My Core is the Boss

"It is a cultivation realm," Qi Yuan replied.

An Qiao clicked her tongue. "Even if you're a newcomer, don't bully your big sis! I may be older, but I know a few rebooters. In the cultivation realms, there’s no such thing as a Yang Spirit realm!

"From what I’ve heard, the Violet Palace realm is the domain of supreme mighty experts. Above them are the gods who have long ago ascended to the unknowable realm."

Surprise flickered in Qi Yuan's eyes. "You know quite a bit. Can I ask you something?"

He started freeloading again.

Besides, An Qiao was generous and quite caring toward newcomers. "Big Sis is quite knowledgeable, you know? Ask away!"

Well, not just any newcomers. Qi Yuan, in particular, was pleasing to look at. Turning him into a cute femboy would make things far more interesting. Of course, that was merely a passing thought.

Qi Yuan asked, "If cultivators come here, will their realm also drop?"

She answered uncertainly, "It should, yes."

The man in black beside her chimed in, "Not should, it definitely will."

As for the reason, he did not elaborate.

Qi Yuan pondered, Wouldn't that mean immortal cultivation is on the same level as old martial arts?

According to An Qiao, all the natives here cultivated old martial arts. Fighting in their home world allowed them to retain their strength, but things were completely different in the game’s other parallel worlds. New martial arts did not have this problem. Across all the game's parallel worlds, one's strength remained intact.

He then asked, "If you went to another world, or even another universe, would new martial arts still preserve its power?"

This was what concerned him most. If a Yang Spirit at the Major Principle realm could retain their full strength in another universe, then new martial arts would truly be terrifying.

An Qiao froze. "Another universe..."

She wasn’t particularly ancient, so she understood the concept of multiverses. Even scientists had once proposed that they could exist, but that was only a hypothesis and had never been proven.

She replied, "If you can take me to another universe, then I'll prove it for you."

Although it was not the answer he had hoped for, Qi Yuan did not mind. Instead, he stared eagerly at the two. "Martial techniques can't be traded, but what about cultivation methods? My white moonlight—no, my substitute white moonlight is with the demons. I want to raise my strength and go see them one last time."

To him, any demon capable of providing essence blood was basically a white moonlight. Unfortunately, they did not quite meet Qi Yuan’s standards for a white moonlight, making them mere stand-ins instead.

An Qiao naturally misunderstood. "Did the demons capture your white moonlight?!"

The man in black glanced at Qi Yuan again, amused. "You've only been here less than a day, and yet you already have a white moonlight? Don’t tell me you immersed yourself so deeply in the role that you became obsessed with the woman your predecessor liked. That's not good. My advice is to forget her and treat it as if you watched a TV drama."

Qi Yuan refused loudly, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! My heart longs to see it. The sun and moon can bear witness, the seas may dry up, even bladders may burst apart, but I absolutely must see my white moonlight!"

An Qiao was somewhat moved by his genuine sincerity. "I have a martial cultivation method, but it’s a bit incomplete and can only sustain cultivation up to the completion of the Qi Blood realm. Do you want it?"

At last, she once again played the role of Qi Yuan's generous benefactor.

Qi Yuan was delighted. "Yes. You truly are a good person. My White Moonlight Sect will surely be deeply grateful."

The man in black said nothing.

From her qi-blood storage space, An Qiao pulled out a worn sheepskin scroll. The parchment was yellowed and damaged, clearly aged. "This cultivation method is called Heaven-Shocking Art. Sounds grand and impressive, doesn’t it? But it’s rather mediocre and barely qualifies as a cultivation method. Once it’s yours, make sure to practice it properly.

"Don't go looking for your white moonlight. This mission is very unusual. All the demons are at least at the Qi Blood realm. You're no match for them. For now, your only tasks are to cultivate, obey our instructions, and help with the investigation. I am sure we can easily complete this mission in around two months."

"That long?" Qi Yuan was startled. "What's the time difference between here and the real world?"

What if one second inside equaled ten thousand years outside? He'd be doomed! What about his one hundred million—no, ten quadrillion dollars?! Who knew whether the bank would still let him withdraw them...

An Qiao laughed. "You’re already dead! Get over yourself! Time here runs one-to-one with reality. Oh right, we're staying at the county government. Do you want to stay with us?"

"No need. I'm used to going alone. I like being a lone wolf," said Qi Yuan, before pausing briefly. He recalled he was not alone. Little Bride had always been by his side.

"Well, if anything happens, come find us at the government. We also have to hurry and report the investigation results to the captain."

Qi Yuan waved to them. "Okay, goodbye everyone."

Then, he disappeared from sight. In the barren and ruined courtyard, only An Qiao, the man in black, and the big black dog remained.

The man in black said softly, "This newcomer seems a bit unreliable, but my gut tells me he’s unusual. He has some secrets."

An Qiao smiled mischievously. "Perhaps he came into contact with a cultivator and learned an immortal technique."

Recalling their conversation, the man in black nodded in agreement, replying seriously, "Unfortunately, martial arts reign supreme here. A few trivial immortal techniques are hardly worth mentioning."

Not only did practicing immortal arts take far longer than martial arts, but one’s cultivation would also drop by an entire major realm upon entering the Yellow Springs. What was the point, really?

"Who doesn't have a few secrets? You, I, and the captain all have our secrets." An Qiao smiled faintly, leading the big black dog away. "Fat Dog, let's go."

The fat dog muttered under its breath, "Actually, I have secrets too."

No one paid any attention.