As always, on Saturday at 7 AM, Do-Jun sipped his coffee while reading the morning paper. However, something felt a bit off with Byeol. Sitting on the rug in the living room, Byeol watched TV with a big smile on her face.
“I like mushwooms,” she said.
Do-Jun lowered his newspaper slightly to observe her.
⌜Monk Do-Am plans to make pine mushroom rice for dinner. You can eat mushrooms in rice or steam them—mushrooms are nature’s medicine. Twenty years ago, Monk Do-Am renounced worldly ties and gave up all meat. While some sects allow their members to eat meat, our sect abstains from consuming it...⌟
Recently, Byeol had been dedicatedly watching the TV show “Into the Nature” whenever it aired. It was a lifestyle documentary that explored people living in harmony with nature, and it appeared to have captured her interest.
“Byeol, why aren’t you eating the meat?” Yoon-Hee asked, tilting her head curiously.
Byeol loved meat almost as much as Yong-Yong, but wasn’t even touching the jangjorim.[1]
“Because I’m a monk!” Byeol answered proudly.
“Huh...?” Yoon-Hee turned to Do-Jun with a puzzled look as he briefly explained what had happened that morning.
After hearing the story, Yoon-Hee laughed as she finally understood.
“Monks eat mushwooms.”
“Are you a monk now?” Yoon-Hee asked teasingly.
“Yeah. But... I don’t see mushwooms,” Byeol muttered, lowering her head dejectedly.
At that moment, Do-Jun remembered the fourth floor of the Core. He hadn’t visited it yet, but he had read some information about it on the Core Forum.
The fourth floor of the Core was also known as the Celestial Realm. With its treacherous mountain paths and steep cliffs, it was easy for newcomers to get lost.
In the center of the Celestial Realm lay a lake. An elderly man in white robes with long, flowing white hair crossed his arms and watched the water intently. This was Cho Yang-Un, one of the ten immortals of the Celestial Realm. Among his peers, he was nicknamed the “Eccentric Immortal” and often ridiculed.
The immortals took turns mentoring adventurers who entered the fourth floor, training them as their disciples. Today was Cho Yang-Un’s turn to accept a new disciple.
Cho Yang-Un’s legs were shaking anxiously. Could today end with nothing again?
It had already been two years since an adventurer had last appeared. Although over three hundred had passed through under his mentorship, his eccentric nature had driven them all away, leaving him with no notable pupil.
Then, with a loud splash, someone emerged from the lake! Cho Yang-Un’s lips curled into a smile, unable to hide his excitement. What kind of adventurer would this one be? Since this person was to become his disciple, it was important to observe them closely.
Out leaped a small red puppy, shaking its entire body to fling off the water.
As he met eyes with the puppy, Cho Yang-Un couldn’t help but blurt out, “What the...?”
“What are you looking at?” the puppy snarked.
Moments later, a young man surfaced from the water, but strangely, he appeared completely dry. Upon closer inspection, a thin layer of qi shielded his body, which dissipated as he stepped out of the lake.
“Huh...” Cho Yang-Un looked at them in surprise.
Regardless, these were his new disciples.
As Do-Jun entered the fourth floor of the Core, he approached the elderly man who was staring at him intently. This was the Celestial Realm, and according to the forum, an immortal would greet him upon entry. This old man must be the one intending to take him on as a disciple.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Lee Do-Jun.” Do-Jun smiled and extended his hand for a handshake.
Cho Yang-Un had been staring blankly at him but snapped back to reality. He decided he needed to establish dominance right away. Grasping Do-Jun’s hand, he unleashed celestial energy to enhance his grip strength.
However, Cho Yang-Un was soon startled. No matter how much force he exerted, the man didn’t flinch. Typically, adventurers would wince in pain and cry out when confronted with an immortal’s grip.
As the celestial energy coursed through his hand, Do-Jun smirked and applied just a tiny bit of strength.
“Your greeting is... a bit aggressive, Master,” he said.
“Ugh!” Unable to withstand the pressure, Cho Yang-Un collapsed to his knees, repeatedly slapping Do-Jun’s hand as a signal to stop.
Only then did Do-Jun release his grip, smiling all the while.
“Tsk, tsk.” Watching this unfold, Yong-Yong clicked his tongue in pity at the immortal who had already lost the upper hand.
Do-Jun followed Cho Yang-Un and arrived at a grand, rustic residence that exuded antique charm. Even without considering the yard, the house was over a thousand square meters in size.
“This is my dwelling,” Cho Yang-Un said as he showed Do-Jun around.
Walking down the corridor, they came across a room with a sign that read Hall of Scholars.
“Are there no other disciples here?” Do-Jun asked.
If the information from the forum was true, each immortal usually had around seventy to eighty disciples; however, for some reason, this place was desolate.
“They all ran away,” Cho Yang-Un answered.
“I see.” Do-Jun shrugged indifferently and sat down cross-legged.
Meanwhile, Yong-Yong was filled with curiosity and roamed around the room, examining every corner.
After clearing his throat, Cho Yang-Un turned to Do-Jun and asked, “How did you know you would become my disciple?”
Although Do-Jun had addressed him as Master, he had no intention of actually becoming his disciple. Having spent time in the Central Plains, he was already well-acquainted with the immortals and their practices. He had even dabbled in Taoist techniques in the past, and from his perspective, there was nothing he could learn from this so-called immortal before him.
“Disciple, huh...” Do-Jun said noncommittally.
What Do-Jun truly wanted was the Spirit Mushroom that Cho Yang-Un possessed. Said to harbor mystical powers, this mushroom could supposedly enhance spiritual energy while purging impurities. Most importantly, it was rumored to be incredibly delicious.
With a subtle glance, Do-Jun’s eyes landed upon a scroll behind Cho Yang-Un. The scroll displayed a portrait of an old man, likely the Heavenly Immortal revered by the immortals of this place. However, something about the figure felt familiar to Do-Jun. Soon enough, he recognized him as Yao Ping, once known as the “Immortal Demon” during his time at the Divine School.
Do-Jun pointed at the figure in the scroll, directing Cho Yang-Un’s gaze toward it.
“I happen to know that person.”
Cho Yang-Un’s eyes widened in shock at Do-Jun’s claim. “W-what did you just say?!”
“Is his name Yao Ping?”
A bolt of realization struck Cho Yang-Un’s mind. Only ten immortals in existence were aware of that name.
“Of course. We were once members of the same sect.”
“P-please, tell me more!”
Before he knew it, Cho Yang-Un was addressing Do-Jun with formal respect. Smiling slyly, Do-Jun offered his terms.
Yao Ping was the undisputed master of Taoist techniques in the Central Plains.
Once, Do-Jun searched for someone to lead the Celestial Shadow Squad of the martial arms of Heavenly Demonism. He chose Yao Ping, who was then known as the Heavenly Immortal. Do-Jun’s journey took him to Mount Hua in Huayin, Shaanxi, where Yao Ping was living in seclusion.
At that time, Yao Ping resided deep within the mountain range, farming on a plot of land he had cleared on the cliffs. He felt conflicted by Do-Jun’s arrival and regarded him with hostility and curiosity, as no one else had ever managed to find him before this.
He had asked, “What brings you to me, stranger?”
Do-Jun proposed that Yao Ping join the Heavenly Demonism.
“I must decline. I have withdrawn from the world of martial affairs. Please, leave me be.”
Do-Jun didn’t back down, but he also didn’t resort to force. Instead, he worked tirelessly to earn Yao Ping’s trust. Acknowledging Yao Ping’s expertise in Taoist techniques, Do-Jun purchased Taoist texts to study and frequently visited him to demonstrate his progress.
As the days passed and Do-Jun’s skills improved, Yao Ping’s curiosity intensified. Eventually, he accepted Do-Jun as his disciple. Two years later, Do-Jun surpassed Yao Ping in Taoist techniques. Even so, Yao Ping steadfastly refused to join Do-Jun’s sect. Another year passed.
Then one day, Yao Ping witnessed something which made him blurt out, “This... this can’t be!”
It was the Five Qi Converging to the Origin.
As Do-Jun practiced Qi Circulation, five rings appeared above his head—a sign that he had reached the pinnacle of Taoist cultivation. It symbolized readiness to transcend into immortality, a feat all immortals dreamed of achieving.
“Please... accept me as your disciple,” Yao Ping had said.
Instead, Do-Jun set a condition: if Yao Ping wished to become his disciple, he would need to join the Heavenly Demonism. For an immortal who pursued the path of Tao, entering the den of the Demon was an unimaginable humiliation. Yet, Yao Ping accepted without hesitation.
Cho Yang-Un didn’t know much about Heavenly Demonism and didn’t care to learn. However, he couldn’t ignore that the young man before him was the master of the Heavenly Immortal. Having already heard that Yao Ping had met someone who had achieved Five Qi Converging to the Origin, and that person was a young man, his certainty only grew.
Cho Yang-Un offered the Spirit Mushroom with trembling hands and knelt before Do-Jun, prostrating himself.
“P-please, accept me as your disciple!”
Taking the mushroom, Do-Jun replied, “I’m sorry, but I’ve decided not to take any more disciples.”
“P-please! I beg you!” Cho Yang-Un seemed desperate.
In exchange, Do-Jun transcribed a section of Taoist theory that was authored by Yao Ping and gave it to him. From that day onward, Cho Yang-Un bragged throughout the fourth floor of the Core that he had met the master of the Heavenly Immortal. However, it seemed to cause the others to view him as even more of an eccentric.
Yoon-Hee examined the mushroom that Do-Jun brought home. It resembled a pine mushroom but emitted a faint glow and smoke. She used it to make a beef hot pot.
“Here’s your mushroom soup,” she said to Byeol as she ladled a large portion into her bowl.
Intrigued by the glowing, smoky mushroom, Byeol grinned widely as though fascinated by it.
Mimicking the commentary from the TV show she had seen in the morning, she said, “Today, Monk Byeol shall dine on mushwoom stew! Twenty yeahs ago, I sevehed all ties with the seculah wohld.”
Do-Jun chuckled. How could this be possible? Byeol had only been on Earth for a few months. He decided to let it slide, as children’s imaginations deserved to be protected.
Yoon-Hee noticed Yong-Yong pushing the mushrooms to the edge of his bowl with his paw, eating only the beef.
“Yong-Yong?” she called out.
Startled, Yong-Yong flinched.
Do-Jun laughed. “Let him be. He’s probably a fallen monk or something.”
1. Jangjorim is soy-braised beef. ☜