Chapter 127
Beyond the entrance that had opened like a rift, white clouds billowed.
Baek-Cheong swallowed dryly, pressing a hand to her small, pounding chest.
Her toes itched with the urge to dive inside right this instant.
Even so, no one in the Audience dared to move rashly.
It was because the Inner Sect Elder who had opened the entrance had not yet spoken.
Eventually, the Old Cultivator slowly looked around at the Pillars of the Future and opened his mouth.
“The Cloud Sea Secret Realm is a place our Biun Sect normally opens once every ten years.”
Despite his low voice, a deep sense of weight spread along the Canyon.
“Thus, the Sect strictly manages it, and we have made several arrangements before you enter. There is no need to be frightened beforehand just because it is a natural Secret Realm. At the very least, your lives will not be in danger.”
Listening to the Inner Sect Elder’s words, Baek-Cheong nodded inwardly.
The reason why the True Disciples had flocked out in droves to lead the groups made sense once again.
Entering the Secret Realm in advance to cull the demonic beasts must have been one of those arrangements.
The eerie rumors about demonic beasts had a basis after all.
‘It’s a relief that it isn’t dangerous.’
However, after finishing his words, the Old Cultivator’s gaze lingered in a rather strange way.
He merely glanced past those who had obtained a Cloud Sea Map.
For some reason, it felt as though he was resting his eyes, even if only briefly, solely on those without a Cloud Sea Map.
And when his gaze reached her, it seemed to linger even longer.
“Why is he looking at me like that?”
Just as she blinked, not knowing the reason.
“Even if you fail to obtain a fortuitous encounter inside, do not be too heartbroken.”
The Inner Sect Elder continued speaking as if to comfort those without a Cloud Sea Map.
“Within the Cloud Sea, spirit fruits called Cloud Spirit Fruits grow here and there. If you miss out on a fortuitous encounter, you can at least harvest Cloud Spirit Fruits and exchange them for contribution points, so there is no need to worry about returning empty-handed.”
At the guaranteed reward of Cloud Spirit Fruits, the complexions of the Pillars of the Future brightened considerably.
Being able to earn contribution points even if they missed a fortuitous encounter was quite a tempting proposition.
However, as Baek-Cheong listened to the story, she was thinking about something else entirely.
“Even if we fail to obtain a fortuitous encounter, huh.”
The Inner Sect Elder’s words had been directed solely at those without a Cloud Sea Map the entire time.
Conversely, this meant there was no need to comfort those who possessed a Cloud Sea Map.
‘That means it’s a given that those with a Cloud Sea Map will obtain a fortuitous encounter, right?’
As her thoughts reached this point, the scattered pieces all clicked into place at once.
The Cloud Sea Map was not merely a map with paths drawn on it.
At the end of the path indicated by the map, a fortuitous encounter was guaranteed to be waiting.
In other words, the Cloud Sea Map was a guaranteed ticket that led straight to a fortuitous encounter.
“This was one of the arrangements too.”
Maps put up by someone of unknown identity had poured out endlessly.
The fact that the paths on the maps they compared were all different finally made perfect sense.
The Biun Sect had discovered fortuitous encounters here and there and had stealthily released maps leading to them.
“The thing I skipped because it was suspicious turned out to be a free fortuitous encounter.”
Now that she realized it, it would be natural to feel regret over not obtaining a Cloud Sea Map.
After all, nearly half of the people were entering with one fortuitous encounter already secured.
‘Well, I don’t need it anyway.’
Even so, Baek-Cheong did not mind in the slightest.
There was no way the single fortuitous encounter pointed out by the map was all there was.
She had her vast Divine Sense.
It went without saying in a Secret Realm where the five senses were dulled and Divine Sense was crucial.
While others followed their maps to pick up their fortuitous designated encounter.
She intended to scour the Secret Realm and sweep up every single valuable item there was.
“I just have to grab as much as I would have with a Cloud Sea Map, right?”
Baek-Cheong reached a satisfying conclusion inwardly.
Suddenly, the Inner Sect Elder flicked his sleeve, and small Jade Tokens floated up in a row.
The Jade Tokens flew one by one toward the Pillars of the Future and were grasped in their hands.
A smooth token floated gently toward her as well.
“If you break the token, you will be brought straight out of the Secret Realm. If you find yourself in danger or lose your way and cannot escape, do not hesitate to shatter it.”
At the Inner Sect Elder’s request, the Pillars of the Future carefully stored their tokens away.
She also took the token and examined it from various angles.
On the outside, it was just a common Jade Token, but hearing its use made it feel reassuring.
“With this, it should be fine to search with peace of mind.”
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared for the one-in-a-million chance.
Baek-Cheong nodded as she tucked the token into her Storage Platform.
With this, all preparations to enter the Secret Realm were complete.
“To avoid unnecessary competition, I will send you in sequentially, starting with the Top Rankers.”
Following the Inner Sect Elder’s words, the order of entry was decided.
First, the Top Ranker of the Foundation Establishment Group stepped toward the entrance.
Next in line was she, the Top Ranker of the Qi Condensation Group.
Just as she was about to head for the entrance, familiar hands suddenly cupped both of her cheeks from behind.
“Our Cheong-Yi, go get lots of fortuitous encounters inside!”
Mong-Yo smiled affectionately while squishing her soft cheeks.
“If you think it’s dangerous, don’t have any lingering regrets and break the token immediately, got it?”
“Yes, Older Sister.”
Baek-Cheong replied, rubbing her tingling cheeks.
The Eldest Brother standing nearby also gave a quiet nod with a pleased look in his eyes.
Leaving the two people’s send-off behind, she stepped into the entrance of the Secret Realm.
Beyond the rift, white clouds enveloped her as if to swallow her whole.
* * *
Her vision was dyed completely white before slowly Clearing up.
Baek-Cheong couldn’t help but gasp at the sight that unfolded.
“Wow…”
Beneath her feet, a Sea of Clouds stretched out endlessly.
Things protruding like mountain peaks rose up like islands above the clouds.
The Peak islands submerged in the Sea of Clouds were not limited to just one or two places.
They were scattered countlessly in all directions, far and near.
A mystical energy lingered on every Peak, and clouds sluggishly coiled around their waists.
The Sacred Ground of fortuitous encounters she had only heard about was entirely laid out before her eyes.
Without realizing it, Baek-Cheong was captivated by the scenery for a long time.
Her small chest swelled with emotion once again.
“So there are tons of fortuitous encounters buried somewhere around here.”
Her whole body itched with the desire to dive into the clouds right this instant.
She was so absorbed in the scenery.
The Top Ranker of the Foundation Establishment Group, who had entered first, pulled out a Cloud Sea Map from his robes.
After scanning the map once, the Top Ranker deployed an Escape Technique without hesitation.
Clouds gathered beneath his feet, carrying the Top Ranker away like an arrow.
It seemed he was dashing straight toward the fortuitous encounter indicated by the Cloud Sea Map.
“Ah, right. I need to focus.”
Only then did Baek-Cheong gather her wits and look around.
There was still some time before the Second Ranker would enter.
Suddenly, she remembered something she had wanted to test even before coming in.
She had heard that a Secret Realm was a separate domain created by twisting space.
If so, now that she has stepped into the Secret Realm, wouldn’t her Interface Number have changed?
If the Secret Realm were an independent domain isolated from the outside.
Perhaps her number displayed on the Nameless Forum might have changed as well.
‘I’ve been curious about this for a while.’
She stepped back a little distance from the passageway.
Then, she moved her Divine Sense familiarly to connect to the Nameless Forum.
The method to check wasn’t difficult.
She just had to post any random message and look at the Interface Number stamped on it.
Baek-Cheong scribbled a short post on the Chat Board.
『Dao Friend(913.14): Did it work?』
The number stamped boldly on the post was unchanged at 913.14.
Unfortunately, it seemed her Interface Number didn’t change just because she entered a Secret Realm.
‘Aw, it’s exactly the same.’
Even if it was a Secret Realm, it was ultimately still within the same Lower Realm.
Perhaps it was because she had carelessly posted a message with no real content.
A few Dao Friends, drawn by the bait, left replies.
[Dao Friend(48.21): What worked?]
[Dao Friend(307.6): What is it?]
Having made a wasted effort with no gains, Baek-Cheong pouted.
It was something she had fully expected, but a small sense of disappointment still lingered.
[Dao Friend(913.14): Mind your own business.]
Taking out her unwarranted frustration on the Dao Friends who had replied, Baek-Cheong closed the Nameless Forum.
After the Nameless Forum was turned off, a sense of mischief somehow reared its head.
Those who possessed a Cloud Sea Map would consider themselves to have secured a fortuitous encounter.
They thought they just had to walk leisurely where the map led and scoop it up.
“If I sweep up the fortuitous encounters indicated by the Cloud Sea Maps first, what kind of expressions will they make?”
Just the thought of it made the corners of her mouth rise without her realizing.
They were fortuitous encounters buried in predetermined spots anyway.
If she examined the Cloud Sea with her vast Divine Sense, she could easily find them without a map.
Others were strolling along following their maps.
If she intercepted every single fortuitous encounter, the scenario she had suspected would become reality.
It could truly be called a perfect plan.
‘It’s not like the Cloud Sea Map explicitly states there’s a fortuitous encounter unconditionally, right?’
Baek-Cheong, wearing a smile full of mischief, spread out her Divine Sense.
Her Divine Sense, reaching 27 zhang, stretched out unhindered in all directions.
This was the first time she was spreading it at full power, excluding when she broke through a realm.
Her head throbbed due to the sheer volume of information flooding in through her Divine Sense.
However, she endured the headache with the single-minded determination to sabotage their fortuitous encounters.
“Now then, shall we pull off a proper heist?”
Soon, Baek-Cheong stepped into the Cloud Sea without hesitation.
The white clouds undulated as if swallowing the little troublemaker.