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

Qi Yuan half-leaned against the coffin in the underground palace. He felt that the strange events of today should be shared with Jin Li.

"Jin Li, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

In the palace, Jin Li, who was struggling with official documents, saw the flashing light of the Linglong Yuxi. The corners of her mouth involuntarily lifted. The troubles of the Nangan Kingdom seemed to dissipate.

"Let's hear the good news first."

"The good news is that I got married."

"Married???"

"The bad news is, I married a bridal gown!"

"…"

Qi Yuan roughly recounted today's events to Jin Li. After hearing it, Jin Li inexplicably felt relieved.

"With Xiao Jia, I can definitely farm monsters faster. I estimate it won't take long to clear the Yiguan Forbidden Zone. How about your situation?"

Jin Li frowned as she read Qi Yuan's message, her mood clouded.

After the late emperor passed away, all royal offspring were slaughtered, leaving only Jin Li as the sole survivor. One could say that the entire Nangan Kingdom was under Sima Ting's control. However, to legitimize his rule and due to concerns about the Tianqi Grand General, who commanded troops outside and had become a regional warlord, as well as the Tianyun Sacred Sect, Sima Ting didn't directly usurp the throne.

The recent duel arranged by the Nanfeng Kingdom's national advisor was a conspiracy by Sima Ting. However, due to Xuanyuan Jin, Aunt Qin's breakthrough to the imperial level, the national advisor of Nanfeng was defeated during the duel, thwarting Sima Ting's plot.

Despite this, the power Jin Li controlled was far less compared to Sima Ting. It could be said that even when the late emperor was alive, he was already a puppet. Jin Li's ascension to the throne was merely nominal. Of the six departments, only Li Bu’s grand scholar Kong Qi was not under Sima Ting’s control. The only force Jin Li truly commanded was Aunt Qin, an imperial-level expert, and two thousand royal guards.

Unfortunately, even if they lured Sima Ting into the palace, Aunt Qin and the royal guards would find it difficult to kill him. Not to mention, Sima Ting's eldest son, Sima Riyue, was even more ambitious and ruthless. While Sima Ting still maintained some semblance of propriety, Sima Riyue would not.

"My situation is still difficult. The forces I control are too limited," Jin Li sighed.

Although Xuanyuan Jin could enhance her subordinates' strength quickly, it wasn't enough for Jin Li to turn the tide swiftly. She would need several years or even decades of stable development to accumulate more imperial-level experts.

The Nangan Kingdom publicly acknowledged only three imperial-level experts aside from Aunt Qin. Sima Ting openly commanded two, with an unknown number in the shadows. Moreover, Jin Li couldn't recklessly send trusted aides to Xuanyuan Jin without attracting Sima Ting's attention. Sima Ting’s power was so vast and inflated that he allowed Jin Li to leave the capital to visit Xuanyuan Jin last time. However, Aunt Qin revealing her imperial-level strength would undoubtedly make Sima Ting wary, making it much harder for Jin Li to leave the palace again.

"Your situation is worse than Emperor Xian of Han," Qi Yuan couldn't help but comment.

At least during Emperor Xian's time, the people and lords superficially recognized the Liu royal family's legitimacy. In Jin Li's case, she was merely a figurehead. If she ever showed signs of threatening Sima Ting's power, he would likely discard all pretense and use force to eliminate her.

"How about you? How is your mission progressing?" Jin Li gradually adapted to speaking on the same wavelength as Qi Yuan.

"I encountered a big boss. Quite strong, seemingly even the Heavenly God wasn't his match."

"Heavenly God?" Jin Li couldn't help but exclaim. "Is it the Heavenly God from mythology?"

"I don't know," Qi Yuan replied. He had only seen records of the Heavenly God in the Yiguan Forbidden Zone’s underground palace, unsure if it was the one from legends.

"Then… be careful. Don't forget, we still have to meet in person!" Jin Li said.

Qi Yuan shrugged. "Unfortunately, I can't leave the forbidden zone now. Otherwise, I'd directly help you cut down Sima Ting and be done with it. But that might lower your mission rating and reduce your rewards."

Currently, Qi Yuan had only unlocked the Xuanyuan Forbidden Zone and the Yiguan Forbidden Zone. He estimated that after clearing the Yiguan Forbidden Zone, other zones would unlock. Once all forbidden zones were cleared, he might unlock other maps, possibly enabling him to meet Jin Li in person. Qi Yuan was also curious to see what this girl, with whom he had chatted online for almost a year, looked like. High attractiveness would be ideal, but ordinary was acceptable too. Her personality might not be distinctive, but Qi Yuan found talking to her exceptionally comfortable. She displayed neither imperial majesty nor pretentiousness.

Such a personality made her a wonderful confidant for Qi Yuan. After all, encountering someone like this, who could quietly accompany him through life's ups and downs, made the passage of time feel serene and worthwhile.

"Focus on your tasks. If something happens, I'll let you know," Jin Li said, feeling a surge of warmth. "You too, although I might not be able to help much."

From birth, Jin Li had never known family affection or genuine concern. Her father was a drunken, unpredictable figure who never showed her care. She had never met her mother. Aunt Qin was the only person who had been kind to her, and now there was Qi Yuan.

"The information you provided about the Yiguan Forbidden Zone was a big help. Unfortunately, I can't assist you now."

Qi Yuan finished the message and looked at the buried Yibu soldiers before him, hatching an idea.

"Once I control the Yiguan Forbidden Zone, these Yibu soldiers should belong to me, right?"

Although these Yibu soldiers were not individually strong, their coordinated power should be enough to sweep through the world, at least outside the forbidden zones.

...

In the grand minister's mansion, which resembled a palace, Sima Ting sat in a high seat, rolling a walnut in his hand, lost in thought. His eldest son, Sima Riyue, looked fierce. "Father, let's rebel. This is getting boring!"

Sima Ting looked at his son without any change in expression. "You may leave. I have matters to discuss with Uncle Wen."

His son bore little resemblance to him. If not for his mother's connection to the Tianyun Sacred Sect…

After Sima Riyue left, Sima Ting turned to the scholarly-dressed man beside him. "Brother Wen, have you found out why Lady Qin reached the imperial level? Is there someone behind Empress Jin Li targeting me or the Tianyun Sacred Sect?"

The scholarly man, Wen Zhongyong, was an imperial-level expert Sima Ting relied on. A member of the Tianyun Sacred Sect, Wen Zhongyong was proficient in curse techniques. Despite the protection of the Tianyun Jade Seal, Wen Zhongyong had cursed the late emperor to death, demonstrating his formidable skill.