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

Chapter 188: The Proud Shenlei Grand Venerable

"I once met a supreme prodigy who was just one step away from becoming a true god. Unfortunately, his talent was so overwhelming that it even surpassed that of the Wushi Holy Mother. No matter how many treasures were given to him, he couldn’t break through to the true god stage," said Shenlei Grand Venerable, his eyes filled with sorrow and endless sadness.

This was why, even if a true dragon were born, it would be impossible for it to break through to the true god stage.

"I hope your talent isn't too extraordinary, kid… Otherwise, it’ll be quite interesting if you can’t break through to the true god stage," Shenlei's sadness quickly turned to nonchalance, and he chuckled.

Qi Yuan's face turned blank as he absorbed this information: "So you're saying that if one's talent exceeds that of the Wushi Holy Mother, using the treasures she left behind won’t help them break through to the true god stage?"

"Exactly." Shenlei nodded earnestly, smiling. "But don’t worry. Your talent is impressive, but it surely doesn’t surpass the Wushi Holy Mother. How many people in this world could have talent greater than hers? Perhaps not even a handful. In the path of cultivation, talent alone isn’t everything."

"I'm doomed... What if I am stronger than her?" Qi Yuan muttered, feeling this was a real possibility. "Did the Wushi Holy Mother have a Dao of Heaven foundation? Did she condense a stellar golden pill?"

Shenlei felt choked up. "Could you stop boasting? Even the chosen ones of destiny don't brag like you!"

Qi Yuan felt even more dejected. "So, having too much talent is a curse. I used to hear people say that rich folks have their own troubles, and I’d scoff. What could be so difficult about eating ten buns in one sitting? But now I get it. This must be the rich man’s dilemma—having a stomach too small to enjoy more than one bun at a time."

Nearby, Qi Qi smiled softly. "Godfather, let's go find more treasures. I’m sure you can reach the true god stage."

"No, I suddenly feel like I’ve been too optimistic. I used to dream of bringing all the powerful immortals of our Heavenly Court into existence through my visualizations. But now it seems that many of those immortals are far stronger than the Wushi Holy Mother. Even if I visualize them, they won’t be able to break through to the true god stage."

Qi Yuan felt utterly disheartened. This meant he might only be able to visualize weaker figures.

"Wasn’t it the Dragon Group of China? Now it’s the Heavenly Court?" Shenlei looked perplexed.

"They started in the Heavenly Court, then joined the Dragon Group of China," Qi Yuan explained. "Eventually, they followed the crooked-toothed Dragon King."

Shenlei didn’t want to continue this conversation. "Stop with the nonsense, Origin Celestial Venerable. Are you really saying your Heavenly Court is filled with so many talented individuals?"

"Yes," Qi Yuan affirmed. "The Four Heavenly Kings are just small fry. Take someone like Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, Nezha, the True Martial Great Emperor, Zhenyuan Daxian, or even the Buddha himself—any one of them could easily suppress all opposition!"

"Are they really that strong?" Shenlei was skeptical.

"Extremely strong!"

"Never heard of them. You sure you didn’t just make them up?"

"How could a god lie?" Qi Yuan felt sure of himself. These divine figures existed vividly in his memory.

Shenlei wasn’t convinced. "I’ll believe it when I see you actually visualize them."

Qi Yuan’s worry deepened. "Besides these treasures, is there any other way to break through to the true god stage?"

"Unless… the broken Pillar of Heaven is restored," Shenlei said.

Qi Yuan’s eyes lit up. "We can fix the Pillar of Heaven!"

"Legend has it that a god, surpassing the true god stage, dwells within the broken Pillar of Heaven. Origin Celestial Venerable, I have high hopes for you. If you can repair the Pillar, you’ll be the greatest benefactor of our world, and I’ll even call you master!" Shenlei teased.

"Yang God?" Qi Yuan immediately dismissed the thought.

He had heard from his daughter Qi Jianjun that Yang Gods, at full power, could even swallow a star. His Stellar Golden Pill, situated in another universe, would only project a shadow and couldn’t contend with Yang Gods. Facing Yang Gods, Qi Yuan was still very much afraid.

"Yang Gods isn’t that big of a deal. Your Dragon Group, or Heavenly Court, could just send someone like the Buddha to fix it," Shenlei said.

"You make a good point, but even if I visualize the Buddha, my followers won’t be able to break through to the true god stage or truly wield the Buddha’s power. How could they repair the Pillar?" Qi Yuan pondered seriously.

The visualization methods only allowed his followers to cultivate quickly and borrow some power from the gods they visualized. It didn’t mean they would actually become those gods.

"You’re really letting this get to your head, huh?" Shenlei was at a loss for words, seeing how seriously Qi Yuan was considering all this.

At that moment, Qi Qi blinked at Shenlei. "Grand Venerable Shenlei, why not give my godfather some treasures and see how many it takes for him to break through to the true god stage?"

Shenlei spread his hands. "I’m just an old bachelor—I don’t have any treasures."

"Just as I thought," Qi Yuan said. "Your face says it all—no way you’re going to drop any loot."

Shenlei glared at Qi Yuan. "Stop insulting me with words I don’t understand!"

"I wasn’t insulting you. I was just saying you’re an old master. That’s a compliment, meaning you’re wise and knowledgeable," Qi Yuan said earnestly.

Shenlei looked doubtful.

"Master Shenlei, with all your wisdom, surely you can suggest another way to break through to the true god stage?" Qi Yuan asked humbly.

"There’s no other way, except to fix the Pillar of Heaven," Shenlei said firmly. But then he added, "You’re getting off track. How could your talent surpass the Wushi Holy Mother’s? Just gather more treasures, and you should be fine. Why worry about such things?"

"Sigh, how can the sparrow understand the swan's ambitions?" Qi Yuan lamented, deciding not to pursue the matter further.

He felt that if this problem wasn’t resolved, he’d be stuck visualizing only lower-level gods like the Four Heavenly Kings. Anything stronger would be out of reach.

What he needed most right now was the power of true gods. The level of the Four Heavenly Kings was just right—they could break through to the true god stage with these treasures.

Half a day later, Qi Qi, followed by her maid Xiaoxue, walked along a country path.

Suddenly, an old woman appeared in front of her again.

Qi Qi was surprised and said to the old woman, "I don’t know you, and I don’t want to leave my godfather to go with you."

The old woman extended her withered hand. "An invitation, for you."

A gilded invitation landed in Qi Qi's hand. The old woman glanced at her, her eyes becoming cloudy again. "Go… there are good things… you can also…"

Before she could finish, the old woman vanished.

Qi Qi was left confused. She opened the invitation and read its contents. "Hundred Flowers Festival? What is this? An invitation for my godfather?"

When in doubt, she sought out Shenlei Grand Venerable.

Now in Qingshui Village, Shenlei had become something of a living deity. Whenever Qi Qi had questions, she turned to him.

Even the villagers sought his help for everything, from catching runaway chickens to more serious matters. Shenlei had quickly become a favorite among the older women in the village.

Holding the invitation, Qi Qi found Shenlei lounging in a chair. "Grand Venerable Shenlei, what’s the deal with this invitation? Is it dangerous?"

Shenlei took the invitation and was surprised. "That rascal Qi Yuan shouldn’t be eligible to attend the Hundred Flowers Festival."

Seeing his reaction, Qi Qi recounted her encounter with the old woman.

Shenlei understood immediately. "You have Phoenix Clan blood in you. The Phoenix Clan was close to the North Sea aquatic tribes, so this makes sense."

At that moment, Qi Yuan emerged from the temple. "Phoenix Clan blood?"

"Phoenix Clan blood!" Shenlei corrected him. "You’re so crazy you forgot your adopted daughter’s race?"

"I’ve heard of this before."

"Oh?" Shenlei was intrigued, hoping to learn more about Qi Yuan's true origins from ancient times.

"I once read a book that mentioned consuming Phoenix blood could have endless benefits. A female cultivator’s cup size even increased from a C to a B," Qi Yuan said.

Shenlei realized he still couldn’t get any useful information about Qi Yuan's background.

"Didn't you need treasures to break through to the true god stage? Well, here’s your chance." Shenlei handed the invitation back to Qi Yuan. "The Hundred Flowers Festival is held once every hundred years. There are countless rare treasures there. Plenty of them can help you break through to the true god stage. If you can stand out, there are many treasures to be had."

Qi Yuan’s eyes lit up. "Many?"

"Yes, depending on your abilities," Shenlei said nonchalantly. He only had second-hand knowledge of the Hundred Flowers Festival.

"Would you like to be my bodyguard and come with me to the Hundred Flowers Festival?" Qi Yuan asked.

"Not interested." Shenlei dismissed the idea with a wave.

A strong figure like him, acting as a bodyguard? Plus, attending the Hundred Flowers Festival might expose his identity, potentially leading to a horde of powerful enemies coming after him.

"What a pity," Qi Yuan sighed. "There are only three days left until the festival. I’d better start preparing."

Leaving Qingshui Village and traveling outside wasn’t exactly safe. He needed to visualize more true gods for protection.

"Go ahead and visualize all Four Heavenly Kings," Shenlei suggested.

He wanted to see if Qi Yuan was all talk or if he actually had something to show.

"Alright, I’ll do it now. I need to prepare some extra security since I’m going on a long journey." Qi Yuan said seriously.

This time, he planned to visualize at least five gods at the level of the Four Heavenly Kings. Anything stronger wouldn’t be possible.

He pondered for a moment, then entered the visualization space.

Meanwhile, Shenlei wasted no time and entered his own chat group.

The chat immediately became lively.

"Grand Venerable Shenlei, why are you here? Are you about to start a visualization?"

"Do you have something hidden up your sleeve?"

"Heh, no. Recently, an ancient god has been pestering me, wanting to become my disciple. But I’m not interested. However, since he was recommended by a friend, I feel obliged to watch over him. He’s about to start a visualization, so I’m going to check out the Visualization Mountain to keep an eye on him," Shenlei explained in the group.

"How are you going to keep an eye on him? Grand Venerable Shenlei, just be honest—why are you really here?"

"Ahem, I heard he might visualize a legendary-level god, so I came to watch."

"A legendary-level god? That’s quite the talent. I’m actually in need of a disciple. How about passing him over to me?"

"Get lost, you already have seven disciples!"

"A legendary-level god isn’t bad at all, but it’s still not enough to be my final disciple. My final disciple visualized two legendary gods and seven epic ones," one of the group members boasted.

Hearing this, Shenlei was quite pleased. "Sigh, it’s just that his talent is a bit lacking. Otherwise, I’d reluctantly take him as a disciple."

Shenlei had a simple goal for joining the group chat—to show off. But first, he needed to lower expectations a bit.

Soon, Qi Yuan would shock everyone by visualizing three legendary gods at once, and Shenlei would enjoy their stunned reactions.

"That guy is about to start. We should see the golden light on the Visualization Mountain and hear the sound of a hundred birds soon. If he visualizes three gods, I’ll reluctantly take him as a registered disciple," Shenlei boasted.

"Grand Venerable Shenlei, you’re too much. Three visualized gods, and you’ll only take him as a registered disciple?"

"Grand Venerable Shenlei, stop pretending. That was Origin Celestial Venerable, the one I recommended to you, right?"

"Hey, don’t spill the beans!" Shenlei hurriedly replied.

Part of his consciousness drifted into the Visualization Mountain.

Suddenly, the mountain was bathed in golden light, accompanied by the sound of a hundred birds.

Shenlei smiled. "Alright, one legendary god down."

"Not bad. He’s worthy of being a registered disciple," commented one of the ancient gods in the group.

The ancient gods in the group were quite excited to see the golden light, as a legendary god could potentially lead to the rise of a great venerable in the future.

Suddenly, the Visualization Mountain was illuminated by golden light again, flashing twice.

"Three gods?" The group members were stunned.

"Grand Venerable Shenlei, was this your plan all along?"

"You’re quite the schemer!"

"This ancient god is definitely worthy of being your direct disciple. Why didn’t you recommend him to me, Grand Venerable Baigu?"

As they chatted, Qi Yuan was in the Visualization Mountain, happily surveying the remaining evil god power.

He was thrilled. "This Yin God-level power is incredibly efficient! I’ve visualized three of the Four Heavenly Kings and still have over ninety percent left? No way, I need to visualize more… How about the Eighteen Arhats?"

With that in mind, Qi Yuan prepared to continue his visualization.

Meanwhile, in the chat group, Shenlei was getting carried away with the praise. "With this, I now have four legendary gods. I guess I can reluctantly take him as a disciple."

"Grand Venerable Shenlei, you’re so easily swayed. We compliment you once, and you start showing off? You don’t need to overdo it."

"Give me twenty treasures, and I’ll hand him over to you," Shenlei replied, boldly demanding a high price.

"Forget it. Treasures are more important. This disciple is excellent, but not worth twenty treasures."

Just as these words were spoken, the Visualization Mountain was suddenly illuminated by golden light again.

Once, twice, thrice… ten times…

The group members were left dumbfounded.

Shenlei, too, was at a loss for words, as a terrifying thought began to take shape in his mind.

The golden light continued to flash.

With each flash, the hearts of the grand venerables in the group skipped a beat.

Finally, the golden light stopped after eighteen flashes.

By now, the Visualization Mountain wasn’t just filled with the sound of a hundred birds—it was like the chorus of a thousand birds.

The venerables who had been chatting just moments ago stared in disbelief.

"Did I see that right?"

"Eighteen flashes… How is that possible?"

"Are they all legendary?"

"Is this really your disciple, Grand Venerable Shenlei?"

"Grand Venerable Shenlei, where are you right now? I’ve prepared twenty treasures. I’m coming to take my disciple right away!"