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“Gelseon!”

He was the former master of the Opening’s elder guardian and one of the Three Great Masters of the Orthodox Sect. And now, I had finally met all of them, including the Old Sage of Mount Tai and the Master of Zen.

Gelseon’s appearance was that of a scruffy beggar, but he was just an ordinary-looking middle-aged man. His oddly sleepy eyes took up most of his face. Flanking him were a man and a woman, both dressed similarly as beggars.

Gelseon spoke to Matteo Ricci, “I’ve brought something worth as much as gold, but would you be willing to hear my conditions first?”

“Gladly.”

“I’m offering this instrument and its sheet music.”

From beside Gelseon, the man and woman presented a jade-green bowed string instrument and a book to Matteo Ricci. After Ricci accepted them, Gelseon explained, “This instrument is called the ‘Banhu,’ and its specific name is ‘Pahalgun.’ To play it, you’ll need to practice the accompanying sheet music and the associated technique, which is called ‘Shin Hyang Cheon Eum.’”

“So it’s a martial arts technique and a piece of music?” Ricci pondered. “What effects does the technique have?”

Gelseon seemed to mumble something under his breath; it was probably some sort of secret transmission to Ricci. After a while, Ricci said, “Impressive. These two are worth as much as gold.”

“… !!”

I was a bit shocked. No matter how you cut it, the gold we brought was enough to stun even the Castle Lord, yet somehow, these pieces were equivalent in value? But Mangnyang, unfazed, spoke to Ricci, “This isn’t right. We thought we were here for a straightforward one-on-one trade. If we had known there were competitors, we would have come better prepared.”

“Hmm… you might have a point there. The Castle Lord might have mistakenly failed to inform you.”

Matteo Ricci replied nonchalantly while the Guangdong Lord averted his gaze. It was clear that Gelseon, being an acquaintance of his, had intentionally kept quiet about acquiring the Silver Phoenix Fragment. I was seething inside, but before I could voice my thoughts, Ricci spoke up.

“How about you two discuss this at the top level? There’s a conference room up there; you should talk it out and discuss the justification for obtaining each fragment… then call me when you’re done.”

Ricci exchanged some words with the Guangdong Lord and took his guards back downstairs. In an instant, the hall became the setting for a face-off between us and Gelseon’s group.

An awkward silence fell. Without anyone making the first move, we slowly began to ascend to the upper levels. The discussion would need to happen up there. Upon reaching the top floor, Gelseon and Mangnyang sat across from each other at a large table. Mangnyang opened his mouth first.

“I didn’t expect the illustrious Gelseon, known to touch the heavens with his renown, to stoop to seeking treasure without loyalty.”

Gelseon leisurely replied, “I’ve been retired for so long; my disciple, Cheonryonggae, is leading the Opening just fine. Is there something wrong with an old man seeking to trade a treasure out of boredom? If there’s any wrongdoing here, it lies with the Guangdong Lord for not mentioning we would be involved. Take it up with him.”

“Hmm!” Mangnyang clicked his tongue, and I couldn’t help but feel astonished.

‘No matter how esteemed Gelseon is, to openly dismiss the Guangdong Lord like that…’

It was unbelievable, considering the Lord’s position was almost akin to that of a prince, being the ruler of a whole province. What’s more, with us being the competitors, he wasn’t even sweating over the potential consequences!

After a pause of consideration, Mangnyang spoke. “What are you thinking? I’m well aware of the immense value of that treasure, but we have no intention of backing down.”

“Hmm, perhaps we should have a candid conversation.” Gelseon leaned back slightly and grinned. “Ah, I can hardly ignore a long-awaited friend.”

“………?”

“You’ve had surgery done, but you can’t deceive me. Yun.”

At this, Lee Cheong-un, standing behind Mangnyang, smiled wryly. “Apologies. I had my reasons to keep my identity concealed.”

“Can we not loosen the gaudy charade?”

“Sure.”

As Lee Cheong-un summoned his energy, the appearance I had temporarily altered with surgical techniques shifted back to his original form. We had all previously disguised ourselves in preparation for this meeting. Lee said, “Given that we haven’t seen each other in quite a while, how did you recognize me right away?”

Gelseon chuckled with his droopy eyes, “Heh. In an Absolute Realm, you’re the only one with hidden Thunder Energy, though the Central Plains are vast. You’re the Dharma Guardian of the Thunder God lineage, after all.”

“Long time no see.”

“Indeed.”

Watching their exchange, I felt a chill. ‘Right… those two were friends.’ Lee often mentioned in casual talks about being friends with Gelseon, one of the Three Great Masters of the Orthodox Sect. At the time, it didn’t seem significant, but here we were witnessing a reunion.

Gelseon scratched his head and said, “Hmm… I thought you went missing decades ago when there were troubles at the White Lotus Sect. Have you been hidden away since then, growing your influence somehow?”

Lee replied, “No misunderstanding; I’m not the leader of the Bancheon Alliance. I’m only here to assist the Alliance’s leader.”

“Oh? So the Bancheon Alliance isn’t under the Thunder God lineage?”

“That’s right.”

Gelseon seemed to contemplate something before shifting his gaze to Mangnyang, “Leader of the Bancheon Alliance, what is your relationship with Lee?”

“I see no reason to answer that.”

“Then I have no intention of dishing out any important intel…”

“So you’re suggesting that giving information will yield something from us?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not.”

Gelseon responded slickly, and Mangnyang replied in a cold voice, “Regardless of our relationship, it changes nothing. We’re here to compete over ownership of the Silver Phoenix Fragment. I can’t give answers unrelated to that.”

“Hmm, fair enough.” Gelseon slammed his hands on the table and said, “If you tell me about your relationship with Lee and why you want the Silver Phoenix Fragment, I’ll withdraw my name from this auction right now. How about that?”

“That’s a no-go.” Mangnyang’s eyes glimmered fiercely.

“We have confidence that we can win against you, no matter the cost. Do you think we’re foolish enough to offer up information simply because we’re scared of you?”

“How troublesome…” Mangnyang countered. “We need to know. Why are you after the Silver Phoenix Fragment?”

Gelseon crossed his arms and smiled. “My reason for wanting the fragment is because I have a hobby of collecting ancient artifacts.”

“What do you mean?”

“The treasures I displayed to Lee earlier were all things that came to me as idle pursuits in my old age. It’s quite enjoyable to gather such storied treasures. In the process, when the Guangdong Lord mentioned the Silver Phoenix Fragment, I developed a greed for it.”

There seemed to be no way that story could be trusted. Mangnyang pondered for a moment before responding, “So, you can’t back down then?”

“You just claimed to be confident about winning the competition; the same goes for me. If you raise the stakes, I’d consider handing over my disciples here as guardians to the Bancheon Alliance.”

The man and woman at Gelseon’s sides perked up. The man was handsome with striking features, and the woman was pure and beautiful, carrying an unblemished demeanor despite her beggar clothes. But we were more focused on their abilities than on appearances. Lee chose that moment to speak.

“So, these must be your promising disciples that you’ve poured so much effort into.”

“Noticed, did you? Hah, I’ve worked hard to cultivate them.” Gelseon boasted as he patted the man’s shoulder. “They’re older than they look; thanks to my teachings, they’ve achieved quite a bit. Lee won’t be able to refuse my offer.”

“Are they around their thirties or forties?”

“Something like that; they’ve studied under me for years.”

I realized what Lee meant when he made that remark. After all, I too had a high mastery in martial arts. Hence, I discreetly signaled to Mangnyang, using the Suspicious Fishhook to convey.

[Mangnyang, those two disciples are Peak Experts.]

Their apparent youthful looks belied their actual ages in their thirties or forties, which I deduced stemmed from their profound skills halting aging through powerful energy and intent. It implied they had reached a deep realm of mastery. Mangnyang, looking confused, said.

[Is that the truth? I can’t sense much energy from them…]

[I can feel their enlightenment. They’re likely hiding their strength.]

[Thanks, Baek Woong.]

Although Mangnyang had maintained some martial arts training for self-defense, his training in techniques was more intensive. Therefore, it made sense he couldn’t perceive the level of a top-tier expert, hence my discreet information transfer. Still, I felt an unsettling thought creep in.

‘What’s going on? Even Gelseon is a Peak Expert, but for him to raise two of them…?’

Peak Experts aren’t exactly a dime a dozen in the Central Plains. Even renowned elders of the Nine Great Sects are mostly at the pinnacle level, and reaching Peak Expert status involves years of painful training and breaking through barriers. Though there are different levels within Peak Experts, it’s commonly understood that more than 99% die without ever reaching even the pinnacle level. Naturally, all sects tried to cultivate Peak Experts, but the reality is, you can’t just create one because you want to. The White Lotus Sect had a skewed advantage with its renowned old disciples and thousands of years of perfected techniques to develop their ultimate martial arts skills. Given this, it was simply implausible that Gelseon had produced two Peak Experts. Just how strong was Gelseon’s ability? While I contemplated Gelseon with caution, Lee spoke up.

“I know you have little interest in the martial arts world. Would you mind letting our friendship sway you?”

“Hmm, let’s see… swaying, huh?”

Gelseon seemed to be pondering something and finally remarked after some time with his eyes half-opened, “Alright. Leader of the Bancheon Alliance, tell me about your motives. If I can grasp that, I’ll gladly step back.”

“I’m an old man retired from the martial arts scene. Just satisfy my curiosity! I’m pretty curious about how the Bancheon Alliance’s power has risen recently.”

For a moment, Mangnyang and Lee exchanged glances. Reluctantly, Mangnyang opened his mouth, “If you promise not to disclose this information to anyone in the Opening or others, I’ll share it.”

“Of course. I don’t even communicate with my former disciple, Cheonryonggae. I swear my name that I won’t disclose what you’ll tell me to the martial arts world.”

“The purpose of the Bancheon Alliance is to combat the corruption of the evil Human Sacrifices conducted by the Imperial Palace, thereby saving innocent people from imminent disaster.”

“Hmm!”

Gelseon’s eyebrows raised dramatically, appearing intrigued as he leaned forward. “The Imperial Palace is performing human sacrifices? Do you have any evidence?”

“Plenty; it’s clear they summon evildoers to bring about disasters. We intend to stop them before a calamity hits Luoyang.”

“Huh, haha!” Gelseon suddenly burst into strange laughter, chuckling for a bit before saying, “How amusing!”

“What do you mean by amusing?”

“It’s nothing. This means the Silver Phoenix Fragment now belongs to you.”

Standing up, Gelseon added, “Remember this well. As long as you don’t interfere with me, I won’t disturb you. I’ll simply watch from the sidelines. Keep that in mind.”

His words felt loaded with implications. Lee retorted nonchalantly, “You still act all high and mighty as always. How about having a drink with me?”

“Heh. I’d prefer to sing until the final moments come.”

“Take care.”

And just like that, Gelseon departed with his disciples, canceling his participation. Matteo Ricci then approached us, exchanging the gold for the Silver Phoenix Fragment.

“Congratulations on acquiring both fragments.”

“What do you mean?”

“No need for caution. I already knew that fragment belonged to some royal seal. You’re likely after their treasure.”

Ricci chuckled and continued, “But that has nothing to do with me. What I desire is something entirely different.”

In that moment, I began to grasp what he was after.

[I am Matteo Ricci, delegated by the Jesuits to the Great Ming Empire… and this is Hans Talhoffer, my guardian.]

[I came expecting to find the Emerald Tablet in the imperial palace, but it seems to be quite chaotic… Perhaps it’s not our place to intrude; I might be taking my leave.]

Indeed, in my past life, Matteo Ricci had plunged into the Imperial Palace alongside Talhoffer, seeking the Emerald Tablet even amidst its ruin.

The Crystal Stele was something I could have acquired long ago; however, I chose to leave it in the hands of the Imperial Palace to maintain the world’s balance. If I could obtain the Crystal Stele and present it to Matteo Ricci, I’d fully gain his cooperation, wouldn’t I…? Mangnyang’s quiet voice interrupted my thoughts.

“I’d like to have a deeper conversation. There might be a chance for the Bancheon Alliance and your side to collaborate in the future.”

“Oh! That would be quite welcome! I was just about to bring it up.”

Matteo Ricci pulled out a cross from his pocket, “Once you hear the doctrines of the Jesuits and our aspirations, you’ll understand what it means to genuinely serve humanity.”

“Our mission is to locate powerful demon sorcerers hidden in this land and find artifacts that can greatly bolster our guardianship.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a bit complex. Do you know that demons exist in this world?”

“I am unequivocally aware.”

Mangnyang briefly relayed our knowledge of the Otherworldly Race, and Matteo Ricci seemed relieved as he exhaled deeply.

“This makes it easier to explain.”

As he gathered his thoughts, he continued, “The West has become tainted by the demonic path, with the spiritual energy depleted and evil beings rampant. This is all due to the cult of the Evil God, the Black Brotherhood. Because of them, our guardian has sealed himself away, and the barriers protecting the humans of the West have weakened significantly…”

“Hmm…”

“Not only that; the demon sorcerers have come to the East in search of legendary artifacts said to exist here. If left unchecked, it’s evident that both the East and the West will fall victim to their ambitions, which led the Jesuits to journey East.”

“So you’re here to save the people of the East just because they’re strangers? Doesn’t that sound like a different motive?”

“Of course, it’s not just for that reason. I also seek powerful artifacts that could awaken the guardian.”

The Jesuits’ goal was to liberate the guardian from his self-imposed seal by gathering strong artifacts! They had come East in search of these items to either reinforce that seal or awaken the guardian. Understanding the crux of the matter, Mangnyang looked puzzled.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be too easy to give up the Silver Phoenix Fragment? It might hold more value than gold after all.”

Ricci replied, “No, I’ve gathered more intel than I thought. I’m confident that among the treasures unlocked by that fragment, there’s nothing we need. It’s better to spread the teachings of the Jesuits with monetary support in Duke Du’s kingdom and Guangdong.”

“How would preaching the teachings lead to improvement?”

“Our revered guardian’s strength increases with the faith of mankind. Therefore, spreading faith in the East will empower the guardian’s ability to counter the Otherworldly Race and the Old Ruler’s minions.”

“I see!”

It seemed the Western guardian also draws strength from human faith, which made everything fall into place regarding the Jesuits’ arrival in the East. Matteo Ricci lowered his gaze briefly, praying to his cross before speaking again.

“Our brothers in the Jesuits have great expectations for the treasure known as the Emerald Tablet. That treasure is the source of all alchemy and one of the most powerful artifacts ever… it was left behind by Hermes Trismegistus before his ascension.”

“…?”

I was left puzzled, “The Philosopher’s Stone? And that can rescue the guardian?”

“That’s right. The Philosopher’s Stone could disrupt the balance of the entire world; it must be secured by human hands. The only means to create the Philosopher’s Stone is the Emerald Tablet.”

“I’ve heard obtaining the Philosopher’s Stone promises immortality, infinite energy, and the creation of all things…”

I had heard everything there was to know about the Philosopher’s Stone through Zhuge Sa’s teachings. Ricci nodded solemnly and said, “If you ever obtain the Philosopher’s Stone, be sure to let me know. I’d offer everything the Jesuits possess for it. I’d even go so far as to acquire all royal power of the kingdoms to compensate.”

The hidden capabilities behind the Philosopher’s Stone seemed incomprehensibly vast, but could that even measure up to all that the Jesuits might sacrifice? Nevertheless, pondering how they had come all the way to the East out of determination to save the Western people left me speechless. Despite our differences in skin and hair color, they were also honorable people. We parted ways from Matteo Ricci to head straight to the royal palace of Balhae. Mangnyang spoke in a tense voice, “Let’s fit it in.”

Click

It was the moment the pair of Silver Phoenix Fragments slid into place.

BOOM!!!

A massive light burst forth, and the royal gates creaked open. After centuries, the doors of the royal palace opened to reveal a pitch-black space. Gazing into it, Mangnyang confirmed, “As expected, it’s an artificial subspace. Quite vast.”

“Could there be any formations or traps?”

“That’s unlikely. The Silver Phoenix Fragment is the perfect key. They probably thought only rightful royalty could enter. Besides, we gathered intel back in our past lives.”

Mangnyang gestured ahead, “Let’s go.”

We stepped into the royal palace of Balhae. As we ventured further inside, we witnessed magnificent ancient structures lining the vast spaces, resembling the grand style of Balhae’s architecture. It appeared similar to the formation techniques used by the Master of the Twelve Joules.

Our steps halted before a throne, where a skull ominously awaited us.

 

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