My Core is the Boss

"The Zhao family of Jiangcuo is a martial arts family. We often escort goods..."

"Get to the point."

Xiaomei explained nervously, "I-I once heard that the demons’ most precious thing is their essence blood. Not only can it raise one’s strength, it can also greatly improve mastery of martial techniques. But demon essence blood is poisonous. It takes an ordinary blood martial artist one to two years to digest even one drop.

"If you consume too much, you’ll go insane, transform into a demon, and eventually explode. Only the government-issued Blood-Calming Pill allows one to consume a bit more demon essence blood. Even then, too much of it will still drive you insane!"

In simpler terms, consuming demon essence blood was a shortcut to becoming a martial artist, though fraught with backlash.

Qi Yuan shrugged. "Oh, I see."

Sure enough, players really did get special treatment. Did he need the Blood-Calming Pill? No. Besides, he had the Devouring Origin Physique, which claimed it could devour all things. Swallowing a bit of demon essence blood should be no issue at all.

"It’s fine. I’m a player, and I have a certificate. Even if I really go crazy, it doesn’t matter."

Still, he stored away the three drops of blood for now. Upon learning the true benefits of essence blood, how could he not save it? Fourth Master Huang’s martial technique also caught his eye.

If he was going to clear this game, he naturally had to learn the martial arts. Still, diligently studying martial arts? Who would foolishly cultivate martial arts manually when demon essence blood could be used to add points?

No. Demon essence blood adds points. Yes.

Meanwhile, Xiaomei was deeply worried. "Brother Qi, you killed Fourth Master Huang, you need to run! His elder brother’s blood martial cultivation has reached the Great Accomplishment realm!"

In fact, an early-stage blood martial demon like Fourth Master Huang only became a notable figure thanks to his brother.

He pondered. "Oh? Great Accomplishment realm? That’s a bit troublesome."

In his estimation, the Great Accomplishment realm was likely on par with the peak Qi Refinement realm. Meanwhile, he was only around level 4 of Qi Refinement. The gap was huge. If he relied solely on martial cultivation, he’d likely be finished if he met Elder Master Huang. But if he used immortal cultivation methods...

"Looks like I need to keep a low profile."

Qi Yuan had always been steady and cautious. After all, if this county had beings comparable to peak Qi Refinement, there could even be some comparable to Yang Spirits.

Nevertheless, he was kindhearted and still thought of the NPC. "Elder Master Huang may retaliate against me. I don’t have time to protect you, so you should run."

Xiaomei’s face lit up with wild joy. "Brother Qi, I’ll leave right away!"

Clearly, she had long wanted to flee. She did not have much emotional attachment to Qi Yuan after all. Her life came first.

For some reason, after that fight, Qi Yuan felt rather tired. "So sleepy. I’ll just do the quest tomorrow."

It was probably because martial combat had consumed too much blood qi. Watching Xiaomei leave with her valuables, Qi Yuan lay down on the bed and quickly fell into deep sleep.

***

In the county office of Yunyan, the magistrate nervously looked at the three men and one woman in black combat outfits, smiling obsequiously.

He bowed as though facing superior officers. "My lords, all the files regarding the Luo and Chen families are here. This incident happened under very strange circumstances. Some say it was caused by demons. Others say Luo Bufan consumed too much demon essence blood, went insane, and slaughtered both families."

The magistrate bowed as though facing superior officers. The four were Demon-Slaying Envoys from the Demon-Slaying Bureau. In these chaotic times, the Tianke Dynasty still stood precisely because of them.

No one knew when the bureau had first come to be. The history books contained no detailed records either. It consisted of a group of strange martial artists from across the world who took demon-slaying as their duty.

Someone said in a hoarse voice, "Alright, you may leave."

The magistrate immediately relaxed and hurried out of the room. Only the four remained.

If Qi Yuan had been here, he would have discovered that the speaker was precisely the man he had met earlier on the yacht: Chen Fan.

He wore black combat attire, a trace of nostalgia on his face.

The other three were flipping through the case files.

Finally, the only female demon slayer in the group asked, "Captain, what do you think about this mission?"

Chen Fan was the strongest among them all, and so had been chosen as captain. They had come to Yunyan County on a mission.

The county seemed impressive on the surface, but its dangers were immense. Who knew whether the magistrate harbored ill intentions? Moreover, the number of demons in Yunyan County seemed somewhat high. They did not dare act rashly for fear of provoking those demons.

Slaying demons? Forget it. Better to complete the mission and preserve their lives. Unless it was mission-related, they would not actively provoke those creatures.

Chen Fan set down the files, his gaze deep. "We need to find Luo Bufan. He is a key person."

"But didn’t he ascend?"

The round-faced woman said with certainty, "That is definitely a lie. How could an ordinary martial artist ascend?"

"The mission specifically mentions this person, which means he must be extraordinary."

Yang Xuewen asked, "How strange. If I remember correctly, there’s also a Luo Bufan in the real world. He also broke the martial limit and ascended. Could they be the same person?"

The round-faced woman explained, "Kid, it’s your first mission, so you may not understand. This sort of thing is very common. Our missions are mostly modified versions of reality. Some say they might be parallel worlds. As for what exactly is going on, I don’t know either."

Chen Fan’s expression of reminiscence deepened as he reminded them, "In Yunyan County, there are three forces we must not offend lightly: the fish by the sea, the weasels in the gambling den, and the snakes of the Yihua Courtyard."

The round-faced woman said casually, "Don’t worry. Before the mission progresses, I have no desire to clash with local forces. Even if they’re rude, I’ll endure it."

Chen Fan said, "Well then, our first priority is finding Luo Bufan."

***

Early in the morning, Qi Yuan ate a steamed bun while gazing at the sun. A thought suddenly struck him, Haa... If I form my core, where would my Star Golden Core appear? In here or the real world?

He was already at the brink of forming his core.

Qi Yuan silently grumbled as he stuffed the bun into his mouth, "Forget it. I better form it outside. Otherwise, if it appears inside a game within a game, what kind of nonsense is that?" Qi Yuan silently grumbled as he stuffed the bun into his mouth,

Slowly, he made his way toward the Luo Residence.