My Core is the Boss

Three hours later, Qi Yuan stood drenched in blood, looking like a serial killer.

With a playful smile, he swept the blood off his clothes. "It’s dawn, already? Not a bad harvest at all."

The weasels simply weren’t enough for him. Thus, he rushed overnight to the snake demons’ outpost. All of them had already met their end. As a result, he had gained over 200 drops of demon essence blood. Including the previous 50, he now had 260 drops.

"With this much demon essence blood, I should be able to reach the Jade Blood realm, right?"

If he didn’t grow stronger as quickly as possible, he’d never feel safe. Women weren’t the only ones who felt insecure; men did as well. Gaining strength gave him a strong sense of achievement. Besides, his gain would now be reflected in reality.

"Alright, level up time!" Qi Yuan shouted dramatically.

Then, he gave his own voice-over. "Always thrifty, you used 3 drops of demon essence blood to attempt a breakthrough into the Jade Blood realm. However, your Heaven-Shocking Art refuses and declares itself incomplete!"

"You grit your teeth and spend 50 drops trying to deduce the technique. Yet even with your special eyes, you still failed."

"You grit your teeth again and spend another 50 drops. Finally, as if guided by an unseen force, you deduce the technique to the Jade Blood realm."

"Suddenly, enlightenment strikes. Your martial cultivation breaks through to the Jade Blood realm!"

A flash of white passed through Qi Yuan’s eyes. He felt his cultivation surged. Now, even without merging with Little Bride, he could easily deal with Elder Huang and the snake demons.

He sighed. "I’m still weaker than that lunatic, though."

Lacking martial techniques, he had to depend solely on his blood martial qi. After witnessing how formidable Jade Blood martial techniques were, he naturally wouldn’t underestimate the NPCs.

"I need a martial technique, or this is just a waste. But there’s only old martial arts here." Qi Yuan felt troubled and decided not to learn them for the time being. "Hmm... My innate martial technique should count as new martial arts, right?"

He recalled asking An Qiao before. Modern martial arts were considered new.

"Therefore, I do have a martial technique. It's just a bit weak." His Exploding Bird-Slaying Fist didn't even qualify as a proper Qi Blood realm, let alone Jade Blood. "Lucky you. I’m going to use my precious white moonlight’s blood to upgrade you."

Due to insufficient demon essence blood, he couldn’t push Heaven-Shocking Art further. His cultivation had stalled. The only way forward was to improve his martial techniques. With Elder Kun and the Spirit Blood Child being the only remaining big bosses, he had to become stronger as quickly as possible.

"Level up!"

Qi Yuan began narrating again. This time, he spent quite a bit of demon essence blood to enhance his martial technique.

Finally, his Exploding Bird-Slaying Fist underwent a complete transformation, evolving into the Jade Blood tier.

"This punch is nearly supersonic now, and even more lethal to birds." Qi Yuan felt a bit more secure, but it was still not enough. "Blegh. I’ve been narrating so much that my throat’s gone dry. If only I had a system to do the dubbing for me? Or better yet, I should install a system in my body so that it voices out whatever I’m thinking."

He let his imaginations run wild. In fact, such a technology actually existed on Brilliant Star. Some screenwriters even used them to draft the scripts, making it extremely fast and efficient.

Qi Yuan glanced at the faint light of dawn. "Time to go home and sleep."

After a full day's work, it was time for a proper rest.

***

Qi Yuan woke up to a child’s voice. The sun was already high up in the sky. Judging by the light direction, it was about three in the afternoon.

He frowned at the boy outside, asking harshly, "Why are you knocking on my door so early in the morning?!"

Moments ago, he dreamed he had won a jackpot with trillions upon trillions. It was enough to buy the entire Arch Star and become a winner in life.

Just as he was about to march into Wuyun Pavilion and tell the secretary that the planet belongs to him now, he woke up. How frustrating was that? Still, he was magnanimous, so he didn’t kill the child.

The boy seemed malnourished, his face sallow. "Y-you’re Qi Er?"

Qi Yuan wondered if he had triggered some hidden plot. "Hmm? What’s going on?"

So sleeping could trigger hidden plots too?

The boy replied nervously, "Sister Xiaomei sent me. She came to our village last night and stayed at my house. But in the middle of the night, people from the neighboring village kidnapped her."

He was unfazed. "Oh? Did someone take a liking to her?"

The boy replied anxiously, "It's the Sea God. The people from Haishi Village are going to marry her off to the Sea God!"

Those villagers had always worshipped the Sea God. They would capture young women and dress them in red bridal gowns before offering them as sacrifices. In return, the Sea God would bless them with safe fishing and calm seas.

Qi Yuan was taken aback. "Xiaomei really has a marriage-prone sacred physique."

He hadn't been in this game for long, and the girl was already about to get married for the second time. Seriously, there was no one like her. He had to applaud the game design for creating such comedic characters.

Thus, he cut to the chase. "Is this Sea God a demon?"

Not only was he in desperate need of demon essence blood, but he had also already wiped out most of the nearby demons. The appearance of the Sea God motivated him.

Qi Yuan said brazenly, "Take me there. I’ll talk some sense into him. I'll tell him not to marry Xiaomei, but to marry me instead!"

The boy froze, staring at him with a terrified expression.

***

A few hours later, Qi Yuan arrived at Haishi Village, led by the boy and his elder brother.

The boy pointed ahead, fear in his voice. "That’s Haishi Village. We don’t dare go in."

Ever since they began worshipping the Sea God, the villagers had gained a notorious reputation. They caught plenty of fish, earned lots of money, and had connections with the government. Whenever the harvest was poor, they would marry off a bride to the Sea God.

Naturally, the brides didn’t come from their own village. They had been targeting passing travelers. Over time, as word spread, no young women dared pass by anymore. Thus, they turned their attention to neighboring villages.

The boy’s own village, Mujia Village, had once fought them over this issue. They ultimately lost after the government officials sent aid to Haishi Village. It was no wonder that the boy feared them deeply.

Qi Yuan casually remarked, "The official road is so wide, yet there isn't a single traveler. This village really does have a bad reputation."

To reach Yunyan County, one had to pass through this road. Along the way, he had come across many merchants and caravans, but the road near Haishi Village was completely empty. Clearly, people would rather take a detour than pass through that village.

As Qi Yuan approached the village entrance, two unfriendly-looking men eyed him suspiciously.

"Who are you? What are you here for?"

He smiled warmly. "My name is Qi Yuan. I’m about to get married myself. This will be my first—well, my second marriage. I lack experience. I heard your Sea God is taking a bride, so I’ve come to watch and learn from the ceremony."

The two men exchanged puzzled looks. Watching a ceremony was one thing, but treating it as a learning experience was something they had never heard of.

Still, a trace of smile flickered in their eyes, and their expressions turned welcoming. "If you’re here to observe, then please come in, honored guests."

A hint of mockery and sympathy flashed across their gazes.