My Core is the Boss

Night had fully fallen. The moon hung in the sky, clear and cold.

"What a pity the moon here isn’t like Canglan’s."

After all, the moon in Canglan was a projection of Lord Moon God. This one was just Arch Star's satellite.

The bedroom door pushed open softly, and Canary stepped inside in a black spaghetti-strap dress. "Mm? Husband, do you want to go back to Canglan?"

Her shoulders were as white as snow. A soft fragrance wafted around her. She was slender enough that the dress hung loose, and if Qi Yuan glanced even slightly downward, he was a goner.

"No. I can go back whenever I want. It is just that the time flows differently. It’s also best if I stay here until the game is finished," he answered honestly, drawing her into his arms. "I have to stay for at least a hundred years."

After all, the Martial Arts Tournament was an annual event, and he had to win it a hundred times to become the Mortal Martial God. Only ninety-nine more times to go.

She held his arm tightly. "A hundred years is so short!"

"Don't worry. My Nascent Soul is at major completion, so I can call you to the Canglan World whenever I like. The Star Golden Core can remain up there and continue devouring other stars on its own at some point."

Her face lit up, but then she quickly added, "No, I still need to stay up there to comprehend the Divine Domain."

Time was the foundation of her Divine Domain. On the Star Golden Core, she was in a constant state of forgetting and not forgetting, allowing her to rapidly deepen her comprehension and grow stronger. The same progress would take thousands of years anywhere else.

She didn’t want a repeat of Nine Plate Mountain, where she could only watch helplessly as Qi Yuan walked into the Myriad Phenomena Gate without her. Back then, she had been nothing but deadweight. Although she liked the feeling of being protected, she didn't want to be useless.

Qi Yuan thought for a while. "Your Divine Domain is the time dao. Actually, I think you should consider graduate school. The technology in this world is genuinely interesting. It might even give you a new angle on the time dao."

She tilted her head and genuinely thought it over, murmuring, "Graduate school?"

"While you're at it, go all the way and get a doctorate. Then you'll be Doctor Ning." He paused, then added, "They say a woman who finishes her PhD turns around and kicks her boyfriend to the curb. You're not going to finish your degree and then boot me out the door, are you?"

She seemed briefly annoyed. "You! I'll kick you right now!"

He smiled quietly. "You know, I think immortal cultivation is a kind of science. In this universe, once a star burns out, it can collapse into a black hole. Do you think my Star Golden Core would become one once it stops burning? Black holes are even more terrifying than stars. I have a feeling that if I entered one right now, I'd be torn to pieces instantly."

In truth, he was just making a guess. He had never seen a black hole, let alone entered one. Perhaps he was simply too weak to observe what lay beyond this small solar system.

She grew anxious. "You shouldn't try something like that without being certain of the outcome."

"Don't worry. I'm always careful."

If he weren't careful, he'd have turned the Nascent Soul into a black hole by now. After all, the process of transforming a core into a Nascent Soul was similar to a star collapsing into a black hole. Besides, he was genuinely attached to his Star Golden Core. Having a sun hanging in the sky above all things was exactly the kind of presence he wanted.

Who said that the Yang Spirit was the end of the immortal path? His Core Formation Chapter could also reach the far shore. Once he had enough Golden Cores, there would be many suns overhead. He could afford to shatter a few of them experimentally and see what happened.

She nodded. "Mm, I'll work hard too!"

"Work hard, just not while I'm asleep." He looked at her with gentle concern. "It must be lonely up there on the star."

"It's not lonely, it's scorching hot!" She smiled, then seemed to remember something, her voice turning slightly halting. "Husband, you don't need to worry. If you miss me, you can call me down at any time. I'll..."

She was growing bolder as she spoke, beginning to shift and move in his arms.

A gleam of amusement lit Qi Yuan's eyes. "Canary, stop pretending to be Ning Tao."

"Huh?!" Canary blushed, her boldness vanishing as she appeared flustered. "Blood Drop, you're talking nonse—"

The next moment, her words were stopped as his mouth covered hers.

She went rigid. "Mm..."

A dozen breaths later, she found herself pinned down against the bed. She sat up and bent forward with her back to him. Catching her breath, she gasped. "How did you know it was me?!"

Qi Yuan rested his hands on her slender waist. "If it had been Ning Tao, I'd be the one pinned down by now."

He knew that they were two modes of the same person he cared about.

***

In the hotel banquet hall, the hotel manager had cold sweat on his forehead.

Yesterday, he'd received a call that someone wanted to book a wedding here. What he had initially assumed was a good booking turned out to be just a single table of guests.

He personally thought it was a bit absurd and somewhat pitiful. A wedding for one table was so sad. Still, business was business, and he'd given them a private room at a discounted price.

Not long after, a group of visitors had arrived and given him certain instructions. That was when he realized the absurdity and the pity had been aimed at the wrong person entirely. He was the pitiful one.

Clearly, whoever wanted to hold the wedding ceremony was someone wealthy. He'd assumed the man was deliberately keeping a low profile, hence the booking. Official-looking people had even warned him that the event was to be strictly confidential.

What nobody had told him was that one of the brides was not a person. He was personally serving as waiter today, carrying tea and pouring drinks. When he walked into that private room, his legs started shaking.

Thankfully, he wasn't the only one. Every waiter in the room was trembling, and not just because they were terrified of spilling the drinks.

The hotel manager felt his entire world crumbling. Dear god.

In all his years of experience, this was the first wedding he was hosting for something non-human.

***

Inside the private room, Qi Yuan raised his drink and glanced around at the assembled guests. "Why is no one smiling? Are you all just averse to happiness?"

Kuang Huan immediately smiled widely. "It's because Miss Canary is so beautiful, Mr. Qi! We're all a little overwhelmed!"

Qi Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Is Little Bride not beautiful?"

He didn't play favorites.

Kuang Huan nodded. "Beautiful! Absolutely!"

Li Yan clutched her glass and nodded along just as vigorously, but her thoughts were spiralling. She thought about some of her earlier assumptions about Qi Yuan and felt rather silly now.

Back then, she had thought he was handsome enough to be a celebrity. However, after learning about his mental illness, she moved on from him. She had her pride. Now that she had seen how devastatingly beautiful Ning Tao and Little Bride were, she could only mock herself for her own thoughts in the past.

Everyone in the room had their own thoughts.

Wu Qi, the celebrity, trembled slightly with excitement. Her relationship with her agent had grown strained ever since she met Qi Yuan. Her efforts seemed to lead nowhere. Hence, being invited to his wedding made it all seem worth it.

Then, Qi Yuan's gaze found Zhong Niao's face. "Doctor, have you sorted out your kidney deficiency yet?"

The entire room turned to look at Zhong Niao. If Qi Yuan said she had kidney deficiency, she had kidney deficiency. But what young person would have kidney deficiency?

Zhong Niao blushed and couldn’t help but push back. "I do not have kidney deficiency!"

She had come today half-intending to persuade Qi Yuan out of marrying some innocent young women. Yet upon discovering that the supposed victim was a bridal gown, everything she had prepared to say went straight back down her throat. As courageous as she was, she wasn’t stupid. She wasn't going to risk her life over this.

Qi Yuan offered, "How about you give me a drop of blood? I'll do some research on that kidney deficiency of yours."

After reaching the Core Formation realm, he discovered that the blood of Wu Qi and Yaji could help nourish his dormant Nascent Souls. He'd been keeping them within the Heavenly Kun Mirror. Now, it seemed he had found a better place for them among people like Wu Qi.

If he planted the Nascent Souls within compatible hosts, those people would carry within them a resident. These residents would occasionally stir, offering guidance to help the host grow stronger, and in turn drawing nourishment from the host's soul.

This would help the Nascent Souls awaken quickly. Once a Nascent Soul awoke fully and became an independent entity, it could begin cultivating on its own.

With the foundation of a powerful Blue Planet god as their base, plus the resources of the mysterious other-race, these future citizens would cultivate at a breathtaking pace. Their potential was essentially limitless. Each one of them would be capable of reaching the Yang Spirit realm. Qi Yuan would become immensely powerful after that.

Of course, this was all theoretical for now, because he was still a puny Core Formation realm cultivator. He would have to reach the Nascent Soul realm himself before calling out his Nascent Souls. By the time he got there, this world could already be in the middle of a full spiritual energy awakening.

Cultivators from other worlds would seek every opportunity to enter, and other clans would come to recruit disciples and leave behind their legacies. Qi Yuan imagined himself wandering around, distributing grandmothers and grandfathers to the population and competing with the other sects for disciples.

He had just happened to discover that Zhong Niao bore some resemblance to Wu Qi, so he wanted her blood for further investigation.

However, the female doctor immediately grew wary. "I don't have kidney deficiency, and you're not getting any blood!"

She'd interacted with Qi Yuan enough times that she wasn't particularly afraid of him. Besides, she wasn't about to hand over a blood sample without knowing why.

"What a shame. You might be missing out on a grandma."

"I haven't had a grandmother in years!"

"Which is exactly why I was going to recommend one to you. If you like her, I can throw in a grandfather too."

Qi Yuan was generous. He had over four thousand Nascent Souls to find homes for. He was seeking candidates. For now, the qualifying ones were Wu Qi, Yaji, and his sister from Guiran. Zhong Niao was possibly a half-match.

"No thank you!" Convinced that Qi Yuan's condition had worsened, Zhong Niao asked instinctively, "Did you take the medication I prescribed last time?"

Qi Yuan gave her a flat look. "You should worry about your own kidney deficiency first. You haven't been sleeping well for ages. I suspect you’re still having nightmares. One of these days, you might just not wake up."

Zhong Niao went pale. The dreams were genuinely frightening. She didn't even want to think about them.

Qi Yuan turned to Wu Qi. "How would you feel about me sending you a grandma soon?"

Wu Qi's mind went blank. Why was she getting a grandma sent to her?

She didn't quite have Zhong Niao's nerve for arguing back, so she gritted her teeth. "I'd be honored. I'd treat her like my own grandmother."

Qi Yuan added, "It might not just be one grandma, possibly a second grandma too."

Wu Qi maintained her smile. "Of course!"

Wang Xu sat watching with a permanent baffled grin. The conversation in this room was operating on a level completely beyond him. He understood none of it.

Thus, glasses clinked and the banquet continued.

***

When the last guest had been seen out, Qi Yuan put his arm around Canary and took Little Bride's hand, and the three of them slipped back to his room.

He stretched lazily. "I finally got to attend my own banquet. Though, it was a red banquet this time. I missed the white banquet last time. That's probably going to be the biggest regret of the rest of my life."

Missing his own funeral and not attending his own farewell feast was truly among his life's great sorrows.

Canary suggested brightly, "We can hold a memorial edition!"

She was small enough that even when she bounced up on her toes, she barely reached his eye level. Hence, whenever he kissed her, he simply picked her up.

"No, that'd be bad luck." He waved a hand, then reached into the air. "Look what I got you."

Canary took the package and tore it open. Her face went scarlet as she looked up at him. "It's the middle of the day, Blood Drop!"

"Huh? What are you imagining? You said you wanted to apply for grad school, so I bought you a school uniform."

Her face went even redder. "Oh..."

He seemed smug with himself. "I already pulled some strings and got you enrolled at the grad school here in Tianyue City."

"Hmph." She nodded, then tilted her head at him. "Fine. I'm studying. What are you going to do in the meantime?"

"I'll be working on my martial cultivation. I have a feeling the next Underworld mission is about to open. I need to go in and complete it."

"What a pity I can't come along... Ugh. Studying is such a chore."