What Is My Title?
“My title?”
It sounded almost as if he were speaking of a revered name like the Heaven-Sinking Venerable, Jang Ik.
‘So the rumor that only a Saintess can bestow a Venerable’s title is true.’
In the rumors of the Gwanghan Realm, it was said that a Venerable’s title is granted by a Saintess.
Countless tales had swirled about why a Saintess alone could grant such a title, yet none were confirmed.
“What is my title…?”
“That will soon be… Ah, it is here.”
Just as I was about to ask about my title, Kim Yeon and I arrived at a house nestled in the Sam-mok-chong of the Sim Clan.
The Sim Clan’s Sam-mok-chong was a sprawling collection of trees that pierced the heavens.
Unlike the towering trees outside, their sheer strength and thickness were so abnormal that most Sim Clan members had chosen one of the central trees, hollowed out its core, and made their home within.
It was said that the majority of the In Clan, treated as guests of the Sim Clan, also lived in such places today.
Inside the tree house, Buk Hyang-hwa was busy working with her hands.
A radiant pattern shone on her face.
Beneath her hands lay a drawing filled with countless star positions.
“What are you doing?”
A strange unease stirred inside me as I asked.
Buk Hyang-hwa showed me the drawing in more detail.
“Ah, your retreat is over. Venerable-nim.”
“…The word ‘Venerable’ is unnecessary. Simply call me as I asked earlier.”
“Hmph… Even though you have received recognition from the Saintess…”
“…Please, I do not wish for such a title from my companions.”
“…Understood. If that is your wish…”
“Anyway, what are you doing? Look at this. It is the stars of the Water Realm.”
“!”
I exclaimed in shock.
“You mean the star exploration that Cheongmun Ryeong was conducting… did something happen to him?!”
“No need to worry. This is merely part of the Water Realm’s stars.”
“Part?”
“Yes. The stars I observed in the Deep Sea of the Goryeok Realm and those that match them. Only those I drew.”
“The Deep Sea of the Goryeok Realm?”
“Yes. For some reason, my necklace is connected to the Colorless Glass Sword. And somehow both the necklace and the sword carry the power of Goryeok. So, to unravel the mystery of the necklace, I must access the secrets of the Goryeok Realm.”
“……”
I had no words for her.
‘The necklace’s secret is, in the end, connected to the points where the powers of multiple timelines cross due to my regression.’
Yet I could not voice it.
Past timelines could not be altered no matter what was done, and contact with them was impossible.
Therefore, her work was meaningless.
But I could not say that.
Instead, I asked her a question.
“Do you have any evidence that the Colorless Glass Sword and the necklace carry the power of Goryeok?”
As for the Colorless Glass Sword, records from my previous loops were contained within.
But how could my ‘previous loops’ be related to the power of a fallen world, Goryeok?
‘Is there clear evidence that previous loops were treated as the power of a fallen world?’
At my words, Buk Hyang-hwa handed me something.
“Since your retreat is over, please accept this.”
“Hm?”
I accepted the strange scroll she gave me and was startled.
‘What in the world…?’
It looked like an ordinary scroll, but it was actually a dense clump of qi.
Tangible enough to be grasped.
Kim Yeon explained beside me.
“The Saintess said the Venerable’s title was bestowed. It is written here.”
“Ah…!”
I tried to unroll the scroll upon hearing it.
But the scroll would not move.
Kim Yeon continued.
“The Saintess’s avatar said that this scroll can be read by destroying it with the Venerable’s single strike. If you accept the content, it will announce that you are the full Venerable of the Gwanghan Realm.”
“Ah, I see.”
So my title as Venerable had not yet been made public.
‘A single strike that can destroy a Venerable’s scroll… It must mean the power to sever a star.’
I nodded and took the scroll.
But I looked at it and asked Buk Hyang-hwa again.
“How will you answer my question about the power between this scroll and the Goryeok Realm?”
Buk Hyang-hwa pointed at the scroll in response.
“The black scroll… Have you seen something like this before?”
“Seen it… Um?”
I frowned.
This was a qi clump dense enough to materialize, yet I had never seen a qi clump in the form of paper before.
But I remembered having sensed this qi’s aura.
“Hyeongo Paper!”
“Exactly. The Hyeongo Paper I saw in the Goryeok Realm. And I stored a scroll with the same aura for a while and researched it. From that, I discovered a common point about items that carry the power of the Ancient.”
“Common point?”
“Yes. All things that carry the power of the Ancient are related to ‘desire’.”
“Desire?”
“Exactly. Not the dreams one has while sleeping, but the wishes one holds in the heart.”
Buk Hyang-hwa continued.
“While combining this ‘similar Hyeongo Paper’ scroll, my necklace, and the research materials from when we studied the Colorless Glass Sword with Seo Doo’s permission, I discovered that the stars of the Water Realm or some stars in the Deep Sea of the Goryeok Realm matched the qi flow of the Ancient’s power. And while researching those stars, I concluded that if one could connect to a few stars, one could connect the mind to the power of the Ancient, just as Cheongmun Ryeong-senior attempted to pull the power of the stars to cast a spell.”
“What…!”
I was shocked and shouted.
“Stop at once! Do you want to become a salt pillar?!”
“…I cannot.”
“No…!”
“Because if the power of the Ancient is someone’s desire… the wish contained in my necklace is, with high probability, my mother’s wish!”
“……”
“Venerable… no, Seo Doo. Let me ask one thing. Six hundred years ago, when we first met, you gave me this necklace.”
“…That is correct.”
Buk Hyang-hwa’s eyes grew serious.
“Do you know who created this necklace, Seo Doo?”
“…It belongs to Lady Seo’s mother.”
“Indeed. If so, the wish contained in this necklace is, with high probability, my mother’s wish. From a very young age… I missed my mother. Therefore, I have kept her heirloom necklace with me and have lived in Cheon-saek Castle in accordance with her will. If what is contained in this necklace is my mother’s wish… I must uncover it!”
“…The wish contained within may not be my mother’s wish.”
I felt Kim Yeon watching me with a worried expression.
Buk Hyang-hwa looked at me and suddenly seemed startled as well.
She asked me.
“Then… whose wish is contained in this necklace?”
“……”
I smiled awkwardly and sighed.
“…Nothing. It may be Lady Seo’s mother’s wish. I will confirm my title within the scroll and return for a moment. The Saintess should know more about the Hyeongo Paper and Goryeok than I do.”
We both smiled, exchanging lies that were obvious to each other.
I was not fine, and Kim Yeon’s troubled qi confirmed she was troubled as well. I could not explain it, and she did not press me to explain.
I flew upward toward the sky of the Sim Clan territory and glanced down at Kim Yeon briefly.
‘Something is changing.’
Since the moment I met Buk Hyang-hwa—more precisely, since I became close to her—Kim Yeon had begun to change.
After seeing the anxious mind in the Myeonggwi Realm and after meeting her, it seemed to be healing, which I had left as is, thinking it was for the better.
‘Will it truly become better?’
I did not know.
No, whether it changed for the better or worse, it was arrogance to judge whether it was good or bad.
‘I can only hope it does not go mad with obsession…’
I prayed for Kim Yeon’s correct growth and rose higher until the Sim Clan territory looked like a dot.
Then I raised the scroll into the void.
‘Then, let us see what title the Saintess bestowed upon me.’
SWISH!
I used the first form of the 31st form of Dan-ak Sword Art, Accumulating Dust to Form a Mountain, on the scroll.
FLASH!
A strike capable of severing a planet struck the scroll.
The scroll, unaffected by ordinary power, exploded in light after receiving the first form of Accumulating Dust to Form a Mountain.
At the same time.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion erupted, and the surrounding space-time began to twist.
‘This… What is this…!’
I was stunned as I realized what was happening.
‘This insane…!’
The heavenly qi of the entire Gwanghan Realm began to concentrate at this point.
The will of Saintess Baek-woon began to be felt here.
Using the power of the Gwanghan Realm, she was performing a miracle that even a normal Star Plate could not achieve.
As the scroll exploded, a cloud of dust made of countless materials burst forth from within.
And the twisting of space-time, the condensation of heavenly qi.
The power of the Gwanghan Realm began to compress the dust cloud.
OOOOO—
From the center, an unknown gestation was felt, and something began to appear above the Sim Clan territory.
‘A… star…!’
It was a planet.
The dust cloud had swallowed my previous strike and was forming a planet that carried my qi.
The planet gradually sucked in the dust cloud and began to form gravitational pull.
At the same time, beyond the gravitational pull, Baek-woon’s will entered my mind.
[Blessing the human Seo Eun-hyun who has set foot in the Venerable’s realm anew, I bestow upon you a new territory and law treasure. This shall become your symbol and a mark symbolizing your connection with the Gwanghan Realm.]
BOOM!
I stared at the star forming before me in astonishment and could read its name.
[The star’s name is Ja-cheon. A name bestowed in honor of the Sim Clan’s Venerable who has risen to the realm of the soul after leaving the qi realm we inhabit. We welcome your arrival at the new sky and shall seal you as the Venerable of the Gwanghan Realm, Ja-cheon Venerable.]
KUOOOOO—
I instinctively felt that connecting my gravitational pull to that Ja-cheon Star would immediately seal me as Ja-cheon Venerable and make me the true Venerable of the Gwanghan Realm.
After reaching Void Shattering, my gravitational pull had become stronger than before.
Perhaps those who had reached Void Shattering and the Origin of Heaven and Earth could now manipulate gravitational pull to some degree, like the In Clan.
However, I did not connect my gravitational pull to the star before me. I simply watched it.
For some reason, it did not please me.
Ja-cheon meant the word ‘name’ after leaving this world for the next.
It symbolized me, who could now freely cross between the qi realm and the soul realm.
But with a dark expression, I shouted.
“…Saintess. May I have a word?”
Since the entire Gwanghan Realm was under Baek-woon’s jurisdiction, I shouted toward the sky, assuming she was monitoring this place.
“I do not want this title or this star. Please withdraw it.”
The next moment.
KWAH!
My consciousness reached the peak of Cheon-ryeon-san, where Baek-woon was, just like before.
I had arrived inside the White Jade Pavilion.
“It has been a while, Saintess.”
I bowed to Baek-woon, and she looked slightly surprised.
[Although I only summoned your consciousness…]
“As you know, the Sim Clan’s meat and soul are the same, so summoning only consciousness allows one to return to the body at any time.”
Facing the Saintess, I noticed she seemed somewhat burdened.
‘She is reluctant to meet the Venerables in her own body. After all, she is also an In Clan member, so facing me in my body might be troublesome.’
[Jang Ik could not do so. He could not freely cross between the qi realm and the soul realm like you…]
“Ah…”
Even Jang Ik could not immediately take out his body by simply summoning consciousness.
Perhaps it was made possible by the unique ability of my Chongcheon-geom.
‘I thought all Sim Clan Venerables could do it, but apparently not.’
I slowly nodded and made a prayer to the Saintess.
“I will make another prayer once more, Saintess. Please withdraw my title.”
I felt the gravitational pull coming from afar and prayed.
As my body moved before the Saintess, the Ja-cheon Star above the Sim Clan territory began to move toward me.
‘Using the spell to approach a mere star.’
The star itself bent space with its gravitational pull and headed toward me.
It would reach here soon.
Baek-woon asked with a puzzled expression.
[Why refuse? The Ja-cheon Star bestowed upon you bears the same Earth-shrinking technique as the Ham-cheon Star bestowed upon Jang Ik. It helps the Sim Clan member you cross boundless space and time like the Void Shattering Venerables of the In Clan.]
“…I apologize. Even if it is such a tremendous thing, I cannot accept it.”
[Why?]
“That is…”
I answered, feeling the boundless vision I had gained after reaching the realm of Void Shattering.
“I was able to reach this realm because of my connections. Therefore… I hope that the name by which others call me carries the meaning of those connections.”
It was not a realm I begged Heaven to descend to.
It was a realm I reached by stacking connections.
The will that had taken root in my heart on the day I reached Deungbongjogeuk.
‘How many times had I shouted at the sky?’
The sky did not answer.
‘How many times had I asked Heaven for help?’
Heaven had given me calamity and pain.
‘Heaven…’
I hated Heaven.
I denied the empty Heaven that had taken away everything and taken more.
It was not merely that I hated my own fate.
‘Heaven’ also meant True Immortal.
The hatred and anger toward the master of Taesan who had still not faded even after taking everything from me.
In that state, I had no intention of accepting titles related to the immortal, the fate, or the heaven.
Therefore, I believed the name should not contain Heaven.
Barely suppressing the instinctive hatred that rose from the name, I bowed to Baek-woon and prayed.
“Please, Saintess, have mercy and change my title to something else!”
Just hearing the name Ja-cheon brought an inexplicable hatred from somewhere.
The Saintess showed a somewhat troubled expression and said.
[That name was not something I created. It was chosen by fortune-telling. It is the best name for you and the one that most optimally aids your fate.]
Fortune-telling.
A form of divination to choose an appropriate name. The name Hong Beom received from the Ji Clan’s naming master, who looked at the stars, also fell under fortune-telling. Baek-woon had chosen my title in the same way.
I shook my head and said.
“I am fine with optimal aid. Please give me another name.”
[Hmph, I understand.]
Baek-woon nodded and presented another name with the Heavenly King’s qi.
[How is this name? It is one of the names chosen by fortune-telling. Although the gravitational pull it carries is slightly weaker than Ja-cheon, I left it in the second option… but for what you call ‘connections,’ this name would be better.]
Before my eyes appeared the Heavenly Ladder.
The name Heavenly Ladder.
[Connections are the ropes and ladders that guide each other. A name that can symbolize the Venerable who reached the realm by the ladder Heaven bestowed.]
I briefly looked at the Heavenly Ladder in front of me and shook my head.
“It is not the connections Heaven bestowed.”
[Hm?]
“We simply met.”
This name did not please me either.
If my connections were those Heaven bestowed, then taking them away would be Heaven’s doing, not mine.
If the dying Buk Hyang-hwa right now was also a connection Heaven bestowed, then dying right now would not mean Heaven either.
The name Heavenly Ladder gave me a bad feeling, as if all connections I would meet in the future were to pass through it like a ladder and leave.
Baek-woon sighed and waved her hand.
The characters for Heavenly Ladder disappeared, and another word appeared before me.
[Since you seem to dislike the name Heaven, I have removed it. All Venerables of the Gwanghan Realm have been pleased with names containing Heaven, but you are a little unusual.]
The word that appeared next was Extreme Light.
[It refers to the light that occurs at the poles of the stars in the Star Realm. Most people from the Water Realm have no idea what it is, but once you see it, you can never forget its beauty. Connections are the beauty that cannot be forgotten once formed. What else could Extreme Light be?]
I briefly stared at the word.
It was a good name.
But…
—Be careful with light.
Suddenly, words of warning given countless times by others brushed past my mind.
In the case of the Gwang-eum-yeok of the Mugeuk Sect, the word ‘Gwang-eum’ itself was not limited to ‘light,’ and it was a name we gave to our own land, not something I had invented.
However, in the name Baek-woon bestowed, I felt power.
Receiving this name would clearly mean that the star named Extreme Light and its blessing would aid my fate.
I recalled the warning about light from the name Extreme Light and shook my head again.
“Is there no way to remove the word ‘light’?”
Then, Baek-woon finally sighed.
[How many things you desire. It is impossible.]
“What?”
I flinched as Baek-woon continued.
[All Venerables born in the Gwanghan Realm must have Heaven or light in their names. I cannot grant your request.]
She said with a stern expression.
[It is time to accept them. Ja-cheon, Cheon-je, Extreme Light. All are good names and the titles and fates most beneficial to you!]
BOOM!
Baek-woon’s momentum began to crush me.
I thought for a moment about the names and said.
“…Then, I will not receive any title.”
If the Venerable’s title required Heavenly aid, then I did not need it.
After all, I knew Heaven was not benevolent to us.
“I will live my fate with my own strength. There is no need for the Saintess to bestow a name.”
At my words, Baek-woon looked bewildered and shouted.
[What nonsense! It is impossible. All Venerables must receive their title from the Saintess! That is the law of the middle realm!]
BOOOOOOM!
Tremendous pressure crushed me.
The entire Gwanghan Realm seemed ready to trample me.
I looked at the Saintess for a moment.
Then, I drew my sword and pointed it at her.
“I refuse.”