The Preliminary Meeting
The inner disciples bound for So-ui-ju had been selected. Three men and one woman — four in all. Two of them were strangers; one was not. The one he knew was Jeong Cheon-o.
"Haha. Looks like we're traveling together again, Junior Brother Han."
"It's an honor, Senior Brother Jeong."
"No need to go as far as 'honor.' Hahaha!"
Jeong Cheon-o laughed with gusto. There was no such thing as a cultivator without greed, and Jeong Cheon-o was a particularly greedy one. The very first reason he and Han Yuhyeon had gotten tangled up was because Jeong had coveted a spirit stone and forced a wager over it.
It hadn't been the warmest first impression, but Han Yuhyeon had no intention of holding it against him. Among cultivators, settling things with a bet was practically gentle. Compared to the seniors who had shaken down their juniors for no reason at all during that morning assembly, Jeong was practically a gentleman.
"So you're the Junior Brother Han everyone's been talking about."
"I've been wanting to introduce myself. Perfect timing."
The other cultivators introduced themselves as Hyeon Yong-gang and Im Su-weol. Hyeon Yong-gang had a grand name that did not match his slight frame in the slightest, while Im Su-weol — for someone at only 8-star Qi Condensation — was a strikingly beautiful woman with sharp, well-defined features.
In a way, the higher a cultivator's realm climbed, the more handsome or beautiful they inevitably became. Maybe the good-looking men and women of the Qi Condensation stage were the closest thing this world had to natural beauty from his previous life.
"I look forward to your guidance, senior brothers and sister. Han Yuhyeon."
"Of course, of course."
"Your face looks a lot better than it used to."
He had almost thought people had finally stopped commenting on his face. Still, he couldn't exactly deny that the scale-covered mug he wore now was a considerable improvement over the original.
And ever since this face had taken over, people at least weren't actively avoiding him — so maybe that counted as a win. Han Yuhyeon couldn't check his own stats, but his Charm was almost certainly rock bottom among cultivators of his rank. No — when it came to Charm alone, he was probably worse off than ordinary mortals.
The reason people treated him decently now had nothing to do with his looks and everything to do with his position. Rapid growth. The Sect Master's favor. Inside the Baekun Sect, he had become someone worth respecting.
"By the way, Junior Brother Han — do you know why the Sect Master summoned us?"
Jeong Cheon-o asked. They were on their way to the Main Hall at the Sect Master's call. Un Song-byeok had convened the cultivators who would be heading to So-ui-ju next month.
"I don't know either."
"Even you weren't given a hint?"
Han Yuhyeon gave a dry little laugh at Jeong's words. The way the man talked, anyone would think Han Yuhyeon was the Sect Master's personal true disciple. Still, that kind of reputation wasn't going to hurt him any, so he didn't bother correcting it.
"It probably isn't anything special. Just some encouragement, I'd imagine."
"Is that so."
On the walk to the Main Hall they traded small talk. None of them knew how long they would be stuck together in So-ui-ju, and Han Yuhyeon wasn't the only one who figured it couldn't hurt to get on friendly terms.
When they entered the Main Hall, the Sect Master was already waiting in the conference room. Two elders were with him as well, and to Han Yuhyeon's surprise, one of them was Baekri-wan. The four inner disciples bowed at once in greeting to the Sect Master and the elders.
"Good, good. Excellent. Everyone's here. Take a good look at one another — these are the people heading to So-ui-ju next month."
Un Song-byeok wore a kindly smile. Of course, Han Yuhyeon could no longer let that smile put him at ease. He had watched this man cut down the neck of an elder who had spent decades at his side — all while wearing that same warm expression.
"A pleasure. I am Elder Geum Wi-hyeong. The other inner disciples already know me, but this is the first time I've met Junior Brother Han, our newest inner disciple."
"I have heard Elder Geum's illustrious name many times, and have long regretted never having the chance to meet you. To receive such an opportunity now is truly humbling."
"Hahaha. This one's tongue is sharper than expected."
It was all a desperate technique for compensating for abysmal Charm. Han Yuhyeon hadn't particularly wanted to lick the boots of an elder he was meeting for the first time — but there was nothing to lose by doing it. Flattery and sycophancy were among the few reliable ways of opening a stranger's heart.
"We were discussing matters with the elders who will be accompanying you to So-ui-ju, and it occurred to us that we ought to hear the opinions of the inner disciples going along as well. There are also things you need to know."
Un Song-byeok spoke with that same smile still fixed on his face. The inner disciples all bowed their heads as if overwhelmed by the honor.
"First, I want to thank you. In a sense, you have chosen to leave the safety of Yeongil-ju and take on a challenge for the sake of elevating the Baekun Sect's name. This Sect Master could not be prouder of you."
The bowing inner disciples all flinched. It was an extravagantly heavy tribute to receive from the Sect Master himself. Whether Un Song-byeok noticed or not, he pressed on without pause.
"And so, to encourage you, Elder Baek put forward a suggestion. She proposed that we award a prize to the inner disciple who best exemplifies the Baekun Sect while we are in So-ui-ju. After all, we are a sect that must distinguish itself there — we can hardly go and simply sit still, can we?"
Han Yuhyeon glanced sideways at Baekri-wan, who was still sipping her tea with impeccable composure. It was exactly the kind of strategy a sharp mind like hers would propose.
Force the timid disciples into active behavior, and at the same time stir up competition among them.
"We shall humbly obey."
The inner disciples answered in one voice. And of course, it wasn't purely bad news for them either. In the end, it was a simple principle of reward and punishment: do well, and you get paid. From the disciples' own perspective, what would they gain by shrinking back and coming home empty-handed? In this cultivation world, if you wanted something, you had no choice but to risk something in return.
"The prize has not been decided yet, but I assure you it will not leave any of you feeling shortchanged. I hope you will perform well."
Baekri-wan, who had been silent until now, added her piece in a voice like rolling jade. At that, Jeong Cheon-o shouted with full-throated vigor.
"Yes, understood!"
Come to think of it, Han Yuhyeon remembered that Jeong Cheon-o had quite a thing for Baekri-wan. Even on their first joint mission, the moment he'd realized Han Yuhyeon had been taken under Baekri-wan's wing, he'd tried every angle he could to wedge himself into the arrangement.
This time, too, he was probably putting on a show of spirit to catch her attention — but Baekri-wan only furrowed her elegant brows a fraction, as if he were being noisy. Right. Baekri-wan was not the type to be impressed by that kind of bravado. This wasn't the army.
With a crestfallen Jeong Cheon-o standing before him, Un Song-byeok laughed heartily and continued.
"Elder Geum will explain the matters where we need your opinions. Elder Geum?"
"Yes."
Geum Wi-hyeong took over.
"The thing is, leaving Yeongil-ju for So-ui-ju is a rare opportunity for us. So the thought was, while we're going anyway, why not visit a few other places besides the cultivator sect gathering?"
"Are there particular places you have in mind?"
Han Yuhyeon asked. He already had So-ui-ju's key locations memorized. As long as he knew where they meant, he could tell at a glance whether a place was dangerous or not.
"First, following Elder Baek's suggestion, we plan to stop by a cultivators' market. The spiritual energy there is denser than in Yeongil-ju, and many high-realm seniors frequent it, so the quality of goods for sale will be considerably higher. Seeing such things can be quite enlightening."
"Would that be the market near the capital of the Yu Kingdom?"
At Han Yuhyeon's follow-up, Un Song-byeok and the elders' eyes widened slightly.
The Yu Kingdom was a nation of ordinary mortals. Of course, even if mortals held formal rule, cultivator sects usually held the real power.
The mortal world — what cultivators commonly called the Lower Realm — shared the same Central Plains soil as the cultivation world, but the names and boundaries of the land were different. Mortals divided regions for administrative convenience; cultivators divided them by the density of spiritual energy.
What had surprised the Sect Master and the elders was that cultivators who had grown up in Yeongil-ju almost never knew the geography of So-ui-ju. And yet Han Yuhyeon had pinpointed the exact location of a market in that region.
"Have you been there before?"
"I have not. I've only heard rumors. That there is a fairly large market there in So-ui-ju."
"You keep your ears rather sharp, it seems. Well, collecting that kind of information is important for any cultivator."
Un Song-byeok nodded with something like pride. Han Yuhyeon already felt like he had scored some points.
"Yes, well — Yuhyeon is correct. We'll be going to the cultivators' market near the capital of the Yu Kingdom."
At the Sect Master's words, Han Yuhyeon relaxed. He had been half afraid they were going to name some black market he had never even heard of. But the market near the Yu capital was so busy that it stayed open year-round, and it was tightly managed — one of the safest districts in all of So-ui-ju.
"I see no reason to refuse that."
"Junior Brother Han is well-informed about the situation. Makes discussion much faster."
Geum Wi-hyeong sounded satisfied as well. The other inner disciples, who knew nothing about So-ui-ju's regions at all, had been reduced to silent spectators with honey stuck in their mouths.
After that, Geum Wi-hyeong named a few more locations. Since Han Yuhyeon was the only inner disciple who knew anything about So-ui-ju's geography, he effectively monopolized the answers. Feeling a little self-conscious about talking so much, he glanced sideways at the others — but the other disciples actually looked relieved that he was handling it. Fair enough. Being summoned like this only to sit in total silence would have been mortifying.
The fortunate part was that every place Geum Wi-hyeong mentioned was safe. The elders and the Sect Master valued their lives just as much as anyone else.
"Then we'll proceed that way."
Thanks to Han Yuhyeon's smooth responses, Geum Wi-hyeong's briefing wrapped up remarkably fast. In that moment, the itinerary for So-ui-ju was set.
"Excellent. I expected this discussion to take at least four hours, and it only took one. For us cultivators, time is money — we've saved an enormous amount."
Un Song-byeok smiled, clearly pleased with how the conversation had gone. The tedious stretch having ended early, even Baekri-wan's expression had eased by a fraction.
"Ah — and there's one more thing I'd like to recommend to you."
They had thought the discussion was over. It was not. Un Song-byeok spoke again.
"There's only a month left, but what do you say to taking on a few missions together? If you learn to coordinate with one another, it will be a great help against any threats that might arise. Just a thought of mine."
"Your words are most wise."
The inner disciples spoke up at once. Until now, only Han Yuhyeon had been talking with Elder Geum — this was the first sound any of the others had made since.
Well. When the Sect Master himself labeled something as his personal idea, how exactly were inner disciples supposed to refuse? Honestly, Han Yuhyeon had wanted to spend the time training and checking how his stats had changed — but the atmosphere made refusal look impossible.
"I'm glad my disciples understand my intent. If you go on missions together, I will permit each of you to take one artifact from the sect's treasure vault."
That was the single most effective line Un Song-byeok had spoken all meeting. Artifacts belonging to the sect were, of course, of a far higher grade than anything an individual disciple might own.
At that point, even Han Yuhyeon's lingering discontent evaporated completely. Support on that scale changed the entire calculation.
"Thank you!"
The inner disciples shouted as one. Un Song-byeok smiled with satisfaction, and Han Yuhyeon and the other disciples smiled right along with him.