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

Without any hesitation, Qi Yuan began fine-tuning the "True God Method."

"I need to break through to the True God stage as soon as possible, the earlier the better."

According to the information conveyed by the phantom figure.

Currently, the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain has too few planes available for spreading faith.

This time, Pillar Tian Kai sowed billions, but only a little over ten thousand god-children were born.

Most of them died in the womb.

Qi Yuan's competitors are these ten thousand god-children.

He needs to break through to the True God stage early so he can go to the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain sooner, claim his own "territory," gain his own followers, and establish his own Divine Kingdom.

Territory is limited, and so is faith.

Qi Yuan looked at the revised "True God Method" and began cultivating seriously.

"The key to cultivating the Void God stage is to have believers... and some people recognize you as a True God."

The first step in Void God cultivation is to accumulate divine power.

The second step is to gain the recognition of believers, making them believe you are a True God.

Of course, the early stage is still about accumulating divine power.

"There are actually three other god-children on this plane. Are they considered my competitors?"

Without further thought, Qi Yuan began accumulating divine power.

It was better to focus on cultivation first.

...

About half a month passed.

The golden-clad girl had a sharp look in her eyes: "Have you contacted Qi Yuan?"

She was a goddess with considerable talent.

The towering green-haired elephant spoke: "I contacted him. He refused to cooperate with us, only focusing on cultivating the 'True God Method.'"

The massive elephant was also a child of Tian Kai.

After all, his offspring were numerous, even including the bloodline of flies.

"It seems... after just ten days since birth, this younger brother of ours isn't very bright," the golden-clad girl said.

For these god-children, the difficult part of breaking through to the True God stage isn't accumulating divine power, i.e., cultivating the "True God Method," but the second step—getting believers to recognize them as True Gods.

The more believers there are, and the higher the degree of recognition, the greater the chance of breaking through to the True God stage.

Out of the ten thousand offspring Tian Kai sowed this time, it would be impressive if even one percent managed to break through to the True God stage.

Breaking through to the True God stage is difficult, and the difficulty lies in the second step.

Currently, on this plane, most of the faith has already been claimed by other True Gods.

Although they are god-children, Tian Kai doesn't acknowledge them unless they break through to the True God stage.

Those True Gods wouldn't give them any face either.

So, the golden-clad girl and the green-haired elephant joined forces, secretly controlling forces, establishing their own churches, and expanding their followers.

This was actually a dangerous endeavor, as it could easily provoke attacks from other churches.

That's why the golden-clad girl and the elephant cooperated, secretly developing their followers together and striving for the second step.

"If he won't cooperate, he can stay in this stinking mortal world forever," the elephant said discontentedly.

He had long been dissatisfied with the plane he was born on, yearning for the sweet air of the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain.

The golden-clad girl snorted coldly: "Let's go. The holy knights of the Probe Church are coming. We need to protect our followers."

The elephant nodded: "Alright."

...

On the other side, a spring gushed forth, and a bright-eyed, fair-skinned boy cultivated diligently.

The divine power within him surged rapidly.

"Cultivating... is so simple."

"Probably in another half year, my divine power will reach perfection, and I can consider the second step—gaining the recognition of believers."

Qi Yuan didn't waste time seeking followers or gaining their recognition.

He was a True God—wasn't that an obvious fact?

If the believers didn't recognize him, did that mean he wasn't a True God?

Moreover, his followers would surely share his temperament, recognizing a True God when they saw one!

Who were his followers?

All living beings in the world could be his followers.

At that moment, Qi Yuan's mind stirred slightly.

He sensed a peculiar fluctuation.

"Is this checking the progress of the god-children?"

He didn't pay it much mind and continued cultivating the "True God Method."

In the air, a phantom True God wrote the evaluation "B+" on a piece of paper, then disappeared, reappearing in the void.

"Patro, how are this batch of god-children and goddesses?" an old man asked.

Patro pondered: "There are three with an A+ rating. In just half a month, they've recruited over ten thousand followers. They have a promising future and might even become lords, conquering foreign lands."

"Only three? It seems this batch isn't very high quality."

"Indeed," Patro sighed. "In just half a month, 372 god-children have been killed for trying to recruit followers. Some were foolish enough to think they were truly Tian Kai's children and went to ask True Gods to share their followers. They were killed on the spot!"

Only by becoming a True God and going to the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain would Tian Kai acknowledge them as his children.

If they didn't become True Gods, they were no different from those who died in the womb or mere weeds.

"This time, quite a few god-children have chosen a more cautious path, first accumulating divine power and then recruiting followers later. They make up about one percent of the batch," Patro said.

The old man's eyes showed a hint of amusement: "Being cautious is fine, but their potential... is lacking."

For True Gods, followers are the most important.

The power gained from followers far surpasses that gained from cultivating divine power.

And the more followers one manages, and the longer they are managed, the more fanatical believers there will be.

The hope of breaking through to the True God stage increases, and the strength after breaking through becomes greater.

Moreover, those who break through to the True God stage earlier gain more benefits.

Although all who break through to the True God stage can be called god-children, there's an unspoken rule: in this batch, those ranked beyond 100 will likely be very marginal god-children.

...

"My divine power... has reached perfection."

"According to the 'True God Method,' I just need to fulfill the wishes of my followers and then... have them recognize me as a True God, and I can ascend to the True God stage?"

Qi Yuan muttered.

For other god-children, completing this step would be very troublesome, requiring battles with other churches, accumulating followers, and gaining recognition.

For Qi Yuan, however, it was simple.

At that moment, a sharp voice rang out: "Brother Qi Yuan, are you still cultivating hard?"

The golden-clad girl landed, looking only about 1.2 meters tall, with a cute appearance.

Qi Yuan, being socially awkward, didn't speak.

But the golden-clad girl continued: "I see you've almost finished cultivating. Would you like to work with me to fight against the Probe Church? As payment, I'll give you one-tenth of my followers."

The golden-clad girl had been expanding her faith and now had ten thousand followers.

Currently, the Probe Church was putting unprecedented pressure on her.

That foolish elephant had already been killed by the Probe Church.

Now, she was seeking Qi Yuan's help.

"No," Qi Yuan shook his head.

Hearing this, the golden-clad girl's expression changed: "Don't be greedy. One-fifth is the most I can offer."

Her situation was indeed dire.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have sought cooperation with this younger brother she had always looked down upon.

Qi Yuan continued to shake his head, then said: "How about this? You become my follower, I fulfill your wish, and then you recognize me as a True God. I'll become a god immediately."

Qi Yuan's plan was well thought out.

This way, he could complete the second step of godhood in one go.

"You're delusional!" the golden-clad girl said angrily.

Any god-child with ambition would never worship another god-child!

Doing so would mean they could only become Qi Yuan's subordinate god or vassal god in the future.

"If you won't cooperate, then there's nothing more to say.

Hmph, I hope I can still see my dear younger brother when I'm at the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain."

After speaking, the golden-clad girl left with resentment.

Although her situation was precarious, she had a high chance of breaking through to the True God stage.

As for this younger brother... he still had no followers. Even if he luckily became a True God, his ranking would be very low, with no future prospects.

Qi Yuan paid no attention to the golden-clad girl.

After all, he respected the elderly and cherished the young.

The elderly, he regarded as his white moonlight.

"Time to become a god."

"The first step to godhood: fulfill the wishes of followers."

"Time to... use my superpowers."

Qi Yuan had no followers.

But he had superpowers.

His ears could hear the thoughts of others.

His mouth could answer questions.

He had no followers, but there were too many problems in this world.

By solving the troubles of mortals, wouldn't they become his followers?

He closed his eyes and began listening to the thoughts of the living beings on this plane.

"I, Sid, want to become an emperor for thousands of years!"

"Too troublesome, skip."

"My sister-in-law's figure is so soft. I want to be with her again..."

"Disgusting, skip."

"I want to become a Sword Saint. Why won't Sword God Hutu take me as his true disciple? If I can't become a Sword Saint, I'll have to go home and inherit the family business."

"Humblebrag, skip."

When fulfilling follower tasks, it was best to pick the easy ones.

The ones above were either too difficult or too disgusting.

Qi Yuan didn't want to help, as helping would make them his followers, which was too embarrassing.

Especially one who wanted to steal socks from all the women in the city—utterly ridiculous.

"This endless rain is making me depressed. When will I see the sun again?"

At that moment, a thought entered Qi Yuan's ears.

His eyes lit up.

"Depressed? Want to see the sun? Isn't that simple? I am the sun!"

...

Roland Royal City.

Yu Sanbao looked at the continuous drizzle outside, feeling melancholy, or perhaps anxious.

"I didn't expect three years to pass in the blink of an eye. I've been undercover in Roland Royal City for so long... every day is filled with anxiety and nightmares."

Yu Sanbao hadn't slept well for many days.

Just yesterday, he received news that a spy from the Glorious Moon Kingdom in Roland had been uncovered, and the spy leader had been sawed into three pieces.

He had even gone to watch the execution, and after seeing it, he slept even worse.

After all, he was the spy leader from the Great Jin Kingdom in Roland.

At that moment, he couldn't help but murmur.

Now, not only was he, the spy leader, on edge, but the other spies were probably scared out of their wits too.

Morale was at an all-time low.

Just then, a voice sounded in his ear.

"If you're depressed, you should go out more."

"According to a famous spy leader, when spies are depressed or unhappy, they can organize outings, go on spring trips."

"Who?" Yu Sanbao was startled, his face filled with terror.

He thought his identity as a spy leader had been exposed.

He immediately imagined the scene of being sawed into three pieces, his face turning pale.

"I am the True God Qi Yuan. I heard your thoughts and came to help you solve your problem."

"So, buddy, now take your spy colleagues and go on a happy outing."

Yu Sanbao was shocked, not understanding what Qi Yuan was up to.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm a True God. Why would I harm you? If I wanted to harm you, why would I go through all this trouble?

Besides, your closest colleagues number only fifteen. One lives in Blue Noble District, another in..."

Qi Yuan effortlessly revealed the locations of all these people.

Yu Sanbao's face turned ashen, filled with fear.

It seemed this person already knew the whereabouts of all of them.

They were doomed.

He was going to die.

His family would probably perish too.

"Stop daydreaming. Go contact your colleagues and go on an outing.

Oh, and didn't you say you wanted to see the sun? When you go on the outing, you'll see the sun."

Qi Yuan said.

Yu Sanbao's body stiffened. He didn't understand what this voice's master wanted or what his intentions were.

But now, the lives of everyone were in Qi Yuan's hands. He dared not disobey.

...

"What is the boss doing, gathering us all together?"

"Did the boss defect?"

"How could that be? The boss saved my life. If he defected, I'd defect with him."

After receiving Yu Sanbao's message, the spies gathered together, looking puzzled.

Of course, they had all disguised themselves. Once they dispersed, it would be hard for others to recognize them.

Just then, the door opened, and Yu Sanbao walked in.

Unlike usual, this time he wasn't wearing a mask, revealing his true face.

The other spies looked at Yu Sanbao, exchanging glances. One of them looked particularly nervous.

He had seen the boss's true face before.

Now, the boss was showing his true face. What was going on?

"Boss... why have you gathered us here? Is there something big happening, or... do we have new orders from above?"

The dozen or so spies were filled with anxiety.

After all, so many spies gathering together surely meant something big was happening.

Perhaps... they were about to die.

Yu Sanbao took a deep breath, remembering the instructions from the mysterious voice. He slowly said: "The rain has been continuous lately, and everyone has been working hard, feeling depressed and stifled. So, I'm taking everyone out for an outing to see the sun."

"An outing?"

"Depressed?"

"Boss, we're all here. Stop speaking in code. Just say it plainly!"

"Yeah, stop being cryptic."

"No, I'm telling you to pack up and go on an outing," Yu Sanbao said. "A real outing."

"Boss, I get it. The mission code name is 'Outing,'" a middle-aged man said with an understanding expression.

Everyone suddenly understood.

So, the group packed up and headed out of the city for their outing.

Meanwhile, a plain-looking man stood downstairs, watching the group with a strange expression: "What are these spies doing... coming out in full force?"

"Reporting to the leader, according to our eavesdropping, it seems they're carrying out a mission code-named 'Outing.'"

"Oh, keep a close eye on them," the plain-looking man said with a complicated expression.

He had originally planned to play the long game.

But now, with all the spies coming out together, something big was likely happening.

About half a day later, after reading the reports from his subordinates, the plain-looking man couldn't hold back anymore: "They really went on an outing?"

The report stated that the outing was a real outing.

"This is a talented individual. If the enemy country is full of such talents, that would be great," the plain-looking man sighed. "It seems this thorn can't be pulled out yet."