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

Chapter 204: The Underdeveloped Twins

Feng Kui and Tan Zui vanished into streams of light as they descended to the seventh layer. The two of them moved cautiously through the ancestral land, occasionally communicating via transmission.

"Just a bunch of weaklings at the first and second steps of the divine path, and they send us to catch them!" Feng Kui sneered, her eyes filled with disdain.

"That’s what you get when Ao Shi recruits a bunch of worthless ancient gods who can’t even handle such simple tasks," Tan Zui mocked Ao Shi Great Venerable, despite his impressive talent. To these new gods, a dog was still a dog, and a servant was still a servant.

They were working under Ao Shi Great Venerable, but they held little respect for him.

"Let’s just capture those ancient gods quickly and get this over with. This place gives me the creeps; I don’t want to stay here any longer," Feng Kui said.

"Agreed, the sooner we’re done, the better," Tan Zui replied.

Meanwhile, in the seventh layer, Ao Shi Great Venerable stood before a towering structure, his expression complex. "What secret lies within this tower?"

He had once entered this tower by chance and emerged as a true god. Now, he was just one step away from uncovering the truth. The new gods didn’t care much about this secret, as they didn’t need to break through in the mortal realm. But to Ao Shi, this was crucial for his advancement.

Because of this, his actions in the ancestral land had already caused dissatisfaction among the new gods. The investment far outweighed the returns.

Suddenly, a voice, old and withered, echoed in Ao Shi's mind.

"Just now, three ancient Great Venerables descended upon South City."

"What?" Ao Shi's expression changed.

"They might be here for you," the ancient voice continued.

"Thank you for the warning, Feng Bo Great Venerable," Ao Shi’s face flickered with emotions.

"There’s nothing more to gain from this place. Once we conquer the mortal realm, you can study it at your leisure. This time, we can’t help you. You should withdraw, or you risk perishing," Feng Bo Great Venerable’s voice was calm, but it was clear he didn’t support Ao Shi's continued presence in the ancestral land.

"I understand." Ao Shi’s expression darkened as he looked at the tower with deep reluctance.

Just another year—no, just three more months—and he could reach the core of the tower. Perhaps the secret he had been seeking would finally be revealed. But the ancient gods wouldn’t give him the time, and the new gods wouldn’t give him the chance.

He took a long, hard look at the tower, then finally ordered, "Let’s go!"

If those three Great Venerables were indeed after him, staying here would be too dangerous. So he chose to leave, hoping to return another time.

"As you command," the other new gods responded, gathering towards Ao Shi.

One new god hesitated, "Great Venerable Ao Shi, Feng Kui and Tan Zui haven’t returned yet."

Ao Shi narrowed his eyes. "I’ve already informed them. They said they encountered some enemies and will leave after dealing with them. We go first."

Ao Shi's tone was final, leaving no room for objection. Even if the others had doubts, they didn’t dare voice them. They might speak ill of him behind his back, but doing so in front of him would be suicidal.

...

"Follow me."

In one of the towers, Qi Yuan opened another warehouse. Recently, he had been frantically looting the ancestral land. While he hadn’t found anything as massive as the haul from He Yao Pharmaceutical Factory, his gains were still substantial.

The ancient gods following him were all smiles. The elder twin sister had even broken through to the third step of the divine path, making her the strongest among them. Her younger sister wasn’t far behind, having reached the late second step, close to the third. Happy Arhat and Longbrow Arhat had also reached the second step.

The ancient gods had grown significantly stronger, but the Nascent Soul, Golden Core, and Purple Mansion cultivators had seen far less improvement. After all, as Qi Yuan saw it, they were too weak—still babies, so to speak. The ancestral land didn’t have much suitable for them.

"I hope this time we find something good," Qi Yuan said, filled with anticipation for this warehouse.

When the door opened, Qi Yuan’s excitement turned to disappointment. The warehouse seemed to have suffered severe damage, with various strange alloys scattered chaotically.

"There's an intact box over there!" the younger twin sister spotted a pristine glass box.

Qi Yuan approached the box, opened it, and found hundreds of vials inside. The ancient gods' eyes lit up, their bodies trembling in excitement.

"Is this…"

"Divine Domain Elixir!"

"It’s actually Divine Domain Elixir!"

The ancient gods were no longer calm, staring at the elixir with rapid breaths. The Divine Domain Elixir was known to help form the seed of a divine domain. The domain was what allowed a Great Venerable to easily crush those below them.

A god who had formed the seed of a divine domain could challenge those a step or even two steps higher. However, it was incredibly rare for a god to form such a seed without first perfecting their divine apertures. Not even the greatest of the mortal realm had achieved this.

Qi Yuan examined the vials.

【Divine Domain Elixir, also known as the Robust Growth Tonic. What to do when a child is underdeveloped? Use the Robust Growth Tonic to help them grow strong and healthy. Note: This tonic has several known flaws.】

Qi Yuan’s eyes could see hidden information, and this time, what he saw was astonishing. The Divine Domain Elixir, a treasure to the ancient gods, was actually… a tonic for underdeveloped children.

He couldn’t help but speculate. Perhaps the unknown race of the ancestral land naturally reached the level of a Great Venerable upon adulthood. But some children might have been underdeveloped, unable to grow beyond the third step. That’s where the Divine Domain Elixir came in, to help them mature.

Qi Yuan looked at his villagers and the ancient gods. "It seems like all of you are underdeveloped."

Indeed, apart from himself, who among them wasn’t ancient? Take the twin sisters, for example. Though they looked young and beautiful, they were actually thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years old.

The gods exchanged puzzled glances, not understanding what Qi Yuan meant.

The younger twin sister, not one to back down, puffed out her chest defiantly. "Divine Lord, how am I underdeveloped?"

Her elder sister remained reserved, though she was even more physically impressive. She stayed silent.

"If you’re not a Great Venerable by now, isn’t that underdeveloped?" Qi Yuan said offhandedly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" The younger sister was talkative as usual. "I’m not a Great Venerable, but I became a true god at a young age!"

"This Divine Domain Elixir is for those who are underdeveloped," Qi Yuan said, looking at the ancient gods. "Which one of you is… underdeveloped?"

The ancient gods were once again confused.

Wangsong Venerable, ever the opportunist, stepped forward with an expectant look. "Divine Lord, I’m underdeveloped."

"You certainly are. Here’s a vial for you," Qi Yuan casually tossed a vial to Wangsong Venerable.

Wangsong Venerable was thrilled, his breath quickening as he gazed at the elixir like it was the most precious thing in the world.

"You’re really giving this to me?" Wangsong Venerable clutched the vial tightly, hardly able to believe it.

This was the Divine Domain Elixir, a shortcut to becoming a Great Venerable.

"Didn’t you say you were underdeveloped? So here, drink up. Don’t dawdle," Qi Yuan said, indifferent.

Wangsong Venerable didn’t hesitate. He swallowed the vial whole, glass and all.

The other ancient gods, though bewildered, quickly followed suit. "Divine Lord, I’m also underdeveloped!"

"I’m underdeveloped too!"

"So am I!"

They all clamored to admit their underdevelopment, eager to get their hands on the elixir.

The elder twin sister, setting aside her pride, placed a hand on her chest and softly said, "Divine Lord, I haven’t developed fully either."

"It seems you’re all honest enough to acknowledge your shortcomings. I’ll give you these Robust Growth Tonics," Qi Yuan said, distributing the elixirs to those who had confessed their underdevelopment.

The ancient gods were overjoyed. Getting the Divine Domain Elixir was incredibly easy. All they had to do was admit they were underdeveloped. In their minds, it was a small price to pay. If saying they were brainless would earn them such treasures, they’d gladly do it.

They couldn’t understand why the Divine Lord had such a strange preference, but they weren’t about to complain.

The younger twin sister watched, her eyes turning red with envy, especially when her more well-endowed sister received a vial. She gritted her teeth and, blushing, said to Qi Yuan, "Divine Lord, I’m actually a bit underdeveloped too."

Qi Yuan looked at her. "Didn’t you just say you were well-developed?"

He glanced pointedly at her chest.

The younger sister felt a wave of shame. Was this really worth it?

"I was just pretending," she said softly. "I couldn’t accept that I was underdeveloped, so I lied."

"But now, I’m done pretending," she said, her voice resolute as her body transformed, taking on the appearance of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old with a flat chest.

Qi Yuan’s eyes widened. "You… have no shame!"

How could she do this?

"Am I underdeveloped now?" the younger twin sister asked, her voice soft and sweet.

"Sigh," Qi Yuan looked at the ancient gods, shaking his head. "Why is it that I’m so normal and intelligent, yet I end up with followers who are all mentally unbalanced?"

He tossed the Divine Domain Elixir to the younger twin sister, exasperated.

He felt helpless. The game developers had failed him, giving the NPCs such low intelligence and strange thought processes.

The ancient gods, smiling as they drank the elixir, couldn’t help but mentally scoff. If it weren’t for the allure of the elixir, they’d tell him exactly who was the one with issues.

Meanwhile, the gods drank their elixirs, with Happy Arhat and Longbrow Arhat each receiving a vial. The cultivators below the Yin God realm, however, weren’t so fortunate. In Qi Yuan’s eyes, they were mere embryos, not even developed enough to drink the tonic.

Outside the tower, Feng Kui and Tan Zui watched with surprise.

"These ancient gods actually made it into the tower!"

"Are they just lucky?"

Their special suits allowed them to navigate the ancestral land more safely, but even so, they wouldn’t dare enter the towers recklessly. Even a Great Venerable could die inside, let alone them.

"But their luck is about to run out," Feng Kui’s eyes gleamed with greed.

Tan Zui nodded in agreement. "If they’ve reached the third step, they must have found something valuable inside!"

He was excited. While a third step god could vary in strength, both he and Feng Kui were late third step gods. Together, they could easily wipe out all the true gods before them. They were confident.

"Such treasures are wasted on them," Feng Kui said, unable to contain her excitement any longer. "Let’s go."

The two emerged from the shadows, blocking Qi Yuan and his group.

Feng Kui’s eyes were filled with greed as she licked her lips. "It looks like you’ve had quite a haul inside. Hand it over, and it will all be mine."

"Evil gods?"

"Third step!"

The ancient gods felt a surge of fear. Before entering the ancestral land, a single third step god could have easily defeated them all. Now, with two third step evil gods appearing, they were understandably shaken.

Feng Kui was pleased with their reaction. "Hand over everything you’ve gained from the tower, and I’ll make sure you die painlessly."

But then, the ancient gods realized something. Why were they afraid? They had just consumed the Divine Domain Elixir and awakened the seeds of a divine domain. They were pseudo-Great Venerables now, and their courage returned.

Qi Yuan, meanwhile, looked curiously at the two new gods. "Your clothes are interesting. Who sent you?"

"A mere mortal dares to speak?" Tan Zui snapped, glaring at Qi Yuan.

For a mere mortal to interrupt a conversation between gods was the height of insolence in his eyes.

"How dare you!"

"Show some respect!"

"To speak to the Divine Lord in such a way is to court death!"

The ancient gods immediately moved to protect Qi Yuan, their divine apertures spinning as they unleashed their terrifying power.

Feng Kui raised an eyebrow. "You follow a mere mortal as your leader? Is he the reason you could enter the tower?"

Tan Zui squinted at Qi Yuan. "Don’t worry. You won’t have a complete corpse."

Qi Yuan yawned. "Just a couple of underdeveloped minions daring to speak out? Kill them. I could use some evil god energy."

He spoke lazily.

These two evil gods were still not Great Venerables despite their age. Clearly, they were underdeveloped.

At his command, all ten ancient gods attacked simultaneously.

Feng Kui sneered. "Trash is trash."

Tan Zui glanced at Qi Yuan. "You’re going to die miserably."

A few second and third step gods dared to fight them? How laughable.

But in the next moment, Feng Kui’s expression froze.

She felt the air around her solidify, and her divine apertures became sluggish.

"This is… a divine domain seed!"

Her eyes widened in shock, her gums trembling.

She realized what she was seeing—a divine domain seed! But how could this be? Even among all the new gods, only one had awakened such a seed. And here she was, facing one in this remote place. The shock and fear were overwhelming.

"No way… all of them?" Tan Zui was even more stunned than Feng Kui.

He wasn’t just seeing one divine domain seed—he was seeing ten.

It was like a dream. They had encountered ten gods, and all ten had awakened divine domain seeds.

The odds of this… were astronomically low.

Yet it had happened.

The two powerful evil gods found themselves utterly suppressed by the ten nascent divine domains, their previous arrogance completely shattered.

Qi Yuan chuckled. "The Robust Growth Tonic works wonders. You two, being underdeveloped, stand no chance against those who’ve fully matured, do you?"