The Continental Barrier and the Small Upper Realm
"Cheong-ah."
"Yes?"
"Did you ask if you could earn contribution points?"
"Yes."
Baek Cheong answered clearly and confidently once more. She had already vividly imagined herself participating in the martial contest. She wouldn't need to reveal her hidden trump cards like the White Abyss Boat or the Five Elements Banner anyway; with the Ice Dragon Bind, the basic spells she had mastered, and her flying sword, she wouldn't be lacking compared to her peers. Furthermore, since the sect offered generous rewards to the top finishers, it would actually be a loss for her not to participate.
'If I just earn enough contribution points, I'll be able to pick and choose whatever I want, like the Cloud-Riding Technique.'
She pressed down on the corners of her mouth, which were threatening to curl up at the mere thought.
Her eldest brother remained silent for a moment, looking down at his younger sister's small head. Even as he watched her, clearly fixated on the word "martial contest," a shadow of concern lingered in his expression.
"It is true that even an outsider can earn the sect's contribution points. Contribution points are, by nature, for contributing to the sect; if you bring benefit to the sect, it's not impossible to earn them, even if the rate is stingier than for a disciple who has formally entered. Moreover, since contribution points are used like spirit stones within the sect, they are even offered as rewards in the martial contest."
"Really?"
"However, Cheong-ah."
"Yes, Brother."
"May this brother add a word?"
A layer of gravity was added to the warmth in his voice. Baek Cheong, having a vague premonition of what was coming, quietly composed her expression.
"It is fine to watch the martial contest from nearby, but it is still too early for you to step into it yourself."
Baek Gyu looked at his sister and gently tried to dissuade her.
"Is it too early?"
"The martial contest is essentially a place where disciples of the same cultivation level pair up to show off their skills, but those who participate are by no means easy to deal with. Even if they are of the same level, even if they are of the same age, the mindset with which they enter is entirely different."
"......"
"Because the rewards are large, there are quite a few 'wild' cultivators mixed in among the guests. There are those who have honed their skills from the outer sect, and those who have only learned secret techniques within the sect and have never shown themselves to the outside world. If you are paired up with bad luck, injuries often follow."
There was a weight in his tone that was quite different from how he usually fussed over her.
"Did Father and Mother not entrust you to this brother? If you were to get hurt in the middle of the Biun Sect's main mountain, I would have no face before the Sect Leader or our parents."
At this point, Baek Cheong couldn't help but realize. Her brother truly had no intention of letting her enter the martial contest.
'Well, of course.'
She wanted to pout, but she didn't feel like being stubborn in front of her eldest brother, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
'I'll just say I understand for now.'
There was still time until the martial contest, and her father and mother weren't nearby. There would definitely be a way to subtly avoid the path her brother was concerned about.
Outwardly, she naturally adopted a dejected tone.
"Yes... I understand, Brother."
"Don't be too disappointed. I will arrange seats so you can watch the academic fair and the auction house from up close. I will also make sure you can watch the martial contest from a good spot."
"Okay..."
Then, her eldest brother patted her shoulder affectionately. Concerned by his sister's dejected tone, Baek Gyu subtly changed the subject.
"Come to think of it, Cheong-ah."
"Yes."
"There is a junior disciple who often mentions that he wants to see you."
"Me?"
Baek Cheong asked back, surprised by the unexpected story. She tried to guess who among the delegation that came to their family last year might have said such a thing about her. But before she could search her memory, her eldest brother smiled softly.
"It is Junior Disciple Jin Wi."
'Ah.'
He was a peer with a Heavenly Spiritual Root who had come with the delegation.
"Perhaps because you are of a similar age, he would often bring up your story."
"Ah, I see."
Of course, from her perspective, it didn't stir any particular emotion. He was merely an existence like a pebble on the side of the road. However, she carefully matched her words to his, saying things she didn't mean.
"But it seems he isn't visible in the main mountain right now."
"He has entered seclusion. It has been quite a while since he went in to take a step toward the Core Formation stage."
"Core Formation stage?"
As expected of someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, his cultivation progress was steep.
"If you count the time, he will likely appear around the New Year's banquet. That junior disciple must also be counting the stars, hoping to see you once more."
She nodded outwardly, but her mind was calculating something else. She carefully matched the schedule her uncle had pointed out on the way here with the New Spring Exchange Meeting her brother had mentioned.
The New Year was just around the corner, the Biun Sect's New Year's banquet would be held immediately after, and the New Spring Exchange Meeting would unfold in earnest three or four days after that.
'There's plenty of time.'
It was enough time to make a plan for participating in the martial contest. Finishing her thoughts, she stood quietly on the clouds and looked at the scenery of the main mountain flowing past her brother's shoulder. The bluish traces of spirit veins shone faintly on every mountain slope, and she could catch glimpses of complex formations engraved everywhere.
Suddenly, she thought of the Central Continent. Her eldest brother had left the family at the New Year and traveled all the way to the Central Continent with his fellow disciples. He would certainly know for sure about the barrier that existed between the continents.
'Since my eldest brother has been there himself...'
It seemed it would be much clearer to hear it from someone who had actually been there than to listen to scattered, confusing stories.
"Brother."
"Yes, Cheong-ah."
"You went all the way to the Central Continent with your fellow disciples last year, didn't you?"
"Hmm. I did."
"I heard there is a barrier between the continents. How did you cross it?"
Baek Gyu looked down at his sister with a puzzled expression for a moment.
"Cheong-ah, you are interested in all sorts of things."
"Uncle mentioned it briefly on the way here. He said the Biun Sect is at the northernmost tip of the Southern Continent, so to go to the Central Continent, you have to go through a passage at the southernmost tip. That seems a bit strange."
"Strange, you say."
Baek Gyu looked slightly upward, as if searching his memory. He showed an action of clapping his palms together lightly, as if he had remembered.
"Hmm. Where should I start?"
"Take your time."
"There is an invisible barrier between the continents of the east, west, south, north, and the center. It's not just a barrier dividing the continents. Yes, it would be more accurate to call it a boundary that separates two worlds. It is called the Boundary Wall."
Baek Cheong's ears perked up at the interesting story.
"The Boundary Wall is filled with formless energy, so if an average cultivator tries to cross it with their bare body, they are likely to lose their life. Their flesh will be shaved away and their soul will be scattered. They say that only a Great Cultivator who has reached the Nascent Soul stage can barely cross it."
"You have to be at the Nascent Soul stage?"
"Yes. It's just that their flesh won't be shaved away, but even then, they say they don't force it if there's no business."
"What kind of place is it beyond the Boundary Wall?"
"It unfolds a climate so different that it can be called another world. Even just the Western Continent is said to be a desert from end to end. The shape of each continent is vastly different, so it's difficult for even an average cultivator to spend their whole life seeing them all."
"Wow!"
A short exclamation escaped her lips before she knew it.
"Then how do people cross it?"
"There is a place in a remote corner of each continent where the Boundary Wall is thin. People have added their hands to refine it, and you can only come and go through there. When we head from our Southern Continent to the Central Continent, we also have to go through a designated passage."
"It would be convenient if they made it in a nearby place."
"That's not how it works. I heard that the places where the Boundary Wall thins out are separate, and it seems it was only prepared at the southernmost tip in our Southern Continent. Even though the Biun Sect is at the northernmost tip and is close to the Central Continent itself, they say the thickness of the Boundary Wall there is even thicker."
'What is this nonsense?'
It meant that the nearby place was blocked, and the most distant place was open. It didn't seem like it was only like that within the Southern Continent.
'If you have to go through the passage furthest from the Southern Continent to enter the Central Continent, it must mean that the Central Continent side also accepts you through the passage furthest from the Southern Continent.'
Outwardly, she continued her next question in an innocent tone.
"Then what kind of place is the Central Continent?"
Her eldest brother pursed his lips for a moment before unraveling the answer.
"The Central Continent has a different shape from the other continents. It is as good to live in as a paradise, the spiritual energy is thick, and good spirit veins are spread everywhere. Ever since a great powerhouse in the olden days guessed that the upper realm would be like this and called it the Small Upper Realm, it has been known by that name."
"Small Upper Realm..."
"Therefore, the Boundary Wall surrounding the Central Continent cannot be compared to the Boundary Wall of other continents. They say that while a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator can barely cross the Boundary Wall between other continents, even a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator dares not cross the Boundary Wall surrounding the Central Continent."
The name Small Upper Realm really seemed to suit it.
"Then where is the passage to enter the Central Continent?"
"There are two places where the Boundary Wall of the Small Upper Realm is thin: the east and the west. However, the west side is the territory of a great demonic sect, so cultivators of the righteous path like us naturally enter through the east passage."
'Ah~ I understand perfectly.'
Finally, Baek Cheong was able to understand her lower realm in her head. And the fact that the structure of the lower realm was not ordinary became even clearer.