On Par with Heavenly Roots!
Baek Cheong stayed glued to the Moomyeongbang until late into the night. Scrolling through the flood of posts and crafting her own kept her sleep time woefully short.
"Miss, did you cough?"
"Yeah."
As the morning sun rose brightly, the maids cautiously knocked on the door. Normally, she would've made excuses to sleep in. But today was the day when direct and collateral family lines gathered at the former family head's residence for breakfast. She couldn't flout the clan's strict rules, so she dragged her heavy body out of bed.
With the maids' deft hands, she finished dressing. The little girl's face in the mirror looked especially hollow and gaunt. It was the aftermath of holing up in her room for days, squeezing out spiritual energy and pulling all-nighters on the gallery.
Upon arriving at the former family head's residence, the atmosphere inside felt starkly different from usual. More family members had gathered early than normal, and even their breathing was cautious. The most striking figure was the white-haired elder firmly seated at the center of the head table.
The pillar of the Baek family and former family head at the Gold Core stage, Baek Mu-ae, was present. Grandfather rarely showed his face except on special occasions, immersed as he was in closed-door cultivation. Surrounding him were the family elders lined up, guarding the head table. Even the collateral branches, who seldom attended, filled the seats, making the place buzz more than usual.
"Granddaughter Baek Cheong pays her respects to Grandfather."
Baek Cheong's drowsiness vanished in an instant. She approached Baek Mu-ae with careful steps, clasped her hands, and offered a polite greeting. She then moved on to bow to the other grandfathers and her parents in turn.
"I heard it's O-yeong-geun."
Grandfather's voice, brimming with dignity, echoed heavily through the Naedang. Baek Cheong nodded without hesitation.
"Yes, Grandfather."
A ripple of shock spread around her. Snickers escaped from the lips of collateral kids waiting to greet. Some collateral parents didn't scold their children's rudeness but subtly joined in with smirks. It was a wordless contempt branding her the shame of a prestigious house.
Bam!
Grandfather lightly slammed the table, unleashing a ferocious aura. A crushing pressure like a massive mountain range swept over the reckless ones. The collateral folk trembled like aspen leaves in unison.
Baek Mu-ae swept his gaze over the unruly collaterals like they were bugs, then turned back to Baek Cheong. His anger subsided, replaced by profound awe in his eyes.
"Even with O-yeong-geun, your spiritual energy gathering rivals I-yeong-geun."
Gasps of astonishment burst not just from the collaterals but from direct kin who hadn't known the details. I-yeong-geun marked someone hailed as a promising talent to lead the clan. Especially since the former head and current head both had I-yeong-geun, it promised a bright future. Achieving that with trash talent was a miracle defying the natural order of cultivation.
Baek Cheong kept her expression neutral and bowed her head, but inwardly she grumbled nonstop.
'On par with Cheon-yeong-geun my ass!'
She ground her teeth recalling the Dou who had smugly boasted about five elements synergy on the Moomyeongbang. But Baek Mu-ae's lavish praise didn't stop there.
"The five elements synergy is an extremely dangerous, long-forgotten method. Yet you grasped and mastered it without guidance. Truly, heaven-granted genius defies even fate to overcome deficiencies."
Everyone in the residence gulped dryly. Only then did it click why the Gold Core elder had made time for breakfast. It was solely to witness and commend his youngest granddaughter's astonishing achievement firsthand.
The collaterals' faces drained to ashen white. Baek Cheong was inwardly flustered by the grand situation she hadn't anticipated. Outwardly, she played the picture of modesty with a faint smile. Even at her young age, she didn't seem excited, coming off as composed and demure. Her haggard look worked in her favor too. The hollow eyes and pale skin evoked a fragile, ethereal beauty forged through grueling training. Her innate loveliness shone brighter, leaving the kids her age staring in awe. The earlier sneers were gone without a trace.
Baek Mu-ae clicked his tongue with deep regret in his voice.
"Your vessel expanded and dantian grew from the five elements synergy, making cultivation arduous and leaving you so worn. How can a Gold Core clan fail to provide even geukpum Chwi-ryeong-dan? I'll have the chief steward deliver some myself."
Geukpum Chwi-ryeong-dan was the pinnacle pill, utterly pure with maximally refined spiritual energy. To a Yeon-gi-gi cultivator, it was a priceless treasure beyond gold.
Baek Cheong bowed deeply, genuinely moved.
"Thank you for your immense grace, Grandfather."
"Hoho, come sit and eat."
Baek Mu-ae stroked his beard contentedly and offered the seat right beside him. Baek Cheong settled in the honored spot next to the head table with glory. Once the cautious greetings wrapped up, the proper breakfast began.
As soon as eating started, the grandfathers' immense affection toward Baek Cheong exploded.
"Try these too."
Baek Mu-ae and the elders piled the best cuts from every delicacy onto Baek Cheong's side plate like mountains. Steamed spirit beast ribs simmered with century-old ha-su-o, red spirit salmon belly that melted like cotton candy on the tongue, clear and rich pearl turtle soup for vitality. The spread was lavish daily, but today, under the former head's orders, rare delicacies poured endlessly.
Baek Cheong's chopsticks never rested. She chewed hearty bites of herb-infused meat, wiping grease from her lips nonstop. Even with her expanded stomach from five elements circulation, handling the adults' portions was no small feat.
"Eat plenty to build your strength."
"You still look so thin. Have some of this fish too."
Under the grandfathers' kind urging, Baek Cheong munched with cheeks puffed like a chipmunk's. Her belly finally exceeded capacity, bulging out and straining her silk robe's sash to the breaking point. Breathing grew tight, forcing her to sneak a hand under the table and loosen the knot.
The adults beamed with smiles at the sight of the delicate girl stuffing her cheeks so adorably.
After the interminable meal, the chief steward arrived at the residence carrying a jade box etched with ornate patterns. Inside gleamed the promised geukpum Chwi-ryeong-dan.
"I deeply thank you for your boundless grace, Grandfather."
Baek Cheong clutched the precious box and bowed before heading back to her cheo-so.
The moment she reached her room, she slammed the door shut and bolted it tight. No time to rub her bloated belly for digestion—she leaped onto the bed and focused on divine sense. Her mind burned solely with rage to confront the liar Dou(718.44) who spread false info.
"Ugh."
Logging into the Moomyeongbang, Baek Cheong opened the chat board. But openly naming a specific Dou's ID in titles or posts could draw unwanted attention. It risked backlash from mods or others for stirring drama.
She opted to dig up one of her old question posts.
Expending divine sense, she activated search.
She found it, clicked in, and added a new reply under Dou(718.44)'s old comment.
Being an old thread, she didn't expect quick replies. But astonishingly, a red notification popped up right away.
Baek Cheong gaped in disbelief. The excuse of checking Moomyeongbang mid-ascension was absurd, but "roots growing" was some bizarre theory she'd never heard.
In the cultivation world, yeong-geun were fixed talents from birth.
She hurriedly fired back.
Baek Cheong anxiously refreshed. But no more red alerts came. She stared holes through the board, waiting in vain.
"Figures!"
Baek Cheong snorted and flopped onto the bed. Called out on his lie, he'd bailed with a flashy excuse about ascension—classic gallery ghost pattern.
Rubbing her full belly, a sudden unease crept in.
"...He didn't actually ascend, did he?"