The Gates of Golden Lotus Open
The Golden Lotus Estate did not open its doors to just anyone who wished to trade. This ensured fewer interruptions to training and made it easier to weed out the unworthy.
Today, despite the depths of winter, the sky stretched clear and blue, and the warm sunlight that poured down added what little comfort it could.
It was the day the gates of the Golden Lotus Estate opened. From every corner of the Jianghu, forces with considerable renown and individuals of notable reputation who carried their own pride had gathered before the estate since morning, waiting patiently.
“······Truly, reputation does not deceive.”
The expression carried the same meaning as Earth’s “the name does not lie,” referring to a reputation without falsehood.
The middle-aged man who muttered those words was the vice-sect leader of the Iron Blood Gate, a group hailing from a distant region even further west than Gangseo. He was a Peak-level expert—someone who could easily be respected as a notable figure in any single region or even establish his own power without issue.
Yet after personally experiencing the rumored aura emanating from the estate, he found himself doubting his own strength. A sense of disillusionment toward the fame and position he had long enjoyed crept in.
This was also why, even though nearly twenty factions from both the Orthodox and Unorthodox paths had gathered, not a single minor quarrel broke out.
Once they felt the overwhelming presence of the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign, even the few wandering warriors who possessed no affiliation and were merely at First-Class level no longer felt the urge to mock them. They simply felt that they themselves were no different.
A short while later, the appointed time arrived. The gates opened, and the rumored Clear Stream White Phoenix, Eun Miryeong, and Jade-Faced Sword Dragon, Seogwang Gahu, appeared.
In the past, the pair had merely been late-stage juniors who gained some fame by riding on the coattails of the Hyeonbaek Sect and the Seogwang Clan. Their titles of Dragon and Phoenix had felt slightly excessive.
But not anymore.
They had accompanied the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign—a Life-and-Death Realm expert—on his first foray into the martial world and continued to live alongside him ever since. Moreover, rumor had it they were receiving direct instruction in martial arts. In effect, they were half-disciples of the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign.
While Seogwang Gahu came from a clan, Eun Miryeong was still officially a disciple of the Hyeonbaek Sect. Under normal circumstances, this could have caused quite the problem…
Yet naturally, no one in the Jianghu dared raise the issue.
‘Even the Hyeonbaek Sect itself remains silent. Who would dare point fingers and find fault?’
Since it had not been officially confirmed that she had become his disciple, there was still room to observe. Besides, Eun Miryeong had always been famous for her beauty; the possibility that her relationship with the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign might develop in an entirely different direction was more than abundant.
The Hyeonbaek Sect followed Daoist principles but did not forbid its disciples from marrying. On the contrary, it often encouraged such unions.
“Please, come inside.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Experts who had reached at least the Peak realm—or even the Transcendental Peak—clasped their hands in respectful greeting toward Seogwang Gahu and Eun Miryeong before entering. Among them was even someone who had stepped into the Harmony realm.
In return, Seogwang Gahu and Eun Miryeong bowed politely with utmost respect.
The place they were guided to was an outdoor garden that could be considered a separate courtyard. No matter how fine the weather or how most of the visitors were martial experts, hosting people outside on a winter day seemed rather unusual.
Yet the moment they stepped into the separate courtyard, they could not help but be quietly astonished by the distinct warmth that enveloped them.
‘A formation?’
Even the vice-sect leader of the Iron Blood Gate inwardly marveled.
Since knowledge of martial arts and formations were separate fields, the fact that such a formation existed in the garden of the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign—who had no major faction behind him—meant that the Sovereign himself possessed considerable mastery in formation techniques.
‘So the rumors were true after all.’
There must have been at least a few fools who attempted to break into the estate.
Yet not a single story of anyone successfully scaling the walls had ever circulated. In fact, there were bizarre rumors that anyone who climbed the wall with ill intent would be swallowed by sudden fog and wander lost for over half a day.
If that was the work of the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign’s formation, everything made sense.
Once everyone had taken their seats, neatly dressed servants employed by the estate began serving tea and refreshments.
When the atmosphere had properly settled, the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign finally made his appearance.
Surprisingly few people had actually seen the widely renowned Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign in person. If one went to the Orthodox Alliance rather than Okhan City, more people might have encountered him during the exploration of the ancient tomb known as Jangbo-do.
In any case.
The Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign they saw in person appeared far younger than expected. The blue robes he wore suited him perfectly, enhancing that impression.
The vice-sect leader of the Iron Blood Gate unconsciously narrowed his eyes before quickly composing himself.
‘It doesn’t look like rejuvenation through reverse aging… more like he was never old to begin with… No. What would I know about the affairs of such an expert?’
At that moment, the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign, who naturally drew everyone’s attention, spoke.
“Thank you all for coming despite the trouble.”
Despite his world-shaking skill and fame, his attitude was exceedingly humble and courteous.
After exchanging a few more customary greetings, he seemed ready to move on to the main topic.
“Please bring out the items you have brought for trade. If you wish to avoid others’ eyes, you may speak with me after the gathering concludes.”
This was already a well-known method of trade.
While the openness made some uncomfortable, the fact that the entire process was transparent actually reassured quite a few people.
“Even if a successful trade does not occur today, I hope you will enjoy your time here. There will always be another opportunity, will there not?”
Having set the tone, the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign moved personally from the first seat, offering brief greetings as he began to inspect the offerings.
While trade was important, this was also an opportunity to build connections with a Life-and-Death Realm expert, so everyone participated with great enthusiasm.
The vice-sect leader of the Iron Blood Gate conferred briefly with his companions at the same table before placing the Iron Blood Gate’s martial manual on the table.
Excluding the core secret techniques only the sect leader could learn, it was the finest martial art they possessed. It had been an extremely difficult decision, yet when he saw the items the other factions had brought out, it almost felt embarrassingly modest by comparison.
‘Those Black Cloud bastards… are they seriously offering the Extinguishing Light Soul-Severing Sword Technique?’
The Black Cloud Faction belonged to the Unorthodox path. Though their history was short, their strength rivaled that of any prestigious clan. The core technique they had brought out was nothing short of astonishing.
The massive jade box presented by the Myeongbo Trading Company—one of the Jianghu’s famous merchant powers—was equally extraordinary. Anything stored in such a manner was undoubtedly a spiritual herb over a thousand years old.
Just as the vice-sect leader of the Iron Blood Gate was losing confidence…
The Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign finally arrived at their table.
“It is an honor to meet you for the first time.”
“The honor is mine to meet the renowned Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign.”
After exchanging a few words of polite conversation that included introductions, the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign politely asked if he could examine the Iron Blood Gate’s manual. The vice-sect leader naturally granted permission.
Holding the manual, the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign only glanced through the early sections out of courtesy before closing his eyes in thought.
It was an expression he had not shown once while visiting the other seats, so the gazes of those secretly watching from elsewhere sharpened noticeably. The vice-sect leader’s heart began to pound.
‘Is it acceptable…?’
At that moment, Han Yujin was thinking exactly that.
Although he had only examined the early portion outwardly, he had already scanned the entire contents more than twice with his divine sense before even picking it up and fully comprehended everything necessary.
The Iron Blood Gate had a fairly deep history for a mid-tier sect, and its foundations appeared quite solid.
Most of all, perhaps because its founding sect leader had come from the imperial military, the characteristics of their martial arts greatly appealed to him.
The balance between offense and defense was excellent, most movements were concise and efficient, and practicality in real combat was high. The fact that it showed traces of being designed with group battles in mind—despite being a martial art of the Jianghu—made it even more appealing.
‘It isn’t the Iron Blood Gate’s supreme technique, but that’s precisely why these qualities exist.’
Even the Iron Blood Gate’s highest martial art would inevitably fall short when compared to the superior profound techniques of the Sun Gate, Hyeonbaek Sect, or Unhae Sect that he might obtain later.
Therefore, having such distinctive features was actually better for Han Yujin. Not that they had brought it with that knowledge in mind.
“Let us trade.”
At his words, the entire hall stirred violently. After all, this was the first successful transaction.
“I-is that true?”
“Yes. Since the founding sect leader came from the military, I believe there will be much for me to learn and study.”
A Life-and-Death Realm expert spoke such words and took out a single book from his robes.
The bold characters Wonryeok Sim-gong written on the cover made the vice-sect leader’s heart race wildly.
In truth, even while visiting, he had not held much confidence that the trade would succeed.
“T-thank you, Sovereign…! Thank you so much!”
“There is no need to thank me so profusely. I am also very satisfied with this excellent trade.”
He handed over the Wonryeok Sim-gong and received the Iron Blood Fierce Qi Sword Technique in return.
“It goes without saying, but please be careful not to let it leak.”
“Of course. How could we carelessly allow such a precious treasure to spread?”
“If any problem arises from this trade that proves difficult to handle, do not hesitate to seek me out.”
It was an official promise that if anyone attacked the Iron Blood Gate out of greed for the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign’s divine technique after they had traded fairly, he would personally step forward to punish them.
‘Perhaps…?’
For a brief moment, the vice-sect leader wondered if he could take advantage of that promise, but he quickly shook the dangerous thought from his mind.
Attempting to deceive and use a Life-and-Death Realm expert would only bring tremendous backlash. He had to remember that this was the terrifying individual who had slain three elders of the Shadow Demon Cult in a single sitting.
It was impossible to personally experience the “Golden Lotus” from the rumors.
A short while later.
Today truly seemed to be a special day.
After the Black Cloud Faction’s core technique—which had astonished even the vice-sect leader of the Iron Blood Gate—was rejected, the people from the Myeongbo Trading Company became the second to succeed in a trade.
They handed over the entire contents of every jade box they had brought and received the Wonryeok Sim-gong, their faces filled with pure joy.
Even though they were merchants skilled at controlling their expressions, they could not stop their lips from trembling. For a wealthy but fundamentally weak-in-martial-arts trading organization, it was only natural.
And so.
After that, with only a few factions remaining and most of the attendees being wandering warriors, everyone assumed the two successful trades marked the end.
“Let us trade.”
When the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign examined the beast-hide manual brought by one wandering warrior and made that shocking declaration, the hall fell into stunned silence.
The wandering warrior stood frozen for a moment before nearly throwing himself to the ground.
“T-thank you, Sovereign…!”
“Now, now. Why are you trying to kneel?”
With a casual wave of his hand through the air, he lightly prevented a First-Class warrior from prostrating himself. Everyone was once again astonished. It was common knowledge that ordinary Empty Palm techniques could not exert such power.
“Please accept the manual.”
“S-Sovereign! I have one request!”
The wandering warrior spoke in a solemn tone. It was the exact atmosphere one saw occasionally in the Jianghu when someone wished to become a disciple.
Just as a few people in the back reflexively clicked their tongues and shook their heads…
“Please allow me to stay as a guest… as a guest of this estate!”
The unexpected request even drew a hint of interest from the Golden Lotus Martial Sovereign.
“In exchange for receiving the Wonryeok Sim-gong?”
“Yes! Even if I received it, I have no confidence I could protect it, nor do I believe I could master it alone. If I could stay here and occasionally receive guidance from the great hero Dok Junseong, the Island Lightning Sword, that would be enough!”
Han Yujin fell into brief thought.
‘Well… there’s no reason to refuse.’
What the wandering warrior had brought was, unusually, a hunter’s martial art.
It had been created to face not humans but bears, tigers, and wild boars. Considering that Earth’s hunters primarily fought monsters, there were certainly aspects worth referencing.
The level of the martial art was not low, either.
“Stay for a year or two first. We can discuss what comes after that later. How does that sound?”
“Thank you, Sovereign!”
The wandering warrior nearly prostrated himself again, forcing Han Yujin to intervene once more.
After that, the gathering concluded smoothly without further incident. A few individuals requested private trades in separate rooms, but there were no signs that any additional deals had been made.
Nevertheless, three trades had been completed in a single day.
It was enough to make the heavy-bottomed factions that had been watching the Golden Lotus Estate without moving stir a little more.
The trading activities progressed far more smoothly than expected. The reputation he had carefully built by investing time at the beginning was paying rich dividends.
Half a year had passed since the first successful trade.
Han Yujin had obtained enough martial manuals to fill an entire library, along with a considerable quantity of high-year spiritual herbs.
Feeling it had been quite a while, he exercised his pill refinement techniques and successfully produced spiritual pills intended for Dok Junseong, Seogwang Gahu, and Eun Miryeong.
Thanks to this, Dok Junseong had become an excellent Qi Condensation cultivator and had even achieved nearly ten percent Dharma Soul sublimation.
Considering he could not always rely on spiritual pills and that sublimation grew increasingly difficult and slower over time, it was a pace that would allow him to challenge Foundation Establishment before his lifespan ran out.
He had also learned a few basic spell techniques, albeit clumsily, which helped fill some of the power gap created when he had destroyed his own martial foundation.
But only some.
Learning spell techniques was an extremely arduous task, and mastering what one had learned was even more so.
It was no coincidence that so many cultivators relied primarily on Dharma weapons. While consuming the same spiritual energy, they allowed for far faster and more reliable offense and defense than spells.
Since Dok Junseong lacked transcendent comprehension, it was only natural that he felt lacking in many areas without a Dharma weapon.
Therefore, Han Yujin lent him the Five Elements Sword—one he had been using very capably and which had proven greatly helpful.
As a mid-to-high-grade Dharma weapon, it would remain incredibly useful in this martial world even after reaching the Dharma Soul stage.
As a side note, Dok Junseong made excellent use of the wandering warrior Han Yujin had accepted as a guest, treating him almost like a subordinate. The wandering warrior, for his part, seemed very satisfied with the frequent instruction he received at close range.
Seogwang Gahu, who had received the Wonryeok Sim-gong—a technique that was not particularly difficult to learn—saw his strength improve by leaps and bounds every day. This was likely because he could receive direct guidance from Han Yujin, the very creator of the mental cultivation method.
He still lingered at First-Class, but the Peak realm was not far away. Once he reached it, the power of Origin Force—the higher form of spiritual energy—would allow him to display strength close to the Transcendental Peak.
He might even be able to hold his own against a Harmony realm expert for a short time.
On the other hand, Eun Miryeong.
She was struggling greatly from the very stage of transitioning from a martial artist to a Qi Condensation cultivator. Naturally, attempting Dharma Soul sublimation was still far beyond her reach.
Han Yujin could not help but fall into deep contemplation about his karmic ties with them.
This was not merely a matter connected to the mortal world; it was a concern that could influence even the Heartless Tribulation.