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

Chapter 249: A Few Things About the Upper Realm

In the Upper Realm.

Within the city, immortal light filled the air.

Occasionally, streams of light streaked across the sky and descended into Dream Returning City.

Shen Wushen, dressed in black robes with fluctuating spiritual energy, flew through the air.

All the cultivators he encountered, whether they were at the Golden Core stage, Nascent Soul stage, or even those in the Purple Mansion realm, instinctively made way for Shen Wushen.

This was because Shen Wushen was flying atop a small mountain.

This small mountain was the symbol of a true disciple of Futu Mountain.

Futu Mountain was the strongest sect in the area, a legendary holy land said to be overseen by a Yang God.

The status of a true disciple was even higher than that of an ordinary Yin God.

Shen Wushen landed in Dream Returning City, where a towering building stood before him, known as the Eight Treasures Pavilion.

This pavilion was a branch of the Celestial Pavilion.

Its primary business was transmitting messages.

The advertisements Qi Yuan had mentioned—those were also handled by the Celestial Pavilion.

"Honored guest, I apologize for not greeting you sooner," came a hearty voice as the pavilion master of the Eight Treasures Pavilion's first floor stepped out.

He was an elderly man with white hair, wearing a neatly tailored Daoist robe embroidered with a crane ready to take flight among the clouds.

The pavilion master's cultivation was at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm, just one step away from becoming an Yin God. Yet, he showed great respect toward Shen Wushen.

"I need to use your Eight Treasures Pavilion to send a message," Shen Wushen got straight to the point.

He was not skilled in socializing, nor did he need to be, as the people he met generally treated him well.

The pavilion master's eyes softened with a kind smile. "May I ask where the message needs to be sent?"

"To the Moon God Palace, to the Moon Maiden, Jinli," Shen Wushen replied.

The message included not only Qi Jianjun's verbal message but also the cultivation technique that Qi Yuan had composed, titled Seeing You.

These items were placed in a storage pouch and simply processed.

Of course, the Celestial Pavilion, which stood behind the Eight Treasures Pavilion, would never allow these items to be leaked.

After all, the Celestial Pavilion had been in business for millions of years, even dealing with the Yang Gods.

If there were any problems, the Celestial Pavilion would have been destroyed long ago.

Even in a world where strength is paramount, trustworthiness is of utmost importance.

Once trust is shattered, it could lead to complete chaos.

"The Moon God Palace?" The pavilion master hesitated for a moment, then took out a jade slip resembling a map and consulted it.

It was clear that while he had heard of this holy land, he was not familiar with the specific location of the Moon God Palace.

"It's quite far..." After determining the general location of the Moon God Palace, the pavilion master sighed, "It will likely take three years to deliver the message."

The Upper Realm is incredibly vast, or rather, it is the collective name for many worlds.

The Upper Realm is so immense that even an ordinary Yang God cannot traverse all its regions in their lifetime.

How many individual worlds are there in the Upper Realm?

Even the Yang Gods do not know.

However, the worlds of the Upper Realm are divided into nine heavens.

Futu Mountain is located in the second heaven of the lower three heavens.

The Moon God Palace is situated in the sixth heaven of the middle three heavens.

"Understood, thank you," Shen Wushen said, handing over two storage pouches—one containing the items to be delivered and the other holding the payment.

The pavilion master quickly accepted them, then took out an ancient oil paper and signed an agreement with Shen Wushen.

The deal was thus sealed.

Shen Wushen breathed a sigh of relief. He had completed one of the tasks Qi Yuan had given him.

But there was still another...

Thinking of this, he hesitated.

The remaining task was far more troublesome than delivering a message.

The Moon God Palace was vast, but there were only a few Moon Maidens, so sending a message to one of them was feasible.

However, "confessing to Ruan Yixi" was obviously more complicated.

The Moon God Palace was too large, and to send a message to someone named Ruan Yixi would require broadcasting it widely, as Qi Yuan had suggested.

The cost... would be even higher.

He also needed to spend a significant amount of money to exchange some cultivation techniques for Qi Yuan.

The Lower Realm required money too, which was another huge expense.

So now, he was essentially broke.

The only way to make money... was by completing the tasks Qi Yuan had mentioned.

Shen Wushen didn't hold out much hope.

Perhaps out of dozens of tasks he took on, Qi Yuan could complete two or three, which would already be a huge profit.

At least he wouldn't be at a total loss.

With this in mind, he was about to leave.

Suddenly, he saw a fair-skinned, beautiful woman with an incredibly striking figure, and he couldn't take another step.

The woman moved gracefully, her jade-green dress fluttering, revealing a hint of her ample bosom and the delicate curve of her cleavage—a sight that captivated all eyes.

She had a voluptuous figure, a slender waist, and an alluring face with eyes like autumn water, exuding endless charm.

"Lian Mei Fairy... I can't believe I have the fortune to see Lian Mei Fairy up close!"

"The Fairy is even more enchanting than the legends say!"

"A fairy like this, I wonder who could be her Dao companion."

"I heard that even the Saint Child of Futu Mountain desires Lian Mei Fairy as his Dao companion but to no avail."

Lian Mei Fairy was a true disciple of Futu Mountain, with strength at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

Among the true disciples of Futu Mountain, Lian Mei Fairy was ranked in the top ten.

At this moment, Lian Mei Fairy's gaze fell on Shen Wushen. She noticed his intense, unabashed gaze, as if he were stripping her with his eyes.

She had seen many such looks, but most people would sneak a glance—very few were as direct as Shen Wushen.

"Lian Mei Senior Sister, would you do me the honor of a duel?" Shen Wushen suddenly spoke, his body radiating strong battle intent.

His eyes burned with excitement as if he had found an extraordinary opponent.

Regardless of whether in the Upper or Lower Realm, whenever he saw a worthy opponent, he sought a duel, seeking defeat to temper his Dao and his innate divine abilities.

Lian Mei Fairy smiled sweetly. "Why not?"

Shen Wushen's reputation as a battle maniac was well-known in Futu Mountain.

Last time, Shen Wushen had challenged her and was easily defeated.

This time, he was challenging her again, and Lian Mei Fairy naturally accepted.

The surrounding cultivators looked on with envy.

"I also want to fight Lian Mei Fairy head-on!"

"You fool, you're not trying to duel her; you're just lusting after her!"

"That guy doesn't get it at all. Instead of a duel, why not ask Lian Mei Fairy for something else?"

"Shen Wushen is strong, but he's still far from Lian Mei Fairy's level."

Even so, the cultivators watched with great interest.

A hundred breaths passed.

Lian Mei Fairy looked at Shen Wushen, her eyes smiling. "Junior Brother Shen, it seems your journey through the worlds has yielded great rewards."

"Yes, I met an outstanding genius who gave me some guidance, greatly increasing my strength," Shen Wushen replied honestly.

Lian Mei Fairy's smile deepened. "I can tell—you're confident enough to challenge me now."

Among the true disciples, Lian Mei was in the first tier, while Shen Wushen was in the second tier.

"Compared to that genius, I may not measure up, but compared to Senior Sister, I'm confident I can win!" Shen Wushen declared.

Lian Mei Fairy smiled softly. "Junior Brother, you’re as direct as ever."

In other words, you don’t think before you speak.

The battle began in that instant.

All the spectators widened their eyes, holding their breath as they watched the duel.

However, to their surprise, the duel started quickly and ended even quicker.

In less than ten breaths, Lian Mei Fairy's body plummeted from the sky.

A bright red footprint marred her snow-white chest, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, and her expression was complicated.

A flash of white silk quickly covered her chest.

She clutched her chest and looked at Shen Wushen with a complex expression. "I lost."

If it weren't for all the onlookers, she would have checked to see if Shen Wushen's kick had damaged her.

"Thank you for the match!" Shen Wushen was delighted, as he had defeated Lian Mei, whom he had previously been unable to overcome.

Now, among the true disciples of Futu Mountain, he was in the first tier.

Seeing Shen Wushen so happy, Lian Mei felt a ripple in her heart. This man... really has no sense of romance.

Shouldn't he... apologize and say something like, "Sorry for being so abrupt"?

But knowing Shen Wushen's usual behavior, she said nothing.

However, she thought of something and asked, "It seems that the genius Junior Brother met in the other world is a truly peerless talent?"

After all, Shen Wushen's previous strength was far inferior to hers.

But now, he had easily defeated her, and his power was not far off from the Saint Child of the same realm.

"He's the strongest Nascent Soul cultivator I've ever seen," Shen Wushen said, thinking of Qi Yuan with great respect.

"Oh? With such a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator, why didn't Junior Brother introduce him to join our Futu Mountain?" Lian Mei Fairy was also curious about Qi Yuan.

Just a bit of guidance from him had completely transformed Shen Wushen.

And from what Shen Wushen had said, the gap between him and Qi Yuan was considerable.

"He... can't come to the Upper Realm," Shen Wushen said, not wanting to elaborate on the topic.

Seeing this, Lian Mei Fairy wisely chose not to press further.

At this moment, Shen Wushen suddenly had an idea. "Senior Sister, I wonder if you could lend me a divine technique, one that hasn't been recorded."

Shen Wushen remembered that Lian Mei had obtained a divine technique before.

Now that he had defeated Lian Mei, she should be willing to do him a favor, right? Lian Mei's smile froze.

If it were someone else who had just fought her, kicked her hard in the chest, and then asked to borrow a divine technique...

She would have ignored them.

But... this was Shen Wushen.

Now, Shen Wushen's foundation was as solid as that of the Saint Child.

Maybe it was worth investing in him a little.

"This divine technique can be lent to Junior Brother. When can you return it?" Lian Mei Fairy asked with a smile.

"Before I return it, if I'm around and Senior Sister wants to spar, I'll always be available!" Shen Wushen said matter-of-factly.

Lian Mei was taken aback. "If someone else said that, I would think they had other intentions."

Without further pretense, Lian Mei handed the divine technique to Shen Wushen.

"The original of this divine technique is yours. I won't use it again."

"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Shen Wushen breathed a sigh of relief.

He had finally obtained a divine technique, and it was an unrecorded one that could be sold to the Eight Treasures Pavilion.

"Farewell, Senior Sister."

With that, Shen Wushen left.

Lian Mei: "..."

???

What a jerk, taking my technique and just leaving? On the other side, Shen Wushen returned to the Eight Treasures Pavilion.

The pavilion master came out to greet him again, this time with an even brighter smile.

He had just received word that Shen Wushen had easily defeated Lian Mei Fairy in a duel.

"Pavilion Master, I have another matter to trouble you with," Shen Wushen said directly, explaining Qi Yuan's request in full.

He handed over the original divine technique to the pavilion master.

"This is... the payment."

He had already memorized the technique and could transcribe it for Qi Yuan.

The pavilion master was momentarily stunned.

"This kind of business involving the Moon God Palace... I need to report this to my superiors. It might take a few days to get an answer," the pavilion master said, his expression troubled.

After all, this business involved advertising to the entire Moon God Palace.

The Moon God Palace was not just any holy land; it was an extraordinary one.

Such a transaction had to be handled with caution.

If this "Ruan Yixi" turned out to be a significant figure in the Moon God Palace, a public confession could provoke Ruan Yixi's ire and the displeasure of the entire Moon God Palace.

So, in the pavilion master's opinion, his superiors would likely reject the request.

After all, it's better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Alright," Shen Wushen replied, taking back the divine technique and leaving immediately.

He needed to return to Futu Mountain and take on some tasks for Qi Yuan to complete.

...

In Futu Mountain, Grand Sovereign Huadu sat with his eyes closed.

Within the resplendent cave, a football-sized pearl projected the image of an elderly man.

The old man was prostrate on the ground, his face showing deep reverence.

"Unworthy disciple and grandson, Crane Cloud, the 31st Sect Master of Xuantian Sect, humbly requests the Patriarch's blessing!"

Grand Sovereign Huadu opened his eyes and sighed softly. "I didn't expect it to be the 31st generation already."

He had once been a member of the Lower Realm, the third Sect Master of Xuantian Sect.

Later, he ascended to the Upper Realm.

He had almost no connection with Xuantian Sect anymore.

Now, Xuantian Sect had fallen into decline, with only the Sect Master being at the Purple Mansion stage.

According to the 31st Sect Master's prayer, the sect had discovered a new world and wanted to enter it to spread their teachings and gain resources.

But Xuantian Sect was too weak, lacking the qualifications or ability to spread their teachings.

Thus, the Sect Master performed a ritual, beseeching for a blessing.

"The incense of the past..."

Grand Sovereign Huadu sighed.

With a flick of his finger, a talisman seemed to cross space, passing through the pearl to descend to the Lower Realm.

"My ties to the past are severed. I wonder when... I will reach the mythical realm?"

Grand Sovereign Huadu's face was filled with melancholy.

He had been stuck at the sixth step of the Heavenly Path for nearly ten thousand years.

He had been unable to advance to the mythical realm.

If he could step into the mythical realm, he would truly become a core figure in Futu Mountain.

If his contributions were sufficient, he could request the privilege of reflecting the heavens (his own star) from the Mountain Lord.

With these thoughts in mind, his consciousness delved into a jade slip, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"The task... was taken?"

"Shen Wushen... a true disciple?"

Grand Sovereign Huadu was astonished.

The task he had issued was related to cultivation techniques and was crucial to his advancement to the mythical realm.

He had posted this task for seven thousand years, but no one had ever taken it.

The task was extremely difficult, requiring a mythical cultivator on the same path as him to have even a slight chance of solving it.

Even then, it would take that mythical cultivator over a thousand years to complete.

There were no mythical cultivators in Futu Mountain who followed the same path as Grand Sovereign Huadu.

"Shen Wushen's master is... Grand Sovereign Wang Qiang. He is mythical... but on a different path from mine."

"How strange, why would a mere Nascent Soul take on my task?"

Grand Sovereign Huadu was baffled.

He had issued the task without expecting anyone to solve it.

After all, in Futu Mountain, perhaps only the Mountain Lord, a Yang God, could solve it.

Grand Sovereign Huadu didn't dwell on it, instead, he closed his eyes and continued his cultivation.

Meanwhile, Shen Wushen spent the entire day tirelessly combing through the sect's task records, taking on a large number of them.

A few days later, he received a message from the pavilion master of the Eight Treasures Pavilion and went there again.

The pavilion master greeted him with a look of delight. "Young Master Shen, our superiors have approved the previous request."

In truth, the pavilion master himself was also quite curious.

Generally, such a request would be denied, but for some reason, it was approved this time.

Although puzzled, he didn't show it.

Hearing this, Shen Wushen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Pavilion Master!"

He had completed Qi Yuan's task, and he had done so ahead of schedule.