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

Chapter 91: Elder Xuanchong with a Bad Temper

In the palace hall.

True Lord Kumu sat at the main seat, smoke from the incense of Red Dust wafting past his face, obscuring his expression.

Frenzied Sword True Lord, the sect master of the Suspended Mountain Sect, squinted his eyes. "Dead, and the Soul Thought Flowers were taken by Qi Yuan?"

Below, Elder Li Xiao nodded.

Kang Fulou did the same, adding, "Roughly three hundred Soul Thought Flowers were taken by Qi Yuan, suggesting that he killed them all."

Upon returning from the Celestial Dragon Secret Realm, Li Xiao and Kang Fulou hurried to meet the sect master to report the events that transpired in the secret realm.

"Three hundred Red Demon Seed death warriors, at least a hundred of them being Golden Cores..." Frenzied Sword True Lord didn't finish his sentence.

This news was too shocking.

Even a late-stage Golden Core couldn't achieve such a feat.

Yet Qi Yuan was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Could it be that the Red Sword Sect didn't implant Red Demon Seeds in those death warriors?" The Empress of the Great Shang Kingdom, dressed in a light purple phoenix robe, had a puzzled expression on her fair, jade-like face.

"If that were the case, it would make sense... But without the Red Demon Seeds, how could the old emperor's grand plan succeed?" Frenzied Sword True Lord voiced his doubts.

True Lord Withered Wood sat silently at the main seat, deep in thought.

Finally, he pondered aloud, "Have we found the method to enter the Land of the Sunken Coffin yet? If we do, everything will be clear."

Elder Li Xiao shook his head. "Only the Red Sword Sect and the deceased old emperor might know."

Mentioning the Red Sword Sect weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

It was a formidable force, with terrifying experts at the Purple Mansion level.

Purple Mansion cultivators and Nascent Soul cultivators were worlds apart.

Purple Mansion cultivators could begin to decipher the essence of spiritual energy and wield fundamental power.

Fundamental power was immensely terrifying; Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't evade it and could only withstand it.

If a Purple Mansion expert came to the Divine Light Sect, even if all Nascent Soul cultivators of the sect joined forces, they would likely be defeated by the Purple Mansion expert.

While five or six late-stage Golden Core cultivators could contend with an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, five or six Nascent Soul cultivators unfamiliar with fundamental power would stand no chance against a Purple Mansion expert.

"The Red Sword Sect is some distance from the Great Shang Kingdom's cultivation world, and they have their own enemies. A Purple Mansion expert may not dare to leave their sect, so there's no need to worry," True Lord Kumu's words eased the crowd's anxiety.

At this moment, Kang Fulou said, "Breaking Wolf from the Radiant Palace is also likely dead in the Celestial Dragon Secret Realm, though it's unclear who killed him."

He paused before continuing.

True Lord Kumu looked at his son-in-law and said, "Speak your mind."

Kang Fulou continued, "Lu Fei and Liu Xing from the Demonic Desire Sect were both killed by Breaking Wolf. The old emperor and his death warriors were killed by Junior Brother Qi Yuan. A few months ago, Zhu Lianhua from the Radiant Palace sent a challenge to Seven-Colored Peak but was refused. The next day, Zhu Lianhua's body was found around the Divine Light Sect. Now, Breaking Wolf's death in the Celestial Dragon Secret Realm is also likely linked to Junior Brother Qi Yuan."

Kang Fulou spoke calmly, but his heart was not at peace.

After all, he had witnessed Breaking Wolf's strength, comparable to an early-stage Golden Core cultivator.

"Foundation Establishment stage... Interesting." Frenzied Sword True Lord's eyes gleamed. "Could it be that the Seven-Colored Peak master is actually a Purple Mansion expert in hiding?"

Although common belief in the Great Shang Kingdom was that Ruan Yixi was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, experts like Frenzied Sword True Lord and True Lord Withered Wood suspected she might be an injured Purple Mansion cultivator.

If she was a Purple Mansion cultivator, she could have granted Qi Yuan some fundamental power.

That would explain everything.

"No more discussion on this matter," True Lord Kumu concluded.

The others in the hall accepted his verdict.

With the matter resolved, they began to take their leave.

In the vast hall, only True Lord Withered Wood and the dignified and beautiful Empress of the Great Shang Kingdom remained.

True Lord Kumu stood up, walked to the Empress, and embraced her. Feeling her warm, full body, he said, "Muyu, you've worked hard."

The Empress, with her charming phoenix eyes, responded, "If it weren't for you back then, I would have long been dead. What's there to complain about?"

At that moment, True Lord Kumu pondered, "Do you think Qi Yuan killed Breaking Wolf and those death warriors with treasures given by Ruan Yixi, or by his own power?"

The Empress's dignified eyes showed pain, seemingly lost in memory. "Have you not given up?"

A fierce aura emanated from True Lord Kumu's eyes. "How can I forget? My clansmen were all killed by them. I must cultivate an exceptional genius, at least within the top one hundred of the Eastern Land Heaven's Pride List, to retrieve what our ancestors left us! Fulou is very diligent, but his talent is limited. Even reaching the Minor Heaven's Pride List is difficult, let alone the top one hundred."

The Empress didn't try to dissuade him further. "This matter must be approached cautiously and not decided lightly."

"That's why I need to send someone into the Celestial Dragon Secret Realm to investigate what happened in the Land of the Sunken Coffin. If Qi Yuan indeed did it, he deserves my investment!" Sect Leader's face was full of anticipation.

In a small place like the Great Shang Kingdom, the chance of encountering an exceptional genius was extremely low.

......

The clear sound of the token hitting the ground was like spring water striking a stone.

Qi Yuan woke up with a start. "Little Bride?"

He looked over and saw that his previously unconscious Little Bride seemed to have some awareness.

She didn't move much, just gripping Qi Yuan's sleeve tightly, timidly.

Gentleness flashed in Qi Yuan's eyes.

"You're awake?"

His eyes revealed that his Little Bride could wake up at any moment.

He hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

Was there some change?

Or was it that being with him helped her slowly recover?
Or was there another reason he didn't know about?

【Little Bride, Bride Princess, also your wife. Currently, she is in a semi-awakened state and may fully awaken in six days.】

Upon learning this, Qi Yuan felt excited.

No matter the reason, his Little Bride waking up was a good thing, wasn't it?

Qi Yuan held his Little Bride tightly.

But just now, his Little Bride, who threw the token, seemed to have exhausted all her energy and fell asleep again.

After about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the Little Bride disappeared from the bed and left a wedding dress mark on Qi Yuan's chest.

Qi Yuan left his room.

Now, he had the modified recipe for Soul-Splitting Pills and the main ingredient, the Soul Thought Flowers. The other ingredients were not rare.

Qi Yuan decided to go to the Divine Medicine Peak to seek the help of an alchemist to refine the pills.

In the Great Shang Kingdom's cultivation world, alchemists were a combination of healers and pill refiners.

They could not only heal but also refine pills.

Because of this, Divine Medicine Peak was the richest of the Divine Light Sect's peaks.

It also had the most miscellaneous disciples.

As Qi Yuan entered Divine Medicine Peak, a pretty Foundation Establishment female disciple approached. "Senior Brother Qi Yuan, what brings you to Divine Medicine Peak? Are you injured?
I am skilled in various medical arts and can treat you privately for free."

On Divine Medicine Peak, even miscellaneous disciples were ranked.

Pretty female disciples like her were given light duties, responsible for reception and occasionally earning some extra money.

For these miscellaneous disciples, the most important thing was to have a good eye and remember the big figures of the sect.

Otherwise, it would be a joke to turn away a big figure.

Faced with the implicit suggestion in the pretty female disciple's words, Qi Yuan said, "Thank you for your kind offer, Junior Sister. I need to find an elder to refine some pills. Do you know which elder is available?"

The pretty female disciple looked disappointed but quickly replied, "There are four elders available: Elder White Crane, Elder Xuanchong..."

She detailed the four elders.

"Elder Xuanchong," Qi Yuan decided. "Please lead the way, Junior Sister."

Qi Yuan was always polite to his fellow disciples, displaying a gentlemanly demeanor.

The pretty female disciple led Qi Yuan up Divine Medicine Peak, explaining Elder Xuanchong's background along the way.

"Elder Xuanchong is not originally from the Great Shang Kingdom. He is an outsider brought back by the sect master and is the second most skilled healer on Divine Medicine Peak. However, this elder..."

She looked around, then whispered in Qi Yuan's ear, "He has a bad temper. I heard that once, a true disciple asked him to refine a potion, but because the disciple accidentally said the potion smelled bad, the elder broke his leg."

"Understood." Qi Yuan didn't mind.

Talented people often had eccentricities.

Among the Divine Flower Four Royals, except for him, who didn't have a screw loose?
Yet they were all at the provincial level.

Unlike him, who was still struggling at the village level.

Soon, under the guidance of the pretty female disciple, Qi Yuan arrived outside Elder Xuanchong's cave dwelling, where they waited quietly.

Qi Yuan glanced at the pretty female disciple and softly said, "You have a water attribute spiritual root, right? Recently, you've been around too many fire crystal stones, causing your spiritual energy to become unstable. Eating some cooling food can help."

Qi Yuan was genuinely kind to his fellow disciples.

After being a free guide for so long, giving a bit of advice was nothing.

The pretty female disciple was initially confused but then delighted. "Thank you, Senior Brother Qi Yuan!"

She had indeed been feeling something wrong with her cultivation recently but didn't know why.

At this moment, a sharp voice came from within the cave dwelling.

"How did you see that?"

The speaker was Elder Xuanchong from within the cave.

The cave door opened, and the pretty female disciple left on her own accord.

Qi Yuan entered the cave and immediately felt a strong wood attribute aura.

Elder Xuanchong, his face covered in black soot, stood before a broken alchemy furnace.

It seemed he had failed in pill refining and caused an explosion.

"My eyes saw it," Qi Yuan, skilled in the Five Elements Qi, was highly sensitive to the Five Elements.

Xuanchong looked at Qi Yuan, his eyes flashing with interest. He casually asked, "I heard you killed Breaking Wolf in the Celestial Dragon Secret Realm?"

"It wasn't me. How could I dare offend the Radiant Palace?" Qi Yuan quickly denied it.

Xuanchong's eyes showed disappointment but then asked, "Did you kill the old emperor and his death warriors?"

"Yes!" Qi Yuan didn't hide it. The old emperor was dead, and likely had no one behind him.

Moreover, it wasn't a secret that he had obtained the Soul Thought Flowers. Anyone could find out with a bit of investigation.

"Can you tell me how you killed them?" Elder Xuanchong was curious.

"One slash at a time."

Elder Xuanchong stared at Qi Yuan and suddenly laughed. "I believe you."

"What do you want to be refined?"

"Soul-Splitting Pills." Qi Yuan handed over the recipe and Soul Thought Flowers.

Elder Xuanchong examined the recipe and was surprised. "This is different from the ones I've seen."

"I improved it. Use this one to refine the pills." Qi Yuan was surprised Elder Xuanchong recognized the original recipe.

It seemed this old man had an unusual background.

But so what?
The Divine Light Sect was full of holes anyway.

Elder Xuanchong looked at the recipe and took the Soul Thought Flowers. He said, "The other ingredients are available on Divine Medicine Peak, but we don't have any Xuan Chicken Feathers. You'll have to buy them from the market."

Qi Yuan nodded. "How much will the ingredients and labor cost?"

"Free, no need for spirit stones." Xuanchong's sharp voice sounded, and he forced a smile that looked eerie.

"Why?" Qi Yuan was surprised.

"Because you are a key disciple of the sect master," Xuanchong smiled.

Qi Yuan felt confused.

Then, Xuanchong took out a gourd from his storage bag.

"I have a few Soul-Splitting Pills here. You need them, so take them."

Qi Yuan checked the gourd and saw it indeed contained Soul-Splitting Pills.

He remembered what the pretty female disciple had said.

Who said Elder Xuanchong had a bad temper?

He's a great person!
"Elder Xuanchong, I'll take the pills. I'll take care of you in your old age!" Qi Yuan needed the Soul-Splitting Pills badly.

Even if Xuanchong had ulterior motives, it didn't matter.

Better to take the advantage first!

"You talk interestingly." Xuanchong wasn't angry at the mention of taking care of him in old age. "Get the Xuan Chicken Feathers, and I'll refine the pills."

"Okay!" Qi Yuan left the cave, disappearing in a flash of light.

In the cave, Xuanchong looked at the Soul Thought Flowers, his expression changing.

At this moment, a spatial fluctuation occurred, and True Lord Kumu appeared in the cave.