In reality, he had become one-eyed, but in the Garden of Remembrance, he was the same as before. The world seen as a spirit was far wider and clearer than the world seen with eyes. Jaekyung, once again, arrived at the meeting place earlier than anyone else and waited for the seniors who would soon arrive.
Before long, the senior cultivators of the Twilight Gathering began to arrive one by one. The first to arrive this time was Chae Yeon-ri, the sole woman of the Twilight Gathering.
"Senior Chae."
Perhaps because of the bitter experience with the human Qi Refining cultivators, Jaekyung's attitude toward the Foundation Establishment senior was unconsciously more polite than before.
"Junior Jaekyung. You're early again today."
Starting with Chae Yeon-ri, the senior cultivators of the Twilight Gathering arrived in succession. Soon, the six cultivators, including Jaekyung, took their seats in the same place as before.
"We have all gathered safely again. Well, has everyone been well?"
Yoo Gye-yoon, the eldest and most powerful cultivator of the Twilight Gathering, asked after their well-being with a smile.
"It was so uneventful as to be boring."
"It was the same for me."
For cultivators who planned in terms of decades, three months was a short time. In that sense, the meeting cycle of the Twilight Gathering was considerably shorter than that of other gatherings. Other gatherings were said to meet once a year at the shortest, and once every ten years at the longest.
The reason the Twilight Gathering met so frequently, and why its members consistently attended such frequent meetings, was all because of Yoo Gye-yoon. Yoo Gye-yoon's Cultivation was deeper than anyone else's in this place, yet he did not shy away from interaction.
An exchange with those whose Cultivation was far below his was less of an exchange and more of his one-sided teaching. Cultivators busy with their own training would not normally waste time like this. But Yoo Gye-yoon willingly spent his time talking with his juniors.
The other cultivators of the Twilight Gathering did not know Yoo Gye-yoon's inner thoughts, but they felt a deep gratitude toward the senior who generously bestowed his teachings once every three months.
"Before we begin today's meeting, I have something to say."
Yoo Gye-yoon said as he looked at each of the cultivators. Their attention was focused on his demeanor, which was gentle as usual but somehow solemn.
"It has already been over sixty years since I first set the Full Wing Day and started this gathering. There were two Dao Friends who were with me then, Dao Friend Woo would remember, right?"
"Of course. It was Senior Sa and Senior Baek, was it not?"
At the mention of those two names, Yoo Gye-yoon's spirit seemed to tremble minutely for a moment. A trembling spirit meant his state of mind was shaken.
"They were the first friends I made after entering the Garden of Remembrance. We got along well. We promised to walk the endless Immortal Path together."
While Yoo Gye-yoon's mind traveled to the past, his spirit, remaining in the present, trembled once more.
"But that promise became meaningless as they left first, and I alone remained to protect this small gathering. Looking back, it was a lingering attachment, but I think it was the right thing to do. Thanks to it, I was able to leave one thing behind. Now, even if I leave, this small gathering we built will continue. Isn't that right, Dao Friend Woo?"
Yoo Gye-yoon's gaze turned to Woo Do-baek.
"It will be so. Although I do not know if we will meet as often as we do now."
"Haha. Let the Dao Friends do as they please. You must have all suffered greatly because of my selfishness all this time."
"What are you saying? Ever since I met you, Senior, I have waited for this one day every three months. I am grateful for all your teachings."
By now, everyone in this place had realized. Today would be Yoo Gye-yoon's last time participating in this gathering.
"As you all seem to have guessed, after today's meeting, I will be leaving for the Vast Leisure Forest. There, I intend to test my Immortal Path."
As soon as those words fell, the cultivators all offered their blessings in unison.
"I pray that good fortune will be with you, Senior."
"I pray that you will achieve the Great Dao, Senior."
Yoo Gye-yoon, who had been quietly listening to their blessings, spoke softly.
"To achieve the Great Dao with good fortune. Those are pleasant words to hear. If, by some chance, I truly take another step forward, I will know that it is all thanks to you."
Yoo Gye-yoon, exuding a somewhat empty atmosphere, continued to speak.
"In truth, you have no need to thank me. If my inadequate advice has been of any help to you, then that is my joy."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I am not just saying it. I truly helped you for my own sake."
As he said that, Yoo Gye-yoon's gaze turned to the sky. The sky of the Garden of Remembrance was likely not as high as the sky of the Azure Abyss Realm, but it was still insurmountably high for them.
"I once heard such a story. Everything under the heavens has merits and demerits; one is rewarded for merits and punished for demerits."
Yoo Gye-yoon was clearly smiling as he said this.
"It is what is called the merit of Heaven's Dao. It is amusing that a cultivator who vows to ascend against the heavens must, in the end, rely on the heavens' grace, but with no other path, what can one do?"
The short phrase, Heaven’s Dao, entered deep into everyone's minds. That word, that name, held a power that was hard to describe.
"In a way, I am like Senior Bu-un. Bestowing good karma to build merit and awaiting the will of the heavens. So, Dao Friends, you have no need to thank me. We have given and received from each other."
"Whatever you intended, Senior, a kindness is a kindness."
"If you think of it that way, this one is simply grateful."
Behind the faint smile, Yoo Gye-yoon's spirit, which looked as if it would fly away and disappear with a gust of wind, became as distinct as usual.
"That is enough of this old man's rambling. Now, let us begin the meeting."
Yoo Gye-yoon announced the start of the meeting as usual, but of course, the atmosphere could not be the same as always. After briefly talking about the various events that had occurred in the cultivation world over the past three months, the conversation began to liven up only when the discussion on Cultivation began.
For the cultivators of the Twilight Gathering, this time was the reason they participated in the meeting, but not for Jaekyung. It couldn't be said to be completely meaningless, but there was almost nothing he could gain from this cultivation discussion. His realm was low, and more importantly, his Cultivation was different from that of the Twilight Gathering seniors.
The Cultivation of humans and demon races, of humans and spirit beasts, had almost no overlapping parts before crossing the threshold of Transformation. If there was anything Jaekyung could refer to, it was auxiliary means like the Aura Concealment Art.
However, Foundation Establishment cultivators were unlikely to seriously discuss such miscellaneous arts, so in most cases, Jaekyung was like a scarecrow in a barley field. Even now, as Jaekyung watched the cultivators ask Yoo Gye-yoon various questions related to Cultivation, his mind was lost in other thoughts. 'Yoo Gye-yoon is leaving.
He's going with a ten-year promise, so I wonder if I'll ever see him again.' Moreover, from his words, it seemed he was resolved to die if he failed at Core Formation. If that was the case, he would naturally not return to the Twilight Gathering.
Yoo Gye-yoon was the unspoken leader and focal point of the Twilight Gathering. Now that he was leaving, the vitality of the Twilight Gathering would surely diminish. Woo Do-baek had said he would continue the Twilight Gathering, but could a meeting be maintained by one person alone?
What the other cultivators thought would only be known after Yoo Gye-yoon left. 'I hope everyone stays, if possible.' Jaekyung liked the Twilight Gathering.
He gained things from time to time, and even if not, it was nice to just listen to the conversation. This was a feeling he couldn't experience when chatting with Cheong-o. In terms of friendship, he was naturally closer to Cheong-o, but he could feel a faint sense of kinship from the cultivators of the Twilight Gathering.
He didn't know who first used the expression 'kin', but he felt it was a very fitting one.
"Let's end it here. Dao Friends. Thank you for everything."
How much time had passed? When Yoo Gye-yoon announced the end, everyone showed their regret. They regretted the end of today's meeting, and they regretted the departure of their senior.
"Senior. May you achieve the Great Dao."
Those who had offered their blessings in their own ways disappeared one by one. Jaekyung, too, watched for the right moment, planning to offer a word of blessing and leave. But before he could leave, Yoo Gye-yoon stopped him.
"Dao Friend Jaekyung. Wait a moment."
"Yes?"
Everyone had already left. Jaekyung was left alone on the stone pillar, bewildered. Just as confusion, not knowing the reason, and even anxiety began to creep in, Yoo Gye-yoon explained why he had stopped him.
"It is nothing much, but I asked you to stay because I was curious that your state is different from before. I am one who cannot easily endure curiosity."
"My state is different from before?"
Jaekyung was genuinely taken aback. His state was said to be different, yet he himself felt nothing. If anyone other than Yoo Gye-yoon had said this, he would have suspected they were teasing him.
But Yoo Gye-yoon was not one to play such pranks.
"I... do not know."
"Hmm. Your spirit has become murkier than before. It is a minute change, so you may not have noticed it yourself."
"But you saw it at a glance, Senior."
"I may not have any special talents, but I have cultivated diligently to this age. It would not do for my eye to be worse than my juniors'."
Jaekyung fell into thought. His spirit had become murky? It didn't sound like a good thing.
Indeed, it must be a bad change for Yoo Gye-yoon to have specifically called him to stay. Perhaps he thought this too was an opportunity to accumulate 'merit'.
"Such a change means that a considerable ripple has occurred in your heart. If nothing particular comes to mind, calmly recall what happened over these past three months. If you think about what has remained in your heart, you will have an idea."
Something that happened in the past three months. As soon as he heard those words, something came to mind immediately. His body, not even here, felt a throb in one of its eyes.
"You seem to have recalled it?"
"Yes."
"If you do not wish to speak of it, you do not have to. I merely wish to offer some small help if I can, not to force you."
Jaekyung hesitated for a moment. He knew Yoo Gye-yoon would soon leave for a faraway place for at least ten years, or perhaps never return, but he still felt a primal reluctance. After all, he was a human cultivator.
The probability of Yoo Gye-yoon being related to those six human cultivators was extremely slim, but who knew for sure? 'No.' This was going too far. Because of being burned once by human cultivators, a vague fear and uneasiness towards humans had taken root in his heart.
That fear was now trying to devour his reason. Jaekyung decided to think simply. Yoo Gye-yoon wanted to help, and there was no need to doubt his intentions.
In that case, he should just accept it gratefully. What if, by some chance, Yoo Gye-yoon was related to those human cultivators he had fought and killed? 'Then I'll just have to die.'
If one is struck by lightning under a clear sky, that is fate. Such things cannot be avoided by trying to avoid them, so one can only accept it.
"Senior. In fact, something happened a while ago."
Jaekyung told the story of his life-and-death struggle with the six human cultivators exactly as it had happened, neither adding nor subtracting. There was no need to claim self-defense by saying the human cultivators attacked his companion first. Yoo Gye-yoon was the one among the Twilight Gathering's cultivators who knew best the ways, principles, and conditions of the cultivation world.
"So that's what happened."
Yoo Gye-yoon identified the cause as soon as he heard the story.
"What did you think when you swallowed those human cultivators?"
"I didn't think much of it. It was a situation where if I didn't kill, I would be killed."
"Is that really so?"
Jaekyung did not answer. It felt as if a thought was on the verge of forming, a ticklish feeling in a corner of his heart.
"You can disregard this if you wish, but would you listen to what I have to say?"
"Please grant me your teachings."
"I believe, you see, that rationalizing things by saying it couldn't be helped is ultimately an evasion of one's true heart."
"An evasion?"
"Is it not?"
"I do not know. Is that important?"
"It is. It is very important. Because this is related to your true heart."
Yoo Gye-yoon continued his explanation kindly, as if teaching a child.
"Under no circumstances should a cultivator evade their true heart. It is better to clash and shatter into pieces, but one must never flee. That is like closing your eyes in front of a problem that must be solved, fearing you might get the answer wrong, without knowing that there is no set answer to that problem in the first place."
Jaekyung inwardly wondered if it was necessary to speak so seriously. It was just a slight discomfort in his heart, and with time, this discomfort would subside. But Yoo Gye-yoon was insisting on dragging that discomfort out and advising him to look at it squarely.
"The cultivation world is rampant with all sorts of schemes and tricks. There are countless individuals who deceive friends, senior and junior brothers, and even family for a handful of profit. But even they do not deceive their own true heart. Because they know that the true heart is the Dao Heart."
The true heart is the Dao Heart. Jaekyung buried those words, which were still difficult to understand, in his heart for now.
"Senior. In that case, what should I do? I do not know my own heart."
"Just do not flee from it. Even if it feels vast and empty, continue to contemplate it. Then, at some moment, you will realize that the answer is already in your hands."
Yoo Gye-yoon did not give him the answer, but he told him how to find it. 'Is this thing called the heart so important?' Jaekyung, who had naturally wondered this, suddenly realized.
Is the heart important? Of course, it is important. Wasn't he himself proof of that?
He had the body of a spirit beast, but he possessed a part or all of a human's heart. Without this human heart, he would be a spirit beast, but because he was not, he was not a complete spirit beast.
'I see.'
The true heart is the Dao Heart? Did that not mean that if the true heart is not complete, the Dao Heart is also not complete? On the Immortal Path, where one wrong step can lead to a fall into a thousand-fathom cliff, what could an incomplete Dao Heart possibly mean?
"Thank you for this great teaching."
"I am glad if it was of help."
At this moment, Jaekyung's gaze towards Yoo Gye-yoon was no different from that of the other cultivators of the Twilight Gathering. The sense of distance that had existed just a moment ago had also noticeably diminished. Since things had come to this, Jaekyung decided to follow his true heart and be a little more brazen.
"Senior. In truth, I injured one of my eyes in that fight."
A considerable amount of time had passed and his body had recovered a lot, but Jaekyung still could not open one of his eyes. Jaekyung, who had initially thought it was not a big deal, was now starting to feel uneasy.
"Hmm. The eye wasn't completely destroyed, was it?"
"No." "Look for a spiritual spring. Special water, often called elixir water, sometimes forms in spiritual springs, and its healing effects are outstanding, so it is used as an ingredient for various injury pills. If you were in human territories, I would have told you to find an injury pill, but since you are not..."
"I understand. Is a spiritual spring similar to a spiritual land?"
"A spiritual land refers to land where spiritual energy is dense, so a spiritual spring can be said to be included in spiritual lands. However, just as not all land in the world is spiritual land, not all water in a spiritual spring is elixir water. This is something you will have to find yourself, but you need not worry too much. You will know it immediately when you see it. Therefore, I will not bother explaining it."
Jaekyung's heart filled with joy. The uneasiness that had been nesting in a corner of his heart for quite some time was cleanly washed away.
"Well, it seems we have said all there is to say, so I shall be on my way."
"Thank you, Senior. I pray you achieve the Great Dao."
A hearty laugh flowed out, and Yoo Gye-yoon's spirit vanished. No, it did not vanish, but moved so quickly that Jaekyung could not see it. Nine years and some months later, towards the Vast Leisure Forest in the Northern Region, where the sermon would be held.