Chapter 118
After Baek-Cheong stepped down from the Stone Platform, a strange atmosphere lingered over the main matches of the Qi Condensation Group.
The duels continued without rest, but the heat in the Spectator Stands had somehow cooled down.
It was because there was only one name on the lips of the cultivators.
“Not only did she not swing her sword, but she also commanded ten Ice Dragons.”
“And what about calling down rain with the Spirit Rain Art to grow the Ice Dragons? To think this is truly the skill of someone in the Qi Condensation Stage.”
“It’s embarrassing to even call her a Qi Condensation cultivator. Wouldn’t it be more accurate to call her Foundation Establishment level?”
On the Stone Platform, the next duel was in full swing.
The Pillars of the Future, who had reached the main matches while receiving everyone’s expectations, were competing with their honed skills.
However, after witnessing the spectacle Baek-Cheong had shown, any duel seemed bland in comparison.
They would raise their Protective Dharma Tools to barely block Techniques/Spells, exchanging tedious blows until their spiritual energy ran dry.
It was a sight that would have made one’s hands sweat just a moment ago, but now it almost looked sluggish.
Meanwhile, Baek-Cheong, the cause of this strange atmosphere, sat demurely on one side of the Spectator Stands, looking down at the Stone Platform.
[They’re all about the same.]
Outwardly, she modestly lowered her gaze, but inwardly, she was starting to feel restless.
With so many eyes on her, she couldn’t even browse the forum, so she just wanted her turn to come quickly.
Eventually, her turn came around in the quarterfinals.
[Let’s finish this quickly.]
Baek-Cheong casually walked to the center of the Stone Platform.
The cultivator who walked out from the opposite side exuded a rather sturdy aura for someone in the Qi Condensation Stage.
She slowly gathered the spiritual energy inside her Dantian.
The spiritual energy she had consumed while fighting Seo Ju-A had also been recovered.
Following the Outer Sect Elder’s signal, she quickly used a Technique/Spell.
“Ice Dragon Shatter.”
With a short Incantation, the surrounding air turned cold.
Fog rose, and three dragons forged of ice revealed themselves.
The opposing cultivator flinched and hastily raised his Protective Dharma Tool.
However, as the three Ice Dragons rushed in simultaneously, the Protective Dharma Tool couldn’t even withstand a single Ice Dragon.
CRACK.
The Protective Dharma Tool was torn apart like paper, and the cultivator was sent tumbling off the Stone Platform.
The cultivators in the Spectator Stands, who had secretly expected a flashy duel, could not hide their disappointment.
“I had high hopes since he’s a Rogue Cultivator from the Eastern Continent.”
“He couldn’t even withstand a single Ice Dragon.”
“Even so, it should only be at the level of a 1st-Grade High-Tier Spell…”
Baek-Cheong looked at the cultivator who had collapsed far away before withdrawing the Ice Dragons.
[I went easy on him, too.]
Even though she had reduced it to three dragons, the result was the same.
Just like that, Baek-Cheong easily advanced to the semifinals.
After various duels took place, it was Baek-Cheong’s turn once again.
The cultivator who walked out from the opposite side felt somewhat different from the previous ones this time.
Outwardly, he was a man in ordinary Attire that one could run into anywhere.
He was said to be an Inner Sect Disciple of another Sect who had reached Qi Condensation Grand Perfection.
He didn’t exude a particularly outstanding aura either.
However, his attitude when facing her was peculiar.
Until now, those who had stepped onto the Stone Platform with her were one of two types.
They either trembled their legs in fear without realizing it, or they looked down on her as a young opponent and acted arrogantly.
But the cultivator in front of her was far from either of those.
He neither feared nor underestimated her; he simply faced her calmly.
Seeing him without even a hint of movement, Baek-Cheong felt a creeping sense of doubt.
[Does this guy have something up his sleeve?]
There had to be a reason he was so composed.
Even if he looked ordinary on the outside, he might have hidden a trick or two.
If she let her guard down, she might end up in trouble.
[Safety first.]
Baek-Cheong immediately released various items from her Storage Platform onto the Stone Platform.
First, five Five Elements Golems revealed themselves.
Following that, bundles of 1st-Grade Talismans engraved with various talisman formations poured out.
Finally, Baek-Cheong even raised the translucent Five Elements Shield to cover her entire body.
Only then did the calm cultivator’s complexion waver.
It was because the things his opponent had brought out were items that far exceeded the capacity of the Qi Condensation Stage.
[She’s bringing out that much for a mere One-on-One Duel in the Martial Arts Competition…?]
The Inner Sect Disciple from the other Sect inwardly swallowed his bewilderment.
However, since he had heard plenty about who his opponent was, he didn’t completely lose his mind.
Instead, he firmly gripped his Protective Dharma Tool and raised his spiritual energy to the limit, making full preparations.
Baek-Cheong observed out of the corner of her eye how the cultivator remained vigilant despite his panic.
[As expected, he’s not an easy opponent.]
Her suspicion that he was a formidable opponent only solidified.
Soon, the Outer Sect Elder’s voice rang out from outside the Stone Platform.
“Qi Condensation Group semifinals: Begin the duel!”
As soon as the signal dropped, Baek-Cheong scattered the entire bundle of talismans she held into the air.
Dozens of talismans simultaneously absorbed spiritual energy and activated.
Flames surged from the Blazing Fire Talismans, and various talismans exploded all at once, completely covering the Stone Platform.
BOOOOM!
Faced with a bombardment of talismans pouring down before he could even count them, the opponent had no time to properly react.
The Protective Technique/Spell he hastily raised was crushed by the firepower unleashed by dozens of talismans.
“Ugh…!”
With a short groan, the cultivator was blown off the Stone Platform.
The thick smoke slowly cleared from the Stone Platform.
Baek-Cheong looked toward the cultivator who had collapsed so anticlimactically.
She had been certain he was hiding a trick, but he had fallen without being able to show anything in the end.
[Huh.]
Baek-Cheong tilted her head slightly.
[He looked like he had something up his sleeve…]
The fallen cultivator showed no signs of getting back up.
[Was it just my imagination?]
Feeling awkward, Baek-Cheong quickly withdrew the Five Elements Shield she had raised.
Following that, she gathered the five Five Elements Golems she hadn’t even used and packed them back into her Storage Platform.
The cultivators outside the Stone Platform were once again at a loss for words.
“To detonate dozens of talismans all at once…?”
“Not only does a Qi Condensation cultivator use bundles of talismans, but she also commands golems?”
“…It ended as soon as it began.”
The Outer Sect Elder barely managed to tap his jade token.
“Victor, Baek-Cheong of the Yeonha Baek Clan!”
* * *
Meanwhile, quite a few cultivators had gathered near the Seat of Honor given to the Yeonha Baek Clan in the Spectator Stands.
It was because Baek-Cheong had repeatedly brought out Five Elements Golems and bundles of talismans on the Stone Platform.
Among them, many had their eyes on the golems Baek-Cheong commanded.
“Guild Master Baek, about the golems the Young Lady of the Yeonha Baek Clan just commanded, does the Baek Clan Merchant Guild also handle such golems?”
As questions poured in, Baek Mu-Yeong wore a good-natured smile as if he had been waiting for this.
“Haha, you asked at the right time. our Merchant Guild does handle golems from time to time. If you are interested, please take a trip to the Baeksang Pavilion in Yeonha Immortal City.”
At the shrewd Guild Master’s response, the cultivators showed signs of interest.
Just then, one cultivator slyly brought up a topic.
“However, the golems the Young Lady of the Yeonha Baek Clan commanded looked somewhat extraordinary. How much would a golem like that cost, by any chance?”
The smile on Baek Mu-Yeong’s lips deepened.
“Ah, you mean the five my Niece commands. They are 1st-Grade Top-Tier Golems, on a completely different level from the items sold in our Merchant Guild. Since they were painstakingly crafted by a skilled Golem Master, they are sturdy enough that an ordinary Dharma Tool would have a hard time leaving even a scratch on them.”
Then, when Baek Mu-Yeong casually mentioned the price per golem, the face of the cultivator who asked froze completely.
“H-High-High-Grade Spirit Stones, that many…?!”
It was an amount that even a Core Formation stage Rogue Cultivator might not touch in their entire lifetime.
Furthermore, because the Talent Baek-Cheong had shown was so immense, there were quite a few cultivators who used the golems as an excuse to try and form connections with the Yeonha Baek Clan.
“Guild Master Baek, if the opportunity arises, I would like to pay my respects separately.”
“It just so happens that our Clan needs some spiritual medicine…”
Baek Mu-Yeong skillfully handled the cultivators while swallowing a pleased laugh inwardly.
The more his Niece showed off her skills on the Stone Platform, the more the Merchant Guild’s finances naturally swelled.
[At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before the Baeksang Pavilion’s inventory runs out.]
If his elder brother knew, he would definitely be furious that he himself had dragged his Niece into a business scheme.
However, since it was for the sake of the Clan and the Merchant Guild, he was willing to endure a few glares.
Watching from afar, Baek-Cheong merely looked on with a lukewarm expression.
Her uncle looked quite happy as he excitedly dealt with the cultivators.
[It seems uncle is cut out for that sort of thing.]
Then, suddenly, Baek-Cheong looked around one side of the Spectator Stands.
Her Eldest Brother, who had been keeping his Seat just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.
[Where did Eldest Brother go?]
Shifting her gaze, she saw that even the Seat of Honor where Jin-Wi and the other True Disciples of the Biun Sect had been was empty.
Baek-Cheong thought carefully and recalled what her Eldest Brother had told her.
He had said that during the Martial Arts Competition, the True Disciples each had their own separate duties.
[Ah, he said they all had tasks to handle.]
Since her Eldest Brother was also a True Disciple, he was likely helping with the Sect’s affairs somewhere.
Thinking nothing of it, she turned her head away.
* * *
Before long, the given break came to an end.
The Outer Sect Elder stepped onto the Stone Platform and raised the jade token in his hand.
“Now, we will hold the finals, the final duel of the Qi Condensation Group.”
Baek-Cheong stood up from her Seat and walked to the center of the Stone Platform.
The cultivator who walked out from the opposite side felt different from the ones she had faced before, excluding Seo Ju-A.
Even though he was a cultivator who had reached the Qi Condensation Stage, 8th Level, his Talent was quite solid, seeing as he had made it to the finals.
His aura alone indicated that he hadn’t reached the main matches by sheer luck.
Baek-Cheong quietly observed her opponent and gathered the spiritual energy in her Dantian.
[Will he be able to hold out a bit this time?]
At the same time, the Outer Sect Elder’s signal was given, and she chanted an Incantation with a bit of expectation.
“Ice Dragon Shatter.”
In the coldly chilled air, several Ice Dragons revealed their forms and rushed toward the opponent.
The Qi Condensation Stage, 8th Level cultivator hastily deployed a Protective Technique/Spell while simultaneously raising the Protective Dharma Tool in his hand.
CRACK!
The first Ice Dragon to strike fiercely battered the Protective Barrier.
Thanks to layering the Technique/Spell and the Dharma Tool, the opponent barely managed to withstand the first Ice Dragon.
Until now, excluding Seo Ju-A, no one had been able to withstand even a single Ice Dragon.
A small exclamation flowed from outside the Stone Platform.
“Oh, he withstood one!”
“As expected of a prodigy who reached the finals.”
However, what the opponent withstood was his limit.
Following that, the second Ice Dragon twisted its body and flew straight in.
His Technique/Spell and Dharma Tool were already weakened from withstanding the first Ice Dragon.
The Protective Barrier ultimately couldn’t bear the weight of the second Ice Dragon and shattered into pieces.
CRACK!
“Gah…!”
With a short groan, the cultivator tumbled and collapsed onto the Stone Platform.
He simply had no way to handle the second Ice Dragon even with his Protective Technique/Spell and Dharma Tool.
Baek-Cheong dispersed and withdrew the Ice Dragons she had deployed.
[Still, he managed to take one.]
The Outer Sect Elder stepped forward and raised his jade token high.
There was a sense that the finals had ended somewhat anticlimactically.
But since it was something all the cultivators had expected, there was no feeling of disappointment either.
“Top Ranker of the Qi Condensation Group, Baek-Cheong of the Yeonha Baek Clan!”
As the Outer Sect Elder’s shout echoed across Jaundae, a Stir spread among the cultivators filling the Spectator Stands.
It was because she had reached the pinnacle of the Qi Condensation Group without ever drawing her sword, despite being the Inheritor Disciple of the Pacheon Sword Saint.
On the other hand, Baek-Cheong politely bowed her head and stepped down from the Stone Platform.
Outwardly, she looked demure, but inwardly, she felt like humming a tune.
[With this, the Concealment Art is as good as mine.]
Just by reaching the main matches, she had already secured the qualification to enter the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.
On top of that, since she had taken the position of Top Ranker, she would be able to claim all the rewards given to the Award Winner without missing a single one.
A Secret Realm is full of fortuitous encounters, plus hefty rewards.
Just thinking about it made the corners of her mouth rise naturally.
[This is basically a free ride.]
With a heart full of anticipation, Baek-Cheong looked over at her Clan’s seats.
It was because she wanted to boast to her Eldest Brother about taking the position of Top Ranker.
However, her Eldest Brother was still nowhere to be seen in his Seat.
He was the Eldest Brother who had promised to watch over her the whole time.
[…He’s still not back.]