Daily life of a cultivation judge

Yang Qing couldn't help but admire the Vast Blue's means.

Given their current predicament, there were few solutions available to them, and what they had decided on at the moment could be considered one of the better ones.

What did the Vast Blue Merchant Company currently lack, and what were they desperate for? For both, the answer would probably be time and strength. The first had little in the way of solutions, but the second, provided you were willing to pay the price, offered a few.

The Six Sepal Dawn Lotus was precious; precious enough that on a different day under different circumstances, Yang Qing wasn't sure they would even sell one, let alone thirty-six of them.

Given the features so richly explained by Li Gang, that lotus flower was something any cultivator would covet (some strongly so ), and others, depending on their background, while perhaps not strongly coveting it, would find it no bad thing to have.

Yang Qing could do well without some of those sepals; the Cyan Healing Dawn Sepal, the Coral Red Dawn Awakening Sepal, the Honey Gold Thousand Year Accumulation Dawn Sepal — but while he could do without those three, he could definitely profit from the Sunrise Orange Enlightenment Essence Sublimation Sepal and the Pale Rose Heart Mirror Dawn Sepal, more so the former.

There was no cultivator alive who didn't worry about heart and mental demons, or put great effort into cultivating their heart. In fact, the stronger they became, the more cultivating the heart became a core aspect of their cultivation. The longer you lived, the more things you saw and experienced, and from that, the more questions you would have as your perspectives continually transformed. As such, it wasn't hard for a cultivator to lose themselves, or become a stranger not only to others but even to themselves.

Part of why some cultivators remained permanently stuck at a certain level came from their hearts losing out to the point that they no longer had an anchor to steady themselves and set their path forward. The path of cultivation was a long one, and it was easy to grow weary or lost in that never-ending journey; as such, tempering one's heart became a crucial process.

Given the incident with Ma Yuan and the Ice Emerald Sect, which had ended with him visiting the Auspicious Wood Grove to deal with his heart demons, Yang Qing had gotten a firsthand view of how important it was to temper and cultivate the heart.

And it was likely the same case with the other guests around him; as such, the Heart Mirror Dawn Sepal, which helped identify hidden knots in one's heart, was something that would greatly appeal to all of them, especially given that treasures with such ability were on the expensive and rare side.

Then there was the Enlightenment Essence Sublimation Sepal; this was the one Yang Qing appreciated the most. Li Gang was right to evaluate it as highly as he did. For a creator like himself, constantly reviewing, analyzing, and refining his own arts and those of others for inspiration, there was no better treasure than one that helped him consolidate his scattered thoughts and ideas into something usable.

Yes, to others, it would be great for improving their cultivation realm through the refined, consolidated understanding it provided, but to Yang Qing, all he could think about was the ideas and inspiration it would offer him for improving the Brilliant Ray Fist Art. That sentiment was likely shared amongst others within the auction house who were just as passionate about improving their craft, like alchemists, formation masters, talisman crafters, and the like; having that Sunrise Orange Sepal would greatly aid in their endeavors.

And the other sepals were equally valuable. Not everyone had Yang Qing's freakish Yin-Yang Peerless Nature Jade Physique, which granted immunity to countless poisons, or his freakish spiritual qi capacity and equally freakish rate of recovery, all courtesy of his purple-grade art, his physique, and the Supreme Dao Path of Life he cultivated.

Given all the advantages that the Six Sepal Dawn Lotus offered, how many would decline what the Vast Blue was presenting, even with the vague, undefined favor attached to it?

Some of them likely couldn't wait for Li Gang to get the bidding underway, and the Vast Blue would have indirectly strengthened itself through that deal. Thirty-six flowers meant thirty-six favors. The Six Sepal Dawn Lotus was precious, but not as precious as those thirty-six favors were to them at the moment.

No one here was a fool. Everyone knew the company's circumstances; as such, even though the favor asked wasn't explicitly defined, they could guess what it would center around. The only question was whether they would honor said favor when the time came for it to be called. But Yang Qing had no doubt that the Vast Blue had likely thought it through and put in place measures to ensure they would. They were merchants after all; the last kind of people who would blindly trust someone's word outright. A dao oath, or something binding of equal weight, would likely be used.

Now, all Yang Qing was curious about was how the bidding would be done. If the amount was fixed, how would they choose the winner?

Part of him was tempted to give it a try. Ten thousand lesser dragon jade crystals was quite the sum, but it was nothing compared to the potential of him improving his cultivation art through the Dawn Lotus. And luckily, he had some left over from his graduation ceremony. All this moving around since his promotion had ended up being a blessing in disguise, as it hadn't allowed him much room to spend his earnings from that ceremony.

He could definitely afford a single stalk or two.

Just as he was about to light more incense sticks for luck, the frost lotus crystal in the middle of the table stirred, shimmering with a white light.

Han Bai's voice suddenly sounded through it. "Judge Yang Qing, there is no need to bid for the item. One lotus will be handed to you at no cost when the auction is done."

Just as Yang Qing was about to interject and say that they didn't need to, Han Bai added, as if anticipating his reaction, "Every guest on all our VIP floors would be receiving one, so please don't feel burdened by it. It's our appreciation token."

"Thank you, Owner Han Bai," said Yang Qing, smiling faintly at the crystal. After a few polite exchanges, the connection ended just in time for Yang Qing to catch Li Gang about to open the floor for bidding.

"So that's how they were going to do it," Yang Qing said with interest, smiling in amusement at the new guest perched on Li Gang's right forearm. It was a small bird, no larger than a sparrow; its head covered in ink-black feathers, the nape of its neck and chest white as snow, and the back extending from the neck to the tail a light green with a touch of brown undertone. It had deep amber eyes filled with a lively spirit, scanning around the auction house as though hunting for something.

"The nectar seeker," Yang Qing murmured in amusement as he studied the bulbul, which had a foundation cultivation realm in the peak stage. And yet, despite its low cultivation base, which left it lower than everyone present, there was none of that shrinking, deferential attitude that spirit beasts or cultivators of a lower realm usually adopted in the presence of powerful cultivators.

The bird seemed utterly oblivious to it, or rather, it couldn't spare a single brain cell to consider the matter; its entire focus was completely occupied by another task. As for what that task was, it was evident in its name.

Yang Qing's smile grew wider as he watched that growing look of frustration, impatience, and anticipation glimmering within the bird's eyes.