Golden Core is a Star, and You Call This Cultivation?

Qi Yuan lowered his head in thought.

Jiang Lingsu listened carefully while contemplating how she could improve her cultivation.

"Could it be that I’m the long-lost ancestor of Black Demon Abyss?" Qi Yuan speculated.

"Ungrateful descendants, making their own ancestor work for them!"

This thought filled Qi Yuan with some indignation.

"Come, let’s go meet the manager," Qi Yuan said softly.

Black Demon Abyss had five chief stewards at this outpost in the Molo Sacred Tower, along with several other regular stewards.

Each of the chief stewards was a myth-level cultivator, while the regular ones were at least Great Sovereigns.

There were hundreds of guest elders like Qi Yuan—essentially specialists. There were even more ordinary laborers, who were more like common workers.

In other words, there were many powerful individuals. But given the vast number of beings in a Molo Sacred Tower, even more than in the Canglan Realm, this wasn’t surprising.

As they left the cave residence and looked around, they saw that everything was painted black.

Black bridges, black trees, black stones, and even the water flowing under the bridge was black like ink.

This was because the creatures of Black Demon Abyss had a particular fondness for the color black.

"At least the air isn’t black," Qi Yuan muttered as he walked across the bridge toward the heart of the Black Demon Abyss outpost.

On the bridge, they saw many guest elders, but there were far more laborers at the Purple Mansion level, while guest elders like Qi Yuan were rarer.

Whenever these laborers encountered Qi Yuan, they bowed in respect.

In Black Demon Abyss, status was clear-cut, and strength and bloodline meant everything.

At this moment, Qi Yuan leaned on the bridge’s railing, admiring the scenery of the outpost.

Jiang Lingsu couldn’t stay too far from Qi Yuan, so she clung tightly to his arm, acting very intimately.

"The Upper Realm is quite something—this bridge is interesting," Qi Yuan remarked.

The bridge was actually a magical treasure.

To reach the depths of the outpost, one had to cross the bridge.

However, the time it took to cross didn’t depend on how fast one flew but rather on the status indicated by their identity token.

For ordinary laborers, no matter how fast they walked or flew, crossing the bridge would take over a hundred breaths, just like walking at a mortal’s pace.

For guest elders, the time varied depending on their rank.

With Qi Yuan’s guest elder token, he would typically need about thirty breaths to cross the bridge.

“This is the first time I’ve seen such a magical treasure. Does that mean… if I set it to take a million years to cross, and I hide at the other end, wouldn’t my enemy never be able to reach me?” Jiang Lingsu joked.

"What if the enemy doesn't cross the bridge at all?" Qi Yuan laughed.

This bridge was only somewhat interesting.

It worked well for keeping lower-level cultivators in check, like a rule of the realm, but for a Great Sovereign with a divine domain, there were many ways to bypass it.

Even Qi Yuan, at the Purple Mansion level, could find ways across.

Of course, since he was pretending to be an elder of Futu Mountain, he had to stick to the persona.

After thirty breaths, Qi Yuan arrived at the heart of the Black Demon Abyss outpost.

Before him stood a massive black stone.

He pulled out his identity token.

The black stone opened a gaping black mouth, emitting a ghostly light that made the scene eerie.

Qi Yuan strode forward with Jiang Lingsu and entered the building.

Inside, an old dwarf sat hunched over, fiddling with something that resembled a Rubik’s cube.

When the old dwarf sensed someone entering, he looked up with a sideways glance.

"What do you want?"

Though one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, this old dwarf wasn’t human, so Qi Yuan judged by appearances anyway.

The old man looked like he had a strange temperament, perhaps from cultivating too long and ruining his mind.

“Steward Ke, I want to know how much merit I need to exchange for a Sky-Passing Jade,” Qi Yuan said. He was eager to ascend to the Sixth Heaven and reach the Abyss of Demons to meet Jin Li.

It was already May.

“Sky-Passing Jade?” The old dwarf gave Qi Yuan a sidelong glance. “That’s not easy to get. It requires 10,000 merit points, and even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to exchange for one.”

Qi Yuan’s eyes widened. “Does that mean I have to work for 10,000 years?”

Gathering a single thread of Miluo Light would earn him one merit point.

On average, it took a Yin God about a year to gather a thread of Miluo Light.

So, Qi Yuan would need to work for 10,000 years to accumulate the necessary merit.

Based on a monthly salary of 5,000, after 10,000 years of work, without spending a single dime, he could earn 6 billion.

On Blue Star, that would make him quite wealthy, enough to buy a nice luxury home in a big city.

“Although your identity information hasn’t been recorded yet, with that black jade token, your guest elder status is solid. Would you like to take on the task of collecting Miluo Light? The sooner you gather enough merit, the sooner you can head to the Sixth Heaven,” the old dwarf said indifferently.

Normally, someone like Qi Yuan would take months or even years for their identity to be fully registered.

The cultivator in charge of that was likely in seclusion or busy with other matters.

Such delays were normal in the Upper Realm.

“Alright,” Qi Yuan thought for a moment and accepted the task of gathering Miluo Light.

In any case, the task required a hundred years to complete, and who knew where he’d be a century from now?

For now, he would just use his status in Black Demon Abyss as a cover to collect Miluo Light, all while fishing for other opportunities.

After leaving the outpost, Qi Yuan stretched lazily. “I suddenly feel like I’m really cultivating now that I’ve reached the Upper Realm… Back in the lower realm, it all felt like playing a game.”

This was an honest reflection from Qi Yuan.

His path of cultivation had often felt like playing a game—either he was meeting one of his white lotuses or annihilating a sect.

But taking on tasks as a guest elder? This was something new.

“Isn’t this the normal life of most cultivators? It’s how they spend their whole lives,” Jiang Lingsu said absentmindedly.

“This kind of cultivation is too boring,” Qi Yuan took a deep breath and checked the gaming jade slip with his spiritual sense.

The game icon was still loading and hadn’t succeeded yet.

“Let’s go collect some Miluo Light,” Qi Yuan said, leading Jiang Lingsu away.

To collect Miluo Light, they had to travel to the Miluo Realm.

The Molo Clan’s territory was vast, with their sacred towers spread far apart. Even Yang Gods needed considerable time to travel between them.

Moreover, if a Yang God flew at full speed, they would definitely attract the attention of Creation Artifacts or other Yang God Celestial Sovereigns of the Molo Clan.

But the Miluo Realm was different. It was similar to the Dark Void, or rather, a rougher version of it.

The Dark Void was the special place traversed by teleportation arrays, an unfathomable space.

Even a Yang God could only pass through the Dark Void via teleportation arrays, unable to explore it with their physical bodies.

This made the Dark Void a subject of much speculation and research in the Immortal Realm.

The Miluo Realm was a crude version of the Dark Void, where cultivators could enter.

However, it was complex and filled with dangers. Even a Yin God Sovereign could perish there if they weren’t careful.

But for traveling, the Miluo Realm was incredibly convenient and discreet.

Only those at the Great Sovereign level or higher, with their divine domains, typically used the Miluo Realm for travel.

The Miluo Realm, under the control of the Molo Clan, was rich in Miluo Light.

To enter the Miluo Realm to gather Miluo Light, one needed credentials from the major factions, which was one reason Qi Yuan had joined Black Demon Abyss.

After several hundred breaths, Qi Yuan and Jiang Lingsu arrived at the entrance to the Miluo Realm.

There was a long line at the entrance.

Molo Clan cultivators stood guard, their expressions lazy and their attitudes arrogant, as they inspected those entering the Miluo Realm.

Many Purple Mansion cultivators, now as silent as mortals, quietly stood in line. No one dared to cut in.

Even Yin God Sovereigns weren’t exempt, though their line was much shorter.

Qi Yuan was about to join the line when a voice suddenly sounded in his ear, “You are a guest elder of Black Demon Abyss, no need to queue.”

The speaker was a Yin God Sovereign waiting in line. He looked at Qi Yuan with envy in his eyes.

“In the Molo Clan, those from Black Demon Abyss and Taihuang Palace… have special privileges,” the Yin God Sovereign added.

The Molo Clan had long fawned over Black Demon Abyss, hoping to one day rejoin them as a branch family.

Unfortunately, Black Demon Abyss continued to ignore them.

“Oh, not bad. I’m basically a foreign VIP now?” After thanking the Yin God Sovereign, Qi Yuan took Jiang Lingsu and headed toward the Miluo Realm.

Sure enough, when the Molo Clan cultivators saw Qi Yuan’s specially tailored black robe, they snapped to attention. Their previously arrogant demeanor turned deferential.

"Greetings, Senior!" they all saluted, their eyes filled with envy.

"Hmm."

Without giving them much attention, Qi Yuan walked smoothly into the Miluo Realm under their envious gazes.

The scene before him shifted as they entered the Miluo Realm.

Qi Yuan carefully observed and noticed that the Miluo Realm was devoid of spiritual energy.

Because of this, cultivators inside the Miluo Realm couldn’t cultivate while gathering Miluo Light.

Looking into the distance, he saw space collapsing rapidly several thousand meters away.

A dangerous aura filled the air, and many cultivators were fleeing in the Miluo Realm.

“This place is indeed perilous. Even an ordinary Yin God Sovereign might not make it out alive,” Qi Yuan remarked as he observed the scene.

The space collapse wasn’t heading in his direction, so he wasn’t worried, watching the scene like a spectator.

"Let’s set up camp here for now," Qi Yuan said.

Jiang Lingsu frowned. “Senior Brother, there’s no spiritual energy here. How am I supposed to cultivate? Do I just rely on spirit stones?”

“No problem, I’ll breathe some for you,” Qi Yuan said casually. “Imported spiritual energy, more high-end!”

“Pff!” Jiang Lingsu’s face turned red.

Just then, a surprised voice rang out, “Blood Robe… you’ve come to collect Miluo Light too!”

Qi Yuan turned to see a familiar face—it was none other than Ji Buping.

Ji Buping was dressed in black robes and looked somewhat disheveled.

Beside him was a hideous old woman, who appeared to be Ji Buping’s master.

The old woman was a myth-level cultivator, making her a top-tier expert.

"Joining Black Demon Abyss, what else is there to do but collect Miluo Light?" Qi Yuan said lazily.

Ji Buping’s expression shifted as feelings of frustration filled his heart.

To speed up his collection of Miluo Light and advance within Black Demon Abyss, he had sacrificed his dignity, becoming a temporary partner to this old woman, all to earn the status of guest elder. And yet, Blood Robe had effortlessly secured his place.

This made Ji Buping feel like his sacrifices had been in vain.

The hideous old woman glanced at Qi Yuan before looking away, then led Ji Buping away toward the mountains.

“So, he’s the Blood Robe that the core members took notice of? Aside from his good looks, there doesn’t seem to be anything special about him,” the old woman mused.

To her, even the core members of Black Demon Abyss were big shots.

She had spent tens of thousands of years in the Fifth Heaven, accumulating merit to earn the qualifications for Illuminating the Heavens and become a core member of Black Demon Abyss.

Hearing this, Ji Buping grew even more frustrated. “Maybe he’s just lucky…”

The hideous old woman glanced at Ji Buping. “Don’t worry too much about him. No matter how good his looks are, in the end, he’s just a toy for a powerful figure. But you… you have a fourth-grade bloodline, and there’s a sliver of a chance for you to become a core member of Black Demon Abyss.”

That sliver of hope was indeed tiny, but it was there. So the old woman wasn’t exactly lying.

Ji Buping’s eyes lit up with renewed determination.

In the Miluo Realm, danger could strike at any moment, so cultivators couldn’t afford to focus solely on meditation. They remained vigilant of their surroundings.

As Ji Buping kept an eye on the Miluo Light, he also occasionally glanced toward the distant camp where Qi Yuan and Jiang Lingsu were.

The young man and woman seemed to be on a leisurely trip, with tables and chairs set up around their camp, along with various foods and fruits.

Ji Buping’s eyes filled with envy, mixed with a hint of malice.

"At this rate, they’ll waste an entire year and not capture a single thread of Miluo Light!"

Ji Buping cursed in his heart.

Some time later, Ji Buping’s brow furrowed, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

“Where are they going?”

He saw the distant camp being dismantled, the tables and chairs being put away along with all the food.

“Could they have found Miluo Light? I need to follow them!”

With that thought, he quickly followed in the direction Qi Yuan had disappeared.

But after only a few breaths, Ji Buping was completely lost.

"Where did they go?"

He was bewildered, realizing he had lost track of them almost instantly.

"Something is definitely off about him!" Ji Buping stopped and pondered, his mind racing with thoughts.

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan had already placed Jiang Lingsu into his Netherworld.

Alone, he moved swiftly through the Miluo Realm, heading toward another Molo Sacred Tower.

As the saying goes, "Don't eat the grass near your burrow."

So, he figured it would be better to go farther away to cast his net.

As for Ji Buping following him, Qi Yuan had noticed but didn’t care.

If the guy wanted to follow him, he could invite him along next time.

Ji Buping clearly had ambition—after all, he was willing to sleep with an old woman.

Surely, he’d be up for some big schemes.

Qi Yuan laughed to himself at the thought.

His figure soon reached another exit of the Miluo Realm.

Here, several Molo Clan cultivators were guarding the exit.

To Qi Yuan, these guards were weak.

Activating his Great Forgetfulness Sutra, he walked straight out without being noticed.

“Laying the groundwork is an art.”

“It has to be subtle, but not too subtle.”

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