Just as Qi Yuan closed the group chat, a cultivator arrived to build his cement house. Since he couldn’t stay inside, he might as well take a stroll down the mountain with his pet knife. After a while, he stopped beneath a large tree. Once, Withered Tree had a tryst with the Great Shang queen here.

He looked at a small blade of grass on the ground.

[This is a somewhat unusual blade of grass. After sensing your aura, it has undergone certain changes.]

Seeing this, his eyes widened. "It can sense my aura?"

The last time he checked, the grass had sensed the aura of the moon. He had even wondered whether it would one day sense his own. And now, it had.

Holding Little Bride's red sleeve, the two stared at the ordinary-looking grass. "Little Bride, look. This grass is strange."

He remembered clearly that the last time someone trespassed on the Seven-Colored Peak, this grass had killed them.

Qi Yuan asked, "Hey, can you talk?"

The grass remained silent.

"Though you look ordinary, I noticed you at a glance," he chatted idly, but it stayed motionless.

Jiang Ran happened to pass by and smiled faintly. This Senior Brother of Seven-Colored Peak truly is special.

"Greetings, Senior Brother," she said respectfully, her eyes filled with awe and confusion.

Just earlier that day, Jiang Lingsu had asked Jiang Ran to accompany her as doorkeepers for tomorrow's event. She saw nothing wrong with it, until she found out that the event was for Qi Yuan!

Finding it hard to believe, Jiang Ran had gone to confirm with disciples and elders. Indeed, a Nascent Soul Gathering was being held for Qi Yuan. How could she not be shocked?

Before this, Qi Yuan's name was already known throughout the Divine Radiance Sect. Now, he was a Nascent Soul? If the sect master hadn't forbidden unauthorized entry, the Seven-Colored Peak would already be overflowing with curious onlookers.

Qi Yuan said casually, "Are you looking for Junior Sister? Go ahead."

Jiang Ran hesitated, swirling with complex emotions. In the past, when Chu Tianxiong of the Black Mountain Sect harassed her, Qi Yuan had stood up for her. Soon after, the notorious Black Mountain Sect was eradicated. The case remained unsolved. All they knew was that the killer wielded a special blade.

As she glanced at the vegetable knife trailing behind him, all sorts of thoughts flooded her mind. If he had hidden his strength all along, could he have destroyed Black Mountain Sect?

Jiang Ran asked softly, "Senior Brother, did you destroy the Black Mountain Sect?"

Qi Yuan subtly glanced around. "If I tell you it was me, don't tell anyone. If some hidden Black Mountain expert finds out and goes to Blue Planet to kill my fellow villagers, that'd be bad!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Jiang Ran's eyes lit up. It really was him! He had acted overnight! Moreover, his mention of hidden experts shocked her. Did the Black Mountain Sect have hidden experts stronger than Senior Brother Qi Yuan?

In the end, he had made the Black Mountain Sect his enemy for her sake.

Overcome with gratitude and remorse, she said solemnly, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for eliminating evil and saving me."

As a mere Qi Refinement cultivator, she had nothing to offer in thanks.

"It's nothing." Qi Yuan waved it off. "They were plotting against me anyway. I couldn't endure it anymore, so I wiped them out. When a common man is enraged, blood splashes five feet!"

Jiang Ran never expected there to be such an inside story. It turned out that the Black Mountain Sect had long been tormenting Qi Yuan in secret! He was merely retaliating!

After thanking him again and again, Jiang Ran headed further up Seven-Colored Peak to look for Jiang Lingsu.

Once again, only Qi Yuan’s murmured whispers to the little grass filled the place.

He said casually, "Looks like what you're lacking... is the sun's illumination."

Following that, he glanced at his core in the sky. His spiritual power had increased greatly after his breakthrough. Unlike before, he could now summon it many times in succession. As for Ning Tao’s projection, he could even call her down to stay by his side indefinitely.

However, the Star Golden Core was at a critical juncture, devouring the third Golden Core. Ning Tao could not easily leave. Hence, his plan was simple: once his third core was successfully formed, he would summon Ning Tao down to hang out.

"Maybe next time I start a new game, I can call Ning Tao down to play too. It’d be perfect if the new game is set in modern society. I could go register a marriage certificate with Little Bride and Ning Tao."

After all, Qi Yuan had grown up on Blue Planet. Compared to ancient marriage contracts and betrothal documents, he found the modern marriage certificate far easier to accept.

I’m broke, anyway. I’m as poor as a church mouse. No need to worry about dividing assets in a divorce.

Qi Yuan frowned at the thought. "Thieving heavens, why am I so poor?"

Although the Blood-Clothed Alliance had been swiftly collecting cultivation techniques all this time, it was still just a drop in the bucket. Even if he went to the Seeking Dao Palace, he couldn’t afford their techniques.

"If only each of my Nascent Souls could host a Nascent Soul Gathering," he mused. "I'd definitely be able to drain all the spirit stones from the old Nascent Soul monsters of Great Shang!"

When one hosted a Nascent Soul Gathering, it was customary for other True Lords attending to present generous gifts. He would definitely make a killing if he held one for every single Nascent Soul. Then, he realized that the Great Shang could only offer so much. With that, he snuffed out the idea.

If I held a Nascent Soul Gathering over four thousand times and invited everyone in the Canglan World... Man, I’d definitely become the richest person in this world.

Qi Yuan let his imagination run wild. It was like when he was a child, wishing that everyone would give him ten cents. Only this time, the fantasy was even grander. The equivalent of every person on Blue Planet giving him over four hundred bucks. Even then, it would barely equal the debt of a certain company.

Qi Yuan stopped indulging in such meaningless fantasies. Numerous cultivators were still busy constructing his cement bungalow.

He gazed into the distance. "When that brat Qi Jianjun comes back and sees how much the house has changed, she'll definitely be shocked."

Meanwhile, several hundred li away, a little girl sat by a vast lake. She held up a fishing rod, angling in the waters ahead. From time to time, she’d catch a shimmering spirit fish, and her eyes lit up with delight.