Chapter 76
Returning to her Abode, Baek-Cheong threw herself onto the bed.
The fatigue from several days of banquets seeped into her entire body, but her mind was wide awake.
“Everyone will be busy for a while.”
Father was discussing official matters with the Nascent Soul Great Cultivators.
Pung Jin-Hae of the Biun Sect, So Hyeon-Jeong of the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion, and Jin Mu-Hak of the Taehyeon Sect.
The visits of Nascent Soul Great Cultivators were rare, so the secret talks to solidify the ties between the Clan and the sects would likely continue for several days.
On top of that, they had to figure out where and how to place the newly recruited Core Formation Rogue Cultivators, so uncle’s schedule was also incredibly tight.
'There’s no one to nag me.'
The corners of Baek-Cheong’s mouth crept up into a sly smile.
Without delay, she connected to the Nameless Forum.
『Dao Friend (99.89): It’s Jinseonkasu!!!』
『Dao Friend (11.7): Absolutely do not open the picture post.』
『Dao Friend (422.9): Warning to all Dao Friends currently online!! If you see a picture post, absolutely do not open it!!』
Then, posts from panicked Dao Friends appeared before her eyes.
“Looks like it appeared again.”
The original Jinseonkasu post had already been deleted.
It seemed the Forum Admin had detected it and dealt with it immediately.
However, even though the picture post was gone, the terror remained.
Numerous posts from Dao Friends warning each other were left behind, and the traces of terrified Dao Friends filled the spaces in between.
『Dao Friend (201.9): My blood runs cold whenever Jinseonkasu appears.』
[Thankfully, the Forum Admin caught it quickly again this time.]
└Dao Friend (11.23): I heard some Dao Friend clicked on it by mistake last time, and even though they quickly withdrew their Divine Sense, they still lost their Nascent Soul.
└Dao Friend (43.21): I don’t know what the Cultivators of the Upper Realm Nameless Forum find so amusing about invading the Lower Realm Nameless Forum.
└Dao Friend (9.2): It’s the ones who got devoured by True Immortals and are trying to offer up realms to the True Immortals.
└Dao Friend (43.21): How do you know that, Dao Friend…?
『Dao Friend (9.2): It’s the exact same Jinseonkasu every time.』
[I’m getting a bit sick of it. Aren’t there any other Jinseonkasus?]
She felt curious about the suspicious Dao Friend, but she didn’t leave a reply hastily.
It was beneficial in many ways to keep her distance from suspicious Dao Friends.
“If it’s like this, being a Troublemaker is off the table.”
Baek-Cheong smacked her lips, feeling a sense of regret.
It wasn’t good to provoke Dao Friends who were already on edge from something as dangerous as Jinseonkasu.
Only by upholding the morals of a true Troublemaker could one continue being a Troublemaker for a long time.
“Well, I had something I wanted to ask anyway.”
Since the post feed was currently dead, there was less chance of newly written posts getting buried.
It was the perfect opportunity to ask the question that had been lingering in her mind.
『Dao Friend (913.14): Why don’t people use a golem for Pill Refining?』
[Would it be impossible to have it extract essence or concoct pills?]
As soon as she posted the question, the frozen Dao Friends of the Nameless Forum sprang into action.
Perhaps because viewers decided that a safe question post was better than the dangerous Jinseonkasu, the view count rose rapidly.
[Dao Friend (88.4): It’s not that they don’t do it, it’s that they can’t.]
[Dao Friend (11.23): People are cheaper than a golem.]
└Dao Friend (88.4): Commissioning just one Pill Refining Golem would easily cost more than several High-Grade Spirit Stones. At that point, it’s more profitable to just bring in three or four Disciples and work them for free.
[Dao Friend (422.9): Pill Refining is already enough to make you lose your mind, but adding a golem on top of that is basically asking to die.]
└Dao Friend (201.9): Pill Refining and Golem Control at the same time? That’s the perfect recipe for birthing a schizophrenic madman.
└Dao Friend (11.23): Even a Soul Formation Cultivator would snap if they tried to do Pill Refining and control a golem simultaneously.
Soon after, replies poured in as fast as the view count.
It seemed the Dao Friends, who had been intimidated by Jinseonkasu, found room to breathe upon encountering a safe post.
[Dao Friend (55.19): It is not theoretically impossible, but the practical barriers are too high.]
[First, we must examine the structure of a golem. A golem is an object that moves physically by the insertion of a power Source like a spirit stone. The caster’s Divine Sense is transmitted to the Divine Sense stone; the Divine Sense stone controls the spirit threads; and the tension of the spirit threads pulls the joints to create movement. The only thing connecting the caster and the golem is Divine Sense, and even that Divine Sense must pass through the Divine Sense stone before it finally reaches the spirit threads.]
[On the other hand, Pill Refining is an Art that handles medicinal herbs using energy. In the process of extracting essence with Fire Elemental Energy and condensing it with Wood Elemental Energy, what is needed is the energy itself. Most Alchemists tend to work using only energy without even using Divine Sense.]
[This is where the problem lies. To make a golem do Pill Refining, the caster’s energy must be sent to the golem. But the path from the Divine Sense to the Divine Sense stone and then to the spirit threads is for creating movement, not a channel for transmitting energy, so there is no way to do it.]
[Even if there were some way for a golem to handle energy, Golem Control requires extreme concentration of Divine Sense, and Pill Refining also requires extreme concentration to manage energy. Is there a Cultivator in the Cultivation World who can handle both simultaneously?]
[Conclusion: An interesting idea, but it lacks practicality.]
It was a reply filled with a point-by-point analysis, typical of the always-serious Dao Friend (55.19).
└Dao Friend (88.4): There’s no way Dao Friend (913.14), who is only at the Qi Condensation Stage, would understand that.
└Dao Friend (201.9): The creepy thing about imbuing a personality into Puppetry Art is that if the golem breaks, your own mind shatters with it.
└Dao Friend (553.24): Dao Friend (55.19)'s insights are always admirable to read. However, Dao Friend (913.14) is no ordinary Cultivator, so I believe they will manage to pull off Golem Pill Refining as well.
Reading the replies from the various Dao Friends, Baek-Cheong nodded.
The Dao Friends' analyses were certainly valid.
[Dao Friend (17.89): Leaving an addendum as a Golem Master.]
Meanwhile, as she was reading the replies, an unfamiliar Dao Friend appeared.
[As Dao Friend (55.19) said, the biggest wall is that energy cannot be carried on the path that goes from the Divine Sense through the Divine Sense stone to the spirit threads. However, if the material and weave of the golem are altered, it might be able to handle at least some energy.]
[But even if it can handle energy, precision would be the issue. While extracting essence in Pill Refining, the Alchemist directly handles the medicinal herbs with his or her own energy and adjusts the Fire Control purely by feel. If this process is entrusted to a golem, the Qi Sensitivity will drop, and the margin of error will lead to a Fluctuation of Fire Control, which could cause the Pill Quality to plummet.]
[It might be possible to have it help with simple tasks like trimming medicinal herbs, but doing Pill Refining with a golem while precisely controlling energy is a completely different matter.]
└Dao Friend (55.19): A good addendum.
└Dao Friend (88.4): Oh, a real Golem Master showed up.
└Dao Friend (11.23): Dao Friend (17.89) appears out of nowhere whenever golems are mentioned.
[Dao Friend (99.102): To add from what I know.]
Another Golem Master Dao Friend chimed in.
Thanks to the post feed being dead, all sorts of Dao Friends seemed to be popping out.
[I once read a Dao Friend’s post stating that if the material of the spirit threads is replaced with Spirit Wood or Ores that harbor Elemental Energy, it can manage energy, albeit faintly. However, there are no empirical records of this.]
[Also, Dao Friend (913.14)'s concept of a golem taking over Pill Refining is fine in itself, but honestly, to make a Pill Refining Golem using the method I saw, it would cost over a dozen High-Grade Spirit Stones for just one unit.]
└Dao Friend (322.38): If you just boss around an Alchemist, that’s basically a golem. Yeah.
└Dao Friend (99.102): That’s… Never mind…
└Dao Friend (88.4): Lol Biological Golem.
Amidst the flurry of replies, Baek-Cheong’s interest was piqued by Dao Friend (99.102)'s comment.
Everyone else had cried impossible, but they were the only one to offer a solution.
“If the material of the spirit threads is replaced with Spirit Wood or Ores that harbor Elemental Energy…”
Even at a glance, it sounded like a condition that would cost an astronomical amount.
However, the deal made between her and her uncle was fair and square.
'Besides, it’s not even the Clan’s money, it’s at the Merchant Guild’s discretion, right?'
Even if it cost a terrifying amount of spirit stones, it was a problem for her uncle to handle.
If he couldn’t cover it with his discretion, it was only natural that he’d have to empty his own pockets.
“A man’s word is worth a thousand pieces of gold, so he won’t go back on it.”
Baek-Cheong felt a surge of relief, realizing that as a woman, she wasn’t bound by the 'man’s word' idiom, as she continued browsing the Nameless Forum.
[Dao Friend (913.14): I just asked out of curiosity.]
└Dao Friend (11.23): This guy always asks weird things and then disappears.
└Dao Friend (88.4): I get the feeling they’re going to cause an accident.
└Dao Friend (55.19): The intent behind Dao Friend (913.14)'s questions is always impossible to figure out.
While she was giggling as she read the replies, Dao Friend (17.89) added another reply.
[Dao Friend (17.89): Are you perhaps planning to make a golem do Pill Refining?]
└Dao Friend (913.14): No.
Baek-Cheong feigned ignorance and denied the truth.
There was nothing more foolish than revealing one’s true intentions in the Nameless Forum.
└Dao Friend (17.89): Is that so…
└Dao Friend (88.4): Whenever Dao Friend (913.14) says “just curious,” they’re never actually “just curious.”
└Dao Friend (201.9): That’s true.
Giggling at the Dao Friends' reactions, she logged out of the Nameless Forum.
Just imagining it was already making her mouth water - no, it was making dopamine flood her brain.
“Ah, I hope it gets finished quickly.”
Baek-Cheong had already completely forgotten about her uncle’s condition.
The lingering unease and the identity of the special guest were no longer important.
Only one thought filled her mind right now.
“Using the Five Elements Taiji Pill Refining Method with a golem would be too greedy, right?”
She was fully committed to getting a free ride.