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Chapter 02
“Me?”
I stared at Baek Unjin, wondering what in the world he was talking about.
“While you were unconscious, I examined your body a little. You possess a spiritual root.”
A spiritual root was an innate constitution that determined whether someone had the minimum talent and potential needed to become a cultivator.
The type, number, and purity of one’s spiritual roots determined the speed of cultivation and natural talent.
Those with a single spiritual root were called Heavenly Spiritual Root holders and possessed genius-level talent.
Those with two or more spiritual roots were considered ordinary.
Five-Element Spiritual Roots, which contained every attribute, had high versatility but poor efficiency.
And mixed spiritual roots were called miscellaneous spiritual roots. People with them could still become cultivators, but their growth was slow and their limits were obvious.
Finally, people with no spiritual roots at all were called “rootless.” No matter how hard they tried, they could never become cultivators.
“I don’t think I’m talented enough to become a cultivator of the Cheongwoo Immortal Sect. I have a miscellaneous spiritual root.”
Yang Jahan had only been able to enter Mugeuk Hyeonmun because he was the only Heavenly Spiritual Root holder in the Honghwa Sect.
And I had become the sacrifice because I was merely someone with a miscellaneous spiritual root.
If someone like me became a cultivator of the Cheongwoo Immortal Sect, it would probably only tarnish Baek Unjin’s reputation.
“Thank you for the offer, but…”
“What nonsense are you talking about? You are not someone with a miscellaneous spiritual root. Who told you such a thing?”
“Huh? Me?”
“You are a heavenly spiritual root holder.”
My mouth fell open in disbelief.
Yoo Yeonseo was a Heavenly Spiritual Root holder.
‘If that were true, there’s no way she would’ve been treated like useless trash in the Honghwa Sect.’
Just as I wondered if there had been some mistake, Baek Unjin continued speaking.
“However, yours is not an ordinary spiritual root. You possess a special spiritual root. At the moment, I cannot tell what attribute it has.”
Special spiritual roots were treated as lower-grade compared to normal spiritual roots.
Unlike ordinary roots, they did not have fixed attributes or constitutions and were instead completely individualized.
“……”
What exactly was going on?
“If you think I’m lying, then I swear upon my name.”
“You don’t have to go that far!”
For a cultivator, swearing upon one’s name was the same as staking their fate on their words.
In Chronicles of Heavenly Fate Cultivation, a name was the destiny granted by the heavens.
“It’s just that… I always thought I had a miscellaneous spiritual root.”
“It is difficult for ordinary cultivators to recognize the existence of special spiritual roots. Considering the size of the sect you came from, it’s only natural they failed to notice.”
Baek Unjin brushed it off casually, saying things like this happened from time to time.
Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered seeing similar cases in the original novel.
‘So Yoo Yeonseo had a special spiritual root…’
This was completely unexpected.
I clenched my small hands tightly and fell deep into thought.
Even after I stayed silent for quite a while, Baek Unjin patiently waited for my answer.
‘I wanted to live.’
Before dying, and even now.
I didn’t want to die.
And in this cruel world, there was no guarantee that a ten-year-old child like me could survive outside alone.
After making up my mind, I slowly raised my head.
“You would really accept someone like me as your disciple?”
“I am not someone who says one thing and means another.”
“Then… please take care of me, Master.”
I staggered to my feet and suddenly dropped to my knees, giving him a formal bow of respect.
‘This is how it’s done, right?’
Everyone in Chronicles of Heavenly Fate Cultivation did it like this.
Fortunately, Baek Unjin said nothing.
The Cheongwoo Immortal Sect was one of the Eight Great Orthodox Sects surrounding Qingyun Mountain.
Baek Unjin stayed at Byeogun Pavilion, and after becoming his disciple, I was given a room on the lower floor of the residence where he lived.
“It’s huge.”
The room was far too large for a ten-year-old child to use alone.
Honestly, it might even have been bigger than the house I lived in before transmigrating.
It was probably because I was being treated as Baek Unjin’s disciple despite my young age.
After changing into the blue robes of the Cheongwoo Immortal Sect, I headed toward Seoun Pavilion, where Baek Unjin had told me to come.
I bowed with my tiny hands clasped politely, and he smiled kindly.
“Where did you even learn that?”
“Huh?”
“Are you planning to be that formal every single time we meet?”
“N-No.”
“A simple nod is enough. Before that, come here.”
When Baek Unjin beckoned, a chair suddenly moved on its own and flew in front of him.
I climbed onto the chair and sat down.
He took something shaped like a comb out of a storage artifact that looked like a ring.
Storage artifacts were tools used to hold items and were usually shaped like rings or small pouches.
With practiced ease, Baek Unjin combed through my messy hair and tied it up.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t Baek Unjin have an older sister?’
There were so many characters in Chronicles of Heavenly Fate Cultivation that I couldn’t remember everything.
“It looks much better tied up.”
“Thank you.”
“Now then.”
Rustle.
As Baek Unjin stretched out his hand, books poured endlessly out of his ring-shaped storage artifact.
Every single title looked difficult at first glance.
“Can you read?”
“No.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you slowly, step by step.”
For a brief moment, I had forgotten that becoming a cultivator required an enormous amount of studying.
‘Even here I have to studyyyy?!’
I thought becoming Baek Unjin’s disciple would finally let me enjoy life a little, but the world clearly wasn’t so easy.
“My head hurts…”
Books were piled high in one corner of Seoun Pavilion.
‘W-What are all those?’
‘The Thousand Heavenly Scriptures.’
There were 1,002 volumes.
Not one. Not two. One thousand and two.
They were books containing the basic knowledge and foundational education required to become a cultivator.
After spending a month learning how to read and write, what awaited me was an overwhelming amount of memorization.
‘Master!’
‘What is it?’
‘I heard cultivators can fly through the sky and control the wind. When will I be able to do that?’
‘You haven’t even finished the Thousand Heavenly Scriptures yet, and you’re already asking about cultivation arts?’
I had asked just in case, only to get scolded and told to stop thinking useless thoughts and focus on studying.
“Haa…”
I buried my head into the desk and fell into thought for a moment.
“I understand there’s an order to things, but still…”
After transmigrating into Yoo Yeonseo’s body, I slowly reflected on everything that had happened to her.
The events right before Yoo Yeonseo died in Spirit Death Valley.
‘I will never forget this choice for the rest of my life.’
When Yoo Yeonseo became the sacrifice for the seal, Yang Jahan had used the word choice.
Why was Yoo Yeonseo, the sacrifice, Yang Jahan’s choice?
‘No matter how I think about it, something feels suspicious.’
In the original story, Yoo Yeonseo died right there, so the truth was never revealed. But now, thanks to my transmigration, she had survived.
‘As long as I stay in the Cheongwoo Immortal Sect, I can’t avoid meeting Yang Jahan forever.’
Someday, we would inevitably meet.
After becoming a cultivator at Mugeuk Hyeonmun, Yang Jahan became an extremely ruthless person.
Even in the original novel, after Yoo Yeonseo died in Spirit Death Valley, he never mentioned her even once.
‘Even if we meet again, there’s no guarantee he’ll treat me kindly.’
If that was the case, then I needed to become at least somewhat strong myself.
‘Okay… let’s not rush.’
Even if I begged to learn cultivation arts immediately, judging from Baek Unjin’s attitude, there was no way he would allow it until I memorized all of this.
I gritted my teeth and grabbed my brush again.
I’ll show you the power of a former graduate student slave!
After deciding to focus on studying first, two years passed.
***
“What are the Three Stages of Cultivation?”
“They refer to the stages of body refinement, qi refinement, and spirit refinement. Body refinement strengthens the physical body so it can endure the flow of qi. Qi Refinement opens the meridians and acupoints, allowing one to use spiritual arts and martial techniques through pure energy. And…”
Crap, what was the last one again?
“Spirit Refinement is the realm where one reflects upon the principles of the world, allowing the soul of the heart to merge with qi and move together with it. If even one of the Three Stages becomes unstable, the balance of the Dao collapses, making them the most important foundations of cultivation.”
Somehow, I had finally managed to memorize all the theory.
“Well done. Starting tomorrow, come to the White Lotus Training Grounds.”
“That means…!”
“I will teach you basic cultivation techniques and swordsmanship.”
“Hooray!”
I jumped up in excitement.
Even though I still retained the memories of being an adult before transmigration, enduring nonstop studying all day long in a child’s body had not been easy.
‘I’m sick of books now!’
The next day, I happily headed to the White Lotus Training Grounds.
Baek Unjin was a sword cultivator.
He had prepared a small wooden sword for me beforehand.
Maybe because it was made for children, it wasn’t too heavy.
“I won’t teach you anything difficult at first. Just follow along lightly.”
“Yes!”
Baek Unjin drew his treasured sword, the Purple Mist Sword, and casually swung it once.
In an instant, the surrounding air changed, and it looked as though the energy of the world itself flowed around him.
‘Heavenly energy…’
He stepped forward lightly and twisted the wrist holding the Purple Mist Sword.
As the pure white blade absorbed the moonlight and released a soft glow, the air rippled along with the light.
When he raised the sword, cold frost spread across the ground, and silver waves trembled like flowing water.
The energy of the heavens gathered around Baek Unjin and transformed into a single blade that split through empty space.
A deep sword mark remained on the training ground floor.
‘That…’
This is supposed to be light?!
“Master. You’re not seriously telling me to copy what you just did, right?”
Your definition of light is completely different from mine! How am I supposed to do that?!
As I stared at him in disbelief, Baek Unjin sheathed the Purple Mist Sword and smiled.
“I’m not asking you to do it well. Just try following along once.”
Baek Unjin stepped back and crossed his arms, making it clear he was serious.
At least his words, “You don’t have to do it perfectly,” were somewhat comforting.
‘Just do what I saw.’
Baek Unjin probably wasn’t expecting much anyway.
I steadied my breathing like he had shown me, gathered spiritual energy, and thrust the sword forward.
For the briefest moment, blue energy flickered before my eyes.
‘What’s that?’
For some reason, I instinctively felt that if I moved along with it, I could accomplish something.
The moment I followed it—
Flash.
“Ack!”
Of course, someone who had never swung a sword before couldn’t possibly do it properly.
My body failed to keep up, and with an extremely awkward posture, I pitched forward and crashed to the ground.
***
Yoo Yeonseo’s face turned bright red, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
‘Ha… what monstrous talent.’
Yoo Yeonseo thought she had simply failed and fallen over, but Baek Unjin saw things differently.
She instinctively knew what she needed to do.
The only reason she fell was because her body still lacked the strength to keep up.
For a brief instant, Baek Unjin had clearly seen Yoo Yeonseo’s sword gather an amount of heavenly energy nearly comparable to his own.
‘When she mastered the Thousand Heavenly Scriptures in only two years, despite it normally taking ten, I already knew she wasn’t ordinary.’
And considering she hadn’t even known how to read before, her speed was unbelievable.
Yoo Yeonseo was a genius.
