Golden Core is a Star, and You Call This Cultivation?

Lin Qinghe watched the retreating figures of Qi Yuan and Shen Lingfeng, his expression tinged with helplessness.

"Someone, issue a warrant for the capture of the murderer, Fang Shisan of the Radiance Society."

Jining Prefecture had a yamen, but in this region, the authority of the Heavenly Sect carried more weight than the imperial court's orders.

In fact, becoming the governor of Fengshan County required the approval of the Heavenly Sect.

The Shen family, being a wealthy and influential family in Fengshan County, had even more sway, especially with Shen Lingxuan being a direct disciple of the Heavenly Sect.

Out of respect for Shen Lingfeng, Lin Qinghe had to comply.

“Yes, Captain!” the other constables responded.

…

As night fell, Shen Baiting’s eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction. “Today’s performance wasn’t bad. A bit more effort, and once I get to Mount Ye Lake… my status within the Shen family will skyrocket!”

That day, the Shen family had gathered many young members from both the main and collateral lines to identify those with potential as artifact masters. From these, candidates would be chosen to attend the Artifact Masters' Conference at Mount Ye Lake.

“But my talent… it’s still inferior to Baihu and the others. I’ll have to rely on some underhanded tricks.” Shen Baiting began considering bribes.

He had decent talent, but he wasn’t among the top tier.

Especially compared to Shen Baihu, the gap was significant.

“I used to feel guilty about bribing to take Shen Baihu’s spot, but… since he told that son-in-law what I said, I can act with a clear conscience!” Shen Baiting muttered to himself, as if justifying his underhanded actions.

“And as for that son-in-law…” Shen Baiting’s eyes burned with hatred.

The man’s relentless provocations had infuriated him.

“Does he really think I won’t dare to bully him?”

“If it were late at night, with no one around, I’d make sure he knows I’m not so easily trifled with!”

Shen Baiting whispered to himself in his room.

He felt confident that he could teach Qi Yuan a lesson while still appearing as the victim afterward.

“What’s this? You’ve finally come around and are planning to bully me?”

At that moment, the door to his room was abruptly pushed open. A figure half-stepped inside, his face beaming with joy.

When Shen Baiting saw who it was, his eyes widened in disbelief.

“Qi… Qi Yuan? Why are you here?” Shen Baiting’s expression twisted as his emotions fluctuated wildly.

How had Qi Yuan, like a rat, suddenly appeared here?

“I’m here, waiting for you to bully me!” Qi Yuan’s face was smug. “I heard you say you wanted to bully me, so here I am!”

To complete his role-playing task, Qi Yuan was going all out.

“You misheard! I didn’t say anything like that!” Shen Baiting quickly defended himself.

He was utterly speechless.

Even whispering to myself late at night gets eavesdropped on!

“I heard you. You were muttering to yourself. Let me give you some advice: talking to yourself is a bad habit. I usually just think things to myself,” Qi Yuan replied, adding a casual note.

Though honestly, even thinking to yourself isn’t safe when I can hear your inner voice.

Shen Baiting glanced at Qi Yuan, then scanned the area outside. Seeing no one else around, his eyes flickered. “Did you come here alone?”

“Yes, I came alone. Didn’t you just say that in a quiet, secluded place, you’d bully me?” Qi Yuan asked eagerly.

He hadn’t managed to pour his mother-in-law’s bathwater, but now he had a chance to be bullied—an unexpected turn of fortune.

Shen Baiting’s face twitched. He was at a loss for words, but seeing that no one was around, he grew bolder.

“Are you really insane, or just pretending?” Shen Baiting’s gaze turned icy.

“I’m not insane!” Qi Yuan replied earnestly.

Shen Baiting studied Qi Yuan carefully and became almost certain that something was wrong with his mind.

Otherwise, why would he come to my courtyard in the middle of the night, asking me to bully him?

And more importantly, he came alone. Wasn’t he afraid of dying?

“Do you truly want me to bully you?” Shen Baiting asked in a low voice.

“Yes!”

Hearing this, Shen Baiting felt that Qi Yuan’s brain must have a screw loose.

His jealousy deepened. How can such a useless person have married Shen Lingxuan, a woman of such unparalleled beauty?

“Come, let’s talk outside,” Shen Baiting said, steeling his resolve.

He lived in a secluded courtyard, far from the main household.

Whatever was said here wouldn’t be overheard.

Soon, Qi Yuan followed Shen Baiting to the yard.

The courtyard was large, even boasting a small pond.

The pond was dotted with green lotus leaves, tender lotus pods, and covered in a dense layer of duckweed—a decent feed for pigs.

Standing by the pond, Shen Baiting’s thoughts churned. With a look of pity, he said, “Qi Yuan… you shouldn’t have provoked me.”

“I didn’t provoke you.”

“Before you lost your mind, you couldn’t even outplay me. Now that you’re mad…” Shen Baiting’s eyes gleamed with contempt.

He had already devised a way to teach Qi Yuan a lesson while maintaining the appearance of a victim.

As he spoke, he suddenly reached out and pinched Qi Yuan hard at the waist.

“Aren’t you begging me to bully you?”

This pinch carried a hidden force—an esoteric energy taught to him by a master. It was so subtle that even an Earth-level weapon master wouldn’t detect the damage.

Shen Baiting held nothing back.

This force not only inflicted sharp pain but also lingered, secretly damaging the body.

Once, back when Shen Baiting was still in the collateral branch, he had harbored deep jealousy toward an exceptionally talented cousin.

That cousin had been kind to him, sharing resources from the main branch.

Fueled by jealousy, Shen Baiting had used this hidden force during a sparring match, planting it in his cousin’s body.

Over two years, his cousin’s health had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer cultivate and had even lost the use of one leg.

The cousin had never suspected Shen Baiting and had even given him his remaining resources, hoping Shen Baiting could lead the collateral line to prominence.

“And now… is that enough?” Shen Baiting asked smugly as he pinched Qi Yuan hard.

Then he deliberately stumbled backward, falling into the pond.

He had already crafted a story:

The son-in-law, Qi Yuan, had come to him late at night to cause trouble. Not daring to resist, Shen Baiting had endured Qi Yuan’s abuse, only to be pushed into the pond.

All he needed now was to shout and attract others.

The perfect victim narrative.

But as he sank into the pond, ready to cry out, he found, to his horror, that no sound came from his mouth.

By the pond, the handsome man standing with his hands on his hips looked at him with an unimpressed expression.

“Your bullying is… pathetic. That pinch? Completely weak.”

The son-in-law Qi Yuan spoke casually, as though nothing had happened.

“I didn’t expect that in addition to being a green tea schemer, you’re also part of the Radiance Society.

“Tell me, are all Radiance Society members experts at palace intrigue?”

Qi Yuan’s eyes had revealed the energy Shen Baiting used as belonging to the Radiance Society—a special light-and-dark force.

In the pond, Shen Baiting’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You’re… pretending to be crazy?” he tried to say, but his voice was barely a whisper.

“Do I look crazy? Have you ever seen such a handsome madman?”

Qi Yuan stretched lazily.

“Who… are you!” Shen Baiting croaked, his voice hoarse and weak, as though his throat had been cut.

He wanted to beg for mercy, to invoke the name of the Radiance Society.

But Qi Yuan gave him no chance to speak.

“Well, tonight wasn’t a total loss. At least… you really did bully me!”

Qi Yuan glanced at the struggling Shen Baiting in the pond, his expression calm.

“Do you think that just because everyone supports you, you’re in the right?”

“Sorry, but here, strength rules.”

“A Qi Refining cultivator accusing a Purple Mansion cultivator? That’s suicide.”

“And don’t forget—I’m playing a madman. Killing people doesn’t count as a crime!”

Qi Yuan’s figure vanished.

He had come silently and left just as quietly, unnoticed by anyone.

In the pond, Shen Baiting struggled, but it was futile. He couldn’t even create a splash.

Eventually, he sank to the bottom.

<hr>

“30% progress! I’ve obtained the Heart of Craftsmanship.”

When Qi Yuan’s progress as the son-in-law reached 30%, he acquired one of Qi Yuan’s abilities—the Heart of Craftsmanship.

The Heart of Craftsmanship was a rare talent.

Anyone with it could increase their success rate in crafting artifacts by 5%.

Though it sounded small, it was incredibly significant.

In this world, the success rate for crafting artifacts wasn’t high. Even Earth-level artifact masters had less than a 50% success rate for crafting Xuan-grade artifacts.

An extra 5% was a massive advantage.

“So, I now qualify to learn artifact crafting?” Qi Yuan pondered. “Maybe I can craft drones. If I could turn Shen Lingxuan into a drone, I could ride her into battle. Everyone would think I’m a god!”

Qi Yuan’s thoughts wandered wildly.

After being "bullied" that night, Qi Yuan rewarded himself with an extra steamed bun from Chen Kangbao. Chen Kangbao grumbled about it endlessly.

However, Qi Yuan didn’t go out again that night, nor did he attempt to pour his mother-in-law’s bathwater.

Now that his progress had reached 30%, he decided to take things slowly.

Tasks involving his mother-in-law required precision and care.

The next morning, not long after Qi Yuan got up, an uninvited guest arrived at his courtyard.

“Brother-in-law, come quick! Father and Mother have found you a teacher!”

Shen Lingfeng burst in energetically, followed by a middle-aged man with a rigid appearance. His hair was neatly combed, his clothes impeccably tidy, and even his mustache was perfectly symmetrical.

He looked like a man obsessed with symmetry.

“A teacher?” Qi Yuan and Chen Kangbao emerged, curiosity evident in Qi Yuan’s eyes.

“This is Chen Xianwei, a Xuan-grade artifact master of the Shen family!” Shen Lingfeng introduced. “Father wants you to learn some things so you don’t bring shame to his name.”

“Oh… alright.” Qi Yuan hesitated but didn’t refuse.

Since he was playing the role of the son-in-law, perhaps learning artifact crafting could boost his progress.

Plus, Qi Yuan was curious about this mysterious discipline.

Chen Xianwei glanced at Qi Yuan with a neutral expression. However, when his gaze fell on Chen Kangbao’s disheveled appearance, his brows furrowed.

Unable to resist, he reached out to adjust the steamed bun in Chen Kangbao’s mouth. “You should eat evenly from both sides. What’s the point of biting just the left?”

Chen Kangbao froze.

Shen Lingfeng leaned toward Qi Yuan and whispered, “Brother-in-law, Master Chen… he’s very rigid and likes everything to be symmetrical.”

Ah, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Qi Yuan understood immediately.

His mind filled with mischievous thoughts, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Master Chen, do you urinate evenly? Like, does it flow symmetrically too?”

Back on Earth, Qi Yuan had heard many anecdotes about OCD.

Now that he had a chance, he couldn’t resist asking.

Chen Xianwei’s mustache twitched, and his lips quivered.

“Master Chen, don’t twitch! Your mustache is uneven!”

“You…” Chen Xianwei hurriedly adjusted his mustache, glaring at Qi Yuan with a pained expression.

Of all the artifact masters in the Shen family, why did they make me teach this lunatic?

This is torture.

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Xianwei brought out a pile of strange tools.

Sitting on a pearwood chair, he adopted a solemn expression. “In ancient times, when chaos first parted, our ancestors emerged from the mountains, crafting stone tools and iron implements, establishing a brilliant civilization.”

To learn the way of artifact crafting, one must first understand its origins.

Typically, Chen Xianwei wouldn’t delve into such details when teaching others.

But since he was teaching a madman, he opted for a more mythical version of the origins story.

“Ordinary stone tools and iron implements—how did they transition from mundane to extraordinary?” Qi Yuan asked.

Stone tools were common on Earth.

But in this world, artifacts carried transcendent properties.

Chen Xianwei nodded and continued, “Then came the specters, invading our world. How could our ancestors fight specters with mere iron?”

“At that moment, the law of artifacts descended from beyond the heavens, entering our world. From then on, we relied on magical artifacts to battle specters!”

“Artifact masters harnessed the essence of mountains and rivers, the light of the sun and moon, forging supreme artifacts that could alter the heavens, move mountains, and fill seas.”

As he spoke, Chen Xianwei’s face filled with emotion.

“According to The Secrets of Origins, before the advent of magical artifacts, our world was nearly overrun by specters, on the brink of becoming their paradise.”

Qi Yuan listened intently, absorbing the game-like lore.

The origins of artifacts were tied to beings from beyond the heavens.

“Do we still have contact with beings from beyond the heavens?” Qi Yuan couldn’t help but ask.

Chen Xianwei shook his head. “That’s beyond the knowledge of a lowly Xuan-grade artifact master like me."

“If one day you reach the level of a Heaven-grade weapon master and step into the greater realm beyond the Blue Mountain Realm, perhaps you’ll learn the truth.”

This world was known as the Blue Mountain Realm, located within the Chaos Star Domain, a minor realm.

Above minor realms lay major realms.

“It’s too early to discuss this with you. If you become an artifact master, I’d count as a great teacher!” Chen Xianwei sighed, finding solace in his humor.

“Let’s continue with the history of artifact masters…”

Indeed, he planned to start with history lessons.

After all, teaching a madman artifact crafting could lead to unexpected accidents.

“Master Chen, does crafting artifacts require special flames?” Qi Yuan asked.

In television shows, alchemy often involved mystical flames. Would the same apply to artifact crafting?

Chen Xianwei gave Qi Yuan a surprised look. “Artifact crafting requires inner flame.

“The stronger one’s willpower and innate domain, the more potent their inner flame.”

“That’s enough for today’s lesson. Here’s an introductory manual on artifact crafting. Read it carefully, and I’ll teach you more tomorrow.”

Chen Xianwei handed Qi Yuan a manual titled Basics of Artifact Crafting before leaving in a hurry.

Inside the room, Qi Yuan flipped through the manual.

“This…” Qi Yuan muttered in surprise. “This seems to share the same origins as the Heavenly Clan’s artifact crafting methods!”

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