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

Chapter 355: Do I Really Have a Long-Lost Father?

Wang Yuanyu: "?? What is 'soulmate,' what is 'inner wear,' and what is 'avoiding mistakes'?"

Qi Yuan's modern slang left Wang Yuanyu baffled, completely unable to understand.

However, she had learned from Wang Nanny that these bloodline descendants came from the End Realm, people on the verge of death, so it was normal for them to speak in strange ways.

"It's... a meme," Qi Yuan briefly explained. "Soulmate means sisters, and inner wear... well, it’s..."

After listening, Wang Yuanyu's face turned red under the black sack. "Pervert! Who’s your soulmate!"

"Not bad, you're picking up on the memes," Qi Yuan chuckled. Then he said, "Since this world is fake, and you think I’m just an illusion, what's wrong with seeing inner wear? After all, I don’t really exist."

"No!" Wang Yuanyu shouted, but suddenly, she paused, her expression freezing as if she had just realized something. In that instant, it seemed like something had clicked in her mind.

The boundary between illusion and reality didn’t exist.

Or rather, did it even matter whether something was real or not?

What truly mattered was her own heart.

Seeing Wang Yuanyu's thoughtful look, Qi Yuan seemed to remember something. "You know, the way you look right now reminds me of a famous saying: Cogito, ergo sum—I think, therefore I am. Even if I’m just an illusion in your eyes, as long as I believe I’m real, then... I am real."

Wang Yuanyu looked at Qi Yuan, and much of her previous confusion faded.

At first, when she heard from Wang Nanny that the Mountain River Scroll was an illusion created by the Eastern Lord, she felt disoriented.

Did that mean her entire life had been nothing but a dream?

Now, after hearing Qi Yuan’s words, she realized something.

If she believed everything was an illusion, she could simply ignore Qi Yuan’s words and casually show her inner wear.

If she cared, then what difference did it make whether he was real or an illusion?

"Illusion or reality doesn’t matter—what matters is me," Wang Yuanyu couldn’t help but sigh.

Qi Yuan nodded and said softly, "Just now, you asked me a question. Now... is it my turn to ask you one?"

"Please ask, sir."

"This world... how do you travel to other worlds? I've been waiting for Ma Longhun, but he hasn’t shown up. Could he have gone to another world?"

Qi Yuan was a bit worried.

When he first arrived in this world, he had sent people to search for Ma Longhun while he focused on increasing his own strength.

But Ma Longhun had been missing since the beginning.

Wang Yuanyu hesitated for a moment before saying, "It’s possible, but don’t worry, sir. Within a year, Ma Longhun will certainly appear."

According to the original timeline, within half a year, she would fall in love with Tu Kongming.

Then Ma Longhun would appear and kill both her and Tu Kongming.

"Oh, is that so? A year isn’t too long." Qi Yuan glanced at Wang Yuanyu, then brought up an old topic. "By the way, are you sure you don’t want me to gift you a grandma?"

Wang Yuanyu smiled. "Thank you for your kindness, but there’s no need."

At that moment, Wang Yuanyu's mind was racing.

Ma Longhun was very powerful. According to Wang Nanny, when he appeared, he would be at the peak of Martial King.

In the Mountain River Scroll, the peak of Martial King was the absolute limit, the strongest of the strong.

Such a powerhouse might even surpass the head of the Demon Suppression Court.

Since Qi Yuan needed to find Ma Longhun for his mission, he could be putting himself in danger.

She couldn’t let Qi Yuan be dragged into danger because of her.

Her plan was simple: once she had information on Ma Longhun, she would leave to avoid putting Qi Yuan at risk.

After she dealt with Ma Longhun, she would bring his head to Qi Yuan, helping him complete his mission.

Then, she would return to the Origin Land.

"What a pity. I guess we’re not meant to be," Qi Yuan shook his head.

He didn’t push further. Unless it was something he deeply cared about, he let most things unfold as they would.

Wang Yuanyu smiled and said nothing more.

...

Time passed quickly, and the monotonous life in the graveyard didn’t leave any deep impressions on Qi Yuan.

Late at night, the graveyard was pitch dark, making it eerily spooky.

With a single wave of his hand, Qi Yuan killed a demon that had accidentally wandered in.

Thirty drops of demon blood were credited to his account.

"Is this a demon raised by the Holy Rite Church?" Qi Yuan casually glanced at the corpse and paid it no further attention.

"You consumed 100 drops of demon blood to open a divine aperture... failed."

Qi Yuan frowned, looking pained.

"These demon blood drops are useless! They can’t even open a divine aperture; they only help with martial cultivation."

He had tried to use demon blood to improve his immortal cultivation, but the results were clear: failure.

He wanted to curse the demon that had provided the blood. "Your blood is too weak—so one-dimensional! It only boosts martial cultivation, not immortal cultivation."

Currently, with Ningtao’s help and the rapid awakening of the Nascent Souls within him, Qi Yuan's power had surged.

His immortal cultivation had progressed rapidly, and he had now reached the second step of ascension, becoming an Yin God.

Of course, this was largely due to the feedback from the Nascent Soul inside him.

Especially since the Nascent Soul in the Origin Land was reviving rapidly, using the bones of a fallen Martial Lord.

For one, these Martial Lords had certain reserves, making them stronger than the people on Gongxing. Secondly, the flow of time was different—the time in the Origin Land moved about ten times faster than on Gongxing.

One year on Gongxing was nearly forty years in the Origin Land.

The strongest being in the Origin Land had already reached the level of a Grandmaster.

This provided a significant boost to Qi Yuan.

However, Qi Yuan felt that his yin god status was somewhat hollow, with limited combat strength. If he compared himself to his self in the Canglan Realm, he would stand no chance.

"Right now, I’m just an average yin god, unable to fight beyond my level."

Qi Yuan sighed.

In reality, he was a legendary Myth slayer.

In the game, if he encountered such Myths, he would have to kneel.

"Nascent Souls, step it up! Let’s reach the Yang God realm quickly!"

Qi Yuan was eager for progress.

In this game, martial cultivation could be enhanced by demon blood, and immortal cultivation had Nascent Souls leveling up for him. If the Nascent Souls did their job well, he might just be able to reach the Yang God realm without lifting a finger.

After all, his Nascent Souls had deep reserves.

In both the Fanxin Realm and the Canglan Realm, there were restrictions on breaking through to the Yang God realm.

But the Origin Land had no such restrictions.

Meanwhile, in the Origin Land...

Inside the Thunder Tomb, hundred-meter-long lightning bolts crashed down, shattering rocks with crackling sounds.

The Thunder Tomb was where the Thunder Martial Lord had ascended to become a lord, but it was also his burial place.

Back in the great war, countless Martial Lords had fallen, and the Thunder Martial Lord was one of them.

At this moment, outside the Thunder Tomb, a group of uninvited guests arrived.

The leader was thin and spindly, like a bamboo pole. Hanging from the bamboo pole-like body were two large heads, one male and one female, both human.

"The Morning Star Chime is approaching, and strange things are happening in the Origin Land. I hope the anomaly in the Thunder Tomb has nothing to do with the Mountain River Scroll."

The male voice was hoarse.

"I’m sensing more and more old souls. Could the Thunder Martial Lord also be awakening?" The female head on the bamboo pole had a sharp, screechy voice.

For the past hundred years, the Origin Land had not been peaceful.

Many of the once-dead Martial Lords had reappeared.

This brought some life to the otherwise stagnant Origin Land.

However, some Martial Lords were puzzled—hadn’t these lords fallen in battle? How could they be revived?

"If he is awakening, we should bring him into our Eastern Alliance!" the Fat Egg Martial Lord suggested.

In the Origin Land, the Eastern Alliance was the largest faction among the Martial Lords.

The Eastern Alliance was said to have been created by the legendary Eastern Lord.

That was a figure who had reached an unspeakable level of power.

It was said that the Eastern Lord alone could sweep through all the Martial Lords of the Origin Land.

"The Eastern Alliance? I’m not interested," came a voice from within the Thunder Tomb.

An old man, covered in lightning, emerged, his form obscured by the crackling energy.

"Thunder Martial Lord, you’re alive!" The sharp female voice was filled with surprise.

The hoarse voice, however, was wary: "You’ve broken through... you’ve become a Great Martial Lord!"

Martial Lords were classified into levels. One to three was considered a Lesser Martial Lord.

Four to seven were known as Great Martial Lords.

The seventh level was also known as a titled Martial Lord.

This system was similar to the progression in the yin god realm.

Before his fall, the Thunder Martial Lord had been a Lesser Martial Lord at the third level. Now, he had broken through to the fourth level, becoming a Great Martial Lord. This was astonishing.

"I gained some insight from the brink of death and had a lucky breakthrough," the Thunder Martial Lord's voice was filled with uncertainty, as if he had been through a lot.

"There are less than 3,000 years left until the Morning Star Chime. Thunder Martial Lord, for the sake of the greater good, join our Eastern Alliance!" The bamboo pole man extended the invitation.

In the Eastern Alliance, a Great Martial Lord was considered a formidable force.

Each Great Martial Lord would offer their blood essence to the Mountain River Scroll, helping to accelerate its operations.

According to the Eastern Lord, if the world could be fully restarted before the Morning Star Chime, the Origin Land would be revived.

"My blood essence is running low. I won’t be joining the Eastern Alliance." After saying that, the Thunder Martial Lord’s form disappeared without even a farewell.

The Martial Lords present exchanged glances but said nothing more.

The bamboo pole man’s expression shifted. "What a pity. This world is full of selfish people who enjoy the fruits of our labor."

To maintain and accelerate the operation of the Mountain River Scroll, the Martial Lords of the Eastern Alliance regularly infused their blood essence into it.

"Once the Morning Star Chime is over, we’ll settle the score with these people," the sharp female voice was filled with killing intent. "Now is not the time for conflict."

For now, the most important thing was to deal with the Morning Star Chime.

At that moment, the Fat Egg Martial Lord asked, "Twin Aspect Martial Lord, what’s the progress on the Mountain River Scroll?"

The other Martial Lords also looked toward the Twin Aspect Martial Lord.

This lord, a descendant of a titled Martial Lord, knew more about the progress of the scroll than anyone else.

"Forty percent has entered the scroll, another forty percent is being conquered, and twenty percent has failed."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"As long as we conquer two more percent before the Morning Star Chime, we’ll survive!"

"Exactly, we have 3,000 years. Two percent is no problem!"

The bamboo pole man turned to the Fat Egg Martial Lord. "You’ve worked hard these hundred years, continuously infusing your blood essence into the Mountain River Scroll."

At these words, the Fat Egg Martial Lord's face contorted. "I’m so drained I can’t keep up. I’ve been squeezed dry, no strength left."

The Fat Egg Martial Lord had once been a titled Martial Lord.

But during the great war, he was gravely injured, and now his strength was barely at the second level of Martial Lord.

Having to regularly infuse his blood essence into the Mountain River Scroll, it was a miracle his strength hadn’t dropped further.

The bamboo pole man felt a sense of satisfaction.

Before the cataclysm, the Fat Egg Martial Lord had been someone he looked up to. Now, this once-mighty figure was his subordinate, following his orders.

"Since that’s..." The bamboo pole man was about to speak when suddenly, his eyes widened, staring at the Fat Egg Martial Lord. "What... what’s happening to you?"

The other Martial Lords also turned to look at the Fat Egg Martial Lord, their faces filled with shock.

The Fat Egg Martial Lord's round, egg-like body had turned bright red, with blood vessels clearly visible.

Blood light surged.

Golden blood flowed through his veins like swimming dragons.

The Fat Egg Martial Lord's aura surged in that instant.

"A bloodline evolution!"

"This is a bloodline evolution!"

"How can the Fat Egg Martial Lord undergo a bloodline evolution?"

The scene before them was all too familiar to these Martial Lords.

When a Martial Lord advanced by a level, their descendants would experience a bloodline evolution.

But now, the Fat Egg Martial Lord was undergoing a bloodline evolution himself.

Wasn’t he the progenitor of his bloodline?

How could the origin of a bloodline evolve?

The Martial Lords were wide-eyed with curiosity.

They were astonished, and the Fat Egg Martial Lord himself was equally confused. "I... my bloodline evolved?"

"Fat Egg Martial Lord, could it be you’re not the progenitor of your bloodline and that you actually have a father?" one of the Martial Lords asked.

This was difficult to explain.

Normally, only descendants experienced bloodline evolution. How could the progenitor of a bloodline undergo such a thing?

"Impossible! I am born of heaven and earth—how could I have a father?" The Fat Egg Martial Lord shook his head frantically.

"Then how do you explain your bloodline evolution?

"Could it be that one of your descendants has broken through to Martial Lord and become a second-generation progenitor?

"The End Realm has long seen the decline of martial cultivation. That’s impossible.

"Even at the strongholds, the highest rank is Martial Lord.

"Several Martial Kings are at the peak, but unless they enter the Origin Land and receive the blessing of ancestral blood, they cannot break through to Martial Lord."

In other words, breakthroughs to Martial Lord had long been monopolized.

One had to enter the Origin Land and receive the ancestral blood blessing to advance.

But currently, the strongholds had not yet connected to the Origin Land, so how could anyone have broken through to Martial Lord?

Therefore, the most likely explanation was that the Fat Egg Martial Lord was not the original progenitor but a second-generation progenitor.

He actually... had a father.

"So, you must have a father hidden somewhere!"

"Fat Egg Martial Lord, not only are you a former titled Martial Lord, but you’ve also quietly gained a dad."

"Maybe it’s not a dad—maybe it’s an ancestor!"

The other Martial Lords laughed, some even envying the Fat Egg Martial Lord for having a father who could still break through.

In the current Origin Land, Martial Lords who could break through were incredibly rare.

"Could it be... I really have a long-lost father?"

...

Within one page of the Mountain River Scroll.

Wang Nanny frowned, her expression complicated.

"Wang Nanny, how is the progress?" a man asked in a low voice not far from Wang Nanny.

"Miss... hasn’t fallen in love with Tu Kongming."

"What? She hasn’t? That’s unacceptable.

"She and Tu Kongming must fall in love for this scroll to return to the correct timeline. Only then will our mission be complete.

"What went wrong? We need to fix this immediately!"

"Miss... seems closer to a bloodline descendant."

"A bloodline descendant?" The man frowned. "Go and talk to him. Make him stay away from Miss. We’ll help him with his mission."

"This bloodline descendant... his mental state seems a bit off. Miss has been with him for years and seems to have been affected. I’m afraid even if he stays away, Miss won’t fall for Tu Kongming anytime soon."

"If necessary, use force. Drug her, and let them sleep together. Once it’s done, she won’t have a choice!" the man said darkly.

"This..." Wang Nanny hesitated, feeling uneasy.

"Don’t think it’s wrong. We’re saving the world. If we have to use drastic measures to do that, so be it.

"We’re not asking for Miss’s life, just her chastity. It’s a necessary sacrifice.

"Besides, on the original timeline, Miss and Tu Kongming were already in love.

"For the world, we can sacrifice anyone, including all the bloodline descendants, or even destroy this entire Mountain River Scroll!" the man spoke passionately.

Clearly, he was willing to do whatever it took to save the Origin Land.

Sacrificing a few people was only natural.

Wang Nanny’s hesitation faded, and her gaze became determined. "Alright, I understand what needs to be done!"