"Marriage?"
I am taken aback by the sudden proposal from this woman, but soon I feel a chill settling in my mind.
"...How could you propose to someone as insignificant as myself? I am merely at the Nascent Soul, and if you are the daughter of a Grand Cultivator, surely you can choose a far better match?"
"Hmph! Quiet, I have decided to take you as my husband! Just be quiet and marry me!"
That's when it happens.
"Hmm…"
Surururu…
Hong Su-ryeong approached us unnoticed and is now looking at Hon Wei with a cold gaze.
"What an interesting lady. However, Elder Jin here is currently my dual cultivation partner."
Hon Wei frowns and says,
"So what? I've decided to marry this guy. You just have to give up being dual cultivation partners, right?"
"Hmm…"
Hong Su-ryeong looks at Hon Wei with an even colder smile.
The next moment.
Flash!
"Stop it, Grand Elder Hong!"
Clench!
Suddenly, with a flash of lightning, Hong Su-ryeong is holding a flying sword pointed at Hon Wei.
Jin Byuk-ho stepped in between Hong Su-ryeong and Hon Wei, grabbing Hong Su-ryeong's wrist.
"Oh my, why didn't you stab a bit more?"
Hong Su-ryeong's flying sword is hardly an inch away from Hon Wei's nose, and Jin Byuk-ho is sweating.
"Grand Elder Hong, please calm down and put away your flying sword. And Miss, please step back for now."
"Hmph!"
Hong Su-ryeong sheathes her flying sword and takes a step back.
Hon Wei snorts and crosses her arms.
"Little lady, sorry. But your dual cultivation partner is rumored to be the genius of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. I must have him."
"Is being the daughter of an Integration stage Grand Cultivator everything? What right do you have to take my partner as if he's an object?"
Hong Su-ryeong asks with a frosty look.
Hon Wei unfolds her arms and straightens her posture.
"Right, I've been too brief in my introduction."
Hon Wei doesn't look at Hong Su-ryeong but turns to me and says,
"My father currently holds the position of the Guardian Grand Cultivator at the Heaven-Earth Palace."
'Guardian Grand Cultivator of the Heaven-Earth Palace?'
The Heaven-Earth Palace is where the Flying Immortal Platform that lower realm cultivators reach when ascending is located.
The Heaven-Earth Palace alternates management between the Heaven Tribe and Earth Tribe every 5,000 years.
To protect against attacks from the Heart Tribe, True Devils, Blood Yin Realm Heavenly Fiends, and Nether Ghost Realm Monsters, many Four-Axis stage cultivators reside in the Heaven-Earth Palace, guarding it. To manage these Four-Axis cultivators, the Heaven and Earth Tribes appoint an Integration stage Grand Cultivator as the Palace Lord of the Heaven-Earth Palace whenever it's their turn.
Thus, those who become the Palace Lord of the Heaven-Earth Palace take on the duties and responsibilities associated with the palace, including responding to unexpected attacks or when strange creatures ascend from the lower realms.
Due to these responsibilities, the Palace Lord is often referred to as the Guardian Grand Cultivator rather than by their official title.
In short, it seems that Hon Wei's father was the one holding the position of Palace Lord of the Heaven-Earth Palace when we first ascended.
'The Grand Cultivator who didn't show up when Mad Lord first kidnapped the Four-Axis stage cultivator from the Heaven-Earth Palace is Hon Wei's father.'
Thinking about it, if Hon Wei's father had rushed to capture the Mad Lord when the wooden man was kidnapped, the Mad Lord could have been cured of his madness right there and then.
But for some reason, the Palace Lord of the Heaven-Earth Palace never showed up until the end, allowing the Mad Lord to escape freely and eventually evolve the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress to its limits.
In retrospect, the reason the Mad Lord could ravage the Bright Cold Realm for a thousand years was partly due to her father's negligence.
"Moreover, my father is also the Palace Lord of the Penglai Palace, one of the top five cultivation sects in the Human Race Territory, and I am one of the 21 Law Enforcers of Penglai Palace. If you marry me, not only will the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect receive support from Penglai Palace, but you will also have the backing of the Palace Lord of the Heaven-Earth Palace. Additionally, I will ask my father to teach you!"
"…"
"It's absolutely in your best interest to marry me. If you join Penglai Palace, I will support you in learning the Mount Tai Splitting Emperor Technique, a method that only the children and direct disciples of the Penglai Palace Lord can learn!"
Sighs erupt here and there at her words.
"Even so, to teach the Mount Tai Splitting Emperor Technique to an outsider..."
"Such a formidable will."
"How many have learned the Mount Tai Splitting Emperor Technique other than the direct descendants and direct disciples of the Penglai Palace lord?"
I look at those who sigh.
The Administrator of Thunder Spirit Island and the avatar of the Integration stage Grand Cultivator, Wi Ryeong-seon.
Followed by the avatars of the Integration stage Grand Cultivators Eung Yeon and Gae Jin, all sighing one after another.
Even the Integration stage Grand Cultivators show such a reaction, indicating the powerful nature of the Mount Tai Splitting Emperor Technique.
'It seems like an Earth attribute method, judging by the name. It would suit me well.'
If I only consider the benefits I can gain, there's no reason to refuse.
However, after cooling my head, I reply with a smile.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but unfortunately, I already have a designated dual cultivation partner assigned by my sect. Currently, I have no intention of marrying anyone else."
"Hmm…"
Her face fills with a competitive spirit.
"A devoted lover, I see! That makes me want you even more."
"Are you proposing simply because you want to have me?"
"No, not at all. Seeing you block my attack made me fall hard for you! So let's get married!"
"Hmm…"
I observe Hon Wei with clear eyes, and Hong Su-ryeong scoffs, turning away from her.
Hon Wei smiles at me and says,
"It seems you haven't made up your mind yet. In that case..."
Snap!
She snaps her fingers, and her storage bag opens beside her.
From the storage bag, an immense light begins to pour out.
"This, this is…!"
Jin Byuk-ho's face turns to shock, and the disciples of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect and the congratulatory envoys fly up into the sky in surprise.
Kugugugugu!
From the storage bag, countless spirit stones begin to pour out like a waterfall.
The summit of Thunder Cloud Peak, where the Golden Divine Lightning Hall is located, is soon covered in spirit stones.
At a glance, the amount of spirit stones exceeds two to three hundred billion, a staggering quantity!
But it doesn't end there.
When the spirit stones begin to spill over the summit of Thunder Cloud Peak, Hon Wi's storage bag stops pouring out spirit stones.
"Mid-grade spirit stones, 100 billion! With this much, your sect's finances should be secure for about a hundred years! To someone from Penglai Palace, this is nothing. If you marry me, you will receive infinitely more support!"
Jin Byuk-ho is speechless. I, too, am momentarily taken aback by the overwhelming quantity, letting out a hollow laugh.
'Is there nothing that wealth can't do…?'
Certainly, it's an amount worth considering.
Moreover, if I marry her, the support will be even greater, enough to make any cultivator's heart race.
As expected, after seeing the pile of spirit stones, Jin Byuk-ho approaches Hon Wei with an even more respectful attitude.
"Thank you for the support, Miss. However, Elder Jin is a pillar of our sect…"
"I'm not asking him to switch his allegiance to Penglai Palace! Simply marry me, and let the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect have frequent exchanges with Penglai Palace. This financial support is a congratulatory gift for Elder Jin Eun-hyun's appointment as the future Sect Leader, so accept it without burden."
"Heo, heok…!"
"Then, I shall take my leave! I will come to give 'congratulatory gifts' more often in the future, so think it over. To rise from the Nascent Soul stage to the Heavenly Being stage, resources are important, but Penglai Palace has even more resources to aid in reaching the understanding needed for the Heavenly Being stage!"
With those words, Hon Wi gives me a spirited look, then flies away using the Flying Escape Technique.
After her short but intense visit, silence lingers in the celebration for a while.
"Hem, hem... that's enviable. Anyway, let's continue with the celebration?"
Azure Tiger Saint gives a hint to the bewildered Jin Byuk-ho, who quickly regains his senses and hastily signals the Core Formation and other disciples
Then, the disciples swiftly fly around, gathering the spirit stones.
"Ha, haha… Then let's resume the celebration for now."
Upon seeing the astonishing cascade of spirit stones, a wave of extravagant congratulations begin pouring in from the representatives of numerous other sects toward Jin Byuk-ho.
"Congratulations on your good fortune!"
"Hahaha, even if Lady Hon Wei is known to be difficult, she spends generously when needed. If you two become dual cultivation partners, the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect is surely on the road to prosperity."
"Though she's the naughty daughter of the Grand Cultivator, still, the wealth of Penglai Palace is said to be among the top two in the Human Race Territory. What an excellent opportunity!"
Overwhelmed by the continuous flood of congratulations, Jin Byuk-ho seems to be out of his mind.
Hong Su-ryeong and I exchange glances.
She clicks her tongue and says,
"She seems like a crazy old bat. Be careful, Jin Eun-hyun. She shouted about being smitten and whatnot, but her true intentions were completely different."
"...Yes, I saw it too."
I can't help but smile wryly.
Had she genuinely confessed her love for me out of sincere affection, even I might have been swayed.
However, I remember her aura of intent.
'It was the kind of intent you'd see from crafty old foxes.'
She is definitely not an easy opponent.
After the celebration, I have a meeting with the elders in the Golden Thunder Hall.
"...So, to the future of our sect, Elder Jin Eun-hyun. Congratulations."
Jin Byuk-ho says, seated on his grand seat.
Now, I am also treated as an elder, assigned my own seat in the Golden Divine Lightning Hall.
"Thank you, Supreme Sect Master."
"Right. Normally, after the celebration, you would be allowed to rest... but there's something I need to discuss."
I can well guess what the discussion will be about.
"...About the marriage proposal from Lady Hon Wei, the daughter of the Integration stage Grand Cultivator Hon Won (Dangerous Origin), the Palace Lord of the Heaven-Earth Palace."
"Yes. Please speak."
"First... Do any of the elders have information about Lady Hon Wei?"
"Yes, I have quickly looked into it."
Grand Elder Jin Jin-chan stands from his seat among the elders to speak.
"She is one of the 17 children of the Heaven-Earth Palace Lord. The seventh child, to be precise. She is 3,120 years old. However, her talents are somewhat lacking, as she is still only at the mid Heavenly Being stage. But she is making progress in her cultivation and is expected to reach the late stage of Heavenly Being soon."
"Over 3,000 years old?"
Jin Byuk-ho's eyebrows twitch at that information.
"...That's high. Among those who ascended from the lower realm, unless it's the Sea Dragon King or the Holy Peng King, there's no one in the Human Race who can surpass her age."
Being of the Dragon Race, Seo Hweol has a basic lifespan well over 4,500 years, and the Holy Peng King of the Peng Race exceeds 3,600 years old.
However, the lifespan of Human Race cultivators, even those who reached Heavenly Being, barely touch 2,500 years. Thus, Hon Wi's age of just over 3,100 years is quite significant compared to those who had ascended from the lower realm.
"Yes, it seems she has continuously extended her lifespan through longevity fruits and elixirs abundant in the Bright Cold Realm."
"I see. Is she facing a bottleneck in her cultivation and hoping to overcome it by taking Elder Jin Eun-hyun of our sect as her dual cultivation partner?"
"That seems highly likely."
"Hmm… Does everyone know about Penglai Palace, to which Lady Hon Wei belongs?"
The Human Race Grand Alliance currently has six leading cultivation sects.
First, the Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect, backed by the Black Dragon King, Hyeon Eum.
Second, the Entering Truth Gate, backed by the Integration stage Grand Cultivator, Gae Jin.
Third, the Heavenly Lotus Palace, backed by the Integration stage Grand Cultivator, Eung Yeon.
Fourth, the Penglai Palace, backed by the Integration stage Grand Cultivator, Hon Won.
Fifth, Black Ghost Valley, which has no Grand Cultivator but has an enormous number of disciples, branches across every Sky Island, and a network with the Nether Ghost realm.
Sixth, Yin Soul Ghost Sect, which is in a competitive relationship with Black Ghost Valley and similarly follows devilish cultivation.
These six sects are the powerful mainstream sects leading the Human Race Grand Alliance, known as the "Six Major Sects of the Human Race."
"Although we've absorbed Thunder Cloud Pavilion, our sect is still considered a weaker, emerging sect. If we receive support from Penglai Palace, and with the growth of Elder Jin Eun-hyun and Jeon Myeong-hoon, who possesses the Heavenly Golden Thunder Body... someday, our Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect can surely become the leading sect of the Human Race. However..."
Jin Byuk-ho's gaze shifts to me and then to Hong Su-ryeong.
"The important thing is the will of Elder Jin and Grand Elder Hong. For starters, what does Grand Elder Hong think?"
"What's there to say?"
Hong Su-ryeong replies with a sneer.
"I have no intention of giving my dual cultivation partner to that dimwit who, despite being in the resource-rich Bright Cold Realm, is barely touching the late Heavenly Being stage.
