My Core is the Boss

The Martial Arts Tournament went on, and soon, it was Qi Yuan’s turn.

"Contestant No. 06, Qi Yuan... Please step onto the stage."

At the announcement, Qi Yuan walked onto the arena.

Inside the private room, Canary waved her small fists, a glow stick in hand. She cheered excitedly, "Qi Yuan, go for it!"

***

Xu Tiehua, who had just come down from the arena, immediately tensed up and watched Qi Yuan intently.

To be honest, he had always seen Qi Yuan as nothing more than a fellow student, never once thinking to compare himself to him. Now that Qi Yuan had entered the national tournament through a special channel, Xu Tiehua began to pay more attention to him. He wanted to understand what made Qi Yuan so special.

Though the strong disdained comparing themselves to the weak, the desire to compete among peers was ever present.

Xu Tiehua asked, "Xing Yu, who do you think will win this match?"

Xing Yu studied the arena carefully and analysed rationally, "Qi Yuan’s opponent is Xie Heng, the Charging Head. He once made it into the national top 100 and isn’t far from the martial peak. I am sure he’s going to win."

Meanwhile, Wang Shiqiao shook her head. "Qi Yuan will win."

If heads were involved, Qi Yuan would definitely win.

"Haha, it's rare for you two to disagree. Anyway, let’s just sit and watch. The match should be over in a few minutes—" Xu Tiehua’s words cut off abruptly.

The orange he was holding fell as his eyes filled with shock.

At that moment, the entire arena erupted in cheers.

The electronic announcement sounded.

—Contestant No. 06... Qi Yuan wins!

Xu Tiehua exclaimed in disbelief, "It ended in one strike!"

Wang Shiqiao tensed slightly, looking fervent. As expected, it really was him!

Xu Tiehua felt a sense of defeat. "With such strength, I have no doubt he has reached the martial peak! Even though he’s still so young and has only been practising martial arts for a few months... How can the gap between people be this huge?"

Qi Yuan’s victory should have been something worth celebrating. However, Qi Yuan’s strength hurt him even more than Xu Tiehua being eliminated in the first round. After practising for so long, Xu Tiehua had barely stepped onto the national stage. Yet Qi Yuan had surpassed him in less than three months of training.

Xing Yu was also moved, but she still smiled. "Senior Brother Xu, if martial arts doesn’t work out, you can always inherit your vast fortune and noble title. Those are things beyond even a Martial Arts Tournament champion’s reach."

Her eyes carried traces of envy. To her, a champion was no different from a top influencer. It would probably take a long time to convert that fame into wealth. Meanwhile, she and Xu Tiehua were already multi-millionaires. Xu Tiehua even held the title of viscount, which was coveted by nearly everyone in the kingdom.

Xu Tiehua finally breathed a sigh of relief and felt more at ease. "Without relying on my family background, I’m far inferior to Qi Yuan."

Xing Yu replied, "Family background is also a form of power."

For some people, the starting line was the finish line that others could never reach in their entire lives, no matter how hard they tried.

The rest of the tournament was rather dull. Without the trash-talking segment, everyone was restrained. Even when they were knocked down in the arena, they didn't dare utter any threatening words. At most, they'd say a bland, "I’ll be back."

In short, this was the most "civilized" tournament ever. However, the intensity of the fights remained high, and many matches ended in an instant. Especially Zhang Yang, who defeated all his opponents within seconds. Qi Yuan was no different.

Soon, the second day of the tournament began. This time, a rare situation occurred. Twenty-one contestants advanced to the next round. Since the matches were fought in pairs, one person would receive a pass. Everyone’s attention turned toward the draw.

Qi Yuan seemed eager. "My luck has always been good. Come on, give me a pass."

The numbers on the big screen kept spinning.

Canary chuckled lightly. "Isn’t Zero-One good at hacking? Just ask her to secretly tamper with things a little and everything will be fine."

Qi Yuan replied thoughtfully, "Cheating isn’t good. It’s immoral. But you did remind me of something."

Back in the Flowing Wind World, he used to threaten the Heavenly Dao all the time and it worked.

Should I threaten the Heavenly Dao again?

Looking at the sky, Qi Yuan murmured, "Hey, you up there. How about thanking me properly? I've contributed a lot to your world’s civilization and harmony. How about giving me a little preferential treatment?"

Canary smiled. "Is asking the Heavenly Dao for a favor not considered cheating?"

"No, it’s different."

This wasn’t cheating. It was simply the Heavenly Dao's way of repaying his kindness. Didn’t the White Lady repay Xu Xian by marrying him? What was so wrong with the Heavenly Dao granting him a small advantage?

At that moment, the numbers on the screen stopped.

A flash of delight appeared in Qi Yuan’s eyes. "As expected, threatening the Heavenly Dao works! I got a pass. Looks like I should threaten it more often."

That way, maybe he could enter the finals straight away.

Who wouldn’t enjoy lying back, watching others compete while casually clearing game missions?

With a pass in the first round came another in the second. But there wouldn't be a third pass since only six people remained. Perhaps his "threats" had really worked, as he received passes in the first two rounds. In the third round, he faced Han Xianyun, who immediately conceded.

This instantly sparked criticisms from the audience.

"Rigged!"

"This is definitely rigged!"

"That guy’s luck is way too good!"

"Not only did he get passes, his opponent even surrendered!"

"That’s Han Xianyun!"

"He must be some rich second-generation kid here to gain experience."

"He’s so handsome, I want to have his babies!"

"Hey, Brother, calm down! Don’t embarrass yourself in public!"

***

Meanwhile, Zhang Yang had just finished his match. Gazing sharply at Qi Yuan’s private room, his fighting spirit surged. He returned to his own room to rest as the final battle would begin in an hour.

The rules were simple. It would be a three-way melee. Whoever remained standing would become the champion. Inside his room, staff immediately began tending to him.

A short man grinned. "Brother Zhang, congratulations in advance. The championship is definitely yours!"

He was not from the martial world, but came from a powerful family and served as one of Zhang Yang’s lackeys.

A burly martial artist commented solemnly, "It won’t be easy. Qi Yuan’s strength is unfathomable. I even feel that within half a year, he’ll break through to the martial peak."

He had seen Qi Yuan fight. Qi Yuan fought effortlessly, even defeating even those at the martial peak. That was something even Zhang Yang would struggle to accomplish.

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes.

The short man sneered. "Hmph. So what if that kid got lucky? Recently, he passed some tests and caught the attention of the lords in the Martial Arts Alliance. They even saw him as the next Luo Bufan and hoped he could break through the martial peak. But now? Ha! They’ve already abandoned him. Lately, they’ve all been flocking to Brother Zhang instead."

He sounded smug, but what he said was true.

Qi Yuan’s talent and martial prowess had shaken the Martial Arts Alliance, but only briefly. As rumors quietly spread, even the upper ranks of the alliance learned about immortal cultivation.

If one could cultivate to immortality, why bother practising martial arts? Even if they broke past the martial peak, wouldn't they still lose to gene soldiers? What was the point of practising martial arts at all? Thus, the upper ranks redirected their attention toward Zhang Yang. After all, his family had ties to Immortal Destiny.

The burly man’s eyes dimmed slightly. "Indeed. Even if Qi Yuan wins the tournament, the future still belongs to Brother Zhang. The immortal dao is the true great path."

Zhang Yang declared with a sharp glint in his eyes, "Hmph. The future belongs to me, so does the present. I will definitely win the championship!"

Then, he looked toward Qi Yuan’s direction, killing intent filling his eyes. This tournament would end in blood, with victory marking the final tribute to the fading martial path.

In the future, there would no longer be a martial champion Zhang Yang, only an immortal champion Zhang Yang. He would stand at the pinnacle of both martial arts and the immortal dao!