My Core is the Boss

Chapter 308.1: Fortune Teller

Yang Shan could not help but retort, "Don't underestimate the tournament. Although being a champion doesn’t mean much anymore, there are still around thirty peak martial artists among the top one hundred."

"Are any of them stronger than you?" Qi Yuan asked thoughtfully. "Were you a match for last year's champion?"

He began to hesitate. What if the opponents are too strong? What if I can't win using martial arts alone? Will I have to cheat?

After all, he was just playing a game. Using a small cheat didn't count as cheating. Besides, no one would be able to tell he was cheating, which meant he wasn't cheating at all. Open and aboveboard, upright and righteous.

"Last year's..." Yang Shan smirked proudly. "We were evenly matched."

Qi Yuan sighed in relief. "Thank god! If this year's competition is still this weak, I can win effortlessly! Looks like there's no need to cheat!"

Yang Shan could not help but complain, "You brat, you're looking down on me too much! What do you mean by weak?!"

Qi Yuan was really asking for a beating. What kind of nonsense was that? Even arrogance had its limits. No one should be this proudly lacking in emotional intelligence!

Qi Yuan sighed again. "At last, I understand the loneliness that comes with seeking defeat. To be invincible under heaven. What loneliness this is."

He effortlessly gave off the aloofness of a refined young master in troubled times.

Yang Shan momentarily lost focus. For some reason, he almost believed Qi Yuan's words. Still, he said stubbornly, "We'll see whether you end up lonely in this Martial Arts Tournament!"

***

While heaven boasted a sea of stars, the earth boasted Longtai. [1]

Longtai City was one of the Qin Yuan Kingdom's newly risen first-tier cities. It was an internet-famous tourist destination, with endless streams of visitors every year. In reality, it was actually a powerful industrial city.

This year's Martial Arts Tournament was being held in Longtai. Located in the northern part of the Qin Yuan Kingdom, Longtai had once been one of the two capitals during an earlier dynasty. This capital was known as Wujing City.

Legend had it that during the Tianke Empire, three thousand martial artists assembled in Longtai to hold the Martial Ascension Assembly, seeking a method to break through the limit of martial arts. They all sat together discussing the Dao and martial arts while researching the essence of martial cultivation.

According to rumor, Luo Bufan, martial arts’ foremost figure, gained enlightenment during the assembly and broke past the martial limit. Lotus flowers bloomed above his head, and he stepped into the air and departed. This was also the most recent recorded case of someone breaking through the martial limit.

On the land of the Qin Yuan Kingdom, breaking through the martial limit had become a thousand-year impasse.

Walking through the streets, Yang Shan's eyes revealed yearning. "For martial artists, the most famous place is Wuyun Pavilion. The place bore marks left behind by thousands of martial artists from ancient and modern times.

"If one is gifted enough, observing those traces may allow one to glimpse their true martial intent. Luo Bufan, the last martial ascendant of our old Qin people, also left traces on Wuyun Pavilion. Shall we go and take a look once the test is over?"

This time, their destination was the Martial Alliance branch.

Qi Yuan replied, "Sure. I also want to see the traces those ancients left behind. Luo Bufan sounds pretty interesting, too."

"Okay, let's go. The building ahead is the Martial Alliance branch, but it seems like we’ll have to queue. There are quite a lot of people here today. In the future, they will all become outstanding martial artists. If you want to develop in that circle later, you can get to know them now."

"Looks like they'll all be my old opponents? I, Qi the Unbeaten, am too lazy to get acquainted," Qi Yuan said, giving himself the title.

The Martial Arts Tournament was not something he would participate in only once. As long as it was around, everyone who failed to win would remain his opponent.

A flamboyantly dressed young man with hair styled into a rooster's comb walked over. "You're quite interesting, Little Brother. Coming here at such a young age... Looks like you're one of the rare few in this world, just like me!"

He appeared only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and his strength had clearly reached the martial limit.

When Yang Shan saw him, a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes. "The Northern Crane, Han Xianyun!"

The rooster-comb-haired man smiled. "So it turns out I am quite famous."

Qi Yuan had also heard of the name. In the martial arts world, there were two well-known, supreme prodigies with the best chance of breaking through the peak. They were known as the Southern Lion and the Northern Crane.

The Southern Lion not only had profound cultivation, but also tremendous combat strength. Last year, he had challenged the tournament champion and lost by only one move. This year, he was the hottest favorite to win the championship. The Northern Crane was the second favorite.

Qi Yuan stared oddly at Han Xianyun. "You should change your hairstyle."

Han Xianyun froze for a moment, then his eyes showed curiosity. "What, you think my hairstyle isn't handsome enough? If we end up facing each other in the tournament, you can kick me in the balls if you want, but leave my hair alone, alright?"

Han Xianyun was outrageously flamboyant, always spouting shocking things.

Qi Yuan said calmly, "Your hairstyle is nice, but it doesn't suit you."

Han Xianyun widened his eyes. "Oh? Could you have also studied hairstyling, Little Brother? So we're fellow practitioners? I designed this hairstyle myself. What do you think? Cool or nah? Want me to design one for you? For free, of course!"

Qi Yuan shook his head. "No thanks. There is no rooster or crane in your bloodline, just a rat. So, neither your title nor your hairstyle suits you. You should change it."

Han Xianyun froze, having never heard of such a theory. He stared at Qi Yuan with a strange expression. "Bloodline? Are you serious, or are you just making fun of me?"

"Of course I'm serious," Qi Yuan replied, then changed the topic. "If I want to have fun, wouldn't that fortune teller in front of the building be more interesting?"

Han Xianyun's martial bloodline was indeed of the same rat type as in Qi Yuan's research. As for Qi Yuan himself, it was a kind of sea fish.

1. This is a poetic expression suggesting that under heaven, among earthly places, Longtai is as magnificent as the starry sea above. In other words, it is high praise for Longtai, placing it on the same level of awe and beauty as the stars in the sky. ☜