Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Supreme Star Realm
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A short while after successfully completing the Judgment Ritual, Geum Yeongyeong received a letter.
It instructed her to attend the leadership meetings starting tomorrow.
This wasn't the usual nagging about doing menial tasks like everyone else if she wasn't going to take on a disciple.
Lately, the Golden Bamboo Sect was swept up in winds of change.
Coexistence between cultivators and mortals, reconnaissance of the nearby seas, facility expansions, intelligence gathering—the problems piling up were as tall as a mountain.
But the most crucial task was a structural overhaul of the decision-making body.
Before ascension, the Golden Bamboo Sect's leadership had consisted solely of Dual Spirit Root and Triple Spirit Root Judgment Realm cultivators.
The reason was simple.
Single Spirit Root Holders had no voting rights, and Quadruple or Quintuple Spirit Root Holders never reached the Judgment Realm.
But this was now the Immortal Realm.
In a situation where the external environment had changed so drastically, the organization's structure needed to evolve as well.
That was precisely what this meeting was for.
That was why Geum Yeongyeong, a Single Spirit Root Holder, had been invited to the leadership meeting.
Whether Single Spirit Root Holder, Immortal Bone possessor, or otherwise—as long as one was a Judgment Realm cultivator, there were no exceptions.
Naturally, Ho Hye-mun and Jang Seonhwa were also attending.
The meeting began with the chairperson's voice.
“Then, we shall commence the 32nd discussion on leadership structural reform. A total of 132 reform proposals have been received so far. Excluding the 123 that were voluntarily withdrawn, merged, or abolished, only 9 remain viable. Please share your thoughts freely.”
The meeting room quickly grew noisy.
“Wouldn't maintaining the status quo be the most appropriate? Just like before, all Judgment Realm cultivators participate in decisions. From the perspective of organizational integrity, it's beyond reproach.”
“But wouldn't that make too many decision-makers? If we're not careful, even resolving a minor issue could take months. It's great for integrity, but responsiveness would suffer terribly.”
“I agree. Especially now, when we need to adapt to this unfamiliar Immortal Realm environment. In such urgent times, slowing down the decision process could be fatal. I think reducing the total number of leadership members is a viable option.”
“What would the selection criteria be? Higher cultivation realms again? Or age, contributions, reputation? Or something else?”
“No matter how I think about it, cultivation realm seems best. It avoids subjective judgments like contributions or reputation, and it's not handed out based on age. It has the least room for disputes.”
“Then, we select leadership based on cultivation realm like before, but set a minimum higher than Judgment Realm. We should exclude the lower tiers, right?”
“At the very least, starting from Cloudmist Realm. Otherwise, there's no point in reforming the structure. But if we set the bar too high, power will concentrate excessively, so we need to choose wisely.”
“Even if we set proper criteria, we'll need a generous grace period. Without gradually raising the bar, the leadership would effectively paralyze overnight...”
Geum Yeongyeong desperately fought back a yawn.
The warm weather, the calm voices exchanging complex terms, the accumulated fatigue from all-night anonymous debates.
In the end, she struck a thoughtful pose and fell into a deep sleep.
Jang Seonhwa looked more human than a beast with two legs.
But despite her upright posture, her mind was filled with thoughts unrelated to the agenda.
Unbelievable as it was, until she met Seoran, she had been the model student of the Scripture Pavilion.
Ho Hye-mun participated diligently in the discussion.
She listened attentively to others' opinions and occasionally voiced her own.
The Golden Bamboo Sect's future looked bright.
The chairperson paused the meeting.
“We'll take a short break.”
Ho Hye-mun didn't let even that brief rest time slip by idly.
Instead, she used it to skim through relevant statistical materials.
It was a thick book titled *Immortal Realm Cultivation Statistics Compendium*, issued directly by Peach Blossom Haven.
The table of contents included data on the realistic maximum achievable realms by Spirit Root and Immortal Bone aptitude.
Quadruple and Quintuple Spirit Root Holders generally peaked at Primordial Infant Realm.
They could typically reach it at ages 530 and 790, on average.
However, due to having too many Spirit Roots, they often ran out of lifespan midway through Five-Colored Heart cultivation.
This was because Spirit Root Harmonization difficulty was closely tied to the number of other Spirit Roots—i.e., obstacles.
There was little difference for Dual or Triple, but it became markedly harder for Quadruple and Quintuple.
Studies estimated the Five-Colored Heart cultivation time for Quadruple and Quintuple Spirit Root Holders at 1,620 years and 2,160 years, respectively.
In contrast, Single, Dual, and Triple Spirit Root Holders all averaged 1,260 years for Five-Colored Heart cultivation.
The sectional times were roughly 180 years, 180 years, 360 years, and 540 years.
Approximately a 1:1:2:3 ratio.
Of course, this was all based on Ordinary Bone standards.
From Ho Hye-mun's perspective, it was fascinating.
She was immensely curious about what came next, but regrettably, the break ended.
The paused meeting resumed.
Ho Hye-mun closed the *Immortal Realm Cultivation Statistics Compendium* she had been reading.
*****
Several years later, inside a narrow chamber filled with white steam.
“Hmm...”
Genius Dragon Damcheong was deep in thought.
He occasionally scratched the left side of his head.
Lately, the area around his left horn had been itching frequently.
Seoran, enjoying the dharma treasure sauna with him, asked,
“Lord Damcheong, what are you thinking about so deeply?”
“Hmm, well... No, it's nothing.”
“Come on, don't hold back.”
Seoran poked Damcheong's side with her elbow.
Damcheong giggled with an “ehehe.”
A smile bloomed on Seoran's face for no reason.
Finally, Damcheong spoke up.
“Actually, I've been thinking about the Poison-Eyed Dragon incident.”
“Why bring up the Poison-Eyed Dragon all of a sudden?”
“Well, you see... The Poison-Eyed Dragon had three Dragon Pearls, right? To endure the Heavenly Tribulations and force ascension. That's why it attacked us.”
Seoran nodded.
“Yeah, it came charging for your Dragon Pearl, Lord Damcheong. That was the toughest fight of my life. Without you, I never could have won.”
“Indeed, a truly formidable foe... But there's one thing you're mistaken about, Seoran. What the Poison-Eyed Dragon was after back then wasn't my Dragon Pearl. It was your Primordial Infant and Golden Core.”
“What? What would it want with my Primordial Infant and Golden Core?”
Damcheong replied in a serious tone.
“It's just a hunch without evidence, but I suspect it intended to use your Primordial Infant and Golden Core to create an artificial Dragon Pearl.”
“An artificial Dragon Pearl? Is that even possible?”
“Who knows, I'm not sure. But if you think about it, a Dragon Pearl is just a dragon's inner pellet. So there's no reason a human cultivator's Golden Core couldn't become one. In fact, you even had a chance to become a dragon yourself.”
Seoran recalled the past.
It was back when Damcheong was still Little Dragon Girl.
At the time, when Seoran offered to return the Dragon Pearl, Damcheong had asked if she would refuse the chance to become a dragon and gain eternal life.
Seoran said,
“When we first met? But that was because of your Dragon Pearl, Lord Damcheong. How could a human become a dragon without one?”
“If we're being technical, I was originally a carp. The Previous Dragon God and Poison-Eyed Dragon probably weren't born as dragons either. Neither was native to the Immortal Realm, after all.”
“Hmm, you have a point when you put it that way.”
Damcheong got to the main point.
“Anyway, what I really wanted to say is something else.”
“Something else? What is it?”
“Seoran, why not become a dragon even now?”
It was a proposal she had never imagined.
*****
Cloudmist Realm (Incarnation Realm) cultivators can reach the next realm, Supreme Star Realm, through the Conception Ritual.
Dragons, on the other hand, complete their Dragon Pearl via the Dragon Pearl Ritual to enter Supreme Star Realm.
Thus, after traversing different paths, humans and dragons share the same realm progression starting from Supreme Star Realm.
Human cultivators pass through Supreme Star Realm, Radiant Rainbow Realm, and Silver Radiance Realm to become Quasi-Immortals.
Dragon cultivators follow the same path.
Damcheong's ingenious idea stemmed from that very point: humans and dragons treading the same stages from Supreme Star Realm onward.
Seoran asked in a flustered voice,
“You're telling me to perform the Dragon Pearl Ritual instead of the Conception Ritual to reach Supreme Star Realm?”
“Then you could become a dragon too, right?”
“Can a race just change like that on a whim?”
Damcheong launched into full persuasion mode.
“Just give it a try. You have nothing to lose, at least.”
“But what if I suddenly turn into a dragon?”
“That would be even better. Think about it, Seoran. Becoming a dragon comes with so many benefits—eternal life is the baseline, and you'd gain a Lightning Spirit Root too. Oh, right—didn't I tell you before ascension? The Dragon Eye that peers into all things in the Three Thousand Realms also holds the authority to discern truth from falsehood. How about it? Don't you suddenly feel like becoming a dragon? Huh? Huh?”
In the end, unable to refuse the request, Seoran went to Deung Baekwol.
Damcheong explained his plan to Deung Baekwol.
Once the explanation ended, Deung Baekwol fell into contemplation.
It was a tense moment.
And finally, Deung Baekwol spoke.
“Is there any reason to do just one ritual? Why not do both?”
Seoran was stunned.
She had suddenly become half-human, half-dragon.
For the record, Damcheong was genuinely thrilled.
This was the event of Year 23 post-ascension.