Chapter 17
The Reception Hall of the Family Head’s Hall was enveloped in a heavy silence.
The harmonious space where the Family usually shared cozy meals was nowhere to be found.
Baek Mu-Jin sat in the Seat of Honor with a stiff expression, merely fiddling with his teacup.
Opposite him, a middle-aged man in a dark indigo robe sat in an arrogant posture, facing Baek Mu-Jin.
Embroidered on the chest of the man’s robe was a crest of a crane soaring above the clouds.
It was the symbol representing the Great Sect, the Flying Cloud Sect.
The sharp Sword Qi exuding from the middle-aged man’s body proved he was an Expert at the Early Golden Core Stage.
He was the elder who coveted Baek Gyu, the Baek Clan’s Eldest Son, as a True Disciple - Geomun True Person.
“Clan Head. Do my words truly sound like a joke to you?”
Geomun True Person slammed his teacup onto the table with a clatter, his voice sharp.
“This elder personally traveled all the way here from the Flying Cloud Sect to take in your son, yet you rejected me by sending a single letter filled with all sorts of excuses. This is a clear deception and an insult to the Flying Cloud Sect.”
“Elder Geomun, there is a misunderstanding. I merely judged that Gyu lacks the aptitude and would find it difficult to bear the heavy responsibilities of a True Disciple. How could I possibly deceive the goodwill of a Great Sect?”
Baek Mu-Jin forced a smile and made excuses, but Geomun True Person’s glare only grew fiercer.
“Save your excuses! Do you think I don’t know that the Yeonha Baek Clan looks down on me, an Outer Sect Elder, and that you are acting so presumptuously just because you trust in your ties with the Soul Transformation Old Ancestor? It seems you consider becoming my Disciple to be of little value, but if I return like this, that brat Baek Gyu will rot away, treated as a Chore Disciple within the Sect for the rest of his life.”
It was a blatant threat to block his son’s future.
Baek Mu-Jin’s fists clenched so tightly they turned white.
His blood boiled at the Great Sect’s tyranny, but he could not express his anger carelessly.
He was walking a tightrope with the survival of the Clan on the line.
At that moment, the tightly closed doors of the Reception Hall opened, and Gok Jang-Ro and Baek-Cheong stepped inside.
“Hoho. I wondered who it was, and it turns out to be elder Geomun of the Flying Cloud Sect. Why are you raising your voice in someone else’s Clan so early in the morning?”
Yak-seon’s uniquely generous laughter cut through the heavy air.
Geomun True Person furrowed his brow at the appearance of the uninvited guests, but upon confirming Gok Jang-Ro’s face, he flinched in surprise and half-rose from his Seat.
“G-Grandmaster Yak-seon? Why is Yak-seon staying at the Baek Clan?”
“I just stopped by for a while to share old sentiments with that fellow Mu-ae. But as I listen from outside, it seems a young cultivator is making This Old Man feel quite uncomfortable.”
At Gok Jang-Ro’s pointed remark, Geomun True Person coughed awkwardly and quickly showed his respects.
Even as a Golden Core elder of a Great Sect, he could not carelessly hold his head high in front of Yak-seon, an Alchemist Grandmaster respected by everyone in the Cultivation World.
This was because there were countless cultivators willing to risk their lives for a single pill made by Yak-seon.
“It is an honor to meet you, Sir Yak-seon. I have unintentionally committed a breach of etiquette.”
As Geomun True Person bowed his head, Baek Mu-Jin let out a sigh of relief.
With Gok Jang-Ro’s appearance, the defensive atmosphere softened considerably.
However, Geomun True Person’s sharp gaze soon turned toward Baek-Cheong, who was hiding behind Gok Jang-Ro and cautiously observing the situation.
“Is that child the Baek Clan’s Youngest daughter, Baek-Cheong?”
At Geomun’s question, Baek Mu-Jin’s heart sank.
“She is. Why are you looking for my daughter?”
“Clan Head, let me tell you the real reason this elder did not give up on Baek Gyu and came all the way here.”
Geomun True Person sat back down and showed a relaxed smile.
“Rumors are widespread in the Cultivation World. They say that a prodigy was born into the Yeonha Baek Clan with comprehension rarely seen even once in ten thousand years, but was cursed by the heavens and born with the useless aptitude of Five Spirit Roots.”
“What do those rumors have to do with you, elder?”
Baek Mu-Jin jumped up from his Seat and raised his voice.
Insulting his daughter was an unbearable affront to him as a father.
“Calm down, Clan Head. This elder certainly did not come to mock her. Rather, I came to bestow the grace to save that pitiful child.”
Geomun True Person pointed at Baek-Cheong and continued speaking with a brazen expression.
“Give Baek Gyu to this elder as a True Disciple. If you do, I will accept the Baek Clan’s Youngest daughter as an Inner Sect Disciple of the Flying Cloud Sect. With the aptitude of Five Spirit Roots, isn’t she destined to be cooped up in the Clan and rot away in the Qi Condensation Stage for the rest of her life? With the abundant resources and fortuitous encounters of a Great Sect, who knows, she might even gain a glimmer of hope to overcome the wall of the Foundation Establishment stage.”
It was a blatant trade proposal and a petty hostage situation.
His ulterior motive was to seize upon the fatal weakness of her Five Spirit Roots and use the Youngest daughter’s future as bait to forcefully drag the Eldest Son into his Faction.
The position of an Inner Sect Disciple in the Flying Cloud Sect might be a lifelong wish for ordinary Rogue cultivators or Foundation Establishment clans, but an Inner Sect Disciple could not sell off the precious bloodline of a Golden Core Clan in such a manner.
At this, Baek Mu-Jin trembled all over with rage.
His eyes wavered as he was torn between his duty as Clan Head and his affection as a father.
If he refused, his Eldest Son’s future would be blocked, and if he accepted, he would have to throw his beloved daughter into the strict rules and contempt of a Great Sect.
Amidst such taut tension, Gok Jang-Ro, who had kept silent all along, let out a scoff.
“Tsk, tsk. Since the discerning eye of an Outer Sect Elder of the Flying Cloud Sect only amounts to this much, how could you possibly secure a proper True Disciple without crossing the thresholds of other people’s clans?”
“S-Sir Yak-seon! What kind of insulting remark is that!”
Geomun True Person flared up, his face turning red.
Gok Jang-Ro paid him no mind and stepped forward, wrapping his hand around Baek-Cheong’s shoulder.
“Did you say she is destined to rot away in the Qi Condensation Stage for the rest of her life because of her Five Spirit Roots? To your dim-witted eyes, the Qi exuding from this child must look like a shallow puddle. This child awakened the Five Elements Mutual Generation on her own to reach the 2nd-Stage Qi Condensation, and just this morning, she reached the 3rd-stage Qi Condensation - she is a Peerless Prodigy!”
At Gok Jang-Ro’s thunderous shout, the Inner Hall was turned upside down.
“3rd stage? Grandmaster, is that true?”
Baek Mu-Jin kicked his chair back and stood up, unable to hide his shock.
Gok Jang-Ro nodded and grabbed Baek-Cheong’s wrist, lifting it up for him to examine.
Baek Mu-Jin could feel a deep and solid Five Elements Qi from Baek-Cheong, so deep and solid it could hardly be called mere 3rd Stage Qi Condensation.
It was undeniable proof of an elevated realm that could never be faked.
Geomun True Person’s mouth gaped open, and his eyes widened as if they would pop out.
The purity and depth of the exuding Qi far surpassed that of a normal 3rd Stage Qi Condensation, even to his senses.
“H-How can this be… To reach the 3rd stage in less than a month with Five Spirit Roots is truly remarkable.”
Geomun True Person slumped into his chair as if his legs had lost their strength.
The flimsy bait he had brought was torn to shreds like a piece of tissue paper in front of a girl who possessed overwhelming Talent despite having Five Spirit Roots.
With this level of achievement, there was absolutely no reason for her to bow down and enter the Flying Cloud Sect.
Rather, it was a miracle that would have every Sect in the Cultivation World scrambling over each other to welcome her with open arms.
“Furthermore,”
Gok Jang-Ro did not stop there and drew his final dagger.
“This child is learning the Alchemy Art under me. The very first time she took hold of a Pill Furnace and refined a Spirit Gathering Pill, she produced a high-grade one. This Old Man will never allow it - to let a child who will become the greatest Yak-seon in the Cultivation World rot away as a mere Inner Sect Disciple of a single Sect, over my dead body!”
BANG - !
At Gok Jang-Ro’s foot stomp, the floor of the Inner Hall shook violently.
Geomun True Person turned deathly pale and began to tremble.
Following the miracle of the Five Elements Mutual Generation, she had the Innate Talent of an Alchemist, producing a High-Grade Pill as a beginner.
He intuitively realized that he had touched a reverse scale that should never have been touched.
“T-There was a misunderstanding! Sir Yak-seon, Clan Head! This elder has made a grave slip of the tongue. Please forget everything I just said!”
Geomun True Person hurriedly stood up, bowing repeatedly as he poured out apologies.
His arrogant attitude of trying to take the Eldest Son hostage had vanished without a trace.
If he mistakenly messed with a Prodigy directly backed by the greatest Alchemist Grandmaster in the Cultivation World, it could lead to a horrific situation where the entire Flying Cloud Sect would suffer disruptions in its pill supply in the future.
“I will return to the Flying Cloud Sect immediately and take measures to ensure that the Eldest Son, Baek Gyu, faces no disadvantages whatsoever! Please, quell your anger!”
Sweating profusely, Geomun True Person fled the Reception Hall as if running for his life.
A heavy silence flowed through the Reception Hall for a moment, with people staring at his back as he disappeared like the wind.
“Hahahaha!”
What broke the silence was Baek Mu-Jin’s hearty laughter.
“Gok Jang-Ro, I truly thank you! Thanks to you, elder, an aching tooth has been cleanly pulled out. Now that brat Gyu can devote himself comfortably to his Cultivation.”
“Hoho, what did I do? It is all because Cheong-Yi’s astonishing Talent moved This Old Man.”
Gok Jang-Ro smiled warmly and stroked Baek-Cheong’s head.
At that, Baek Mu-Jin also smiled warmly and spoke.
“Cheong-A, thanks to you, we have overcome a great crisis. It is quite cheeky of you to hide reaching the 3rd stage even from your father, but since you have done something so commendable, I will let it slide.”
Baek Mu-Jin and Gok Jang-Ro laughed heartily, sharing their joy.
However, Baek-Cheong, who was receiving a barrage of praise, felt her insides burning black.
“Ah, please…”
Baek-Cheong stared into the void with dead eyes.
It was a relief to escape the crisis with the Flying Cloud Sect, but the splendid praises Yak-seon had given today returned as a noose tightening around Baek-Cheong’s neck.
The fact that she possessed the alchemy Talent to produce a High-Grade Pill despite being a beginner had clearly reached the ears of her father, the Clan Head.
“By the way, Clan Head… I am thinking of teaching Cheong-Yi the Alchemy Art properly. Is that alright? Her Talent in Alchemy is so inherently outstanding that it would be a waste to let her skills rot.”
“If you, Gok Jang-Ro, were to teach her, your grace would be as vast as the ocean. Cheong-A, from now on, you must devote yourself even more to your Alchemy Cultivation. Make sure to learn even one more thing by the elder’s side.”
Baek Mu-Jin’s excited voice rang out loudly.
That was no different from saying the time she had to spend sweating in front of a Pill Furnace had doubled.
“My forum-surfing life is over now…”
Baek-Cheong forced a smile and nodded.
Her dream of rolling around in the corner of her room and just browsing the Nameless Forum was fading further and further away.
Therefore, it was a situation that required drastic measures.