Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

Chapter 246: Chapter 38 Junior Sister Xu is Being Pressured into Marriage
 

Kunlun, Golden Ridge Cave Abode.

Xu Yinglian rose from the stone bed, straightening her slightly wrinkled Taoist robe.

She had finally completed the Marrow Cleansing, entering the Refining Mansion stage!

Feeling a bit smug, she wanted to boast to her senior brother, “Even without the favors Master showed you, haven’t I caught up all the same?”

But then she remembered, whether it was the Pure Yuan Qi Pill that could clear turbid qi, or the Body Refining Secret Technique that worked wonders for Marrow Cleansing, both were linked to her senior brother, so she quickly dismissed the thought.

Forget it, I should tell Great-Grandfather the good news first.

Qiu Changtian sent himself to his own cave abode, where he activated the Invincible Character Setting Illusion Technique of Mirror Flower Water Moon before heading out, but suddenly received a Flying Sword message from Xu Changqing.

Inviting him to the cave abode for a chat.

Upon arriving at Xu Changqing’s cave abode, Qiu Changtian saw the former Chief Disciple of the Foundation Establishment Realm, who was now seated on the stone bed looking rather pale.

Xu Yinglian sat quietly on a stone stool nearby, serene and expressionless.

“Senior brother,” Qiu Changtian greeted, then suddenly laughed, “I forgot that now I should address you as ‘True Person’.”

“Master gave me the Daoist name ‘Qing Yang’,” Xu Changqing said with a smile, “but you can continue to call me senior brother.”

“Senior brother Xu,” Qiu Changtian asked with warmth, “How has your health been recently?”

“I need a few more years to recuperate,” Xu Changqing coughed a few times, “the essence loss was too great during the Transcending Heavenly Tribulation.”

“It’s good that you made it,” Qiu Changtian said with a smile, “Years pass in the blink of an eye compared to the lifespan of a Golden Core.”

Smiling, Xu Changqing replied.

There are three major hurdles in cultivating immortality, and the toughest one is Core Formation. Of course, this saying doesn’t mean Nascent Soul Transformation and ascension to immortality are not hard, but refers to the fact that the Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation has claimed the lives of the most cultivators, with survivors being one in a hundred.

As the Chief Disciple of the prestigious Kunlun Taiqing Sect, and the top figure below Golden Core, supported by the Xu Family of Southern Heaven, Xu Changqing had all the cultivation techniques and magic artifacts at his fingertips. Yet, even he found transcending the Heavenly Tribulation so difficult, let alone ordinary cultivators—for whom passing the Heavenly Tribulation is known as “a stroll in front of the gates of hell,” no exaggeration intended.

In conclusion, that old saying still holds true: It’s good that you made it!

Qiu Changtian chatted casually with Xu Changqing but noticed that Xu Yinglian sitting beside them seemed to bear a heavy heart.

There was no smile on her face.

Qiu Changtian secretly took note and soon heard Xu Changqing point to Xu Yinglian and say:

“The phoenix daughter of our family has also completed her Marrow Cleansing today, entering the Refining Mansion stage.”

“Oh?” Qiu Changtian’s eyes brightened as he offered his congratulations, “Indeed befitting of Junior Sister, the reputation of your Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart is well deserved.”

“How does that compare to your Daoist Heart Clarity?” Xu Yinglian couldn’t help but speak out, her voice tinged with sarcasm.

The tone was so surprisingly biting that Qiu Changtian was taken aback, and Xu Changqing scolded in a low voice:

“Ying Lian!”

Xu Yinglian turned her head away, falling silent.

“Ahem.” Xu Changqing spoke earnestly, “Junior Brother Qiu, the marriage arrangement for you and Ying Lian as Daoist companions has long been set. The Xu Family recently asked if we can pick an auspicious day?”

Qiu Changtian: ………

No wonder Junior Sister seemed as if she had eaten gunpowder; being pressured to marry by the family, who could feel at ease?

Moreover, the family pressure to marry here, compared to the gentle “parental marriage pressure” from the modern society he came from before his transmigration, was a difference of almost a fundamental nature.

In modern society, parents raising children is purely “giving out of love,” and once grown up, children can completely ignore their parents’ wishes and live as they please—such a concept is utterly unimaginable in this world.

The cultivator families here exert very strong personal control over every family cultivator who hasn’t reached the Golden Core Realm.

If Xu Yinglian said today she didn’t want to marry, there’d be no need to wait until tomorrow, as the Xu Family of Southern Heaven would immediately retaliate.

Not only would she be completely cut off from cultivation resources, but elders from the sect would come to persuade her, and even the Ziwei Master would take action… Under such circumstances, if she still chose to go her own way, it was highly likely that she would suffer social death, a fate even worse than Qingluo Peak’s status in Shushan.

The only way to break this situation was Core Formation.

Any cultivator from Kunlun who managed Core Formation would have the qualifications to go outside and start a sect or establish a branch of Kunlun. Chonghe True Person, who left with the Shenxiao Thunder Method, had done exactly this.

For the Xu Family of Southern Heaven, a Golden Core Cultivator had the power to intervene in family affairs and belonged to the “ruling” class of the family, naturally not having to worry about being forced into marriage by anyone.

However, it seemed that fearing this, the Xu Family of Southern Heaven had chosen to immediately arrange for Xu Changqing to urge marriage as soon as Xu Yinglian had completed her Marrow Cleansing and just entered the Refining Mansion stage, unwilling to wait even a year more.

Just how proud a character was Junior Sister Xu? Qiu Changtian was more than clear about this. Now that she was so carefully guarded against and calculated by the Xu Family of Southern Heaven, forcibly pushed into marriage to bind Qiu Changtian with her as a bargaining chip, how could she let it go?

“Ahem,” Qiu Changtian cleared his throat, about to say something, when he suddenly saw Xu Changqing staring intently at him.

Then he knew that the Xu Family of Southern Heaven was very serious this time.

Any attempt at making excuses would be seen by the other party as evasive.

Forget it, having taken their Immortal Sword and cultivation resources, not to mention already having agreed to the Ziwei Master earlier, what reason was there to keep dragging this out?

“Brother Xu,” Qiu Changtian thus said with a smile, “I have no elders in my family; this matter is solely up to my master.”

“Excellent!” Xu Changqing showed his joy, laughing as he clapped his hands, “With that, it’s perfect! I’ll immediately go report to the master and the family so they are aware. Brother, you and Ying Lian take a rest here.”

Without caring for his weak body, he hurried out the door.

That left Qiu Changtian with a face of helplessness, and Xu Yinglian with a face clearly showing “I am not happy.”

“Junior Sister…” Qiu Changtian barely began when he saw Xu Yinglian ask softly, “Are you expecting me to start calling you husband?”

“Ah, no need for that,” Qiu Changtian said awkwardly, “This…”

“I understand.” Xu Yinglian stood up, spoke indifferently, “I’m feeling a bit unwell, so I must excuse myself.”

Her white garments fluttered as she gracefully left, leaving Qiu Changtian in the cave abode with a bitter smile.

He originally thought Junior Sister may have had some feelings for him, but with the Xu Family coming over and meddling, now he couldn’t be sure anymore.

Sigh, why does the Xu Family have to be in such a rush! Could it be that they are worried Junior Sister would rather sacrifice her path to swiftly reach Core Formation just to escape marriage?

With such a proud character as Junior Sister, how could she be willing to hastily form a core without first refining her Purple Mansion into a Jade Mansion over two hundred years? How could she be content with marrying before even securing a Third Grade Golden Core?

That’s really overthinking it!

After much deliberation, Qiu Changtian could only sigh deeply and get up to leave.

“What do you plan to do?” the Kunlun Mirror suddenly asked.

“Do what?” Qiu Changtian laughed, “Are you still hung up on me undergoing Dual Cultivation with her to stimulate the Phoenix Bloodline for you to record?”

“That’s not what I mean,” the Kunlun Mirror seemed hesitant, “I just feel…”

“Junior Sister, she’s quite pitiable.”

“What’s going on?” Qiu Changtian frowned, “What’s this Junior Sister business? She’s my Junior Sister! Ah Jing, you have no relationship with her whatsoever!”

Kunlun Mirror: ……….

“Fine, fine, fine!” it flared up completely, “Just keep fudging the issue! Wait until your identity is exposed when you seek the Heaven-Mending Stone, when she learns the truth and comes at you with the Feather Jia Sword, it will have nothing to do with me!”