The Ten-Thousand-Year Plan
Once the commotion caused by the mountain hermits’ noisy display of skills had subsided, a brief lull settled over the banquet hall. But it was only for a moment. "Huh?" Baek Cheong blinked, her eyes widening at the unfamiliar figures approaching from the far side of the hall. The processions of other factions, who had been making their way into the banquet, politely cleared a path on both sides.
At the head of those walking in with such imposing dignity stood an old man with a full head of white hair. The cloud patterns of the Biun Sect were intricately embroidered onto his robes, and with every step he took, ripples spread through the surrounding spiritual energy as if a stone had been tossed into a calm lake. It was unmistakably a Nascent Soul great cultivator, quite different from those at the Core Formation stage.
'The Biun Sect sent a Nascent Soul cultivator?' Baek Cheong inwardly hid her surprise, though she demurely set down her teacup. This was a different caliber entirely from the delegation of the sect leader’s direct disciples who had visited before.
"I am Feng Jinhai, an inner elder of the Biun Sect. I have come to congratulate the Baek family head on his breakthrough to the Golden Core and to deliver a personal letter from our sect leader."
Feng Jinhai did not intentionally project his pressure, yet his mere words commanded the atmosphere of the entire hall. The Core Formation mountain hermits who had been bustling about in front of the head table moments ago each lowered their bodies and offered their respects. Baek Mujin rose from the head seat, walked directly to the front, and respectfully received the letter with both hands.
"I am truly grateful for the Biun Sect’s kindness. Elder Feng, you must have had a difficult journey to come such a long way."
"Haha, the Baek family head’s Three-Tribulation Golden Core is a matter of great celebration even within the Biun Sect. I hope that the ties between the Biun Sect and the Yeonha Baek Clan will grow even deeper in the future."
A brief but weighty exchange of greetings followed. Baek Cheong sat obediently, watching the scene. 'It’s fascinating how much attention they’re paying to us.' She let the words drift past her, her fingers fidgeting with the toy puppet she had secretly tucked into her robes. A matter of this magnitude was, for the most part, irrelevant to her.
'Hmm?' It hadn't even been half a shichen since the Biun Sect delegation had taken their seats at the head table. Another group appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall. This time, instead of banners, the golden-dyed emblems of the Manxiang Pavilion caught everyone's eyes. They looked identical to the ones she had seen at the Manxiang Pavilion branch in the Southern Capital, but the quality of the emblems carried this time was clearly superior.
The Manxiang Pavilion was the largest alliance of merchant guilds in the cultivation world, with branches across all continents, and a massive organization governed by five pavilion masters who divided their power. The Southern Pavilion Master, who oversaw the entire southern region, had come in person.
The middle-aged woman walking at the front was the Southern Pavilion Master. While the gold and silver ornaments draped over her silk robes flashed brilliantly, what truly commanded attention was the calm and clear dignity emanating from her eyes.
'Another Nascent Soul cultivator has arrived.' It was impossible not to notice, given the aura she displayed as if to show it off. With two Nascent Soul cultivators appearing at a single banquet in succession, low murmurs began to spread throughout the hall.
"I am So Hyeon-jeong, the Southern Pavilion Master of the Manxiang Pavilion. On behalf of the Manxiang Pavilion, I congratulate the Yeonha Baek Clan on this auspicious occasion."
Baek Mujin exchanged another respectful greeting and guided her to the head table. 'The atmosphere is completely different from before.' Baek Cheong observed her surroundings, grasping the situation. The Core Formation mountain hermits, who had been scrambling to offer their skills just moments ago, were now sitting quietly in their seats. Their spirits had been naturally crushed by the appearance of the Nascent Soul cultivators.
"...I never imagined the Southern Pavilion Master of the Manxiang Pavilion would come in person."
On the other hand, the mouths of the mountain hermits could not stay shut. Whispers swirled around every corner of the banquet hall.
"Isn't the lineup of guests too grand for a family head who just reached the Golden Core?"
"You must have been wandering around, so you wouldn't know. The cultivation city managed by the Yeonha Baek Clan is the largest in the entire southern continent."
"I knew that. But would two Nascent Soul cultivators come side-by-side just for the size of one city?"
"That's not the end of it." Han Gyeongdo lowered his voice and whispered. "There are the Spirit Villages managed by the Yeonha Baek Clan, aren't there? They are all prime villages where the spirit veins are alive, and it's said that if you combine the profits from them, it's comparable to any other major cultivation city."
"...If it's to that extent."
"They say that even though the Manxiang Pavilion has branches spread across every continent, in terms of connections, they actually lag behind the Baek family merchant association..."
Han Gyeongdo continued his story. "For mountain hermits like us, just showing our faces at a place like this is more than we deserve. Look at that lineup—an inner elder of the Biun Sect and the Southern Pavilion Master of the Manxiang Pavilion."
"With a Golden Core family head, a Golden Core supreme elder, and the full protection of the Biun Sect... I'm so glad I moved quickly."
"I was faster than you, though."
Eventually, the mountain hermits began to raise their voices, arguing among themselves about who had arrived first. Realizing that attention was being drawn to them, they quickly shut their mouths.
'Ah, boring.' Baek Cheong swallowed a yawn as boredom crept in. Her interest in the politics and power struggles of adults had long since hit rock bottom. She felt a strong urge to log into the Moomyeongbang, but she felt the gaze of her uncle still watching her, so she had to be careful. Just as she was about to give up on the forum and focus on sipping her tea—
"This is unbelievable... another major sect is attending."
"Isn't that the Taehyeon Sect?"
"What brings them from the Central Continent all the way to the south..."
The entire banquet hall was stirred once again. The atmosphere this time was quite different. When the Biun Sect or the Manxiang Pavilion arrived, the reaction had been one of stunned acceptance, but what flowed out now was genuine astonishment. The aura of the old man leisurely walking through the entrance of the banquet hall possessed a depth that clearly surpassed the qi of Feng Jinhai or So Hyeon-jeong.
The emblem of the Taehyeon Sect was clearly embroidered on the old man's robes. It was a major sect in the Central Continent that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Heavenly Sword Sect, and a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator of the Taehyeon Sect had come in person to a Golden Core family banquet in the southern continent.
'Even the Taehyeon Sect is here?' Even Baek Cheong blinked her eyes wide. Even the Biun Sect's inner elder and the Manxiang Pavilion's Southern Pavilion Master raised their eyebrows at the appearance of the Taehyeon Sect's Peak Lord. They seemed to realize that the status of the Yeonha Baek Clan was much deeper than they had estimated. Needless to say, the Core Formation mountain hermits were speechless; they kept their heads bowed, unable to say a word at the sight of three Nascent Soul great cultivators—who were incomparable to them—gathered in one place.
"I am Jin Mu-hak, Peak Lord of the Taehyeon Sect. I have come late due to a personal connection."
Jin Mu-hak withdrew all his pressure and wore a gentle smile. Baek Mujin rose quickly from his seat to welcome him.
"That you remember the connection with our ancestor after all this time, I, Mujin, am truly overwhelmed."
"Remember?" Jin Mu-hak shook his head lightly. "How could I forget the grace of the person who rushed over without any conditions to lend their strength when my senior brother was on the verge of losing his life? It is a debt that I must repay as long as this old man is alive."
The connection that the Yeonha Baek Clan's ancestor had forged with the Taehyeon Sect cultivator was being repaid now, across several generations. At this, sounds of admiration leaked out from all over the banquet hall. The banquet hall, where three Nascent Soul cultivators were now seated, had transformed into an entirely different atmosphere. The Core Formation mountain hermits were careful even with their breathing, and the guests from small and medium-sized factions clearly considered the mere fact of attending the banquet a great honor.
'My family really is something else, isn't it?' Baek Cheong sipped her tea, inwardly satisfied. Soon, when all the guests had taken their seats, her father slowly stood up. As a Core Formation cultivator, his aura spread subtly, and the banquet hall grew even quieter.
"To everyone who has made the precious journey from afar, I, representing the Yeonha Baek Clan, express my sincere gratitude. The Yeonha Baek Clan will not forget the kindness of everyone who has joined us here today."
Baek Mujin spoke in a low voice, yet his words reached every corner of the banquet hall.
"And I would like to take this opportunity to say one thing."
Baek Mujin raised his wine cup and slowly scanned the entire hall. The atmosphere of the banquet hall grew taut.
"From now on, the Yeonha Baek Clan intends to establish a Ten-Thousand-Year Plan."
It was an ambition to design the clan's survival and prosperity for the next ten thousand years. For a single clan to declare a ten-thousand-year plan could easily be seen as arrogance, failing to know one's place before the heavens. However, not a single guest in the banquet hall looked offended or mocked him. Jin Mu-hak of the Taehyeon Sect was the first to nod with smiling eyes. After all, he had come all the way to the distant south precisely because he could not forget the grace of their ancestor.
Feng Jinhai of the Biun Sect also looked on with an approving gaze. The reason the eldest son of the Baek family had entered as a direct disciple of the sect leader was not just because of his talent, but because it was built upon a friendship that had been passed down for generations, not a connection formed overnight.
So Hyeon-jeong of the Manxiang Pavilion knew better than anyone. Even to the eyes of the Manxiang Pavilion, which had insight into the commercial flow of all continents, the Yeonha Baek Clan was in a different class from families that had grown through mere wealth or military force. Their history of valuing connections since their founder, and repaying received grace even if it meant cutting to the bone—the accumulation of such history over a thousand years was the reason three Nascent Soul great cultivators were sitting at a Golden Core breakthrough celebration.
The fact that the mountain hermits had scrambled to offer their skills was in the same vein. It was possible because there was a long-standing belief that a reward would always follow a connection once forged.
"I, Baek Mujin, have grown up watching from the side how my father and grandfather forged their connections."
Baek Mujin's words were calm, yet they carried power.
"Therefore, the Yeonha Baek Clan's Ten-Thousand-Year Plan is not a grandiose dream. It is merely a pledge to continue our ties with everyone who has connected with the Baek family for the next ten thousand years."
As he finished speaking, exclamations naturally flowed from the banquet hall. Feng Jinhai was the first to raise his wine cup high. So Hyeon-jeong followed, and Jin Mu-hak tilted his cup with a satisfied expression. A spectacular scene unfolded as the Core Formation mountain hermits and the guests from small and medium factions all raised their cups in unison to respond.
"The Yeonha Baek Clan is truly born with the energy to last ten thousand years."
Someone's exclamation left a deep resonance as it circled the plaza. There was no one who did not nod in agreement.
'A Ten-Thousand-Year Plan...' Meanwhile, Baek Cheong just watched the whole scene while quietly drinking her tea.
'Well, I'm sure they'll handle it well on their own.'
Whether it was ten thousand years or a hundred thousand years, it was a topic that didn't stir much emotion in Baek Cheong. What occupied her mind right now was the toy puppet she had tucked inside her formal robes. While the banquet hall was shouting about ten thousand years and raising their cups, she took advantage of the fact that the attention on her had faded and fell into thought.
'By the way, if I do it right, I think it might be possible to refine pills with puppets...'
Certainly, if one looked at it in terms of possibility, it wasn't an impossible task. But there was a reason why alchemists or puppet masters in the cultivation world didn't do it.
'It would be impossible with a toy puppet, though.'
However, Baek Cheong had a personality that was particularly drawn to this kind of nonsense. She looked at the seats where the mountain hermits were sitting as if she were eyeing prey.
'I need a different puppet.'
The puppet master Yuk Muk, who had been quietly enjoying the banquet, suddenly felt a chill and flinched. He carefully looked around to find the source of the chill, but he couldn't find it. It was because he couldn't even imagine that the chill had been caused by a qi-refining stage brat.