Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

As for whether Beiming Fanyang would agree, Long Long was honestly uncertain—after all, he wasn't entirely clear about the situation on that side.

The urgency in him arose because he vaguely sensed the intentions within the clan:

The day they would arrange a marriage and breeding for him seemed to be coming closer.

The Demon Race has long lifespans and shouldn't have been in such a hurry, but Long Long's rapid ascension through the ranks was too much to ignore. From a mere young demon to the Transformation Realm, and then to the Dong Yuan Realm—all within a few short years?

If he were to ascend to the Ancestral Realm in a few more years, the clan would have no way of restraining him. He could marry whoever he wanted or remain single, never leaving behind any heirs to continue the clan's lineage, and no one could do anything about it.

Because of this, lately Clan Leader Qin Beiwang had called Long Long over multiple times for tea, casual chats, heart-to-heart talks, opening with lines like, "My Qin Ye is no longer young; it's time to find a good male dragon to entrust her life to," and closing with remarks like, "The dragon nest next door is finished and just perfect for egg incubation. Don't leave it idle too long—new nests turning into old nests is unlucky."

Qin Ye herself had been summoned by her father to interact and build rapport with Long Long. At first, she was blushing shyly, not daring to lift her head. But after multiple encounters, she got used to it and didn't talk much anymore, only blinking her big eyes at him.

This young dragon lady was quite attractive. Though she lacked the seductive charm and elegance of the fox lady, she exuded a pretty and dignified beauty.

But what troubled Long Long was not this—it was the clan's demands that he marry Qin Ye first, and then marry Long Hu.

Qin Ye was part of the Azure Dragon Clan, and it was certain that the position of clan leader would later be handed to the offspring of Long Long and Qin Ye (the lineage also had to be Azure Dragon). This was an absolute priority for the Azure Dragon Clan.

As for Long Long's marriage to Long Hu, that was merely to borrow Long Hu's legitimacy to further reinforce the declaration that "all Dragon Clans are one family." While their offspring would undoubtedly bear noble bloodlines, they could never threaten the authority and status of Qin Ye's children.

Thus, marrying Qin Ye first to produce a son or two, then taking Long Hu as a wife would be the safest option for the Azure Dragon Clan.

But did they consider how the little fox would feel?

She clearly came first!

Even the order of marriage was strictly planned, which meant that post-marriage would surely include constant pressure to reproduce and surveillance… escaping to Beiming Fanyang at that point would only become harder.

He had to leave before the wedding!

But doing so now would feel a bit unfair to Qin Ye… Looking at that bright-eyed dragon girl staring at him, Long Long felt a slight pang of guilt.

But then he thought, "I'm not part of the Demon Race; I'm part of the Human Race! After all, humans and demons will always differ. If I let down a few demon ladies, what does it matter? It's not like this is the first time."

With that thought, much of the gloom in his heart dissipated.

After talking for a while, Qin Beiwang signaled for Qin Ye to see her future husband off.

"Brother Long, let's go," Qin Ye said, her smile blossoming like a flower.

Leaving the clan leader's residence, Long Long started chatting casually with Qin Ye:

"Why haven't I seen Qin Zhou lately?"

"He's been staying near the Ancestral Azure Dragon to focus on his cultivation," Qin Ye replied with a giggle.

The reason behind it was easy to guess: Long Long stemmed from the Ying Long Bloodline, causing his rank to soar so rapidly; whereas Qin Zhou hailed from the Azure Dragon Bloodline, yet his cultivation seemed sluggish in comparison.

Didn't that imply the Ancestral Azure Dragon's bloodline was inferior to Emperor Ying Long's?

If the clan were questioned outright about this, nine out of ten would answer, "Yes, it is weaker than Emperor Ying Long's bloodline." But the Ancestral Azure Dragon himself felt somewhat resentful, hence he was naturally eager for his grandson to excel.

As for Qin Zhou's arduous cultivation journey, Long Long showed little empathy.

"If you can't train well yourself, what does it have to do with me?"

"Brother Long has been busy lately," Qin Ye said with a sweet smile. "Please remember to look after yourself; if it becomes too tiring, I can talk to my father or the Ancestral Azure Dragon for you."

"Thank you, Ye'er, for your care." Long Long's tone grew affectionate, appreciating her concern.

"What's there to thank for?" Qin Ye replied, her embarrassment showing as she adjusted comfortably to her role. "With our relationship now, why even speak of thanks?"

"What relationship is that?" Long Long immediately played dumb.

"It's… it's…" Qin Ye couldn't muster the boldness, stamping her foot in frustration. "I'm not speaking with you anymore!"

After teasing the young dragon lady for a while, Long Long couldn't shake a vague guilt again, as though he were doing something terrible behind the fox's back.

Sigh, although circumstances forced him to cater to such situations, his moral bottom line was clear—two-timing like this… inevitably still felt a pang of remorse.

After seeing off Qin Ye, Long Long set off to find Long Hu, driven by a sense of compensation.

Upon entering Long Hu's room, he saw Gui Ling'er and the little fox laughing together: when had this little turtle arrived?

"What, are you unhappy to see me?" Seeing Long Long hesitate there, Gui Ling'er teased him. "Oh, I get it. Long Long, now that you're an elder, you must look down on a mere Transformation Realm Xuan Gui like me."

"Nothing of the sort!" Long Hu immediately interjected, defending him. "Long Long has simply been busy lately, distracted by it. Ling'er, you mustn't say such sly words."

What was "look down on you"? That made it sound as if you were even on the list of candidates for Long Long's marriage… Don't try to take such verbal advantage of him!

Whether Gui Ling'er picked up on Long Hu's subtle disapproval was unclear; she merely laughed cheerfully and said:

"Anyway, thanks to Long Long, our North State's border conflict has eased, and we can finally catch a breath internally."

If it weren't for your lousy military skills… Long Long silently mocked to himself, though outwardly he said:

"The pressures in the West State must have been significant too, or they wouldn't have cooperated so readily to cease fighting just because of our Dragon Clan's festival."

"What's North State's plan next?"

"There's not much of a plan." Gui Ling'er sighed heavily, a troubled look on her face. "If Eastern State and Southern State don't join the war, there's no way we, North State alone, can stand against the Qilin-White Tiger allied forces."

"Indeed," Long Long quietly calculated internally.

If North State failed to secure Eastern State's support, it might ultimately appeal to the Qilin Clan for reconciliation.

In such a case, North State's lack of war would likely mean challenges for his escape to Beiming Fanyang—he could face interception by the Xuan Gui Clan.

Additionally, the Qilin Clan's hesitation regarding Beiming Fanyang could prompt demands for North State to intensify its blockade of the North Sea.

This meant North State *had* to engage in a war with Central State, and it couldn't be a small battle—it had to be a major conflict, one leaving no spare resources.

"Should North State be forced to capitulate under Qilin domination, it would adversely affect our Dragon Clan as well," Long Long mused. "I'll make recommendations about this matter to the clan leader and the Ancestral Azure Dragon."

Gui Ling'er paused in surprise, then her face lit up with joy, her heart swelling with gratitude.

Given her relationship with Long Long, she hadn't expected him to speak on behalf of the Xuan Gui Clan—her flattery had been mere words. She hadn't anticipated that he would genuinely step up!

Could it be that he admired my looks?

That thought sparked a rush of electricity through Gui Ling'er, leaving her suddenly restless where she sat.