Golden Core is a Star, and You Call This Cultivation?
Chapter 196: Qi Yuan's Reckless Plan

"Such a prosperous little town, what a pity," Madam Wang remarked, looking out at the vibrant scenery. The fields were lush with greenery, and the crops stood tall, bearing abundant fruit. However, no matter how beautiful the scenery or how promising the future, it would all be destroyed under the advance of the evil gods. The only hope for survival lay in fleeing south, far away from the devastation. "Let’s go," Madam Wang sighed, giving the order to move on.

The northern lands were almost entirely overrun, and the only hope of survival was to reach the Ancient God Alliance in the south, where most of the lands were still under the control of the ancient gods.

As the morning light broke, Qi Qi took a deep breath outside the temple. "Godfather, you nearly scared me to death!"

She looked up at Qi Yuan, who was hanging from a tree with his crimson-robed wife, Xiaojia. The shock had not yet left her eyes. Anyone would be terrified if they saw two people hanging from a tree early in the morning.

"A goddaughter of the Heavenly Venerable, and you're scared by something like this?" Qi Yuan laughed as he descended from the tree, still holding onto Xiaojia. "This is Xiaojia, my... wife."

Qi Yuan introduced Xiaojia to Qi Qi, who seemed to understand and let a happy wooden plaque slip from her sleeve.

"Ah?" Qi Qi was stunned. She had vaguely seen this red robe when she first arrived in Qing Shui Village and had always thought it was a treasure. She never expected it to be her godfather's... wife?

"Why did you come looking for me?" Qi Yuan asked, sensing that there were others outside the temple. "Did something happen?"

"Godfather, there's been a major upheaval in the Lin Kingdom. The late emperor... has passed away, and the governor of Fei Ling Prefecture has been transferred," Qi Qi reported, summarizing the news she had received the night before. Now that Qing Shui Village was under her management, she handled most of the logistics and day-to-day affairs, allowing Qi Yuan to focus on playing the game without worrying about running a village or a city. Qi Yuan was better suited to combat than administration, but fortunately, Qi Qi was a competent "housekeeper," managing everything efficiently.

"When will the evil gods attack?" Qi Yuan asked.

Qi Qi frowned and replied, "Of the seven cities in Fei Ling Prefecture, four have already fallen to the evil gods. If a new god descends, I estimate it will take about two years before they march on Fei Huang City."

She spoke with a worried expression, knowing that Qing Shui Village didn't have much time left.

Qi Yuan's eyebrows twitched. "Two years? That's too slow. It looks like I'll need to make a detailed plan."

His enthusiasm was palpable. While his talent for cultivation might be average, his ability to make plans was exceptional. Every plan he meticulously crafted was flawless, advancing smoothly and with unstoppable momentum. Any plan he devised was bound to succeed.

"What plan?" asked Shen Lei, the Grand Venerable, moving closer.

"Naturally, the plan is to unify Fei Ling Prefecture," Qi Yuan said casually.

Shen Lei frowned. "Fei Ling Prefecture could see the descent of a god at the Second Step of Heaven. Without my intervention, it will be very difficult for you to win with your current strength."

Shen Lei’s concerns were valid. The Eighteen Arhats and the Four Heavenly Kings were all extremely talented with limitless potential, but they were only at the First Step of Heaven, each having only one divine aperture. They might be able to take on gods with three or four apertures, but defeating a god at the Second Step of Heaven, who had at least twelve apertures, would be nearly impossible. The Dragon Subduer Arhat's victory over stronger foes was unlikely to be repeated.

"Second Step gods are indeed strong, but my plan is flawless," Qi Yuan said, undeterred.

Shen Lei laughed heartily. "Don’t come begging me for help later. If I do step in, we might have to flee the north."

If Shen Lei were to intervene, it would draw the attention of the powerful evil gods in the north, forcing him to flee for his own survival.

Qi Yuan glanced at Shen Lei. "This plan does have some issues. Have you heard of the Ancient Clan?"

Qi Yuan recalled what Qionghua Venerable had said—that the Ancient Clan's ancestral land might hold a way to break through to the True God realm.

Shen Lei understood immediately. "You want to emulate the Proud Grand Venerable?"

He frowned, clearly not supportive of Qi Yuan's decision.

"You're not even a True God yet. Entering the ancestral land of the Ancient Clan is a dead end. The land is filled with the spirits of those who died in the Great Flood Battle and evil gods. Even if you enter, there's no guarantee you can replicate the Proud Grand Venerable's path to success. The ancestral land is mostly under his control now, and even he couldn't replicate his own success."

"No worries, everything must be tried at least once. All I need is a way to enter the ancestral land. I believe that with hard work, any task can be completed!"

Games are meant to be played, and if a task can’t be completed, it just means you're not strong enough! With Qi Yuan’s eyes able to see hidden information and his ears able to hear whispers and even people's thoughts, he was confident he could replicate the Proud Grand Venerable's breakthrough to the True God realm within the ancestral land.

At that moment, the village chief of Qing Shui Village, Yu Lei, spoke up loudly, "My lord, our village has a way to enter the ancestral land."

"Oh?" Qi Yuan’s eyes lit up.

Yu Lei quickly explained, "Our village is actually a remnant of the Ancient Clan. We have the right to recommend you, my lord, to enter the ancestral land!"

Yu Lei was anxious. He had been preparing to tell Qi Yuan this before he left for the Hundred Flowers Gathering, as a gesture of loyalty.

Qi Yuan’s smile widened. "There it is, a hint for passing the level. When can I go to the ancestral land?"

"It will take about half a month," Yu Lei replied, providing more details about the ancestral land.

Qing Shui Village housed an entrance to the ancestral land, but without being a god, entering the land would almost certainly lead to death. Opening the entrance would take half a month of preparation.

"Half a month? That long?" Qi Yuan frowned. "How long did it take the Proud Grand Venerable to break through to the True God realm?"

"One day, I believe," Shen Lei replied.

"Got it. I know how to make the plan now. For the first three days, I’ll march on Fei Wu City and take it. On the fourth to tenth days, I'll take two more cities. On the eleventh to seventeenth days, I'll break through to the True God realm and summon some big shots. On the twentieth to thirtieth days, I'll take over the entire Fei Ling Prefecture!"

Qi Yuan was full of energy as he outlined his plan. It was a detailed and logical plan, one that he was confident would succeed if executed. The plan was so comprehensive that Qi Yuan felt it would proceed smoothly and without resistance.

Shen Lei was stunned, looking at Qi Yuan with a strange expression. "I won't be stepping in this time."

"You just stay here and guard the home front," Qi Yuan said without concern.

Shen Lei couldn’t believe it. "Are you serious?"

He had always been considered rash, and his close friends constantly urged him to be more cautious. But compared to Qi Yuan, he felt like he wasn’t rash at all.

"Of course I’m serious. In war, speed is crucial. I want to catch them off guard!" Qi Yuan declared.

He had no intention of waiting for the enemy to slowly approach and then defending the city. He preferred to take the initiative.

"But if you start a war against those cities, the Second Step god from Fei Ling Prefecture will definitely descend sooner. It might not even take two years—maybe just half a year!" Shen Lei warned, trying to make Qi Yuan understand the gravity of the situation.

"Half a year? No wonder they haven’t taken over Fanxin World after all these years—they’re so slow. Alright then, after I return from the ancestral land, I'll immediately march on Fei Ling Prefecture to speed up that god’s descent."

Qi Yuan waved his hand and turned to Qi Qi. "Gather the chefs, the musicians, and the mourners. We’re heading to Fei Wu City!"

Even Qi Qi was taken aback by this. "Right now?" she asked, bewildered.

The plan seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision. And why bring chefs, musicians, and mourners?

"I never repeat myself," Qi Yuan said firmly.

Qi Qi’s expression became serious. "Understood!"

She was unconditionally obedient to her godfather.

Shen Lei watched Qi Yuan with a strange look. "You... remind me of myself when I was young."

"Don't flatter yourself."

"This war of yours... seems a bit frivolous," Shen Lei couldn’t help but comment.

"It’s just a game. Isn’t being frivolous part of the fun?" Qi Yuan shrugged.

Shen Lei seemed to understand something, smiling as he said, "Life as a game, indeed. It’s interesting. I was overthinking it."

"It’s a game after all. Why make it so complicated?" Qi Yuan said lightheartedly.

Fifteen minutes later, outside Qing Shui Village's temple, the mourners, chefs, and musicians were all gathered. Nearly a hundred people were assembled, making quite a commotion.

"Hey, I was just in the middle of washing clothes! I haven’t even hung them out to dry!"

"What’s going on? Are we mourning someone? Is a feast being prepared?"

The crowd was in chaos, with no semblance of military order. But as soon as Qi Yuan appeared, the scene instantly quieted down.

Qi Yuan looked at the three hundred people, along with the Eighteen Arhats, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the three squads. He raised his voice, "Today, we have only one goal: to march on Fei Wu City! We’ll hold a feast in Fei Wu City!"

The crowd cheered, their voices echoing in excitement.

Shen Lei watched with a peculiar expression, while the chefs, musicians, and mourners were all thrilled by Qi Yuan’s speech. They trusted him completely. After all, they wouldn’t be the ones on the front lines.