Liberated from Endless Banquets...?
At long last, all the official schedules—from the interminable New Year's banquet to the small-scale gatherings—had wrapped up. Most of the guests had departed from the Yeonha Baek family estate, restoring its long-lost tranquility. Baek Cheong slept in deeply, rolling around on her bed and savoring the sweet respite.
After days of forcing smiles under the adults' watchful eyes and getting drained by the kids, holing up alone in her room felt like paradise.
"Finally, my time alone...!"
Baek Cheong hummed a little tune as she activated her divine sense to log into Moomyeongbang. Her mouth twitched with anticipation at the thought of checking all the piled-up bait she hadn't been able to properly troll through for days.
But her modest bliss didn't last long. A polite yet familiar voice came from beyond the door.
"Cheong-ah, are you in there? It's your big brother."
Baek Cheong hurriedly disconnected from Moomyeongbang, kicked off the covers in frustration, and quickly straightened her appearance. It was prime trolling time after so long, but with Baek Gyu showing up at the crack of dawn, she felt a pang of regret inside—though she schooled her expression and opened her mouth.
"Yes, Big Brother! Come in."
Baek Gyu entered with a pleased smile lighting up his face. He sat down across from his sister and cut straight to the chase.
"Sorry to bother you so early in the morning. I heard from Junior Brother Mongyo last night. You made a promise to visit the Biun Sect, right?"
Baek Cheong's face stiffened for a split second at the reminder of something she'd completely forgotten. It had just been an empty pleasantry to dodge the situation, but that nosy junior had apparently run straight to her brother to brag.
"Ah, that... I didn't mean right away. Maybe when the chance comes up later..."
"It doesn't have to be formal entry into the sect. We've got mountains of wondrous things at the Biun Sect that you can't see back home. Just trust your big brother and drop by anytime, no pressure."
Baek Gyu brushed off her evasion with evident delight at her mere interest in the sect and nailed down a firm commitment. Baek Cheong, sensing she'd be dragged off on a sect tour right then if she didn't pivot, hurriedly changed the subject.
"By the way, all your senior brothers from the sect came as part of the delegation this time. They're such high-ranking figures there—how did they manage to come all at once?"
The full participation of the sect master's direct disciples felt excessively lavish. Baek Gyu paused at the sharp question, falling silent for a moment.
"Hm..."
He glanced around once, let out a light sigh, and spoke.
"It'll be public knowledge across the region in a few days anyway, so it's fine to tell you early."
Baek Gyu's tone grew more serious.
"Soon, there's going to be an exchange gathering where all the great sects of the Central Continent convene. My senior brothers and I are heading there on the sect master's orders to represent the Biun Sect. We stopped by the family estate on the way because there was clan business to handle."
Baek Gyu didn't specify what the business was. But Baek Cheong quickly pieced it together.
The Five Elements Pill...
A heaven-defying elixir that could elevate O-yeong-geun aptitude, transforming it from trash into anything from quadruple spiritual roots to heavenly roots depending on one's prowess. It was what the Biun Sect had promised unprecedented favors to the Baek family to obtain.
The great sects are taking an interest in O-yeong-geun.
The Biun Sect could normally pick and choose from heavenly or earthly quadruple roots if they wanted. With disciples boasting at least triple roots in abundance, there was no need to bother nurturing an O-yeong-geun user with something like the Five Elements Pill.
Something's definitely up.
Baek Cheong caught a whiff of suspicion, but that was as far as it went. Whether they used the pill or resold it, it was sect and clan business—not something for her to worry about.
Has nothing to do with me.
She masked her subtle inner thoughts and swiftly adjusted her expression. Pretending deep fascination with the grand inter-sect exchange, she sparkled her eyes.
"Whoa, a great sects' exchange gathering! That sounds so cool. Do they do big sparring matches and stuff there?"
At her reaction, Baek Gyu lit up and continued enthusiastically.
"Haha, the late-stage disciples don't spar with each other. It's more like a grand assembly where late-stage geniuses from across the region share insights. This particular one is essentially an expedition into an ancient relic from the primordial era deep in the Central Continent. Prodigies representing each sect will enter to compete for rare spirit herbs and ancient dharma treasures. Even our youngest junior brother, Jinwi, has high hopes for this relic delve."
Baek Gyu earnestly expounded on the fierce rivalries among late-stage disciples and the relic's mysteries. But to Baek Cheong, perilous tales of derring-do and sect pride clashes were less engaging than forum trolling.
"So if our Biun Sect takes the lead in this exchange..."
As Baek Gyu's explanation dragged on, Baek Cheong gradually lost focus. Her mind wandered to things like, Oh yeah, there was some juicy bait spinning on Moomyeongbang, and Supreme Justice, Supreme Post-Style.
"Ah, wait. I got so caught up in the exchange talk that I almost forgot the important part."
Baek Gyu pulled out his Jeomuldae storage pouch, carefully extracting a uniquely shaped artifact and placing it on the table.
"What's this?"
Baek Cheong eyed the item curiously. It was a thick, vermilion metal bracelet etched with crude geometric patterns on its surface. Even a casual scan with her observational technique revealed no intense spiritual energy—it looked heavy and drab.
"This is a training artifact said to have been used by O-yeong-geun cultivators in the primordial era to harmonize the five elements' energies and temper their meridians."
In the current cultivation world, O-yeong-geun was dismissed as worthless trash aptitude, but there had once been a time when those who wielded all five elements were revered as omnipotent prodigies.
"I scoured the sect's archive pavilion like a madman and barely dug up some records. Based on the restored blueprints from those records, I earnestly begged one of our 4th-circle Refining Qi artisans in the sect to craft this specially."
A 4th-circle Refining Qi artisan was a revered figure even Origin Infant grandmasters hesitated to commandeer for custom work. Pushing blueprints on one and requesting a training tool for O-yeong-geun users couldn't have been smooth sailing.
Baek Cheong looked at Baek Gyu with concern.
"Big Brother... To commission a 4th-circle Refining Qi Master, don't you need massive contribution points from the sect? Those are rarer than spirit stones."
Sect contribution points were like medals earned by wardens staking their lives on missions or offering rare fortuitous encounters. The thought of him spending such precious points on a training tool just for her tugged at her young heart.
Baek Gyu smiled nonchalantly at her worried expression.
"Haha, what's a few contribution points when it's to help my lovely little sister train? That's why your big brother grinds away out there—for the clan."
He picked up the crude bracelet and handed it to Baek Cheong. In return, she slipped it onto her wrist right there.
"I know it's rough-looking and ugly, so it might not be to your taste. But the inscribed formation is exquisitely precise, letting you perceive even the subtlest energy flows. It'll be a great aid since you're handling multiple spells and need fine control over energies."
As she circulated her energy per his explanation, the training artifact resonated. Suddenly, she could sense the five elements' energies coursing through her meridians as clearly as if peering right at them.
No need for divine sense assistance at this level.
Even without divine sense to manage it, she could now precisely manipulate specific elemental energies. Tempering her meridians through the artifact would be useful, but...
With this...
Baek Cheong glimpsed further potential in the training tool. It might prove invaluable even in high-grade pill refining.
I could troll on the forums while refining supreme-grade pills?
Her thoughts reached that point, and suddenly, escape from pill-refining hell seemed possible. She opened her mouth with genuine joy.
"No, Big Brother. Who cares about looks?"
Baek Cheong hugged the training artifact on her wrist close to her chest and beamed radiantly. She usually offered perfunctory politeness amid the family's excessive attention and misunderstandings.
"You really mean that?"
"I really love it. I'll treasure it and use it well, Big Brother!"
This time, her words carried true sincerity bubbling up from the depths of her small heart.