My Core is the Boss

What the crowd didn't know was that the red light came from the bones of his Bloodline Ancestors. Qi Yuan, in his deep respect for elders, had left some of his blood with their remains. Besides, it also served as a mark he could follow later like a compass.

When the time came to connect with that lingering fragment of the Primordial Seed's soul, he'd use those blood coordinates to track down those ancestors. His purpose, naturally, was to honor the elderly and give them a proper send-off.

Now, he wanted to break through to the next tier. So these are the Bloodline Ancestors of the Primordial Seed... Their gifts are rather generous. Isn’t this actually Mythic tier? When an elder offered a gift, it would be rude to refuse.

Even with his diminished power, his eye for such things remained sharp. Low- and mid-grade Bloodline Ancestors corresponded to Venerables, high-grade ones to Great Venerables, while titled ones to Mythic-tier powerhouses.

As his eyes remained shut, his thoughts drifted. So is this what a Martial Lord is? Then, would the Martial God of Ten Thousand Paths be equivalent to a Yang Spirit?

In that case, giving his blood to the deceased ancestors had been worthwhile. As for the living ones, they could manage their own affairs; he couldn't be bothered with them.

Not bad. I'd say I've stepped into the peak of the Martial Spirit realm. One more step and I'll reach Martial King, an equivalent of Violet Palace.

And above that was Martial Lord.

Killing demon beasts is still the fastest way to advance. Hopefully, the next world is a good one, with lots of demon beasts and adorable little ancestors.

He then opened his eyes. The crowd, which had been chattering nonstop just moments before, fell completely silent.

Those who'd still had laughter on their faces quickly changed their expressions into solemnity. Every sad memory they'd ever had flashed through their minds in rapid succession. They were doing anything to keep themselves from breaking into a smile in front of Qi Yuan. Some even had tears welling in their eyes from the effort.

Qi Yuan was genuinely puzzled. "Did someone's father die?"

***

Junan Residential Complex. New shoots had grown, and spring had arrived.

Wang Zhiqi was out in a thin shirt, yet she did not feel cold at all. She said brightly, "Principal, this is where I live! Nice, right?"

Not only was she bright and energetic, but she was also extraordinarily talented. As a result, she was well-regarded at the Tianxuan Tower, and many teachers liked her.

Moreover, she wasn’t the slightest bit wary of cultivators, acting comfortable around Xie Tang.

Xie Tang calmly scanned the complex. "Hm. Quite a few people."

A rather ordinary mortal complex.

Wang Zhiqi said proudly, "Don't let the looks fool you, there are some impressive people here, like my dad! As a martial cultivator, he’s basically a one-man army!"

Her father, Yang Shan, was legendary in the martial circle. Unfortunately, she couldn't boast about it to her classmates because of secrecy. But in front of someone like Xie Tang, she did not have to worry.

Xie Tang said approvingly, "Not bad. He is impressive for a mortal."

She had to go along for the sake of her talented disciple.

Wang Zhiqi grew more ecstatic. "Oh, and there's also a cat in this complex. She's internet-famous, with millions of followers! Principal, this cat has practically ascended. She doesn't just cook, she can do the Rubik's Cube too!"

Whipping out her phone, the girl showed a video of a cat cooking with an apron. As it stir fried some vegetables, it’d pause occasionally to add salt and seasoning.

She rattled on, "She's so smart. I've held her before. She lives right next door to me!"

Xie Tang watched the video, a flicker of recognition passing through her eyes. For some reason, she felt like she’d seen it somewhere before. "I can see why a cat like that would be unusual in your world, but it's nothing new in the Fire Spirit World. Some of our cats have developed true intelligence. They are no different from a person in terms of mind."

"Principal, do you think this cat has enough talent to cultivate like us?"

Xie Tang shook her head. "It would be difficult. The Profound Heaven Sect has no cultivation techniques suited to non-human practitioners."

"That's a shame." Wang Zhiqi's face fell a little, but then she looked up at Xie Tang. "Principal, if you made an account, I bet you'd have tons of followers. You'd be a massive influencer!"

Xie Tang smiled serenely. "Oh?"

Wang Zhiqi's eyes went wide and sparkly. "You're literally the first person I've met with star-shaped eyebrows! Everyone talks about having sword brows and starry eyes, but you've got star brows and sword eyes. You're one of a kind!"

Xie Tang smiled faintly. "My eyebrows are nothing special. If you ever meet my senior sister, you'll see what truly remarkable eyebrows look like. Hers resemble a tortoise."

"A tortoise?! That is so cool! When I'm strong enough, I want to make my eyebrows look like the sun!"

Xie Tang gazed at her fondly. If anyone else had teased her about her eyebrows, she'd have slashed them. But Wang Zhiqi was different. Her intentions were pure.

Just then, Xie Tang's brows gave the faintest twitch. A glimmer of delight lit her eyes. "Talent truly runs deep in your residence complex. I've just found two more with rather extraordinary gifts."

Moreover, those two significantly surpassed Wang Zhiqi. How could Xie Tang not be pleased? It was an unexpected harvest indeed.