After Confessing the Secret
After confessing the secret, the relationship with Brenar developed into something far deeper than he had imagined possible. What he once considered already profound now seemed almost superficial in comparison. Perhaps it was an unintended side effect of the dual cultivation technique known as the Illusionary Flower Heavenly Circulation Art.
Every time they trained together, they ended up sharing not only their energy but their emotions as well. With his mind already flung wide open from resonating with the Primordial Origin, there was simply no way to remain unaffected.
Clearly, the dual cultivation method is not something one should practice with just anyone.
Even in a deeply emotional relationship, if the partner carried aspects that required caution, one would need to tread carefully.
Brenar seemed to have noticed this too, yet she paid it no mind. If anything, she grew more obsessed with the dual cultivation as the days passed.
Fortunately, the Great Blue Profound Water was doing its work, which only intensified the effect.
Each failure to treat her aftereffects must have piled up layers of anxiety and frustration. Now that a solution had appeared, it was only natural she would throw herself into it so completely.
And so the years flowed by.
The work with the Ebenrak family exploration team was certainly dangerous, but it could not compare to the missions of a galactic military exploration corps.
They primarily visited planets with unstable security—much like the black market they had once frequented—to gather necessary resources, or explored worlds that were only half-colonized in search of gains. Even in the most perilous situations, Brenar, an eleventh-level spiritualist, could resolve matters without strain.
Still, each assignment brought enough tension and novelty to sweep away any hint of monotony.
I never thought I’d enjoy this kind of explorer’s life.
It truly wasn’t bad. It was just as appealing as settling in one place and living a comfortable, peaceful existence.
Especially when he realized how frighteningly fast their feelings were deepening while they remained constantly together, the urge to simply settle down in this empire would surge up without warning.
But for the sake of Earth in the real world, that was impossible. So he reached a small compromise: perhaps he could stay four or five hundred years, training and raising his strength at the same time. The very fact that he had allowed even that compromise made the temptation almost impossible to resist.
If only… I had never encountered that wizard…
At his current realm he already had more than a thousand years of lifespan remaining, and reaching the Nascent Soul stage would more than double that. He might have chosen to stay simply to build memories with Brenar.
By now he loved her so sincerely that denial was no longer possible.
Yet meeting that wizard had taught him what lay beyond the heavens.
The power of a True Immortal-level being—something he had only vaguely imagined before—proved far more shocking than expected. Moreover, he had come to feel in his very bones that such supreme existences truly walked the universe.
A fierce longing ignited within him to become one of those great, eternal beings.
Since it still belonged to a distant future, the flame was not yet ferocious. But it had taken root in a corner of his mind and could no longer be ignored when he drew up his grand plans.
It was like a single spark rising in endless darkness. Even if small and weak for now, it was naturally impossible to overlook.
The True Immortal realm is one where, no matter how long one’s lifespan, how outstanding one’s talent, or how absurdly overpowered one’s awakening ability, success cannot be guaranteed.
Therefore he had abandoned the selfish desire to live hundreds of years with Brenar and grow old beside her.
He had begun to believe that once he himself became a True Immortal, he would enjoy a far longer and more precious happiness than anything a few centuries could provide.
He also believed that happiness would one day include Eun Miryeong.
So I will leave once Brenar has fully recovered and I sense my own growth beginning to slow.
It was a truly painful decision.
Even as Brenar deployed every possible temptation at every opportunity, it was a decision that did not waver.
In the end.
On a certain day when he was, as always, devoting himself to cultivation in the Ebenrak family’s private villa between missions.
After practicing the Illusionary Flower Heavenly Circulation Art with fierce intensity, they lay on the bed, savoring each other’s warmth as they rested.
“You cruel, heartless bastard…”
Brenar spoke the words and finally gave up.
“Should I just throw everything away and follow you?”
She turned smoothly in his arms to meet his eyes. When he hesitated, unsure how to answer, she burst into bright laughter.
“I’m joking. It’s true I love you, but abandoning my homeworld and family without any preparation is difficult.”
She had not earned the rank of space force lieutenant colonel for nothing; she was a woman with a powerful sense of responsibility. And that was exactly what made her so attractive.
“Unfortunately, that preparation will take a long time. Another spiritualist above level ten would need to appear, and there’s no guarantee it will happen smoothly. So… when the time comes for you to leave, don’t hesitate. Go. I’ll wait here and continue growing in my own way.”
She had reached the eleventh level through the Galactic Empire’s training methods. Moreover, with her family foundation and all her connections here, this was the only place where she could expect the fastest possible growth.
“Once you’ve grown enough to be satisfied, you’ll come back to see me, right?”
“…Of course.”
It had already been several years since they had dropped formal speech with each other in private.
Han Yujin answered a little late but with absolute clarity, pulling her back into his arms.
In this way the two of them, despite being impossibly close, had already decided on their eventual parting.
It was melancholy, yet fortunately a very long time still remained before the true moment of farewell would arrive.
After resting a little longer, they began the Illusionary Flower Heavenly Circulation Art once more.
This session was slightly more passionate than usual.
No matter how diligent a person is, they cannot devote themselves solely to cultivation without wasting even a single second. That would not be diligence but foolishness.
Humans are not machines; periodic rest is essential. Even machines require occasional maintenance, so there is no need to elaborate further.
The exploration team’s missions were scheduled irregularly with long intervals between them, so they spent considerable time staying at the Ebenrak family estate.
During those periods, Han Yujin frequently learned the art of nectar brewing from Brenar. It had not been his request; she had offered to teach him as a form of entertainment.
For someone who loved alcohol with near-fanatical passion, it was only natural that brewing nectar would be a hobby. Since it was a field that greatly interested Han Yujin as well, he was able to enjoy it wholeheartedly without the slightest fatigue.
And so, perhaps inevitably, an accident occurred.
Mu-yong had secretly slipped into the nectar aging room and half-destroyed one of the wooden barrels.
Whether the little creature had deliberately moderated the scale of the disaster or not, the barrel in question happened to be the smallest, and its contents were relatively inexpensive nectar. Still, nectar was nectar.
Brenar finally realized that Mu-yong loved alcohol nearly as much as she did and was far more special than she had imagined.
“…You’re telling me this tiny thing is comparable to a level-five spiritualist?”
With a half-teasing air, she kneaded both of the little one’s cheeks and stroked its head, delivering a brief punishment to the still-drunken, staggering creature. Then she looked at Han Yujin.
In response, he slightly withdrew the Monghwan Yusim he had been maintaining as naturally as breathing, revealing Mu-yong’s true strength.
“Hmm.”
She, who already knew about his innate illusory spiritual ability, examined Mu-yong again and nodded.
Then, as if something had just occurred to her, she asked, “Until now I thought you were simply sending it somewhere else whenever we trained, but if this child possesses spiritual power at level five, it must have been difficult to leave it quietly in another place, no?”
She was referring to their dual cultivation sessions.
Naturally he could not show such a sight to Mu-yong, so he had always sent the little one into the Mountain Sea Pearl beforehand.
Now that Brenar had voiced her question, he had no choice but to explain.
“You know about grotto-heaven treasures, right?”
Without much hesitation, he produced the Mountain Sea Pearl.
“…Don’t tell me that’s a grotto-heaven treasure?”
“Ahem.”
While Han Yujin gave a pointless cough, Brenar—as expected—wore that ambiguous expression that could have been either a smile or anger and pushed her face close to his.
“You really are an onion of a man. You were hiding something like this as well?”
“It wasn’t that I was deliberately hiding it…”
“Not saying anything is the same as hiding it. How could you not mention that you possess a grotto-heaven treasure?”
Having spoken as if scolding him, she suddenly relaxed her expression, smiled, and gave his lip a light bite.
“Ah.”
“No acting cute… Let me have a look around.”
The fact that she chose not to press further was something he was deeply grateful for.
They had already had several serious conversations about how difficult it was for him to reveal all his secrets. Yet no matter how many such talks they shared, showing this level of consideration was no easy thing.
I cannot explain my awakening ability…
He himself did not know whether this world was reality or something akin to a simulation. Therefore he could not reveal and explain every secret.
Thinking “thank you” once more, he opened the Mountain Sea Pearl.
The metallic sphere emitted light, stretching into an oval before transforming into an entrance. Beyond it lay a clear sky, blue mountain peaks, and the sparkling surface of a pristine lake.
Even a Nascent Soul investigator—or perhaps even one at the Soul Formation stage or higher—would covet such a treasure.
Just as the Sunset Tower had been regarded as an extraordinary treasure in the early days of the cultivation world, grotto-heaven treasures now held that same position.
The same was true not only in the immortal path sanctuaries but in the magic sanctuaries and the Divine Demon Sanctuary as well. Of course, there they used the term “sub-dimension” instead. It was a higher concept than subspace.
She stepped inside without hesitation. Just as Han Yujin had done the first time, she slowly circled the interior, exclaiming in admiration. She asked many questions upon seeing the completed training hall, pill refinement chamber, and spirit herb cultivation room.
Eventually they reached the residence building.
“Is this… perhaps your house from your homeland?”
She was asking whether the architectural style matched that of his homeworld. Strictly speaking it was not entirely accurate, but Han Yujin nodded.
“It’s a little different from the cultivation world style I know. How should I describe it…”
“Too worldly?”
“Ah, yes. Slightly ostentatious, and there’s absolutely no part designed according to spiritualist theory.”
He had been about to explain more about the gangho murim but suddenly fell silent.
He truly did not want to hide anything from her, yet explaining one thing after another would inevitably lead to the subject of his awakening ability.
Sensing his mood, Brenar said, “You promised. That someday you would definitely tell me.”
“Without fail.”
“I’m simply trusting you and waiting.”
With those words she took one of his hands and held it. Her other hand continued supporting Mu-yong, who was still drunk and tottering in her arms.
Afterward she spent a long time appreciating his “hometown house.” She would occasionally turn her head as if about to ask a question, but in the end she never spoke.
She was probably going to ask about my late wife.
Looking at the house’s layout, one could not help but sense that person’s presence.
“Good.”
Right after they left the house, she suddenly declared, “I’m going to build a house here myself. Is that all right?”
“Where?”
“Over there.”
It was a suitable distance away, on a plot similar to where the current residence stood.
“That way, every time you come here, you’ll think of me and miss me even more.”
Brenar smiled, stepped forward, and gave him a light kiss. Because she was relatively short, the way she lifted her heels slightly was especially endearing.
Because Mu-yong was still in his arms, there was no further display of affection.
Perhaps precisely because of that, he suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to train again.
She seemed to feel the same; their eyes remained locked as she gently fidgeted with the hand she held.
“…Shall we head out now?”
“Let’s go.”
“What about this little one?”
Seeing that she intended to leave Mu-yong behind, Han Yujin smiled and pointed toward the house from his homeland.