My Core is the Boss

The sharp-eyed female cultivator with arched brows appeared exasperated. "There are far too few decent talents! What is going on with all of these people?!"

The ones kneeling before her wouldn't even qualify as labour disciples back in the Fire Spirit World.

What irked her most was the boy she'd turned away yesterday. Despite lacking any Spirit Roots, he had the audacity to declare, "Fortune is ever-changing. Today I may be an underdog, but tomorrow I will be victorious. Just wait and see!"

He was lucky this place had cameras everywhere. If they'd been back in the Fire Spirit World, she would have slapped him dead on the spot.

The female cultivator sighed in envy. "I heard the Fighting God Sect recently took in a cultivator with a pure Spirit Root."

The Profound Heaven Sect and the Fighting God Sect had been rivals for ages. Though the Profound Heaven Sect had dominated in ancient times, it had fallen on hard times in the past few thousand years.

The middle-aged man beside her sighed. "A cultivator with a pure Spirit Root... With the right environment and sufficient resources, they could most likely reach the Nascent Soul realm! The strongest candidate we've recruited may only have an Earth-rank Spirit Root, but Wang Zhiqi is hardworking. We don't know what she can achieve in the future."

At the mention of Wang Zhiqi, Xie Tang's expression softened with warmth. Within the Profound Heaven Sect, Wang Zhiqi was second in talent only to their missing Holy Maiden, Xie Xinsu.

He said in frustration, "These past few days, the Fighting God Sect has been poaching our recruitment territory again! As if that wasn’t enough, they want to take Tianyue City too! That’s where Wang Zhiqi lives!"

The broader the recruitment territory, the greater the chance of turning up exceptional disciples. A sect's pool of candidates came from two sources: treaties with the Seven Martial Stars, and the outcomes of duels between sects.

The Profound Heaven Sect had lost their last duel to the Fighting God Sect and with it, one of their territory holdings. But the Fighting God Sect's greed didn't stop there. Although they had won Xinshan fair and square, they were already casting their eyes on Tianyue City.

Xie Tang said in frustration, "If Senior Sister Xie Xinsu were still here, they wouldn't dare act so brazenly!"

Xie Xinsu’s breathtaking natural talent made her the sect’s strongest Core Formation cultivator. One year ago, she suddenly vanished without explanation. The sect master, He Yunzi, had even consulted their founding ancestors to seek her whereabouts to no avail.

The disappearance of Xie Xinsu had become the greatest unsolved mystery of the Profound Heaven Sect, and many within the sect suspected the Fighting God Sect had something to do with it.

Xie Tang said, "Enough. I'm going to Tianyue City myself. If they want to take it, they'll have to get through me first. Wang Zhiqi is heading home anyway. I'll go with her."

***

At the Junan Residential Complex, Yaji basked in the sunlight and savored the peaceful day. His little sister sat behind him, lazily scrolling through her phone.

Compared to their time in Guiran, when stargazing was their only form of entertainment, life here was incomparably better. They no longer had to live in fear of being kidnapped and harvested for their organs. All of this was thanks to Qi Yuan. Yaji held deep respect and gratitude toward him.

A white-robed old man appeared, his raspy and aged voice breaking the quietness. "What a coincidence, little friend. We meet again."

His hem was embroidered with vigorous pine trees, around which a strange demonic beast coiled.

Yaji's eyes sharpened with wariness the moment he spotted the elder. Without thinking, he stepped back to shield his sister behind him.

Spreading his hands, the old man showed a helpless, good-natured smile. "I see that you’re quite wary of me, little friend. My name is Zhang Dayang, and I mean no harm to either of you. I simply wish to offer you both an opportunity."

Yaji glared at him and said flatly, "We don't want any opportunities!"

Zhang Dayang maintained his amiable expression. "Don't be so hasty, little friend. Take a look at this..."

He had his own methods for dealing with children. As he opened his palm, a banana materialized from thin air. This kind of trick was catnip for kids. Sure enough, Yaji's little sister peeked around his shoulder, staring at the banana with wide and puzzled eyes.

Zhang Dayang said, "If you become my disciples, then one day you'd be able to do what I do. You can conjure anything you wish."

A young man standing nearby cut in, prideful and annoyed, "You’re incredibly lucky. Back in the Fire Spirit World, people wept and fell to their knees just for a chance to be taken on by the Freedom Lord.

"Why aren't you kowtowing when given such an opportunity? Accept him as your master, and your entire lives will change. You'll step into a world you couldn't have imagined."

He was clearly looking down on the children.

Zhang Dayang shook his head. "You are exaggerating. I'm merely a wanderer. It's just that these two caught my eye, and their aptitudes suit what I seek. It is nothing more than an instinct."

He turned back to the children. "What do you think? Won’t you go back with me? If you agree, I'll go speak with your guardian myself."

Unlike most cultivators, he preferred to do things in his own way.

Yaji responded with a firm, quick shake of his head. "Sorry. We're not interested."

Zhang Dayang blinked. "Are my dao techniques not impressive enough?"

He flicked his wrist again, and a mini golden dragon materialized, coiling and soaring through the air. Children usually couldn’t resist such a sight, yet Yaji didn't even glance at it. He took his sister's hand and walked away.

Zhang Dayang stood there in a daze for a moment, then broke into a wry smile.

The young man's gaze turned cold. "Senior, shall I go bring them back by force? Hmph. They must be blind to let a fortune this great slip by..."

Zhang Dayang shook his head. A calm gleam settled in his eyes. "I have spent my life chasing freedom. I don't want to force anything. Everything depends on fate. I'll let a few more things slip over the coming days. If they still have no desire to join me, then I can only accept that we aren’t fated."

The young man's eyes shifted as he processed this. "I congratulate you in advance on taking on two fine disciples, Senior. But if they end up not joining, our Fighting God Sect will take them in. I hope you won't take offense."

The two children's aptitudes were remarkable. One had an Earth-rank Spirit Root, while the other a Heaven-rank. Had Zhang Dayang not taken interest in them, the Fighting God Sect would have simply abducted them already, according to their usual way of doing things.

Zhang Dayang resigned himself. "Fine."

He was a man of strange habits. If the Fighting God Sect wanted to take them, so be it.

The young man added, "I've done my research. These two aren't from the Qin Yuan Kingdom. They were brought here from Guiran by someone in this residential complex. Our sect has an existing partnership with the Wu Cult. When the time comes, we'll use Wugui's authority to take them away."