My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Chapter 176: Envy, Jealousy, Hatred—Even I Could Be a Dog!

In the chat group.

Dongjianghe was acting arrogant.

"I may not be able to compete with you old folks, but suppressing a newcomer is easy for me. This newcomer didn't listen to me and is going to suffer for it. Just now, I searched through ancient texts and records of incense offerings and couldn't find any mention of a true god being a divine dog. That newcomer might know of one, but it must have had very few incense offerings. Even if they manage to visualize it, it will be at the most basic level."

Dongjianghe was full of bravado in the chat.

Previously, he had visualized a three-star Rare Divine Visualization Technique, earning him praise from many guardian gods in the group.

He got cocky.

He ended up mocking several others, including Divine Cat Venerable and Black Dragon Venerable.

Initially, both of these ancient gods had visualized one-star Rare techniques, but after Dongjianghe mocked them, they managed to visualize one-star Uncommon techniques.

These two often brought this up in the chat to taunt Dongjianghe.

A one-star Uncommon Divine Visualization Technique was powerful enough to create a true god among one’s people, which was an incredible achievement.

"I think the newcomer will succeed!" Black Dragon Venerable chimed in.

When he first joined the group, Dongjianghe had asked him his age and then mockingly called him an old man, earning his ire.

"Newcomer, are you back yet? Did you succeed in your visualization?" Dongjianghe asked.

Perhaps to help ancient gods better understand Divine Visualization Techniques, any ancient god entering the visualization mountain would be randomly placed in a specific chat group, and their consciousness would pass through it when they exited.

They could also enter the chat group anytime to talk.

Right now, Dongjianghe could see that Qi Yuan was online.

The others were also curious.

"I barely succeeded," Qi Yuan replied, feeling both pleased and nervous.

"See? Anyone Dongjianghe mocks is bound to succeed!" Divine Cat Venerable exclaimed.

The other members of the group were excited too.

"Newbie, I have a question for the big shots here. If I were to create a completely fictional god, could I still visualize a Divine Visualization Technique for my people?" Qi Yuan asked in the chat.

"Stop joking. You can't visualize a fictional god. You wouldn't even pass the heart test on the visualization mountain. Besides, a fictional god with no incense offerings would never form a valid Divine Visualization Technique, even if you passed the heart test. As long as it forms, there shouldn't be any problems," Dongjianghe, as the group leader, responded actively. "So, what level was the Divine Visualization Technique you formed? Don't worry if it's low; we're all friendly here and won't mock you."

Although Dongjianghe said this, he was secretly hoping that the newcomer's technique would be low-level so he could gloat and take down Divine Cat Venerable and Black Dragon Venerable.

The other ancient gods in the group were also eagerly watching for Qi Yuan's response.

"The level is indeed quite low, just barely above average. It doesn't compare to the techniques you all have," Qi Yuan said, looking at the level displayed on the Divine Visualization Technique and feeling a bit dissatisfied. It seemed just above the average line.

But remembering that there were still many higher-level gods on Earth, Qi Yuan felt more confident.

"Average? A one-star Common level?" Dongjianghe's excitement was palpable in his text.

He was already crafting his response, ready to educate the newcomer and put down Divine Cat Venerable and Black Dragon Venerable.

"A two-star Uncommon level, barely average," Qi Yuan replied.

Out of seven levels, the three in the middle are average, right?

The chat went silent.

Divine Cat Venerable quickly spoke up: "Impressive! A two-star Uncommon level? How come I've never heard of this divine dog!"

"Two-star Uncommon? Apart from White Dawn Venerable, that's the highest we've seen! As expected, anything Dongjianghe mocks turns out to be a rare treasure!"

"So envious! A two-star Uncommon technique means that as long as you have enough resources, one of your people is bound to become a true god!"

This also meant that if the world hadn’t changed, Qi Yuan would have had a chance to ascend to Great Venerable.

For an ancient god to become a Great Venerable, at least one of their people had to be a true god.

At that moment, White Dawn Venerable appeared in the chat: "Well done, newcomer. You have potential."

Seeing White Dawn Venerable, Divine Cat Venerable, Black Dragon Venerable, and the others began showering him with praise.

"When will White Dawn Venerable ascend to Great Venerable?"

"White Dawn Venerable has visualized three Uncommon techniques and one Epic—truly a master!"

"It won't be long before White Dawn Venerable becomes a Great Venerable."

Those who had been praising Qi Yuan quickly shifted to praising White Dawn Venerable.

Qi Yuan joined in: "To think you are just one step away from becoming a Great Venerable, truly terrifying!"

"Newcomer, which region are you an ancient god of?" White Dawn Venerable asked in the chat.

"Lin Kingdom," Qi Yuan replied truthfully.

Feihuang City was part of the Lin Kingdom.

"The Lin Kingdom is in the north, a fallen region… Newcomer, would you consider leaving there and coming to my Hu Kingdom to… make a fortune together?" White Dawn Venerable offered an olive branch.

"Big shot, I want to come to Hu Kingdom too!"

"Please take me in, White Dawn Venerable—I don't even have shoes to wear!"

"Wow, newcomer, you're in a fallen region. That's dangerous!"

Seeing these responses, Qi Yuan felt a warm sense of camaraderie.

Human kindness is still alive and well.

"Thank you, big shot, but as an ancient god of this land, I must stand my ground and defend my domain, even if it means death!" Qi Yuan declared with grand resolve.

After all, the game’s task was to protect Qingshui Village.

"Newcomer, you've got guts!" Divine Cat Venerable commented.

"If only more ancient gods had such spirit," added Treasure Venerable, a hint of regret in his words. "I used to have a friend who defected to the new gods."

The chat grew somber at this.

"Newcomer, I’m also in the northern region. If you ever want to hang out, come find me in the Jiang Kingdom; it’s not far from the Lin Kingdom. But be careful of the Lü Kingdom—my friend is there," Treasure Venerable said.

"Sure," Qi Yuan replied casually.

Exiting the chat, Qi Yuan's eyes shone with anticipation.

With a wave of his hand, a Divine Visualization Technique was imprinted on a piece of cloth.

It recorded a technique for visualizing the divine being… Xiaotianquan.

"Indeed, visualizing a powerful god requires more divine power."

During the visualization, Qi Yuan had a sense that the divine power he gained from slaying two evil gods was just enough to visualize Xiaotianquan.

To visualize more powerful gods, he would need to hunt down stronger evil gods and collect more divine power.

...

In a dirt-built house, the fat man sat in his yard, playing with his black dog.

"Good thing I brought you some bones, or you would have starved to death," the fat man said, tossing a pile of bones onto the ground.

These bones were leftovers he had picked up at the feast.

The black dog, emaciated, let out a joyful bark as it began to gnaw on the bones.

Seeing this, the fat man grinned.

"Thank goodness the ancient god came, or you would’ve starved before I did!" the fat man said, giving the dog a playful kick.

The black dog growled but didn’t dare retaliate, focusing on its bones.

"Hey, Zhu Shizhong, are you abusing animals?" Qi Yuan, dressed in a green robe, suddenly appeared, his eyes fixed on the black dog with interest.

The fat man quickly stood up. "My lord, I was just playing with it."

He wondered why the ancient god had come to see him.

"Is this black dog the only one in the village?" Qi Yuan asked, his eyes bright as he stared at the dog, now with its tail between its legs.

"Yes," the fat man replied nervously. "But my lord, this dog is old and scrawny. Its meat won't taste good!"

The ancient god loved feasts—what if he wanted to eat his dog?

"Oh, I just need to borrow it," Qi Yuan said.

With a wave of his hand, the large black dog, still clutching a bone in its mouth and tail tucked, unwillingly followed Qi Yuan away.

Seeing this, the fat man looked devastated. Only after Qi Yuan was out of sight did he dare to wail, "My dog, my dog!"

By now, Qi Yuan had already returned to the temple with the large black dog.

The dog still had the bone in its mouth, but with Qi Yuan present, it didn’t dare chew.

"A dog at the Golden Core stage should be able to visualize, right?" Qi Yuan mused as he took out the cloth with the Divine Visualization Technique on it and tossed it in front of the dog.

"This is a Divine Visualization Technique—take a look."

Qi Yuan also glanced at it.

[Divine Visualization Technique: Xiaotianquan Chapter, with growth potential.]

The large black dog seemed to understand.

It dropped the bone and stared at the Divine Visualization Technique, as if it were the most delicious food in the world.

"Good, you can understand it," Qi Yuan said, observing carefully.

The large black dog lowered its head, studying the technique intently, its eyes showing a human-like focus.

Suddenly, the dog sat down cross-legged, as if meditating, and began cultivating.

Qi Yuan could feel the dog’s strength steadily increasing.

"This is just like human cultivation. Interesting."

After watching for a while and not noticing any drastic changes in the dog, Qi Yuan lost interest.

"According to the group chat, once a Divine Visualization Technique is used, it can quickly boost the strength of the people, allowing for rapid advancement."

This technique recreates the strength of ancient gods within the people.

There’s no need for slow, steady cultivation—it’s a method for quick results.

It works extremely well in the early stages.

About an hour later, Qi Yuan looked at the dog still meditating in front of him.

"It’s already at the late Yuandan stage?"

Initially, this black dog had only been at the early Yuandan stage, but in just an hour, it had advanced to the late stage—a terrifying rate.

"It seems my experience points have increased quite a bit as well," Qi Yuan noted with joy.

Indeed, the cultivation of his people could feed back into his own strength.

"Well, I’ll check again in the morning. Time to sleep."

Qi Yuan dug a pit again and summoned Xiaojia, and the two of them snuggled in the pit to sleep.

"Bringing you into the game means no more snacks, huh," Qi Yuan mused, wondering whether to send her back to the Canglan Realm.

But after some thought, he decided against it.

Xiaojia’s body was cold, and it took him a long time to warm her up.

Holding her close, Qi Yuan drifted into sleep.

The next morning, blood-red light shone across the sky as the earth around the temple shifted, and a figure crawled out of the pit.

He looked at his character level and smiled with delight.

"I actually leveled up!"

This level-up didn’t come from killing monsters but from the feedback provided by the cultivation of his people.

He quickly looked over and saw the large black dog still sitting cross-legged in the temple.

The aura it radiated was now at the… Purple Mansion stage!

"From Golden Core to Purple Mansion in one night—terrifying!"

Qi Yuan was astonished.

In the Flowing Wind Realm, mass-producing Purple Mansion cultivators was already an impressive feat.

And that mass production was from the late Nascent Soul stage to the Purple Mansion stage.

But this? From Golden Core to Purple Mansion in a single night—unbelievable.

Even people from the Douqi Continent would be astonished.

However, Qi Yuan also noticed that after reaching the early Purple Mansion stage, the black dog’s cultivation speed had significantly slowed.

Of course, it was still much faster than normal cultivation.

Qi Yuan looked at the dog with satisfaction: "It seems this Divine Visualization Technique really works.

My village finally has a mighty warrior!"

Looking at the black dog, Qi Yuan felt a surge of excitement.

"Perfect. This black dog’s strength is comparable to the new gods of some nearby villages.

While I stay here and continue revising the Qi Yuan Sutra, I’ll have the black dog take care of killing evil gods and collecting divine power."

A few days ago, Qi Yuan had conducted a test.

When his people killed enemies, like the demonic creatures, his strength increased.

In other words, when his people killed, they didn’t gain experience, but he did.

He had become the ultimate exploiter.

...

In Qingshui Village.

Village Chief Yulei had a grim expression.

Ahead, Wang Zhongshan from Shijia Village was leading a group of women dressed in mourning clothes, all wearing eager expressions.

"Is the lord going to take action against other evil gods?" Yulei asked.

He had gathered quite a few people after hearing the news.

At that moment, Chen Xifan from Chenxi Village arrived with a group of villagers who looked like chubby chefs.

"Chenxi Village is here. When do we start the feast?" Chen Xifan asked, clearly excited.

Previously, he had only prepared feasts in his village.

He never imagined that this time they would be heading to another village.

"We'll depart once the lord arrives," Yulei said, looking at the fat man behind him with some dissatisfaction. "I told you to organize a team to play the suona, so why are you taking so long?"

Zhu Shizhong looked aggrieved. "The people in our village aren't very cultured; they don't know how to play well."

Wang Zhongshan from Shijia Village quickly chimed in, "Our village has a musician. Why not let us handle the suona playing?"

Yulei glared at him.

Was Shijia Village trying to steal their job?

This was outrageous!

Qingshui Village was supposed to be the lord’s direct followers.

Seeing this, Wang Zhongshan didn’t push the issue and instead turned to Zhu Shizhong. "Why are you sulking? We’re about to go to war!"

Zhu Shizhong shot him an angry glare.

Wang Zhongshan was confused.

Yulei, meanwhile, reprimanded Zhu Shizhong, "It's just a dog. If the lord wants to eat it, then so be it. Will you sulk like this when the lord arrives?"

Zhu Shizhong’s expression softened slightly.

The people from the three villages gathered together, looking serious yet expectant.

They were about to witness the ancient god display his power.

At that moment, Shentu, the priest, announced, "The divine dog under the ancient god’s command has arrived!"

Everyone was puzzled, unsure of what was happening.

In the distance, they saw a huge black figure approaching, covered in black fur. Its back had two bulging lumps, as if something was about to burst out.

The massive beast bared its fangs, looking extremely fierce.

"A black dog?"

"A big black dog!"

"A Purple Mansion-level beast!"

The villagers were shocked and confused.

How did the ancient god acquire such a powerful divine dog?

A Purple Mansion-level beast could rival the new gods of nearby villages!

Zhu Shizhong's eyes widened as he recognized the dog. "That’s… my black dog! My black dog!"

His face lit up with joy.

So that’s where his black dog had gone.

The black dog seemed to recognize him too and turned its massive head toward him.

It extended a leg, just as Zhu Shizhong used to kick it, and pinned him to the ground.

Zhu Shizhong was pressed under the dog’s heavy paw, unable to move, his face pleading. "Lord Dog, I was wrong! I was wrong! You’re not my dog; I’m your dog!"

The divine dog seemed satisfied and released him.

The villagers were stunned, unable to process what they had just seen.

Village Chief Yulei’s eyes gleamed. "This must be a Divine Visualization Technique!"

Only a Divine Visualization Technique could explain the dog’s sudden surge in strength.

From Golden Core to Purple Mansion, this meant the technique was of high quality.

The villagers now looked at the black dog with envy.

Zhu Shizhong was also stunned. He never imagined that the ancient god had taken his black dog to give it such an extraordinary opportunity.

He was envious, jealous, and regretful. He wished he could go back to the day the lord had asked for his dog so he could bark like a dog and say he too could be a dog.

"Onward to Xiaoshi Village!" Shentu announced.

And so, led by the black dog, the mourning team, the suona players, and the chefs all marched toward Xiaoshi Village.

Meanwhile, in Xiaoshi Village.

The evil god Liu Yan looked grim as he gazed at his trembling villagers, his eyes filled with cruelty.

"Are you all planning to rebel?" he growled.

The villagers shook with fear.

"We wouldn't dare, my lord!"

"We are willing to die for you!" The assimilated villagers’ eyes glowed red.

Their consciousness had long been absorbed, making them part of the new god.

"Hmph, what is Kuangfeng Town’s Shuo Lang doing? I sent a message ages ago, and they haven’t sent anyone to help!" Liu Yan fumed.

He would never dare to say such things in front of Shuo Lang, but with him not present, he felt bolder.

He wasn’t afraid of being overheard by his villagers.

Just then, a burly man hurried over, his face anxious. "My lord, the people of Qingshui Village are here. They have suona players, mourners, and even people carrying pots and pans!"

Liu Yan’s face darkened further. "They’re well-prepared."

Then he asked, "Did they bring a coffin?"

The burly man hesitated. "No, their god didn’t come either. Leading them is a black dog. It has a very fierce aura!"

Liu Yan’s anger flared. "They dare send a wild dog against me? Such an insult is intolerable!"

Even evil gods have their pride.

He hadn’t yet clashed with the god of Qingshui Village, but he refused to believe he was weaker than him.