The Cloud Dragon's Decree
As expected of a major sect, their generosity was on another level.
“Uncle, Elder Brother. I pay my respects.”
“Come here and sit down.”
Baek Muyeong gestured to the seat beside him with a short command. His gaze as he quietly observed Baek Cheong held a faint trace of disapproval. Baek Gyu sat next to him with a rigid expression. It felt completely different from the gentle elder brother who had always doted on her back at the main house. Jinwi awkwardly averted his eyes and quietly retreated to his own seat.
Baek Cheong swallowed a small sigh and politely smoothed her clothes before sitting down.
“Cheong-ah.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“When you left the main house, didn’t you promise your uncle that you would listen carefully to what I said?”
“...Yes.”
Baek Cheong lowered her gaze slightly and gave a small nod. The elder brother who would normally have looked at her with warm affection was now pressing his lips together in silence. She cautiously rummaged through her memories, trying to figure out what she might have done. Even at a glance, there were more than just one or two incidents.
“While I was away greeting people in other places, there wasn’t a single one of the Biun Sect’s specialized peaks where your name wasn’t being mentioned.”
“That’s...”
“I hear rumors that at Yeondan Peak you publicly criticized the alchemists in front of everyone.”
“...”
Baek Cheong hesitated, words caught on her lips, before swallowing a small sigh. I mean, I only spoke up because they were doing it wrong...
At the Danjeong Pavilion on Yeondan Peak, she had simply let a comment slip when she saw Dan Gyeong releasing a fire cycle that went against the natural flow of the herbs. The situation had been similar at the other peaks. She simply couldn’t stand by and watch precious medicinal ingredients turn to ash inside the pill furnaces.
I was just doing exactly what Grandfather Yakseon taught me...
She wondered if she should have taken into account how much pride the alchemists placed in their craft, but the frustration she felt at the time had been far too great for such considerations.
“At Jebu Peak, the rumor that the vice-captains of Unpildang were shaken to their core by you has spread throughout the entire Biun Sect.”
“...”
Baek Cheong awkwardly shifted her gaze and lightly touched her hair. It was too easy. From her perspective, she couldn’t understand how simply drawing one second-rank talisman had turned into such a big deal. A talisman was far simpler than drawing formation patterns, and she had merely copied the vice-captain’s demonstration exactly. She had never imagined they wouldn’t even be able to do that much.
They’re all vice-captains, aren’t they? I thought people at that level could at least draw something like that...
She carefully tucked the thought away, knowing it was something she absolutely couldn’t say out loud.
“And at Jinmun Peak...”
“Nothing happened at Jinmun Peak.”
“Indeed, the only stories I heard from Jinmun Peak were that you simply walked around observing the formation masters’ work. Somehow, it seems no incident occurred there.”
Baek Cheong let out a tiny breath of relief inwardly. She had behaved relatively well at Jinmun Peak. After realizing that the patterns were only visible to her eyes, she had been careful not to reveal anything. I was well-behaved at Jinmun Peak.
Of course, if one included the part where she had diligently memorized formation knowledge by secretly observing the patterns floating around the peak, it would be hard to call it well-behaved. But outwardly, she had simply walked slowly around the peak with Jinwi, so no incidents had arisen.
“And yesterday at Yeongi Peak...”
“Yes?”
Baek Cheong lifted her head with genuine surprise. At Yeongi Peak, she had only looked around the stalls before leaving with a somewhat awkward feeling. She hadn’t touched any of the refiners’ work and had simply passed by each stall without much comment.
“I heard rumors that at Yeongi Peak you agreed to determine superiority with a child of the Hosan Seo Family in the Magic Tournament.”
“...”
But they were the ones who threw down the challenge! A silent cry rose within Baek Cheong, but she couldn’t bring herself to voice it. It had been Seo Jua who one-sidedly issued the challenge, and she had simply accepted gladly, seeing it as an opportunity.
I really didn’t do anything...
The fact that it all appeared as if she had been stirring up trouble left her feeling utterly wronged.
“Uncle, that’s...”
“Your uncle understands how the rumors have been circulating. There are times when one should not hastily accept such things.”
“...”
Baek Cheong could only swallow her excuses deep down. Baek Muyeong watched her quietly for a long moment before letting out a small sigh. He fiddled with his wine cup, gradually pulling back the disapproval in his voice.
“In the past, this would have caused quite a few incidents for the Yeonha Baek Family.”
“...”
“Fortunately, after the Ten Thousand Year Plan, the Yeonha Baek Family’s prestige has risen considerably. These rumors are merely flowing as the impertinence of a commendable young Daoist named Dou.”
Baek Cheong lowered her head slightly and spoke in a small voice.
“I’m sorry...”
“Your uncle isn’t simply scolding you. I wanted to point out the places where incidents nearly occurred. That way you’ll learn to exercise restraint, and your father can feel at ease. The reason I deliberately brought you to the Biun Sect’s New Spring Exchange was to help you build connections as a member of the Yeonha Baek Family, so don’t resent this uncle of yours too much.”
Baek Muyeong smiled faintly and lightly patted his niece’s shoulder. Above all, since it was known that Baek Cheong was the successor disciple of the Pacheon Geomjon, there would be no problem no matter what happened within the Biun Sect.
Is the nagging finally over?
Baek Cheong subtly lifted her head, about to breathe a sigh of relief. The atmosphere suggested her uncle’s lecture had come to an end. That was when her eyes met directly with her elder brother sitting beside her.
“Elder Brother...”
Baek Gyu looked down at her in silence, his mouth firmly closed. There was no trace of the gentle demeanor she usually saw. Instead, his expression was even more serious than when he carried himself with the dignity of a true disciple.
“Cheong-ah.”
“Yes...”
“Have you forgotten what I told you about the Magic Tournament when I guided you through the New Spring Exchange?”
“...”
“I made it very clear. While the Magic Tournament is a place for those of the same realm and age to test their skills, it is not a place to take lightly, as injuries can occur.”
Baek Cheong lowered her head with a dejected look.
“Among the participants are many rough characters from the mountains and waters, quite a few who have cultivated up from the outer sect, and no small number from the inner sect who have learned secret techniques.”
Baek Gyu paused for a moment and quietly studied his sister’s face. His tone remained calm and steady as usual, yet it was mixed with concern for her.
“How could you have stepped into such a place?”
“...”
“If Mother and Father heard about this, how heartbroken would they be?”
That part is actually true...
At the mention of her parents, Baek Cheong felt a pang in her small chest. She recalled how her mother had adjusted her collar and told her to have a safe trip when she left the main house. Her father had also instructed her to take care of herself since her elder brother would be waiting.
I suppose I did end up disobeying them...
Everything her elder brother said was completely reasonable. I can’t refute any of it.
Not even the slightest rebellious thought arose in Baek Cheong. Normally she would have tried to come up with one or two excuses, but her elder brother’s words were so right that no defense even came to mind. She simply kept her head lowered and quietly accepted the scolding.
“...That’s enough.”
After speaking at length, Baek Gyu let out a small sigh. Seeing his sister simply sit there with her head bowed, offering no resistance to his words, actually made him feel sorry for her. She had already received a participation token from an outer sect elder. Since it couldn’t be undone, scolding her would only weigh on his own heart.
“The water has already been spilled, after all.”
Baek Gyu’s voice grew much gentler as he stroked his sister’s hair.
“Since you’ve received the token, do your best in the Magic Tournament. But you must never get injured.”
“Yes!”
Baek Cheong nodded vigorously at her suddenly softened elder brother’s words. The gentle elder brother she knew from the main house had returned. Fresh motivation surged up within her.
“Elder Brother, I’ll definitely make it to the main bracket!”
She lifted her head with a confident declaration. Simply reaching the main bracket would grant her the qualification to enter the Cloud Sea Secret Realm. But Baek Gyu looked down at his sister for a moment before shaking his head.
“Cheong-ah, the main bracket is not such an easy place.”
“Huh?”
“Just in the preliminary rounds, nearly a thousand talented individuals from both our sect and outside guests have gathered. Out of those, only sixteen spots are available for the main bracket.”
Baek Cheong blinked at the unimaginable number. Even the dozens of peers she had seen at the main house had seemed like a considerable number, but a thousand was an enormous scale that was hard to even visualize. And with only sixteen advancing, that meant roughly one in sixty would make it to the main bracket.
It’s tougher than I thought.
Still, she didn’t think there would be many in the Qi Condensation stage who were better than her. Well, I should still be able to reach the main bracket.
Rather, the number of a thousand helped her gauge just how many talented individuals were gathering from outside. It was proof of how valuable the Cloud Sea Secret Realm truly was.
Honestly, even aiming for first place isn’t out of the question.
She was just about to nod vigorously and show her confidence to her elder brother when suddenly an overwhelming pressure descended upon the entire plaza. The chatter among the disciples naturally died down, and even the distinguished guests at the head seats set down their cups and turned their gazes in one direction.
“What is this...”
Baek Cheong looked around in surprise at the sudden pressure. Her elder brother smiled faintly with a calm expression.
“Don’t worry. The opening ceremony is beginning.”
“The opening ceremony?”
“The Sect Leader is personally opening the event.”
With a voice full of pride, Baek Gyu turned his gaze toward the Sect Leader Peak. Baek Cheong followed her elder brother’s gaze and turned her head in the same direction. The Sect Leader Peak, which stood tall in the center of the main mountain, looked different from usual. The clouds that had been floating above the peak were slowly gathering toward it from all directions.
At first they seemed like small clouds merging together, but then they began to stretch out, taking on a distinct shape.
“This is...”
Baek Cheong watched the Sect Leader Peak with her mouth slightly open. The form created by the gathering clouds was a massive dragon. It was long enough to encircle the peak from head to tail, and its two horns stretched far higher than the peak itself. A mystical light shimmered across its scales, and clouds continuously billowed up beneath its four claws.
The enormous cloud dragon emanated a pressure that overwhelmed the entire Ja-undae with its mere presence.
So this is Nascent Soul...
The fact that it could create such a gigantic form from clouds alone was beyond comprehension. She had often heard stories about the prestige of Nascent Soul great masters among the family members at the main house, but this was her first time witnessing even a fragment of it directly. The Pacheon Geomjon had never revealed even a fragment of his power; even as a cultivator, he kept his energy completely concealed.
Soon the cloud dragon slowly moved its body above the Sect Leader Peak. As it passed over Yeondan Peak, the spiritual herbs across the peak all swayed with a vibrant green light. When it passed Jebu Peak, the talisman scripts briefly glowed with bright light. Above Jinmun Peak, the formation patterns intensified their presence and revealed their arrays. And over Yeongi Peak, the furnaces all boiled with spiritual energy at once. It was as if the dragon was wrapping around each peak and bestowing spiritual energy upon them.
What is it trying to do?
Soon the cloud dragon returned to the Sect Leader Peak and raised its head. It began to ascend slowly toward the sky as if ascending to heaven, then let out a mystical cry from the center of the heavens. Immediately afterward, auspicious spiritual energy scattered gently like rain across the entire Unsan mountain range.
Even above the crowded Ja-undae, the spiritual energy settled softly. A mystical light briefly shimmered across the disciples’ robes.
“Wow...”
A gasp of admiration escaped Baek Cheong’s lips. It was a sight she had never seen in her life, and it felt wondrous that such auspicious energy would descend upon her own head. Each time the spiritual energy touched her body, a deep sense of fulfillment took root within her.
Soon after the cloud dragon disappeared beyond the sky, a calm voice resonated across Ja-undae.
This is a place for the young juniors to display the skills they have honed.
To the juniors who have advanced to the main bracket of this New Spring Exchange Magic Tournament, I shall permit each to bring one additional item of their choice from the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.
All the disciples filling Ja-undae bowed their heads deeply in respectful greeting. Qualification to enter the Cloud Sea Secret Realm was already a considerable reward, but the additional permission to bring one more desired item was nothing short of shocking.
This is the scale of a major sect...!
Baek Cheong couldn’t hide her astonishment at the tremendous reward, whatever it might be. The disciples let out short gasps and exchanged glances, while even the distinguished guests at the head seats were so stunned they couldn’t set down their cups for a long time. Whatever it was, it was clearly something good.
I have to reach the main bracket no matter what.
In this situation, holding back and failing to advance to the main bracket would be a complete failure. She intended to give everything she could show.