Why Is the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sovereign Coming Out from There?
The next day, Baek Cheong awoke feeling refreshingly invigorated, thanks to a deeper sleep than usual. The biggest factor was solving the stubborn puzzle of the sword technique with help from the sword appraisal experts on Moomyeongbang the night before. Vitality surged through her body more than ever; she felt light enough to spend the whole day glued to the forums without a hitch.
But her time in Yeonha Immortal City was down to just a few days. Once she returned home, the hellish pill-refining room under Elder Gok awaited. Before that, she burned with a sense of mission to scour the market district like a hawk and snag at least one stroke of fortune.
"Today's the day—I'll get it no matter what!"
Clenching her fist, Baek Cheong stepped out of her residence. Her uncle seemed busy with caravan business and had left at dawn. In his place, a young Core Formation early-stage enforcer she'd exchanged greetings with at the docks was waiting at the mansion entrance, volunteering as her escort.
"Miss, I hope you slept well. I'll be guiding you through the market district today. Feel free to call me Enforcer Ga."
Enforcer Ga knew the city's layout and ins-and-outs better than anyone. He was a sharp, agreeable fellow who didn't bat an eye at her quirky goal of hunting fortunes, which was why Uncle Baek Mu-yeong had assigned him specifically.
"Thank you, Enforcer Ga. Looking forward to a great day!"
Baek Cheong greeted him brightly and left the mansion with her escort.
As they walked the bustling streets toward the market district, curiosity suddenly struck her about how this man had become such close friends with her eldest brother.
"Um... how did you get so close to Big Brother? You're not from the main family, right?"
At her tentative question, Enforcer Ga smiled with genuine warmth.
"I'm originally an orphan. I was starving on the streets when the Baek family took me in out of kindness. Despite my lowly trash spiritual roots, I showed a bit of promise in training and got the honor of learning directly from the family head. That's when I bonded with Baek Gyu as fellow students."
Baek Cheong's eyes widened round. Her big brother had superior single-element roots, rare even among the outer sects. To reach Core Formation alongside him despite trash roots meant he'd overcome his innate limits through bone-grinding effort—and carried the luck of a true fortune child as a cultivator.
Trash roots to early Core Formation in just thirty years? Total fortune magnet.
Baek Cheong eyed Enforcer Ga with keen interest. He was surely hiding some massive stroke of fortune. But she wasn't foolish enough to pry or covet it. Just traveling with someone who reeked of potential luck was fortune in itself. Sticking to a walking good-luck charm like him would skyrocket her odds of digging real treasures from even a street vendor's junk pile.
"Shall we start with the street stalls?"
She pointed toward the back-alley vendors where she'd struck out before, but Enforcer Ga shook his head lightly.
"I heard you're hunting for fortunes, miss. But the odds of finding one at a roadside stall are slim to none. True fortunes require the eye to recognize them. How about we head to White Merchant Pavilion first? Browsing their spirit items will sharpen your discernment."
It was solid advice, straight from a fortune child. She recalled her embarrassing blunders—mistaking scrap metal for a famed sword or weeds for elixirs.
"Sounds good! To White Merchant Pavilion it is."
White Merchant Pavilion was a massive emporium run directly by the Baek family caravan in the city. As they approached the entrance, Baek Cheong saw cultivators swarming in crowds several times denser than usual.
"It's the fallout from the Five Elements Pills at yesterday's Myeong Sang Pavilion auction. The Baek caravan's reputation has shot through the roof overnight, drawing cultivators from all over."
Enforcer Ga's explanation made Baek Cheong hum a little tune inwardly. A strange pride swelled at how the pills had brought her family immense wealth and fame.
"Let's hurry in!"
Brimming with energy, she quickened her steps into the pavilion.
The first floor catered mainly to Refining Qi cultivators, stocked with common pills, minor treasures, and assorted materials. Even so, she deployed her appraisal technique, scrutinizing the displays closely. Unlike the street junk, these items all emanated a refined aura of consistent quality.
A few odd-shaped or strangely attuned pieces caught her eye, prompting questions to the clerks—but the answers were mundane.
"Ah, that's black obsidian mined from the southern abyss. Its energy is peculiar, but it's just decorative for a first-rank treasure."
Flashy on the outside, but no real fortune value—just ordinary goods.
"Nothing special on the first floor. Shall we head up?"
At her suggestion, Enforcer Ga led the way to the second floor.
Normally, the second floor and above required Core Formation or equivalent status to enter. But with a direct Baek bloodline from the city's power players and her enforcer escort, the guards bowed deeply and cleared the path.
The second floor was far less crowded, but the cultivators there were no joke—mostly early- and mid-Core Formation experts or scions of prominent clans browsing leisurely. A few recognized Baek Cheong and started to approach, only to freeze at the sight of Enforcer Ga behind her. None dared approach rashly.
"Oh! Found something neat."
Free from interruptions, Baek Cheong leisurely scanned the second-floor displays, honing her eye. She analyzed the diverse auras of second-rank spirit herbs and finely forged treasures with her technique, stacking knowledge in her mind.
"I think I've got a decent eye now... Can we check the third floor?"
Enforcer Ga nodded without hesitation.
The third floor was reserved for renowned Core Formation elders, key figures from major clans or branches, and Gold Core cultivators. Yet the Baek bloodline smashed through that threshold effortlessly.
"Whoa... the vibe's totally different."
Baek Cheong couldn't help but gasp upon entering. The few cultivators present lingered in quiet corners, conducting discreet deals. Strangers drew no glances; they prioritized dignity and poise.
These must be the quasi-third-rank items.
Thanks to the atmosphere, she browsed the rare treasures freely. But at Refining Qi 4-star, most were beyond her grasp. Even appraising their auras felt like peering through thick fog, and the clerks' explanations left her puzzled despite their kindness.
"Quasi-third-rank stuff is too tough. Still, my eye's sharper now—let's hit the real street stalls."
As she turned to leave, consoling her regrets, Enforcer Ga halted her with a cautious whisper.
"Miss, there's a secret passage to the fourth floor."
Baek Cheong's eyes bulged.
"A fourth floor? Who goes there?"
"Only Gold Core and above, no exceptions. Even I can't enter freely... but no one would stop you."
A zone for Gold Core elites exclusively. Anything on the fourth floor had to scream fortune.
"We have to go! Lead the way."
Her small chest thumped with curiosity and excitement. Following Enforcer Ga, she reached a hidden formation staircase in the third-floor corner.
But as she stepped toward it, presences descended from above—two figures. One was her uncle, supposedly out on caravan business. Beside him walked another man: middle-aged, in worn, unassuming martial robes unlike the flashy attire of high-realm cultivators. At his waist hung a crude iron sword in a battered leather sheath, no ornate blade.
The fourth floor is...
The instant she saw the man, Baek Cheong's breath caught, goosebumps prickling her skin. He looked like an ordinary wanderer, but instinct screamed otherwise.
Heaven-Splitting Sword Sovereign!
The overwhelming presence from yesterday's auction flooded back. The Heavenly Sword Sect's supreme elder, an Origin Infant grandmaster. Why was he descending with her uncle?
Did he figure out I fixed the broken sword technique?
Her mind raced with wild speculations—until the Sword Sovereign's steps halted abruptly on the stairs. His impassive gaze slowly pinned on the frozen Baek Cheong below.
"Ho."
A strange glint flickered in the Sword Sovereign's dry eyes. Baek Cheong couldn't fathom its meaning, a chill sweat trickling down her spine.