The Gathering of Stars
This was the exact reason Jekyeong was so intent on mastering the Transformation Secret Art, despite already possessing a human mind. Human cultivation methods were, in the end, fundamentally designed around the human anatomy.
'The Transformation Secret Art... Senior U mentioned it once. He said it isn't particularly precious, but the moment you actively seek it out, it becomes incredibly rare.'
Its intrinsic value wasn't high, but because so few had any use for it, it was ironically difficult to track down. Yet, Jekyeong vividly recalled the meaningful undertone in U Do-baek's voice when he had spoken of it. It implied that if Jekyeong truly set his mind to obtaining it, the elder could somehow make it happen.
'I should have asked him during this visit.'
During his recent entry into Bul-mang-won, the news regarding the grand assembly had been so shocking that he simply hadn't found the opportunity to bring up other matters.
'No matter. Now that my path is set, time is of no consequence.'
Jekyeong closed his eyes and began cultivating his Divine Sense. Just like his previous training with Spiritual Awareness, this had become an indispensable daily routine ever since he broke through to the Great Yao stage. Aiming to project his Divine Sense further and with greater precision, he pushed himself relentlessly, never halting until his mental energy was entirely depleted.
With his current island sanctuary as the epicenter, creatures of all sizes inhabiting the surrounding waters were captured within his mental net. Jekyeong focused his mind to perceive them in finer detail, and a flicker of strain and exhaustion gradually marred his otherwise tranquil expression.
"Ngh..."
When an involuntary groan escaped Jekyeong's lips, Cheongo, who had been deeply engrossed in its favorite hobby, glanced over. Realizing it was merely his usual daily grind, the blue bird turned away and went back to sorting shiny trinkets one by one with its wings.
"Hmm-hmm~"
The soft humming of the bird and the low groans of the serpent echoed in turn through the quiet cave.
Time flowed swiftly, both in Yang-seo-ho and Bul-mang-won.
"So, this is the Teleportation Pillar?"
U Do-baek muttered, staring at the towering column of light. He stepped closer to the Teleportation Pillar, attempting to discern what profound mysteries lay woven within its structure, but he came away empty-handed. Jekyeong and the others fared no better.
"Do you think it was fashioned from Dharma Power?"
"But I thought only mental strength could be manifested within Bul-mang-won?"
"True, but we are speaking of a Nascent Soul Perfected Lord. Just because it is impossible for us does not mean it is beyond his reach."
Whether a Nascent Soul Perfected Lord truly possessed the ability to wield Dharma Power within Bul-mang-won remained a mystery, but his capacity to scatter these Teleportation Pillars across the spiritual realm was undeniable. That feat alone proved that Hyeon-do-jin-gun's capabilities resided far beyond the wildest imaginations of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Well, shall we?"
The cultivators of the Mansi Assembly decided to travel as a group. While they doubted any danger awaited them, navigating an unfamiliar place alongside trusted companions was far preferable to being jostled about by a crowd of strangers.
Having observed the phenomenon to their satisfaction, the Mansi Assembly members reached out to touch the Teleportation Pillar. The instant their spiritual bodies made contact, the world blurred, and they found themselves standing in an entirely foreign landscape.
"Good heavens..."
Choi Ju-tang let out a low, awestruck gasp that perfectly mirrored the sentiments of the entire group. Without uttering a single word, they swept their gazes across the breathtaking surroundings. Jekyeong was equally transfixed.
He looked up and saw stars—radiant, celestial bodies pulsing with brilliant light. Yet, upon closer inspection, he realized they were not stars at all, but independent pockets of space. Pocket dimensions, so to speak.
'Wait, isn't Bul-mang-won itself a pocket dimension?'
If so, were these pocket dimensions nested within another pocket dimension?
"Those are undoubtedly Grotto-heavens. But how can Grotto-heavens exist inside a pocket dimension?"
U Do-baek's timely, bewildered murmur answered the question forming in Jekyeong's mind.
'Grotto-heavens?'
So that was the term for those star-like sub-worlds. Grotto-heavens...
"I have heard that every Grotto-heaven must have a master. If so, what manner of esteemed seniors reside within them?"
"Who can say? I know not. Regardless, watch your tongue. If there are indeed seniors residing within, they can likely hear every word of our whispers."
"Ah!"
Jekyeong tuned out his chattering companions and focused on absorbing the surrounding landscape. Even setting aside the eye-catching Grotto-heavens, there was an overwhelming abundance of sights. There were towering peaks of various sizes, colossal structures reminiscent of grand amphitheaters, and bizarre pagodas whose purposes defied explanation. All of these disparate elements coexisted within a sprawling expanse vast enough to comfortably house two or three entire cities.
'So this is the Holy Assembly Ground.'
If Hyeon-do-jin-gun had personally designed this place, Jekyeong could confidently declare that, whatever his other talents, the man's aesthetic taste was utterly atrocious. The overall atmosphere of the area was... profoundly bizarre.
The haphazardly arranged structures possessed solid, physical forms, yet the beings gathered here existed solely as spiritual bodies. What, then, was the purpose of these buildings? Were they mere decorations?
'Perhaps they really are.'
Perhaps searching for a functional purpose and obsessing over practicality was merely a symptom of a mind shackled by mundane logic. Once he looked at it from that perspective, the bizarre Holy Assembly Ground began to take on a different charm.
"It seems we still have some time before the assembly officially commences. Let us find a suitable vantage point and wait."
"Indeed."
The group settled on a high ridge that offered a clear view of the Holy Assembly Ground below. From there, they quietly observed the cultivators of Bul-mang-won as they began to trickle in. Jekyeong aside, even U Do-baek—the most advanced and longest-tenured member of their group—had met fewer than a hundred fellow cultivators during his entire time in this spiritual realm.
Yet now, the crowd gathering in the plaza easily numbered in the thousands. These were not the common rabble scattered across the Changram Realm, but genuine cultivators who had been formally invited to Bul-mang-won. For the humans among them, every single one was at least a Foundation Establishment master.
Jekyeong found himself marveling anew at the sheer scale and influence of Bul-mang-won. Even if this realm functioned as little more than a loose association of reincarnators with no real authority over its members, the ability to summon so many high-level cultivators to a single location was a testament to its staggering significance.
'Well, in truth, none of that even matters.'
There was no need to count the thousands of cultivators present. The mere existence of a Nascent Soul Perfected Lord was more than enough to establish its prestige. Furthermore, there wasn't just one; Jekyeong had already heard of two.
'Come to think of it, both of those Nascent Soul masters are referred to as Perfected Lords.'
In human cultivation, those of the Nascent Soul realm were called Perfected Lords, while their beast counterparts were known as Yao Emperors. Eons ago, a mighty Yao progenitor had borrowed the hierarchical titles used by the human Immortal Dynasties and mapped them onto the beast cultivation ranks—the highest being Emperor, followed by King, and so forth.
Naturally, this was the human version of history, which the Yao dismissed as utter nonsense. Yet, deep down, the beasts likely acknowledged the truth of it, even if they refused to admit it aloud. After all, there were numerous other titles and systems within the Yao race that had clearly been adapted from human conventions.
'It is always easier to copy an existing, plausible system than to invent a new one from scratch.'
Even as these thoughts drifted through his mind, more cultivators continued to pour into the Holy Assembly Ground. Jekyeong scanned the crowd, attempting to spot any Yao cultivators among them.
'Ah, there they are.'
He detected several spiritual bodies that felt distinctly different from those of the human cultivators. Their spiritual forms were fundamentally unique, and even among themselves, they varied wildly. At a glance, Jekyeong noticed that these Yao spirits were somewhat unstable. Unlike the steady, constant spiritual bodies of the humans, the beasts' forms fluctuated constantly, like boats tossing upon turbulent waters.
'So that is what it means.'
Jekyeong finally understood the true nature of the Yao cultivators' instability. A fluctuating spiritual body indicated that their Mind State was inherently volatile. Consequently, their temperaments were bound to be erratic and highly unpredictable.
'At that point, it is practically a biological defect.'
He observed that the majority of these suspected Yao cultivators kept to themselves, refusing to mingle with others. Though they were a mere drop in the bucket compared to the vast sea of cultivators filling the plaza, they stood out with striking prominence.
'Though not all of them are isolated.'
While the majority of the beasts brooded in isolation like social outcasts, a select few conversed naturally with those around them. Jekyeong surmised that these individuals had reached at least the mid-to-late Great Yao stage. Much like with U Do-baek, no matter how hard he focused his perception, he could glean no meaningful details from their spiritual bodies.
Yet, this was a highly unusual phenomenon. Within Bul-mang-won, everyone existed as a spiritual body, and under normal circumstances, peers of the same realm found it virtually impossible to peer into one another's true nature. The only reason Jekyeong's identity as a Yao beast had been exposed in the past was because he had been a mere novice Yao beast at the time, while those he encountered were at least Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Now, however, the tables had turned. When Jekyeong entered Bul-mang-won after reaching the Great Yao stage, none of the cultivators could see through his disguise. At the very least, the members of the Mansi Assembly, including U Do-baek, were completely blind to his true form.
Conversely, Jekyeong could peer into their spiritual bodies to a certain degree. While the gap in cultivation prevented him from discerning anything about U Do-baek other than his human race, he could easily map out the approximate physical appearances of Yeo Janggyeong and Choi Ju-tang by examining their spiritual forms.
Jekyeong had no idea why this was possible, nor could he ask anyone for clarification. Doing so would be tantamount to boasting that he possessed a unique sight denied to others. He simply accepted it as a blessing, assuming his innate spiritual talent was superior to that of his peers.
While keeping a watchful eye on the Yao spirits, Jekyeong reflected on his own Mind State. The Mind State represented one's spiritual discipline, but unlike cultivation realms, it was not a permanent plateau that remained static once achieved. It was more akin to the surface of a lake—easily disturbed and rippled by the slightest external breeze. In that sense, it was closer to a transient condition than a fixed realm.
Yet, it earned the title of a "realm" because despite its vulnerability to fluctuation, it possessed a core anchor. This central anchor provided the shaken mind with the resilience to restore its equilibrium. Cultivating and elevating one's Mind State could be deceptively simple or impossibly complex; thus, it was not uncommon for high-level cultivators to possess a Mind State that lagged far behind their actual cultivation realm.
'In fact, I seem to possess a natural talent in this regard. My Mind State is exceptionally stable compared to those of the same rank, and can even rival cultivators a stage above me.'
However, that was his limit. If the gap spanned two or more realms, he remained entirely blind.
'Even this is an incredible advantage.'
Jekyeong was thoroughly satisfied. Possessing any ability that could bridge the gap in cultivation realms was a tremendous asset. Until now, his sole pride had been his exceptionally durable physical body. Confirming that he possessed a superior Mind State felt like discovering a secret stash of wealth, bringing a subtle smile to his inner self.
Before long, the crowd of cultivators—which had seemed massive when it numbered in the thousands—swelled into the tens of thousands. The once-barren Holy Assembly Ground was now illuminated by countless clusters of light, large and small. While an expanse vast enough to encompass multiple cities could not be physically crowded by a few ten thousand souls, the sheer spiritual presence radiating from the cultivators' spirits was more than enough to saturate the entire space.
To Jekyeong, it felt as though each cultivator gathered here was a star of varying magnitude, and the Holy Assembly Ground hosting them was a vast, star-studded cosmos.
"What a magnificent sight..."
"I have never witnessed such a spectacle in all my life."
These awed whispers were not unique to their group. Nearly everyone gathered in the plaza seemed to share the exact same sentiment.
"How much longer must we wait?"
"Who can say? But what does a little waiting matter?"
How often did one receive the chance to listen to a sermon delivered by a Nascent Soul Perfected Lord? For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even disciples belonging to prestigious sects that housed such legendary figures rarely, if ever, enjoyed such a privilege. To receive such a miraculous blessing entirely for free made any wait—be it a month or two—utterly trivial.
Naturally, none of them harbored the delusion that they could fully comprehend the profound teachings of a Nascent Soul master when they had not even reached the Core Formation stage. Yet, if they could glean even a single pearl of wisdom from ten thousand words, they would gladly endure years of waiting, let alone months.
Even if they failed to grasp a single speck of insight from the Perfected Lord's sermon, the Core Formation masters were scheduled to speak afterward. While their teachings could not compare to those of a Nascent Soul master, they still represented an incredibly rare opportunity. No matter the outcome, they were guaranteed to walk away with immense gains, filling the hearts of the tens of thousands of gathered cultivators with profound joy and anticipation.
Suddenly, a violent gale swept through the area. It was not a physical wind, but a spiritual tempest that targeted and shook the very souls and minds of the gathered cultivators.
Tens of thousands of cultivators reacted simultaneously. Some wavered so violently that it seemed their spiritual bodies might disperse entirely, while others were physically swept off their feet, sent flying as if caught in a literal hurricane.
Jekyeong focused his mind, anchoring himself with all his strength. He knew that if he let his guard slip for even a fraction of a second, he would be swept away in the same unsightly manner as those tumbling through the air. What manner of wind possessed such terrifying power, and how could it exert such physical force upon spiritual bodies? Though countless questions flooded his mind, he had no luxury to ponder them now.
"Senior Sobyeok. What is the meaning of this mischievous prank?"
A resonant, majestic voice echoed across the plaza, instantly dampening the fury of the spiritual tempest. Though they still had to maintain their focus to stand firm, the pressure was no longer so intense that a momentary lapse in concentration would send them flying.
"It is Senior Ak!"
Yeo Janggyeong's face brightened with relief upon hearing the voice.
"Senior Ak?"
"Senior Ak So-san. He was the guide who welcomed me when I first entered Bul-mang-won."
Hearing those words, Jekyeong found himself recalling his own guide, Yu Jeonggyeom.