Golden Core is a Star, and You Call This Cultivation?
Chapter 154: Taking a Shortcut

Daoist Zhi Zhen looked at Qi Yuan and said, “Since you don’t want to shatter your own Golden Core, why not shatter someone else’s and form your own Nascent Soul?”

Qi Yuan glanced around at everyone present and finally said bitterly, “Their Golden Cores are too weak; I don’t fancy them.”

As soon as he said this, the expressions of the several prodigies present subtly changed.

One of the prodigies couldn't hold back and said, “I, Lü, may not be talented, but I condensed an Earth-grade Golden Core using the ten-thousand-year-old Dark Yin Qi. When my Golden Core is unleashed, three miles around turn into Dark Yin. Tell me, is this Golden Core weak?”

The singers on the flower boat all revealed envious expressions upon hearing this.

For an ordinary cultivator, being able to form a Golden Core was already a joyous event. Usually, the Golden Cores formed range from the ninth grade to the first grade. Being able to form a Xuan-grade, Earth-grade, or even Heaven-grade Golden Core was considered a one-in-a-billion feat. Amongst the beings of the Hundred Nations, there are more than ten billion. Among them, besides Qi Yuan, the highest grade was Kang Fulu's first-grade Golden Core.

Qi Yuan glanced at that prodigy and said regretfully, “It’s weak.”

Three miles around turn into Dark Yin?

That’s nothing!

When he was still in the Qi Refining stage, he could kill with a kitchen knife.

“Then what kind of Golden Core have you formed? Why don’t you take it out and show us?” The prodigy sneered coldly.

Qi Yuan shook his head. “I’m afraid if I take it out, you’ll all die.”

A Stellar Golden Core isn’t something that can be summoned casually.

“Just afraid to show it, aren’t you?” The prodigy sneered mockingly.

They naturally believed Qi Yuan was just boasting. The other prodigies laughed and said, “Lü, maybe he’s got an Immortal-grade Golden Core. Naturally, he wouldn’t care about your Earth-grade Golden Core.”

Qi Yuan ignored them; these people were too young, needing thousands of years to grow into his “white moonlight.” He didn’t even bother responding.

He continued to seek help from Daoist Zhi Zhen, “Their Golden Cores are too weak, really not up to my standards. Is there any other method?”

Daoist Zhi Zhen replied, “Do you know why the Nascent Soul is called the Nascent Soul?”

Qi Yuan was stunned at the question.

Honestly, he didn’t know. Generally speaking, isn’t it just shattering the core to form the baby, and the divine soul taking residence?

“Actually, I don’t know either,” Daoist Zhi Zhen said. “But according to my years of reading ancient texts, I speculate that the Nascent Soul is the foundation of the Yin God. As we all know, once one steps into the Yin God realm, they can give birth to the Primordial Spirit and travel through the Void. Now, how do you think the Primordial Spirit is born?”

The Divine Soul is the soul of a cultivator, while the Primordial Spirit is something even more mysterious. Upon reaching the Yuan Dan realm, the Divine Soul can leave the body. But the Primordial Spirit is a higher-level existence, capable of entering the legendary Void.

“Could it be that the Primordial Spirit evolves from the Nascent Soul?” Qi Yuan couldn’t help but say.

“Yes, I suspect the same. Both have the word ‘spirit’ in them, so there must be a connection. So, it could be said that all Yin Gods, even Yang Gods, have their Primordial Spirits as Nascent Souls,” Daoist Zhi Zhen shared his replaceings with Qi Yuan.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuan gazed at the stars projected in the sky, his eyes widening. “Even Immortals and Gods have Nascent Souls?”

“I’m telling you this, but don’t tell others. There’s a great karmic consequence in this,” Daoist Zhi Zhen warned solemnly.

The singers on the flower boat and the prodigies were all left speechless.

Immortals and Gods as Nascent Souls? Really daring to say that.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” Qi Yuan glanced around at everyone on the flower boat.

For some reason, everyone present felt a chill in their hearts.

Daoist Zhi Zhen nodded. “Do you know what my Nascent Soul is?”

“What is it?” Qi Yuan asked.

Daoist Zhi Zhen’s expression became sorrowful. “My Dao companion went mad during cultivation and died. I took her hair and made it into an outer core, while her body became a Golden Core. My Nascent Soul is her hair. I hope that one day when I ascend to the Yin God realm, my Nascent Soul will evolve and possibly give birth to... her Primordial Spirit.”

Qi Yuan fell silent upon hearing this.

Not being good at comforting people, he simply said, “I wish you success.”

“Thank you,” Daoist Zhi Zhen’s eyes flashed with sharp resolve. “One day, she will be reborn from the flames in my Nascent Soul!”

Qi Yuan’s thoughts drifted far away. He remembered the Five Ancestors of the Five Elements Forbidden Land: Jin, Shui, Tu, and the others. Back then, they sacrificed themselves to grant Qi Yuan the power of the Five Elements and allowed him to control the Forbidden Land of Five Elements.

If he followed his thoughts and condensed a Nascent Soul, when he entered the Yin God realm in the future, could those old friends emerge from his Nascent Soul?

Of course, Qi Yuan was only thinking.

At this moment, Daoist Zhi Zhen spoke again, “To maintain both the Golden Core and the Nascent Soul is to defy the heavens. It might attract heavenly retribution. Be careful, my friend.”

“Mm.” Qi Yuan nodded.

The Stellar Golden Core had already ignited the True Solar Fire. The potential of this Golden Core would become infinitely vast. In Qi Yuan's view, given enough time, he might even be able to devour all the stars in a universe. Even if he didn’t enter the Nascent Soul realm, he could still grow stronger just by relying on his Stellar Golden Core. So, even if he didn’t perfect the Qi Yuan Sutra, he could slowly become one of the top powerhouses across the myriad worlds.

The Golden Core is already an invincible path; why form a Nascent Soul?

But clearly, Qi Yuan was ambitious. He wanted to enhance himself in all aspects, so the Qi Yuan Sutra naturally needed to be perfected, and the Nascent Soul had to be formed as well.

“Thank you, my friend. I’ve benefited greatly,” Qi Yuan said, feeling grateful.

Though the path to forming a Nascent Soul wasn’t fully confirmed, Qi Yuan already had many ideas.

……

As night fell, Qi Yuan returned to his cave dwelling.

The Ice Mountain Queen from the Divine Flower Society had sent him over a hundred techniques. These techniques were gifts from her sisters to Qi Yuan. Among them were four Heaven-level techniques, dozens of Xuan-level techniques, and countless Jade-level techniques. Suddenly, Qi Yuan went from being a pauper to a temporary rich man.

“With so many techniques, I should be able to push forward the Qi Yuan Sutra,” Qi Yuan thought as he immediately immersed himself fully into the grand task of revising his cultivation method.

Time passed quickly.

The date for the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle drew closer and closer.

More and more prodigies gathered in Yunzhong City. Every day, one could see the figures of some prodigies flying through the sky above the city.

Qi Yuan, however, shut himself off from the outside world, focusing only on perfecting the Qi Yuan Sutra.

One day, Qi Yuan suddenly awoke.

“In just two days, it will be the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle...” Qi Yuan murmured.

To be honest, Qi Yuan had reached a critical point in advancing the Qi Yuan Sutra and didn’t want to participate in the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle. But remembering that the top twenty in the battle would gain the qualification to enter the Moonwatching Continent, and the Sect Master’s instructions, Qi Yuan’s gaze became firm.

“It seems I must participate in the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle after all.”

Thinking this, Qi Yuan left his cave dwelling.

At that moment, outside the cave, Kang Fulu was chatting with a catwoman. Not far away, Jiang Ya was sitting under a Bodhi tree, seemingly pondering some difficult problem.

Seeing Qi Yuan, Kang Fulu was surprised. “Junior Brother, where are you headed?”

“To participate in the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle,” Qi Yuan replied.

Kang Fulu was shocked. “Today?”

He slapped his thigh, thinking he had forgotten the time. But after checking the date, he looked at Qi Yuan strangely, “Isn’t it in two days? Why are you going now?”

“I’m going to see if there’s any backdoor I can take,” Qi Yuan said lightly.

“Backdoor?” Kang Fulu’s expression grew even more peculiar. He turned to Jiang Ya in the distance and asked, “Is there a backdoor for the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle?”

Jiang Ya snapped out of her thoughts, glanced at Qi Yuan, and said, “The Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle is jointly organized by three Yin Gods. There’s no backdoor to take.”

“In this world, there wasn’t a backdoor initially, but when more people took it, a backdoor was made,” Qi Yuan said as if it were a matter of course.

Yet, for some reason, after saying this, he felt something was off about his words.

Kang Fulu looked at Qi Yuan but said nothing more. “Junior Brother… I wish you success in replaceing that backdoor.”

Qi Yuan left the inn.

An hour later.

Qi Yuan’s appearance had completely changed; he now wore a blood-colored robe. He stopped in front of a palace, a hint of joy in his eyes. “Finally found it.”

The palace ahead was quiet and desolate.

A boy at the gate was dozing off, seemingly half asleep.

Qi Yuan glanced at the boy.

The boy in his sleep seemed to sense something and suddenly woke up, startled, “Who… who are you?”

He looked at Qi Yuan, feeling inexplicably frightened.

“I… am a Golden Core cultivator participating in the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle,” Qi Yuan answered truthfully.

The boy’s fear subsided slightly, and he slowly asked, “What are you doing here for the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle?”

“I heard that the person in charge of the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle, the mighty Feng Lan, resides here.”

“No visitors allowed. No one is allowed to see him,” the boy replied with disdain.

Currently, Yunzhong City had two Purple Mansion experts. One was the Master of Yunzhong Pavilion, and the other was the mighty Feng Lan. Sometimes, ignorant cultivators would come to visit Feng Lan, and the boy assumed the man before him was one such person.

At that moment, the gate opened, and a tall woman walked out.

“What is it, Mingri?” the tall woman asked.

“This person came to see the master,” the boy hurriedly replied.

Qi Yuan looked at the tall woman, surprise flashing in his eyes. “Booger Fairy, I didn’t expect to see you here. What a coincidence.”

He glanced at the tall woman’s hands.

The fingernails were neatly trimmed, and it seemed they had been cut recently.

He couldn’t help but sigh, These prodigies do listen to advice. I told her that long nails with nail polish aren’t good for picking boogers, and she immediately cut them and started using Dao techniques instead.

Upon hearing this, the tall woman’s expression changed dramatically, and her anger flared.

Recently, she had gained the notorious nickname “Booger Fairy” in Yunzhong City. Even her sisters teased her with it. One of her suitors had secretly given her a technique, and when she opened it, it was a spell for picking boogers!

She was furious!

She wanted to beat up Daoist Zhi Zhen and Qi Yuan.

But she had held back, thinking she would challenge Qi Yuan after the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle to teach him a lesson.

Now, an unknown person had just called her “Booger Fairy.” How could she not be angry?

“Who are you?” she asked Qi Yuan, furious.

“I… am the Blood-Clad Sword God,” Qi Yuan replied calmly.

“What? The Blood-Clad Sword God?” The tall woman froze, fear and reverence flooding her heart.

She had never met the Blood-Clad Sword God since she didn’t attend the Fish Dragon Banquet, but she knew of his terrifying power. This was a man who single-handedly destroyed the Radiant Palace, a ruthless figure. What was he doing here?

She didn’t doubt the authenticity of the Blood-Clad Sword God standing before her because he had a fearsome reputation. No one would dare impersonate him. Besides, everyone knew that the Blood-Clad Sword God had provoked the notorious Yeqiong Sovereign, almost offending him to the point of no return. Pretending to be the Blood-Clad Sword God was tantamount to seeking death.

The tall woman took a careful look at the man before her and couldn’t discern his strength at all.

This must be the real Blood-Clad Sword God!

Her heart was filled with both fear and sadness.

Had the infamous title of “Booger Fairy” even reached the ears of such a high-ranking figure like the Blood-Clad Sword God?

For someone like the Blood-Clad Sword God, who could live for millennia, this nickname might stick with her for at least ten thousand years.

“Senior, please wait here. I’ll go inform the ancestor right away!”

“Just take me in directly. It’ll save time,” Qi Yuan said nonchalantly.

The tall woman’s expression changed several times before she finally nodded.

Inside the palace.

Feng Lan was playing chess with the Master of Yunzhong Pavilion.

“Who would’ve thought that such a major event would happen in just a month since arriving in Cuiyun Continent,” Feng Lan sighed.

The Master of Yunzhong Pavilion also looked wistful. “Who could have imagined that such a powerful force like the Radiant Palace would be wiped out overnight? The Blood-Clad Sword God is truly a killing god. I still don’t know how he managed to destroy the Radiant Palace. Could it be, as he claimed, that the fallen sun that day really had something to do with him?”

“Impossible,” Feng Lan shook his head. “This world… can only have one such figure. You know who I’m talking about.”

The Master of Yunzhong Pavilion fell silent, not daring to continue.

It’s taboo to mention such a figure, especially that one.

At this moment, Feng Lan spoke with concern, “Once the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle is over, I must return quickly. Staying in Cuiyun Continent is too dangerous. If I survived the great calamity only to die here, that would be too unlucky.”

He was deeply afraid of the Blood-Clad Sword God because he was currently in charge of the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle, serving the three Yin Gods. Technically, he was a temporary subordinate of Yeqiong Sovereign. If the Blood-Clad Sword God knew about this, Feng Lan was sure the madman would kill him. Nowadays, who in Cuiyun Continent wasn’t afraid of the Blood-Clad Sword God?

Justice defeating evil?

It’s just a bigger demon defeating a lesser evil!

At that moment, a hurried voice transmitted, “Ancestor, the Blood-Clad Sword God is here.”

The chess piece in Feng Lan’s hand dropped abruptly, and his face turned pale with fright.

The Master of Yunzhong Pavilion looked puzzled. “What’s wrong, friend?”

“No, I must run. The Blood-Clad Sword God is here to kill me!” Feng Lan was terrified, filled with grief.

He said this and prepared to flee.

But in the end, he didn’t manage to escape because he felt a terrifying pair of eyes on him before he could move.

“If you want to run away just by seeing me, does that mean you’re a bad person? If you are, then I, the Blood-Clad Sword God, must punish evil!” Qi Yuan’s lazy voice echoed.

Feng Lan, though a Purple Mansion cultivator, couldn’t help but tremble, his face twisting with fear. “Not running… just… just needed to pee…”

“You Feng family members are truly odd—one picks their nose, and the other needs to pee,” Qi Yuan said, glancing at the tall woman and then at Feng Lan.

Feng Lan felt awkward and confused. Did this mean the Blood-Clad Sword God wasn’t here to kill him?

He looked at Qi Yuan with utmost respect. “I didn’t know the Blood-Clad Sword God was visiting. What brings you here?”

Now, he had none of the demeanor of a Purple Mansion powerhouse, looking more like a small-time crook.

After all, he might respect Yin Gods, but he feared the Blood-Clad Sword God.

After all, this was a true demon lord.

“I signed up for the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle a while ago,” Qi Yuan said, casually replaceing a chair and sitting down.

Feng Lan was stunned.

The Blood-Clad Sword God signed up for the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle?

A dignified Purple Mansion expert signing up for the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle? What’s the point?

“Unfortunately, I’ve been researching a cultivation technique lately and have reached a critical stage, so I can’t participate in the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle. Can the battle be postponed?” Qi Yuan asked gently, his tone amiable since he was asking for a favor.

“Senior… the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle cannot be postponed,” Feng Lan said with great difficulty, utterly confused. The Blood-Clad Sword God must be over a thousand years old by now, far too old for the battle.

Feng Lan explained the reason, which was simply that the secret realm’s opening time was fixed and couldn’t be altered.

At this, Qi Yuan looked at Feng Lan. “In your opinion, how do I compare with the top ten prodigies on the Eastern Lands Prodigy List?”

Feng Lan was at a loss.

Is the senior trying to mess with me?

“Of course, you are stronger!” he answered cautiously.

“You see, you admit I’m stronger. Doesn’t that mean that if I participate in the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle, I’m guaranteed to make it into the top twenty?”

“You can,” Feng Lan nodded. He glanced at Qi Yuan and hesitantly said, “But senior, your age… it’s a bit advanced. The Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle is only for those under 200 years old.”

“I’m very young. I’m not even twenty… almost thirty,” Qi Yuan asserted.

Qi Yuan had initially planned to tell the truth. But then he remembered that he was already married to Xiao Jia. Marrying before twenty would be against the marriage laws, so he lied about his age a little.

In the room, the Master of Yunzhong Pavilion stayed silent.

The tall woman stood aside, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Feng Lan’s expression became complicated. “Senior… you do look very young.”

“It’s not just looks. I am young!” Qi Yuan corrected Feng Lan.

“So, my strength qualifies, and I’m the right age. I might not make it to the top three, but I should easily get into the top ten, right? Since the result is the same, let’s skip the process and directly rank me in the top ten,” Qi Yuan declared boldly.

There’s no denying that taking a shortcut feels great.

Feng Lan was speechless.

Is this Blood-Clad Sword God even human?

If it were anyone else, even a late-stage Purple Mansion, Feng Lan would have cursed them out for being shameless.

But against the Blood-Clad Sword God, he didn’t dare to object.

“This matter needs to be reported to the three Yin God Lords. I… I can’t decide on my own,” Feng Lan said weakly.

“Then hurry up and report it. I need a quick result,” Qi Yuan said, his voice turning cold. “If anyone maliciously obstructs me from getting into the top twenty of the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle, that’s an act of enmity against me!”

Cold sweat broke out on Feng Lan’s forehead. “I’ll report it right away!”

He wouldn’t dare to oppose the Blood-Clad Sword God, not in a million years.

The memory of the Radiant Palace still lingered vividly in his mind.

A force that had lasted for ten thousand years, the top power in Cuiyun Continent, was wiped out in a single night!