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Chapter 830: Side Story - Purple Gold Realm (3)
After going through a series of incidents.
Makli Hyun-ah, guided by Heo Yak-ham, goes to receive the Ascension Plaque, an identity plaque specially issued to those who ascended.
It is said that matters regarding ascension are managed at a place called the Star Master Jurisdiction's 'Ascension Examination Bureau', and Makli Hyun-ah and Makli Hweol meet the official at the Ascension Desk of the Ascension Examination Bureau, extract the qi of the Lower Realm, and have individual interviews.
"Alright, the detection of Penglai Star's qi is complete. It is proven that you are from the Lower Realm... At present, what dynasties and sects are ruling Penglai Star?"
"Uh...do I have to say that too?"
Makli Hyun-ah scratches his head in front of a Horned Ox Race man called the Star Master Jurisdiction's 'Ascension Examination Officer'.
"Pardon?"
At the Ascension Examination Officer's words, Makli Hyun-ah's eyes go wide.
"You mean the flow of time in the Middle Realm and the Lower Realm is different?"
"Yes...I do not know the details, but, legend says...forty billion years ago, in the battle of the gods in the far mythic age, the 'God of Time' did not want to get swept up in the fight of the gods, so they left this world and fled to an unimaginably distant place. In the process, the standard of time became a mess, and within the twisted spacetime that was already a mess, unimaginably great divinities waged battle, so the twisted spacetime distorted even more...and the flow of time between countless Middle Realms and Lower Realms was smashed to pieces. The overwhelming majority of Lower Realms came to have time flow far more slowly than the Middle Realm..."
"..."
At those words, Makli Hyun-ah trembles, his face blank.
'Th-Then...my older sister...?'
"Th-Then, the time ratio between Penglai Star and the Purple Gold Realm...about how much is it?"
"Hmm...until about twenty thousand years ago, the time ratio between Penglai Star and the Purple Gold Realm was about 1 to 100,000. One year in Penglai Star was about one hundred thousand years in the Purple Gold Realm. So while forty billion years passed in the Purple Gold Realm, Penglai Star should only have had four hundred thousand years pass, or so?"
"One to...one hundred thousand...?"
Makli Hyun-ah feels his heart sink.
Then while he spent two hundred years in Penglai Star...doesn't that mean twenty million years passed in the Purple Gold Realm?
"Wh-What...what kind of...what kind of nonsense is that...? M-My older sister ascended from Penglai Star 200 years ago...then does that mean my older sister is already gone and turned to dust...?"
Makli Hyun-ah looks at the Ascension Examination Officer with a stunned face, his voice trembling.
Then the Ascension Examination Officer lets out a sigh and speaks.
"I told you. Until twenty thousand years ago, the time ratio was 1 to 100,000. From twenty thousand years ago, the time ratio stabilized quite a lot. As a result of one of the officials of the Star Master Jurisdiction letting their consciousness down to the Lower Realm and checking...the time ratio between the Lower Realm and the Purple Gold Realm dropped to about 1 to 100. That is...even if I do not know, your sister...no, the one you call your sibling, if that person reached the Four-Axis stage, that fellow should be about 20,000 years old."
"Ah..."
At those words, Makli Hyun-ah feels the trembling stop, as if his tension releases.
A span of twenty thousand years is still painfully long...but compared to a time close to eternity like twenty million years, it is better.
"Th-Thank goodness..."
"By the way, you said your surname is Makli, right? The name of the Star Master Jurisdiction official who lowered their consciousness to the Lower Realm to check the time ratio is Makli Cheon-sa...you are from the same clan, right?"
"Ah...!"
Makli Hyun-ah nods.
"That is right. Makli Cheon-sa-nim is an ancestor of our clan."
"I see. Then I will contact that person."
After confirming Makli Hyun-ah's clan, the Ascension Examination Officer blows their will into a voice transmission talisman and sends it flying somewhere.
Perhaps because they belong to the same Star Master Jurisdiction, it seems direct contact is possible.
At that moment,
Taak!
Makli Hyun-ah turns around at the sound of a flying talisman being caught behind him, and he can't help but flinch.
"...! You are..."
"Hey, does the ascension examination take long?"
"Ahem...! Please wait, Senior. Once I stamp the seal with the Sacred Master's name on it, it is done."
She is none other than Makli Cheon-sa.
Perhaps because she is fairly well-known within the Star Master Jurisdiction, the Ascension Examination Officer who meets Makli Cheon-sa's eyes hastily finishes the procedure, stamps the seal onto the Ascension Plaque, and sends Makli Hyun-ah out.
Makli Hweol also seems to go through a similar procedure, and he holds an Ascension Plaque beside Makli Cheon-sa.
"I came because I felt my split soul come up to the Purple Gold Realm after twenty thousand years. I was busy doing the Axis Foundation Practice in the meantime and preparing Heaven and Earth Unity in order to prepare to advance to the Integration stage, so I couldn't contact you separately...how is the Lower Realm these days?"
At those words, Makli Hweol tells Makli Cheon-sa in detail about what happened in the Lower Realm.
"Hmm, is that so? You built a country where the Demon Race and the Human Race harmonize through the Confucian Family Method...good!"
At Makli Hweol's report, Makli Cheon-sa grins as if she is pleased and she strokes Makli Hyun-ah's head.
"Do you have anything you are curious about? Like the current state of the Purple Gold Realm..."
"Ancestor, how far has your realm reached now?"
At Makli Hyun-ah's words, Makli Hweol slips in the question.
Makli Cheon-sa answers with a proud expression.
"Before I knew it, I reached the Grand Perfection Four-Axis stage. If I prepare Heaven and Earth Unity just a little more, it's worth aiming for an advancement to the Integration stage."
"Hooh..."
Makli Hweol lets out an exclamation, and Makli Hyun-ah, impatient, cautiously asks.
"Um...actually, when Ancestor and I first met...the people who were nearby were my family. Do you happen to know the recent situation of 'Lee Seo-ah', who was dragged away by someone called the Martial Alliance Leader...?"
"Ah...you mean those kids."
At Makli Hyun-ah's question, Makli Cheon-sa clicks her tongue and speaks.
"They are impressive fellows. The one called Ahn Geum who went to the Black Ghost Valley became a promising Grand Perfection Integration stage ghost cultivator. But she betrayed the 'One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Sect' that Black Ghost Valley belongs to and went over to the 'Immeasurable Life Buddha Sect'. Because of that, Black Ghost Valley is pursuing her heavily right now. And Lee Seo-ah, who is your blood relative...followed the Martial Alliance Leader Jin Young-hoon, received this and that, and after coming down the mountain she wandered around the Purple Gold Realm and ended up placing herself in the 'One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Sect'. Now she is at the same Grand Perfection Four-Axis stage as me..."
"...!"
'Noona is in the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Religious Order...'
Feeling the inherent ominousness the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Religious Order has, Makli Hyun-ah starts worrying about Lee Seo-ah like crazy.
"Um...Ancestor, could you explain a little more in detail about the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Religious Order? Is it a group that believes in a divinity called One Qi of the Primordial Chaos?"
"Mm...the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Sect are not people who believe in a personal god. They are people who continue cultivation by corresponding the source of the methods they cultivate and the sect doctrine to the world's fundamental law called 'One Qi of the Primordial Chaos'. They see the root of all cultivation as something that branches off from the law called 'One Qi of the Primordial Chaos'.
"On the other hand, the Immeasurable Life Buddha Sect is the side that sees Immortal Cultivation itself as something made by a transcendent will called 'Immeasurable Life Buddha'. It is called a transcendent will, but this too is not so much a personal god as it is something like a law.
"So cultivators affiliated with the Star Master Jurisdiction see both as closer to sects than to religious orders. It is not that they worship a transcendent being with a personal-god nature, but simply the difference between placing the origin of their cultivation in the law called One Qi of the Primordial Chaos, or placing it in the will called Immeasurable Life Buddha."
"Ah...I see."
Makli Hyun-ah nods, and he decides to understand it as roughly two powerful ideologies.
"Then the Star Master Jurisdiction that Ancestor belongs to is..."
"The official name is 'Ban Ta Castle Faction'. Compared to those like the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos or Immeasurable Life Buddha, the difference is that we cultivate under the real Sacred Master. Within the Purple Gold Realm, Ban Ta Castle's power is the strongest, and since it always has the strength to mediate the two forces, it is also the safest."
Makli Cheon-sa smiles faintly as she looks at Makli Hyun-ah.
"Hehe. Seeing you ask that from earlier, you can't decide which faction to choose right now, can you?"
"Ah...that is right."
"Then come to our Ban Ta Castle. It looks like you are hesitant to enter the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Sect...but if you enter the Immeasurable Life Buddha Sect, you have to meet your blood relative as an irreconcilable enemy. If you don't belong to any faction, you may be free, but you will be torn apart by the tug-of-war among the three powers. If so, Ban Ta Castle, the neutral force that lets you talk comfortably with people from any force and enter any force's territory as you please, is the best choice!"
"Hooh..."
At those words, Makli Hyun-ah is strongly persuaded.
'Noona belongs to the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos sect, but...because of Great Forest's words, it feels ominous, so I can't enter the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Sect.'
But if he enters the Immeasurable Life Buddha Sect, he is bound to clash with Lee Seo-ah, just as Makli Cheon-sa says.
In that case, entering Ban Ta Castle, which plays the mediator role, can be said to be the best option for now.
"Then...I also want to enter Ban Ta Castle. What do I have to do?"
"Ahahaha, it isn't difficult. Follow me and put your name on Ban Ta Castle's Immortal Registry."
"Immortal Registry...?"
"It is an artifact the Sacred Master made personally. Once you put your name on it, from then on, you will always receive the Sacred Master's protection and blessing."
"..."
As someone who learned the Naming Family Method, Makli Hyun-ah feels that something about the Immortal Registry is a bit ominous.
'Receiving protection and blessing through a name...also means you can be ruled through a name...'
Makli Cheon-sa takes Makli Hyun-ah and Makli Hweol and moves to Ban Ta Castle through a teleportation formation in the Star Master Jurisdiction, and as Makli Hyun-ah moves through the teleportation formation, he ponders.
'Somehow it feels ominous...'
"Is there no way to become affiliated with Ban Ta Castle without putting my name up?"
"Ah...there are about two ways... One is a method I absolutely can't recommend, and the other is a method that takes a long time and is arduous."
"A long time, meaning..."
"If you reach the Integration stage, or build a level of fame equal to the Integration stage, you can apply as a Ban Ta Castle Guest Law Protector and can be affiliated with Ban Ta Castle even without putting your name on the Immortal Registry. But as you know, doing that without a faction is not an easy thing."
Tsuaaaaat!
In the middle of their conversation, Makli Hyun-ah arrives at the enormous castle called 'Ban Ta Castle'.
Makli Hyun-ah's mouth gapes as he looks at the endlessly stretching gray castle walls.
It literally feels as if Heaven and Earth are filled by the castle walls.
"These are the outskirts of Ban Ta Castle. First, let's go to the reception office for those affiliated with Ban Ta Castle. Follow me well. From here on, spacetime is wildly distorted by the Sacred Master's formation, so if you lose your way, you can suddenly fall into a strange place."
"Understood. But Ancestor, you said the other one is a method you can't recommend...what on earth is it?"
"That is..."
Makli Cheon-sa frowns at those words, then speaks to Makli Hyun-ah.
"...Within Ban Ta Castle's domain, I can't speak it. For now, you can submit the application, and later, you can cancel when you register in the Immortal Registry registration, so just put in the application first, and I'll tell you when we go to another region."
"Ah...yes."
Makli Hyun-ah wonders about what the first method is that Makli Cheon-sa does not say, and as he follows Makli Cheon-sa, he soon arrives at a place called the reception office, which is pierced into the outer wall.
At the reception office, countless cultivators who seem to come from all over are gathered and standing in line, and seeing that, Makli Cheon-sa sighs.
"Wait here for a while. There is a lot to process, so it will take three or four days. In any case, you two just obtained the Ascension Plaque today, so you probably don't know anything yet, so I'll submit the application for you and come back. The line is long so it will take time, so sit for a bit and try absorbing the Purple Gold Realm's Heaven and Earth spiritual energy."
"Yes, understood."
Makli Hyun-ah nods, and together with Makli Hweol, he sits on a small hill in front of the reception office and tries to stabilize his method.
'...But there is almost nothing to stabilize.'
From the moment Makli Hweol ascended, he continued stabilizing the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, but Makli Hyun-ah is cultivating a separate power called 'social authority' rather than Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, so he doesn't need to stabilize it.
'If I form new social authority in this land, then from that point I should stabilize it, but...'
With nothing to do, Makli Hyun-ah feels himself quickly becoming bored.
'Mm. I'm bored... Is it because the Purple Gold Realm is so big...? To think even just applying to become affiliated with Ban Ta Castle takes three or four days...seriously...'
It is just when Makli Hyun-ah is about to yawn.
Makli Hyun-ah suddenly sees that, a little away from the entrance of the reception office that Makli Cheon-sa entered, there is another entrance.
"What's that, there's no line at that entrance...?"
When Makli Hyun-ah tries to go look at that entrance, Makli Hweol speaks to Makli Hyun-ah.
"Where are you going, Daoist? Didn't the Ancestor say there is a spatial formation spread nearby, so if you move carelessly, something big can happen?"
"Ah...it looks like there's no spatial distortion up to that entrance over there."
"Hm?"
Makli Hweol clicks his tongue as he looks at the entrance Makli Hyun-ah points to.
"To begin with, that does not seem to be a reception office."
"Mm...still, I'm curious what it is, so I will just go once and come back."
"It doesn't seem like a good idea, but..."
But before Makli Hyun-ah even finishes hearing Makli Hweol's words, he is already flying slowly and landing in front of the other entrance far away.
"This is..."
[Purple Gold Realm Sacred Master Direct Disciple Recruitment]
"Heok...!"
Makli Hyun-ah sucks in a breath as he realizes the contents on the plaque hanging at the entrance are far more immense than he expected.
"Good grief, this is a place only high-and-mighty people come to."
Realizing it's an entrance leading to an unexpectedly immense place, Makli Hyun-ah tries to turn back, but for some reason, his eyes catch a small line of writing on one side of the entrance.
[Race, origin, realm, age are completely irrelevant. Come in, have a simple interview, and receive same-day notice of pass/fail.]
"Mm...does that mean anyone can go in? But it can't take too long..."
As Makli Hyun-ah smacks his lips and tries to turn back again, another line of writing in a corner comes into his eyes.
[Recruitment process time maximum two shichen! Become the Sacred Master's direct disciple quickly and conveniently!]
"Hmm...if it's two shichen (four hours), it's doable. Ah, wait a moment, it's not like there is an exam fee or something, right...?"
Then another writing in a corner enters Makli Hyun-ah's eyes.
[Completely free!]
"Oh...!"
'If it's free and it's just a two shichen interview, then, well...'
Thinking it works out well because he is bored, Makli Hyun-ah goes into the entrance.
For some reason, from behind, he feels like he hears the sound of Makli Cheon-sa screaming and saying, "No!", but when he turns around, he doesn't see anyone.
'Was it just my imagination?'
Makli Hyun-ah shrugs and slowly goes deeper inside the entrance, and not long after, he enters a garden where a huge black pavilion comes into view.
"This place is..."
As Makli Hyun-ah looks around the garden here and there where the pavilion is, the sound of someone laughing echoes from inside the black pavilion.
"Welcome. Are you the one who came to apply for direct disciple recruitment?"
"Uh...yes, but..."
At the words of the voice that follows, Makli Hyun-ah freezes on the spot.
"Welcome. I am the Purple Gold Realm's Sacred Master. The Sacred Vessel stage cultivator, Ban Ta."
And at Ban Ta's next words, Makli Hyun-ah, still frozen, has a face full of confusion.
"You pass. From now on, you are my direct disciple."
"Pardon??"
He doesn't seem to have done any interviews or any tests at all, so why is it a pass...?
Makli Hyun-ah can't understand it.
But in any case, Makli Hyun-ah decides to be happy that he's become the direct disciple of a Sacred Vessel Sacred Master.
"Th-Thank you!"
Because this is surely a tremendously fortuitous encounter.