Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

During the long years of his imprisonment, he had become so lazy that he took little interest in most things; he usually spent his time sleeping away the hours.

But before this, his favorite pastimes had been betting and testing human nature… It’s just that those memories were so distant, he had almost forgotten he had this fondness.

Moreover, among the untransformed low-rank vermin, this human was the first to dare to gamble with him.

To the first occurrence in life, Ying Long always adopted an extra tolerant attitude, because the first time often meant “worth remembering and savoring.” So, he leaned down his huge head again, intending to hear what kind of bet this human would propose.

If the bet was truly uninteresting, then there was no rush in killing him afterwards.

“The bet I wish to make with you,” Qiu Changtian said in a deep voice, “is that the next human to arrive here if faced with the dilemma of choosing between ‘sentiments’ and ‘interests,’ I bet they will ultimately opt for the former.”

Ying Long’s golden vertical pupils narrowed as his thoughts began to race.

This bet tested the value orientation of an individual human, whether they leaned more towards “valuing relationships and righteousness” or “putting interests above all.”

The one being tested was limited to “the next human to arrive here,” which meant there was a certain unpredictability.

The conditions proposed by the other party didn’t have an obvious advantage, and were fairly reasonable. He could agree to this bet, but…

“Fine, then I’ll bet they will choose interests,” Ying Long said in a deep voice. “However, the specific test that challenges their decision must be decided by me.”

Qiu Changtian sneered:

“How can that be fair? Since we are betting on his choice, the ‘sentiments’ and ‘interests’ on both ends of the scale should at least be equivalent in value and mutually recognized by both of us.”

“If Lord Ying Long determines the content of the test, you only need to offer staggeringly great interests and then place them against trivial sentiments, making the choice an assured defeat for me.”

“Do you think I would engage in such a boring act?” Ying Long disdainfully exhaled a fierce gust of fire, melting a large swath of rock under his feet, “If you don’t trust me, then we might as well not make the bet.”

Not betting also meant that Ying Long had lost interest in him, and the outcome for him was self-evident.

Therefore, Qiu Changtian feigned a struggle on his face for a moment before finally having to compromise, saying:

“I have no choice but to make this bet. As such, I can only trust you for now.”

“My demand for the bet is: if I win, you need to unleash your Dragon’s Might for a moment, then give me a drop of your Essence Blood.”

Upon hearing this, Ying Long fell silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into uproarious laughter, shaking the entire Blade Mountain to the point of trembling and collapsing:

“Interesting, really interesting! You actually want my Essence Blood? Do you know, what exactly a drop of my undiluted Essence Blood represents?”

“You, you dare to covet it? You, you think you are worthy?”

Qiu Changtian replied expressionlessly:

“Lord Ying Long is now a prisoner, having been bled by others for so many years, why would giving me a drop of Essence Blood be a concern?”

“Heh,” Ying Long said mockingly, “I was not forced to give blood, but instead lost a bet with a certain immortal among your humans and had to be temporarily trapped here to fulfill my oath, donating only regular blood.”

“Back to the matter at hand, since you have the courage to wager with my Essence Blood, it’s not impossible… but what can you offer as an equivalent stake in return?”

“Whether the stakes are equivalent, isn’t that for Lord Ying Long to decide?” Qiu Changtian replied with a cold smile. “In that case, why not just state your price.”

“You do have some self-awareness,” Ying Long expressed with a humanized sarcastic smile, “There is nothing on your person of interest to me.”

“If you lose, I will kill you; if you win, I can do as you say and give you a drop of Essence Blood.”

“But you must also agree to a demand of mine so the stakes will be equal, how about it?”

“Agreed,” Qiu Changtian nodded.

If he lost the bet, he would be killed; if he did not bet at all, he would still be killed.

So, the cost of losing the bet didn’t need to be considered at all; what was important was whether the “drop of Essence Blood” and the “demand” after winning the bet were equivalent.

Of course, this question couldn’t be asked directly, as Ying Long would certainly disdain to make any guarantees in advance.

In Ying Long’s view, the mere willingness to bet with the ant beneath its feet was already the greatest grace bestowed upon the ant — do you think you deserve even more fairness?

Of course, if Ying Long had known what the Kunlun Mirror was, it would probably have abandoned such a contemptuous attitude.

However, ignorant of its significance, it was bound to lose without a doubt.

………

Only after Ling Yunpo and An Zhisu were teleported away did Qiu Changtian control his Sword Light to circle around from behind the mountain and say,

“It seems I have won.”

“Hmph.” Ying Long’s pride was evidently wounded.

After all, it had agreed to the bet beforehand, and also designed the specific challenges; still, to have lost… it had never felt so suffocated by defeat in its memories!

The only explanation was that the two who had arrived just now had anticipated every test they faced, and their reactions had been within the other’s expectations.

“You’ve known these two Shushan disciples for a long time, and you knew they practiced the ways of the Sentiment Inquiry Path, didn’t you?” Ying Long asked him with an unfriendly expression.

Qiu Changtian didn’t bother with lengthy explanations and simply said,

“That has nothing to do with our bet. Or is it that Lord Ying Long intends to go back on your word?”

Ying Long, further infuriated by the response, could only scoff and reluctantly conceded,

“Why would I renege? After all, even a lost bet is to my advantage.”

It folded its five-colored wings and its golden vertical pupils suddenly dilated, releasing an explosion of Dragon’s Might that erupted like a nuclear bomb!

Facing the brunt of the Dragon’s Might, Qiu Changtian, like a small boat struck by a tsunami’s massive wave, almost capsized and tumbled to the ground, straining greatly to stabilize his figure in the air.

Seeing his embarrassed state, the remnants of Ying Long’s rage dissipated, and it lazily withdrew its Dragon’s Might, asking,

“Are we done?”

After confirming that the Kunlun Mirror had indeed recorded the other in its mirror, Qiu Changtian finally nodded, his face pale.

“Very well, remember your promise.” Ying Long vibrated its heart meridian slightly, emitting a drop of Essence Blood, and spat it out in front of him.

“If you have the chance to travel to the Eastern Emperor Realm, seek out my daughter and bring her to the North Dark Ocean Realm.”

Ying Long’s daughter? Qiu Changtian pondered for a moment before taking out the Purifying Bottle to collect the drop of Essence Blood and then asked,

“Where may your esteemed daughter be located? And what features does she have that I may recognize her by?”

Ying Long fell silent for a long while, seemingly lost in deep, lingering thoughts, before finally saying,

“Her nickname is ‘Long Hu’.”

“Possessing the blood of humans, dragons, and foxes simultaneously, she resembles a white fox but has the golden pupils of a dragon.”

“Such mixed-blood features should be unique in the Eastern Emperor Realm.”

“As for her location, having been imprisoned in this tower for at least a hundred thousand years, how would I know?”

“She is likely with her mother. If you find them, help me tell her mother…”

At this point, Ying Long suddenly hesitated again.

“…tell her what?” Qiu Changtian saw that it wasn’t reacting and couldn’t help but ask.

“No, nothing.”

Ying Long closed its golden vertical pupils and coiled its body around Blade Mountain, falling silent once more.