My Core is the Boss

With his mission completed, Qi Yuan gradually reappeared within the outpost. Staring at the blood-red pill that was his reward, he commented boredly, "Hmm, it's a pretty ordinary reward."

Still, a reward was a reward, so he swallowed it anyway. Then, he left his room and scanned his surroundings. The outpost before him was ten times the size it had once been. Over the years, Qi Yuan had cleared countless missions and the outpost in the Death Qi World had expanded accordingly.

Several smaller outposts had merged together, growing into one big hub. The outpost was now powerful, with plenty of elites and even a handful of rare Martial Kings. The Genius Alliance even had a branch operating inside.

"Not bad. Another batch of grandpas and grandmas I can send off."

The Mission World he had just cleared was the largest he had ever encountered. After massacring the entire demon race, he had broken through to the Martial Lord realm. Along the way, he had also absorbed fresh bloodlines.

More grandpas and grandmas to ship out. No-Food Goddess’ Nascent Soul is another story, though. I still can't send her anywhere.

Thinking of his moments with her, Qi Yuan sighed softly. Their bond, which should’ve been as thin as water, somehow ran deep. The Devouring Origin Physique she had bestowed upon him had proven to be a tremendous help. Without it, it would’ve taken him ages to reach the Martial Lord realm.

For some reason, he recalled their first meeting, murmuring, "When you wake up, I'll treat you to fish."

She had been a fragile girl who kept her promises. Dismissing the thoughts, he headed toward the Blood Jade Wall. About fifteen minutes later, he opened his eyes, faintly disappointed. He had once again sent a large number of grandpas and grandmas to the Origin Land, but No-Food Goddess's Nascent Soul remained.

He gave a little prod. "No-Food Goddess, can I see your neida?"

There was no response.

Just then, a white-robed young man strode straight toward him. Qi Yuan recognized his attire as the distinctive uniform of the Genius Alliance. After the outposts had merged, this man had approached him, inviting him to join the alliance. Qi Yuan, uninterested, had declined.

"Mr. Qi, some guests arrived at the outpost a few days ago. They'd like to meet you."

"Oh? What do they want?"

If it wasn't important, he planned to leave. It had been some time since he'd seen Canary. He missed her.

"Apparently, it has to do with the Origin Land."

"Is that so? It is worth checking out, then. Lead the way."

***

Meanwhile, in a private room at a tavern, smoke hung heavily in the air. Three peak Martial Kings sat around a table, radiating a powerful aura and authority. Behind each of them stood two more peak Martial Kings, though they were more like servants due to being old martial artists.

Based on the martial arts they practiced, blood martial artists were divided into two categories: the new and the old. When old martial artists entered the Mountain-Sea Scroll, their cultivation would drop by an entire realm. As they grew stronger, the missions assigned to them became increasingly difficult, until even moderately difficult ones could prove fatal.

Hence, many old artists chose to attach themselves to new martial artists. They signed blood martial contracts and became bound servants. Not only would it synchronize their missions with those of the new martial artists, but they would also receive protection in return.

As a result, even a peak Martial King who had practiced old martial arts for decades could still bind themselves to another for the sake of survival. Submit or die. The world was cruel in this way. Entering the Mountain-Sea Scroll as an old martial artist was akin to facing a Violet Palace cultivator as a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The middle-aged man at the head of the table was dressed in plain, fitting clothes. Though he seemed every bit like a street thug, no one in the room would dream of underestimating him. After all, he was Mu Yan, one of the Genius Alliance headquarters' Sword Bearers. The alliance had thirty-six Sword Bearers in total, and each of them had killed a peak Martial King before.

Mu Yan said in a deep, gruff voice that contrasted with his refined name, "Qi Yuan is the strongest person in this outpost. He’s a rather interesting guy."

A nearby woman laughed in amusement. "I've heard of him too. Every mission, he kidnaps the target first, then postpones the objective until he's wiped out every last demon. People dream of running into him. They'd love to partner up with him. He sounds like someone who harbors a deep-seated hatred for the demon race."

She had a peculiar appearance, with two heads—one monkey and one human. It was evidence that she had fused a demon bloodline into herself, becoming a hybrid. Such people were not uncommon in the outpost.

The short man across the table said, "If he can slaughter an entire world's worth of demons, he's at the very least a peak Martial King. That makes him barely qualified enough to enter the Origin Land with us."

The woman sighed. "It’s a shame that he has no Martial Lord Seal. Even if he manages to get into the Origin Land by some stroke of luck, he'll only end up as cannon fodder."

For people like them, raw strength no longer mattered much. The Martial Lord Seal was what counted. Not only were these seals extraordinarily rare, but there were also strict requirements to qualify for one: a living Bloodline Ancestor, an exceptionally high bloodline concentration, and outstanding martial dao aptitude. Furthermore, seals could not be transferred or seized.

Those who could enter the Origin Land could consume Ancestral Blood to break through to the legendary Martial Lord realm and become second-generation Bloodline Ancestors. Naturally, all three Martial Kings had Martial Lord Seals. Hence, it was understandable that they were all prideful.

Mu Yan assessed, "Even if he doesn’t have the seal, he’s still powerful. He’d make a fine blade."

The woman sighed once more. "A pity. Blades that good tend to be too rigid. They rarely accept blood martial contracts."

New martial artists almost never willingly pledged themselves to a master.

Mu Yan chided, "You're bad enough for collecting servants in the real world. Don't tell me you've brought that habit here?"

The woman replied, "Unfortunately, no. It's been a long time since I've gone back to the real world. I hear you can find servants online these days."

The stronger a martial artist grew, the more the outpost restricted their movements, making it nearly impossible to return to the real world.