My Core is the Boss

Qi Yuan was deep in thought. He didn't know whether Dong Jun was friend or foe. In the murals, Dong Jun was painted as a devoted, lovestruck man but that was only toward the female lead.

In romantic dramas, the domineering CEO doted on the female lead but was an absolute menace to everyone else. The nanny, the butler, the staff were all collateral damage.

“Oh? The female lead smashed the dishes in a fit? Granny Wang, hurry up and make ten identical servings right away.”

“Oh? The female lead fainted from excessive grief? Dr. Wang, if she doesn't recover, your whole family goes down with her.”

To be the female lead was a blessing, but to be a side character was a death sentence. And in this world, most people were side characters. Qi Yuan considered himself a supporting role due to the fact that he was merely a Nascent Soul cultivator.

He shouted passionately, "It seems that I still have to find Dong Jun after all! My fate is mine to command, not heaven! It's time for us side characters to step up!"

The subjects nearby exchanged bewildered glances. One moment he was looking for Dong Jun. The next, 'my fate is mine to command'?

Still, they were used to his antics. At times, Qi Yuan was difficult to understand, his thought process following a logic all its own.

Qi Qi said softly, "Godfather, our strength would make us anything but side characters in any world."

The others could only agree. Now, they stood here as Yang Spirits, as plentiful as cabbages in a field. However, that wouldn’t have been possible without Qi Yuan, not even in a million or ten million years. Forget becoming Yang Spirits, most of them wouldn't even reach the Yin Spirit realm. Meeting Qi Yuan had truly been the greatest fortune of their lives.

If they were simply let loose in the upper world as they were now, they would probably shake the entire immortal realm. After all, even in the upper world, a Yang Spirit was the foundation of a major sacred land. One Yang Spirit kept a sacred land standing for ten thousand generations.

Qi Qi added, "But you do have a point, Godfather. We don’t know how strong Dong Jun is. We have to keep a low profile."

Qi Yuan nodded. "Right. We must always be cautious. Even if his strength isn't extraordinary, who knows? The Origin Land might even contain a stray booger left behind by some primordial Dao Ancestor."

Thunder could not help but blurt out, "The Dao Ancestor wouldn't pick his nose, right?"

Qi Yuan said seriously, "Why wouldn’t he? Even emperors use golden shovels. According to Tang Girl's Principle of Inequality, having lofty cultivation doesn't mean you don't pick your nose."[1]

Silence befell the group.

Qi Qi could not help whispering, "Godfather, even I haven't done that for a very long time now. How would the Dao Ancestor—"

Thunder interjected, "Alright, let's drop the subject. Aren't we making fun of the Dao Ancestor a little too much?"

Back when he was still weak, Thunder would curse the Dao Ancestor all day long without a second thought. Now, things were different.

Not only had he become a Yang Spirit, but he had also visualized the Nine Heavens Primordial Thunder Corresponding Deity and the Great Emperor of the South Pole of Longevity, one of the Six Imperial Lords. Since both were very powerful gods, he felt genuine respect toward the Dao Ancestor.

Qi Yuan nodded. "Let's go. Take me to where Violet Qi was born. I want to observe and see if I can learn to mass-produce it."

***

Within a crumbling palace inside the Origin Land, Fat Egg suddenly opened his eyes. My father's aura?

Just moments before, he had been resting with his eyes closed when a familiar sensation washed over him. His bloodline even began to stir and surge. It was unmistakable. His father had emerged from secluded cultivation!

These years had been extraordinarily happy ones. His long-lost father had lived up to every expectation, his strength climbed steadily. In turn, Fat Egg’s bloodline also had also leaped. He was now a fourth-rank Martial Lord—a Great Martial Lord.

His advancement was nothing short of terrifying. It was also partly thanks to his exceptional foundation, a fact well known to every Martial Lord present. After all, he had been a Titled Martial Lord before the Great Catastrophe.

Now, his standing within the Eastern Alliance had risen once more. How could he not? A hidden, powerful father stood behind him, one who appeared to be a Titled Martial Lord.

A lean, elderly figure’s voice floated through the crumbling palace. "Fat Egg, did your father just appear?"

He had also been a Titled Martial Lord before the Great Catastrophe. Now, he stood at the fourth rank as a Great Martial Lord, commanding the respect of many throughout the Eastern Alliance.

Fat Egg confirmed, "It seems so. I think I caught a trace of his aura. He must have come out of seclusion."

The lean elder's voice carried both anticipation and urgency. "Where is he? Take me to meet him! Our Eastern Alliance has not had easy days lately. We need new blood."

For some time now, the tasks assigned by Dong Jun had been progressing smoothly. However, over the past thousand-odd years, mission after mission had begun to fail. If completion fell below sixty percent, everyone would die at the Dawn Chime. The Origin Land, the Land of Death, and even the Mountain-Sea Scroll would face total annihilation. In such trying times, every added measure of strength was welcome.

Fat Egg bit the bullet. "Come, I'll take you to meet my father!"

The lean elder nodded. "Good."

After a pause, Fat Egg stammered, "W-what if my father doesn't recognise me?"

The lean elder shot him a look. "You are overthinking. Your bloodline is strong. You should have inherited his features perfectly. How would he not recognise you?"

Fat Egg looked at his round belly, then slowly and quietly nodded. "You make a fair point. Let us go."

***

The Sea of Souls was where all the most remote places of the Origin Land converged. Vibrant, surging life energy swelled across it.

Calmly, Qi Yuan sat alone as his robes drifted in the wind. All things in this world walk out from the Sea of Souls. Where do they originally come from? Are they born of chance? Or are they the one variable that slipped away from the Great Path?

He stared at the sea and pondered. "No. I have to stop. My brain's going to grow again."

His Divine Domain was already a complete mess—planets had become footballs strewn across a pitch, while dung beetles rolled enormous spheres around. If he pushed any further and thought too much, he was afraid that his true spirit would not hold.

For the first time, Qi Yuan thought that his body simply was not worthy of his refined and magnificent mind.

He gazed ahead as endless streams of information poured in. "What a pity. Even with ingenuity like mine, I still cannot replicate the Violet Qi."

Well, it would probably be possible if he sat here for five million years, absorbing new information every day. But that was simply far too long.

1. Ordinary people assume that the wealthy do the same as everyone else, just with fancier tools. Hence, just because a Dao Ancestor is powerful, doesn't mean he doesn't pick his nose like everyone else. ☜