Chapter 71
The Family members, who had been cheering for the birth of a Golden Core Cultivator, were caught off guard by the bizarre phenomenon that unfolded before their eyes.
The afterimage of the lightning qi that had emanated from Baek-Cheong’s body and vanished refused to leave the minds of those who witnessed it.
Unable to easily open their mouths, they simply surrounded her and exchanged glances.
In the midst of this, only Baek-Cheong, held in her father’s arms, was smiling brightly oblivious to everything.
“Elder brother!”
Baek Mu-Yeong stepped forward in the peculiar atmosphere.
He walked over with wide strides, stepping over the ruins of the Eastern Region.
“I sincerely congratulate you!”
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but his voice was loud and clear.
“A new Golden Core Cultivator has been born in the Yeonha Baek Clan!”
His intentionally raised voice shattered the silence among the Family members.
“L-Long live the Clan Head!”
“Congratulations!”
The Family members, belatedly coming to their senses, poured out cheers in droves.
The shock from moments ago was buried in the cheers, and a celebratory atmosphere spread throughout the entire Clan.
Baek Mu-Yeong approached Baek Mu-Jin and spoke in a low voice.
“Elder brother, your physical condition comes first. Since you have just reached the Golden Core, you must rest deeply for now.”
Baek Mu-Jin silently nodded.
His robes were in tatters, but his eyes were clear.
Then, Baek Mu-Yeong lowered his gaze toward his Niece.
The unusual lightning qi from earlier flashed through his mind, but right now, she is nothing more than a young child holding tightly onto her father.
“Cheong-A.”
“Yes.”
“Since your father has reached the Golden Core, he must rest deeply for the time being. Let us catch up properly later.”
“Yes, uncle.”
Baek-Cheong obediently stepped back from her father’s embrace.
She looked up at her father’s unharmed face one more time and spoke quietly.
“Congratulations, father.”
Baek Mu-Jin was about to reply, but for a brief moment, he quietly looked down at his daughter’s face.
Emotions more complex than the lingering aftermath of his Golden Core Breakthrough flashed deep within his eyes.
“…Thank you.”
That was all he said, but Baek-Cheong felt a warmth from it, lightly bowed her head, and turned around.
* * *
Returning to her Abode, Baek-Cheong laid her exhausted body on the bed.
Outside the window, the dark clouds from earlier had cleared without a trace, revealing a bright and sunny sky.
Her father reaching the Golden Core stage was a joyous and celebratory occasion.
Pride swelled in her small chest, but it did not linger for long.
What actually occupied her mind was something else entirely.
“Lightning Glyph…”
She reflected on the Lightning Glyph she had comprehended while watching the heavenly tribulation.
The principles of the Lightning Glyph, which she had neglected due to exhaustion while wrestling with the Jinmun Formation Diagram, had clicked into place as she watched the lightning tribulation, allowing her to comprehend it.
“To manifest this…”
Baek-Cheong closed her eyes and sat in the Lotus Position on the bed.
She began to draw the form of the Lightning Glyph she had engraved in her eyes from the Jinmun Formation Diagram in her mind.
A structure that spreads out in all directions, only to sharply dig inward at the ends and converge into a single point.
Recalling the form, she intended to draw up the energy from her Dantian and manifest only the Lightning Glyph.
“Huh?”
But there was no reaction.
She had definitely understood the Lightning Glyph, yet it would not manifest.
“Again.”
Baek-Cheong closed her eyes and focused harder.
She meticulously reviewed every single line of the Formation Glyph, the angles of its bends, and the direction of its convergence.
She also tried changing the combinations of the Five Elements Qi to find the right combination.
However, the Five Elements Qi only hesitated before scattering.
“…Why on Earth isn’t it working?”
It was certain that she had comprehended the Lightning Glyph, but whenever she consciously tried to manifest it, she was strangely blocked.
It felt as if she were only grasping at an illusion when she reached out to catch it.
“At times like this.”
Baek-Cheong kicked her headache-inducing worries to the side.
There was no need to tear her hair out over it alone.
She immediately connected to the Nameless Forum and wrote a post full of bait.
『Dao Friend (913.14): Saw a lightning tribulation and comprehended lightning qi.』
[I definitely comprehended lightning qi, and so I understood the Lightning Glyph too. But for some reason, when I actually try to manifest the Lightning Glyph, I get stuck. What should I do?]
Saying she had comprehended lightning qi from a lightning tribulation - that is, a heavenly tribulation - was an arrogant and presumptuous statement.
Who would dare to peek at the Heavenly Dao and comprehend lightning qi?
[Dao Friend (33.3): There’s no way you’ve already learned the Lightning Glyph.]
It was a reply from Dao Friend (33.3), who always came running first.
Baek-Cheong let out a snort, ignored it, and waited for other replies to be posted.
Before long, Dao Friends who had been baited by the title flocked in droves.
[Dao Friend (201.9): Here we go again.]
[Dao Friend (88.4): A Qi Condensation cultivator comprehending lightning qi? What’s next, ascending to heaven?]
[Dao Friend (11.23): Seriously, stop being such a troublemaker.]
[Dao Friend (553.24): Even for a Dao Friend, this is hard to believe.]
As expected, the mockery and cynicism of the annoyed Dao Friends poured in one after another.
[Dao Friend (33.3): I’m telling you, there’s no way a Qi Condensation cultivator could have learned the Jinmun Formation Diagram.]
└Dao Friend (88.4): This guy is right. Lightning qi is a realm that even Nascent Soul Cultivators don’t dare touch carelessly.
└Dao Friend (201.9): The quality of this troublemaker is getting higher by the day.
└Dao Friend (422.9): Seeing a lightning tribulation means they were at the scene where a heavenly tribulation struck, and that a Qi Condensation cultivator comprehended lightning qi just by watching it?
She skimmed through the miscellaneous replies, looking for useful information.
However, it was nothing but mockery or repetition of the common sense that it was impossible.
‘As expected, asking ordinary Dao Friends won’t get me anywhere…’
While scrolling down through the various replies, she paused.
Her gaze stopped on a single-line reply.
[Dao Friend (7.7): Lightning tribulation, lightning qi, and the Lightning Glyph are different.]
The reply left by the unfamiliar Dao Friend was unusual.
Because of that, Baek-Cheong immediately left a reply.
[Dao Friend (913.14): How are they different?]
A moment later, Dao Friend (7.7)'s reply was updated.
[Dao Friend (7.7): Lightning Dispersion, Illusionary Form, Remaining Essence.]
There was no trivial explanation; only those concise eight characters were written.
Other Dao Friends also latched onto this reply.
[Dao Friend (33.3): Even I don’t know what that means, so there’s no way a Qi Condensation cultivator would understand it.]
[Dao Friend (88.4): What does this mean?]
└Dao Friend (201.9): Lightning burns the illusionary form? Does that mean the Lightning Glyph is an illusion?
└Dao Friend (422.9): Can’t you explain it a bit more simply?
The Dao Friends grappled with the meaning of the eight characters and attempted to interpret them this way and that, but no one could reach a satisfying conclusion.
[Dao Friend (33.3): Aren’t you just throwing out words that sound cool without even knowing what they mean yourself?]
With even Dao Friend (33.3)'s nitpicking added, the replies devolved into chaos.
However, Baek-Cheong couldn’t see the commotion of the Dao Friends.
“Lightning Dispersion, Illusionary Form, Remaining Essence.”
Lightning burns the illusionary form, and only the essence remains.
The moment the eight characters settled in her mind, enlightenment came to her, just like the missing piece of a puzzle perfectly slotting into place.
“Lightning tribulation, lightning qi, and the Lightning Glyph are different.”
The lightning tribulation was a judgment handed down by the Heavenly Dao, lightning qi was a type of energy, and the Lightning Glyph was a character recorded in the Jinmun Formation Diagram and a symbol that materialized the principles of lightning qi.
The three shared the same root, but their essence, form, and shell existed on different layers.
‘What I was trying to manifest wasn’t lightning qi, but the complete form of the Lightning Glyph.’
The lines, dots, and bends of the Formation Glyph were what she had read from the Jinmun Formation Diagram with her eyes and engraved in her mind.
She had achieved no results for half a shichen despite her trying to pour energy into it while recalling its form.
It was because the form was an illusion.
“The Formation Glyph is a vessel that contains lightning qi; it is different from lightning qi itself.”
The essence contained within the Formation Glyph itself was what mattered.
The principle is the gathering of energy scattered in all directions, compressing it to the extreme, and liberating it into a single point in an instant.
The primordial law that pierced through the atmosphere right before a thunderbolt struck down.
The essence of lightning qi was precisely this principle.
The Formation Glyph was nothing more than a shell that recorded this essence.
“If you burn the illusionary form, only the essence remains.”
Baek-Cheong chewed over the meaning and closed her eyes.
She erased the form of the Lightning Glyph from her mind.
The geometric lines, the bending angles, and the converging directions - she peeled them off one by one, stripping away the shell.
And she left only one thing behind.
The primordial principle of spreading out in all directions in an instant, then compressing into a single point and bursting forth.
Upon realizing this fact, she instinctively manipulated her Metal Spirit Root and Water Spirit Root to draw up her energy.
Bzzzt.
And a faint electric current sparked from her fingertips.
“…!”
Baek-Cheong opened her eyes wide and raised her hand.
The bluish streak of light flowing along her fingertips was clearly visible.
Bzzzzzt!
Every time she adjusted her energy, the lightning qi flickered in response.
It was incredibly faint, but the more she repeated it, the more the lightning qi stabilized.
“Aha…”
Her mouth opened, and a bright smile spread across her face.
It felt as if a difficult puzzle had been solved, Clearing her mind completely.
She stared blankly at the lightning qi flickering at her fingertips for a while before Dao Friend (7.7)'s reply suddenly came to mind.
[Dao Friend (7.7): Lightning Dispersion, Illusionary Form, Remaining Essence.]
Below it, the arguments of the Dao Friends who still hadn’t understood were continuing, and Dao Friend (33.3)'s sarcastic reply was, as always, attached.
Baek-Cheong watched for a moment before posting a new reply.
[Dao Friend (913.14): Thanks.]
Since connecting to the Nameless Forum, she had never once left a word of thanks to a Dao Friend.
She stirred up trouble, acted as a troublemaker, posted provocative messages, and occasionally threw out strategy guides.
But this was her first time leaving a reply thanking someone.
She herself felt an awkward, ticklish sensation.
“Ugh.”
Feeling embarrassed for no reason, Baek-Cheong exited the Nameless Forum.
Then, she manifested the lightning qi at her fingertips once more and looked at it with satisfaction.
There was a sense of disparity compared to the moment she had comprehended it after seeing the lightning tribulation.
However, she hadn’t actually realized she had manifested lightning qi at the time, so she didn’t notice the disparity.