The New Year Banquet and the Missing Guide
At twelve years old, I stood still while my maid carefully tied the ribbons of my ceremonial robes, her fingers deft as she combed my hair and bound it into a light, elegant knot. It felt like only yesterday people were saying the New Year was just around the corner, yet here we were—the year had turned. Today was the first day of the new year, the day of the Biun Sect’s New Year Banquet. It was also, quite coincidentally, my twelfth birthday.
Twelve years old. I rolled the number over in my mind, quiet and still. While the maid finished smoothing out my attire, I bowed my head slightly to look down at my feet. Through the embroidered silk shoes, I could see about two finger-widths of my instep. It looked no different from the feet I’d seen on New Year’s last year. ...I don’t think I’ve grown at all. I raised my arm and spread my palm. My fingers were roughly the same length as last year, too. If I traced back the memories of how my robe hems had been long one year and short the next, I must have grown, but it felt imperceptible. I knew my mother always instructed the tailors to make my clothes a little large, but still.
But this is a bit much, isn't it? For a child turning twelve, this should be a period of rapid growth. Back at the main family estate, the children of the branch families were sprouting up like weeds. Yet, even when I looked in the mirror, my height seemed frozen in the same spot as last year. Once the maid finished brushing my hair and left the room, I stepped closer to the mirror. The reflection staring back was identical to the one from last year’s New Year Banquet.
This is strange. Usually, a cultivator’s growth doesn't stop just because they’ve advanced their realm. Reaching the Core Formation stage didn't halt growth, and entering the Golden Core stage didn't stop the aging process. If that were the case, every cultivator who was called a genius in their youth would remain trapped in a child’s body, and the cultivation world would be a chaotic mess teeming with ancient monsters in the forms of toddlers. Though, that would be an even scarier situation.
I had heard that once your realm reaches a certain level, your lifespan increases and the aging process slows down accordingly. Sometimes, breaking through to a new realm could even make one’s appearance look younger. But advancing in realm didn't automatically make you handsome or beautiful. Even a great cultivator who had reached the Nascent Soul or Transformation stage would keep their ugly face if they had one to begin with. It was just that, by repeatedly purging impurities during the cultivation process, they had less turbid energy in their bodies, which naturally made their skin look smoother and more refined.
That must be why beauty pills sell so well. The demand for pills and artifacts related to rejuvenation or beauty in the cultivation world was always overflowing. I’d heard that requests for Juantan and Yangandan never ceased for alchemists. I’d even seen the forum users on Mumyungbang baiting each other with threads about how Jade Mirrors or Beauty Plaques that could subtly refine one’s appearance were worth their weight in gold at the markets. Even great cultivators were rarely indifferent to their own appearance. I heard that female cultivators, in particular, never missed a dose of those pills.
Regardless of all that, one thing remained constant: even for a cultivator, the body grew, and as one aged, one grew old. So why am I still the same? I raised a hand and lightly touched my small chest. It was there, at least, proving I was a girl, but it lacked any real presence. At ten, there had been slight signs of growth, but since turning eleven, there hadn't been a hint of change.
Could it be? A fact crossed my mind. My existence was filled with more than one or two unusual elements. But the Integrative Sleeping Root that drained the nutrients from my Five Elements Heavenly Root—it had only properly revealed its presence after I consumed the Five Elements Pill at the tail end of my tenth year.
"Nah, that can't be it." I had never heard of a similar case in any of the various posts by the forum users. Just as my thoughts were deepening, I heard footsteps approaching from outside.
"Cheong-ah, are you finished with your preparations?" My uncle’s calm voice called out from the hallway.
"Yes, Uncle!" I lifted my head, tearing my gaze away from the mirror. I pushed the thoughts swirling in my head to the side. I had other things to worry about today. At the very center of my mind was the plan for how I was going to fleece the New Spring Exchange Meeting.
I straightened my shoes, opened the door to my quarters, and stepped out. I hurried my pace, breathing in the crisp New Year morning air of the Biun Sect.
The main mountain of the Biun Sect was buzzing with activity. On the outer sect side, a long procession of disciples was exchanging New Year’s greetings, and as I looked toward the inner sect, it seemed like smaller banquets were being held on every peak. The Alchemy Peak was thick with the scent of medicinal incense, and on the Formation Peak, colorful lights flickered lightly from the tips of banners. Along every path, spirit wine and spirit fruits were laid out, and disciples paired off to exchange New Year’s blessings. The guests of status staying on the main mountain were being guided toward the Sect Leader’s Peak.
Baek Muyeong and I were caught in this flow. My eldest brother, Baek Gyu, led the way in his Biun Sect robes, looking every bit the True Inherited Disciple, while my uncle’s coat was neatly embroidered with the patterns of the Baek Merchant Company and our family crest. I walked between them, stepping onto the cloud-platform that led to the summit of the Sect Leader’s Peak. As white clouds neatly carpeted the ground beneath our feet, the pavilion at the summit came into view.
"That is the Sect Leader’s Peak, where the Sect Leader resides," my eldest brother informed us in a proud tone. It was a place I had only seen in outline from afar while touring the main mountain.
"Among all the peaks of the main mountain, it rises the highest and is renowned for having the densest spiritual energy. It is the peak where the first Sect Leader personally chose to settle, and the pavilion at the summit was arranged by the second Sect Leader himself using a formation."
A rare, deep sense of pride, seldom seen back at our family estate, colored my brother’s voice. Clouds hung long from the eaves of the pavilion, and the traces of a formation wrapped around the structure. As we drew closer, the weave of the formation finally began to reveal itself, strand by strand. Some of the Character-patterns were familiar, while others were mixed with the applied forms I had seen in the Formation Atlas, making my mind stir with interest. Just looking at this formation alone will be worth the trip.
As we stepped into the pavilion, the view brightened significantly. Guests sent from other families and sects had already taken their seats. The seating was neatly divided by status, with areas for what I assumed were prestigious families from various continents, and spots for the diverse powers that had traveled from afar. So this is what a great sect’s New Year Banquet looks like. I composed my expression as we were guided to our seats. The Yeonha Baek family’s spot was placed much further inside than the other families. The fact that the Yeonha Baek family’s status had risen significantly since my father proclaimed the Millennia Foundation Plan was clearly reflected in the seating arrangement.
Just as I was about to sit, my gaze was drawn to the very center. One old cultivator seated at the head of the table caught my attention instantly. His status was clearly different from the others. Just by the way he sat, the very air in the pavilion seemed to tilt in his direction. That must be the Sect Leader of the Biun Sect. If it was an old cultivator sitting in a place that naturally commanded attention, it had to be him. However, when I quietly gauged the momentum he exuded, it fell far short of my master, the Pacheon Sword Sovereign. Having spent time beside the Pacheon Sword Sovereign, who had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, I could vaguely gauge the momentum of a great cultivator.
Is he around the late Nascent Soul stage? Since Feng Jinhai, who had visited our family last year as an inner sect elder, was at the early Nascent Soul stage, this was a fitting level for a Sect Leader. The Sect Leader was simply receiving the greetings of his guests from his seat. To his left and right, True Inherited Disciples sat in slanted rows. The eldest senior disciple sat in the closest seat.
...That senior disciple fellow looks different than I remember. It was Wang Sam, who had visited our family as part of the delegation last year. My memory of him was that he was at the tail end of the late Core Formation stage. But the person sitting there now looked like a different man. The energy leaking from his robes was much denser, and the momentum he carried felt significantly deeper. He’s reached the Golden Core stage. He had broken through in just a year. There was good reason for him to be seated right next to the Sect Leader. Other True Inherited Disciples sat in order beside Wang Sam. I saw one more familiar face.
Jin Wi... was that his name? I heard he was in seclusion, but he showed up right on time. I vaguely recalled my eldest brother telling me he was in seclusion. I had thought he might appear around the time of the New Year Banquet, and it seemed he had broken through right on schedule. The Jin Wi sitting there now clearly possessed the momentum of the Core Formation stage, having left the Qi Refining stage behind. As expected of a Heavenly Root user. We were the same age, but I was at the 7th star of Qi Refining while he had already entered the Core Formation stage. It couldn't be helped, given that I had a dantian like the sea, a byproduct of the Five Elements Union. Still, I indifferently buried that thought in the back of my mind. Regardless, it seemed Jin Wi had recognized me first. He was staring at me, unable to stand up, yet unable to tear his eyes away. I could see the corners of his mouth threatening to curl up just from making eye contact across the distance. I bowed my head slightly to show respect. At that, his mouth curled up even further.
I am a bit pretty, after all. But deep down, I didn't feel much excitement. I was about to look away, feeling like he was nothing more than a pebble on the side of the road, when one fact followed late into my mind. ...Wait? I scanned the rows of True Inherited Disciples again, one by one. From the eldest senior disciple, two other Core Formation stage disciples, my eldest brother, another disciple at the mid-stage of Core Formation, and finally Jin Wi at the end—there were six seats in total. Compared to the delegation that had visited our family, one seat was missing.
Where is Senior Sister Mongyo? She was the senior sister of the eldest brother who had visited our family as part of the delegation last year. She was the one who had doted on me and urged me to visit the Biun Sect. She was also the person I had earmarked as my guide when I was planning how to tear through the New Spring Exchange Meeting. I had been certain that if my eldest brother was by my side, he would stop me from even setting foot in the martial contest, but if Senior Sister Mongyo, who thought I was cute, took his place, I would have a way to force my way into the contest. My calculation was that I needed a disciple who knew the sect’s inner workings by my side to fleece them clean, even as an outside guest. But she was nowhere to be seen.
Where did she go? I barely managed to suppress the corners of my mouth from hardening. The other True Inherited Disciples looked calm and composed in their seats, so it didn't seem like there had been any accidents. Even so, this was a huge problem for me. My plan to ignore my eldest brother’s dissuasion and squeeze into the martial contest to grab a share of the rewards had just gone up in smoke. My martial contest!!! I despaired inwardly, but I composed my expression and sat down. I had to rethink my entire plan for fleecing the New Spring Exchange Meeting.