The Gold-Grade Treasury
Okay. Let's calmly assess the situation.
Calm, my ass. Would you be able to stay calm in a spot like this?
Honestly, throwing a massive, embarrassing tantrum might not be a bad option. Showing everyone how utterly incompetent and foolish I am would be a brilliant way to disappoint them and avoid getting dragged into this godforsaken succession war.
Calm yourself.
Right. The crazier the situation, the more I needed to keep my head. Kang Baek-jin had framed it as if he were asking for my opinion, but the reality was different. His words were directed at me, yes, but they were also a challenge thrown down to the family elders gathered here.
Soon, an elder who looked like he was trying his absolute best to mask his displeasure raised his hand, his lips twitching slightly.
"Patriarch. Given the current state of affairs, I do not wish to throw cold water on your proposal. However, precisely because of the times we are in, I must ask."
"Speak, Elder Do."
"This is highly sudden and quite disconcerting. Even an old man like me can see that the boy's talent is dazzling, but I cannot shake the feeling that this is unnecessary. Even if we grant him the Yaksha Unit and thrust him into the succession race, I highly doubt things will go smoothly."
He wasn't wrong. Shoving me in as the fourth successor out of nowhere when the family's power structure had already been split three ways for decades... what were the chances of me actually taking the throne? My value lay in being a kingmaker—a heavy weight that could tilt the scales depending on which faction I joined. If I tried to seize power and become the patriarch myself, how far could I really go?
Besides, my plan was to just milk them for what they were worth and then slip away. But if I became an official candidate for the patriarch position and then vanished? Kang Baek-jin would hunt me down to the ends of the earth just to make an example out of me. Accepting this meant the risks of escaping would skyrocket. No organization tolerates deserters, but the severity of the hunt depends entirely on who is running.
Kang Baek-jin waved his hand dismissively, as if he had fully anticipated the question.
"I understand your concerns. I shall explain my reasoning to everyone here."
"Hmph. Please do."
A sudden thought struck me. A "clan council" sounded grand, but in reality, it was nothing more than a poetry recital where they read aloud decisions already made behind closed doors with the elders. A performance to present a predetermined outcome in a neat, acceptable package. Was this sudden announcement really just the patriarch acting on a whim?
"First of all, you all know that Hayun is qualified. What matters most for a patriarch is not administrative competence, but raw strength, is it not? The overwhelming power required to suppress and lead the members of our family."
I mean, the current Lord of Yagwi City had seized his throne solely because he reached the Johwa (Creation) Realm, despite having absolutely no political backing. There was no arguing with that logic. Everyone in the room would have to concede this point.
"Elder Do's concern is likely that we are destabilizing our internal structure on the eve of war. But I see it differently. You all know that the winds of change blowing through Yagwi City are far from ordinary. I wish to resolve the succession struggle as quickly as possible and firmly establish the position of Young Patriarch."
"And what does that imply?"
"Testing their qualifications any further is meaningless. Heroes are born in times of chaos. If Hayun can become that hero, excellent. If not, I expect him to at least break the tedious deadlock between the other three candidates."
So, he wanted to use me as a catalyst. The existing three candidates were so evenly matched in strength and influence that none of them could seal the deal. He was throwing me onto the scales to force a tilt. To make one side collapse or rise quickly so a successor could be finalized. And if I somehow pulled off a heroic feat and took the seat myself, he was perfectly fine with that too.
As expected, Kang Baek-jin had sensed something, even if he didn't know the exact details. Though I doubted his intuition extended to predicting the sudden death of the City Lord, the very pillar of our race's survival.
The elders continued to lob reasonable, plausible questions, but Kang Baek-jin dismantled every single one of them with calm precision, as if they had rehearsed the entire script beforehand. Watching this farce, I had to swallow a dry laugh.
Are these old geezers holding a memorization contest or what?
Still, I suppose I should be grateful they were putting on a show of due diligence for the rest of the family. The elders looked like they were auditioning for an acting award, nodding with expressions of profound defeat every time their arguments were countered.
"My word. Since you have resolved this old man's doubts so thoroughly, refusing to consent would make me look like nothing but a stubborn fool. I concede."
Well, look at that. I hadn't even agreed to anything yet, and they were already debating, conceding, and wrapping it up nicely among themselves. If I tried to reject it now, it would ruin the entire atmosphere.
It was then that Kang Baek-jin sent me something akin to a voice transmission.
My son.
You motherf— My apologies.
Haha. No, it is fine. You must be unfamiliar with Mind Transmission, which becomes available once you reach the Qi Circulation realm. It transmits thoughts directly rather than spoken words, so if you are inexperienced, your true feelings are easily laid bare.
Well...
Accept this. I apologize for not consulting you beforehand, but this is for the sake of the family.
Kang Baek-jin paused, gathering his resolve, before continuing.
The selection of the successor has dragged on for far too long. In a normal family, this would have been settled ten years ago. But because they are all so outstanding, we hesitated to discard any of them, dragging our feet until we ended up in this situation.
This might sound presumptuous, but isn't that ultimately a mistake made by you and the elders, Patriarch? I have feelings too, and being used like this makes me incredibly uncomfortable.
I carefully chose my words to make them sound as polite as possible. If he replied with some garbage like "endure it for the greater good" or "what are you going to do about it if you don't like it?", I was going to show him exactly who the ultimate traitor of this cultivation world was.
Fortunately, Kang Baek-jin hadn't lost the boisterous, straightforward nature he had shown when we first met.
No matter how this sounds, while you may become a hero or a Grand Elder, you must never become the patriarch.
I figured as much.
However, since that means you would merely be used, I shall compensate you handsomely. In truth, what you need most right now is not some title like patriarch, but to reach the realm of Samgeuk, is it not?
That is true.
Once I reached Samgeuk, my options would open up immensely. Even if war and chaos tore Yagwi City apart, escaping with my life would be a breeze.
I shall throw open the family treasury to assist you in reaching Samgeuk. In exchange, you must swear before me and the elders that you will not covet the position of patriarch.
There was no reason to refuse. The only catch was that the difficulty of my escape plan had just been set to hell mode. Sure, the resources were great, but if I took all this and then ran, they'd send an entire army to hunt me down.
Take it for now.
Yeah, that was the smart move, wasn't it? It was hard to refuse anyway, and turning down an open invitation to their treasury was a sin.
But let us add one condition.
Following Ryeo-ah's instructions, I conveyed my demand to Kang Baek-jin. He showed a hint of bewilderment but quickly agreed. And just like that...
"Excellent! As of today, I formally declare Gang Hayun as the fourth candidate for the succession! Normally, we would hold a grand ceremony to mark this occasion, but given the wartime circumstances, I ask for your understanding regarding its omission."
Did they skip the traditional rites just to make sure I wouldn't get any funny ideas about actually becoming patriarch? Well, not that I cared. I had never been interested in the seat anyway.
"However, the Yaksha Unit and the standard support provided to a successor candidate will be granted in full. Follow me once the council concludes."
"Yes, Patriarch."
What a total mess.
My sister's expression at the end of the council was deeply troubling. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into a tight hug and tell her not to worry, but doing so here was easier said than done.
"Welcome."
"I have heard much of your bright future."
Instead of gorgeous, well-endowed beauties, I was surrounded by wrinkled old men and women, forcing me to plaster a polite, amiable smile on my face.
"Thank you for your kind words."
"It truly is a pity. If a talent like you had only been born a decade earlier, you could have actively vied for the patriarch's seat in earnest."
"Stability is what is required to lead a massive family like ours. It is unfortunate, but the elders can always make up for whatever the Young Patriarch lacks, can we not?"
These people might look frail and elderly, but they were ancient monsters who had lived for hundreds of years, harboring nests of vipers in their chests. I couldn't afford to act brazenly in front of them. Still, that didn't mean I had to like it.
Why is this so suffocating? And why isn't there a single beautiful woman in sight?
It felt like being dragged into a meeting with a client's board of directors or a bunch of department heads. If my mind was going to be stressed, my eyes should at least have some candy, but the room just reeked of old-man musk.
"With your talent, you will surely reach our realm in no time. Should we start calling you Elder Gang in advance?"
"Not at all. I am merely an inexperienced junior."
"Indeed. You are still young and green, so you must act according to your station."
Look at this bastard subtly throwing shade. It must have twisted his gut to think a wet-behind-the-ears brat was standing on equal footing with him. Fortunately, the old fogies had only come to size me up. After exchanging brief pleasantries, Kang Baek-jin stepped in and led me away. Then, he uttered a single sentence that made all the petty insults worth enduring.
"I shall guide you to the Gold-grade Treasury, the vault where the treasures accumulated over our family's long history are kept."
Damn. To play with a man's heart like this with a single sentence—as expected of the patriarch.
"However, let us test your eye."
"?"
"It is true that I will use the items in the Gold-grade Treasury to aid your growth. But before that, I will allow you to choose any single item from this vault to keep for yourself."
"Really? Ah, but of course, as the patriarch, you would never go back on your word. Your words carry immense weight, after all."
Kang Baek-jin laughed boisterously, seemingly amused by how quickly I had nailed down his promise.
"Bwahahaha! Indeed, of course. However, you must choose using nothing but your own intuition, eye, and discernment."
"Oh, but of course."
It didn't matter to me. I had an entity that was basically a walking, talking cheat sheet for this entire world.
Hehehe. It seems it is time for me to show off my skills after a long while.
Even Ryeo-ah couldn't resist the allure of free treasure; she was practically bursting with enthusiasm.
"Then I shall begin choosing right away."
"Very well. I shall give you two hours. Choose wisely."
Honestly, in a treasury this vast and packed with such a diverse array of items, two hours would fly by in the blink of an eye. But it didn't matter. I immediately set out to find something compatible with the grand ritual Ryeo-ah had prepared—something similar to the Obsidian Bamboo Shoot.
That would be a bit of a waste.
Do you have a better idea?
Did the patriarch not promise to support you in reaching Samgeuk? If there is a similar item, we can simply demand it later as part of that support. Since we are already here, we should snatch up something far more valuable. Let us go look at the spiritual herbs and beasts first.
In matters like this, listening to Ryeo-ah was always the right call. I decided to trust her. Soon, I made my way to a section thick with the scent of vegetation, where clusters of jade and wooden boxes were laid out. They came in a colorful array of blues, reds, and everything in between.
Hmm. I wondered how well they would manage things in a backwater like this, but they are at least following the basic preservation rules. Yin-aligned items are kept in jade boxes of a yin nature, and spiritual herbs whose medicinal efficacy fades once their life force is severed are stored in Longevity Wood to keep them vibrant.
I had no idea what she was talking about, but I took her word for it. Since the boxes themselves were made of such extraordinary materials, the treasures inside were bound to be spectacular.
Open them one by one.
"Alright."
I started by opening a crimson jade box radiating a wave of heat. Inside lay a fruit resembling a persimmon, so hot it made my fingertips tingle.
A Red Flower Persimmon. If you refine this together with the Summer Thunder Persimmon you obtained from killing old man Chi-o, you could easily reach the extreme of Qi among the three pillars of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. However, it is a pity that you have mastered techniques and items of the opposing Earth and Metal attributes.
As expected, Ryeo-ah's eye was flawless.
A Snow-Vengeance Pinecone. A Yin-Knowing Branch. A Hundred-Year Yellow History Gold. They are not bad, but...
It reminded me of ordering some fancy dish with a name that sounded like a magic spell at a high-end restaurant back in my previous life. I hadn't known what the hell it was, but it had tasted amazing, so I kept my expectations high.
"Hmm."
Kang Baek-jin watched me, a look on his face that clearly questioned whether I actually knew what I was looking at.
Hey, what do you think?
They are not bad. Not bad, but a bit underwhelming. I think we have seen enough of the spiritual medicines. There is no need to choose something that is incompatible or only moderately useful to you.
With that, we moved on to the section containing artifacts and relics.
"This is..."
An Obsidian Bamboo Shoot. To think a backwater family would possess two of these. Fascinating.
That was the very item currently fused inside me, which had already proven its worth. Its ability to sever and dismantle spells had boosted my defensive capabilities significantly.
A Purple Gold Stone Peak. It is similar to the Obsidian Bamboo Shoot. Perfect for executing the grand ritual. However, this is something we can demand from them later. It would be a waste to squander this free choice on it.
Though we had found an incredibly useful item, I put it on the back burner in accordance with Ryeo-ah's advice. Time ticked away.
"Fifteen minutes remaining. You had better hurry."
"Yes."
Only fifteen minutes left. Yet Ryeo-ah silently guided me to open another jade box. And then...
Mmm. Still underwhelming... Wait. Open that one over there.
Ryeo-ah, who had been reacting with disappointment the entire time, finally let slip a note of genuine excitement.