Chapter 47
Baek-Cheong returned to her Abode, humming a tune.
Just the fact that she had been liberated from that hellish Pill Refining Tutoring made her feel like she owned the world.
As soon as she threw herself onto the bed, she extended her Divine Sense out of habit and connected to the Nameless Forum.
The debate she had sparked regarding the Hundred Arts of Cultivation was still ongoing.
『Dao Friend (553.24): Those of you who look down on Pill Refining can chew on fasting pills for the rest of your lives.』
『Dao Friend (24.233): The Talisman Crafting Art is a Minor Skill? When you’re walking down the street someday and get struck by a Lightning Talisman and burn to death, just accept that you had it coming.』
『Dao Friend (33.219): Did you forget that the robes you wear and the teacups you use are all the works of an Artificer? You ungrateful bastards.』
The level of the Dao Friends had devolved into one-dimensional insults.
“Pfft. Now this is what a forum should be like.”
Baek-Cheong watched the dogfight with a satisfied smile as the Nameless Forum turned into a complete mess.
She was deeply engrossed in her forum browsing for quite some time.
“Cheong-A, are you inside?”
Her father’s voice came from outside the door.
Startled, Baek-Cheong hurriedly disconnected from the Nameless Forum and jumped up from her Seat.
“Yes, father!”
Her father opened the door and walked in, his expression looking somewhat bewildered.
“Venerable Yak-seon suddenly locked the door to the Pill Refining Room and entered Secluded Cultivation. Do you happen to know the reason? He clearly said he would strictly teach you Pill Refining. To suddenly declare he will solely focus on Pill Refining and forbid anyone from entering…?”
At her father’s question, Baek-Cheong cheered inwardly.
Since Yak-seon was captivated by the Pill Refining Method the woman had thrown at him, the woman wouldn’t need to worry about Pill Refining Hell for a while.
“Ah, about that. It seemed grandfather Yak-seon gained some great enlightenment while overseeing my Cultivation. He was extremely delighted, talking about the Realm of Chaos and the Taiji Orbit.”
Baek-Cheong answered slyly, feigning complete ignorance.
Baek Mu-Jin nodded and let out a deep sigh of Admiration.
“Haha, what a truly incredible person, to have already reached the ranks of a Yak-seon, yet still gain enlightenment and devote himself day by day even while guiding someone’s Cultivation. That endless dedication to alchemy is a paragon we should rightfully emulate.”
While her father was being misguidedly moved by Yak-seon’s passion for learning.
Baek-Cheong let out an inward sigh of relief, thinking she had safely smoothed things over.
However, an ominous premonition struck her as her father’s gaze turned toward her.
“This worked out perfectly since Venerable Yak-seon’s Secluded Cultivation has given you some free time.”
Baek Mu-Jin continued with a pleased smile.
“This father must also hand over all the Clan’s affairs to your uncle and enter Secluded Cultivation soon. Before that, I came because there is something I absolutely want to give our pretty Cheong-A. Now, hurry and follow me.”
Baek-Cheong’s face instantly stiffened.
But she quickly relaxed her stiffened face and managed her expression.
‘Why can’t I just browse the forum!’
She had finally gotten some much-needed forum time and was planning to browse the Nameless Forum to her heart’s content, but now her father stepped up to steal away her precious forum time.
However, since she had no justification to disobey her father’s orders, Baek-Cheong shed tears of blood inwardly and followed behind him, biting the bullet.
* * *
The place Baek Mu-Jin led Baek-Cheong to was the Clan’s Treasury.
As he deactivated the layers of powerful Protective Formations and opened the heavy stone door, a thick spiritual energy wafted out along with the cold air.
“A Cultivator naturally must possess at least one excellent Dharma Tool to protect themselves and subdue their enemies.”
Inside the Treasury, various items of all shapes and colors were displayed atop hundreds of display cases, which boasted brilliant lights.
“Although you have reached the 5th-stage, you are still in the Qi Condensation Stage, so it would be too much for you to handle a Dharma Treasure. Therefore, I shall pick out a suitable 1st-Tier Mid-Grade Dharma Tool for you from the ones stored in the Clan’s Treasury.”
Baek Mu-Jin led Baek-Cheong to a display stand set up on one side of the Treasury.
There, Dharma Tools classified as high-quality even among 1st-Tier Mid-Grade Dharma Tools were neatly arranged.
A blue gourd, a silver Flying Sword, a Five-Colored feather fan, and a cracked copper mirror.
“Now, examine them one by one and feel their energy. You just need to choose the Dharma Tool that harmonizes best with you.”
Showing a little curiosity, Baek-Cheong picked up the Dharma Tools in front of the display stand one by one.
When she infused spiritual energy into the blue gourd, a feeble stream of water spurted out.
The silver Flying Sword revealed a flimsy sharpness, and the feather fan stirred up a light breeze.
She couldn’t tell what the cracked copper mirror was, but she didn’t get any special feeling from it.
“These feel somewhat like… toys.”
Baek-Cheong expressed her disappointment as she set the Dharma Tools down one by one.
Although she was at 5th-Stage Qi Condensation, due to her Dantian and Divine Sense being on a completely different level from other Qi Condensation cultivators, she couldn’t help but feel that the 1st-Tier Mid-Grade Dharma Tools were too light.
“Like toys, you say…”
Baek Mu-Jin fell into thought for a moment at his daughter’s reaction.
Since he had a vague guess about his daughter’s condition, he could understand her disappointment.
“Hmm, considering your vessel, it makes sense that mid-grade feels lacking. In that case, take a look at the 1st-Tier High-Grade Dharma Tools.”
Baek Mu-Jin brought out three new jade boxes from deep within the Display Case.
The number had decreased by one this time, but when she swept over them with the Qi Observation Technique, the energy they emitted was distinctly different from the mid-grade ones she had seen earlier.
A jade-tinted gourd, a Black Iron Flying Sword, and a palm-sized golden bell.
Baek-Cheong once again infused spiritual energy to examine the Dharma Tools.
The jade-tinted gourd exuded a cold chill, the Black Iron Flying Sword floated up with a flash of sharpness, and the golden bell generated sound waves that seemed to shake the mind whenever it swayed.
But this time as well, Baek-Cheong tilted her head.
“Hmm… They’re definitely better than the ones before, but they still feel somewhat lacking.”
They were certainly Dharma Tools suited for her level.
They were at a level where she could use them in tandem with her Technique/Spell without overexerting her spiritual energy.
However, because her massive Divine Sense was left idle, she felt a sense of emptiness.
“Do you happen to have anything of a higher tier than these? Even if it’s not a Dharma Treasure, do you perhaps have something like a 2nd-Tier Dharma Tool?”
At his daughter’s request, Baek Mu-Jin firmly shook his head.
“No matter what, a 2nd-Tier Dharma Tool is the exclusive property of Foundation Establishment Cultivators. It is fundamentally designed to contain true essence, so if you try to force its use with the shallow true qi of the Qi Condensation Stage, the Dharma Tool will ravenously devour your true qi and could turn you into a Crippled Person.”
Baek-Cheong smacked her lips in disappointment.
If it were a matter of safety, it couldn’t be helped.
She didn’t particularly like any of the items and was too lazy to choose, so she was just about to grab anything at random and leave.
“Come to think of it…”
As if suddenly remembering something, her father headed to the darkest, most secluded corner of the Treasury.
Then, he carefully brought back an old wooden box covered in a thick layer of dust.
“This is an item the Supreme Clan Head obtained by chance in his youth.”
“Grandfather did?”
When the box lid opened, a pure white orb the size of a fist sat alone inside.
Without a single special pattern or decoration, it looked like a smooth, ordinary orb.
“It seems to fall into the category of a 1st-Tier Dharma Tool, but it is an item whose exact tier and use are unknown. Even the Supreme Clan Head kept it by his side and studied it for decades, but he ultimately failed to figure out its true origin.”
An unknown Dharma Tool whose identity even her grandfather couldn’t uncover.
A strong curiosity was triggered within Baek-Cheong, and her eyes sparkled.
“May I take a look at it?”
“I brought it out for that very reason, so handle it freely.”
With trembling hands, she picked up the pure white orb.
A cold sensation was transmitted to her fingertips.
She first examined it with her Divine Sense, but there was no resistance or repulsion, nor could she read any special information or energy from it.
She tried infusing the Five Elements Qi into it one by one, but the result was the same.
It remained completely unresponsive, without a single reaction like emitting light or vibrating.
‘What the…, there’s really nothing.’
Baek-Cheong felt a deep curiosity toward the pure white orb that showed no reaction whatsoever.
It certainly looked like a useless pure white orb on the outside, but it was exactly the kind of old, unidentified object that could later awaken into items of tremendous power.
“My interest is piqued a bit… Is it okay if I choose this one?”
Baek-Cheong said, hugging the pure white orb tightly to her small chest.
Baek Mu-Jin was visibly flustered by his daughter’s eccentric choice.
“If you really like it, you may take it, but if you find you absolutely cannot handle it, take a different 1st-Tier Dharma Tool. I will inform the Steward so you can exchange it at any time.”
At her father’s generous offer, Baek-Cheong bowed her head deeply.
“Thank you, father!”
Baek-Cheong’s steps were much lighter as she left the Treasury.
As soon as she returned to her Abode, she plopped down on her bed and began wrestling with the pure white orb.
“What in the world is its true identity?”
In a way, it looked like a giant pearl, and in another way, it looked like a dragon orb that dragons were said to carry.
However, if it were a giant pearl or a dragon orb, it would have more than reacted to spiritual energy or Divine Sense.
“Should I drop some blood on it?”
Thinking of a blood pact, she made a small cut on her fingertip and smeared blood on the surface of the orb.
But the drop of blood didn’t seep in; it merely rolled down the smooth surface.
Afterward, she tried heating it in a fire, soaking it in water, and even biting it with her teeth, but the orb remained perfectly intact without a single scratch.
“Let’s see who wins.”
Thoroughly fired up with determination, Baek-Cheong forgot all about the Nameless Forum and mobilized every method she could think of to Master the unidentified Orb Artifact.