Master
A week had passed since Yuseong had holed up in his cave, devoting himself entirely to cultivation. Then the reward arrived for the mission at Unbyeok Village's spirit stone mine.
Most of the team had died in the attack by the Owolbang monks, and they'd lost the spirit stones, but they'd succeeded in wiping out the spirit beasts as per the original mission. Plus, they'd returned alive to the sect and uncovered intel on the Owolbang ambush. Because of that, it felt like they'd get more than the standard reward.
A servant delivered 200 low-grade spirit stones and a single booklet, bowing politely before departing. Perfect timing—Yuseong had been short on stones, and now his Jeomuldae pouch was nicely stocked. He stashed the low-grade stones away and opened the untitled booklet.
Inside was a superior escape technique compared to the basic one from the Unkak Sect that he was currently practicing. Was this their way of saying, since you survived the mission, learn this to keep running away effectively in the future?
The technique in the booklet was the Cloud Escape Technique (Yun Dun Sul). It was faster than his old one, with added variability. And once mastered to great completion, it even allowed hiding one's body within clouds.
Escape techniques were generally faster and more versatile than flight artifacts, but they consumed more mana, so they were mainly used in combat or for short-distance getaways.
Yuseong memorized the full incantation and stepped out of the cave to test it. Even at the beginner stage, it was noticeably quicker than his previous technique, with less mana drain.
He shot into the sky, halted abruptly, then darted off again, trying flips and various maneuvers mid-air.
As he practiced the new Cloud Escape Technique, someone approached from afar.
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
It was I Dongbeon, one of the survivors from the Unbyeok Village spirit stone mine.
"Junior Brother Yuseong! I heard you made it back alive, but I didn't expect you to be in such good shape!"
"Pardon? Are you saying I should've come back crippled and bedridden, Senior Brother?"
I Dongbeon burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, just kidding. I took a liking to the new junior brother I met this time, so I came to share a drink."
"Then please, come to my humble cave."
Yuseong led him to the spot with stone chairs and a stone table.
"Junior Brother, this cave really is modest."
"I kept it simple on purpose to focus purely on cultivation. And isn't it the people that matter more than the place?"
"Haha, well said. When you and I are drinking, the location doesn't matter."
I Dongbeon sat on the stone chair and pulled out a bottle of liquor and cups from his Jeomuldae.
"A toast to surviving. Bottoms up."
They sat, poured for each other, and drank simultaneously. A subtle fragrance filled the air, followed by the sweet taste of medicinal herbs lingering on the tongue. It was clean and potent.
"What do you think?"
"Excellent. What herbs did you infuse it with?"
"It's not my brew, so I wouldn't know. It was a gift from the villagers of Unbyeok Village."
Unbyeok Village... Memories of the spirit stone mine flooded back. Had the Martial Arts Pavilion Lord caught the Owolbang monks?
"What happened with the Martial Arts Pavilion Lord leading the pursuit squad to Unbyeok Village?"
"No news yet, so we'll have to wait longer. That bastard Ban Un had to die, at least..."
"Ban Un's already dead—by my hand."
I Dongbeon's face lit up in surprise.
"Really? You killed Ban Un, Junior Brother?"
"Yes. I ran into him while fleeing and took him down myself."
The shadows on I Dongbeon's face eased a bit.
"That's a relief. At least you've avenged Senior Sister Seon Yeong."
Seon Yeong's body was lost, but her nascent soul was still in the black-robed man's gourd. If the Martial Arts Pavilion Lord caught and killed him, retrieving the soul could restore her body and save her.
"Her nascent soul fell into the hands of a late-stage Core Formation monk, but isn't there a chance the Pavilion Lord can get it back?"
"...There might be, but they've probably scattered and fled by now. They're just ordinary travelers without their crow masks, so even the wise Pavilion Lord won't find it easy to catch them."
"I see."
It was regrettable, but it seemed best to consider Seon Yeong as good as dead.
They finished the bottle, chatting about this and that. I Dongbeon had been born in Unbyeok Village and possessed spirit roots, which led him to join the Unkak Sect as a child. A sect disciple cultivating there had taken him as a student.
But shortly after accepting him, his master had pushed too hard past a cultivation bottleneck and failed, dying in the process. With little lifespan left, he'd had no choice but to attempt it.
"So you've been cultivating alone without a master all this time, Senior Brother?"
"That's right. I broke through to Core Formation using the Core Fortune Pill my master left behind."
The Core Fortune Pill was the reward he'd gotten—like the one Yuseong had—for surviving the fight with the overseas monks. He'd been saving it for his own Core Formation breakthrough.
Now that they were getting friendly, Yuseong asked about Core Formation.
"Senior Brother, to reach Core Formation, you have to turn the ten qi points in your dantian into a seed, right? Could you explain exactly what that means?"
"Just as it sounds: guide those ten qi points to your dantian, merge them, and form your personal seed. This seed influences even Nascent Soul formation, so it's crucial foundational work."
"Got it."
They downed over five bottles, talking about a cultivator's life and which women in the Unkak Sect were the prettiest, before parting ways. Seemed like he'd made a good senior brother in the sect. Of course, you never truly knew someone until the end, so he wouldn't call it definite yet.
After I Dongbeon left, Yuseong went back outside to practice the Cloud Escape Technique when Moyong Wol arrived.
"Yuseong! I heard you nearly died—glad you're okay."
"Of course. I'm the Unkak Sect's weed, after all."
Moyong Wol flew over, hugged him, and kissed him. They caught up on everything they'd missed, sharing their reunion.
For a full month, he secluded himself in the cave for cultivation. Craving sunlight, he headed to the spirit herb field, where the Hongsu Fruits had ripened enough for refining Hongsu Pills.
He harvested the Hongsu Fruits and subsidiary ingredients from the field. Time to refine the Hongsu Pills.
Entering his secret chamber, he meditated, then took out the furnace and added all the materials for the Hongsu Pill.
Having succeeded before, refining wasn't hard. And since he'd even made the trickier Spirit Command Pill, following the recipe to the letter would suffice. The subsidiary ingredients were higher quality than standard, so he just had to mind that.
Successfully refined. Aids breakthrough to Qi Refining 10th star.
Right there, he sat in lotus position and swallowed a Hongsu Pill. Guiding its energy to his dantian, he shattered the barrier to Qi Refining 10th star.
From the peak of 9th star, the pill and Yin-Yang Art made reaching 10th effortless. His mana and divine sense grew stronger, completing the set of ten qi points.
"Finally, Qi Refining 10th star!"
After enduring trials and crises, he'd reached it. Flashes of his efforts raced through his mind.
He pulled the turtle puppet from his Jeomuldae and boasted to it.
"Turtle, your master's a Qi Refining 10th star cultivator now. Hahaha!"
Others might think him mad, but with only the turtle puppet around, this was how he'd celebrate.
Now at 10th star, he needed to stabilize his realm. He secluded in the chamber for another month.
Emerging, he decided to pay respects to Yeop Inyeong to mark the milestone. She'd be pleased, right?
He flew his flight artifact to the Library Pavilion.
The scent of books welcomed him. Savoring it, he climbed the stairs. Telling the monkey puppet he wanted to see Pavilion Lord Yeop, it stepped aside.
How long until his turtle puppet gained that level of spirituality? Could puppets even reach it?
He ascended to the third floor of the Library Pavilion.
"Yuseong pays respects to Pavilion Lord Yeop."
The massive bookshelf ahead shifted, revealing Yeop Inyeong.
"What brings you here?"
"I've reached Qi Refining 10th star, and I owe much of it to you, so I came to give thanks."
Yeop Inyeong smiled softly.
"My help was significant, yes. Now that Core Formation is in sight, heed this: forcing a realm breakthrough is most dangerous from Qi Refining 10th to Core Formation. It's the mistake desperate, short-lived cultivators often make."
"I'll keep your advice in mind, Pavilion Lord."
"With your talent, Core Formation will come smoothly. Just beware the heart demon, as before."
Heart demon... It hadn't come at 10th star, so likely at Core Formation. One he had to face alone, he could only trust the Calming Heart Herb in his field.
"For the Core Formation wall, I'll use Calming Heart Herb. Is that insufficient?"
"Of course it is. But I do know a way to handle the heart demon more easily."
There was such a method?
"What is it?"
"......"
Yeop Inyeong stared piercingly without answering. What did it mean? She didn't want to teach?
He couldn't miss this chance.
"I'll do anything you ask, Pavilion Lord. Please teach me the method."
She pondered silently, then spoke.
"There's a condition."
"What is it?"
Her eyes burned with intense desire.
"Become my disciple."
Yeop Inyeong's disciple! Her as his master would be fortune second only to the Yin-Yang Art.
"Master!"
He prostrated immediately, kowtowing.
She helped him up.
"Being my disciple comes with rules—our pact."
"No problem. I keep promises impeccably."
"Hear them first. One: Never betray or deceive me."
Easy. Why would he betray Yeop Inyeong?
He stood tall confidently.
"I can keep that."
"We'll see. Two: Someday, you must help me with something dangerous."
Helping his master was natural.
"Of course I'd help with your affairs, Master."
"Then from now, you're my disciple."
Master:Yeop Inyeong
Disciple:Yuseong
"Never betray or deceive me. Aid me in my time of need, no matter the danger."
He kowtowed once more. Joy swelled in his chest—Yeop Inyeong was his master now. No more masterless days in the Unkak Sect; he had a solid backer. Even Gong Jeonhu couldn't touch him lightly now.
Overwhelmed, his eyes misted slightly.
"Master..."
His voice choked as he said it.