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

Chapter 240: Returning to the Canglan Realm, Nascent Soul True Monarch!

[You have completed the Qingshui Village instance and received rewards.]

[Reward 1: Innate Seed.]

[Reward 2: Innate True Spirit.]

Information about these two rewards flooded into Qi Yuan's mind at that moment.

The Innate Seed, as the name suggests, is a seed. But this seed is extremely special. It can take root and grow in any world, develop under the owner's direction, and can then be replaced when the owner descends.

"This Innate Seed... is rather peculiar."

After reaching the Yin God level, Qi Yuan realized that in the past, his gameplay involved his Primordial Spirit entering the game world. However, his Primordial Spirit was somewhat unique, being one-time use and nearly identical to a physical body, with flesh and blood.

Regardless, it was a direct descent.

Now, with the Innate Seed, Qi Yuan could plant the seed first, allow it to grow, and then replace it when he descended himself.

"It doesn't seem particularly useful—at most, it allows for early entry into the game and a bit of foresight into the plot."

"No, wait... there is some utility. The feedback from the Innate Seed's power growth is greater than what the game would provide!"

This realization left Qi Yuan somewhat frustrated.

If he had obtained the Innate Seed earlier, he might already be at the Yin God level in the Canglan Realm by now.

As things stand, even after slaying two Yang Gods, he has only just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage upon returning to the Canglan Realm.

Qi Yuan then focused on the second reward: the Innate True Spirit.

Innate Beings are all born from the Innate True Spirit. Possessing an Innate True Spirit, Qi Yuan could even cultivate a new Mortal Heart Realm. Such a world of Innate Beings is highly coveted, even by Yang Gods. If Qi Yuan carefully nurtured it, his path to Yang God would extend very far indeed.

However, Qi Yuan simply chuckled and said, "What’s one Innate World compared to a Heavenly Court?"

He thought of the fallen Shenlei Great Venerable, his adopted daughter Qi Qi, and all the villagers of Qingshui Village.

Without hesitation, the Innate True Spirit before him, which looked like a peeled, crystalline egg, exuding an infinite, vast aura as though it could birth countless beings, was suddenly shattered by a multitude of sharp blades formed from Qi Yuan’s divine power.

"Let this become... my Nascent Souls."

With these words, the Innate True Spirit instantly split into 4,752 fragments—4,750 for the villagers and one each for the Foodless Holy Mother and the Tianbao Venerable.

The fragmented Innate True Spirit entered Qi Yuan’s divine domain.

Under his control, these Innate True Spirits transformed into Nascent Souls. In his divine domain, the assimilated divine power returned to these Nascent Souls. Countless memory fragments also flowed into the Nascent Souls.

"It’s time... to leave." Qi Yuan's gaze deepened.

The task was complete, and his time in the Mortal Heart Realm was running out—less than half a day remained.

In these last moments, he thought of the time he had once spent exploring this world with the Foodless Divine Mother. This time, he would take one last solitary look at the Mortal Heart Realm.

...

Canglan Realm.

In his small brick house, Qi Yuan’s eyes snapped open.

It felt as though ages had passed in an instant, with countless memories flooding his mind like fragments of a shattered mirror.

He glanced at the stars in the sky and sighed softly. "As expected... not even a quarter of an hour has passed in the Canglan Realm."

He had ventured into the game world again and then returned, yet the time in the Canglan Realm had remained frozen at the exact moment he left.

In his mind, memories surged like a flood.

Qi Yuan Sutra activated, temporarily sealing all memories as though storing them as a film.

The heavy expression on Qi Yuan’s face faded away.

He examined his Dantian.

Inside, he saw 4,752 Nascent Souls.

Each Nascent Soul radiated a terrifying aura, as though an Yin God slumbered within. If awakened, they would surely shake the Canglan Realm.

Moreover, these Nascent Souls were no ordinary gods.

For instance, Shenlei Great Venerable, who had acquired the Southern Pole Longevity Emperor Visualization Technique. Given time, he could potentially ascend to Yang God in a larger world!

Thus, each Nascent Soul within Qi Yuan possessed the potential to become a Yang God!

If they were to awaken, they could become 4,000+ Great Venerables—and possibly even Yang Gods!

"Oh dear, I’ve inadvertently created so many Nascent Souls. Now, I’ve truly earned the title of Nascent Soul True Monarch!"

In the Great Shang Kingdom, a Nascent Soul True Monarch was considered a top-tier figure.

The Sect Master of the Shenguang Sect, Elder Kumu, was also a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Qi Yuan’s nemesis, the Black Chicken Demon, was likewise a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

After much hardship, Qi Yuan had finally become a proper Nascent Soul True Monarch.

In the Great Shang Kingdom, he could now establish his own sect!

"A brick house no longer befits my status. This time, I’ll move into... a bungalow!"

As his power grew, so too did his standards, and his living quarters could no longer be so humble.

If there were televisions here, he would demand the best.

"This breakthrough was indeed significant." Qi Yuan reflected.

His power had increased tremendously. If he were to summon these Nascent Souls in the Canglan Realm, they would be much more effective than his Stellar Golden Core.

In the Canglan Realm, unless he encountered a great catastrophe, he could now walk freely.

Faced with a Great Venerable?

He could simply summon a Nascent Soul.

"Unfortunately, they’re all in a deep sleep. Who knows when they’ll fully awaken?"

Qi Yuan sighed.

The Nascent Souls within him slept soundly, unlikely to wake anytime soon.

"Let’s see what new abilities my cheat power has unlocked this time."

With each major breakthrough, Qi Yuan gained a new cheat ability.

For instance, his eyes could now see hidden information, and his ears could hear whispers and thoughts.

Now that he had advanced to Nascent Soul True Monarch, his cheat ability would update again.

"Hmm... this time, it’s..."

Qi Yuan was left speechless.

This time, he had unlocked his nose.

Generally speaking, when thinking of noses, people often think of dogs with a keen sense of smell.

But Qi Yuan’s nose had acquired a different ability...

"Lie detection? It grows longer or shorter... have I turned into Pinocchio?"

Qi Yuan’s newly awakened ability allowed his nose to lengthen or shorten depending on whether he detected a lie in what someone said.

Of course, this lengthening and shortening occurred under his control, so no one would notice his nose’s movements.

"This overlaps somewhat with my eyes' ability to see hidden information."

Qi Yuan mused.

But the overlap wasn’t much.

For instance, when examining a single object, Qi Yuan could only receive one piece of hidden information per day.

Sometimes, the hidden information involved distinguishing truth from lies.

Now, on the path to discerning truth, he had become even more precise.

"I wonder if it works on my own words?"

Qi Yuan had a sudden thought.

"Qi Yuan is the most handsome man in the Canglan Realm!"

Sadly, his nose didn’t change at all.

"Damn it, I can’t even cheat!"

Qi Yuan was frustrated. This ability was too limited.

"I’ll leave it be."

With that, Qi Yuan left his brick house.

This time, however, he didn’t walk with his usual casual air. Instead, he mimicked the stately gait of  Sect Leader Kumu.

If he were to change his clothes, walking around the Shenguang Sect, others might think he was an elder.

"Should I pretend to be an elder on patrol?"

The idea crossed Qi Yuan’s mind but was quickly dismissed.

He was now a Nascent Soul True Monarch. In the Shenguang Sect, this made him a peak leader. There was no need to pretend to be a leader inspecting his subordinates.

He stepped out of his brick house and looked toward a distant building.

He cleared his throat and called out, "Junior Sister."

After about ten breaths, a graceful figure emerged from the building.

Her hair was tied in two loops behind her ears, with braids on each side that reached her waist. Beneath her bangs, a pair of lively eyes shone.

Jiang Lingsu wore a round-collared, pink robe embroidered with gold edges, with a white inner garment. Despite the loose robe, it couldn’t hide the ample curves beneath.

She frowned at Qi Yuan and couldn’t help but say, "Senior Brother, walking with your hands behind your back like that, so old and stern... I thought you were some elder!"

"Am I not qualified to be an elder?" Qi Yuan retorted proudly.

With his recent breakthrough, he was now the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in the Shenguang Sect—no, in the entire Great Shang Kingdom—so he had every reason to be smug.

"Qualified, qualified... Hmm..." Suddenly, Jiang Lingsu glanced at the sky. "I just closed my eyes for a moment, and there’s another sun up there?"

She looked puzzled.

Because now, there were three suns in the sky.

The sight of three suns in the Canglan Realm was especially startling.

"Next time you go into seclusion, you might find the area around that sun filled with other suns when you come out!" Qi Yuan laughed.

He was currently employing military strategy, using the tactic of surrounding cities from the countryside, with his Stellar Golden Cores encircling the sun in the sky.

"Stop, that’s too terrifying!" Jiang Lingsu shook her head, dismissing the matter.

After all, such significant events were beyond her control.

"Senior Brother, why did you call me out?" Jiang Lingsu asked.

"I’ve got some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" Qi Yuan asked with a grin.

Jiang Lingsu’s health had always been poor, her body turning icy cold every so often.

Even with Qi Yuan’s warmth, he could only briefly alleviate the cold when holding her hand.

Unless they shared a bed every day, he couldn’t dispel her pain entirely.

Throughout his journey in the Mortal Heart Realm, Qi Yuan never forgot about his junior sister’s condition.

After all, she had supported him generously, and while Qi Yuan no longer needed her modest wealth, he wasn’t about to become ungrateful now that he was wealthy.

"Good news," Jiang Lingsu replied directly.

She knew that when talking with her senior brother, it was best to follow her instincts and say whatever came to mind.

"The good news is that I’ve found someone with a water-attribute heavenly spirit root who can cure your condition!"

Qi Yuan’s initial plan was to reach the level of a Golden Immortal and then capture a Purple Mansion cultivator to heal his junior sister.

But in the Mortal Heart Realm, he had encountered many Purple Mansion cultivators with water-attribute heavenly spirit roots and had chosen a particularly beautiful and obedient one to become one of his subjects.

Jiang Lingsu’s eyes lit up with excitement. "You found someone?"

Does that mean her illness could finally be cured?

Would she no longer have to endure such excruciating pain?

Overjoyed, she moved closer to Qi Yuan, grabbing his arm.

"Where is she?"

"But there’s also bad news," Qi Yuan said calmly. "The person I found isn’t at the Purple Mansion level."

"Ah?" Jiang Lingsu's excitement faded, disappointment flashing in her eyes.

Without a Purple Mansion cultivator, there was no way to permanently cure her condition.

And training a regular water-attribute heavenly spirit root cultivator to the Purple Mansion level... That was out of the question.

Even her Jiang Family couldn’t do it.

"Thank you for your efforts, Senior Brother, but it’s okay," Jiang Lingsu smiled brightly.

It was enough that her senior brother cared about her.

It didn’t matter if he couldn’t help.

"I’m not done with the bad news yet," Qi Yuan continued.

Jiang Lingsu pushed aside her earlier excitement and smiled, "What else is there?"

"The cultivator I found isn’t at the Purple Mansion level; she’s at the Yin God level."

In fact, she wasn’t just any Yin God but a Great Venerable—a God among gods.

Jiang Lingsu was stunned, her breath quickening. "Senior Brother... You found an Yin God?"

That was an Yin God!

An Yin God could do what a Purple Mansion cultivator could, and more!

Her senior brother was full of surprises!

But Jiang Lingsu was also a bit apprehensive. Her Jiang Family couldn’t even afford to hire an Yin God.

"But I’m not done with the bad news." Qi Yuan didn’t leave her in suspense this time. "That Yin God... is dead."

Jiang Lingsu blinked.

"She became one of my Nascent Souls."

Jiang Lingsu blinked again.

Why did that sound so strange?

"So, my Nascent Soul can heal you!" Qi Yuan boasted.

Jiang Lingsu was bewildered. After a long pause, she said, "Senior Brother... we’ve only been apart for one incense stick’s time, and now you’re pulling my leg?"

She playfully punched Qi Yuan, twisting his arm with a bit of force.

After all, she was only at the Foundation Establishment level, so she couldn’t really hurt the Golden Core-stage Qi Yuan, which meant she could go all out.

To be a Nascent Soul already, that was too hard to believe!

"Your senior brother never lies. Even if I do, it’s only for good reasons," Qi Yuan said nonchalantly. "Now, let’s go back to your room so I can heal you."

"Are you serious, Senior Brother?" Jiang Lingsu asked, astonished.

While her senior brother was unreliable at times, when he got serious, he was often right.

"I swear I’m not lying!" Qi Yuan replied earnestly.

Jiang Lingsu hesitated for a moment. "Wait, I need to gather my thoughts. This is all too much."

She was genuinely confused.

Her senior brother’s words were simply too unbelievable.

After a while, she clenched her teeth and said, "Alright, Senior Brother, I’ll believe you this time. But if you’re tricking me, you won’t hear the end of it!"