Something Definitely Awaits in the Cloud Sea
There was definitely something going on. Several days had passed since the heated atmosphere of the auction had died down. Finally, the day had arrived to step into the Cloud Sea Secret Realm. Baek Cheong waited at the spot the Biun Sect had indicated for her guide to arrive. The late-stage juniors who had advanced to the main tournament gathered one by one, and the area buzzed with excitement. Yet the conversations circulating among the young masters somehow grated on her ears.
“From what I hear, half the people entering the secret realm picked up a Cloud Sea Map.”
“Of course. With such a tremendous opportunity ahead, who would dare go in empty-handed?”
At the word “half,” Baek Cheong’s lips twisted into a pout. It meant that in just a few days, the number of people clutching those maps had ballooned dramatically.
‘They released that many?’
No matter how many times she turned it over in her mind, there were far too many suspicious points. An unidentified seller had flooded the market with maps, and the routes on them were all different—blatantly shady—yet everyone was scrambling to get one. And even now, right before entry, people were still trading them openly.
‘Even my uncle could have gotten me one if he wanted.’
If her uncle set his mind to it, acquiring a single Cloud Sea Map would have been child’s play. The man who doted on her to an almost terrifying degree would never have sat idle with a secret realm of this caliber on the horizon. Yet for some reason, he hadn’t uttered a single word about the Cloud Sea Secret Realm. He had even subtly changed the subject whenever the topic of preparations for the secret realm came up, as if deliberately pretending not to know.
‘So that’s how it is.’
Once she connected the dots, the scattered pieces in her head clicked perfectly into place. There was no way a conspiracy could be attached to an item openly traded in the Biun Sect’s Bohwawon. Which meant, conversely, that the Biun Sect was aware of it and had allowed it to happen anyway.
‘It really was a test set by the Biun Sect.’
They had deliberately hidden the seller’s identity while scattering Cloud Sea Maps everywhere. Whether it was a ploy to test those entering the secret realm or an arrangement meant to muddy the trails, she couldn’t be sure. But if this was a board laid out by the Biun Sect, then her uncle’s silence made perfect sense. Even family would find it awkward to speak carelessly about certain matters.
‘There’s definitely something related to the Cloud Sea Maps inside the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.’
Even so, Baek Cheong didn’t care in the slightest. Going in empty-handed was far better than being led around by a mere map. She was confident she could flip the entire secret realm upside down without one anyway.
‘Whether the others obsess over their maps or not, I’ll just grab the real goodies.’
After finishing her satisfied internal calculations, she went back to waiting for the guide. But right then, she sensed someone approaching from behind. Before she could even turn around, both her cheeks were suddenly grabbed. Her soft cheeks were mercilessly kneaded as if they were dough.
“Auuu…!”
Baek Cheong found herself helplessly offering up her face without knowing what was happening. The hands rubbing her cheeks were so utterly shameless that she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
“Still so cute, our little Cheong.”
A warm, affectionate voice tickled her ear. The somehow familiar tone made Baek Cheong’s eyes roll around even as her cheeks remained firmly pinched. Standing there with a bright smile and looking down at her was Mong Yo.
‘Why is she here…?’
She was her eldest brother’s senior sister and the person she had briefly met at the family’s New Year banquet. Baek Cheong remembered how unusually fond of her she had seemed, but Mong Yo had been absent from the Biun Sect’s New Year event due to some other matter. Seeing her up close now, even the aura she gave off was completely different from before.
‘Her presence has deepened considerably.’
Even standing still, the energy flowing from her had reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment. While Baek Cheong was quietly assessing her, Mong Yo’s hands showed no sign of releasing her cheeks.
“Mmm, you’ve gotten even more mature in the meantime. Do you know how much this big sister missed you?”
“Ugh, u-unnie. Could you let go first, please…”
Baek Cheong protested with a muffled, lisping voice. Only then did Mong Yo reluctantly release her, though she clearly didn’t want to. Finally freed, Baek Cheong gently rubbed her tingling cheeks with her hands. Even though she had been suddenly subjected to an attack of cuteness, she still needed to show proper respect. She quickly straightened her clothes and neatly clasped her hands together.
“Mong Yo unnie, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”
She bowed gracefully, demonstrating impeccable manners. The sight of her behaving so primly and properly was rather dignified. To Mong Yo, however, it seemed to be an unbearably adorable spectacle.
“Oh my, how perfectly polite. I really can’t stand it anymore.”
Mong Yo spread her arms wide and pulled Baek Cheong into a crushing hug. There was no time to straighten her previously polite bow; she was instantly buried deep in the woman’s embrace.
‘Here we go again.’
Baek Cheong became a living doll with no chance of escape. No amount of squirming while trapped in those arms could overcome Mong Yo’s strength.
“Let’s go, Cheong-ah. This big sister will take you to the secret realm herself.”
Mong Yo kept Baek Cheong tucked against her side and activated her concealment technique. All Baek Cheong could do was let herself be carried along with a slightly resigned expression.
She flew for quite a while, practically dangling from Mong Yo’s side. After passing several peaks, a deep gorge came into view below. As Baek Cheong looked down at the gorge, her eyes widened involuntarily.
‘Oh, what is that?’
White clouds flowed along the valley floor like a river, winding and surging. Though they were not water, they completely filled the gorge and drifted down slowly. It already felt like she was catching a glimpse of part of the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.
“That down there is the path leading into the Cloud Sea Secret Realm,” Mong Yo explained, pointing at the gorge.
Baek Cheong swallowed dryly as she took in the river of clouds. If those clouds filled the interior of the secret realm, then the saying about losing all five senses and relying solely on divine sense made perfect sense.
‘I want to go in right now.’
While she was examining the area around the gorge, the others arrived one after another. She spotted the investigators in charge of escorting the groups of late-stage juniors descending toward the entrance. Strangely enough, the faces of those acting as guides looked familiar.
‘Huh, it’s my eldest brother.’
Her eldest brother had appeared, leading a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators. When their eyes met, he gave her a warm, pleased smile and a nod before immediately focusing on his duty and directing the Foundation Establishment group. Similarly, Jinwi appeared leading a group of Qi Condensation cultivators.
‘All the head disciples have shown up.’
The sect leader’s head disciples had each taken charge of a group and were gathering at the gorge. Every head disciple she had seen at the family’s New Year banquet was present—except for the eldest senior brother, Wangsam.
‘This feels a bit strange.’
Baek Cheong tilted her head inwardly. The sect leader’s head disciples were extremely precious talents within the sect. For all of them to come out in force just to escort a bunch of juniors was unusual. Moreover, they had vanished without a trace during the Magic Tournament.
‘They’re probably not just here to show the way.’
Following the clues, she quickly reached a conclusion. There was a high chance the head disciples had done something inside the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.
‘Did they secretly claim the opportunities for themselves?’
The suspicion flashed through her mind for a moment, but she immediately shook her head. A major sect like the Biun Sect had no reason to stoop to such petty behavior. Especially not when they had invited so many outsiders. If they wanted to monopolize the opportunities, they never would have opened the Cloud Sea Secret Realm in the first place.
‘Then there’s only one possibility left.’
Baek Cheong recalled the rumors she had picked up at Cheong-unru. The eerie story about monstrous beasts wandering within the clouds.
‘So the story about the monstrous beasts wasn’t nonsense after all.’
It was highly likely that the head disciples had entered the secret realm beforehand and wiped out the beasts. After all, they couldn’t risk any accidents when sending their promising juniors into a realm that only opened once every ten years.
‘There really is a lot going on here.’
Moreover, Mong Yo’s case was different from the others. She had been absent far longer than the rest of the head disciples. It seemed she had been given a separate task in addition to clearing out the beasts.
‘I wonder what unnie was doing…’
Just as she was pondering her curiosity, her cheek was gently squished again.
“Cheong-ah, what are you thinking about so deeply? Your big sister is right here beside you.”
Mong Yo poked her cheek repeatedly with a finger as she spoke. The thread of thought Baek Cheong had barely gathered scattered once more.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Really…”
“Really? Then let’s talk with big sister instead.”
Mong Yo refused to leave her alone for even a second. She kept talking to her, touching her cheeks, stroking her hair—never giving her a moment’s peace to think.
‘Ugh, I can’t think straight at all.’
Baek Cheong felt utterly drained by the endless stream of affection. While she was suffering under Mong Yo’s barrage, she suddenly felt a sharp gaze upon her. Glancing sideways, she saw Jinwi staring intently at them from a distance.
‘What’s with him now?’
Jinwi’s eyes were filled with an indescribable envy. It seemed the sight of Mong Yo freely hugging and pampering Baek Cheong had made him quite jealous. The envy was written plainly across his somewhat clumsy face.
‘Why is he acting like that?’
But Jinwi wasn’t the only one sending sharp looks her way. At some point, Seo Jua had appeared on the other side, glaring at her fiercely. Her competitive spirit was unmistakable—she was clearly determined to win this time inside the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.
‘This is exactly why being too popular is a problem.’
Just as Baek Cheong was about to ignore the stares from both Jinwi and Seo Jua, the area around the gorge stirred. All eyes turned toward a single point. The Inner Gate Elder slowly appeared above the cloud-filled gorge. With every step he took, a heavy aura pressed down on the surroundings. Even the head disciples straightened their postures and offered respectful greetings. Baek Cheong and the others did the same.
“I hope this old man has not kept you waiting too long.”
The Inner Gate Elder then waved his hand through the river of clouds. The previously hidden entrance to the Cloud Sea Secret Realm revealed itself. The entrance looked like a distortion in space, a crack-like shape that gave it the appearance of a natural secret realm.
‘So this is a secret realm…’
Baek Cheong stared in awe at the entrance of her first secret realm. Since it was a holy land that had produced countless opportunities, her small heart couldn’t help but swell with anticipation.