Daily life of a cultivation judge

It turned out that Bai Chen's father had two masters. One was the aging leader of the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion, and the other was one of the founders and directors of the Gold Earth Bank. However, if one looked deeper, it was clear he truly served only one master—the director of the Gold Earth Bank.

According to the report Yang Qing was currently absorbed in, Bai Chen's father had joined the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion at the behest of the Gold Earth Bank's director. His mission was to infiltrate the pavilion and lay the groundwork for its eventual absorption into the bank once its leader passed away.

Though renowned at the time, the Gold Earth Bank was neither as widespread nor as powerful as it is today. For one, it lacked a domain expert back then. The records indicated that the bank produced its first domain expert only 700 years ago. Currently, according to the Order's hidden survey report, the bank had three domain experts, though outwardly it claimed to have only one.

This kind of misdirection was a common tactic used by countless organizations to mislead rivals and keep trump cards hidden. Yang Qing wouldn't have expected anything less for a merchant-based company like the Gold Earth Bank.

During Bai Chen's father's lifetime, while the Gold Earth Bank lacked a domain expert, it had a solid base of palace realm experts. In terms of scale and power, it was already a cut above the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion, even though palace realm cultivators led both organizations.

As for why the Gold Earth Bank targeted the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion, Yang Qing didn't even need to finish reading the report to discern the reason.

The Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion's master, the pavilion's most powerful figure was slowly aging, meaning the pavilion would soon be losing one of its strongest supporting pillars. Any merchant company worth their greed would definitely target them like a predator targets the weak within a herd.

The Gold Earth Bank was steadily on the rise, fueled by ambitious plans that demanded all kinds of resources. And what better way to acquire those resources for cheap than by preying on a merchant company that had shown signs of weakness? That's exactly what they did.

They schemed for years, carefully laying the groundwork to swallow the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion from within by planting an insider.

As Yang Qing read through the report, he couldn't help but admire their foresight, meticulous planning, and unwavering commitment. The plan had been set in motion nearly 4,000 years before the pavilion's succession battle was even announced.

Judging by how they had planted Bai Chen's father, it seemed they had anticipated such an opportunity long before it arose.

"With enough resources and the right information channels, predicting certain events wouldn't be too difficult…" Yang Qing murmured thoughtfully.

If it were him plotting to swallow up the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion, he would start by thoroughly investigating two key groups. The first would be the rising talents within the pavilion, and the second, the already established figures—with a sharper focus on the powerful ones, like the pavilion master.

The first group would provide insight into the pavilion's future prospects, assuming nothing unexpected happened. The second group, however, painted a clearer picture of the pavilion's current state and wielded more immediate influence.

If it were up to him, Yang Qing would prioritize the second group. Potential was fickle and uncertain, while the present state of things carried weight that could directly impact any plans.

By his guess, the Gold Earth Bank had likely done the same. Through the second group, they probably uncovered the pavilion master's true age and strength.

From there, it wouldn't have been difficult to estimate how much lifespan he had left. They had undoubtedly gathered enough information to conclude that the pavilion master had exhausted most, if not all, of his potential—any chance of him achieving a major breakthrough was either non-existent or considered highly improbable.

Yang Qing mused that the information the Gold Earth Bank had on the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion must have been damning enough to justify setting the takeover in motion 4,000 years in advance. This was further cemented by the fact that they were even willing to sacrifice a talented figure like Bai Chen's father for the cause.

The fact that he had reached the level of a blue-grade alchemist clearly demonstrated his immense talent—someone who could have brought significant value to the Gold Earth Bank in other ways besides espionage.

The Gold Earth Bank might now be a rank two organization with three domain experts at the helm, much stronger than it was in those days, but even with their current status and prestige, they would not casually dismiss the value of a blue-grade alchemist. Such a figure would be treated as a VIP in most circles, whether seeking to join them or simply proposing a deal.

Yet they chose to use one of their own—a highly talented alchemist—as a spy. This decision highlighted the confidence they had in capitalizing on the opportunity that lay in devouring the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion.

Maybe they were so confident of their preparation that they didn't think they'd lose him hence why maybe they entertained using him in the first place.

With Bai Chen's father's remarkable abilities and the covert backing of the Gold Earth Bank, integrating him into the pavilion wasn't as challenging as it might have been. His talent, particularly as an alchemist, opened doors that might otherwise have remained shut. Talent is universally valued, and few are as versatile and coveted as those skilled in alchemy.

Once embedded, he quickly climbed the ranks. In just a few thousand years, Bai Chen's father had become one of the pavilion's key figures—so influential, in fact, that he was considered a potential heir to the pavilion.

However, whether it was Bai Chen's father, the Gold Earth Bank, or the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion, the way events unfolded clearly showed that they had underestimated one another.