My Core is the Boss-Chapter 202.1: A Bountiful Harvest, the Great Yin Thunder Pearl
At the sight of the Linmu Immortal Liquid, the villagers’ breathing grew labored, their eyes burning with desire. It was as if they would dive in and drink their fill at any moment. However, since Qi Yuan said nothing, none of them dared to step forward.
Qi Yuan glanced back at the villagers, who were practically panting. "You don't even play basketball, why are you all so eager to drink bathwater?"
He couldn't help but think of his past life on Blue Star, where a certain basketball star was rumored to want to drink someone's bathwater. [1]
The villagers were utterly lost.
"Basketball?"
"Bathwater?"
They had only stared at the liquid for a second before these two inexplicable words erupted out of nowhere.
"Haa... Looks like this bathwater's already been used." Qi Yuan shook his head, before waving his hand. "Laughing Arhat, pack this bathwater up."
Though he had no intention of using it himself, if his people wanted it, why would he stop them?
Laughing Arhat's eyes lit up with joy. "Lord God, I'm close to condensing my second divine aperture. May I drink a sip of the Linmu Immortal Liquid?"
Long-Browed Arhat immediately leaned in as well, his gaze burning with longing. The rest of the villagers were no different. Even for those who weren't True Gods, Linmu Immortal Liquid offered enormous benefits, such as higher cultivation and improved aptitude.
Qi Yuan said casually, "Carry on, then. Everyone gets a sip."
If people wanted to drink bathwater, he couldn't be bothered to stop them.
The villagers surged forward at once, plunging their hands into the liquid and cupping it reverently in their palms.
Rapture filled Yulei’s aged face as he inhaled the peculiar fragrance. "What a divine scent... Just smelling it clears my mind and lifts my spirit. If a smell is already intoxicating, how wondrous must it taste?"
He took a sip, like a child from some backward feudal dynasty tasting milk for the first time. The others weren't much better. No matter their realm, cultivators drank the bathwater with blissful expressions, utterly intoxicated.
"Too bad I can't livestream this, it'd be hilarious," Qi Yuan muttered.
Nevertheless, he discreetly captured the scene with a recording stone. He would show them the footage once they had all become towering figures. Watching themselves once obsessing over bathwater would surely be fun.
"My second divine aperture has opened!" Laughing Arhat screamed out of the blue.
A powerful surge of divine energy erupted as he broke through on the spot. Since he had already accumulated enough, the sip merely pushed him over the edge. His aura soared instantly.
The other villagers also grew noticeably stronger, each to varying degrees. The myriad nourishing essences seeped into them. Their complexions flushed with vitality, their physiques growing sturdier and more robust.
"Not bad," Qi Yuan said with satisfaction. "Just the first floor, and we've already gained this much."
He was genuinely pleased with Laughing Arhat's breakthrough. Wasn’t the Ancestral Land made up of seven floors and hundreds of towers? If the very first tower's bathwater was already this potent, then whatever awaited them deeper inside would surely boost their overall strength dramatically.
Qi Yuan gave his order. "Pack up these few tons of bathwater, we're heading to the next tower."
The villagers didn't understand why their god insisted on calling the liquid "bathwater," but they didn't care. They simply assumed it was some quirk of his speech. After all, how could something this precious possibly be bathwater? Who would ever use such a vast amount of immortal liquid just to bathe?
Laughing Arhat cheerfully pulled out a storage pouch and packed away all the liquid. "Alright!"
Qi Yuan glanced around the tower. It was littered with metallic junk. Broken, bizarre fragments were scattered everywhere. They were essentially worthless to him.
"Let's go. On to the second tower!" Qi Yuan waved his hand grandly.
The villagers followed him out of the tower.
***
Outside, the ancient gods were still waiting anxiously. Their nerves were taut, ready to act at the slightest disturbance.
"It's been so long. Why is there still no movement?" Yan Xi asked.
"This is very strange."
And it truly was. The tower was riddled with danger, and the slightest misstep could awaken the puppet gods. They'd been inside for quite a while now. How was it possible that there was no commotion at all?
The younger twin asked in disbelief, "Can he really tell fortunes?"
In response, the ancient gods exchanged smiles. None of them took it seriously. Fate was fickle and unpredictable. Even the greatest diviners would perish, for the rules and mechanisms of the tower were far more chaotic than those of the Mortal Heart World.
Just then, a voice echoed from overhead. "Why are you all standing here?"
The ancient gods snapped their heads up. At the top of the tower, Qi Yuan pushed open something resembling a glass window, and jumped out. One by one, the villagers followed suit. Like a man sneaking out of a lover's room, they landed lightly, nimble and unhurried.
The ancient gods froze. They are back?
The younger twin blurted out, "You reached the top level?!"
If they emerged from the top, then they had definitely reached it. This tower had three levels. Ancient gods had bled and died on the first floor alone. The second floor was an uncharted territory. And yet, a party of two True Gods and mortals had reached the top and emerged alive? Were the puppet gods inside asleep out of their minds?!
The ancient gods were awestruck.
Qi Yuan landed among them and said leisurely, "I can read fortunes, so of course I found a way to survive. Shame about this tower, though. There was nothing good inside. Just a pile of bathwater."
The first tower really hadn't impressed him.
Meanwhile, the ancient gods stared at one another, completely confused.
Bathwater? There was bathwater inside the tower?
Only bathwater?
Whose bathwater?
Countless thoughts raced through their minds as they watched Qi Yuan stroll out casually. Either Qi Yuan's luck was monstrous, or there was truly something extraordinary about him. Well, the tower could also be malfunctioning. No matter which it was, it filled them with envy and jealousy.
After all, Yan Xi had once entered a tower on the first floor. He lasted barely a few seconds before being hunted by a swarm of puppet gods, escaping only by leaving a leg behind. All he had to show for his immense effort and loss was a thin piece of Golden Veil, which he later used as a face covering because it concealed aura.
Compared to Qi Yuan's effortless stroll, the contrast was brutal.
The ancient gods were weirded out. Still, when they heard all he got was bathwater, things suddenly felt more balanced. That didn't sound like a treasure at all.
1. This probably refers to a tweet by NBA player Kevin Durant, who publicly proclaimed his desire to drink actress Scarlett Johansson's bathwater. ☜
