Chapter 102
Pill Refining Peak was located not too far from the Sect Master’s Peak.
As we rode the clouds past a couple of peaks, a new ridge soon unfolded below.
Jin-Wi waved his hand, slowly lowering the cloud.
As her toes touched the stone steps, Baek-Cheong lightly straightened her Robe Hem and looked around.
True to the name Pill Refining Peak, the faint scent of medicinal herbs wafted from somewhere.
Jin-Wi stopped a step ahead and turned around.
The corners of his mouth were slightly more raised than usual.
“Young Lady Baek, please wait a moment.”
“Pardon?”
“There is something I want to show you.”
When Baek-Cheong brought her hands together with a puzzled expression, Jin-Wi let out a dry cough and squared his shoulders.
It seemed the one who had entered the Foundation Establishment stage was trying to shed his childish demeanor and show off his form.
As Jin-Wi raised both hands, blue energy quietly gathered at his fingertips.
Soon, six Water-attribute Spells formed into small water droplets and floated up one after another.
“A Multi-layered Technique.”
Baek-Cheong briefly assessed it inwardly.
The first spell was an ordinary Water Stream Art, and the second was an Ice Binding Art harboring a chill within.
The third could be recognized as a 1st-Tier Top-Tier Spell just by the power it exuded.
The remaining three were also different types of Water-Attribute Spells.
The six spells gently orbited around Jin-Wi, each at a different speed.
And there was no sign of the spells wavering.
“How is it?”
Jin-Wi spoke in a proud tone, spreading his hands slightly.
“They are six Water-Attribute Spells. I even unfolded a 1st-Tier Top-Tier Spell along with them.”
Baek-Cheong widened her eyes slightly while maintaining her posture.
“Senior Jin-Wi, are you unfolding all of these at once?”
“Well, it is nothing much.”
Even as he said it was nothing much, Jin-Wi puffed out his chest once more.
The corners of his mouth simply refused to come down from their relaxed position.
Baek-Cheong added a feigned look of appropriate surprise and gave a couple of small claps.
‘As expected of a Heavenly Spiritual Root Holder, he’s good at everything.’
Even among the Dao Friends in the Nameless Forum, the versatility of a Heavenly Spiritual Root Holder was often a topic of conversation.
Even if they delved deeply into just one thing, their depth was extraordinary, and even if they reached out to side branches, they lacked nothing anywhere.
They were on a completely different level from other spiritual roots that had to handle multiple attributes.
“It would have been a bit easier if I had been a Heavenly Spiritual Root Holder too.”
A Heavenly Spiritual Root Holder like Jin-Wi had the aptitude to easily unravel whatever they reached out to.
Even if they were both called geniuses, it was clearly revealed where their aptitudes diverged.
‘Well, there’s no use being jealous.’
Baek-Cheong withdrew her small bit of envy and shifted her gaze back to Jin-Wi.
The six spells slowly scattered, turning into gentle moisture.
“It seems the time I spent polishing my skills was worth it.”
Jin-Wi added a word in a deliberately deep voice.
His tone was an imitation of an adult, but the excitement of a child was still evident within it.
The fact that he had received praise from her seemed to have acted as a reward.
‘Well, as long as he’s happy.’
Baek-Cheong brought her hands together neatly and replied with a small nod.
There was no way Jin-Wi could have guessed that a little bit of envy had rolled through her small chest.
* * *
Jin-Wi took the lead again, moving his steps toward the inside of the ridge.
The true scenery of Pill Refining Peak unfolded beyond the ridge.
The first thing that caught her eye was a wide field shaped like terraced steps.
In each field, spiritual herbs of different colors were growing in neat rows.
Blue spiritual energy shimmered between the leaves.
“That over there is the place where Our Sect cultivates precious spiritual herbs. Each medicinal herb has a different spot where it grows best, so the herbs are spread out evenly across the Peak. It may look lax on the outside, but it is defended by a Formation, so disciples who step in by mistake are often taught a harsh lesson.”
Jin-Wi explained, wanting to strike up even a little more conversation.
Beyond the Spiritual Herb Field stood a large Pavilion straight and tall.
The distinct scent of medicinal ingredients seemed to waft gently from the Pavilion.
“That Pavilion is a place that specializes in handling medicinal ingredients. It is where ingredients are prepared before concocting pills, and where things that need to be aged are left to age.”
Baek-Cheong nodded and shifted her gaze further inward.
Beyond the Pavilion, buildings large and small stood shoulder to shoulder along the path.
The shapes of their roofs were all different.
One building had eaves that flowed down smoothly, while another rose roundly, perfectly mimicking the shape of a pill furnace.
“In the Biun Sect, the schools are divided according to their Pill Refining methods, and since each School has a different way of bringing in a Pill Furnace or handling medicinal ingredients, they build their buildings separately.”
Jin-Wi told her a story he seemed to have heard from somewhere.
Befitting a Great Sect, the scale of Pill Refining far exceeded that of the Main Family.
The scale of Pill Refining in the Yeonha Baek Clan was merely a small building (the size of another Clan’s Mansion).
However, the scale of Pill Refining in the Biun Sect was on par with a decent Immortal Village.
“And…”
Jin-Wi walked inward for a long time, giving her a comprehensive overview of Pill Refining Peak.
Before long, as they turned a corner, a large Pavilion situated in the middle of the Peak came into view.
Its eaves were drawn out much higher and longer than those of the other buildings, and a small pill cauldron-shaped ornament rested on the roof.
People were gathering in droves in the vast Courtyard in front of the Pavilion.
external cultivators dressed as guests, and those wearing cloud robes who appeared to be Inner Sect disciples of the Biun Sect, were mixed in here and there.
“Today happens to be the day a lecture is held at Dan-Jeong-Ru.”
Jin-Wi raised a hand and pointed at the Pavilion.
“It is the most prestigious School on our Pill Refining Peak. As it is a School that Our Sect boasts of, many people from other peaks also make the trip on this day.”
“Then… could I go in and take a look too?”
“Of course. You must have wanted to listen in.”
Baek-Cheong gave a small nod and followed Jin-Wi, stepping into the procession.
Following the procession, they soon found themselves in front of the large Platform in the Pavilion.
A cultivator dressed in a robe engraved with clouds stood on the Platform.
His aura was again different from the true disciples she had seen at the Sect Master’s Peak Pavilion.
It was much deeper, and the energy flowing naturally out of him was far stronger.
‘He’s at the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage.’
Baek-Cheong inwardly gauged his realm.
Since he was peering into the Path to Nascent Soul from the very edge of Core Formation, it was only natural for his depth to be profound.
Soon, Jin-Wi leaned in slightly and informed her in a low voice.
“That is Martial Uncle Dan-Gyeong. He is the one who was marked as the Next Peak Lord of Our Sect’s Pill Refining Peak early on.”
“The Next Peak Lord?”
“Yes. He is someone who can personally concoct up to 4th-Tier pills, so when it comes to Our Sect’s Pill Refining, there is no one who can compare to him above his rank, save for the Peak Lord. Not only that, but rumors are circulating among the elders that he will soon knock on the Threshold of Nascent Soul.”
Even as Jin-Wi politely introduced his Martial Uncle, he could not hide his proud tone.
Baek-Cheong nodded and shifted her gaze back to the Platform.
Dan-Gyeong slowly opened his mouth, keeping one hand neatly behind his back and the other lightly spread open.
“The most difficult task in the Pill Refining Method is how to ultimately raise the Pill Quality.”
The inside of the Pavilion, which had been noisy with many people, quieted down briefly.
“Bringing out the true nature of the medicinal herbs, and maintaining a steady Fire Control - if you think about it, they all converge on the single point of quality.”
The cultivators gathered below the Platform added small nods.
Jin-Wi was a layman when it came to Pill Refining, but he feigned listening attentively with a serious expression.
On the other hand, Baek-Cheong calmly attended the lecture while maintaining her polite posture.
She had certainly intended to just listen quietly at first.
However, as Dan-Gyeong’s lecture moved on to specific methods for raising Pill Quality, she felt a sense of puzzlement.
‘Uh, that… you shouldn’t do it like that.’
The Fire Control Operation that Dan-Gyeong pointed out was flawless when viewed as a general method.
However, considering the flow of binding the true energy of the medicinal herbs to the surface of the pill without loss, the method of keeping the Fire Control steady could actually result in suppressing the medicinal properties.
While Baek-Cheong was quietly listening, her mouth twitched slightly without her realizing it.
“That’s not it…”
It was closer to a very, very soft Murmur.
It was a sound so quiet she couldn’t even hear it herself.
However, the cultivator standing on the Platform was at the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage.
His Spiritual Perception was so outstanding that he wouldn’t miss a single small breath inside the Pavilion.
Dan-Gyeong abruptly cut off his lecture.
“…Who just spoke?”
His tone was calm, but a hint of anger seeped out at the end of his words.
At that, the Cultivators who had been listening attentively to the lecture shifted their gazes to one side in unison.
Jin-Wi, standing next to her, also looked back at Baek-Cheong in surprise.
It seemed Jin-Wi had also clearly heard the single remark that slipped from her mouth.
“He actually heard that.”
Baek-Cheong herself didn’t feel any particular agitation.
Because she had merely stated that what was wrong was wrong.
“Seeing as you appear to be merely at the Qi Condensation Stage.”
Dan-Gyeong slowly shifted his gaze toward Baek-Cheong.
As soon as he realized that not only was her realm low, but she was also a young child, his eyebrows raised slightly.
“How dare you talk back to This Old Man’s lecture.”