Staring at the golden sphere that had appeared in her dantian, Yan Qi was completely baffled; it was her first time seeing such a thing. Her stunned expression quickly morphed into one of pure confusion.
“What’s this golden sphere? Where did my original spiritual energy vortex go?”
Just as Yan Qi was feeling utterly perplexed by the changes within her dantian, she suddenly remembered the cultivation notes she had written down back when she transformed into the Dao Yan Empress, which were meant to guide her training.
Without wasting another moment, she swiftly moved over to the desk where her computer was.
She opened the drawer beneath the desk, retrieved the notebook, and began flipping through it rapidly.
It didn’t take long for Yan Qi to find the entry in her notes that explained the reason for the sudden appearance of this golden sphere in her dantian.
“So, that golden sphere is the legendary Golden Core? Does that mean… I’ve successfully broken through the cultivation barrier and advanced to become a Golden Core expert?”
After reading the contents written in her own handwriting from when she was the Dao Yan Empress, and finally understanding that the golden sphere in her dantian was the fabled Golden Core, Yan Qi couldn’t help but murmur the words aloud.
Pausing for a moment, she set the cultivation notebook down and continued speaking to herself.
“I really never expected my advancement to Golden Core to happen so quickly and so suddenly. It scared me, I thought something had gone wrong with my cultivation! But, since I’m now a Golden Core expert, my strength must have significantly increased. I wonder what rank of superhuman I’d be equivalent to now?”
Just as Yan Qi was growing curious about how powerful she had become as a Golden Core expert, a strange odor suddenly wafted into her nostrils.
“Huh? That’s weird, why is there a strange smell in my room? Wait… this smell seems to be coming… from me? It can’t be!”
Shortly after smelling the peculiar scent, Yan Qi recalled the foul-smelling black impurities that had emerged from her body back when she first successfully formed her spiritual energy vortex. A sinking feeling dawned on her.
She immediately looked down at her body and, just as she feared, saw black impurities soaking through her pajamas, emitting a pungent, acrid smell.
“I knew it! This stuff again! Ugh, now I have to change clothes and take another shower,” she thought, pinching her nose in clear displeasure.
Covered in the black gunk, Yan Qi pushed open her bedroom door as fast as she could and hurried in the direction of the bathroom.
Roughly half an hour later, finally clean, free of any strange odors, and having tossed her soiled pajamas, bedsheets, duvet cover, and underwear into the washing machine, Yan Qi let out a sigh of relief.
She was wearing a bathrobe, her bare feet pale and delicate, her long white hair still dripping wetly.
Then, she closed the bathroom door, returned to her room, and sat down on the bed, which now had fresh sheets and a clean duvet cover.
“Lucky the black impurities earlier didn’t soak through to the mattress. Otherwise, I’d probably be sleeping on the downstairs couch tonight,” Yan Qi muttered to herself with a touch of relief, lying back on the bed and detecting no strange smells.
Picking up her phone from nearby, she checked the time and saw it was almost 1:00 AM. Deciding to postpone testing her new Golden Core powers until the next day, Yan Qi pulled the covers over herself, closed her eyes, and gradually drifted off to sleep.
…
“That’s strange. I clearly felt a very powerful aura, equivalent to a Three-Star superhuman, nearby just a moment ago. How come it vanished completely as soon as I arrived?”
After leaving the presidential suite he shared with the raven-haired beauty, the man in the suit, Baka, had begun wandering aimlessly around Fangfeng City.
But as he roamed, passing through a certain district of the city, he suddenly sensed an immensely powerful aura, unmistakably that of a Three-Star superhuman, emanating from somewhere within that area.
Feeling this aura, Baka’s face showed surprise. Three-Star superhumans, beings of almost unimaginable power, were exceedingly rare in the world today.
Considering the plans the Necromancer’s Association was orchestrating in Fangfeng City, Baka grew concerned that this suddenly appearing Three-Star superhuman might cause unnecessary complications. He was also acutely aware that as a Two-Star superhuman, he stood no chance against a Three-Star in direct confrontation.
After a moment of internal deliberation, Baka quickly concealed his own aura and began moving silently towards the source of the powerful presence. He hoped to gather some information about this Three-Star superhuman residing in Fangfeng City, allowing them to prepare countermeasures in advance.
However, as he cautiously advanced step by step towards the origin of the powerful aura…
The immense presence suddenly vanished without a trace. Had Baka not been so certain of sensing it moments before, he might have thought it had never existed at all.
Remaining stationary for a while, he confirmed the powerful aura was truly gone. Having lost his target, Baka lowered his head in thought. He quickly made a decision. Instead of trying to search for the owner of the aura again, he quietly turned around and left the area. He intended to report the appearance of an unknown Three-Star superhuman in Fangfeng City to the higher-ups of his organization, so they could adjust their plans accordingly.
…
Early the next morning, Sunday, despite having slept relatively late the night before, Yan Qi found herself fully refreshed and energetic after just a short sleep, thanks to her new status as a Golden Core expert.
Stretching and noticing the sun already high outside, she remembered her plan to test her newfound strength as a Golden Core expert. Yan Qi quickly climbed out of bed, ready to embrace the brand new day.