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

Chapter 299: Martial Will

In the hall, Xie Xinsu's eyes were brimming with tears. She felt immense heartache as the Foundation Establishment spiritual items were thrown into the garbage pile.

She was filled with hate—hating herself for being a cat and being powerless.

She also hated the cold and indifferent man, a clueless fool who couldn't recognize a treasure.

Perhaps practicing martial arts had made him dull.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Xie Xinsu weakly glanced towards the door.

The Foundation Establishment spiritual items were gone, and the room's spiritual energy had significantly thinned out and become more subtle.

However, with Xie Xinsu's former strength and insight as a golden core cultivator, she still sensed that the treasure she had felt before was still there.

Qi Yuan walked out of his room, opened the door, and yawned as he looked at the young man outside, "Who are you looking for?"

"May I come in and sit for a while?" asked the man outside, who was naturally Luo Ping.

This time, he had come alone.

All his subordinates remained at Yang Shan's house.

"Sure." Qi Yuan answered casually, looking at the unfamiliar man.

His answer slightly surprised Luo Ping.

If it were him, encountering a stranger knocking and asking to come in and sit, he would surely ask about their intentions.

But when he considered that the other party might have a mental illness, it all seemed reasonable and normal.

Luo Ping entered the room, his eyes scanning the entire house before sitting down on the sofa.

He introduced himself, saying, "I'm Luo Ping. Two months ago, I was just an... ordinary civil servant.

You know, I never had a mother-in-law growing up, so I went to see a big official, and yes, a very high-ranking official.

Then, the wife of that high official became my mother-in-law.

Life... is truly unpredictable. It gives people hope and then makes them arrogant, but in reality... I've been living cautiously, afraid everything might collapse."

When he was at his father-in-law's house, Luo Ping always exuded confidence, as if everything was under his control.

But only he knew that this feeling of dancing on the edge of a knife, always anxious, was torturous.

After all, though he was neither rich nor noble in the past, he lived a peaceful, joyful life without worries.

In this life, however, he had earned the nickname "Ice Walker."

"And then?" Qi Yuan looked at Luo Ping.

Not far away, Xie Xinsu looked at Luo Ping with a gaze that could almost spell out the words "so pretentious."

"You and I... are somewhat alike, or maybe halfway alike.

Qi Yuan... aren't you curious? A year later, you died... and then you returned to the present?"

Luo Ping had rediscovered that feeling of being in control.

Before Qi Yuan could respond, Xie Xinsu's fur stood on end.

Returned... to the present?
Wait a minute... is this guy a regressor too?
And is her cold, clueless master a regressor as well?

If he is, why did he throw the Foundation Establishment spiritual items away like garbage?

"I come from the future, and people like us are generally called regressors.

And you... are also considered one of us.

But... you didn't live past ten years. You died only a year later.

So, you don't know what happened in this world in the next ten years.

That's unfortunate, and it also means you're not really a qualified regressor," Luo Ping said calmly.

He looked at Qi Yuan and saw his own reflection. In some ways, he actually envied Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan glanced at Luo Ping, "So, you're a regressor?"

At this moment, Xie Xinsu seemed to understand something.

Qi Yuan was a regressor too.

Unfortunately, he died a year later.

No wonder he chose martial arts instead of the path of cultivation.

She suddenly felt that Qi Yuan was even more pitiful than her.

"Do you want to follow me?" Luo Ping asked, testing the waters.

Although Qi Yuan, as an incomplete regressor, wasn't qualified to cooperate with him, he was willing to give Qi Yuan a chance.

"Follow you to work?" Qi Yuan shook his head with a smile. "Working for someone is impossible for me. I'll never work in my life. Living this leisurely life, playing games every day, occasionally practicing martial arts—there's nothing more enjoyable!"

Qi Yuan refused without hesitation.

How could he possibly work for someone else?

And besides, just a regressor?
No matter how fancy the title, isn't it just an NPC in a game?

The purpose of an NPC is to make Qi Yuan have fun.

Hearing Qi Yuan's response, Luo Ping felt a mixture of regret and satisfaction.

"A life like yours is indeed enviable," Luo Ping nodded. "If that's the case, I won't bother you anymore. The other regressors won't bother you either."

After chatting with Qi Yuan in the house for a while, Luo Ping felt quite emotional.

His current life was certainly exciting, but a life like Qi Yuan's... was enviable too.

However, after becoming a regressor, even if he wanted to live leisurely... he couldn't.

If he didn't improve, if he didn't grow stronger, he might be crushed.

Qi Yuan didn't have that kind of pressure; in a sense, he was lucky.

Before leaving, Luo Ping looked at Qi Yuan, his eyes smiling, "I wish you victory in the martial arts tournament!"

After saying that, Luo Ping left Qi Yuan's room without looking back, as if saying goodbye to his former self.

After Luo Ping left, Qi Yuan sat on the sofa, stroking the cat, his expression relaxed, "Having a mental illness certificate is still better. Pretending to be mentally ill... it's much more fun."

Xie Xinsu rolled her eyes upon hearing this.

She really wanted to tell Qi Yuan, "You're not pretending to be mentally ill; you really are."

In the days that followed, everything proceeded as usual.

The robot Zero-One forced Xie Xinsu to film videos every day, which left Xie Xinsu with no time or energy to cultivate.

Because of this, Xie Xinsu kept thinking about turning the tables.

Unfortunately, she was too weak, bullied by the robot Zero-One with no ability to fight back.

As for that treasure, she had no leads.

She hadn't even been inside Qi Yuan's room, let alone searched for the treasure.

Her cat life was bleak, and only cultivation offered hope to break through this painful existence.

Xie Xinsu had already decided that once she regained her strength, she would make Zero-One her servant.

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan's martial arts skills were steadily advancing.

He had reached the twelfth level of the "Bright Martial Resonance Fist."

After the twelfth level, his progress in martial arts noticeably slowed.

Qi Yuan knew he was approaching the martial limit that Yang Shan had mentioned.

Simply continuing to practice the "Bright Martial Resonance Fist" would be of no use.

In the neighborhood, Yang Shan looked at Qi Yuan, whose aura was becoming more and more powerful, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"You are definitely the most talented martial artist I have ever seen.

In just a few months, you've reached a level that took me more than ten years!

The martial limit... this is the martial limit."

He remembered when he first met Qi Yuan, who was just starting in martial arts and wasn't even considered a martial artist.

But in just a few months, he had reached the martial limit, standing on an equal footing with him.

Qi Yuan shrugged, "That's nothing. It's just that the path to the martial limit is too short for your martial artists."

Qi Yuan was speaking the truth.

For him, reaching the martial limit was too short.

He hadn't even practiced much before he reached the end of the martial arts path.

"Too short?" Yang Shan shook his head helplessly, "Generally, for an ordinary person with average talent, it would take thirty years to reach the martial limit, if they could at all.

And after thirty years, their vitality would be insufficient. How could they sustain it?"

Yang Shan was telling the truth.

For someone like him to reach the martial limit before forty was rare and commendable.

If someone had average talent and practiced diligently, they might reach the martial limit.

But by then, they would be over sixty.

As the saying goes, a punch is weaker in old age; what use is a martial artist in their sixties?

"So, you...," Yang Shan's expression was ambiguous, "you might really have a chance to break through the martial limit!"

Since the founding of Qin Yuan, the youngest to reach the martial limit was thirty.

Qi Yuan was terrifyingly young.

Of course, having the potential to break through the martial limit was just that—potential.

The one considered most likely to break through the martial limit didn't succeed.

A few years ago, even a billionaire spent a fortune researching the martial limit.

The final conclusion was that the human body wasn't sufficient to break through the martial limit.

That also meant that breaking through the martial limit was impossible.

"You should settle down for another year or two. Maybe then you'll really win the martial arts tournament.

In your city's competition, don't worry; first place is easy.

In Tianyue City, there are only a few at the martial limit, and they're too old to compete," Yang Shan kindly advised.

"I'm not worried about the martial arts tournament. I'm here to get some free advice. Do you have any insights on breaking through the martial limit?" Qi Yuan asked.

He had his ideas about breaking through the martial limit but also wanted to incorporate others' thoughts.

As the saying goes, two heads are better than one.

Great Sage True Monarch had given him many good ideas.

On his martial journey, Yang Shan had also been very helpful.

"The martial limit..." Yang Shan was silent for a while before finally saying, "In the martial world, there's always been a saying that to break through the martial limit, you need to forge a martial will.

With a strong martial will, you can drive the body's advancement.

A martial artist's progress lies in enhancing the body.

But with just martial skills, the body's enhancement is limited, so it's reversed; martial will is used to enhance the body.

So, after reaching the martial limit, we old folks have always been refining our martial will.

Martial will is a rather mystical concept.

Watch out; I'm going to infuse my martial will into my gaze and give you a look.

A look like this can make the faint-hearted shiver and lose their composure!"

Speaking of martial will, Yang Shan regained some confidence in front of Qi Yuan.

His martial talent wasn't as good as Qi Yuan's.

But his martial will was undoubtedly strong.

He was a soldier who had been on the battlefield and killed people!
The martial will he had refined was not something Qi Yuan, a young man with no experience of the world, could compare to.

One look would likely make the other lose their composure.

Yang Shan spoke and looked at Qi Yuan.

His entire spirit and energy condensed at that moment, concentrating in his eyes.

The area around his temples seemed slightly swollen.

Yang Shan's eyes, filled with murderous intent, were incredibly bright and almost dazzling.

They looked particularly intimidating.

Such a gaze, in a martial artist's duel, was enough to make the opponent lose focus.

Against a young person like Qi Yuan, it was extremely effective.

"What are you staring at?" Suddenly, Qi Yuan looked at Yang Shan with a curious expression.

At that moment, Yang Shan froze.

Qi Yuan's reaction was too calm.

He hadn't been shaken by his gaze at all.

Yang Shan was a bit confused, "How come you're fine?"

"With just that look... what could happen?

It seems your martial will isn't strong enough," Qi Yuan said casually.

Indeed, he had seen too many big shots, even a Yang God.

Yang Shan's martial will was just child's play.

"Still, you did give me some ideas."

Yang Shan's mention of martial will gave Qi Yuan some inspiration.

Recently, Qi Yuan had been studying martial arts and researching the bloodlines of mutated sea monsters.

He discovered that for a martial artist to break through the limit, simply enhancing the bloodline wasn't enough.

Bloodline wasn't everything for a martial artist.

Hearing Yang Shan mention martial will, he thought of many things.

Especially his innate martial skill, Explosive Killing Bird Fist.

To break through the martial limit, he not only needed to enhance his bloodline but also his innate martial skills.

Could the enhancement of innate martial skills be related to willpower?

"How exactly did you withstand my martial will?" Yang Shan didn't pay attention to Qi Yuan's words. At this moment, he was immersed in how Qi Yuan seemed to ignore his powerful martial will.

"Did that need to be withstood?" Qi Yuan laughed, then said, "It's actually simple—just kill more people, tens of thousands, or even millions..."

Qi Yuan had already seen that what Yang Shan called martial will was actually just murderous intent.

And murderous intent was something Qi Yuan never lacked.

In fact, in the game, he had killed so much that when cultivating the Bright Palace's Brilliant Sword, others glowed white, but he glowed red.

"So, in the end, you haven't killed enough people," Qi Yuan patted Yang Shan on the shoulder with the demeanor of someone who had been there.

Yang Shan was stunned, then quickly retorted, "What are you boasting about, kid? If you don't want to tell, fine!
You think I haven't killed enough?

You know about those arrogant Guiren people on the internet right now?

I've killed not just ten, but hey... even a priest!"

Mentioning this, Yang Shan proudly raised his head.

That was his greatest achievement, worth boasting about forever.

Now that he was familiar with Qi Yuan, he could show off a bit.

Currently, in the Gongxing, the Yuolang Kingdom and Wugui Kingdom were at war.

Wugui Kingdom had the upper hand.

And the citizens of Qin Yuan had no shortage of curses for Wugui Kingdom and Gumu Kingdom online.

It's fair to say that the online sentiment was overwhelmingly furious, and everyone wished they could punish the Guiren people!
If Yang Shan revealed that he had killed Guiren people, no doubt he could become a big internet celebrity in a few days.

"Less than a hundred... that's a bit low," Qi Yuan responded honestly.

"You brat, have you been on the internet too much? Less than a hundred is low?

Killing a hundred enemies, do you know what that means?

In ancient times, if a soldier defeated a hundred enemies, he could easily earn a title!" Yang Shan felt Qi Yuan had watched too many videos.

Someone who hadn't even killed a person saying he had killed too few?

It's important to know that those notorious murderers who shocked the nation only killed ten or twenty people.

And they were called serial killers.

Did he, Yang Shan, kill too few?

"It's just that you haven't seen someone who killed more. I..." Qi Yuan was about to say he had killed many.

But thinking about the fact that killing was illegal, he changed his words.

"I know someone who has killed no less than ten thousand."

"Haha... you have a friend, huh? Why isn't it you!" Yang Shan laughed, not taking Qi Yuan's words seriously.

He thought Qi Yuan was just joking with him.

"You, who haven't even killed a single Guiren person, aren't qualified to talk to me!" Yang Shan joked back.