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

Chapter 309: The Blood Compass

The fortune teller, Yu Xiu, glanced at Qi Yuan, his face bearing a mysterious and inscrutable expression.
“This young man speaks in a strange way, but… whatever you wish to know, today… I will fulfill your request.”

After all, this was his method to break the curse on him.
The fortune teller, Yu Xiu, silently repeated this thought in his heart.
To lift the curse he was under, he needed to use these tools and come to this place to tell fortunes. Only then could he somewhat dissolve the curse.
These tools were all single-use.
In theory, anything in this world could be divined.

“Place your hand on the copper plate, and I will know the answer,” the fortune teller said softly.

“Alright.” Qi Yuan placed his hand on the copper plate.

Northern Crane Han Qianyun’s face showed a strange expression as he watched the two of them, both acting peculiarly. The fortune teller, for one, was shrouded in mystery, while this Qi Yuan, who was participating in the Martial Arts Tournament, spoke like a madman—talking about clearing a game? What did that mean?

Southern Lion Zhang Yang’s lips curled into a disdainful smile. “It seems there’s more than one madman here today.”

He had always been arrogant, looking down on everyone.

Born into a noble family, with connections to the legendary Seven Martial Stars family, he always felt superior to others.
His presence in the martial arts circle was, in his view, an honor for the community.
Now that he was about to leave the martial arts circle and pursue a brighter future, he naturally held an even lower opinion of these people in the martial arts community.

After all, it was rare for truly great nobles to enter the martial arts circle; most of them were just upstarts.

At this moment, Yu Xiu focused all his attention, his blood boiling as he waited for the copper plate’s prompt.
He was just an ordinary doomed person, knowing nothing about the art of divination.
The so-called fortune-telling was all done by the copper plate tool.

However, as time passed, there was no response from the plate.

Yu Xiu's eyes showed a look of confusion, and his face was full of doubt.

At this moment, Qi Yuan's eyes fixed on Yu Xiu as he softly asked, "So, how’s the divination going? When will I be able to clear this game?"

Yu Xiu was silent for a moment, as if waves were crashing in his mind.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
He had a million questions in his mind.
After all… it was the first time he had ever experienced a tool malfunctioning.

Could it be… was the other party the same as him?
But…

He looked at Qi Yuan, a troubled expression on his face. “This question of yours is really difficult for me.
Perhaps… you could ask a different question, and I’ll try again?”

Even his way of addressing Qi Yuan had changed.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan sighed, “Your fortune-telling skills are lacking; I overestimated you.
Alright then, why don’t you just divine whether I will win the championship in this Martial Arts Tournament?”

The fortune teller, Yu Xiu, hadn’t even spoken yet when the martial artists around them burst into laughter.

Northern Crane Han Qianyun looked at Qi Yuan and couldn’t help but laugh, “Brother Qi, aren’t you a little too confident?”

Just now, they had already exchanged names.

Southern Lion Zhang Yang naturally showed a look of disdain and spoke in a loud voice, “I am also participating in this Martial Arts Tournament.”

The implication was clear: since he was participating, the championship was his.

The other martial artists nodded in agreement.

A year ago, Southern Lion Zhang Yang had only lost by a single move to the Martial Arts Tournament champion.
This year, his martial arts skills would undoubtedly be even more refined, making his championship win almost certain.

“Kid, the person next to you is Southern Lion Zhang Yang. The champion of this Martial Arts Tournament will undoubtedly be him. Don’t have any unrealistic dreams.”

Facing these voices, Qi Yuan didn’t pay them any mind.

He placed his hand on the copper plate, waiting for the fortune teller Yu Xiu's answer.

And at this moment, some information appeared before his eyes.

[Blood Compass Replica, seems to be able to glimpse the secrets of heaven, capturing the trajectory of fate, a product of Blood Compass Island.]

However, at that moment, a cracking sound suddenly came.

A crack appeared on the copper plate beneath Qi Yuan’s hand and it shattered.

“Pff…” Yu Xiu’s eyes showed a look of horror mixed with confusion, and a mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The tool had broken!

This… how could this be?

It was just a simple divination, and it broke!
The surrounding people saw this and had strange expressions on their faces.

“What’s going on?”

“Why is he coughing up blood?”

“Is he acting?”

The people around were bewildered.

Southern Lion Zhang Yang sneered, “Playing tricks. I won’t waste my time watching you perform anymore.”

With that, he turned and left.

Most of the surrounding martial artists also smiled and left.

Clearly, they thought Qi Yuan and this fortune teller knew each other and were plotting something.

Even Northern Crane Han Qianyun looked at Qi Yuan with some suspicion.

This fortune teller had mentioned some of his secrets earlier. Could it really be related to Qi Yuan?

At this point, Qi Yuan reached into his pocket and pulled out his certificate of mental illness.

“Look carefully. This is my certificate. Don’t try to scam me. I didn’t break this!”

Qi Yuan had always been cautious, carrying his mental illness certificate with him just in case he encountered scammers.

And now it came in handy.

This maneuver immediately dispelled the doubts in Beihe Han Qianyun’s mind.

If it were a plan targeting him, Qi Yuan wouldn’t be performing like this, would he?
What would be the point of such an act?

The fortune teller Yu Xiu looked at Qi Yuan, also bewildered, with countless thoughts flashing through his mind: “This indeed… has nothing to do with you.”

Tools… especially special ones like this, wouldn’t break for no reason.
This could only mean that the person or matter he was divining was beyond the tool's capabilities.

But… didn’t this kind of situation only happen with those terrifying monsters?
How could it appear on a human?
Could it be that this person had an artifact that blocked divination?

“By the way, where did you get this Blood Compass from? It’s pretty interesting. I’d like to get one myself. If I had it, wouldn’t I be making money hand over fist?” Qi Yuan asked.

This question immediately made Yu Xiu's eyes flash with caution. “How… how do you know it’s called a Blood Compass… when you don’t have any death energy on you?”

The words slipped out, and Yu Xiu immediately regretted it.

Qi Yuan seemed thoughtful, “Because I’m mentally ill. It’s normal for a mentally ill person to know these things, isn’t it?

By the way, I want to ask you something. Do you know anything about the Spirit Dao Martial Master?”

Upon coming to this world, Qi Yuan’s task was to become the Human Dao Martial Master, the Spirit Dao Martial Master, and to cultivate to the realm of the Ten Thousand Dao Martial God.

Becoming the Human Dao Martial Master was simple; just winning the Martial Arts Tournament championship one hundred times would suffice.

But as for the Spirit Dao Martial Master, there were no clues at all.

This fortune teller seemed unusual, so Qi Yuan thought he’d ask.

“Spirit Dao Martial Master?” Yu Xiu shook his head, “Never heard of it. But… I have heard of the Human Dao Martial Master and the Mythical Mad Dragon Martial Master.”

This time, Yu Xiu didn’t hide anything. He felt that Qi Yuan seemed to be hiding some secrets as well.

Otherwise, how could he know the name of the Blood Compass?

“A Martial Master, huh?” Qi Yuan murmured.

At this moment, Yu Xiu’s face suddenly changed dramatically: “Not good, I… I need to go.”

The Blood Compass had shattered, and a trace of the curse still lingered on him. He needed to resolve it quickly.
He spoke and quickly left.

As for his table, he left it behind.

Northern Crane Han Qianyun watched Yu Xiu’s departing figure, looking puzzled, “Are you sure you don’t know him?”

“I don’t know him… but he seems interesting,” Qi Yuan said.

He remembered the term "death energy" the fortune teller had mentioned.
It suggested that Yu Xiu wasn’t alone but part of a group.

“He is indeed interesting, just like you.
Could it be… that the rumors are true?” Han Qianyun muttered, recalling something.

“What rumors?” Qi Yuan asked curiously.

At the same time, he used his phone to send terms like Blood Compass, Blood Compass Island, death energy, and Mythical Mad Dragon Martial Master to Robot No. 1, asking it to search for information on these topics.

“A while back, something big happened in Wugui Nation. A military camp was wiped out.
I watched the video; there was a huge blood-red sword in the sky, and suddenly… all the soldiers in the camp were dead.

There are rumors of the revival of the immortal path, and that person is a cultivator!”
Han Qianyun lowered his voice as he spoke, his eyes filled with excitement and a hint of dejection.
“If the immortal path really exists, then what were all our efforts over the years for…?”

He was indeed dejected.
If the immortal path existed, then martial arts would be completely obsolete.

Even breaking through the limits of martial arts… would be meaningless, right?

Could it defeat a three-thousand-man military regiment with a single strike?

Qi Yuan chuckled, “Could all your years of effort defeat a genetic warrior?”

“…” Han Qianyun was left speechless.

Indeed, even without the immortal path, martial arts were still nothing special.

Not even martial arts at their peak could defeat a soldier who had taken advanced genetic medicine.

“If you can’t speak well, don’t speak!” Han Qianyun said, disgruntled, but his mood had significantly improved.

Yes, so what if martial arts were lacking? They were already lacking to begin with.

“My only worry now is that if the revival of the immortal path is real, and the Martial Arts Tournament is canceled in the future… that would be…” Han Qianyun’s voice carried a hint of melancholy.

Even if martial arts were no good, it was still something he cherished like a child.
He had watched the Martial Arts Tournament from a young age.

To him, those martial arts masters were like professional athletes he admired.

According to how things were developing, perhaps one day, there really wouldn’t be a Martial Arts Tournament in this world.

“You’re overthinking it. Even if Qin Yuan Nation were to fall, the Martial Arts Tournament would continue for a hundred sessions!” Qi Yuan declared confidently.

“You’re really full of it. If the Qin Yuan Nation no longer existed, what Martial Arts Tournament would there be?” Han Qianyun couldn’t help but retort.

“As long as I’m here, the Martial Arts Tournament will be here.”

“Yeah, right!”

The two of them laughed and talked as they entered the Martial Arts Alliance branch.

Next up was the testing.
Anyone who passed the test could directly participate in the official matches of the Martial Arts Tournament.

Inside the hall, there were over thirty people, all martial artists exuding fierce auras.

At this moment, Southern Lion Zhang Yang let out a loud shout, unleashing his innate martial technique.
It sounded like a clap of thunder on the stage.

His opponent, a formidable martial artist, couldn’t even react before being heavily knocked down.

“Southern Lion Zhang Yang wins!” With the judge’s announcement, Zhang Yang arrogantly stepped down from the stage, not even glancing at the martial artist he had defeated, who was completely beneath his notice.

The martial artists below watched Zhang Yang with eyes full of envy and shock.

“Southern Lion Zhang Yang's strength has improved again from last year!”

“It seems the champion of this Martial Arts Tournament will undoubtedly be him!”

“But he… is too arrogant!”

People whispered among themselves.

“Next up… Qi Yuan.”

With the judge’s call, Qi Yuan stepped forward.

Han Qianyun, who had passed the test, smiled, “Good luck, future champion. Don’t fail the test.”

Yang Shan chuckled, “You’re underestimating Qi Yuan too much. His talent… is even greater than yours!”

“Greater than mine?” Han Qianyun was taken aback, “What’s his level?”

“Just watch and see.” Yang Shan’s smile grew wider.

Qi Yuan was just over twenty years old, seven or eight years younger than Han Qianyun.
Yet, he had already reached the limit of martial arts.

More importantly, Qi Yuan had been studying martial arts for less than a year.

He might really be like Luo Bufan and break through the limits of martial arts.

After all, according to records, Luo Bufan's martial arts talent wasn’t even as good as Qi Yuan’s.

At this moment, Qi Yuan stepped onto the stage with a calm expression.

His opponent was a massive man whose arms were thicker than Qi Yuan’s thighs.
Standing on the stage, he looked like a wall.

“This kid is unlucky to face Iron Armor Whirlwind!”

“Iron Armor Whirlwind trains in the invincible Iron Armor technique, with unparalleled defense. That young man won’t be able to break through his defense!”

“What’s he doing here?”

The martial artists below discussed among themselves, and even Han Qianyun looked worried.

“He’s too unlucky. Even an average martial artist at the limit wouldn’t stand a chance against Iron Armor Whirlwind.

After all… martial arts… have their limits!”

Martial arts were still weak. Physical differences mattered, too.
This big guy looked to be at least three hundred pounds, over two meters tall. A brute like that, even without martial training, could easily defeat a martial artist.

Not to mention, he had also trained in the hard skill, Iron Armor Technique.

However, at that moment, on the stage, Qi Yuan looked at the hulking man, his eyes showing a hint of pity, “Your physique would be perfect for refining into a corpse.
What a pity—I’m a good person.”

With his words, Qi Yuan suddenly moved.

To the martial artists present, his speed was incredibly fast.

Iron Armor Whirlwind didn’t even have time to react.

A powerful force struck his chest.

“Ah!” Iron Armor Whirlwind let out a shout.

But his body, as if uncontrollable, flew off the stage, causing a loud crash.

The fight started quickly and ended just as fast.

Everyone present was shocked; the scene before their eyes was simply too terrifying.

“This… a martial artist at the limit, and not an ordinary one at that!”

As people snapped out of their shock, their gazes toward Qi Yuan changed.

“So young… his talent surpasses that of the Southern Lion and Northern Crane!”

The martial artists on the scene were stunned.

Even some of the older martial artists on the high platform stood up in excitement.

“Has another Luo Bufan emerged in this world?”

Everyone looked at Qi Yuan differently now.

After all, reaching the limit of martial arts at such a young age…

This talent… was unprecedented, likely never to be seen again.

Perhaps… he might even break through the limits of martial arts.

Thinking of this, the martial artists present couldn’t remain calm.
Their gazes toward Qi Yuan changed.

At this moment, a martial artist looked at Southern Lion Zhang Yang, his eyes showing an indescribable emotion, “Zhang Yang, you’ve got a competitor this time. His strength… might be on par with yours.”

Zhang Yang glanced at Qi Yuan, his gaze still proud, “I’m participating in this Martial Arts Tournament. The champion can only be me.

Hmph, his strength… I might have respected it in the past, but the current me… is no longer who I was.

If it weren’t for winning a championship and leaving in glory, I wouldn’t even bother participating in this Martial Arts Tournament.”

The current him was not the same as before.

He… was already a cultivator.

Although he had just started… dealing with some mundane martial artists… was still easy, right?
Facing Qi Yuan and other martial artists of nouveau riche descent, he naturally looked down on them.

…

Meanwhile, in a small alley.

The fortune teller, Yu Xiu, was in great pain, his face covered in dense red marks.
These red marks covered his entire face, looking quite horrifying.

“Not good…”

Bang!
Bang!
The sound was like a drum being struck, echoing at this moment.

He collapsed to the ground, his vision blurry, seeing through the mist ahead, a terrifying giant beast with horns approaching him.

The beast held a blood-stained axe in its hand.

The scene was utterly terrifying.

Yu Xiu’s face was full of fear.

“How could it be a monster of this level… I’m done for. I’m going to die here…”

He felt utterly aggrieved.

It was just an ordinary fortune-telling, merely to dispel a curse.

How could he be so unlucky?