Chapter 111
At Baek-Cheong’s still-blank expression, Seo Ju-A’s eyes narrowed once more.
It seemed her extensive Clan boasting hadn’t resonated with Baek-Cheong’s young heart at all.
Seo Ju-A’s shoulders heaved slightly as she tightened her grip on the collar of her Daoist robe.
“This Lady is an Earth Spiritual Root Holder who reached the Qi Condensation Stage, 8th Level, mastered the Main Family’s Secret Cultivation Method long ago, and stepped into the upcoming New Spring Exchange Gathering’s Martial Arts Competition representing the Hosan Seo Clan!”
Seo Ju-A raised her head, showing off the Clan crest embroidered on her robe’s collar.
The two maidservants of similar age standing beside her also politely brought their hands together and nodded in agreement.
“…So, Dao Friend Seo Ju-A of the Hosan Seo Clan?”
“Exactly!”
Seo Ju-A nodded triumphantly.
Listening quietly, Baek-Cheong carefully rummaged through her memories of the other clans her uncle occasionally mentioned.
The name Hosan Seo Clan surely must have slipped out at least once, but she couldn’t find a single trace of it in her memory.
She could barely even remember the kids her own age she had met at the Main Family’s banquets, so there was no way she would have memorized another Clan.
‘I really don’t remember.’
Seeing Baek-Cheong tilt her head again, Seo Ju-A took a step closer and raised her voice.
“Are you saying you truly do not know This Lady’s Clan?!”
“I’m sorry.”
Baek-Cheong bowed her head without much emotion.
It was just to escape an annoying situation she had no interest in.
Inside her draped sleeves, Seo Ju-A’s hands trembled.
Seo Ju-A let out a small, ragged breath as if suppressing her frustration.
“…This Lady’s Clan is the Clan that rules the Hosan region! We hold a 4th-Tier Spirit Vein; we will soon stand tall as the sole Nascent Soul Clan in the Southern Continent, and the scions of our Clan undeniably have widespread connections within the Inner Sect of the Biun Sect!”
And so she added more boasts about her Clan.
It was certainly a Clan with good momentum even among Golden Core Clans.
However, compared to the Yeonha Baek Clan, it was absurdly lacking.
‘Doesn’t everyone usually have at least a 4th-Tier Spirit Vein?’
The more Baek-Cheong listened, the more the Scion in front of her seemed ordinary.
It was only a matter of time, but her grandfather was also a strong candidate for Nascent Soul and was devoting himself endlessly to Training; Their resources overflowed like a cornucopia, with Yeonha Immortal City, the Immortal Villages spread across various regions, and the Baek Clan Merchant Guild combined; and through the Millennial Plan, they were building ties with various factions without being confined to the Southern Continent.
“This Lady has heard about Dao Friend Baek-Cheong for a long time!”
“…Ah, is that so?”
“Because you were a Dao Friend who was a topic of conversation even in our Clan, the rumors that you carry an Inscribed Pill crafted by Yak-seon, that you are the Inheritor Disciple taken in by the Pacheon Sword Saint of the Heavenly Sword Sect, and that your reputation for even manifesting sword fragrance in the Biun Sect is widespread!”
Seo Ju-A stomped her feet, continuing to speak as if frustrated.
“When word reached the Main Family that you possessed such talents despite being a year younger than This Lady, This Lady truly wanted to compete with Dao Friend Baek-Cheong to see who is superior!”
“I see.”
“That is why This Lady decided long ago to attend the New Spring Exchange Gathering’s Martial Arts Competition representing the Hosan Seo Clan! But for Dao Friend Baek-Cheong, who doesn’t understand This Lady’s sincere feelings, not to even know This Lady’s name - what kind of disrespect is this!”
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she took a deep breath.
Seo Ju-A brought her hands together neatly at her chest and corrected her posture.
“Dao Friend Baek-Cheong, This Lady is Seo Ju-A of the Hosan Seo Clan! At the upcoming New Spring Exchange Gathering’s Martial Arts Competition, won’t you compete with This Lady to see who is superior?”
Her voice was articulate and polite, but feelings akin to jealousy were implicitly mixed in.
Also, because she spoke in such a loud voice, her loud voice made cultivators wandering nearby stop to watch.
Above all, a small Murmur spread among the cultivators who couldn’t resist a good piece of gossip.
“A Scion of the Hosan Seo Clan threw down a challenge to someone in Our Sect?”
“If it’s the Hosan Seo Clan, isn’t it the Clan known as the Standoff in the Southern Continent…”
“If it’s Baek-Cheong, the Young Dao Friend who is said to be Yak-seon’s Favored One and the Pacheon Sword Saint’s Inheritor Disciple?”
The cultivators exchanged words noisily among themselves.
Even the artificers guarding their stalls stopped their hammering and briefly turned their eyes.
Jin-Wi, who had been listening quietly, parted his lips slightly with an awkward expression.
“…Young Lady Baek, I do not think you necessarily have to accept.”
Jin-Wi carefully waved his hand, trying to interject.
Seo Ju-A’s request for a spar seemed somewhat stubborn and unreasonable.
To Jin-Wi, there seemed to be no reason for Baek-Cheong to go out of her way to accept a sudden spar.
Even if the Hosan Seo Clan was a powerful Clan in the Southern Continent, it wasn’t something Baek-Cheong needed to care about while temporarily staying in Our Sect.
“Oh, sweet.”
Meanwhile, Baek-Cheong didn’t show much reaction to Jin-Wi’s dissuasion.
She had already made up her mind to step into the Martial Arts Competition anyway.
She had been planning to create an excuse at the Martial Arts Competition’s opening ceremony later, but a justification had just rolled right in.
Considering it a stroke of good luck instead, she readily nodded her head.
“Yes, alright.”
“…Wh-what did you say?”
Seo Ju-A actually looked taken aback.
She had requested a spar, but she hadn’t expected Dao Friend Baek-Cheong to accept so readily in a single breath.
Her pupils darted in all directions for a moment, not knowing where to look.
And even the sight of her hands fidgeting, hidden within her sleeves, became visible.
“Oh, so a Scion of the Hosan Seo Clan and a Scion of the Yeonha Baek Clan are going to clash in the Martial Arts Competition.”
“Looks like a nice little topic of conversation has popped up at the tail end of the New Spring Exchange Gathering.”
“In a place where Qi Condensation cultivators compete in skills, for peers of the same age to single each other out and even discuss a spar…”
The cultivators exchanged words with great interest, unable to hide their excitement.
Not only that, but other cultivators also flocked over, turning it into a new spectacle.
Seo Ju-A barely regained her composure and asked carefully.
“Th-then you are really accepting, right?”
“Yes.”
Baek-Cheong answered firmly without a second word.
Seo Ju-A’s eyes regained their focus, and she lifted her head stiffly, brimming with pride.
“Good! Then at this Martial Arts Competition, This Lady will clearly show Dao Friend Baek-Cheong her skills!”
Seo Ju-A flourished her sleeves and pushed through the crowd with her maidservants.
Jin-Wi stared at Baek-Cheong, lost for words for a long time, before letting out an awkward cough.
“Young Lady Baek, will it really be alright for you to accept?”
“It’s fine.”
“But if you were to get hurt…”
“It’s not a life-and-death duel; it’s the Martial Arts Competition.”
Baek-Cheong replied as if she didn’t mind at all.
On the one hand, she also thought that there wouldn’t even be a match for her at the Qi Condensation level.
Therefore, rather than worry, she was satisfied that she could step forward proudly in front of her uncle and Eldest Brother.
“This actually worked out well.”
The stalls at Yeon-gi Peak hadn’t been much to look at, but thanks to the Scion of the Hosan Seo Clan at the end, it hadn’t been a wasted trip.
“Young Lady Baek, shall we go watch the Martial Arts Competition’s opening ceremony now?”
When Baek-Cheong nodded at Jin-Wi’s question, the two of them left the area.
And at the entrance of Yeon-gi Peak, they unfolded the Concealment Art and stepped onto a cloud.
“But seriously, who is she?”
Meanwhile, Baek-Cheong fell into thought about the Scion of the Hosan Seo Clan.
Given the competitive spirit she implicitly revealed, it was highly likely she had been compared to Baek-Cheong, knowingly or unknowingly, since they were from similar backgrounds.
However, pity preceded sympathy.
‘It’s not like she doesn’t know about me.’
Apart from talents in the arts, her courage in throwing down a challenge to the Inheritor Disciple of the Pacheon Sword Saint was commendable.
Of course, she had also shown a flustered side in the unexpected situation, even though her challenge was readily accepted.
“I should go all out.”
She hadn’t planned on approaching the Martial Arts Competition with a light heart in the first place.
Naturally, she had no intention of revealing a Precious Treasure like the Baekju Dharma Tool or the Five Elements Banner.
She also had no intention of revealing her talents related to formations or lightning qi.
It just meant she would go all out at the level she had revealed publicly.
“The more, the better.”
As an outsider, one had an opportunity to easily obtain valuable things that couldn’t be bought with spirit stones, like the Biun Sect’s contribution points.
There were things that could only be obtained in the Biun Sect, not just the Concealment Art.
For instance, a Secret Realm, an aggregation of fortuitous encounters that every Sect was said to possess.
Or a simple Cultivation Method, even if there were limits because she was an outsider.
“By the way, was she bigger than me…”
Without realizing it, she lowered her head and looked down at her small chest.
As she did, she recalled Seo Ju-A’s figure that remained in her memory.
It was a body closer to a young maiden’s than a little girl’s.
She looked to be around the same age, but a figure like that was cheating.
Since she was a year older, their growth rates were bound to be different, but for some reason, a surge of annoyance flared up inside her.
‘I’ll have to go all out a little more against her.’