Master and Disciple
After reaching Foundation Establishment, the first thing I noticed was the change in my senses.
I had gained a third sense—one called Divine Sense.
I could feel the shapes and materials of objects within a radius of about five jang in real time.
Better still, I could control the sense at will, narrowing it down to a thread-thin focus to scrutinize a single point in detail.
"Is it truly that wondrous? If splitting your Divine Sense to record things onto a jade slip, or observing your own body from within, astounds you so, then imagine what else awaits. Well then—will you not try calling me 'Master' now?"
"Ah... M-Master?"
"Hoh hoh, it doesn't quite roll off the tongue yet, does it? And from now on, don't speak so stiffly like the other maids do. You are my disciple now."
I tried calling Cheongryu 'Master,' having only just formally become her disciple moments ago.
After always addressing her as 'Mistress,' the word 'Master' felt impossibly awkward in my mouth.
"The heavenly tribulation earlier will have let the other elders know that someone has succeeded in Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. A year ago, Moyong Hye achieved it as well, but since it's such a rare occurrence, many will be paying close attention."
"Moyong Hye succeeded in Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment too?"
"Yes, while you were in seclusion. And again—I told you to speak more comfortably."
"Um... like this, then?"
"Much better."
Cheongryu smiled as she corrected my speech.
So Moyong Hye had already reached Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, apparently.
"Things will grow busy from here, so go and rest for now."
Once I returned to my room and finally had time alone, I recalled what I had drawn from the Foundation Establishment augment.
[Immortal True Blood — Jade Rabbit: You have received the true blood of the Jade Rabbit.]
Something had entered my body, but I had no idea how to draw it out or manifest it.
There had been no physical change that I could detect, either.
Once I became a proper disciple, I would have more freedom to move around, so I figured I'd search the library for the legends of the Jade Rabbit.
The next day, I followed Cheongryu and was formally recognized as her disciple before the other Core Formation elders.
"The Cold Yin Physique...!"
"Why did it have to be that one, of all people..."
"Watch your tongue. She is glaring at you right now, you know."
"Two disciples who've reached Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment with Heavenly Spiritual Roots. The sect's future looks bright indeed."
The reactions split roughly three ways: shock, jealousy, and goodwill.
Some were astonished by my physique, my spiritual root talent, and the fact that Cheongryu had taken a disciple at all.
Others envied and feared that Cheongryu had gained a disciple of exceptional talent, while still others looked forward to the sect's bright future.
Fortunately, no one moved to obstruct my becoming Cheongryu's disciple.
Between Cheongryu's standing and reputation, my physique, and the fact that I had already learned the Ok-eum Bing-gyeol before holding any official position, that little irregularity seemed to have been buried without much fuss.
And so my new status was formally accepted by the sect.
"Master, may I stop by the library before returning?"
"Do as you like."
With that, I headed for the library to satisfy my curiosity.
The library stood at the very heart of the Ok-eum Sect, built in the shape of a ten-story pagoda.
The disciple stationed at the entrance glanced at my disciple token and opened the door with a look of surprise.
Inside, the library resembled nothing so much as a grand archive—shelves crammed with books, the interior cavernously vast.
Its layout was so convoluted that finding a specific volume seemed like it would be a struggle.
As I wandered about taking it all in, I spotted an old man near the entrance—apparently the library's keeper—scribbling away at some documents, so I made my way over to him.
He was gaunt as a stick, with hair and eyebrows gone entirely white, and he wore the sort of hat you'd expect to see on a scholar.
"Mmm... that cursed old woman..."
"Um... excuse me, sir?"
My Divine Sense kept snagging around the old man, a sign that he was anything but ordinary, so I spoke to him carefully.
"Hrmmm? Who's this now."
"Greetings. My name is Seol Jihwa, Cheongryu's direct disciple. Might you be the one who manages this library, sir?"
"Cheongryu? That girl took a disciple? Tsk tsk tsk... what times we live in. Yes, this old man keeps this place. What business have you?"
The way he called Cheongryu by name so casually suggested he was a master of at least Core Formation rank or beyond.
I kept my guard up as I continued.
"I'd like to find books about divine beasts. Where might I look?"
"Divine beasts...? Hmmm... an unusual thing to seek. Follow this talisman. And my, my—quite the remarkable talent you carry. Your future bears watching. Once you've found the book you want, the talisman will point you toward another. Take that one along as well."
"Thank you, sir!"
The old man answered my request, then his eyes glinted. My head tingled faintly—something told me he had just scanned my body without my even noticing.
Then he added that he would fetch something extra for me as well.
sensing the whiff of a fortuitous encounter, I thanked him again.
After that, the old man flicked the talisman with a whoosh.
The talisman flew into the library at a pace neither too fast nor too slow, and I turned my back on him and hurried after it.
Before long, the talisman came to a halt before one of the shelves. Looking closer, I saw that the entire shelf was filled with books about spirit creatures and divine beasts.
There I discovered a volume called the Record of the Jade Rabbit of the Moon Sea. Flipping it open, it seemed to be a book compiling the legends of the Jade Rabbit.
I tucked the book under my arm.
Soon, the talisman began moving again.
This time it didn't stop at a shelf—it descended, with uncanny precision, onto the spine of a single book.
I examined the title.
Beauty Beneath the Moon. From the title alone, I had no idea what it could be. Tilting my head, I checked the contents.
"What the—what is this?"
Having expected something momentous, I couldn't help but be disappointed.
Every single page of the book was blank.
Was there some condition required to read it?
I picked up the book anyway and turned to leave.
On my way out, I meant to thank the old man once more, but he had already vanished, so I simply left the library.
And so I returned to Yeonun Pavilion on the flight that only my new Foundation Establishment cultivation had made possible.
When I arrived, Cheongryu was waiting for me. The moment she saw me, she asked:
"Jihwa, will you strike out on your own, or will you stay here at Yeonun Pavilion?"
Now that I had official standing, she was giving me the choice. I pondered for a moment.
"I would like to stay by your side, Master."
"Oh? I'd assumed you'd be eager to have a space of your own. How unexpected."
A private space sounded lovely, but I had only just become a formal disciple, and I still had so much left to learn.
Realistically, staying close to her and absorbing as much as possible seemed the wiser choice.
"Then keep using your current room for now. I will have a new annex built for you. Hongryeon."
Apparently my answer pleased her considerably, because she promised to build my new residence herself.
Then she called for Hongryeon.
Hongryeon entered from outside at her mistress's summons.
At that moment, my Divine Sense registered something wrong.
"Huh?"
What my Divine Sense showed me of Hongryeon was... strange.
"M-Master. Something's off about Hongryeon."
"Ah. Now that you mention it, I suppose I never told you."
Startled, I reported the fact to Cheongryu at once, worrying that something might be wrong with Hongryeon's body.
But Cheongryu's reaction was utterly placid. If anything, she smiled slyly, wearing the expression of someone who knew exactly what I had sensed.
"Hongryeon is one of the departed. That is why your senses are thrown into disarray."
"I'm sorry—departed? You mean... a ghost?"
"Yes. What people commonly call a gui—a ghost."
I stared at Hongryeon with a blank face.
Not once, in all this time, had she ever given me the impression of being anything other than human.
"Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Hongryeon, shikigami of Elder Cheongryu."
"The truth is, I am a Ghost Cultivator. Hongryeon is one of the ghosts I command. But of all my maids, only Hongryeon is a ghost—the others are all living humans, so there is no need to be so alarmed."
Ghosts were the one thing I feared most in this world—and Hongryeon, who had stood beside me through thick and thin for years, turned out to be one.
The small mercy was that the other maids were human.
Come to think of it, even after all those years, Hongryeon alone had never aged a day. So that was why.
"When I told you before that you had a spirit body capable of receiving yin energy, that was because I myself possess the Ghost Yin Physique, so well suited to the ghost path. Yours far surpasses mine, but mine is still a fairly high-grade spirit body."
Normally, 'ghost cultivation' carries that grim, sinister flavor of the demonic path, doesn't it?
But Cheongryu showed no trace of it whatsoever, and she herself had never let anything slip, which was why I'd never known.
"Ghost qi and yin qi share a great deal in common, so I will not be lacking as your master."
With that, Cheongryu handed me a pouch. It was spacious enough to hold a person whole, and inside were two jade slips.
"What I have just given you is called a jeomuldae—think of it as a storage vault you can carry with you. I've placed inside it the jade slips containing the Foundation Establishment cultivation method for the Ok-eum Bing-gyeol, along with its spell arts."
Cheongryu continued.
"From now on, you will be taking missions for the sect, and these are what you'll need for that."
"Missions, you say?"
"Yes. The disciples of the Ok-eum Sect are obligated to carry out missions."
Wasn't becoming the disciple of a Core Formation elder supposed to mean an easy, comfortable life?
And now this bolt from the blue.
"Don't make such a face. To cross from Foundation Establishment into Core Formation, one must complete one's Dao Heart—and for that, one must accumulate a great wealth of experience. Missions are an excellent means of filling that wellspring."
A Dao Heart, huh...
"For now, focus on learning combat spell arts. The world beyond the sect is never free of danger. Only those who can protect themselves will survive."
"Yes, Master."
With that, I parted from Cheongryu and made my way to my quarters.