A Proposal Beneath the Starlit Falls
The crystal box grew more enigmatic the longer one examined it. At first, Han Yujin had truly believed it was made of crystal, but that assumption proved entirely wrong.
It was not stone, nor metal, nor glass. Plastic was out of the question. Naturally, it was neither wood nor rubber.
‘It feels less like a natural substance and more like something artificially created…’
Yet that was merely an impression. The only certainty was that it possessed properties perfectly optimized for storing objects.
When the lid was closed, it completely severed external energies from the interior. It even seemed to slow the passage of time inside. And no special formations or incantations were engraved upon it.
He had wanted to keep it and study it thoroughly, but after much deliberation, Han Yujin ultimately destroyed the crystal box in a remote location and discarded the remains.
The possibility was extremely low, but the danger that even that slim chance could trigger was far too great.
After destroying the box, he stored the spiritual fruit and the spiritual pill separately inside a jade container.
The spiritual fruit, which resembled a peach and carried a dense concentration of the Five Elements, was nearly a high-grade spiritual plant. In other words, it was potent enough to benefit even Nascent Soul or Soul Formation cultivators.
‘No wonder I wanted it so badly.’
If he studied how best to process it before consuming the fruit, he could save an enormous amount of time in cultivation. Alternatively, it could help him shatter any bottlenecks that might arise during training.
As for the spiritual pill, he had confirmed there were no immediate problems, but he could not guarantee its efficacy.
In particular, since one of its primary ingredients appeared to be refined from the blood of a Celestial Demon, it had been difficult to find useful information in the Galactic Empire’s databases, which had limited contact with the demon race.
The blood of a Celestial Demon was practically the essence of the demon race itself, so he felt a slight concern. Still, considering that even orthodox cultivators frequently refined and consumed various spiritual pills made from demonic byproducts, there was probably no need to worry excessively.
‘I’ll have him consume it right before returning to reality.’
That way, even if unexpected side effects appeared, he could simply choose not to harvest that particular ‘achievement’ upon his return.
Of course, this was merely a contingency plan. He believed the probability of any issues was low, and that made him rather excited.
And then there were the belongings of the demonic Nascent Soul cultivator—items that seemed endless no matter how many times he looked through them.
Until now, he had held no interest in learning demonic cultivation methods or spells, so he had only given them a cursory glance. But after his encounter with the archmage Isthmus and the inspiration he gained regarding the harmony of yin and yang, the situation had changed completely.
Yin and yang were supremely important as the very first concepts to explain change and harmony.
Moreover, just as modern Earth’s computers functioned perfectly with nothing but binary, the fact that yin and yang alone could somehow explain everything made them profoundly deep.
‘Primordial Chaos is the origin of all things, but it is so all-encompassing and abstract that it’s actually difficult to approach.’
Yin and yang, on the other hand, were different. Even the black-and-white logic that people fell into so easily was part of yin and yang, so it would not be wrong to say they were inherently familiar.
‘In short… if we set primordial chaos aside as an exception among the various guiding concepts, it would not be an exaggeration to call yin and yang the most important.’
At the same time, yin and yang were not unrelated to the Five Elements, since they explained the changes and interactions of all the material substances that concretely formed the world.
In other words, in order to understand and wield the Five Elements on a deeper level, he could not afford to neglect yin and yang.
As long as he did not become so immersed in yin and yang that he lost sight of the original goal, everything would become blood and flesh for his cultivation.
That is to say—
Delving into the demonic Nascent Soul cultivator’s techniques and spells to gain enlightenment regarding the dark plane, then harmonizing that understanding with the radiant plane through yin-yang concepts, would ultimately accelerate his training of the Taiyi Five Elements Dao Scripture.
‘And as a bonus, I might obtain upgraded spells as well.’
This was all assuming success, but he did not believe he would fail.
And so.
While he continued his steady cultivation of the Taiyi Five Elements Dao Scripture as always and explored enlightenment in various directions—
Just as he was thinking it might be time to leave planet P-221 since his business here was nearly finished—
Brenar came to visit Han Yujin’s room.
“Want to go for a short walk? There’s a famous tourist spot here, you know.”
“You mean that place called Astraboom or something?”
“Astravium. They say starlight flows from the waterfall. At night, it’s supposed to be incredibly impressive.”
It was not strictly necessary, but sparing a day or two would not be difficult. Han Yujin naturally accepted.
After making simple preparations, the two of them—or rather, three, if one included Mu-yong—left the city and headed for the tourist attraction.
It did not take long to arrive. After all, this was a stroll between an 11th-level spiritualist and a 7th-level spiritualist; it could not possibly have taken long.
What they found upon arrival was a vast waterfall region where unique flows of ether created various mystical natural phenomena.
The deep green, lush forest, the clean-looking dark gray cliffs, and the rainbows forming within the thick mist that scattered in every direction all combined to create a truly dreamlike atmosphere.
“Oh.”
Like any proper tourist, Han Yujin let out an unreserved sigh of admiration and enjoyed the wonders of nature. Brenar showed a similar attitude, and Mu-yong, who had naturally ended up nestled in her arms during the journey, was no different.
“We can’t leave out alcohol in a place like this.”
They had descended onto the summit of a moderately sized rocky peak. Brenar used a technique similar to spatial manipulation to create a table and chairs. She then brought out a high-grade liquor—though not Nectar, it was comparable in rarity—along with stone cups.
Jjik! Jjijik—!
Mu-yong immediately displayed her gluttony, but Brenar simply laughed and showed no intention of sharing even a drop. From the start, she did not seem to believe in the slightest that Mu-yong could drink such strong liquor.
Golden liquid filled the cups, releasing an enchanting aroma.
The two of them passed the cups back and forth while chatting idly.
Savoring such leisurely peace and tranquility with a breathtaking natural landscape as their side dish—it truly felt like the very definition of refined enjoyment.
From Han Yujin’s perspective, even though his companion was a superior, he felt neither discomfort nor awkwardness. He had grown used to such dynamics back when he served in the far stricter and more rigid space forces compared to the exploration corps.
‘And she is undeniably a beauty.’
There were times when, while looking at her, he would even forget that she was a high-ranking superior and a Nascent Soul-level existence. Occasionally, it reminded him of the new recruits who had been so captivated by her appearance upon first being assigned to the Demensys cruiser that they made mistakes.
As a side note, that particular recruit had retired around the time Han Yujin was promoted to sergeant. He had never looked into the reason.
While they spent time together in pleasant spirits, the day quickly drew to a close.
As the sunset faded and the sun finally vanished completely, leaving countless stars to adorn the sky—
Astravium began to reveal its true beauty. Even though he had thought he had already enjoyed it enough, the sight was so stunning that he could not help but be amazed anew.
It was precisely then, when the dreamlike atmosphere had fully matured—
“Yujin.”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever thought about marrying me?”
Mu-yong, who had been showing gluttonous interest until now and had finally slumped in Brenar’s arms with something close to resigned defeat, suddenly lifted her head with a start.
Han Yujin slowly set down the cup he had been holding and steadied the stirrings in his heart.
“Although there is an age difference, as you know, that isn’t really an important factor for spiritualists at our level.”
She was right.
To the sensibilities of an ordinary modern Earthling, it might feel slightly strange and uncomfortable, but Han Yujin had already lived well past a hundred years and would continue to live for a very long time. He had long since moved beyond such ordinary sensibilities.
The same would be true for Brenar.
“It might feel a bit sudden… but I like you. Both emotionally and rationally. You are someone I can trust and rely on in many ways, and you are an excellent person from whom I can learn a great deal.”
On the surface, she spoke in her usual manner, but Han Yujin could sense that she was actually quite embarrassed and secretly nervous.
‘To think she would bring it up so directly…’
Of course, this was not exactly a sudden ‘confession attack.’
Unless one was seriously oblivious or a complete fool, it would have been impossible not to notice that she had harbored feelings for him for quite some time.
Even so, the reason he had never responded until now was simple.
“First of all.”
After a brief pause to organize his thoughts, he continued.
“I am truly happy and grateful that you feel this way. However… it is not that I dislike you, Commander. There are two reasons why I cannot accept.”
At the clear rejection, Brenar closed her eyes and downed the contents of her cup in one go.
Then she opened her eyes and looked at him, as if asking what those reasons were.
“The first is something I have never told anyone before, but the truth is… I have a deceased wife.”
“…Deceased?”
“Yes. Quite a long time has passed, and we never had children, but… even though I know that forming a new connection does not erase her memory or constitute a betrayal, my heart has not yet been fully settled.”
Apparently an answer she had never considered, Brenar looked visibly flustered.
“I had no idea… something like that had happened.”
As she spoke, she seemed to be running through various thoughts.
It must have occurred before he became an imperial citizen, so she appeared to be guessing how old he had been at the time and what kind of relationship it might have been.
“And the second reason.”
Without giving her more time to think deeply, Han Yujin continued.
“I plan to leave the Galactic Empire in the near future.”
“Leave? Where to?”
“I intend to go to the Cultivation World.”
It was not the complete truth, but neither was it a complete lie.
He truly had to return to reality in the near future, and he fully planned to visit the Cultivation World someday.
“For the sake of growth?”
“Yes.”
After a brief silence, she let out a soft sigh.
“It’s true… the Cultivation World does have a higher ceiling than our Galactic Empire…”
Especially for someone who had learned cultivation methods from that world.
Jjik…? Jjik…!
Mu-yong let out a cry that sounded slightly different from usual. Brenar reflexively stroked her head, seeming to fall into deep thought.
Even for Han Yujin, his heart was not entirely at ease; it felt complicated and subtle.
Brenar was undeniably a beautiful and attractive woman. Highly capable, bold, and sometimes displaying a girl-like purity—she was someone he could not deny having developed feelings for as well.
Had it not been for the two reasons he mentioned earlier, he might have confessed to her first before receiving such a proposal.
It was around the time he was thinking along those lines.
“Actually…”
She broke the silence with some difficulty.
“While it’s true that I really like you, there is one more important reason why I proposed marriage like this.”
“…What is it?”
After hesitating and moving her lips a few times, she let out another small sigh and spoke.
“I needed your help. More precisely, among the memories I gained from the Soul-Eating Dao-Achieving Pill we consumed before, I wanted to try using the assistance of the Twin Cultivation Method’s Hwanhwajucheon Gong.”
“Pardon?”
The story was so far from what he had expected that Han Yujin unconsciously asked in return.
And even before she could answer, several elements suddenly came to mind. Thanks to the intelligence he had gained as a decisive cultivator, they rose naturally.
Previously, while going through his discharge procedures, he had thought that if he had been a lieutenant colonel, it would have been difficult to retire without any special reason. Yet Brenar, who was indeed a lieutenant colonel, had retired smoothly and begun working with the exploration corps.
In other words, there had been a special reason.
Also, not long ago at the auction house, she had shown considerable interest in an extremely special and powerful recovery potion from the Magic Sanctuary.
“Back when you fed me the Soul-Eating Dao-Achieving Pill to save me.”
Just before he could connect her words about needing help with the thoughts that had suddenly occurred to him—
She spoke the truth first.
“The truth is, I have not fully recovered. A deep aftereffect remains in my soul, to the point where further growth has become extremely difficult.”
She spoke in a seemingly calm tone as she picked up the liquor bottle and filled her cup.
“It was an opponent I could not possibly defeat without pushing myself that far. That demonic cultivator.”