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

Chapter 38: The Struggle

At Ling Tian Pavilion.

Bu Chisu, dressed in a simple Taoist robe, was holding an incense burner, with fragrant smoke curling up.

“There are three simplicities in cultivation: simple clothes, simple food, and simple…”

Creak. The door was pushed open.

“Steward, there’s business.”

The servant, familiar with Bu Chisu, entered without knocking.

Bu Chisu, with a gentle temperament, was not angry but looked toward the door where Qi Yuan stood.

“What can I do for you, esteemed guest?”

“I want to use your Ling Tian Pavilion to make an announcement!”

“Here is the price list. Please take a look and choose the tier you prefer,” Bu Chisu handed the price list to Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan glanced at the prices and smacked his lips. The prices were indeed high, starting at dozens of spirit stones. If he hadn’t made a fortune at Heishan Sect, he wouldn’t even be able to afford an ad.

“I’ll choose the 3,000 spirit stones tier,” Qi Yuan decided after some hesitation. This tier would suffice for his needs. Once many people knew there was a Purple Bamboo Body at Heishan Sect, they would definitely flock there to scramble for the corpses. Most people couldn’t recognize a Purple Bamboo Body anyway.

“What information do you wish to publish?” Hearing the amount, Bu Chisu took another look at Qi Yuan, trying to guess his identity.

“I want to announce that Heishan Sect has a Purple Bamboo Body!” Qi Yuan lowered his voice.

“What?” Bu Chisu’s eyebrows twitched as countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He looked at Qi Yuan with a slight smile. “Do you have a grudge against Heishan Sect? Trying to make their disciples restless, I see!”

Qi Yuan nodded. This person was half right. He wanted Heishan Sect’s disciples to be uneasy even in death. Firstly, if there really was a Purple Bamboo Body, it wouldn’t fall into Black Chicken Demon’s hands. Secondly, when Black Chicken Demon emerged from seclusion, he would find nothing at Heishan Sect, making it impossible to find the culprit. Qi Yuan planned to drag everyone down with him.

“If it were any other pavilion, they might not dare to take this business for fear of offending Heishan Sect. But Ling Tian Pavilion isn’t afraid. I’ll take the deal!” Bu Chisu said confidently.

Qi Yuan handed the spirit stones to Bu Chisu, feeling a pang of pain. These spirit stones hadn’t even had a chance to warm his pocket. Fortunately, he had looted quite a bit.

Leaving Ling Tian Pavilion, Qi Yuan secretly boarded a spirit boat and returned to Shen Guang Sect overnight. Back at Seven Colors Peak, he collapsed into bed, exhausted from the battle at Heishan Sect.

Meanwhile, two pieces of information swept through the cultivation world of Dashang, causing a sensation. The first was that Heishan Sect had a Purple Bamboo Body. The second was that Heishan Sect had been exterminated.

Some who didn’t know the truth, upon learning the sequence of events, sensed a great terror. Someone powerful had discovered the Purple Bamboo Body and wiped out Heishan Sect. Opinions varied—some didn’t believe it, thinking it was a rumor; some were delighted; some speculated about the mysterious powerful being daring enough to annihilate Heishan Sect.

Quick-witted individuals, meanwhile, disguised themselves and snuck into Heishan Sect under cover of darkness.

Within Heishan Sect, bodies were strewn everywhere, and blood flowed continuously. A barefoot man in black clothes stealthily climbed into Heishan Sect, his eyes gleaming with surprise as he surveyed the corpses.

“It seems I’m the first here. My quick thinking and bravery paid off,” he thought.

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out, “You, Nuodian Monk, with your thick eyebrows, are also after the Purple Bamboo Body? What, planning to refine it into your own puppet?”

The man in black was shocked, seeing three others in black. “Who are you? How did you find me?”

“Nuodian Monk, who else here always walks barefoot?” a crisp female voice mocked, entwining her arm with one of the men in black, indicating they were partners.

Just then, an angry voice shouted, “I am the real Nuodian Monk! Who are you, impersonating me?” Another barefoot man in black appeared.

The five men in black glanced at each other, not bothering to argue further.

“Heishan Sect being wiped out and then news of a Purple Bamboo Body—it seems the perpetrator has grand ambitions,” the female voice said, her tone serious.

“To annihilate Heishan Sect, it must have taken at least a Nascent Soul elder. Yet there’s no sign of a Nascent Soul’s power. Could it be a Core Formation cultivator?” one of the men speculated.

“Probably not an ordinary Core Formation cultivator,” another added.

“The wounds appear to be from a sword, not a saber. Could it be someone from the Floating Mountain?” the man with the woman pondered.

Immediately, the barefoot man retorted, “Not only the Floating Mountain uses swords!”

The other barefoot man angrily shouted, “You from Floating Mountain, impersonating me!”

They pondered who might have destroyed Heishan Sect. The woman then reminded them, “Finding out who destroyed Heishan Sect is not our primary concern. Remember why we are here.”

“Maybe someone is playing a trick on us, and there is no Purple Bamboo Body here at all!” The five spread their divine senses, scanning the area.

“A Purple Bamboo Worm?” the woman exclaimed, holding a worm.

The others’ expressions changed.

“Where there are Purple Bamboo Worms, there must be a Purple Bamboo Body nearby. It seems there is indeed a Purple Bamboo Body here!” Everyone's breathing quickened. The significance of a Purple Bamboo Body, which could help a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator reach the Purple Mansion realm, was not lost on them. They immediately began examining the corpses to find the Purple Bamboo Body.

Suddenly, a barefoot man stared at some dirt. “The Core Formation True Person Yu Linglong of Heishan Sect is missing.”

He then shifted his gaze. “Could it be that the Purple Bamboo Body has already been taken by the one who destroyed the sect?”

“What are we doing here then?” said an elder who had been silent, his voice raspy.

At that moment, the second barefoot man grabbed the corpse of the Heishan Sect’s leader. “Nuodian Monk, how dare you!”

The others immediately joined in, causing the corpse to be torn apart.

The poor leader of Heishan Sect couldn’t rest in peace even in death.

“This isn’t the Purple Bamboo Body. Why fight over it?” the barefoot man shouted.

“This may not be the Purple Bamboo Body, but it’s a Blue Bamboo Body, slightly less valuable. Ground into powder, it can nurture a special herb that produces a Blue Infant Fruit, enhancing Nascent Soul cultivation,” the woman explained. “I didn’t expect the leader to be Yu Linglong’s father, or perhaps her grandfather?”

“Fortunately, someone discovered this early; otherwise, within two hundred years, Black Chicken Demon would certainly have reached the Purple Mansion realm!” The thought sent chills through them. Such an event would drastically change the power dynamics in Dashang.

However, this fear was fleeting. After fighting over the sect leader’s corpse, the Nascent Soul experts continued their search. Given the frequent appearance of Purple and Blue Bamboo Bodies, there might be other special bodies here. They couldn’t let any corpses go.

Thus began a fierce battle for the corpses within Heishan Sect.

Unaware of these events, Qi Yuan stretched lazily, feeling refreshed.

“Finally, I can relax and play games.”