough time to search for it in the North Sea."

"You two?" Long Long asked, surprised.

"Mm, I can't accompany you into the North Sea," Shi Yao said with a sigh. "Otherwise, if Beiming Fanyang detects anything, they might no longer pay any attention to you."

If Beiming Fanyang refused, and the Dragon Clan had already been severed, there would truly be no way out, either in heaven or on earth.

"How can we leave the Azure Dragon Clan in the Eastern State?" Long Long pondered and asked. "If it's possible, it's best if we leave without informing anyone."

If we leave without a word, the Azure Dragon side wouldn't know the exact reason. By the time we might need to return to the Dragon Clan, at least there's still a chance to patch things up... But if the Dragon Clan learns that we're headed to Beiming Fanyang with Long Hu, there won't be much wiggle room left.

Here, with the Azure Dragon Clan, yet longing for the Jiaolong. Eating from one bowl while eyeing the pot—who would want such a turncoat? Even if Qin Beiwang were magnanimous, and the Ancestral Azure Dragon valued him deeply, it'd still be impossible.

"If you are bent on leaving quietly, then it must be done flawlessly," Shi Yao nodded and said, "You mustn't let anyone discover you while still within the Eastern State."

If, before escaping the Eastern State, they had not made their presence known, to the Azure Dragon Clan, it would seem like Long Long and Long Hu had suddenly evaporated... Perhaps they'd even suspect that they had been kidnapped! The possibilities would be endless then.

"I'll go find someone to borrow some illusion technique magical treasures," Shi Yao thought to herself and decided to track down Hu Li. "I'll ensure your disguises are seamless."

"That won't be necessary." Long Long nodded slightly. "I have the Hongchen Baishitu."

Shi Yao: .........

I completely forgot about that.

If I just take the Yang scroll of the Hongchen Baishitu with me, once I reach the North Sea shores, I can open it and transport them over. Wouldn't that solve everything?

Therefore, a magical treasure like the Hongchen Baishitu, which can transport living beings, is truly heaven-defying. With this treasure in hand, formations and blockades... all would become irrelevant, allowing free passage at will.

"There's no time to waste. Master, I ask that you set off immediately," Long Long said as he took out the scroll and handed it to Shi Yao.

Shi Yao accepted the scroll but suddenly felt something was off.

This scroll… why does it seem like I've seen it somewhere before?

She abruptly recalled. During her time with His Majesty the Mad Dragon in the Shennongjia Secret Realm, His Majesty once retrieved a scroll from the first level of the secret realm and placed it in his storage.

At that time, she hadn't looked closely, for it wouldn't have been proper to ogle at a magical treasure that caught an immortal's eye... But this scroll looked exactly like the one in her hands now.

Yes, I remember His Majesty once said that scroll was also called the Hongchen Baishitu.

But later, when His Majesty left the Shennongjia Secret Realm, all the magical treasures in his storage bag inexplicably vanished. Everyone eventually just forgot about the matter.

At this thought, Shi Yao stared at Long Long in astonishment.

This guy… how did he manage to pull that off?

Long Long also locked gazes with Shi Yao with a look of meaning but remained silent.

The reason he brought out this treasure was simple: he wasn't afraid of being exposed.

Based on his understanding of Shi Yao, her priorities would always lie in the Eastern Emperor Realm, her dedication being to the revival of the Jiaolong Clan.

To revive the Jiaolong Clan, Long Long and Long Hu were the greatest hope and must not be compromised.

As for the Dragon Clan's old patriarch back in the Cultivation Realm, while Long Long was unclear about his background, he could roughly guess Shi Yao's purpose in following the patriarch — besides rescuing Emperor Ying Long from the Demon Locking Tower, what other reason could there be?

In other words, at this moment, Long Long's importance to Shi Yao unquestionably outweighed that of the Dragon Clan's old patriarch. Naturally, she would pretend not to notice anything and even help cover for him.

Of course, if his judgment was wrong, it wouldn't matter—after all, he was now a Dong Yuan Realm Demon King. If his master truly forced the issue, he was ready to defy her in return.

Both of them were Jiaolong hidden within the Azure Dragon Clan; if things came to blows, whose side would the clan chief and the old patriarch choose?

Long Long's thoughts turned dark, carefully considering contingency plans. Little did he know that Shi Yao wasn't overthinking at all.

She was merely in shock and quickly regained her composure:

The most pressing matter now was to get these two out of the Eastern State and to the North Sea to connect with Beiming Fanyang, so they could resolve His Highness's bloodline conflict as soon as possible!

As for why this disciple had acquired a magical treasure from His Majesty the Mad Dragon's storage bag… who could say?

It must have been the Artifact Spirit of the Hongchen Baishitu playing tricks with space-type divine skills. Otherwise, how could the treasure have disappeared from a storage bag in the Cultivation Realm and reappear in the Eastern Emperor Realm? Even Hu Li and I have to go through a Boundary Gate to cross between realms!

There was no other way. Let His Majesty the Mad Dragon keep fuming; for now, we have greater need of the Hongchen Baishitu!

"You reminded me just in time," Shi Yao said with a serious expression, nodding. "With this treasure in hand, relocating you both will be incredibly simple."

"Just remember, Long Long, the Azure Dragon Clan is aware that you possess this treasure," Shi Yao added.

"If you and Long Hu suddenly vanish without a trace in the Eastern State, everyone will inevitably connect the dots to this artifact. If you ever want to return, you'll find it difficult to come up with a plausible excuse."

Long Long responded solemnly:

"Mm. That's why this mission must succeed. There's no room for failure."

If they succeeded, they would remain in Beiming Fanyang and naturally never need to return to the Azure Dragon Clan.

Hearing this, Shi Yao sighed again, unable to hold it back.

For some reason, ever since meeting this disciple, she found herself sighing far more than usual.

"Very well, let's proceed as planned," she resolved.

Taking the Hongchen Baishitu scroll, Shi Yao departed Jianmu Divine Island once more, heading toward the North State.

Riding the clouds as her Dragon Clan divine skill for travel, she moved swiftly, though it offered little in terms of stealth.

Along the way, patrolling Dragon Clan cultivators occasionally approached. After confirming her identity as an elder from a distance, they offered respectful bows before departing.

Finally, as she reached the border of the Eastern and North States, Shi Yao prepared to continue onward when two Xuan Gui cultivators approached from ahead on a flying magical treasure and courteously said:

"Apologies, but the North State border is now closed. Outsider cultivators are not permitted to pass."

"What do you mean?" Shi Yao immediately furrowed her brows. "Our Dragon Clan has always been on good terms with the Xuan Gui. Why has the border suddenly been closed to us?"

"Elder Shi Yao." One of the Xuan Gui cultivators recognized her. After a brief moment of hesitation, he replied earnestly:

"It won't hurt to tell you. Your Dragon Clan will soon find out anyway."

"Prince Qilin Qi Weihong, currently residing with us, was recently the target of an assassination attempt."