The Nine Great Cultivators of the Lower Realm
“This is a problem, and a massive one at that.”
Her mind raced, leaping ahead with rapid-fire thoughts. It was said that even a Nascent Soul great cultivator couldn’t cross the continental barrier to the Central Continent. If that were true, what about those above them—the Transformation stage cultivators?
“Then, if there’s a great powerhouse at the Transformation stage, they could cross anywhere without much trouble, right?”
Baek Cheong reached this logical conclusion and tossed the question out with a bright, innocent expression. Her eldest brother paused for a moment, then let out a soft, knowing smile.
“Hmm, that would certainly be the case, but...”
“Is it not?”
“The great powerhouses who have reached the Transformation stage are individuals who rarely show their faces to begin with. It’s hard to say if they would even have a reason to cross the continents.”
“They don’t show themselves?”
“While it is said that every Great Sect hosts a Transformation stage ancestor, it is not something easily known—where they are or how they spend their time.”
Her ears perked up at the intriguing story. ‘I think some Daoist friend mentioned something similar.’ The replies from the forum users flashed through her mind. They had said that once one reaches the Transformation stage, staying in the Lower Realm itself becomes a constraint. There were also rumors that whether it was a mutual agreement between Transformation stage cultivators or pressure exerted by the Lower Realm itself, they were bound by restrictions, which was why they tended to enter the Transformation stage only when they had plenty of leisure and time.
‘Since they said our Transformation stage ancestors don’t show their faces either...’
The stories from the forum users and her brother’s words meshed together perfectly. It was as if she were hearing the same information from both sides. At the Transformation stage level, it seemed the rules of the Lower Realm were consistent across the board. The next question came naturally, so she opened her mouth.
“Then, are there seven Transformation stage ancestors in total?”
“Seven?” Baek Gyu looked at his younger sister with a puzzled expression.
“I heard that across all the continents, counting both the orthodox and demonic paths, there are seven Great Sects. If there’s one ancestor for each Great Sect, wouldn’t that make seven?”
He stayed silent for a moment and gently patted his sister’s head.
“Where on earth do you learn such calculations?”
“Maybe it’s because I have seven fingers.”
Baek Cheong dodged the question with a nonsensical remark, holding up exactly seven fingers from both hands. Her eldest brother let out a small, dry cough.
“Sometimes, even this brother finds it hard to keep up with what’s inside Cheong-ah’s head.”
“I was just curious.”
“It’s not a difficult question to answer, so I shall tell you.”
Her brother began counting, ticking off his fingers one by one.
“First, there is no Transformation stage ancestor in the orthodox Great Sect located on the Eastern Continent.”
“What?”
This was where things started to diverge from her expectations. “They aren’t there?”
“I don’t know the detailed circumstances, but I’ve heard that for reasons unknown, there isn’t a single ancestor who has reached the Transformation stage in the Eastern Great Sect. It’s not something I can speak of lightly, as I don’t know what kind of situation they have within their sect.”
It was strange that a place called a Great Sect didn’t have a single Transformation stage ancestor.
‘A Great Sect without even one?’
She found it fascinating that they could even maintain their status as a Great Sect. However, since it wasn’t her business, she pushed her curiosity aside. At the same time, her brother folded his next finger.
“There is a demonic Great Sect on the Western Continent, and it is said that there is one ancestor there.”
“One.” Baek Cheong repeated it, as if counting the numbers.
“And if you go to the Central Continent, the three Great Sects are gathered there. Two orthodox, one demonic. However, I’ve heard that there are two Transformation stage ancestors in that one demonic Great Sect.”
“Two in just the demonic Great Sect?”
“I don’t know the details of why there are two there, either. That’s just how it is.”
‘Ah.’
It wasn’t the place to pry into the reasons. Her brother folded two more fingers.
“In the orthodox Great Sects of the Central Continent, there is one ancestor each. That would make two more.”
“Yes, two.”
“However.” Suddenly, the corners of her brother’s mouth curled up slightly.
“Your master will also likely reach the Transformation stage before long.”
“...Ah.”
‘Pacheon Sword Sovereign.’
The name of her master naturally surfaced in her mind. Once he finished his business and returned to the Heavenly Sword Sect, he was someone who would soon step into the Transformation stage. The scene of the master who had left, saying they should meet again someday, appearing again after reaching the Transformation stage, flashed through her head.
“So, in fact, you should count it as three. If the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect adds one more to the count, there will be three in the orthodox Great Sects of the Central Continent.”
“Yes.”
“Until now, the Central Continent has maintained a balance with two orthodox and two demonic Transformation stage ancestors, but if the orthodox side becomes three, I cannot fathom how things will flow.”
Baek Gyu stopped talking for a moment, then added a small, unnecessary comment. Still, it wasn’t his place to interfere with the political situation. He soon opened his mouth to finish counting the number of Transformation stage ancestors.
“And on the Southern Continent, there is our Biun Sect’s Transformation stage ancestor. His title is Cloud True Lord.”
“Have you ever met him, brother?”
“Ever since I became a True Inherited Disciple, I haven’t even seen his shadow. Aside from the Great Senior Brother, Cloud True Lord doesn’t even allow any other disciples to stay by his side.”
‘It’s not like the Transformation stage is hiding its identity, is it?’
Baek Cheong had useless thoughts while listening to the story. She shook off the distractions and listened intently to her brother.
“On the Northern Continent, there is an orthodox Great Sect, and there is one ancestor there.”
“One in the North as well.”
“And I heard...” Her brother folded his last two fingers.
“That there are two ancestors on the Eastern Continent who reached the Transformation stage as mountain hermits.”
“Mountain hermits?”
The very idea of reaching the Transformation stage as a mountain hermit felt foreign. Even those who received all the resources of a Great Sect found it difficult to reach the Transformation stage, yet they had cultivated it alone without a sect.
‘The Eastern side is a strange place, too.’
Baek Gyu showed his folded fingers to his sister and spoke.
“Even excluding Pacheon Sword Sovereign for now, that makes nine.”
“Nine...”
Baek Cheong couldn’t hide her surprise at the number of Transformation stage cultivators, which was higher than she had vaguely guessed. If it were one per Great Sect, seven would have been understandable. But the Eastern Continent didn’t have a single one despite being a Great Sect, and instead, there were two Transformation stage cultivators who were mountain hermits in their place.
‘It’s not like every Great Sect has a Transformation stage cultivator.’
She remembered the story that Daoist Friend (3.7) had told her on Moomyeongbang someday. It was that a Lower Realm with more than three Transformation stage cultivators might have problems related to Ascension.
‘It’s not just having problems; there’s just no answer.’
If it was an unusual situation, nine times out of ten, it wasn’t a good thing. Because of that, she couldn’t even grasp how big a problem was lurking.
‘Don’t tell me this is a Lower Realm created by merging other Lower Realms?’
Each continent was called a different world, and there were even Realm Boundaries. Considering the excessively high number of Transformation stage cultivators, it made sense. If there was one suspicious point, it was that the size of the continents was slightly small for a single world. Most mountain hermits found it difficult to even travel around one continent, but that was a story that had nothing to do with her.
‘...But does it have anything to do with me?’
She was still a Qi Refining 7th-stage cultivator, and she was a long way from the Transformation stage, let alone Core Formation. No matter what the situation in the Lower Realm was, it was better to take care of her own business. Above all, even if she couldn’t Ascend, it didn’t mean she couldn’t use Moomyeongbang.
‘Even if I become a Transformation stage cultivator later, it’s not like I can’t browse the gallery, right?’
Of course, using a fixed name in the Upper Realm was slightly tempting, but even Ascension wasn’t easy. In the end, the important thing for her was browsing the gallery.
‘And the New Spring Exchange Meeting.’
From the academic fair to the auction and the martial contest, it was full of things that piqued her interest. If she could even learn the Cloud-Riding Technique, she could fly around without worrying about her lack of physical coordination. Plus, she could spray water on other people while doing it.
‘The clouds of the Cloud-Riding Technique are clouds, so I could probably turn them into rain clouds, too.’
Baek Cheong thought peacefully, nodding slowly on the outside. Then, hiding her inner thoughts, she opened her mouth with a calm expression.
“Brother, then is it difficult to meet the ancestors of other Great Sects as well?”
“That is...” Her brother stayed silent for a moment before answering.
“I’ve heard that the situation is not much different for other Great Sects. While it is known that the ancestors are definitely present, it is said that there is almost no one who has encountered their shadows or traces. It is said that even seeing them since they reached the Transformation stage can be counted on one hand.”
“Where did they all go?”
“Because of that, there are quite a few rumors floating around. Stories that the ancestors gathered somewhere to reach an agreement, stories that they are pondering ways because the path to Ascension is blocked, and even stories that something is wrong with the world we live in... It’s hard to gauge how much is the truth and how much has been exaggerated by the mouths of gossipers.”
Baek Gyu shook his head quietly and finished his words.
“In any case, the affairs of the great powerhouses are not a realm for juniors like us to easily fathom. It’s not something you need to keep in your heart and worry about.”
“Yes.”
Baek Cheong nodded obediently and cast her gaze far away. It seemed she had succeeded in diverting her brother’s attention. While waiting for the New Year banquet, she accelerated her schemes to scour every corner of the New Spring Exchange Meeting.