Daily life of a cultivation judge

Bai Chen had been just a swaddled infant, barely a few months old, when he was left in the care of the Bluefin Spine-Tailed Swift. For nearly 12 years, he remained in the Green Fog Region under the swift's protection, only being taken out once the swift confirmed that Bai Chen's father's enemies, the Banyan Treasure Vein Pavilion, had been eliminated.

With Bai Chen's parents already gone, the swift took on the role of his guardian.

Yang Qing couldn't help but wonder about the depth of the bond between the swift and Bai Chen's father. What could have compelled it to assume such responsibility? Perhaps it was less about the bond itself and more about the swift's intrinsic nature and conduct.

Merchants were known to be the most skeptical of individuals, and spies even more so. Bai Chen's father had been both—a merchant and a spy—yet he entrusted what he valued most to the Bluefin Spine-Tailed Swift.

Clearly, there was something unique about the swift that convinced him of its trustworthiness. While their bond might have played a role, it couldn't have been the sole factor. If emotional ties were the deciding factor, Bai Chen's father might have entrusted his son to his master instead. But he didn't.

Whatever guided his decision, it had ultimately been the right one. The Bluefin Spine-Tailed Swift embraced its role as Bai Chen's guardian with unwavering dedication, fulfilling it for nearly 500 years.

The report indicated that the Bluefin Spine-Tailed Swift had already reached the Palace Realm by the time Bai Chen was entrusted to it. It also revealed that the swift was female.

When Bai Chen turned 12, the duo left the Green Fog Region to explore much of the continent together.

Yang Qing could understand the swift's decision. Even at the Palace Realm, raising a human child in the Green Fog Region would have been an arduous task. The dangers there were ever-present, and while the lands outside were also perilous, they offered a comparatively more favorable environment for raising a child.

Thus, the pair wandered the continent, first as rogue cultivators and later as adventurers registered under the Odyssey Horizon Guild.

Yang Qing couldn't help but feel a pang of wistfulness as he briefly allowed himself to imagine what it might have been like if he had followed his adventurous heart. What would life have been like, roaming the continent as a member of the Odyssey Horizon Guild? Seeking treasures and uncovering mysteries, with the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed—it was a dream he had entertained once.

But, as he sighed inwardly, he knew the cowardly part of him had always been stronger than his adventurous side. If he were to attempt such a life now, his ever-growing paranoia would rob him of any enjoyment it might bring.

"Maybe if I reach the Domain Realm and my regeneration and vitality are so powerful that I can reform my body from a single drop of blood… maybe then I can try it," mused Yang Qing. "I should rope in Yie Jie and the others. If I am risking my life, they need to be there too," he added, feeling that strength in numbers wouldn't hurt.

A small smile spread across his face at the thought that his path as an adventurer wasn't entirely dead. It simply had to wait until he had devised countless ways to safeguard his life. With the changes he could feel in his body and soul every time he advanced in cultivation, combined with the profound effects of his Yin-Yang Jade Bones physique and the continued mastery of his purple-grade art, it wouldn't be long before he became incredibly difficult to kill.

And when that day came… Yang Qing chuckled, a glint of mischief flashing in his eyes. People thought he was shameless now—just wait until his abilities grew.

After indulging in his thoughts for a moment, Yang Qing's expression turned serious as he read the next part of Bai Chen's story.

Bai Chen and the Bluefin Spine-Tailed Swift had journeyed together for nearly 500 years. Over that time, Bai Chen had transformed from a swaddling baby with no strength to speak of into a peak-stage Core Formation expert. Based on the notes, it seemed Bai Chen wasn't just any Core Formation expert but a formidable one with solid foundations.

Judging from the remarks, Yang Qing guessed Bai Chen likely possessed a blue-grade core at the very least.

"For such a foundation, aside from talent, his father must have left a few things behind for him to use," mused Yang Qing.

The Bluefin Spine-Tailed Swift may have been at the Palace Realm, but at the end of the day, it was still a spirit beast. While it likely had unique insights that could benefit a human cultivator, the cultivation paths of humans and spirit beasts were not always aligned—especially during the early stages.

Most spirit beasts, even agile ones like the Bluefin Spine-Tailed Swift, were born with naturally strong bodies, making the body refinement techniques of human cultivators irrelevant to them. The same applied to circulation formulas for absorbing and refining spiritual qi; these were innate to spirit beasts rather than learned. Guiding a human in such practices would be challenging for them, as it required understanding something fundamentally different from their own nature. Additionally, the physiological differences between humans and spirit beasts only added to the difficulty.

The formative years of a human's cultivation journey required a distinctly human touch, and Bai Chen's father would have likely been aware of that. It stood to reason that he must have left resources or instructions with the Bluefin Spine-Tailed Swift to assist Bai Chen in his cultivation. Given that Bai Chen's father had been an alchemist, a merchant, and a second-stage Palace Realm expert, what he left behind for his only child was undoubtedly substantial in both quality and quantity.

Yang Qing rubbed his chin thoughtfully, wondering if Bai Chen's cultivation art—a subset of the Frozen Serenity Scripture—might have been among those inheritances.

He didn't linger on the thought for long, instead turning his attention to the rest of the report as it neared its conclusion.