Chương 26: Golden Core

The Iron Sect's Golden Core cultivator hovered slightly off the ground, his form radiating waves of qi that made the air itself feel heavier. The step from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was significant—this man could fly and tear structural steel like a piece of paper. That's without even utilizing any techniques or spells. His iron-gray robes fluttered in the afternoon wind, and his eyes held the sharp gaze of someone who had seen centuries of conflict.

"I am Arthur of the Iron Sect," he announced, his voice carrying clearly despite hovering in the air.

"I have heard conflicting reports about the destruction of the Flowing Water Sect. The Flaming Saber Sect has accused the Flowing Water Sect of summoning a Nascent level qi beast using demonic techniques, and claims that the Flaming Saber Sect, at great cost, was able to push back a qi beast wave." His piercing gaze fixed on Lia, and she could feel the weight of his solidified qi pressure pressing down on her exhausted form.

"What say you, Lia of the Flowing Water Sect?" Lia's mind raced.

"Damn technology made information spread quickly," she thought. This was clearly a political minefield—the Iron Sect was trying to determine which version of events to believe, and her answer could determine whether she was granted sanctuary or executed as a demonic cultivator. The truth was complicated: the beast had been released by the Flowing Water Sect's dying master, but only after the Flaming Saber Sect had already begun their unprovoked assault.

She straightened despite her exhaustion, drawing on every bit of her own strength and memories of Ami.

"Senior Arthur, the Flaming Saber Sect lies to cover their own crimes. They attacked us without provocation. Our sect master, in his final moments as our home burned around him, released an ancient binding that had kept the Beast King contained for centuries." Lia told what she knew. Riku had told Tim what the Sect master had done. Varek had been debriefed by Val who survived the explosion but sustained many injuries. Her voice grew stronger as she continued.

"He chose to unleash that horror rather than let our sect's resources fall into the hands of murderers and thieves. The Flaming Saber Sect created this catastrophe through their greed—the beast was merely our sect master's final act of defiance." She met Arthur's gaze steadily.

"I am one of the few survivors. I have seen their cruelty firsthand. My friend's throat was slit before my eyes. They slaughter innocents and call their victims demonic to justify their actions." Arthur studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. The other guards remained silent, waiting for their superior's judgment. Arthur's expression remained stern but showed a hint of pragmatic mercy.

"As an outer sect disciple, I will not hold you accountable for your elders' actions. You are free to enter, but I suggest you move on quickly." His gaze swept toward the darkening horizon where distant beast howls could still be heard.

"Qi beast attacks have been increasing, and qi beast waves are expected. The release of that ancient binding has destabilized the entire region." He descended closer to the ground, his voice lowering but carrying clearly to her ears.

"There will be people in both the sect and city who will blame you—either for your sect's supposed demonic practices or simply for surviving when so many others died. Make your visit quick, then move on." Arthur gestured toward the massive gates, which began to slowly creak open.

"You have one night's sanctuary. Purchase what supplies you need, rest if you can, but be gone by dawn. The Iron Fist Sect cannot afford to get involved in a sect war." As the gates opened wider, revealing the bustling city beyond, Arthur added one final warning: "Keep your sect affiliation to yourself while inside. Tell anyone who asks that you're an independent cultivator seeking passage to the main continent. And whatever you do, don't mention the beast binding—that knowledge died with your elders, understood?"

Lia bowed deeply, grateful for even this limited mercy.

"Thank you, Senior Arthur. I understand completely." As she walked through the gates into Ironhold's crowded streets, Lia was amazed by the futuristic city she saw. Unlike the traditional mountain architecture of the Flowing Water Sect, Ironhold was a marvel of cultivation technology. Skyscrapers made of qi-forged metal reached toward the sky, their surfaces covered in glowing runes that pulsed with qi.

Floating platforms carried people between levels of the city, while advanced qi-powered tech vehicles moved silently along designated pathways. The streets themselves were paved with qi-conducting stone that lit up under foot traffic, creating rivers of soft light that guided pedestrians through the urban maze. Holographic displays advertised everything from spirit pills to cultivation techniques, and the air hummed with the constant energy of thousands of formations working in harmony.

Cultivators of all levels moved through the crowds—some flying overhead on swords or platforms, others walking among the mortals who made up the majority of the city's population. The contrast with her sect's more traditional lifestyle was staggering. Tim's personality slipped through, "Holy fuck, this is way more advanced than I imagined," Lia gasped. Walking through the city, she quickly searched for somewhere she could buy a communication ring that was unregistered.

Following the glowing directional runes embedded in the street, she made her way through the massive buildings towards what appeared to be the merchant district. The signs here were even more elaborate, with three-dimensional projections showing products in action. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She spotted what she was looking for—a shop called "Discreet Cultivation" with a subtle sign that promised "privacy guaranteed" in smaller text below.

The storefront was deliberately unremarkable but clear in its purpose. It seemed this shop catered to people who needed untraceable and unorthodox cultivation equipment. The shop's interior was dimly lit and cramped, filled with displays of various communication rings, artifacts and other cultivation-related items. An elderly man with cybernetic implants enhancing his eyes looked up from behind the counter.

"Looking for something specific, young miss?" he asked, his enhanced eyes scanning her with obvious interest.

"Perhaps something that won't show up on certain... registries?" Lia nodded, keeping her voice low.

"An unregistered communication ring. Something reliable but untraceable." The shopkeeper's smile revealed teeth inlaid with small spirit stones.

"Ah, a woman of discretion. I have just the thing." He produced a simple silver ring from beneath the counter.

"This is registered to a generic name and the tracking and life detection features have been hacked."

"How much?" Lia asked, already reaching for her storage ring.

"Fifty spirit stones," he replied smoothly.

"A bargain for true privacy in these troubled times."

"That is insane," Lia replied. Her spirit stone count was depressingly low. Apart from her staff, she only had about 20 spirit stones.

"I also have this golden core I found," Lia remembered, pulling out the qi-drained golden core from her storage ring. It was the one she'd discovered in the shard world. After using it as bait, she had taken it with her. The sphere was a deep gold and made of an indescribable material. It was like something that shouldn't exist. The shopkeeper's enhanced eyes immediately locked onto the core, and she could practically see his pupils dilate as he assessed its value.

He leaned forward, his casual demeanor shifting to one of intense focus.

"May I?" he asked, extending his hand with barely contained excitement. Lia hesitated for a moment before placing the core in his palm. The shopkeeper produced a small spirit-tech device and ran it over the surface, taking readings that made him whistle appreciatively.

"It's old, really old. This cultivator must have died thousands of years ago. You have made a very lucky find. Young miss, this is a level 3 golden core of exceptional quality," he breathed, possessively.

"Even drained, a golden core's material cannot be replicated. This material can be used in high-level Golden Core equipment, formation cores, or even as a cultivation aid for body cultivators." He set the core down carefully on a specialized cushion.

"This is worth about 400 spirit stones, possibly more to the right buyer. Tell you what—I'll give you the communication ring, plus 300 spirit stones, and we'll call it even. You won't find a better deal in the city." Lia's eyes widened. She hadn't expected the ancient core to be worth so much.

"I need the spirit stones physically, not as a bank transfer." The shopkeeper beamed as he produced a small spirit bag of spirit stones.

"Of course, discretion is best." Taking her spirit stones, Lia set off to find a hotel for the night. Earth After dojo training the previous night, Riku and Tim had gone separate ways. Riku had to go home and play along with the lie to her parents that she had texted them when she had spent the night over at Tim's. She told her parents that she was at a friend's house having a girls sleepover. Tim's male body finally got a solid night's sleep while Lia was fleeing to the Iron city.

The next day, while Lia was still making her desperate journey toward Ironhold, Tim had been practicing his soul cultivation and soul steps in the quiet of his apartment. Sitting cross-legged on his living room floor, Tim worked through the breathing exercises from the soul cultivation manual. The golden grounding symbol pulsed steadily in his mind as he visualized his soul essence as a distinct entity within his physical form.

The technique was becoming more natural with practice, though the progress felt glacially slow compared to the initial rapid advancement he originally had. After an hour of meditation, he stood up to practice the Soul Steps technique. The visualization of projecting his soul forward and letting it pull his body along was getting clearer. Instead of the awkward lurching motion from yesterday, he could now achieve smooth bursts of movement forward. He was still only able to move his complete body.

With more practice he should just be able to move different parts of his body. Like a lightning-fast punch.

"Two and a half centimeters," he measured after his latest attempt. The feeling of using a cultivation technique on Earth was exhilarating. It showed him he wasn't crazy and excited him about how powerful he could get here. His phone buzzed with a text from Riku: "How's Lia doing? Varek is getting worried—he keeps asking about her."

"Haha," Tim chuckled. Riku was still playing that they were separate people. Tim typed back: "She made it to the Iron city and is safe for now. How are you handling the dual-body situation?"

"Better than yesterday. Letting Varek think more like himself instead of trying to control everything. It's weird but less exhausting." Tim nodded to himself. The separation of personalities approach seemed to be working for both of them, even if it felt dangerously close to developing actual split personalities. But given their circumstances it may be the only option. Lia wrote Varek a message on the unregistered communication ring she'd just purchased: "Thank you, Varek.

Without your warning, I would have been trapped when they attacked. I owe you my life. Stay safe this crisis isn't over yet." Back in the Flaming Saber Sect, Varek's communicator chimed. Reading Lia's message, Riku felt a warm flutter in her chest that had nothing to do with her female body's hormones. Varek felt warmth in his heart too. The genuine gratitude in Lia's words touched him. Varek typed back: "Just taking care of my girl. Where are you now? Are you somewhere secure?"

The response came quickly: "Ironhold, under the Iron Sect's protection. But only for tonight. I need to reach the main continent soon." Lia chose to ignore Varek claiming her as his girl. She felt a warmth in her chest but Tim's mind recoiled in unease at these feelings. Tim's phone buzzed again with another message from Riku: "Varek just got a message from Lia! She says thank you for warning her and that it was really sweet. She says he saved her life." Tim smiled slightly as he read it.

Even though it was Riku who had actually warned him about the danger, he still wanted Lia to show her gratitude to Varek. The complex web of relationships between their dual selves was becoming more intricate by the day—Tim and Riku were growing closer on Earth, while Lia and Varek maintained their own dynamic in the cultivation world.