The Power of Consistent Posts
Baek Cheong steeled her resolve and began brainstorming the post she would write on Moomyeongbang. She had to completely abandon the ruthless provocations and trolling from before. This was the first step in her long-term plan to shed the stigma of being a Core Formation old monster and build an image as an innocent, prodigious Refining Qi 4-star cultivator.
"What would be good?"
She racked her brains for a topic that would effectively launder her image. Bragging or putting others down would only backfire. She needed something that would draw empathy from fellow artisans while subtly highlighting her young age and exceptional talent.
"Ah!"
A wicked smile crept across Baek Cheong's lips. It was a sentimental sales pitch strategy that made full use of her circumstances—a cunning ploy to evoke both pity and admiration by plainly chronicling the grueling pill refining lessons and training hardships in diary form.
[Training Log: Day 1]
Pill refining is too hard.
[Got dragged around by Pill Refiner Grandpa all day guarding the furnace again today. Nearly got a shit-brown hemostasis pill when I botched the flame control, but shoved in some wood-attribute energy by force and barely pulled off high-quality. Anyway, doesn't make sense for a Refining Qi 4-star to have such a ridiculously vast dantian.]
It was a dry diary entry stripped of all bravado and provocation. Once posted, it didn't trigger the usual frenzy of red notifications, but a few curious Dou peeked in and left replies.
The responses from the Dou were still laced with cynicism and mockery. But Baek Cheong didn't waver. The power of consistent posts lay in unwavering persistence, steadily building a record without getting swayed by reactions. Like clothes soaking in a drizzle, these seemingly authentic daily diaries posted at the same time every day would eventually erode their ironclad suspicions and lodge deep in their minds.
The next morning, Baek Cheong woke feeling refreshed. Today was another day of hellish duty at the pill refining room.
"Cheong-ah, I heard you had a fun time yesterday."
Gok Elder greeted her with a kindly smile while adjusting the furnace flames. Baek Cheong bowed politely in greeting.
"Yes, Gok Elder Grandpa! Big Brother even taught me how to draw talismans."
"Ho ho, talisman arts. The knack for handling energy shares common ground with pill refining. But don't get distracted by those shallow talisman tricks—focus on refining."
Gok Elder gave a gentle warning as he placed new spirit herbs on the table. Red Yang Grass glowing red and Cold Moon Flower with its faint blue sheen—spirit herbs of polar opposite natures.
"Today, we'll try brewing a 1st-grade mid-level pill, the Water-Fire Pill. The key is fusing Red Yang Grass's fire energy and Cold Moon Flower's water energy without clash. It'll be a fine test of your five elements harmony sense."
It was a fiendishly tricky recipe that forcibly bound clashing energies. Ordinary refiners obsessed over ultra-precise furnace temperature control to prevent collisions, but for Baek Cheong, it was practically a playground to showcase her specialty.
"I'll give it a try."
Baek Cheong sat confidently before the furnace. She pushed in fifteen massive spell papers, then tossed in the Red Yang Grass and Cold Moon Flower simultaneously. The red fire energy and blue water energy slammed together violently, shaking the furnace.
Baek Cheong closed her eyes and activated her five elements harmony circulation. She drew earth energy from her dantian to envelop the Red Yang Grass's fire, then suppressed the Cold Moon Flower's water with wood energy. It was a delicate balancing act, bridging the clashing forces with a sturdy span to prevent collision.
"Hoo."
A deep exclamation escaped Gok Elder, who watched from the side. Thanks to mastering the talisman art's trick of drawing energy in steady strokes, Baek Cheong's energy control had grown far smoother and more precise than before. The unstable vibrations inside the furnace calmed in an instant, and a clear pill fragrance wafted up.
The furnace lid popped open with a bang, and a single Water-Fire Pill shot into the air.
"Good heavens... even a 1st-grade mid-level pill at high-quality!"
Gok Elder approached the furnace and carefully examined the finished pill. His eyes held not just surprise, but outright awe.
"Cheong-ah, you truly are... I've never seen such a prodigy in my life. Your skill leaped forward like this even after a day off yesterday."
Unable to contain his joy, Gok Elder pulled a jade bottle from his robes and handed it to her.
"This is a peak-grade Azure Jade Pill. It'll cleanse your meridians even clearer and greatly aid in filling your dantian."
Baek Cheong accepted the jade bottle with both hands, beaming.
"Thank you, Gok Elder Grandpa!"
The thrill of reward erased her physical fatigue in a flash. Her steps were as light as feathers leaving the pill refining room.
Back at her residence, after bathing and sitting on her bed, Baek Cheong promptly swallowed the peak-grade Azure Jade Pill. Clear, pure energy slid down her throat and joined the five elements harmony cycle. Her vast, ocean-like empty dantian began filling bit by bit with a pleasant sensation. Deep within, her spiritual roots greedily absorbed the pill's potency, growing ever so slightly.
Securing her energy, Baek Cheong logged into Moomyeongbang to wrap up her day. Time for the daily consistent post.
[Training Log: Day 2] Brewed 1st-grade mid-level pill at high-quality.
[Gok Elder Grandpa had me try Water-Fire Pill. Used the talisman-drawing trick I learned a few days ago, and flame control became super easy. Nailed high-quality Water-Fire Pill on first try, got praised, and received peak-grade Azure Jade Pill. But when will this dantian ever fill up? Sigh.]
She posted and checked reactions briefly. Mocking comments still rolled in, but the vibe felt subtly different from yesterday.
Moomyeongbang's passionate pill refining researcher, Dou (553.24), once again found meaning in Baek Cheong's drivel and reacted earnestly. From that reply onward, other Dou began showing signs of viewing her posts not as roleplay nonsense, but as a gateway to clever ideas.
"Proceeding exactly as planned."
Baek Cheong smiled in satisfaction and withdrew her spell paper from Moomyeongbang. Like clothes soaking in a drizzle, forum opinion was slowly but surely flowing her way.
Mornings were spent wrestling flame control in the pill refining room to learn new recipes; afternoons back at her residence digesting peak-grade pills to fill her dantian with spiritual energy. Her meditation absorption efficiency had noticeably improved. Her spiritual roots, bolstered by the Five Elements Pill, sucked in heaven-and-earth energy at a frightening pace. The empty Refining Qi 4-star dantian filled bit by bit each day, a fulfilling sensation coursing through her body.
And at the end of each day, without fail, Baek Cheong logged into Moomyeongbang to pen her training log.
[Training Log: Day 3] Filling the dantian is brutal.
[Tested absorption rate with meditation today—spiritual roots grew, so energy pours right in. But real talk, Refining Qi 4-star with an ocean-sized dantian?]
[Training Log: Day 9] Learning talisman arts whenever bored.
[Still Refining Qi, so only 1st-grade pill refining—kinda boring. Learned talisman arts in spare time, now I can make high-quality 1st-grade low-level talismans.]
[Training Log: Day 21] Gok Elder's assignments are insane.
[Told to brew Core Formation Pill today—slight flame slip turns it to ash. Used all 15 spell papers focusing hard, still failed. But got peak-grade Soul Refreshing Pill as consolation. Dantian about 30% full now.]
Baek Cheong's training logs, posted religiously at the same time every night, began carving out a spot as a new fixture on Moomyeongbang's casual board. Dou who once scoffed at the Old Monster's lies gradually got hooked on the increasingly detailed, vivid descriptions and radical training tips.
The comment vibe had shifted dramatically. Scorn and ridicule faded, replaced by shock, curiosity, and subtle anticipation.
"This is why I do consistent posts."
Baek Cheong rolled around on her bed reading the replies. She hadn't fully erased the Core Formation Old Monster suspicions, but she'd successfully revamped her image to that of a fun, informative rambler.
"Time for a good long sleep in ages."
In her grueling routine of filling the dantian, Moomyeongbang was her sole source of endless dopamine and accomplishment. So she itched to shed that wrongful label ASAP and dive back into wild trolling for reactions. Savoring her small victory, she pulled up the covers and drifted into sleep.