Daily life of a cultivation judge

"Just like how the three clans knew well enough to hide their eggs in numerous baskets to ensure their survival, our clan had been doing the same," Xia Fang slowly explained. "Only we adopted a different version from theirs—and for us, it wasn't a ploy to guard against them like they did with us."

"Though we really should have," she added in a faint voice, lowering her gaze to her cup before looking up again.

"After our founder died, the clan began taking preemptive measures to prepare for the worst-case scenarios, to ensure we'd remain standing even if the unthinkable happened," Xia Fang said with a somber expression.

"Sending some clan members to become disciples at the Silver Crane Sect was one of those measures—though it was also our way of honoring our founder's wishes. Beyond that, the clan set up secret bases and safeguards across the continent, places we could fall back on if our home base was no longer safe... or around," she said, the last word catching in her throat.

"The Dreamscape Swallow's Nest was one such place. We only hold a regular membership card there, unlike your violet-grade membership. But that regular status is still enough to guarantee their protection for two people," Xia Fang explained.

So that's how she recognized it, Yang Qing thought, recalling her reaction when he'd pulled out the card Wei Shen had given him—back when he'd taken her and the two Bluefin escort supervisors to one of the organization's attached restaurants.

Yang Qing couldn't help but nod in agreement at the Xia clan's choice of the Dreamscape Swallow's Nest as a refuge. The organization was not only one of the oldest but also one of the most powerful across the continent, with a far stronger foundation and reputation than the Cyan Crescent Kingdom. After all, Dreamscape already had a soul formation expert in their ranks and quite possibly more than one.

As long as someone was a member and residing in one of their facilities, their safety would be guaranteed. It was this very perk that made countless cultivators strive to obtain membership, even if it was only the regular tier, as it essentially served as a powerful life-preserving measure.

Alas, gaining membership—even a regular one—was no easy feat. It wasn't just the high fees that made it difficult, but also the strict vetting criteria the Dreamscape Swallow's Nest employed when selecting its members. Just as a sect would be meticulous in choosing its disciples, so too was the Dreamscape Swallow's Nest. It examined everything—from one's background to their achievements, to their potential—and those were just a few of the known parameters under scrutiny.

Yang Qing couldn't help but feel that perhaps the Xia clan's long-standing ties with the Silver Crane Sect might have been what tilted the odds in their favor. But even then, all they got from leveraging that relationship was a regular membership that could only cover two people—which only served to highlight how stringent the Dreamscape Swallow's Nest's evaluation measures truly were.

"Other than the Dreamscape Swallow's Nest, the clan made use of other avenues to provide refuge for its members should the worst happen. That included procuring the services of escort agencies, mercenary organizations, and certain merchant guilds in advance.

Besides that, the clan also set up bases and abodes scattered all over the continent. Naturally, those were established in areas they considered 'hard to reach,' and the Banyan Battlefield was one such place," Xia Fang explained.

"Its inhospitable conditions made it a prime location for a hidden abode. When I was told about it, it felt like the perfect refuge—one that could hide me from anything. A place so dangerous it could even kill an early-stage domain expert if they wandered carelessly. Who would ever suspect our clan of using such a place as a refuge?" Xia Fang said.

"But who would have expected the Order to instantly see through it," she added with a wry smile, shaking her head, a flicker of worry flashing in her eyes. Her mind couldn't help but drift to the implications. If the Order could so easily guess that, what was stopping others from doing the same?

Was there truly no safe place left for her?

"Not many people can make such a guess," Yang Qing said softly, offering her an assuring smile.

"There's no need for that, Judge Yang Qing," Xia Fang replied, smiling bitterly. She assumed he was only saying it to console her, but the clarity in his eyes made her second-guess herself.

"I'm not humoring you. It's the truth," Yang Qing said sincerely. "The reason I say that is because the seniors who guessed that your destination might have been the Banyan battlefield did so based on firsthand accounts from someone who'd discovered the key to maneuvering through it.

Before encountering that person, they had no idea the place could be accessed using those specific talismans from that specific shop—crafted by that specific maker—and activated in that specific way. Which, I'm guessing, is the same method you were meant to use. Right?"

"Mmm," Xia Fang answered with a slight nod.

"Then, given everything you've learned about the absurdly precise conditions required to enter, how many cultivators do you think could've uncovered that secret? Likely not many, yes?" Yang Qing coaxed.

Xia Fang nodded again, though hesitantly. A part of her still feared the three clans—or the powers behind them—might have uncovered it just as her clan had.

"There's a chance they do know," Yang Qing conceded, his words cutting through her unspoken doubt. "But luck plays a role here."

Yang Qing paused as he leaned slightly forward, wearing a sage-like expression. "As a dedicated student of luck, I've come to learn this about lady luck: She is a stingy master, doesn't share freely, she cares nothing for power or ability and chooses who to grace on a whim, staying true to her capricious nature." A shadow of bitterness crossed his face before fading into reassurance.

"So while it's not impossible for the three clans—or others—to know how to enter the Banyan Battlefield…" Yang Qing clasped his fingers together, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "Personally? I'd wager the chances are slim to none. After all, we're dealing with the capricious overlord, Luck herself. No way she'd be that generous." A dry chuckle escaped him.

Xia Fang's lips parted and closed soundlessly. "You… you really think so?" Her voice wavered. The desperate glimmer in her eyes and her white-knuckled grip on the teacup seemed to turn the question from an inquiry into a plea, though not one for answers but for hope.

"I know so," Yang Qing replied, confidence unwavering. "Like I said—I'm her devout student." His cocky grin hid a grimace.

With how much misfortune he had suffered over the years, thanks to the ruthless and relentless teachings of his 'master, ' how could he not become her committed student? He had no choice, given all he had suffered. He had to study her if he ever hoped to earn her favor.

Of course, there's still one other way the three clans could uncover how to enter Banyan… Yang Qing mused, his thoughts quickly shifting as they drifted over to Lai Hou.