Chapter 125
The Pavilion where the Cloud Sea Map had supposedly appeared was packed with people even before one stepped inside.
After the threshold was crossed, it was so crowded inside there wasn’t even room to step.
Its status was entirely different from Cheongunru Pavilion, where only Qi Condensation cultivators gathered.
Among the cultivators coming and going, the unique aura of the Foundation Establishment stage frequently revealed itself.
It was because all those who had advanced to the main matches of the Martial Arts Competition’s Foundation Establishment Group had flocked together.
Any Young Prodigy who had earned the right to set foot in the Cloud Sea Secret Realm, whether in Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment, couldn’t help but drool over the Cloud Sea Map.
[So that’s the Cloud Sea Map.]
Baek-Cheong peered over the heads of the crowd at the center of the Pavilion.
A single scroll lay unfurled atop the highly decorated Auction Platform.
Hazy streaks of clouds and ambiguous markings were drawn chaotically across the faded silk.
Anyone could see it looked like a Cloud Sea Map depicting the inside of the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.
[Hmm.]
It was a Secret Realm where one couldn’t trust one’s five senses within the clouds and had to rely solely on Divine Sense.
If one entered already knowing the paths of such a place, it would truly be an effortless journey.
Her Divine Sense alone was already at a level that surpassed even Foundation Establishment cultivators.
If she had a map in her hands on top of that, nothing would stand in her way.
[It really would be a effortless journey, but…]
Her steps, which had been cautiously approaching the Auction Platform, came to a halt.
It was because a sudden uncomfortable detail caught her eye.
The Seat for the seller who had put the Cloud Sea Map up for auction was empty.
In the trades of the New Spring Exchange Gathering, sellers put up their items by staking their own names and clans.
The more valuable the item, the more the identity of the seller determined its prestige.
Yet the person who had put up a Rare Item like the Cloud Sea Map hadn’t even revealed their identity.
[Something is suspicious.]
The Cloud Sea Secret Realm was a precious Secret Realm that even within the Biun Sect, only a handful of people had ever entered.
This meant that a map of such a place had been put up by someone who appeared out of nowhere.
She couldn’t help but feel bothered by it.
The surrounding young prodigies were completely distracted by the Cloud Sea Map.
The group that had been following her around was also craning its necks toward the Auction Platform.
“Fellow Daoist Baek-Cheong, you must be aiming for the Cloud Sea Map as well, right?”
“Since you are the Top Ranker, you ought to naturally secure a good spot!”
Everyone seemed to assume she would naturally jump into the bidding.
Baek-Cheong smiled slightly and shook her head.
“Well, I plan to look around a bit more.”
“Excuse me? Even with such a fortuitous encounter right here?”
The young prodigies asked back with bewildered faces.
[This isn’t something to jump at recklessly.]
There was bound to be a reason why an unidentified person put up an item.
Rather than making things worse by being clumsily greedy, it was better to take a step back and watch.
She intended to just observe how high the price would soar and who would buy it.
“This is the Cloud Sea Map containing the paths of the Cloud Sea Secret Realm! Now, who will call a price?”
Before long, the auction for the Cloud Sea Map began.
As the host’s voice rang out to encourage bidding, the Audience heated up.
People shook their spirit stone pouches here and there as the price skyrocketed.
“One High-Grade Spirit Stone!”
“Two here!”
“I bid five!”
The voices calling out prices tangled and tumbled over one another.
It was an amount that the Qi Condensation young prodigies couldn’t even dare to imagine.
Even those who had been vigorously raising the price began to shut their mouths one by one.
In the end, the Cloud Sea Map fell into the hands of a cultivator who had advanced to the main matches in the Foundation Establishment Group.
Judging by the embroidery on his robe, he looked like a Scion of a Prestigious Clan.
As the successful bidder carefully stored away the Cloud Sea Map, envious gazes poured in from all directions.
[It really sells for a high price.]
Baek-Cheong just tilted her head and watched.
However, things took a strange turn.
Not long after the Cloud Sea Map was sold, one side of the Pavilion began to Stir again.
“They say a Cloud Sea Map has come up on the Auction Platform next door too?”
“Another Cloud Sea Map appeared?”
Her ears perked up, and she turned her eyes toward the direction of the voices.
Sure enough, another Cloud Sea Map was unfurled on a different Auction Platform.
Just as the Cloud Sea Map had been sold moments ago, the seller was nowhere to be seen.
People flocked in droves, even as they felt puzzled.
“How could two Cloud Sea Maps appear in one place?”
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion, but they couldn’t hide their greed.
Even the second Cloud Sea Map fell into the hands of another cultivator after a fierce Bidding War.
The bizarre occurrences didn’t end there.
A Cloud Sea Map appeared here, and a Cloud Sea Map appeared there.
Cloud Sea Maps put up by unidentified sellers went up for auction one after another all over the place.
[This is getting more and more suspicious.]
Baek-Cheong’s doubts grew deeper and deeper.
The price of the Cloud Sea Map was burdensome for the Qi Condensation young prodigies, but it was different for those with deep pockets.
Among them, a few young prodigies eventually managed to snatch up a Cloud Sea Map.
Seo Ju-A was one of them.
“This Lady will offer one High-Grade Spirit Stone!”
She desperately raised the price and finally got her hands on a Cloud Sea Map.
Smugness dripped from the gaze she shot at Baek-Cheong.
[Will she even be able to break even with that?]
However, Baek-Cheong only wondered if the Cloud Sea Map was truly worth a single High-Grade Spirit Stone.
Around that time, another Young Prodigy who had successfully bid on a Cloud Sea Map couldn’t overcome his curiosity and approached Seo Ju-A.
“Seo Dao Friend, since things have turned out this way, why don’t we compare our Cloud Sea Maps? I’m curious if the drawn paths are exactly the same, since they are both Cloud Sea Maps.”
Seo Ju-A must have been intrigued as well, for she nodded as if she couldn’t refuse.
However, she had no intention of carelessly unfurling a precious item in front of everyone.
The two retreated to a corner, avoiding the eyes of others.
They subtly placed their Cloud Sea Maps side by side to compare them, then returned to the group.
Then, they spoke with strange expressions.
“Hah, they are both Cloud Sea Maps, but the drawn paths are completely different.”
“It’s so different from This Lady’s that it’s hard to believe they depict the same Secret Realm.”
The Audience murmured at the words coming from the two people’s mouths.
It meant that the paths drawn on each Cloud Sea Map were all different, as if they were maps personally drawn by various people who had entered the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.
Everyone was feeling bewildered.
“Ah! Could it be that these are maps hand-drawn by seniors who have entered the Cloud Sea Secret Realm?”
“If they put them up while hiding their identities because it’s awkward to reveal their names, doesn’t that make perfect sense?”
Upon hearing this, it was quite a plausible explanation.
If they were maps drawn by seniors who had been to the Cloud Sea Secret Realm, each tracing their own memories, it was only natural that the paths were different.
The murmuring young prodigies nodded one by one.
“Indeed, that makes sense!”
“We might not know which path is correct, but isn’t it a hundred times better than having nothing?”
As the plausible story circulated, the fervor toward the Cloud Sea Maps heated up even more.
Everyone’s eyes lit up with the desire to get their hands on a Cloud Sea Map.
They didn’t hesitate to pay spirit stones, paying no mind to the soaring prices.
In an instant, the Pavilion turned into a chaotic mess of people trying to claim a Cloud Sea Map.
[Usually, this kind of thing is a trap.]
Even in that uproar, Baek-Cheong did not reach for a Cloud Sea Map.
The explanation that seniors had drawn them sounded plausible, but it wasn’t trustworthy.
The part about hiding their identities just didn’t sit right with her.
[They could just proudly reveal their names and put them up.]
If they were seniors generously showing kindness, there was no reason to hide their tracks.
Furthermore, it wasn’t just one or two; Cloud Sea Maps were pouring out endlessly from all over the Pavilion.
No matter how much she thought about it, there was more than one suspicious detail.
[Could this also be related to the Cloud Sea Secret Realm?]
Since it was Bohwawon managed by the Biun Sect, it was difficult for a conspiracy to take root.
Perhaps it was a test for those entering the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.
However, the best course of action was not to recklessly get involved in something of unknown origin.
[It’s not like I absolutely need it.]
Baek-Cheong cleanly folded away any lingering attachment she had to the Cloud Sea Map.
She didn’t need something like a Cloud Sea Map in the first place.
Even if it was a Secret Realm where one couldn’t trust one’s five senses, she had her Divine Sense.
Her Divine Sense, reaching 27 chapters, far surpassed the Foundation Establishment stage and was not lacking even when compared to a Golden Core Cultivator.
[Anyway…]
She had already set her sights elsewhere.
Turning her back on the Cloud Sea Map auction that had become a chaotic mess, she moved toward a place where auctions were leisurely taking place.
It was on the quieter side, but because there were rare materials, quite a few cultivators were calling out bids.
[I need to stock up as much as possible.]
By taking the position of Top Ranker in the Qi Condensation Group, she could request Refining from the Biun Sect’s 4th-Tier Alchemist.
The Yeonha Baek Clan also had artificers, but they were only 3rd-tier.
The difference between 3rd-tier and 4th-tier was like heaven and Earth, and even with contribution points, it wasn’t easy to make a request, so she had to use this opportunity wisely.
[Their skills are definitely good, after all.]
Above all, the bracelet her Eldest Brother had gifted her was also the work of a 4th-Tier Alchemist.
Their skills were good enough to recreate items from the Ancient Era.
[Since I’m having something made anyway, I have to hand over a bunch of good materials for a proper item to be made.]
No matter how outstanding an Artificer’s skills were, if the materials were subpar, even a good piece couldn’t be produced.
Therefore, she was stocking up on rare materials whenever they caught her eye.
It didn’t matter if she hadn’t decided what to make right away.
It wasn’t like artifact materials would rot from sitting in her Storage Platform.
“One High-Grade Spirit Stone!”
Baek-Cheong called out prices without hesitation for every material she had her eye on.
She bought only thoroughly verified rare materials.
After all, she could just find fortuitous encounters in the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.