Chapter 55
Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: The Arrival of the Heavenly Church (3)
After spending a passionate night with the two women, I was thrown into a flurry early the next morning by the sudden arrival of a guest.
It was Geum So-ryeo who had come to see me.
I'd been lounging in bed with the women, basking in the afterglow, but because I'd said last night that the three of us were just passing through, I hadn't even finished tidying up the bedroom. I had no choice but to receive her as is.
"Hyang Mae, Ahan, could you tidy up?"
"U-uh, yeah! Go on!"
"See you later!"
I waved to the two women scrambling to clean the room, threw on my blue robe haphazardly, and hurried to the guest room where Geum So-ryeo waited.
Geum So-ryeo, who had been waiting for me, stared quietly at my half-dressed, disheveled state—thanks to my rushed robe—before slowly rising from her seat and approaching me.
'Ugh. I'm in for it.'
Expecting a scolding, I squeezed my eyes shut. But instead, Geum So-ryeo began carefully straightening and fastening my robe.
"M-Master?"
"Yoo-ya. From now on, you'll be the face representing High Heaven Sect and standing against the Heavenly Church, so you must carry yourself properly."
Calling me with even greater intimacy than before, she personally adjusted my attire with her own hands.
It wasn't just fixing my clothes; she smoothed out every wrinkle, touching and stroking parts of my body to make me impeccably presentable.
"There, perfect."
Satisfied with my appearance, Geum So-ryeo smiled and began explaining the purpose of her visit.
"First, about the Grand Tournament... you did wonderfully. Truly, wonderfully well."
Hearing Geum So-ryeo's praise, Yong Yoo felt a swell of emotion far greater than from anyone else's congratulations.
He knew how much faith and expectation she had placed in him all this time, showering him with love and grace.
It was no wonder the disciples of Sea Severing Peak held such immense loyalty and respect for her, given her boundless affection.
"I'm proud of you."
At those words from Geum So-ryeo, I couldn't help but let a few tears slip out.
Ah, damn... I'm over sixty now... and here I am crying.
Seeing me like that, Geum So-ryeo smiled helplessly and continued.
"Enough praise—let's get to the point. I came to tell you about a fortuitous encounter."
"A fortuitous encounter?"
"Yes. One I discovered long ago in the Upper Antiquity Mystery Realm but set aside in secret because it didn't suit me."
With that, Geum So-ryeo handed me a jade slip.
I carefully took it and pressed it to my forehead, sending in a thread of divine sense.
Instantly, a detailed map of the entire Upper Antiquity Mystery Realm flooded my mind, and among the paths, I spotted one she seemed to have specially marked.
Was that the fortuitous encounter she had prepared for me?
As I lowered the jade slip and looked at her, Geum So-ryeo resumed speaking.
"After Yeom Suk announced he'd enter the Grand Tournament, I decided that whichever of my direct disciples won would receive this encounter."
"What kind of encounter is it?"
"One that suits you perfectly."
Geum So-ryeo smiled meaningfully as she said it, and I realized this was the source of Yeom Suk's extraordinarily long life, even as a Nascent Soul cultivator.
...Should I accept it?
If it just extended lifespan, I'd snatch it up in a heartbeat, but Yeom Suk had said it came at the cost of slower cultivation progress.
For someone like me aiming for ascension within ten thousand years, slowed cultivation would be a fatal drawback.
...I'll decide after finding it.
Still, as a cultivator, I couldn't fully resist the allure of a fortuitous encounter.
Besides, was this any ordinary one? It came from the Upper Antiquity Mystery Realm, linked to the Immortal Realm. That meant it was likely no mere encounter but something from the heavens themselves.
And Geum So-ryeo said it suits me.
I conversed with her at length afterward.
"You'll need to break through to Core Formation without your tribulation squad, but since the Mystery Realm connects to the Immortal Realm, advancing to Core Formation should pose no issue."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. In the mortal world, Core Formation requires overcoming tribulations, but in the Immortal Realm, it's trivial—no real tribulations come with the breakthrough."
I probably knew more about the Immortal Realm than she did, but just in case, I listened intently to her explanation.
"How long can one stay in the Mystery Realm?"
"About a year."
"A year. That's quite a long stay."
"It'll be a profoundly meaningful year, so cherish it. It may seem short compared to your ten years in seclusion, but every minute and second will hold greater value."
"Is there anything I should watch out for?"
"Yes. Your master has cleared all the formations, mechanisms, and spirit beasts within, but the Realm's inherent environment remains. First, be cautious of..."
After hearing everything about the Upper Antiquity Mystery Realm, Geum So-ryeo and I shared more casual talk. Naturally, it turned to cultivation, spells, and treasures.
"Thanks to the Tiger-Dragon Tempest Armor you gave me, I was able to defeat Senior Brother Yeom. Could you tell me the name of the artifact refiner who made it? I'd like to express my gratitude..."
"Cultivators below Nascent Soul can't meet her, so I'll introduce you to Refiner Yeon the day you reach Nascent Soul."
"Understood. I'll have to reach Nascent Soul all the sooner to give my thanks."
"Good. Oh, your Seven-Step Dao Companion Linked Display left quite an impression on your third great-uncle too. It seemed like you gained some insight midway."
"What I realized was..."
I spent the entire day conversing with Geum So-ryeo.
From midway on, it shifted to her instructing me on Core Formation, but it was an immensely fruitful day.
As she imparted her teachings, Geum So-ryeo glanced at the sunrise the next morning and brought the session to a close.
"I should be going."
"Yes. Off to see Senior Brother Yeom?"
"Mm, no. Yeom Suk has never lost before, so he needs time alone to reflect on defeat. I'll give him a few days before meeting him."
"Then?"
"I have something for Mun-hyang, so I'll visit her."
As she spoke, Geum So-ryeo gazed pointedly toward the bedroom where Hyang Mae and Ahan were hiding, as if she knew everything. Perhaps sensing her gaze, a clatter erupted from the room.
"I have no intention of reproaching you for enjoying youthful pleasures, but take care not to let obsession hinder your cultivation. Never forget that cultivation comes first above all."
Oh no... she knows exactly what we did last night. Well, what can you hide from a Soul Transformation expert?
"Understood, Master."
"Good. Then... I'll visit Mun-hyang in about an hour."
Geum So-ryeo departed the healing hall, deliberately announcing the time in a loud voice. After she left, Hyang Mae emerged, her face flushed belatedly.
"Hnnng... Master knows everything."
"She probably knew about us long ago."
"Still... aaaah, so embarrassing."
Hyang Mae twisted and whimpered in shame for a while, then Ahan spoke up.
"Master. If you don't head east and prepare before the hour is up..."
"Ah! Right! Yeah! I gotta go! Yoo Lang, I'm off! Thanks, Ahan!"
Taking Ahan's advice, Hyang Mae bolted from the healing hall. I began preparations for entering the Upper Antiquity Mystery Realm.
Yeom Suk awoke in the healing hall and stared at the cold ceiling for a long while before realizing he had lost to Yong Yoo.
"I... lost...?"
At first, he couldn't believe it.
It felt like a nightmare.
But no matter how he denied it, reality remained unchanged.
Yeom Suk had lost—and not in some secluded spot, but at the Grand Tournament, High Heaven Sect's most-watched event.
From now on, the title following him wouldn't be High Heaven Sect's youngest Core Formation Perfection genius, but the Core Formation cultivator shamed by defeat to a Foundation Establishment expert.
"......"
Above all, what tormented Yeom Suk was the thought that Geum So-ryeo must be disappointed in him.
He had stubbornly remained at Core Formation Perfection for decades without breaking through to Nascent Soul, all to win the Grand Tournament—only to fail spectacularly and lose to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Aaaah. What do I do?"
Geum So-ryeo cherished geniuses. If that genius was her disciple, she showered them with boundless love and fortuitous encounters.
But if they fell short of her expectations, no one could be colder to a disciple than her.
In fact, the main reason she had so few direct disciples was her merciless expulsion of those who failed to meet her standards, without a shred of mercy.
Yeom Suk imagined himself being expelled by Geum So-ryeo.
If... if he were expelled like this...?
No! I can't! I won't have it!
Yeom Suk paced the healing hall frantically, trying to quell his anxiety.
Then, through a window, he spotted Geum So-ryeo emerging from the hall where Yong Yoo stayed.
"Master."
He called out instinctively and moved toward her, but when she turned and looked at him, his body froze against his will.
Geum So-ryeo gazed silently at Yeom Suk.
More precisely, at her disciple's Dao Heart.
Her disciple was reeling from an unforeseen defeat, his decades-long cultivation plan in ruins, his body and mind wounded—his Dao Heart shaken.
If they were an ordinary master-disciple pair in the mortal world, she would support him and help him rise again. But they were cultivators.
The path of cultivation is said to be narrow.
This means few can walk it, but also that each cultivator must follow their own footsteps.
In the world of cultivation, there are master-disciple bonds, parent-child ties, sworn brothers, Dao friends, Dao companions... countless relationships. Yet ultimately, every cultivator must tread their own path.
Follow their unique Great Dao to fruition, achieve great success, and become an immortal.
If he couldn't overcome even this first setback at Core Formation with his own strength... then he had no qualification for the path from the start.
Geum So-ryeo believed in her disciple.
He was a child overflowing with talent as a cultivator, with the resilient spirit to endure any grueling training.
The Yeom Suk she knew would surely overcome this setback alone, forging an even firmer Dao Heart.
And he would return before her more mature and advanced.
Hoping that day came soon, Geum So-ryeo ignored her disciple's call and continued on her way.
But there was one thing she had overlooked...
M-Master. Will she scold me? Or say she's disappointed? She wouldn't expel me, right?!
Yeom Suk's identity leaned more toward "the man who loves Geum So-ryeo" than "cultivator."
Waiting in anxiety and fear for her reaction, Yeom Suk watched as Geum So-ryeo flew off toward Sea Severing Peak as if she hadn't seen him at all.
"Ah..."
He had been terrified of facing her, but seeing her depart utterly indifferent shattered something deep in his chest.
"Ah... aaaah..."
Yeom Suk collapsed to his knees, clutching his tearing heart and wailing.
"Aaaaaah! Masteeeeer!!!"
Geum So-ryeo had meant to give her disciple space to accept defeat and compose himself alone. But unaware of this, Yeom Suk despaired in the delusion that she had abandoned him.