Author's note: To celebrate Brazil's victory, I'll be posting every day from Monday to Saturday—I promise.
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Seven days.
It wasn't a long time.
But for a novice Gu Master, seven days were enough to separate the wheat from the chaff.
During those seven days, dozens of outer disciples had failed countless times while attempting to refine their Gu.
Some exhausted nearly all of their primeval essence.
Others suffered backlash from the wills residing within the Gu themselves.
Every night, the outer disciple dormitories remained brightly lit.
Small sighs of frustration echoed through the halls.
Occasional bursts of primeval essence.
Even quiet tears.
Everyone was chasing the same reward.
Two hundred primeval stones.
...
But for one disciple...
The competition had ended before it had truly begun.
[Six Days Earlier]
The Rank 3 Gu Master walked calmly through the corridors of the teaching pavilion.
His pace remained as unhurried as ever.
A disciple in charge of the records hurried toward him.
"Teacher."
The old man slowly raised his eyes.
"Yes?"
"The first refinement has been completed."
He simply nodded.
"Who?"
The disciple glanced at his jade tablet.
"...Lee Hyun."
The teacher remained silent.
"..."
"How long did it take?"
"Approximately..."
"...six hours."
The old man stood motionless for several seconds.
Then he slowly closed the book he had been reading.
"Bring him here."
A few minutes later...
Lee Hyun entered the room.
He bowed respectfully.
"This disciple greets Teacher."
The old man observed him for several moments.
"You succeeded?"
"Yes."
"In roughly six hours?"
"Yes."
The teacher made a small gesture.
"Come closer."
Lee Hyun stepped forward.
A thin layer of primeval essence quietly enveloped the old man's fingers.
It wasn't an offensive technique.
Nor a deep inspection.
Just a simple observation of the aperture.
Something trivially easy for a Rank 3 Gu Master.
...
Several seconds passed.
...
Nothing.
The aperture appeared completely normal.
A Rank 1 Initial Stage primeval sea.
No signs of outside interference.
No traces of another Gu.
Its jade-green primeval essence was perfectly pure.
No remnants of any foreign will.
There was only a single Gu.
The small golden-and-brown Gu rested peacefully inside the aperture.
Alone.
The teacher slowly withdrew his hand.
No second Gu.
No auxiliary refinement method.
No signs of cheating.
His gaze discreetly returned to the unfamiliar Vital Gu.
Was it because of that Vital Gu...?
He didn't know.
It was only a possibility.
In fact...
It was the only explanation he could think of.
An unknown Gu was, by definition...
Unknown.
"Congratulations."
Lee Hyun merely inclined his head.
"Thank you, Teacher."
"The two hundred primeval stones will be delivered today."
Inside...
Lee Hyun was almost celebrating.
Outside...
His expression remained exactly the same.
The teacher closed his book once again.
"Lee Hyun."
"Yes?"
"Have you received any invitations?"
"...Invitations?"
"From alliances."
Lee Hyun shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Naturally."
"Most alliances prefer to invest in Grade A talents."
"..."
"Or members of influential families."
Lee Hyun silently agreed.
Talent.
Influence.
Politics.
That was exactly how organizations functioned.
The old man continued.
"But there are exceptions."
"Hard work also has value."
"So does discipline."
"Refining a Gu in only a few hours is worthy of recognition."
He paused briefly.
"If you're ever interested..."
"...I could introduce you to a few alliances."
"Of course, you don't have to answer now."
Silence.
Lee Hyun thought for only a moment.
Alliances...
Shared resources.
Shared information.
Shared problems.
It was far too early.
He still didn't understand how the Huang Clan's internal politics worked.
Joining an alliance before understanding the board was simply asking to become someone else's pawn...
...or worse, to become trapped in a weak alliance.
...or even killed.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered first.
Weed bowed slightly.
"I am truly grateful for Teacher's consideration."
"However..."
"I still know too little about the clan."
"I would like to understand it better before making any commitments. Please forgive me, Teacher."
The old man remained silent for several moments.
Then he simply nodded.
"A prudent answer."
"There is no need to apologize."
"But think about the offer."
"And continue proving yourself through effort and results."
He didn't press the matter.
Nor did he seem disappointed.
If anything...
His impression of Lee Hyun improved slightly.
"Teacher."
"Yes?"
"I have another question."
"Go ahead."
"Is it permitted to open a small business inside the clan?"
For the first time during their entire conversation...
The teacher looked surprised.
"...A business?"
"Yes."
"The clan allows small-scale trading between disciples."
"Tools."
"Food."
"As long as everything remains within the rules."
"If you're only exchanging small quantities—even primeval stones, refinement materials, cultivation resources, or even Gu—that is permitted."
Lee Hyun listened attentively, leaning forward ever so slightly to avoid missing a single word.
"But if you intend to establish a permanent business..."
Weed immediately straightened.
"Yes. I intend to open a small shop."
The teacher hesitated for a moment.
What could a mere Rank 1 disciple possibly have to sell?
Even so, he answered without hesitation, deciding to ask later.
"The Huang Clan controls the protected section of Sha Jing Oasis, which is divided into four commercial districts."
"First—the Central District, also known as the First Circle."
"Elders conduct business there."
"Large merchants."
"Rare materials."
"High-rank Gu."
"Second—the Second Circle."
"It primarily deals in cultivation resources, refinement materials, recipes, and common Gu."
"The fees are higher, but it is still completely protected by the clan."
"If you intend to establish a serious business related to cultivation, that would be your destination."
"Third—the Third Circle."
"Small merchants."
"Handicrafts."
"Tools."
"Food."
"Everyday goods."
"In general, anything unrelated to cultivation, provided it's valuable enough to justify the stall fee or the seller has the proper authorization."
"The clan charges considerably lower fees there."
"And finally..."
"The Outer Market."
"Caravans."
"Traveling merchants."
"Free trade."
"The closer a market is to the center..."
"...the more valuable its goods tend to be."
"...and the stronger the clan's protection becomes."
"The First and Second Circles charge substantial fees."
"You may wish to reconsider this idea."
It made perfect sense.
The Outer Market wasn't intended for clan members to operate businesses openly.
The Third Circle wasn't meant for cultivation resources.
After all...
What kind of foolish Gu Master—especially one still at Rank 1 Initial Stage, when everyone was desperately trying to advance—would waste precious cultivation time running a business with modest profits that had nothing to do with cultivation?
Such a thing only made sense for the sons and daughters of merchant families.
For anyone else...
It would be a foolish decision.
"Actually..."
"The Third Circle is exactly where I'm interested in setting up."
His answer came immediately.
The teacher raised an eyebrow.
"Cultivation materials?"
"No."
"Gu?"
"Also no."
"..."
"What exactly do you intend to sell?"
Lee Hyun answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Sculptures."
...
The teacher stared at him for several long seconds.
"...Sculptures?"
"Yes."
"..."
For the first time, the teacher genuinely looked confused.
After so many questions, he was beginning to doubt the favorable impression he had formed of this student.
"...Very well... I suppose."
Lee Hyun almost smiled.
The teacher's expression made it abundantly clear that he had absolutely no idea what this disciple was planning.
But neither did he see any reason to stop him.
After all...
Money was money.
Whether others considered it wise or foolish...
Whether they viewed it as a waste of time...
A fair clan would never forbid someone from earning a living through honest means while following its rules.