Daily life of a cultivation judge Chapter 1473: Wealthiest of all (2)

Yang Qing often pondered the scenery of the past. Could it have truly been a paradise for immortals?

The Southern Continent, possibly burdened by its immense wealth or perhaps prone to cultivating volatile individuals, was a land ravaged by ceaseless conflict. Due to its riches and the powerful cultivators it fostered, these wars were never minor skirmishes. Their catastrophic, widespread, and frequent nature meant the Southern Continent's very landscape was perpetually reshaped by the ebb and flow of battle.

It was remarkable that the continent and its lands endured, a testament to both their abundance and inherent resilience. Yet, regardless of how robust and affluent the continent was, losses were still losses, and some could never be reclaimed. Yang Qing had read of countless rare, natural Dao treasures, formed over vast stretches of time by chance, now presumed lost forever to these wars, deemed highly unlikely to ever resurface on Southern Continent soil.

Considering the intrinsic nature of natural Dao treasures and their formation, regardless of a cultivator's attained heights, recreating them was impossible, no matter how profound their skills. Cultivating a saint-grade herb was a far simpler feat than nurturing a monarch-grade natural Dao treasure.

The most significant losses, in Yang Qing's view, weren't solely the treasures that fueled his musings on the past. He also contemplated the people, like the sect master of the Frozen Serenity Sect. How many supremely gifted prodigies, capable of defining an entire era, were lost to those conflicts?

He was perpetually captivated by the world perceived by such prodigious talents. This fascination deepened with every interaction related to them. Though he had never visited the Eternal Blossom Sanctuary, each time he explored the Medical Saint Garden or even the Order’s Medical Valley, witnessing the wondrous techniques and recipes originating from that sect left him in awe of its creators.

While he hadn't personally encountered the Four Sacred Wings, following his Dao discussions with Senior Shayuang of the Silver Crane Sect and Senior Xie Huang, and observing the profound depth of their cultivation, a lingering thought took root. The Silver Crane Sect, merely a subsidiary of a subsidiary, held such extensive understanding; what, then, was the true extent of the Four Sacred Wings itself?

The same applied to the Frozen Serenity Scripture and other ancient lineages whose legacies continued to nourish and shape the current era.

This sentiment was doubly amplified for the Treasure Coin Palace. As someone perpetually lamenting his financial straits and mounting expenses (thanks to a certain bird and a stingy employer), it was no surprise that Yang Qing regularly indulged in fantasies of striking it rich, retiring in opulence, and living a life of leisurely pursuits.

Did these daydreams impede his work? Undeniably. Did they lead him to lament his fate and plunge him into soul-crushing despair? Absolutely. But would he cease? Never, not in a million years.

Daydreaming of immense wealth was his sole sustenance, the very thing that helped him endure the biting winters of poverty until he could finally break through to the Domain Realm and ascend to the Domain Courts, where perhaps, just perhaps, his earnings might finally suffice to cast off the cloak of poverty and despair.

Until that day dawned, daydreams would remain his refuge. It was through such wistful thoughts that he first encountered the Treasure Coin Palace. Being a naturally vengeful person, still smarting from the humiliation and trauma of that infamous auction at the White Rose Pavilion, Yang Qing felt sufficiently motivated to excavate their history and any information he could find.

He had no specific objective with his findings. He simply sought to bask in any misfortunes they might have endured, finding solace in the knowledge that even they had faced hardship, much like he had within the confines of their auction house.

It was amidst this deeply cathartic endeavor that he stumbled upon the Treasure Coin Palace. It transpired that the White Rose Pavilion was rumored to have connections to the Treasure Coin Palace, though their link wasn't as profound as, for instance, the Silver Crane Sect's ties to the Four Sacred Wings.

To truly grasp the depth of such a connection, one might compare the Silver Crane Sect's ties to the Four Sacred Wings to that of a humble palace attendant responsible for the Emperor’s personal chambers. Though their duties were undeniably crucial and delicate, they were not of a magnitude that would etch their face or name into the Emperor's memory. Their significance lingered in that ambiguous zone where recognition was uncertain:

Then there was the White Rose Pavilion, whose relationship with the Treasure Coin Palace paralleled that of the servant who cleaned the chamber pot after it was passed on by the attendant from the Emperor’s own quarters. It was a vital role within the grand hierarchy of sanitation, yet undeniably positioned lower in the pecking order. Such individuals would likely never cross the Emperor's gaze, and he might not even be aware of their existence within the palace, let alone their specific duties.

Such was the nature of the association between the White Rose Pavilion and the Treasure Coin Palace. A connection existed, certainly, but it was so tenuous that the main body of the Treasure Coin Palace would likely remain oblivious to the White Rose Pavilion's existence, given the pavilion's marginal role in the Palace's broader operations.

Yet, despite the fragility of this link, the rewards reaped from it were so immense that, across the entire continent, if the White Rose Pavilion were to claim the title of the second-greatest merchant organization, no other group would dare contest the top spot.

In terms of reach, accumulated wealth, or sheer influence, none could rival the White Rose Pavilion. After all, this was an organization bold enough to contend with the Two Holy Lands and several other dominant continental powers for a share of the lucrative islands within the Bestial Churning Sea. Only those possessing unshakeable confidence in their strength would venture into such perilous waters, and the White Rose Pavilion stood as the sole merchant organization to successfully secure an island and maintain a firm grip on it for an indeterminate period.

The Pavilion's list of accomplishments did not end there. Beyond its staggering wealth, rumored to rival or even surpass that of the Two Holy Lands, the White Rose Pavilion was said to boast branches not only in every conceivable corner of the continent—a monumental feat considering the continent's vastness and the resources required for such an expansive and sustained network—but also on other continents. Specifically, they had established a presence on the Western Continent, with hushed whispers suggesting their influence had even reached the Northern Continent.

If these rumors held any truth, then the White Rose Pavilion's foundations ran far deeper than most could possibly conceive. This then begged the question: considering their association, was this formidable foundation a product of the White Rose Pavilion's own endeavors, or was it merely a consequence of their role as mere attendants to the continent's wealthiest organization?

Yang Qing knew precisely which explanation he would choose.