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

In the inner city.

Blood Tiger reclined in his seat of authority.

Around him sat numerous nobles who, like him, were part-human, part-specter, and part-beast.

Some had bull heads, while others had pig faces. Hundreds of such bizarre figures were gathered together, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a grotesque zoo.

These strange nobles were engrossed in the spectacle below, their expressions wild with excitement.

On the Prisoner’s Arena, scantily clad men and women wielded swords, brutally fighting each other.

The nobles’ eyes glinted with feral bloodlust as they shouted, their breathing heavy with exhilaration.

“Useless! Twist his neck already!”

“Bite him! What’s the point of having teeth?”

“Damn it!”

“You worthless piece of trash!”

A flood of crude, obscene language filled the air.

Blood Tiger shook his enormous tiger head and chewed noisily on a mixture of garlic and minced meat. The smell wafting from his mouth was nothing short of revolting.

He held a communication artifact in his hand, his expression relaxed.

“A cultivator who has come back from the dead?”

On the other end of the artifact, the Blood Tiger Gang’s leader spoke in an obsequious tone:n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“This man shows no regard for Lord Blood Tiger’s authority. He has killed members of the Blood Tiger Gang and now dares to enter the inner city seeking refuge. I humbly request Lord Blood Tiger’s intervention and offer 30,000 taels of silver as tribute!”

Blood Tiger narrowed his eyes. “Spare me the flattery. I’ve got nothing better to do right now anyway. I’ll check it out.”

With that, Blood Tiger stood up.

The gang leader had already provided Qi Yuan’s approximate location via the artifact.

It wasn’t far.

Before leaving, Blood Tiger slapped a maidservant standing by the Prisoner’s Arena on her thigh, a playful glint in his eye.

“Keep the thighs of those two-legged beasts for me,” he instructed, pointing at the two slaves fighting in the arena.

Even if they managed to survive the match, it didn’t guarantee their lives would be spared.

The maidservant responded with a sycophantic smile. “Of course, my lord. The juiciest cuts will be reserved just for you.”

Blood Tiger swaggered through the inner city streets.

Compared to the outer city, the inner city was significantly more prosperous. The roads were cleaner, and human slaves in tidy uniforms diligently swept the streets, their heads lowered.

“A cultivator who has been confirmed by Thorned Blood to have risen from the dead. It seems he’s hiding some kind of secret.

“He’s probably here to seek refuge with a noble and offer that secret as a gift.”

Blood Tiger prided himself on his analytical skills.

“A cunning plan, but unfortunately for him, he’s encountered me.”

His tiger-like face radiated confidence and murderous intent.

Just then, Blood Tiger glanced skyward, his expression shifting to one of surprise and curiosity.

A streak of golden light flashed across the sky at incredible speed.

“That’s Golden Pill Crane!”

Golden Pill Crane was a prominent figure in Thorned Blood, a Heaven-tier Weapon Master whose mere presence could cause Yunxue City to tremble.

Blood Tiger knew that Golden Pill Crane spent most of his time in seclusion, rarely appearing in public.

“What could have drawn him out today?”

Before Blood Tiger could ponder further, several more streaks of light cut across the sky. Each carried an aura of immense power—Heaven-tier Weapon Masters, without a doubt.

“What’s going on? Even the Elder Council is mobilizing?”

A sense of foreboding crept over Blood Tiger.

In just a short span, he identified over ten Heaven-tier powerhouses moving in unison.

“This must be something major.

“But whatever it is, it has nothing to do with me. My task is to deal with Qi Yuan.”

He forced himself to remain calm and quickened his pace.

Meanwhile, high above the city, Golden Pill Crane flew through the air, his golden robes fluttering, his face dark and foreboding.

“The princess has been killed by a human slave!”

In the Quijin Realm, anyone with the title of “princess” commanded immense respect and fear.

Such individuals were often daughters or sisters of Wraith Gods.

Wraith Gods, beings of unfathomable power, resided in the heavens or deep within the earth, rarely revealing themselves.

The princess in question was Dark Spirit Yun, the daughter of the Dark-Eye Wraith God.

Dark Spirit Yun was infamous for her penchant for concealing her identity and causing trouble.

Upon learning of her visit to Cloudblood City, Golden Pill Crane had grown anxious and arranged for a Heaven-tier protector, Dragon Eleven, to guard her.

But moments ago, Golden Pill Crane had seen Dragon Eleven’s soul plate shatter.

Every member of Thorned Blood left a fragment of their soul essence in a soul plate. Its shattering signified death.

The news left Golden Pill Crane shaken.

Other Heaven-tier powerhouses had also sensed the event and were converging on the location of Dragon Eleven’s demise.

“What’s the situation?” Golden Pill Crane demanded, his tone icy and intimidating.

The Tenth Elder’s face was equally grim.

“The princess was collecting tolls at the city gate. A human slave refused to pay and slapped her to death on the spot.

“Dragon Eleven intervened and was also killed—one slap!”

A Heaven-tier powerhouse, killed with a single slap?

Golden Pill Crane was stunned.

Cloudblood City’s elites, now assembled in force, moved like a tidal wave, prepared to crush the offender.

On the streets, Li Da glared at the man before him, his expression twisted in fury.

“Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

Qi Yuan stretched lazily, his demeanor calm and unbothered.

“All I wanted was to get into the city and eat breakfast. Then someone blocked the gate and demanded 100 taels as a toll.

“Do you know how many buns I could buy with that?

“I complained to the city guards, but they ignored me!

“The guard captain was standing behind the extortionist, nodding like a lackey.

“So I did what any decent person would do—I stood up for justice myself.”

Qi Yuan’s tone was earnest, as though he firmly believed in the righteousness of his actions.

Li Da was dumbfounded.

“You killed a princess over a few hundred taels of silver?”

This man was insane.

“You’re finished. Killing the princess means you’ll face certain death. Today, you die!”

With that, Li Da turned and fled without hesitation.

“Hey! Don’t run!” Qi Yuan called after him, exasperated.

These people were ridiculous!

The people around him were far too relaxed.

Unfortunately, since Qi Yuan was trying to undergo mortal transcendance, he couldn't use his divine sense. Otherwise, he would have detected all the hidden enemies nearby and taken care of them swiftly.

For now, all he could do was walk steadily forward, step by step, toward the enemy's stronghold.

After several dozen breaths, a disdainful voice suddenly rang out.

“You’ve got guts to come to the inner city!”

Standing ahead was Blood Tiger, arms crossed, his massive tiger head exuding an air of dominance.

Qi Yuan glanced at Blood Tiger, his face filled with hesitation and caution.

“So, you’re the backup they called in?”

“You dare to stand before me and not kneel?” Blood Tiger declared arrogantly.

His voice was loud and imposing, accompanied by a foul stench.

He stared at Qi Yuan as though looking at a dead man.

Qi Yuan, however, became even more wary.

Could his eyes be deceiving him?

Was this tiger-headed creature truly a powerful figure?

If not, how could he dare to stand in Qi Yuan’s way?

Or had the people of Yunxue City lost their minds and sent a low-level tiger to block him?

“Since you’ve come, you must be my opponent. I will show you the respect you deserve,” Qi Yuan said seriously, his expression growing increasingly focused.

Internally, his vigilance reached its peak.

“You think you’re qualified to be my opponent?” Blood Tiger sneered disdainfully.

That domineering aura, that self-assured confidence—it was the perfect image of an unbeatable master, making Qi Yuan more cautious than ever.

“Even if you’re strong, you shouldn’t use foul language!” Qi Yuan protested, his dissatisfaction evident.

As he spoke, his entire body began gathering strength.

He studied Blood Tiger closely.

Despite the tiger-headed figure being full of apparent weaknesses, Qi Yuan hesitated.

He could end him in countless ways with a single strike.

But what if this opponent wasn’t an idiot?

If Blood Tiger dared to show up here, he must have some tricks up his sleeve.

Even though Qi Yuan’s instincts told him there was no danger, what if this tiger truly was a hidden powerhouse who had fooled both his eyes and his intuition?

“Hmph, surrender and end yourself, and I’ll leave your body intact,” Blood Tiger commanded haughtily.

“It seems…I’ll have to go all out!”

Qi Yuan’s face grew serious, his expression becoming grave.

“I’ll crush you with just one finger,” Blood Tiger mocked, his tone dripping with contempt.

This was the suppression of the strong over the weak, blatant bullying.

Qi Yuan was furious.

How dare he?

How dare this tiger-headed creature insult his dignity just because he was strong?

The veins on Qi Yuan’s body bulged as blood rushed through his body unnaturally fast. His face flushed red, glowing as though he had reached a boiling point.

He was building up power.

Building…

Building…

Blood Tiger yawned lazily, his face the picture of scorn.

“Go ahead and strike. I don’t have all day.”

“Ahhh!”

Qi Yuan suddenly let out a deafening roar.

The sound was like a clap of thunder, shaking the heavens.

But what came after was even more terrifying.

Qi Yuan’s right foot stomped hard on the ground.

“Break!”

An overwhelming, endless force erupted in that moment.

Qi Yuan held nothing back, unleashing all his strength in an instant.

BOOM!

CRACK!

The sound of the ground splitting reverberated through the air.

Winds howled furiously, and rooftops were torn from buildings.

It wasn’t just a storm; it was worse than a storm.

The immense power was like a nuclear explosion sweeping across the inner city.

RUMBLE!

Buildings collapsed. Stone pillars were uprooted and thrown aside.

In an instant, the city was a scene of utter devastation.

Above, in the skies, more than ten fearsome figures were sent tumbling to the ground in disarray.

Each of these figures was a Heaven-tier expert!

These Heaven-tier powerhouses had been hiding in the sky, waiting for an opportunity to ambush Qi Yuan.

But Qi Yuan’s stomp had unleashed a force so immense that it shook them out of the sky, catching them completely off guard.

Yet Qi Yuan’s eyes weren’t even on them.

His gaze was fixed on Blood Tiger.

“You’re strong. Deeply unfathomable,” Qi Yuan said, his tone filled with genuine admiration.

“Even though my movements are slow, with your strength, you could have easily dodged. Yet you stood still, showing no concern for my attack.

“It’s clear you’re not bothered by my strength at all.”

If his attack meant nothing to Blood Tiger, then he had to avoid hitting him directly. After all, what if Blood Tiger had a way to redirect the power?

Meanwhile, the Heaven-tier experts who had fallen to the ground looked horrified.

Clearly, they too were shaken by Qi Yuan’s overwhelming display of power.

“He stomped the ground and caused it to shatter like that? Is that still human strength?”

Blood Tiger, on the other hand, was frozen in place, unable to move.

What…what had he just seen?

This seemingly ordinary human had stomped the ground as if it were a joke.

And then…

The heavens and earth shook!

And then…Heaven-tier experts fell like dumplings from the sky!

What was he supposed to do now?

What could he do?

Oh no.

Oh no.

His legs trembled violently, betraying his sheer terror.

Finally, he began to understand.

Why had so many Heaven-tier experts been dispatched?

Because this “human” was a true monster.

And now, in his arrogance, he had dared to stand in this monster’s way.

At that moment, Blood Tiger’s communication artifact buzzed.

From the other end came the voice of the Blood Tiger Gang’s leader.

“Lord Blood Tiger, there’s been a massive disturbance in the inner city. Has something big happened?

“Have you captured that insignificant human yet? I fear for your safety, my lord!”

Blood Tiger stared at the artifact, his mind a storm of fury.

Insignificant human?

The creature standing before him had just stomped the inner city into ruins, and this idiot dared to call him insignificant?

Am I safe?

Safe my foot!

His head filled with a thousand curses, all directed at the gang leader and his mother.

Suddenly, Qi Yuan spoke, his expression serious.

“Your legs are trembling. Is that some sort of advanced technique to release excess force? What a terrifying skill!”

Qi Yuan turned his attention to the Heaven-tier experts.

“Before I duel you, would you allow me to clean up these little bugs? I wouldn’t want them to interfere with our fight.”

His face darkened with killing intent as he glanced at the fallen experts.

Hearing this, the Heaven-tier experts felt a chill run down their spines.

“Run!”

Golden Pill Crane transformed into a streak of golden light, racing toward the sky.

“He can’t fly! Get to the skies!” Li Da shouted in warning.

During his earlier encounter with Qi Yuan, Li Da had heard him claim he had no cultivation and only natural strength.

At the time, Li Da hadn’t believed it. Now, he did.

This was true divine strength.

Without cultivation, Qi Yuan likely couldn’t fly. If they stayed in the air, they would be safe and could attack from a distance.

Most of the Heaven-tier experts soared higher and higher, feeling more confident as they gained altitude.

Unfortunately, two unlucky souls were struck mid-air by stones that Qi Yuan had kicked with frightening precision, killing them instantly.

Qi Yuan looked up at the experts in the sky, a dissatisfied expression on his face.

“So you’re bullying me because I don’t have a mount?”

He sighed wistfully. If only Shen Lingxuan were here, he could have ridden her and soared into the skies to deal with these pests.

“But you don’t know…” Qi Yuan’s lips curled into a strange smile.

“…I can rely on technology. That doesn’t count as breaking my rules, does it?”

As he spoke, two mechanical wings extended from his back, gleaming with a sleek, futuristic design.