Golden Core is a Star, and You Call This Cultivation?

Qi Yuan's gaze fell on the Fate Compass, his expression calm.

"You say the Three Pure Methods are within me?" Qi Yuan asked, surprised.

He thought of the Forgotten Sword.

Could it be that the Three Pure Methods are within the Forgotten Sword?

He carefully inspected it but found nothing unusual.

"The Fate Compass... points to you!" Zhao Jian looked at Qi Yuan, his thoughts complex.

"But I don't have the Three Pure Methods," Qi Yuan replied earnestly.

He truly didn't possess the Three Pure Methods.

"How can that be?" Zhao Jian was skeptical, wondering if Qi Yuan had the methods but was unwilling to share them.

Of course, it was also possible that the Fate Compass was wrong.

Although the Fate Compass was created by the Dao Lord, it didn't guarantee absolute accuracy.

"Even if they're not within you now, they must be deeply connected to you..." Zhao Jian said.

He was anxious and excited.

If he could truly find the Three Pure Methods and bring them back to the organization, perhaps they could produce a few experts capable of surviving the calamities.

This would give them more confidence in dealing with other forces, rather than being constantly trapped in a precarious situation.

The Three Pure Methods were crucial.

Before coming here, Zhao Jian hadn't even considered that they might find clues to the Three Pure Methods.

"Is that so?" Qi Yuan seemed lost in thought.

Seeing this, Zhao Jian suddenly thought of something: "Perhaps the senior doesn't know the content of the Three Pure Methods, so even if he has them, he wouldn't recognize them? The opening lines of the Three Pure Methods are as follows: 'Before heaven and earth took shape, before the sun and moon shone, there was only one breath...'"

These were the opening lines of the Three Pure Methods.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan was puzzled.

"One breath transforming into the Three Pure Ones?"

A fellow traveler? Or had the Dao Ancestor also crossed over to this world?

"I've never heard of this before," Qi Yuan said.

Hearing this, Zhao Jian was disappointed.

Qi Yuan's demeanor didn't seem like he was lying.

Could it be that the Fate Compass was malfunctioning? Was it all a mistake? This seemed plausible.

If the Three Pure Methods truly existed in the world, so many experts would have already found them. How could he have stumbled upon them so easily?

"Sigh." Zhao Jian sighed deeply. It seemed he had been deluded.

After all, when he tried using the Fate Compass again to locate the Three Pure Methods, it showed no reaction.

It was likely that the previous indication had been a false alarm.

"Although I don't have the Three Pure Methods, I believe I can create a version of them based on these opening lines," Qi Yuan said seriously, eager to try.

Zhao Jian was taken aback.

Create a technique? At their level, creating techniques was as easy as drinking water.

But the Three Pure Methods were different.

This was a technique that could allow one to survive the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations.

Even the Dao Lord or the Dao God couldn't create such a method.

But considering Qi Yuan's current state, Zhao Jian could only say, "I look forward to your good news."

Zhao Jian now seemed disheartened.

It was as if he had found hope, only to have it turn into despair.

Perhaps it would have been better if it had never appeared.

...

"Before heaven and earth took shape, before the sun and moon shone, there was only one breath..."

[This is a special passage that can serve as the foundation for creating countless unique techniques.]

This was the hidden information Qi Yuan's eyes saw.

He smiled with delight.

"Since I haven't obtained the Three Pure Methods, why not create my own version... wouldn't that be the same?"

Qi Yuan felt this made sense.

With his special ability and the opening lines of the Three Pure Methods, he could certainly create a method to avoid the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations.

"One breath transforming into the Three Pure Ones, three avatars to bear the tribulations?"

"No, not avatars, but the true self."

"This is different from the past and future selves of the Yang God in the immortal realm."

The Three Calamities and Three Tribulations act on the true self; no number of avatars can bear them.

"However, the hidden information I see each day is different, making it difficult to create the Three Pure Methods."

Qi Yuan sighed.

He still had a vague understanding of the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations.

But he had some insight into the purpose of the Three Pure Methods.

He had the result and the starting point; what he needed to do was fill in the middle.

Although this process was fraught with difficulties and would take an immense amount of time.

Without the special ability to see hidden information, even if this task were given to the Emperor God, he might not be able to complete it in his lifetime.

Even for Qi Yuan, creating the Three Pure Methods was a daunting challenge.

"I understand what I'm lacking now!"

"What I lack is... a detailed and reasonable plan."

"Without a plan, without a framework, any endeavor will fail."

With this realization, Qi Yuan felt that creating the Three Pure Methods had become simpler, no longer an insurmountable task.

He had a plan now.

If the plan didn't succeed, it would mean the game was against him.

"Step one of the plan: find a place where time flows faster."

"Step two: daily review the opening lines of the Three Pure Methods and create the subsequent content."

"Step three: complete the creation."

"Indeed, with the plan in place, I feel much more secure."

"No wonder so many people fail in their endeavors in this world."

"It's because they don't create a detailed plan like I do."

...

With that, Qi Yuan set to work.

In the following days, Qi Yuan spent some divine crystals in the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain and borrowed some from the Hei Tian Divine Lord to exchange for access to the "Mihua Void Realm."

One day in the mortal world was a thousand years in the Mihua Void Realm.

Every day, Qi Yuan would look at the opening lines of the Three Pure Methods.

He would see the hidden information and use it to create the subsequent content.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, a hundred years had passed in the mortal world.

In the Mihua Void Realm, an immeasurable amount of time had elapsed.

Qi Yuan opened his eyes, his gaze momentarily dazed.

"The Three Pure Methods... have I finally created them?"

[These are the Three Pure Methods, created by you. Perhaps... they can be used to avoid the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations.]

Looking at the Three Pure Methods he had created, Qi Yuan hesitated.

"The so-called Three Pure Methods involve splitting into three versions of myself... no, more accurately, splitting into one version of myself... growing, and then... dying to bear the tribulations."

Rather than one breath transforming into the Three Pure Ones.

More accurately, this technique required Qi Yuan to abandon everything and become a new version of himself.

This version would grow, become powerful, and then... die to bear the tribulations.

After the first version died, the second would appear, and after the second died, the third would appear.

Only after the third version died would Qi Yuan truly reappear, facing a weakened version of the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations.

"Interesting."

When creating the Three Pure Methods, Qi Yuan had drawn inspiration from the past, present, and future selves of the Yang God.

"So, the first version of myself in the Three Pure Methods... exists in the past?"

The second version exists in the present, and the third... in the future.

"So... should I start using the Three Pure Methods to avoid the calamities?"

Qi Yuan hesitated.

Once the Three Pure Methods were activated, they couldn't be stopped.

Only after three deaths could he return.

Moreover, these weren't avatars but his true self.

His true self would lose everything.

"My special abilities, my divine powers, my skills... all gone. Could I reach the other shore?"

These weren't the main concerns.

"The most important thing is that even my brilliant mind, which I rely on for survival, would be gone."

Qi Yuan was conflicted.

He had always relied on his intellect.

What if the first version was a fool?

"It doesn't matter. After all, I'll die three times and then return. If I fail, so be it. There's no real loss."

With this thought, Qi Yuan felt it wasn't a big deal.

Without his brilliant mind, it would be like his game character going offline and letting an AI take over.

The AI would die three times, and then he would return.

Thus, Qi Yuan returned to the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain, went to the Abandoned Land, and even returned to the immortal realm to make some preparations.

After all, he wanted to see what the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations looked like.

He also wanted to see what lay beyond the Dao Lord.

A year passed.

Qi Yuan finished his preparations. He stayed in the Abandoned Land, his gaze profound.

"Then... let's begin the Three Pure Methods. The first... the past."

As Qi Yuan spoke, his body dissipated.

In this world, Qi Yuan's presence vanished.

...

Cloud Dream Mountain, towering at a height of 100,000 light-years.

This mountain was home to countless beings, with various wonders, ruins, and civilizations.

At the foot of Cloud Dream Mountain.

In the Kingdom of Feilai, lightning flashed and thunder roared.

In the Marquis's mansion, a group of servants was in a frenzy. Inside a room, a woman's painful cries could be heard.

Outside, a middle-aged man paced back and forth, visibly anxious.

The wind grew stronger, and the rain poured down harder.

Outside the Marquis's mansion, thirty-seven men in black robes, armed with swords and knives, stood with murderous intent.

Today, they had a mission: to slaughter everyone in the Marquis's mansion.

Each of them radiated a killing aura.

Their presence was something the ordinary people in the Marquis's mansion couldn't comprehend.

Just then, the cry of a baby echoed, and the mansion was filled with joy.

A bolt of lightning struck from the sky.

At the same time, a notification sounded.

[On this day, you were born, and a celestial phenomenon occurred. The thirty-seven bandits were struck dead by lightning.

You helped the Marquis's mansion avoid a massacre.]

Time flew by, and the young lord of the Marquis's mansion grew up.

He was no different from other children.

Average in talent, average in physique, with only his noble birth and good looks setting him apart.

The celestial phenomenon at his birth was gradually forgotten.

As for the thirty-seven bandits killed by lightning, the Marquis had investigated for a long time but found no answers, so he ordered the matter sealed.

From then on, the Marquis wore a subtle look of worry.

Five years later, the Marquis's mansion welcomed a new addition.

The young lord now had a younger sister.

Life was happy, with a touch of mischief, filled with laughter and joy.

But this peaceful happiness was eventually shattered.

[Your divine nature at birth eventually faded into mundanity.

At birth, a celestial phenomenon occurred, killing thirty-seven bandits and saving the Marquis's mansion.

But this time, you were no different from an ordinary person.

Holding a iron sword, you watched helplessly as your parents were slaughtered, the servants killed, and the maid who doted on you, who dreamed of being your bed-warmer, died before your eyes.]

The rain continued to fall, a steady drizzle.

But it couldn't extinguish the raging fire consuming the Marquis's mansion.

By the lake, shadows of trees swayed.

The young man, covered in blood, his eyes filled with tears, clutched his sword, his breath weak.

He hated his own weakness.

He hated his average talent.

He hated being the only one left alive.

"No... there's still my sister!"

The young man's eyes burned with a desire to live.

But... revenge? How?

Survival alone was difficult.

Just then, a shadow appeared beside the young man.

"Do you want revenge?"

The young man quickly turned, but he saw nothing, no shadow.

"I do!"

"Even if it costs you everything?" the shadow asked.

The young man nodded, images of his family's slaughter flashing in his mind.

"Yes, even if I become a devil, a follower of evil gods, I am willing!"

"Good." The shadow seemed to smile. "Then, I want all your emotions. In exchange, I will give you... the greatest talent in swordsmanship."

The young man hesitated.

Without emotions, even if he became strong, wouldn't he just kill indiscriminately?

What if he killed his sister?

"Of course... I'm not so heartless as to turn you into a killing machine.

You can keep three things, or rather... three sentences.

For example... like in those stories, you could vow not to harm your sister." The shadow laughed, though there was a hint of mockery in its voice.

The young man's expression was grave.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and spoke the first sentence.

His sister was his only family.

No matter what, he would never harm her.

"What about the second sentence?" the shadow asked.

"I... want to live, become strong, and take revenge," the young man said.

Losing all emotions, including desire, meant that even with the greatest talent in swordsmanship, he might not cultivate it.

As for whether the shadow was lying or toying with him, did it matter?

"And the third?"

"I..." The young man hesitated, unsure what the third sentence should be.

Wealth?

Continuing the family line?

Restoring the Marquis's mansion?

Or...

Just then, he felt a strange impulse and spoke.

"I will always adhere to the principles of order and goodness, protecting the world."

This young man wasn't blinded by hatred and a desire for slaughter.

Perhaps this was due to his upbringing.

"Good, the deal is struck."

With that, the shadow disappeared.

The young man lying by the lake felt as if it had all been a dream.

But as he grasped a reed floating in the lake, he felt the world change.

"From now on, there is no self... only the Sword Disciple."

When he held the sword, the Sword Disciple lost all emotions.

He couldn't feel the coldness of the lake water.

The deaths of his parents and clan members were like cold images to him.

He couldn't feel hunger, pain, or even the desire for revenge.

Or curiosity.

What drove him were those three sentences.

They would be his everything.

From then on, the Kingdom of Feilai had an expressionless Sword Disciple.

No one knew his identity, nor what he sought.

No one knew his weaknesses.

They only knew he was a true genius in the way of the sword.

With an iron sword in hand, he traveled three thousand miles.

In a canyon, he witnessed two armies clashing and comprehended the Seven Killings Sword Technique.

Seeing a powerful figure cleave the heavens with a sword, he grasped the Heaven-Splitting Sword Technique.

Watching flowers bloom and wither, he understood the Cycle of Reincarnation Sword Technique.

Everything in the world was a sword to him.