I Possessed a Cultivator Destined to Die at the Hands of the Protagonist - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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15.
The moment Gui-hon, which had transformed into mist, coalesced into a single form, Baek Un-jin wove a hand seal and opened his mouth.
“【Ten thousand ripples become one and return, a single draught of clarity reconnects ten thousand meridians, one wave amplified thrice over.】”
It was the Chinghai True Incantation, one of Baek Un-jin’s exclusive sect techniques.
A towering column of water rose up to form a barrier, then compressed into a single point that bore down upon Gui-hon.
Crash!
A piercing shriek!
Gui-hon’s anguished cry reverberated across the entire Mountain, and a single torrent of water shot skyward before exploding outward.
As Gui-hon vanished, the dark clouds dissipated, and a crimson sunset poured down from the heavens.
Baek Un-jin silently sheathed his Ja-ha Sword.
“Sister, are you alright? Sister!”
“I’m fine. I’m fine….”
“Siiiiister!”
I lost consciousness.
***
Yeonhwa Hall.
Twenty-two Elder seats were arranged with Sect Leader Seon Un-ran at the center.
Approximately sixteen seats were occupied.
“An unfortunate incident has occurred at this Seonmun Tournament. We must reach a decision regarding the three victims.”
“It was our oversight that we failed to discover the sealed Gui-hon hidden beneath the sealing formation. Therefore, all three should be granted passage.”
“Nonsense! By that logic, if a Gui-hon appears during the trial, does everyone pass? They failed to complete the trial to its end.”
“They would have been unable to complete it regardless because of Gui-hon. Do not be unreasonable.”
“My point is…. Principles matter.”
One of the Elder Council’s primary topics was naturally the incident involving Yoo Yeon-seo and her companions.
Opinions were divided on whether the three should be granted passage or not.
“Cheongryeong Mountain is managed by our Chingwoo Immortal Sect and has been the site of Seonmun trials for generations. Is it not strange that a Gui-hon was present there?”
“Spirits exist everywhere and can appear anywhere. Was it not concluded to be mere coincidence?”
Creak.
Just as the disagreement showed no signs of narrowing, the firmly closed door opened, and Baek Un-jin walked in.
Perhaps because he wore an Elder’s formal robe—something he rarely donned—the atmosphere felt distinctly unfamiliar.
“Elder Baek.”
“Baek Un-jin pays his respects to the Sect Leader.”
He clasped his fist in salute and took his seat, which had been empty until now.
“You’re rarely seen around, yet you’re quick to appear when your disciple is involved.”
“Of course I am.”
“What?”
“Elder Yeon would have rushed to the Sect Leader faster than anyone, tail wagging, rather than waiting for an Elder Council meeting if his disciples had faced such an ordeal.”
“You insolent brat…!”
Thud.
Before his words even finished, Baek Un-jin pulled a document from his sleeve and tossed it onto the table.
“The Gui-hon that appeared on Cheongryeong Mountain is known as the Baekya Gui-hon. After investigating, it turned out to be a creature that should never have appeared there.”
Looking more closely, I noticed several half-burned wooden pegs scattered beside the documents.
“Those wooden pegs are talismans used to summon the Baekya Gui-hon. They were designed to activate when the final boundary stone was placed during the sect examination.”
“….”
“Unfortunately, they activated while my disciples were taking their test.”
“Elder Baek, what are you trying to say?”
“Since my disciples are safe, I won’t bother asking who was responsible. However, if you use excuses like ‘it was mere coincidence’ to disqualify them from the Seonmun Tournament, you’ll have to pay the appropriate price.”
The elders tensed at the chilling tone that carried a palpable killing intent.
Baek Un-jin—a genius who had reached the Wonryeong stage at merely eighty years old.
“Are you threatening us right now?!”
“Do I look like I don’t know who the culprit is?”
“….”
“Enough. I’ll examine those materials carefully, so Elder Baek, calm yourself. Had there been no accident, those three would have easily qualified as inner sect disciples. Therefore, I’ll approve their admission by the authority of the sect leader.”
Several elders tried to object, but they fell silent under the pressure from Baek Un-jin and the sect leader.
“One more thing.”
“What else?”
“I intend to participate in the next Bisseung as well.”
“You’re saying you will?!”
Even Seon Un-ran was startled, clearly having not anticipated this.
***
I remained unconscious for a full week.
Fortunately, there was no serious threat to my life.
Baek Un-jin ordered me to rest until my body fully recovered.
Even though I insisted I was fine….
‘You may look fine, but you’re not. Your mind and body are exhausted, so rest until I say you’re well.’
As a result, I had to spend nearly a month lounging in my room.
“Honestly! Don’t you ever do something so reckless again!”
Only after receiving Baek Un-jin’s permission could I leave my room in Bikyun Pavilion.
Spending a month confined to my room was actually more torturous than the time I’d spent in grueling cultivation.
I never want to do that again!
“I know, I know. But everyone is safe, aren’t they?”
“That’s… well, yes. But do you know how worried I was?”
While I was unconscious, Eun Hui-gyeom apparently visited my room every day to check on my condition.
“I should have been the one to place the boundary stone instead…. If I had, then—ow! Why did you headbutt me?!”
Eun Hui-gyeom touched his reddened forehead, tears glistening in his eyes.
“Don’t say things like that ever again.”
“….”
“I was the one who said to place the boundary stone there. And no one could have predicted that a Gui-hon would appear.”
Originally, Eun Hui-gyeom should have died there.
So I didn’t want him to blame himself over something like this.
“Well, that’s true, but… ah, never mind. I don’t even know how things ended up this way.”
Noticing that I didn’t want to elaborate further, Eun Hui-gyeom scratched his cheek and changed the subject.
“Since the confinement has been lifted, tell me what’s happened while I was away.”
Baek Un-jin had wanted me to focus entirely on recovery, so he’d cut me off from all outside information.
I’d only managed to hear from Myeong Seol-hwa that we hadn’t been eliminated from the Seonmun Tournament and had become inner disciples.
“There’s been so much that I don’t even know where to start.”
“That much?”
“Well, the biggest incident would be when Master declared to the Elder Council that he wouldn’t stand for them dismissing us, and when he said he’d participate in the next Bi-seung.”
“….”
“And the fact that the top-ranked disciple from the Seonmun Tournament wasn’t present? Oh, and recently Kang Jin-heon reached the fifth star of the Yeon-gi realm, so he’s already become Second Cloud.”
Within Chingwoo Immortal Sect, there existed a ranking system called the Cloud Badge.
Upon becoming an inner disciple, one received a Cloud Badge bearing the image of clouds. The lowest rank was First Cloud, followed by Second Cloud… and as the numbers increased, so did one’s status within the sect.
All inner disciples were required to wear this badge at all times.
The lowest rank was First Cloud, progressing through Second Cloud and ending at Ninth Cloud.
Baek Un-jin, an Elder, possessed a Seventh Cloud Badge, and within Chingwoo Immortal Sect, only the sect leader held a Ninth Cloud Badge.
“Wait, wait. So really a lot happened?”
I was momentarily overwhelmed by the sudden flood of information.
‘Master defended us before the Elder Council…’
Baek Un-jin was already known for rarely participating in Elder Council meetings.
The fact that he’d stepped forward personally meant he must have felt considerable emotion about this matter.
‘And he said he’d participate in the next Bi-seung…’
We were in the Lower Realm, and at regular intervals, the Bi-seung Gate—a passage to the Middle Realm—would open.
Only chosen cultivators could pass through the Bi-seung Gate.
‘This matches the original story.’
In the original, Baek Un-jin ascended to the Middle Realm through the Bi-seung Gate after Eun Hui-gyeom’s death.
‘The next Bi-seung is in a hundred years, I think.’
It was nearly impossible for either me or Eun Hui-gyeom to reach the Bi-seung within a hundred years.
It meant I would be separated from Baek Un-jin for a considerable time.
A span that could be considered long or short, depending on perspective.
But I decided to worry about matters that weren’t immediately pressing later.
“When you say Kang, you mean Kang Jin-heon, right?”
“Yes.”
Since Kang Jin-heon had been in the same group as us, he was treated as having passed the Seonmun Tournament.
‘I knew he was talented, but I didn’t expect him to reach the fifth star already.’
Truly, his growth rate was befitting a main character from the original story.
“But why am I the top-ranked disciple?”
“Well, you were consistently second-ranked in the previous tests, weren’t you? There was an accident during the Dao test, but if the test had proceeded normally, our group would have placed first. …That’s what Master said, anyway.”
“I feel bad about that.”
Normally, Kang Jin-heon, who had scored perfect marks on the Law and Martial tests, should have been ranked first.
The decision to rank me first instead was clearly an attempt to appease an angry Baek Un-jin.
In short, it meant they would pretend Gui-hon’s interference had never happened.
“It’s fine. Kang Jin-heon didn’t seem bothered by it anyway.”
“Well, that’s a relief then.”
I would still need to apologize to Kang Jin-heon later.
Thanks to being recognized as the top disciple, I was able to begin at the same cultivation level as Kang Jin-heon.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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