“...Me?”
I stared at Baek Unjin, wondering if I had heard him correctly.
“Yes. While you were asleep, I took the liberty of examining your body. It seems you possess a spiritual root.”
A spiritual root was the innate constitution that determined whether a person had the minimum aptitude and potential to become a cultivator.
The type, number, and purity of one’s spiritual roots greatly influenced cultivation speed and talent.
Those born with a single spiritual root were called Heavenly Spiritual Root possessors and were considered geniuses. Individuals with two or more roots were regarded as average cultivators. Those possessing all five elemental roots—the Five Elements Spiritual Root—had great versatility but poor efficiency.
Then there were the Mixed Spiritual Roots, where multiple roots were tangled together. Such people could still cultivate, but their growth was slow and their limitations obvious.
Finally, those with no spiritual roots at all were known as Rootless Mortals. No matter how hard they tried, they could never become cultivators.
“I don't think I have the qualifications to become a disciple of Qingwu Immortal Sect. I have a Mixed Spiritual Root.”
Yang Jahan had only been accepted into the Infinite Profound Sect because he was the sole Heavenly Spiritual Root bearer in Honghwa Sect.
And the reason I had been chosen as a sacrifice was because I was supposedly a Mixed Spiritual Root cultivator.
If someone like me became a disciple of Qingwu Immortal Sect, it would probably tarnish Baek Unjin's reputation.
“I'm grateful for the offer, but—”
“What nonsense are you talking about? You're not a Mixed Spiritual Root. Who told you such a thing?”
“Huh? I am, though?”
“No. You're a Heavenly Spiritual Root bearer.”
My jaw nearly dropped.
Yoo Yeonseo was a Heavenly Spiritual Root genius?
If that were true, there’s no way she would have been treated like dead weight in Honghwa Sect.
Something had to be wrong.
As if sensing my disbelief, Baek Unjin continued.
“However, yours is not an ordinary spiritual root. It is a Special Spiritual Root. At present, I cannot determine its exact attribute.”
Special Spiritual Roots were generally considered inferior to standard spiritual roots.
Unlike ordinary roots, they lacked fixed attributes or constitutions. Each one was completely unique to its owner.
“...”
What in the world was going on?
“If you think I am lying, I swear upon my name.”
“No, no, that's not necessary!”
For cultivators, swearing upon one's name was akin to staking one's destiny on their words.
In Chronicles of Heavenly Ascension, a person's name was the fate granted to them by the heavens.
“It’s just that... I've always believed I had a Mixed Spiritual Root.”
“Special Spiritual Roots are difficult for ordinary cultivators to detect. Considering the size of the sect you came from, it's only natural they failed to recognize it.”
Baek Unjin dismissed it as something that happened from time to time.
Come to think of it, there had been similar cases in the original novel.
Yoo Yeonseo had a Special Spiritual Root...?
It was a possibility I had never even considered.
Clenching my small hands tightly, I fell into thought.
Even though I remained silent for quite some time, Baek Unjin patiently waited.
I wanted to live.
Before I died.
And now.
I didn't want to die.
In this ruthless world, there was no guarantee that a ten-year-old child could survive alone outside.
After making my decision, I slowly raised my head.
“Would you really accept someone like me as your disciple?”
“I am not a man who speaks with two tongues.”
“Then... please take care of me, Master.”
I staggered to my feet and immediately dropped to my knees, performing a formal kowtow.
This is how it's done, right?
Everyone in Chronicles of Heavenly Ascension did it this way.
Fortunately, Baek Unjin said nothing.
Qingwu Immortal Sect was one of the Eight Great Orthodox Sects surrounding Qingyun Mountain.
Baek Unjin resided in Azure Cloud Pavilion, and after becoming his disciple, I was given a room on the floor below his own residence.
“It's huge.”
The room was far too large for a ten-year-old child to occupy alone.
It might even have been larger than the house I had lived in before transmigrating.
Perhaps it was because, despite my age, I was now Baek Unjin's disciple.
After changing into Qingwu Sect's blue robes, I headed to Seoun Pavilion, where Baek Unjin had instructed me to come.
I cupped my tiny hands together in greeting and bowed.
He smiled kindly.
“Where did you learn that?”
“Huh?”
“Must you be so formal every time you see me?”
“Oh. No.”
“A simple nod will suffice. Now come here first.”
At his gesture, a nearby chair floated through the air and landed before him.
I climbed onto it and sat down.
From a storage artifact disguised as a ring, he pulled out a comb.
Storage artifacts were magical tools used to store items, usually taking the form of rings or small pouches.
With practiced hands, Baek Unjin combed through my tangled hair and tied it neatly.
Come to think of it, didn't Baek Unjin have an older sister?
There were so many characters in the original novel that I couldn't remember every detail.
“There. Much better.”
“Thank you.”
“Now then.”
Rustle.
At a wave of his hand, books began pouring out of the storage ring.
Every title looked impossibly difficult.
“Can you read?”
“No.”
“Don't worry. I'll teach you step by step.”
For a brief moment, I had completely forgotten that becoming a cultivator required an absurd amount of studying.
Even here there's studying?!
I thought becoming Baek Unjin's disciple would finally improve my life.
Clearly, the world wasn't that kind.
“My head already hurts.”
One corner of Seoun Pavilion became stacked with books.
What... what are those?
The Thousand Mechanisms Scripture Collection.
A total of 1,002 volumes.
Not one.
Not two.
One thousand and two.
These books contained the fundamental knowledge and basic education every cultivator needed.
After spending a month merely learning how to read and write, I was immediately handed an enormous mountain of material to memorize.
“Master!”
“What is it?”
“I heard cultivators can fly through the sky and summon winds. When will I be able to do things like that?”
“You haven't even finished the Thousand Mechanisms Scripture Collection, and you're already talking about cultivation arts?”
I had asked on a whim.
The result was a scolding and an order to stop daydreaming and focus on studying.
“Haah...”
Resting my head against the desk, I sank into thought.
“I understand there has to be an order to things, but still.”
After possessing Yoo Yeonseo's body, I had repeatedly reflected upon the events leading up to her death.
The final moments in Spirit Death Valley.
I will never forget this choice for the rest of my life.
Yang Jahan had called it a choice.
Why?
Why would Yoo Yeonseo becoming a sacrifice be his choice?
No matter how I think about it, something's suspicious.
In the original story, Yoo Yeonseo died there, leaving the truth forever unknown.
But now she had survived because I had possessed her body.
As long as I'm in Qingwu Sect, I won't be able to avoid Yang Jahan forever.
Eventually, our paths would cross.
After joining Infinite Profound Sect, Yang Jahan became an incredibly cold and ruthless man.
Even in the original novel, after Yoo Yeonseo died, he never mentioned her even once.
There's no guarantee he'll treat me kindly when we meet again.
Which meant I needed strength of my own.
At least enough not to be helpless.
Fine. No need to rush.
Even if I begged for cultivation techniques right now, there was no way Baek Unjin would teach me until I finished these books.
Grinding my teeth, I picked up my brush once more.
Time to show the power of a former graduate student slave!
And so, after deciding to focus entirely on studying...
Two years passed.
“What are the Three Stages of Cultivation?”
“Body Refinement, Qi Refinement, and Spirit Refinement. Body Refinement strengthens the body so it can withstand the flow of qi. Qi Refinement opens the meridians and acupoints, allowing one to wield techniques and martial arts through spiritual energy. And...”
Damn it, what was the last part again?
“Spirit Refinement is the realm in which one reflects upon the principles of the world, merging the soul with qi and guiding it through one's will. If even one of these three stages collapses, the balance of the Dao is broken. Therefore, they are considered the foundation of cultivation.”
Somehow, I had managed to memorize it all.
“Well done. Starting tomorrow, report to White Lotus Training Ground.”
“That means...!”
“I shall teach you a basic cultivation method and swordsmanship.”
“YES!”
I nearly jumped for joy.
No matter how mature my mind had been before transmigration, enduring endless studying in a child's body had been torture.
I've had enough books to last a lifetime!
The next day, I arrived at White Lotus Training Ground in high spirits.
Baek Unjin was a sword cultivator.
For me, he had prepared a small wooden sword.
A child-sized training sword, thankfully not too heavy.
“I won't teach anything difficult yet. Simply try to imitate what I do.”
“Yes, Master!”
Drawing his treasured sword, Purple Dawn, Baek Unjin gave it a casual swing.
Instantly, the atmosphere changed.
The energy of heaven and earth seemed to flow around him.
The heavenly qi...
Taking a single step forward, he lightly twisted his wrist.
The pure white blade absorbed the moonlight and emitted a soft glow.
The air trembled.
Frost spread across the ground.
Silver ripples surged like waves.
The energy of heaven gathered around him, condensing into a blade that sliced through empty space.
A deep sword mark appeared on the training ground.
That...
That's your definition of casual?
“Master, you're not seriously expecting me to copy that, are you?”
Our definitions of easy were completely different!
How was I supposed to do that?!
Seeing my horrified expression, Baek Unjin sheathed Purple Dawn and chuckled.
“I didn't say you had to do it well. Simply try.”
Then he stepped back and folded his arms.
Apparently, he was serious.
At least his assurance that I didn't need to succeed was somewhat comforting.
Fine. I'll just imitate what I saw.
It's not like he expected much anyway.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered my spiritual energy and thrust the wooden sword forward.
For the briefest moment, a stream of blue light flickered before my eyes.
What's that?
For some reason, I instinctively felt that if I followed it, something would happen.
The instant I moved according to that feeling—
Flash!
“Waaah!”
Naturally, someone who had never wielded a sword before couldn't possibly succeed.
My body failed to keep up.
My stance became a complete mess.
And I promptly fell face-first onto the ground.
Yoo Yeonseo's face turned bright red.
She looked moments away from bursting into tears.
Absurd.
Baek Unjin's eyes narrowed.
Yoo Yeonseo thought she had failed.
But from his perspective, the situation looked entirely different.
She knows instinctively what to do.
The reason she had fallen was simply because her body lacked the strength to support it.
For a fleeting moment, he had clearly seen it.
Her sword had gathered an amount of heavenly qi nearly comparable to the quantity he himself had summoned.
I suspected she was unusual when she completed the Thousand Mechanisms Scripture Collection in only two years.
A task that normally required ten years.
And that wasn't even considering the fact that she had started completely illiterate.
Yoo Yeonseo was a genius.