She was about to say "alright," when she suddenly remembered that she lost the bet last night, and he still hadn’t claimed his winnings! Her apricot eyes widened instantly, and she hurriedly said, "No, no! I’m getting up right now!"

Though she spoke energetically, her movements were no faster than a snail’s. Ruo Ping assisted her in dressing and combing her hair, as she half-squinted her eyes, nodding her head lightly, her chin almost resting on the vanity table. Handling the affairs of the Foreign Affairs Hall these past two days and searching for clues in the sea of documents had truly exhausted her.

After completing her tasks, Ruo Ping quickly left after saluting Chang Tianxing, fully aware of her role as a third wheel. Just as her figure disappeared, Changtian immediately pulled Ning Xiaoxian into his arms, the cold aura from him made her shiver, finally waking her up completely.

He said calmly, "Let’s go."

"Your energy is really enviable; you don’t even need to rest," she glared at him, full of jealousy. Despite not sleeping all night, he remained perfectly energetic, appearing divine in the fresh morning light, far more sprightly than her sleepy self.

A profound cultivation does provide many conveniences.

She had prepared for departure the previous night, with the God Demon Prison in hand, and after the reluctant farewells with her subordinates, she and Changtian finally left Bashe Forest.

At this moment, she felt a bit strange: she hadn’t seen Langya since returning, wondering where Changtian had sent him off to?

Not long after, she understood why Changtian was indifferent to resting, because—

Chang Tian actually didn’t let Qi Zai follow, but instructed her to control the Jade Boat to carry the two of them for the journey!

Damn it, she had always traveled long distances on the back of the Chongming Bird, though she arrived a bit weary, she was never completely drained. But this time, Changtian actually wanted her to personally control the Jade Boat for flying. It’s known that this thing is typically used by the Immortal Sect when they send multiple people traveling together, it flies smoothly, but consumes massive spiritual power, generally requiring seven or eight people relaying to take turns controlling it, only then can it reach the destination.

Even so, the Immortal Sect also regards it as a clever way to train their disciples, as it not only tests the controller’s mastery of divine skills but also challenges endurance.

Changtian’s request was for her to pilot the Jade Boat from day one of departure all the way until the final destination! With her divine power being strong, but like most demon cultivators, she is better at short bursts, lacking endurance for long hauls. Having her steer the boat alone from start to finish would definitely lead to exhaustion, she might drop dead from fatigue, right?

He, however, is at ease, leaning on the bow of the Jade Boat, holding a book and flipping through pages. The Jade Boat sails high on cumulus clouds, the sunlight making his hair shimmer with golden light, he gazes down at his book, radiating an indescribable air of leisure and comfort.

Is it supposed to be just her exerting herself? She’s not a towman. Speaking of outings as a couple, isn’t the male supposed to be bustling around, caring and attending to needs? Why is she doing all the heavy lifting? Even the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix first builds a nest!

As she secretly grumbled, Changtian seemed to sense it, his golden eyes glanced over, and he said lightly, "You’re quite dissatisfied, hmm?"

"No!" She quickly lowered her head.

No, really, she was pouting enough to hang an oil bottle off her lips. Changtian pretended not to see, turning another page in his book, "Just now, the Qingming Technique I taught you? Recite it in its original form."

Seriously! Her eyes suddenly widened. Controlling the Jade Boat was already strenuous, and now she needed to divert half her focus to memorize and recite newly learned divine power mantras?

Was freeing this guy from the God Demon Prison merely so he could better torment her?

"Hmm?" He set the book down, his cold gaze sweeping over.

She immediately complied and began reciting dutifully. Momentarily distracted, her casting became unstable, and coincidentally they encountered an upward airflow, causing the Jade Boat to rock violently like hitting level-eight turbulent waves.

She let out a surprised cry, interrupting her recitation, and recomposed her technique, stabilizing the Jade Boat once again.

Changtian shook his head: "During my year of Divine Travel, you became complacent."

She was immediately agitated. For that year, daily assignments were indeed completed timely, but she didn’t delve further into divine skills. His primordial spirit was detached, and various hidden stream affairs needed her secret handling, leaving little energy to focus on personal cultivation. Then spending over half a year traveling, visiting the Mirror Sea King’s Mansion and Bai Yujing, there simply wasn’t time for proper training.

Just by looking at her expression, Changtian knew what she was thinking, he said lightly, "You’re nearing late-stage Integration, once the opportunity arises, you’ll enter Great Perfection. With my help, the Transcending stage is almost within reach." He sighed softly, "This time, you’ll suffer because of me, during the tribulation, the heavenly tribulation you face will definitely be no less than the seven-layered. The previous Sect Leader of Guangcheng Palace, Nangong Zhen faced merely the sixth level of thunder tribulation and already met his demise; the power of the seven-layered thunder tribulation is several times stronger than that. How confident are you that you can transcend it?"