Chapter 97
“Cheong-A.”
“Yes.”
“Did you ask if you could also earn contribution points?”
“Yes.”
Baek-Cheong answered clearly and confidently once more.
She had already firmly pictured herself participating in the Martial Arts Competition in her mind.
She wouldn’t have any reason to pull out her secretly buried cards like the Baek Pearl or the Five Elements Banner anyway, and with just Ice Dragon Shatter, the Techniques/Spells she had learned, and her Flying Sword, she wouldn’t fall short among her peers.
On top of that, since the Sect offered hefty rewards to the award winners, it would actually be a loss for her not to join in.
‘If I just earn a hefty amount of contribution points, I’ll be able to take my pick of the Concealment Art or whatever else.’
She firmly suppressed the corners of her mouth that threatened to rise just from the thought.
Her Eldest Brother closed his mouth for a moment and quietly looked down at his younger sister’s small head.
As he looked at his sister, who was fixated on the words “Martial Arts Competition,” a hint of concern cast a shadow over his expression.
“First of all, even an outsider can earn the Sect’s contribution points. Contribution points inherently mean contributing to the Sect, so if you bring a benefit to the Sect, there’s no reason you can’t earn them, even if the payout is stingier than what an initiated Disciple would get. Furthermore, since contribution points are used like spirit stones within the Sect, they are also offered as rewards in the Martial Arts Competition.”
“Really?”
“However, Cheong-A.”
“Yes, Eldest Brother.”
“May this Older Brother add a word?”
A layer of seriousness was added over the affection in his voice.
Having a vague guess as to what it was, Baek-Cheong subtly composed her expression.
“It is fine to watch the Martial Arts Competition from up close, but it is still too early for you to step into it yourself.”
Baek Gyu looked at his sister and gently dissuaded her.
“Is it too early?”
“The Martial Arts Competition is originally a place where disciples of the same realm pair up to show off their skills, but those who participate in the Martial Arts Competition are by no means easy opponents. Even if they are in the same realm, even if they are of the same age, the mindset they enter with is completely different.”
“…”
“Because the rewards are so large, quite a few raw rogue cultivators among the guests also join in. There are those who have cultivated their way up from the Outer Sect, and those who have only learned secret arts within the Sect and have never once shown themselves to the outside. If luck pairs you poorly, injuries often follow.”
There was a weight to his words that was quite different from his usual tone when looking after his sister.
“Did father and mother not entrust you to this Older Brother? If my younger sister were to get hurt right in the middle of the Biun Sect Main Sect, this Older Brother would lose face before both the Sect Master and our parents.”
At this point, Baek-Cheong had no choice but to realize.
Her Eldest Brother genuinely had no intention of letting her enter the Martial Arts Competition.
“I figured as much.”
She wanted to pout anew, but she didn’t go out of her way to be stubborn in front of the Eldest Brother she hadn’t seen in a long time.
‘Let’s just say I understand for now.’
There was still time until the Martial Arts Competition, and father and mother weren’t nearby either.
There was definitely a way to subtly sidestep the direction her Eldest Brother was concerned about.
Outwardly, she naturally adopted a sullen tone.
“Yes… I understand, Eldest Brother.”
“Do not be disappointed. I will arrange a place for you to watch the arts exhibition and the auction from up close. I will also make sure you can watch the Martial Arts Competition from a good Seat.”
“Yeees…”
At that, her Eldest Brother affectionately patted her shoulder once.
Troubled by his sister’s sullen tone, Baek Gyu subtly changed the subject.
“Come to think of it, Cheong-A.”
“Yes.”
“There is a Junior Disciple who often mentions you, saying he wants to see you.”
“Me?”
Baek-Cheong asked back in response to the unexpected remark.
She tried to guess who among the people who had come to the Clan last year as a Delegation would have let slip such words about her.
But before she could even search her memories, her Eldest Brother put on a gentle smile.
“It is Junior Disciple Jin-Wi.”
“Ah.”
He was the peer with the heavenly spiritual root aptitude who had tagged along with the Delegation.
“Perhaps because you were of similar age, he would often bring up your story.”
“Ah, I see.”
Of course, from her perspective, it didn’t evoke any particular emotion.
He was nothing more than an existence akin to a pebble scattered on the side of the road.
However, she crafted empty words to play along.
“But he doesn’t seem to be in the Main Sect right now.”
“He has entered closed-door cultivation. It has been quite a while since he went in to take a step into the Foundation Establishment stage.”
“Is this Foundation Establishment?”
As expected of a Heavenly Spiritual Root Holder, his realm advancement was certainly steep.
“Judging by the timing, it seems he will make an appearance around the New Year’s Banquet. The Junior Disciple must be counting the stars, wishing to see you once more.”
Outwardly, she nodded, but inwardly, a different calculation was rolling around.
She carefully pieced together the schedule her uncle had pointed out on the way here with the New Spring Exchange Gathering her Eldest Brother had let slip.
The New Year was right around the corner; the Biun Sect’s New Year’s Banquet would be held immediately after, and the New Spring Exchange Gathering would only begin in earnest three or four days after that.
‘There’s a decent amount of time left.’
It was plenty of time to formulate a plan to participate in the Martial Arts Competition.
Finishing her thoughts, she took advantage of the free moment to stand quietly on the cloud and gaze at the Main Sect scenery flowing past her Eldest Brother’s shoulder.
The bluish traces of spiritual veins shone faintly at the foot of every mountain, and she could catch glimpses of Complex Formations carved here and there.
Suddenly, she thought about the Central Continent.
Her Eldest Brother had left the Clan and gone straight to the Central Continent with the Senior and Junior Disciples in the New Year.
Then he would surely know about the Barrier that existed between the continents as well.
“Since Eldest Brother has been there himself.”
It seemed it would be much clearer to hear it from the mouth of someone who had actually been there, rather than listening to disorganized rumors.
“Eldest Brother.”
“Yes, Cheong-A.”
“Eldest Brother, you went all the way to the Central Continent with the Senior and Junior Disciples last year, didn’t you?”
“Hmm. I did.”
“I heard there’s a Barrier between the continents. How did you cross it?”
Baek Gyu looked down at his sister with a momentarily puzzled gaze.
“Cheong-Yi takes an interest in all sorts of things.”
“uncle mentioned it briefly on the way here. He said the Biun Sect is at the northernmost tip of the Southern Continent, but to go to the Central Continent, you have to go through a passage at the southernmost tip. It’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”
“Strange, you say.”
Baek Gyu cast his gaze slightly upward as if tracing his memories.
He lightly clapped his palms together, as if he had recalled the memory.
“Hmm. Where should I start explaining?”
“Take your time.”
“There is an invisible Barrier between the East, West, South, North, and Central Continents. Yes, rather than just a Barrier dividing continents, it would be more fitting to call it a Boundary dividing two worlds. It is referred to as the Boundary wall.”
Baek-Cheong’s ears subtly perked up at the interesting story.
“The Boundary wall is filled with formless energy, so if an ordinary cultivator tries to cross it with their bare body, they are likely to lose their life. Their flesh would be carved away and their soul would be scattered. It is said that one must be at least a Great Cultivator who has reached the Nascent Soul stage to barely cross it.”
“You have to be at the Nascent Soul stage?”
“Yes. It just means their flesh won’t be carved away; even they wouldn’t go out of their way to overdo it unless they had business there.”
“What kind of place is beyond the Boundary wall?”
“A climate unfolds so different that it could be called another world. Just looking at the Western Continent, it is said to be a desert from end to end. The landscape of each Continent varies so wildly that it’s difficult for even an ordinary cultivator to look around them all in a lifetime.”
“Wow!”
A short exclamation slipped out without her realizing it.
“Then how do people cross it?”
“In remote areas of each Continent, there are places where the Boundary wall has thinned. They have been refined by human hands, and you can only travel back and forth through there. Even when heading from our Southern Continent to the Central Continent, we must go through a designated passage.”
“It would be convenient if they made it in a closer spot.”
“It doesn’t work like that. I heard there are specific spots where the Boundary wall thins, and in our Southern Continent, it seems it was only established at the southernmost tip. Even though the Biun Sect is at the northernmost tip and is a stone’s throw away from the Central Continent itself, they say the thickness of the Boundary wall is actually much thicker here.”
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
It meant that the closest place was blocked and the farthest place was open.
It didn’t seem that it would be like that only within the Southern Continent.
“Entering the Central Continent through the passage farthest from the Southern Continent must mean that the Central Continent side also receives us through the passage farthest from the Southern Continent.”
Outwardly, she continued with her next question in an innocent tone.
“Then what kind of place is the Central Continent?”
Her Eldest Brother pursed his lips for a moment before giving his answer.
“The landscape of the Central Continent is different from the other Continents again. It is as pleasant to live in as a whole other world; the spiritual energy is dense, and good spiritual veins are laid out everywhere. Ever since a certain great power in the past guessed that the Upper Realm would be like this and called it the Sosang Realm, it has been known by that name.”
“Sosang Realm…”
“Therefore, the Boundary wall surrounding the Central Continent cannot be compared to the Boundary walls of the other Continents. While the Boundary walls between the other Continents can barely be crossed by a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, it is said that even a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator does not dare to cross the Boundary wall surrounding the Central Continent.”
The term Sosang Realm truly seemed fitting.
“Then where is the passage that enters the Central Continent?”
“The spots where the Boundary wall of the Sosang Realm has thinned are in two places: the Eastern Region and the Western Region. However, since the Western Region is the Territory of a Demonic Great Sect, orthodox cultivators like us naturally end up entering through the Eastern Region passage.”
“Ah~ I understand perfectly.”
Finally, Baek-Cheong was able to understand her Lower Realm in her mind.
And the fact that the structure of the Lower Realm was not ordinary became even clearer.