Daily life of a cultivation judge

To Bai Chen, he would likely consider it a loss, given that he was orphaned by the ploy. For his father, it would depend. Who held greater weight in his heart—his child or his master? If it was his child, then perhaps some part of him regretted his actions, even as he faced death. If it was his master and the Gold Earth Bank as a whole, then he might have looked upon his sacrifices with pride, believing his actions and eventual sacrifice served a greater purpose.

As for his master, the same question applies. Did he care more for his disciple or the Gold Earth Bank?

But emotions are rarely so linear. Both his master and Bai Chen's father may have experienced a mixture of regret and satisfaction—a perfect blend of bittersweet sentiments.

For the Gold Earth Bank, the calculation might be more straightforward. Considering the immense gains and losses, they would likely deem it a significant win. Trading a blue-grade alchemist, seven palace realm experts, and a top-tier monarch-grade artifact, in exchange for the entire wealth of a prominent rank-three merchant company, was a monumental achievement. The resources acquired not only bolstered their foundation but enabled them to produce three domain experts.

From a purely pragmatic perspective, such a trade is hard to view as anything but favorable. The value of a single domain expert far surpasses that of a thousand palace realm experts. One can sustain and protect a dynasty for hundreds of thousands of years, while the other could only guarantee stability for a fraction of that time—and even then, not with absolute certainty.

In addition to their extraordinary lifespans of 120,000 years that was just the base years for an early-stage domain expert—domain experts possessed wondrous abilities that made them incredibly difficult to contend with. It was rare for a domain expert to be attacked without an exceptionally compelling reason, as the consequences were often dire.

If an organization managed to produce even a single domain expert, it was more or less guaranteed peace and stability for as long as that expert lived. Beyond providing protection, domain experts had abilities and influence that enabled them to nurture new generations of cultivators. While they might not directly produce another domain expert, they could undoubtedly foster and train palace realm experts.

Take the Gold Earth Bank, for example. Records indicated that before their takeover of the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion, the bank had approximately 30 palace realm experts. Now, according to the hidden survey records maintained by the Order, the bank's number of palace realm experts had quadrupled. That figure was expected to grow further, especially after their increase in domain experts from one to three.

Suppose their number of palace realm experts continues to swell, and their three domain experts remain active and unharmed. In that case, there is a strong possibility they might eventually produce yet another domain expert from within that pool.

This is why powerful organizations, provided they avoid catastrophic missteps, maintain their influence through the continuity of their legacies. Their powerful experts act as towering trees, providing protection and shelter for the younger generations—the saplings—allowing them the time and space to grow and thrive. This sustained continuity not only ensures their long-term stability but also increases their chances of producing even greater experts from within their ranks.

If the Gold Earth Bank continued its growth and development, steadily increasing its number of domain experts, there was a possibility that, given enough time, they might one day produce a soul formation expert from within their ranks—just as they eventually succeeded in producing domain experts.

Of course, achieving this was far easier said than done. Domain experts, soul formation experts, and even palace realm experts did not simply appear like cabbages in a field. However, the potential remained as long as the bank's strength and foundation stayed intact.

...

Yang Qing shook his head slightly, clearing his mind of idle thoughts before refocusing on Bai Chen's jade slip, particularly on what happened to him after he was left in the Green Fog Region under the care of a bluefin spine-tailed swift.

It turned out Bai Chen's father had formed a bond with that particular swift during his ventures into the Green Fog Region. As for why he would risk venturing into such a perilous place, the answer was simple—he was an alchemist.

The Green Fog Region, despite its countless dangers, was a paradise brimming with rare herbs and natural treasures, especially spiritual herbs and plants. It was a treasure trove where the quality of resources increased the deeper one ventured into its depths.

From what Yang Qing had read, one could start finding ascendant-grade herbs and treasures as early as the fifth zone.

A soul formation realm explorer had once attempted to chart the Green Fog Region. However, despite his immense power, he couldn't fully explore it, as something within the core region instilled a deep, primal fear in him, forcing him to flee.

This explorer managed to draft a map of the region, dividing it into ten zones. Zone ten marked the outermost and least dangerous area, while Zone one was the central core—the most perilous part of the Green Fog Region. According to his records, the explorer had only reached Zone Two before he was terrified out of his wits without even getting the chance to step foot or even set sight on Zone One.

The only reason he was convinced there was a Zone One, despite never setting eyes on it, was his instincts as a soul formation expert and the behavior of the spirit beasts in Zone Two. These beasts, equally as powerful as him, seemed to actively avoid a specific part of the Green Fog Region, treating it as a forbidden area.

According to his map, Zone Five marked the midway point of the Green Fog Region, yet it was already abundant with ascendant-grade herbs and other natural treasures. This alone showcased how extraordinary and blessed the Green Fog Region was.

It's often said that danger and rewards go hand in hand, and nowhere was that more true than in the Green Fog Region. If the dangers hadn't reached such terrifying levels, the entire continent—including the Holy Lands—would have been in an uproar, vying to claim the region for themselves.

However, the fact that the region was able to force a seasoned soul formation expert to retreat in terror served as a stark deterrent. Even so, the lure of fortune was too strong for many to resist, and countless individuals ventured into the Green Fog Region, despite its risks. Alchemists were at the top of that list.

Whether in terms of quantity, quality, versatility, or rarity of spiritual herbs, few places on the continent could rival the Green Fog Region. This made it an irresistible destination for alchemists. But they weren't the only ones; production-based specialists like talisman experts and artificers were equally captivated by its resources. Even poison masters—whose craft thrived on venomous plants and toxic treasures—revered the Green Fog Region as their holy land.

It made sense for Bai Chen's father to venture into the Green Fog Region, given his background as an alchemist. With the backing of the Gold Earth Bank—limited as it may have been at the time—he might have felt confident enough to navigate the dangers of the lower zones. However, his befriending a spirit beast came as a surprise.

Reading further, that particular mystery was clarified. The friendship between Bai Chen's father and the bluefin spine-tailed swift began as a relationship of convenience and gradually deepened through shared life-and-death experiences.

According to the report, Bai Chen's father encountered the swift during one of his expeditions, though it was the swift that approached him—deliberately, at that. At the time, both were at the core formation realm and saw mutual benefit in collaborating. Bai Chen's father needed a local guide to reduce the dangers and uncertainties of the region, which would make harvesting herbs easier. The swift, in turn, sought a partner who could increase its odds of survival in the perilous Green Fog Region. No one fit that role better than a human cultivator with a keen interest in the region's abundant plant life.

Bluefin spine-tailed swifts were extremely agile and fast spirit beasts be it in air or water. They were a watered-down version of the kunpeng, but unlike the kunpeng, they didn't have its strength nor its mythical noble bloodline, all they had going for them was they were fast and nimble in water and air, and in a place like the Green Fog Region that was filled with spirit beasts that were adapted to speed, the swift's advantages were not much there.

The swift, recognizing its need for an advantage, took it upon itself to strike a deal with Bai Chen's father. It would guide him through the region, providing an insider's perspective on the zones he was exploring—both in terms of the dangers present and the rare plants he sought. In exchange for its services, Bai Chen's father would offer the swift means to strengthen itself, whether by providing spirit beast cores, wisdom pearls, or other methods of enhancing its power.

Given the perilous nature of the Green Fog Region and the dangers it posed to both humans and spirit beasts alike, Yang Qing understood the swift's desperation in being willing to strike such a deal with a human.

In hindsight, though Yang Qing had some doubts about whether the swift knew it at the time, it couldn't have made a better choice than Bai Chen's father. An alchemist and merchant with a considerable backing, Bai Chen's father was perfectly suited to fulfill the swift's needs. His dual roles made him the ideal candidate to appreciate the value of the partnership.

Thus, a bond that spanned 2,800 years was formed between the two unlikely partners. What began as a partnership of convenience gradually evolved into genuine friendship, one so strong that Bai Chen's father was willing to entrust his only child to the swift's care—over even placing him under the protection of the Gold Earth Bank or his master.