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

Chapter 358: If They Dare to Stop the Martial Arts Tournament, I’ll Blow Up a Star for Them to See!

At the base.

Qi Yuan's figure gradually solidified into reality.

After completing the mission, he returned to the base once again.

"The mission reward is a bit ordinary."

Looking at the blood-red pill, Qi Yuan seemed uninterested.

But even a small reward was still a reward, so he swallowed the pill anyway.

He stepped out of his residence and looked around at a base that was now ten times larger than before.

Over the years, Qi Yuan had completed many missions, and the base within this world of death energy had expanded significantly.

Many smaller bases had merged into one.

What used to be small outposts had now become a large base.

This large base was powerful, with many strong individuals. The once-rare Martial Kings were now numerous.

There was even a branch of the Genius Alliance here.

"This time wasn’t bad. I can send some grandfathers and grandmothers out again."

This mission world could be considered the largest Qi Yuan had ever experienced.

He had slaughtered an entire demon realm and ascended to the level of Martial Lord.

His body had absorbed several new bloodlines.

He could now send out more grandfathers and grandmothers.

“It’s a shame, though, that the Nascent Soul of Holy Mother Wu Shi still can’t be sent out.”

Thinking back to his time with Holy Mother Wu Shi, Qi Yuan felt a bit sentimental.

Their relationship was distant yet deep, with a significant bond between them.

Especially since Holy Mother Wu Shi had given him the Devourer Origin, which had greatly helped him.

Without it, he wouldn’t have advanced to Martial Lord so quickly.

“When you wake up, I’ll treat you to some fish.”

Qi Yuan muttered, as if his memory was traveling through time, back to the first time he met Wu Shi.

That frail girl who was exceptionally true to her word.

Shaking off these thoughts, Qi Yuan made his way to the Blood Jade Wall.

About a quarter of an hour later, Qi Yuan opened his eyes, a trace of disappointment flashing in them.

This time, he had sent many grandfathers and grandmothers to the Origin Land again.

However, the Nascent Soul of Holy Mother Wu Shi remained quietly within his body, still dormant.

“Wu Shi? Wanna check out your innerwear?”

Qi Yuan teased a little.

Unfortunately, the Nascent Soul showed no response, remaining as silent as ever.

At that moment, a young man dressed in white suddenly approached Qi Yuan directly. Judging by his attire, he was from the Genius Alliance.

Qi Yuan recognized him.

After the base mergers, this member of the Genius Alliance had once invited Qi Yuan to join their ranks.

However, Qi Yuan had declined.

He had no interest in joining the Genius Alliance and refused immediately.

"Mr. Qi, some distinguished guests arrived at the base a few days ago, and they wish to meet you."

"Oh? What do they want with me?" Qi Yuan asked.

If it wasn't anything important, he was planning to leave.

He hadn’t seen Canary in a while and missed her greatly.

“I heard it’s related to the Origin Land,” the Genius Alliance member said hesitantly.

“Is that so? That’s worth checking out. Lead the way.”

Meanwhile, in a smoke-filled private room of a restaurant.

Three peak Martial Kings sat together, chatting and laughing. Each of them radiated the aura of authority.

Behind each of them stood two other peak Martial Kings.

However, these standing Martial Kings resembled servants.

If one looked closely, they would notice that they were ancient martial artists.

Blood warriors were divided into New Martial and Ancient Martial paths.

Due to practicing Ancient Martial Arts, their cultivation level would drop by a level upon entering the Mountain and Sea Painting Scrolls.

The stronger they were, the harder the tasks became, and the dangers they faced increased exponentially.

As a result, many ancient martial artists chose to rely on new martial artists, signing a Blood Martial Contract and becoming servants.

With this arrangement, both parties’ tasks would synchronize, with the new martial artist protecting the ancient one.

Thus, even if these ancient martial artists reached the level of peak Martial King, even in their old age, they still had to rely on the new martial artists for survival.

This is the harsh reality of the world: without support, they would die!

After all, entering the Mountain and Sea Painting Scrolls as an ancient martial artist was like a Nascent Soul cultivator facing off against a Purple Mansion cultivator.

The man sitting at the head of the table was a middle-aged man wearing short sleeves, looking like a typical, unimpressive martial artist.

However, no one in the room dared to underestimate him.

This was because he was Mu Yan, an Executor of the Genius Alliance headquarters.

The Genius Alliance had a total of 36 Executors, and each one had the record of slaying a peak Martial King.

"The leader of this base, named Qi Yuan, is quite interesting," Mu Yan said, his voice gruff. His name and voice contrasted sharply with his appearance.

“I’ve heard of him as well. Every time he completes a mission, he captures the target and slaughters all the demons in the Mountain and Sea Painting Scroll before completing the task. Many people hope to meet him and team up with him.” A woman chuckled, adding, “He seems to be someone who despises demons.”

This woman had an unusual appearance—she had two heads, one with a human face and the other with a monkey's face.

Clearly, she had grafted demon blood into herself, becoming a hybrid.

Such people were not uncommon in the base.

“Slaughtering an entire world of demons suggests he’s likely a peak Martial King. He barely qualifies to join us in entering the Origin Land,” remarked a short man.

"It’s a pity he doesn’t have a Martial Lord Mark. Even if he manages to enter the Origin Land, he’ll just be cannon fodder." The woman sighed.

For people like them, strength wasn’t the most important thing anymore. The Martial Lord Mark was.

The Martial Lord Mark was incredibly rare and difficult to obtain, with strict requirements:

First, the bloodline ancestor had to still be alive.

Second, the bloodline concentration had to be extremely high.

Third, the martial talent had to be exceptional.

Only those who met all three criteria would be recognized by a Martial Lord from the Origin Land and granted a Martial Lord Mark.

The Martial Lord Mark couldn’t be transferred or stolen.

With a Martial Lord Mark, one could enter the Origin Land, consume the blood of ancestors, and break through to the Martial Lord realm.

The three peak Martial Kings present all had Martial Lord Marks. So, once they entered the Origin Land, they could step into the legendary Martial Lord realm, becoming second-generation bloodline ancestors.

That was why their pride was understandable.

“Although he doesn’t have a Martial Lord Mark, his combat power is impressive—he’s like a fine blade,” Mu Yan commented.

“Too bad. Fine blades like him tend to be overly rigid and unwilling to sign Blood Martial Contracts,” the woman said with a trace of regret in her voice.

Most new martial artists didn’t like the idea of becoming servants.

“You scoundrel, it’s bad enough you enslave people in real life, and now you’re spreading that habit here too?” Mu Yan couldn’t help but scold.

“Such a shame. I haven’t been to the real world in so long. I heard you can recruit servants online now,” the woman said with a wistful smile.

The stronger they were, the more restricted they became by the base, almost unable to return to reality.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and the three of them stopped talking.

“Come in,” Mu Yan said.

The door opened, and the Genius Alliance member led Qi Yuan inside.

Several sharp gazes, like hawks and wolves, immediately focused on Qi Yuan.

Under the scrutiny of these peak Martial Kings, Qi Yuan remained calm and composed.

"This must be Mr. Qi Yuan. You certainly live up to your reputation—handsome and dignified," Mu Yan said, his tone polite.

“I’m in a hurry to see my wife. Let’s skip the greetings and pleasantries. Just tell me what you need from me,” Qi Yuan said, always one for efficiency.

There was no point wasting time on formalities.

Hearing this, the woman’s eyes flashed with a flirtatious smile, and the monkey-faced side of her mouth curled into a lascivious grin. “I like it when servants resist a little—it makes things more interesting.”

Mu Yan paused for a moment, then smiled and got to the point. “We’re here to invite Mr. Qi to join us in entering the Origin Land. Are you interested?”

Upon reaching the level of Martial King, one gradually learned the truth of the world and gained some knowledge about the Origin Land.

“I’m interested. How do we get in, and when?” Qi Yuan asked.

He figured completing the mission to become a Spirit Martial Lord would require entering the Origin Land.

“The exact time is uncertain—it could be as soon as three days or as long as a hundred years. But to enter the Origin Land, we first have to cross the… Black Sea. The Black Sea is filled with dangers, with monsters formed by various natural laws. Even Martial Kings can perish there. Do you have the courage to cross it?” Mu Yan asked.

In general, the Origin Land held great allure for martial artists, especially those with a Martial Lord Mark.

But for ordinary martial artists, it wasn’t as tempting.

Especially since they had to cross the Black Sea.

All bases were surrounded by the Black Sea.

Monstrous beasts in the Black Sea often swallowed entire bases whole.

All martial artists treated the Black Sea with caution.

The rules in the Black Sea constantly changed, and even Martial Kings could fall.

“Oh, sure. Just call me when you’re ready. Here, add me on the communicator so you can reach me anytime.” Qi Yuan handed over the base’s special communicator.

“Impressive. Brother Qi Yuan, you truly have courage!” Mu Yan’s tone shifted from formal to familiar as he added Qi Yuan’s contact.

With an extra peak Martial King on their side, their chances of crossing the Black Sea increased.

“Since we’re done here, I’ll take my leave. Goodbye, everyone. Bye-bye,” Qi Yuan said, always polite, even when leaving.

Mu Yan smiled. “Looking forward to our next meeting.”

At this point, the monkey-faced woman spoke up, her voice dripping with flirtation. “I heard Brother Qi has been searching for a good wife for a friend. Do you think I’d be suitable?”

She batted her eyes at Qi Yuan.

“Not suitable,” Qi Yuan replied, shaking his head.

She had way too much hair.

You didn’t even need to take her clothes off to see it.

“Am I not ‘wow’ enough?” The monkey-faced woman blinked her eyes.

She had heard that Qi Yuan was always looking for an ‘amazing’ wife for his good friend.

Looking at the monkey-faced woman’s face and all that hair, Qi Yuan said, “You’re a bit too ‘wow.’”

---

Gently holding Canary's delicate feet, Qi Yuan’s expression was calm as he slid his hand up her patterned stockings. His eyes showed a trace of affection as he brushed her hair away and leaned in closer.

Canary closed her eyes and hugged Qi Yuan tightly, letting out the longing she had felt over the past few years.

When the first rays of the morning sun rose, Canary looked up at him with watery eyes and a slight pout. “How does it feel like you’ve gotten a lot stronger?”

Qi Yuan embraced her and said casually, “Could it be because my ‘Explosive Bird Punch’ broke through your defenses?”

“Get lost! I’ll bite you to death!” Canary bit down hard on Qi Yuan’s shoulder, leaving a neat row of teeth marks.

“What’s been happening in the real world these past few years?” Qi Yuan asked casually.

“Nothing interesting,” Canary replied.

Without Qi Yuan, the world felt dull and boring. It was more fun playing on her Stellar Gold Core.

“If there’s anything major, it’s just small matters to us. In recent years, the Three Realms Alliance launched an invasion of the Wu Gui Kingdom to expand its recruitment efforts. This has led to a war between Qin Yuan and the Wu Gui Kingdom.

With the support of the Three Realms Alliance’s cultivators, the Wu Gui Kingdom has been losing ground.”

The conflict between the Wu Gui Kingdom and Qin Yuan ran deep.

With the help of cultivators from the Three Realms Alliance, the war seemed inevitable.

“Oh, a war?” Qi Yuan wasn’t particularly interested.

“But the Seventh Prince told Zero-One that the real reason for the war is that an ancient ruin was discovered on the border of the Wu Gui Kingdom. This ruin... is closely connected to the Eye of the Sky,” Canary explained.

The technological level of both Qin Yuan and the Wu Gui Kingdom was below that of Canxing.

Even Canxing couldn’t create a weapon like the Eye of the Sky, so how could Qin Yuan?

This weapon, which could destroy a Purple Mansion cultivator, had actually been unearthed by Qin Yuan and the Wu Gui Kingdom.

The origin of this weapon was suspected to be alien.

Now, with the discovery of another alien ruin, neither Qin Yuan nor the Three Realms Alliance could remain idle.

What if it contained weapons more powerful than the Eye of the Sky?

“Let them fight. Just don’t interfere with my Martial Arts Tournament,” Qi Yuan said, unconcerned.

“I heard the Wu Gui Kingdom has already asked for help from Canxing. We might see an interstellar war soon,” Canary added. “But Qin Yuan, combined with the Three Realms cultivators, should be able to fend off Canxing unless Canxing gets external assistance.”

Canary’s eyes darkened as she recalled the faint presence of the Myriad Demon World.

If the Myriad Demon World allied with Canxing, Qin Yuan’s current forces might struggle to hold them off.

“It’s fine. It doesn’t concern us. For ordinary people, it’s just a matter of a new ruler on the throne, right?” Qi Yuan said casually.

It was all just a game to him, and he wasn’t particularly invested.

“What if Canxing takes over Gongxing and stops holding the Martial Arts Tournament?” Canary joked, wrapping her slender arms around Qi Yuan’s waist.

Despite her small frame, she clung to Qi Yuan like a doll.

“No way!” Qi Yuan said seriously. “If they dare stop the Martial Arts Tournament, I’ll blow up the nearest planet and show them who’s boss!”

There were still plenty of planets near Canxing, but none of them had any signs of life.

According to Canary, this part of the universe was only about the size of a solar system.

Beyond its edges, even Canary couldn’t explore further.

“You can blow up a planet now?” Canary’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

She was capable of exterminating all life on a planet, but physically blowing one up? That was another level.

“Ahem, I was just exaggerating. If push comes to shove, I’ll toss the Stellar Gold Core onto one of their nearby planets,” Qi Yuan said offhandedly.

“That’s not the same,” Canary countered, her eyes sparkling. “I really want to see you blow up a planet! It’d be so cool!”

“You’re making things difficult for your man, but… it’s still possible,” Qi Yuan said, staying composed.

As long as Shenlei Grand Sovereign and the others broke through to the Yang God realm, Qi Yuan’s strength would increase, and he might even reach the Yang God level himself.

When that happened, blowing up a planet wouldn’t be out of reach.

“When you’re about to blow up a planet, tell me in advance. I want to record a video and post it online. It’ll go viral for sure, and I’ll gain a ton of followers. Heehee!” Canary giggled.

“You’re starting to sound more and more like the female lead of a romance drama. Do you want me to show you some nuclear bombs?” Qi Yuan laughed.

Spending time with Canary, life became light and joyful again.