Daily life of a cultivation judge Chapter 1452: Charm of the dew (1)

Amidst a haze of deceptive security and the promise of a premium blue-grade formation ahead, Yang Qing barely registered the final bid for the five-elemental petal lantern flower at the edge of his awareness.

The final cost wasn't fifty thousand lesser dragon jade crystals, but Yang Qing scarcely noticed. The crucial update to his abode's defensive array was now within reach, funded by the conclusion of that bid. He had required only fifteen thousand lesser dragon jade crystals, yet the lantern flower ultimately sold for twenty-five thousand. The Falling Ember Grove Sect secured it, noting Tang Xiadan's lack of participation, mirroring his disinterest in prior items. A palpable wave of relief visibly washed over the sect's accompanying elder as no further bids emerged.

Perhaps stunned by the expenditure of two hundred and five thousand lesser dragon jade crystals by a single individual, and the consequent lack of competition, the auctioneer's voice met a wall of silence after the elder's bid for the five-elemental petal lantern flower. This quiet stretched on, a void even Li Gang's practiced salesmanship couldn’t bridge. The single offer placed became the winning one.

With all of Yang Qing's contributions successfully auctioned, the event was nearing its conclusion, with merely one final item remaining: the heart-quenching mulberry dew.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been a fitting centerpiece for any auction. However, in the wake of a hidden radiance pearl fetching a jade token from Jade Leaf Academy, and the astonishing outlay of two hundred and five thousand lesser dragon jade crystals from one person, the heart-quenching mulberry dew, despite its immense value, felt somewhat anticlimactic.

Consequently, few gasps or expressions of excitement were heard as the item graced the podium, irrespective of its captivating appearance and potent effects. Though named 'dew,' the quantity presented far exceeded a mere droplet; it was a generous sip, contained within a clear jade vial roughly half a palm in length and no wider than two fingers. The heart-quenching mulberry dew filled this vial almost entirely, leaving just a slight space at the stoppered neck.

The dew's appearance perfectly matched its name. Its fluidity resembled water, yet its hue and light refraction were extraordinary. The liquid shimmered like a sunlit lake or river, with ethereal colors swirling internally, making its true color impossible to discern. Its movement and appearance were so dreamlike, the dew seemed almost like mist, barely maintaining its liquid state.

Mere moments after the heart-quenching mulberry dew was presented for viewing, numerous spiritual senses were abruptly withdrawn by cultivators who, in some cases, lowered their heads to avoid direct visual contact with the vial, their expressions tinged with apprehension as they turned away.

No one present mocked their reaction, nor found it peculiar; this was the intrinsic effect of the heart-quenching mulberry dew. Gazing upon it evoked the tranquil sensation of watching a serene sunset accompanied by gentle waves. Every physical, spiritual, and mental fatigue would dissipate, carried away by the softly swirling prismatic luminescence. Whether one willed it or not, their entire being would surrender to a profound state of relaxation. All defenses would inevitably crumble under its alluring gleam, particularly mental fortifications. And once those barriers fell, its secondary nature would inevitably manifest.

One of the primary virtues of the heart-quenching mulberry dew lay in its ability to temper the heart while simultaneously stabilizing and fortifying the mind. Its method of achieving this mirrored the rigorous training regimen employed by the Order's Instructors when preparing students against ambushes and insidious tactics. Unsurprisingly, this involved subjecting students to the very same psychologically taxing methods repeatedly, to an obsessive degree, fostering profound distrust even of their own reflections. Yang Qing, though reluctant to admit it, had instinctively attacked his own shadow countless times, a testament to its efficacy. At least, he mused, he wouldn't be vulnerable to surprise attacks through that avenue. That offered a sliver of comfort.

Regarding the heart-quenching mulberry dew, its effects seemed inspired by, or perhaps served as the origin for, the instructors' methods. It involved lowering a target's defenses, lulling them into a false sense of security, and then meticulously and exhaustively studying them. Every piece of information was extracted, down to their subconscious inclinations. Subsequently, all gathered knowledge was utilized to craft an ideal tormenting scenario, meticulously designed to shatter them in every conceivable way.

The heart-quenching mulberry dew acted like an unvarnished reflection of one's inner self. Whatever secrets lay hidden within, be they conscious or unconscious, the dew would unearth them, bring them to light, and then deftly wield them against you, aiming to shatter your spirit and mind. Once it had thoroughly broken you, it would subtly mend the damage, making it seem as though the devastating ordeal had never occurred, only to repeat the cycle with a chilling, practiced efficiency.

This peculiar characteristic was why it had been bestowed the name: the Dew of Grace and Torment, a title reflecting its profoundly contradictory nature.

Yang Qing, however, perceived it merely as another instructor from the Institute, given how unnervingly similar its methods were to those of the actual instructors. This dew possessed an uncanny knack for identifying the precise point of vulnerability, inflicting the maximum possible damage while remaining just within the absolute limits of recovery, thereby ensuring the perpetual continuation of its cycle.

You would not perish, yet you would experience the sensation of dying countless times over.

Thus, those cultivators who swiftly averted their gazes and spiritual senses from the heart-quenching mulberry dew did so with very good reason. Who could tell what that seemingly harmless, ethereal, prismatic dew might do if one allowed it to fix its hooks firmly into them by gazing for too long?

Yang Qing, conversely, did the exact opposite. His spiritual sense was fully unleashed, even more so than when he examined the other treasures. His spiritual sense completely encompassed the clear jade vial and its contents. While he possessed the means to resist the dew's effects through his peerless jade physique, his purple-grade art, and a host of other defenses ingrained from his time at the Institute to safeguard against mental influences, he refrained from employing any of them. In fact, he took the opposite course: he deliberately lowered these defenses and acted against his innate reflexes, allowing the heart-quenching mulberry dew to exert its influence upon him.

He needed to ascertain... he needed to know how far he had progressed since the incident involving the Ice Emerald Sect and Ma Yuan. Yes, the saint-grade senior, the auspicious wood grove tree, had been instrumental in helping him overcome the majority of the mental and heart demons that had arisen from that ordeal.

Furthermore, the experiences he had accumulated since then, such as serving as the temporary branch chief of the Deer Mountain Branch, and these excursions across the continent, had inadvertently aided in the cultivation of his heart and mind, making him feel lighter and more resolute than before, even stronger. Yang Qing still required a clear understanding of his mental and emotional state, particularly now as he was nearing the point of parting ways with Ma Yuan and his daughter.