My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Wang Shiqiao spoke as she pulled out her phone.

"Take a look at this person—how disgusting they are. I reported them, but the authorities didn’t do anything. And this person still has a ton of followers!"

Wang Shiqiao showed the homepage of the person she had been arguing with to everyone present.

"Look at this... Isn't it just revolting? Absolutely inhumane!" she said angrily.

The others watched the video, displaying various expressions—some even feeling nauseated, clearly disturbed by what they saw.

Gongxing had never been an era of peace. There was always a war happening somewhere. However, within Qin Yuan, the country was relatively peaceful. These rich second-generation kids felt physically sickened by the scenes in the video.

In the video, a soldier from Guiyuan Country stormed into a civilian's house. The events that followed weren't shown, but the video ended with a line of corpses—two elderly people, three young adults, and two children.

The seven members of the household were in tattered clothes and covered in bloodstains, a clear indication of the humiliation they had suffered. The video also had a caption: "Disrespecting the Lord is the greatest evil!"

The young heirs, who had rarely experienced hardship, were understandably furious after seeing such scenes.

"What a bastard!"

"Don’t insult the dogs!"

"Damn it! What's the king doing? If I were him, I'd have already sent troops to annihilate Guiyuan Country! That damn Guiyuan Country could be flattened by a single synthetic regiment!"

The synthetic regiments of Qin Yuan were somewhat similar to the combined arms brigades of a certain major country on Blue Star. Apart from being composed of modern armies, Qin Yuan's synthetic regiments also included gene warriors, mechanical units, and other forces.

In other words, a single synthetic regiment could easily crush Wugui Country.

"But Wugui Country is backed by Guwu Country. How can we intervene directly?"

"Wugui and Guwu are closely linked with Canxing..."

One of the students mentioned this, fear evident in their eyes.

Every citizen of Qin Yuan who had attended school had learned about that horrific chapter in history—Canxing's support of certain countries had led to a world war. It had been a devastating conflict.

"In my opinion, we should just destroy Wugui Country. Even if we end up at war with Guwu Country, so what? The military strength of Guwu is about equal to ours. Who knows who would win?"

"If a war does break out, it's probably for the best. Our country has become too stagnant. People like us have no chance to change our status!"

"But we'd better not go to war. The ones who suffer the most in a war are always the lower classes. We might end up as sacrificial lambs ourselves!"

The students continued their heated discussion, their opinions on whether to go to war differing greatly.

"And what about you, Qi Yuan? Do you want a war?" Wang Shiqiao asked, looking at Qi Yuan.

"Uh... it's probably better not to go to war. If we do, the Martial Arts Tournament might get canceled. How am I supposed to win the championship then?"

If Qin Yuan entered a state of war, events like the Martial Arts Tournament would surely be canceled. Qi Yuan's main quest was to become the Supreme Martial God of Ten Thousand Paths. Participating in the Martial Arts Tournament was crucial.

"You're still hung up on that championship?" Wang Shiqiao rolled her eyes at Qi Yuan. "Come back in seven or eight years and then talk about winning!"

To be fair, they had all noticed how hard Qi Yuan had been working. With a few more years of solid preparation, he might indeed have a chance to make it to the finals of the Martial Arts Tournament. Though... winning the championship seemed a bit far-fetched.

"The international situation seems to be getting worse and worse. I have a feeling that a major war might really break out within the next few years. If that happens, the Martial Arts Tournament will probably be canceled before Qi Yuan even has a chance to win," a burly male student added.

Whether or not the Martial Arts Tournament was held didn’t really matter to him since he didn't rely on it for a living.

"Aren't you dating a celebrity driver? Why are you still thinking about making money through the Martial Arts Tournament? If she gets you on some kind of romance reality show, with your looks, you'd blow up. Why bother with the Martial Arts Tournament?" Xing Yu teased with a bright smile, clearly joking.

The fact that the celebrity Wu Qi was driving Qi Yuan to and from the martial arts school had caused quite a stir among the students. Especially when they found out that Wu Qi and Qi Yuan were high school classmates and that Wu Qi was Qi Yuan's senior.

In the idle chatter among these bored rich kids, a ridiculous romantic drama seemed to take shape. It was obvious they had been childhood sweethearts. After becoming successful, Wu Qi hadn't forgotten her little boyfriend, and Qi Yuan naturally played the role of the kept man.

To this, Qi Yuan insisted that he and Wu Qi were innocent and that Wu Qi was merely his chauffeur. Of course, none of the students believed this story. Why would a big star be willing to be an ordinary person's driver? And to chauffeur him daily, no less.

Since then, Qi Yuan had earned the nickname "Driver Brother," and Wu Qi was referred to as the "Driver Girlfriend."

Wang Shiqiao joined in the teasing, saying, "I bet your driver girlfriend is waiting for you downstairs right now."

By this time, it was late afternoon, and the day's training at the martial arts school was almost over. It was time for everyone to go home.

Outside the martial arts school, on the road, Wu Qi was on the phone, her expression tinged with frustration.

"My dear lady, that Qi Yuan is probably just a con artist who tricked Viscount Kuang Huan. In reality, he's not a noble at all. You've been acting like his servant for days, neglecting your own work. What have you gained from it?"

On the phone, her manager's sharp voice was clear.

Recently, the manager had done a little digging into Qi Yuan. They found that Qi Yuan's background was quite ordinary; he was just an orphaned child of a martyr with a mental illness. He seemed to have some sort of deal with Viscount Kuang Huan.

According to the manager's covert inquiries, Qi Yuan was nothing more than a fraud who used some kind of mysterious "immortal technique" to deceive Viscount Kuang Huan.

Wu Qi held her phone, listening to the incessant chatter on the other end. Feeling annoyed, she thought about Qi Yuan and replied in a low voice, "He's not a fraud. He's special."

Whenever she was with Qi Yuan, she could sense how different he was from everyone else. Even among the nobility, none gave her the same sense of pressure as Qi Yuan.

"He's definitely special; there's no doubt about that. Who with a mental illness isn't special?" The manager's tone was laced with mockery.

"If you keep talking like this, there's no need for us to continue working together," Wu Qi said firmly, her tone becoming more assertive.

Wu Qi and her manager were in a cooperative relationship.

Hearing Wu Qi's words, the manager was momentarily at a loss for words before saying, "You're clinging to him like this... It doesn't seem right. If you really want to latch onto him and your charm isn't enough, you could always drug him. He's a man, after all. Men don't usually complain about such things, do they?"

"What era do you think we're living in? Who still talks like that? You're so old-fashioned." Wu Qi's tone softened as she saw the manager's attitude change.

"By the way, Xiao Qi, Young Master Fang from the Fang Zheng Group wants to meet you and has invited you to a gathering. The last time you went on the cruise, you caught the attention of their circle." The manager's voice sounded a bit apprehensive. "I heard that Young Master Fang doesn't get along well with Viscount Kuang Huan."

"I'm not going," Wu Qi refused flatly upon hearing this. Clearly, this was some dirty business in the upper circles. Since she had chosen to align herself with Qi Yuan, she wouldn't look for another patron. Even if she had to be someone's lapdog, she would choose a handsome master, wouldn't she?

A few minutes later, Wu Qi's eyes brightened with a smile.

The rear car door opened, and Qi Yuan sat in the back seat.

"Mr. Qi, how about we have dinner outside before heading home? My treat!" After hearing her manager's words, Wu Qi decided to be more proactive, to create opportunities and get closer to Qi Yuan.

"No need. My robot at home can cook," Qi Yuan refused outright without even thinking. Eating out was too expensive. He only had a billion yuan, so he needed to be frugal. Especially now, with everyone feeling uneasy, who knew when a war might break out? In wartime, the price of goods would surely skyrocket.

"Robot-made food is hard to stomach. How could it compare to a chef's cooking outside?" Wu Qi couldn't help but say.

Generally, robot-prepared food was not only simple but also used pre-packaged ingredients. Wu Qi had eaten such food before, and after becoming wealthy, she never ate robot-cooked meals again.

"My Zero-One is different; it cooks deliciously," Qi Yuan said with a hint of pride in his eyes.

Over the past month, apart from cultivating both martial arts and immortality in tandem, he had also been upgrading the household robot. Using advanced puppet techniques, he had enhanced Zero-One's body. Combining modern technology with advanced puppet techniques, Zero-One was no longer an ordinary robot.

The only regret was that Qi Yuan's current power was too weak to awaken Zero-One's intelligence directly. Otherwise, Zero-One could have already developed self-awareness, similar to a spiritual tool's spirit.

Of course, even without awakening its intelligence, Zero-One's sentience was gradually increasing, and its awareness was slowly growing. Qi Yuan wasn't sure how long this growth would take.

To speed up this process would actually be simple: mimic what he did on Seven Colors Peak with the kitchen knife. If he took Zero-One for walks like a pet for a few dozen laps, it would definitely develop intelligence, even smarter than the kitchen knife.

Nowadays, Zero-One was quite unique. It could not only cook but also handle simple alchemy.

Qi Yuan was actually thinking about whether to set up a factory and scale up alchemy production.

Of course, this was just a thought.

"A robot can cook well?" Wu Qi asked, driving with surprise in her heart. "How about I come over to try it?"

"Don't think about freeloading!" Qi Yuan refused.

Late at night, alone with a woman would create the wrong impression. He was only interested in Wu Qi's blood, not her body.

After thinking about it, Qi Yuan said seriously, "Wu Qi, you've been driving me for quite a while now. Shouldn't we discuss something serious?"

Hearing Qi Yuan's serious tone, Wu Qi's heart suddenly sped up, and she nodded cautiously.

She was filled with anticipation. Could it be that her sincerity had moved Mr. Qi?

"I ride in your car every day; could you give me a discount?"

Qi Yuan spoke earnestly, his tone sincere, with a hint of request.

It's common knowledge that if you buy more at a store, you get a discount. If you stay in a hotel for a month straight, the price would also be cheaper.

Wu Qi had been driving him every day for over a month. Shouldn't the price drop a bit?

Hearing this, Wu Qi was stunned. Qi Yuan's words caught her off guard. She forced a smile, one that looked even more pitiful than crying. "Sure."

"How about 25 yuan per trip?"

"Okay." Wu Qi nodded, feeling like there were ten thousand grass mud horses stampeding through her mind.

Of course, she dared not express any objections.

Doubts also began to arise in her mind. Could it be... that her persistence was misplaced?

But she had stuck to it for so long, and the sunk cost was so great. Giving up was out of the question.

The car sped along and soon arrived at Qi Yuan's residential area.

Qi Yuan got out of the car, holding 25 yuan in his hand, ready to hand it to Wu Qi.

But then he thought of something, and with a slight movement of his hand, the money turned into a bird shape.

"Your blood is still in your body; consider this interest," Qi Yuan said.

The paper bird was something he made casually, imbued with certain powers, such as protection or tracking.

He gave Wu Qi the paper bird because, as his strength grew, his curiosity about Wu Qi's blood deepened.

Keeping her hanging without using her blood, letting her blood stay in her body for so long—Qi Yuan felt a little guilty.

Wu Qi took the paper bird, her eyes lighting up with surprise. "Your technique is so good! How did you fold it? Can you teach me?"

She had seen it with her own eyes—Qi Yuan had folded this paper bird in less than twenty seconds.

This was completely different from traditional origami like a thousand paper cranes. It was much more lifelike.

"You can't learn it. To fold this, you need to practice cultivation," Qi Yuan said honestly. "Back when Kuang Huan gave me 90 million, I agreed to teach him cultivation."

"Cultivation?" Wu Qi's eyes widened, filled with confusion.

Could it be that cultivation really exists in this world?

The manager had told her that Qi Yuan's deal with Viscount Kuang Huan was related to cultivation.

She hadn't believed it then.

But now, hearing it directly from Qi Yuan, she was shocked and bewildered, standing frozen in place.

By the time she snapped back to reality, Qi Yuan was already gone.

She stood there, dazed.

"Is this a joke... or is it real?"

If it were true, wouldn't her worldview over all these years be shattered?

Clutching the paper bird tightly, countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

If what Mr. Qi said was true... that would be great.

...

"Oh no, I'm stuck!"

In the Junan residential area, Xie Xinsu let out a miserable cry.

At that moment, her heart was filled with fear.

Her head was stuck in a sewer, and inside it was pitch black, with a nauseating stench.

Her lower body, including her butt, was stuck outside the manhole cover.

She was like an upside-down onion, looking pitiful and miserable.

She appeared in tatters, covered in food scraps, looking utterly disheveled.

"Oh no, if a man comes by, what am I going to do?"

Thinking of this, Xie Xinsu shuddered.

She had no ability to resist in her current state. If she encountered a perverted man...

It would be terrifying to think about.

"Wait, I'm a cat right now. What if I encounter a male cat in heat?"

Thinking of this, Xie Xinsu felt extremely frustrated.

She would rather deal with a man than a male cat.

"Oh, woe is me! I am a proud fairy of the Xuantian Sect, entrusted with the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the sect.

How did I get so unlucky? I finally managed to hide on Canxing for three years, obtaining crucial intelligence, only for the world to reset back to ten years ago."

"It wouldn't be so bad if I just went back ten years... but I turned into a cat!"

"And if turning into a cat wasn't bad enough, now my brain isn't working right!"

"And now... I'm stuck here like this!"

Xie Xinsu felt bitter but had no way to express it.

When the world reset for others, they returned to their original timelines.

But for her... she became a cat.

Her sect must be worried, seeing that she vanished without a trace.

Meow, meow, meow!

Xie Xinsu let out a pitiful cry.

She grew weaker, her consciousness becoming increasingly blurred.

"Someone, please save this fairy... I'll teach you the way of cultivation and the art of immortality!"

With this thought, she finally passed out.