Daily life of a cultivation judge



Tang Qi knew his talent well. He had a top-tier orange core when he was in the core formation realm but originally when he broke through to the core formation realm it was a low-tier orange grade core. 

The change only happened when he stumbled on an amber frost orchid sap in some ruins he was investigating. It improved his core by a small grade which was a huge boon that helped him reach the peak of the core formation realm.

Tang Qi was self-aware that given his talent, even reaching the peak of the core formation realm was purely by luck, so he was stuck in that realm for over 500 years. He had resigned himself to that fact, but he decided to risk it one last time and went diving at the shores of the Millionsfold treasure ocean, despite the infamy it had of cultivators easily dying to the mysteries within or to other cultivators.

It was unknown why, but the Millionsfold treasure ocean was home to countless treasures, but with it came countless dangers, which was why despite the allure of getting something good from it, few people including even those at the domain realm, would risk going there not unless they were at the end of their tether or had something that made them want to risk it.

Tang Qi wasn't overly ambitious and he was already at peace with where he had reached in life. He was content with being a core formation expert. However, the torment he went through still had part of its claws in him no matter how many years had passed and him being countless times stronger than even the sect master of the Iron Shattering Palm sect.

Despite that, occasionally he constantly worried he wasn't strong enough and what happened then could happen to him even as a core formation realm.

When he reached the peak of the core formation realm he tried to cultivate by himself and reach the palace realm but his talent fell short, and when he searched for alternative means they were all too dangerous, while the safer options involved him joining a large organization, which he wasn't willing to do. 

Finally, his search led him to the Millionsfold treasure ocean. He decided he would risk it just once, and whether he got anything or not, he would move back to his village and spend the rest of his days there.

His risk paid off because he managed to snag an amber glow poinsettia. In those five hundred years as a peak core formation expert, other than bitterly cultivating, with no results, to reach the palace realm, he had also spent a bulk of his fortune searching for natural treasures that could help one reach it, and one of them was the amber glow poinsettia.

The amber glow poinsettia was a low-tier monarch rank spiritual herb, however, when it came to price it matched a top tier monarch grade herb.

At the time, when Tang Qi was researching other things besides cultivation that could help him reach the palace realm, the amber glow poinsettia had been written in the scroll he had as a cheeky afterthought by the writer, sort of mocking the reader.

If all the above methods fail, then the only option for you is the amber glow poinsettia. Only luck can help you reach the palace realm, Good luck. 

Also if by chance you find it, can you spare a few petals for me? I owe White Rose Pavilions a few million high-grade spirit stones and writing books isn't as lucrative as I thought.

At this rate maybe treasure gambling may be the only way...

The author rambled on and on about his debts and how he had attached a curse to the book that would affect the reader if they didn't help him with his debts.

Tang Qi assumed he had gotten conned by the merchant who sold him the booklet that mocked him for having horrible luck and got cursed and cosigned to a debt.

But all that changed when he got his hands on the amber glow poinsettia. He realized what the reader meant with his last words.

The flower had no uses at all except two, which granted good luck or bad luck to a user or sometimes both. It was usually a gamble that Tang Qi didn't know at the time and only found out after he had broken through to the palace realm.

Thanks to the amber glow poinsettia it triggered a version of events that ended up with him getting a tornado wave turtle amulet that helped him gain insights and his art the rising tide saber art which helped give rise to saber intent and the final push he needed to breakthrough to the palace realm.

The amulet also helped him survive his tribulation at the critical moment. The poinsettia granted him the best luck because without it he would have likely not even survived the tribulation did he not have the amulet with him.

However, he also managed to trigger its bad luck when his abode and his remaining wealth got ransacked.

He couldn't help but gnash his teeth when he thought about it, as he stared hatefully at the members of the Silver Blade sect and Meng Bai from the Mountain Guarding Array Manor.

...

"When I realized I was about to break through to the palace realm, I consulted a few friends of mine to find the best organization to commission to strengthen my cultivation abode with formation arrays.

As a rogue cultivator one of the many risks we suffer is being robbed or interrupted when we are in secluded meditation or preparing for a breakthrough. It's one of the periods where we are most vulnerable, so we have to take many measures to guard against it.

I'm not particularly skilled in laying down formation arrays therefore commissioning an organization to do it for me was my best option.." 

Yang Qing nodded in understanding. Tang Qi's experience was a common occurrence among the itinerant community. 

It was why Wen Yingjie didn't hesitate to pay 50 high-grade spirit stones a month to rent the abodes at the Order for his soul-binding ritual with his saber. 

In terms of cost, should Wen Yingjie use the abode for a long period, he would end up spending more than Tang Qi who spent a one-off fee of 670 high-grade spirit stones to have the arrays laid down, but in terms of safety as per present circumstances, Wen Yingjie was much safer.

The Order wasn't the only organization known to rent out abodes, but because of how long seclusions could last, most itinerant cultivators opted to hire formation masters to lay down formations in their own abode rather than get charged astronomical fees for renting an abode.

The Order was cheaper in comparison to organizations out there that charged 100 high-grade spirit stones a month. Tang Qi was in seclusion for 230 years and if he decided to go for the rental abode route, he would have ended up spending 276,000 high-grade spirit stones.

At such a cost he could afford to lay down two low-tier blue grade formations and even have money for the core materials.

Despite the high fees, the abodes did get customers because they guaranteed the safety of all their customers, and most who took them up were those coming in for short periods of time.

..

"After consulting and my own research, I finally settled on the Mountain Guarding Array Manor. They had a decent reputation, especially among itinerant cultivators and their charges were within the range I could comfortably afford.."

Tang Qi having no dependants, never hoarded treasures he accumulated. He used it all in the efforts of cultivation. Whether it was in improving his cultivation base, or in helping him gain skills in secondary occupations such as alchemy, weapon refinement, formation arrays, talisman refinement, and other studies.

As an itinerant cultivator and only having himself to depend on, he thought it wise to know a bit about everything so as to be self-sufficient, and with the long life spans of cultivators, he could afford to do so.

He poured everything he had into researching and trying these different subjects which was not cheap and always left him with little to no money or resources, half the time. 

In all these years he came to realize it wasn't only cultivation that he had no mind for. It was a humbling experience, to say the least, but there was one thing he accidentally discovered he had a good hand for, which funny enough was farming.

He thus decided to focus on spiritual herb propagation.

"After negotiating back and forth, we finally came to a deal with the manor. I would pay them 670 high-grade spirit stones, along with giving them a few booklets that contained my own personal insights on the growth and maintenance of moon-dew felonwood.

In exchange for that, they would build 6 top-tier orange grade arrays for me which were supposed to be run autonomously for at least 500 years.

With everything in place, they laid down the formation and in two years everything was complete, and we even tested it out. 

However, the assurances they gave me seemed to have failed because 230 years later after i broke through to the palace realm, I found my abode had been ransacked and none of the six arrays they laid down was functional. 

I was lucky that in the chamber I had decided to seclude myself was guarded by my amulet which isolated it from the rest of the abode, otherwise my seclusion and breakthrough would have likely been interrupted..." Tang Qi coldly said.

His tone was gentle and low, but one could detect the powerful undercurrents hidden beneath. He even did a good job of maintaining his expression. Other than the coldness in his eyes, his facial expressions were utterly calm.