Daily life of a cultivation judge Chapter 1478: Fate changing coins (1)

Yang Qing’s breath caught upon noticing the three immaculate golden coins. Tang Xiadan’s light finger snap, drawing his attention from the wealth, served as a catalyst, reintroducing the familiar ambiance of the Star Shrouding Sky Crow’s feather into the room. This time, however, the invisible barrier cloaking their surroundings felt twelve times more potent.

Considering Tang Xiadan’s recent revelations, Yang Qing thoroughly approved of this enhanced security measure.

A profound, ancient energy gradually permeated the chamber, emanating from the three coins. In mere moments, the environment transformed. A golden wave surged through the space like a tidal wave, but instead of azure water, it was a dense golden mist that churned, accompanied by a faint draconic roar. This roar carried the immense weight and boundless expanse of an ocean, teeming with countless Daos.

"This..." Yang Qing’s voice faltered, becoming parched as his gaze locked onto the coins again. His internal palace world reacted with fervent excitement. The oceanic waves within him surged with unprecedented vigor. The Green Flame Tree at his world’s core blazed with an intensity that seemed poised to erupt skyward. The sun above appeared at its zenith, and the moon at its deepest night, both radiating an overwhelming luminescence.

As for his soul, the roars unleashed the instant Tang Xiadan opened the box intensified, stirring his Qi, his essence, and his spiritual sea. Within these growing roars, he began to discern faint whispers, gradually clarifying as the resonance within his soul deepened. These whispers contained truths, profound knowledge, hidden secrets, and guidance from an unfathomable power that radiated the very essence of creation.

He had encountered entities that triggered such a reaction only once before: the sacred grounds of an Ancestral Dragon Spiritual Vein.

Yet, he was now experiencing such a phenomenon from merely three small coins, coins that could fit easily in his palm yet contained a power so immense and vast it rattled him to his very core.

A significant portion of Yang Qing’s astonishment stemmed not just from the coins manifesting the effects of an Ancestral Dragon Spiritual Vein in every aspect. While the imitation was surprising, what truly astounded him was the sheer magnitude of its power. He had trained at an Ancestral Dragon Spiritual Vein within the Order, yet in terms of impact, these three coins had profoundly surpassed it. That was a true spiritual vein; this was merely three coins. Nevertheless, the latter had eclipsed the former in both the quality of the golden spiritual Qi and the concentrated depth of the Grand Dao essence it contained.

One felt akin to a serene lake; the other resembled a boundless ocean.

It was, therefore, understandable that Yang Qing was utterly shocked. How could he not be, after witnessing an entire Ancestral Dragon Spiritual Vein being overshadowed by three mere coins?

"Are those coins comprised of an entire spiritual vein?" Yang Qing questioned aloud, eliciting a chuckle from Tang Xiadan.

"In a manner of speaking, they are," Tang Xiadan replied meaningfully, his words immediately capturing Yang Qing’s complete focus. His gaze shifted thoughtfully from Tang Xiadan to the coins, his eyes suddenly gleaming as comprehension dawned.

"Jade of the Ancestral Vein," he whispered.

"Precisely," Tang Xiadan confirmed with a nod.

Yang Qing’s eyes remained fixed on the coins. Even after discerning their origin, his shock did little to diminish; in fact, it intensified.

Jade crystals are the solidified essence of dragon veins. Their inherent nature dictates a rather modest output. A lesser dragon vein might yield perhaps three to seven lesser dragon jade crystals annually, a figure that could escalate to ten or twelve under auspicious conditions. Some records even cite outputs of twenty, though this is likely observed only in lesser dragon veins nearing their evolution into mature ones.

When a dragon spiritual vein matures, it continues to produce lesser dragon jade crystals, albeit at a significantly higher rate than its lesser counterpart. Within a lesser vein, these crystals represent its concentrated essence. However, in a mature dragon vein, the lesser dragon jade crystals produced are akin to the 'byproduct' of the vein engaging in other strenuous activities. Consequently, this inherent production mechanism results in an output—substantial enough to generate no less than a thousand crystals each year.

However, when it came to mature dragon jade crystals, their production significantly dwindled. According to well-known records, a mature dragon vein yields a mature dragon jade crystal approximately once every hundred years, with some instances requiring five centuries for a single one. This initial timeline, however, only applies to its very first production. Following that, the next yield could take a millennium at the very least, or extend far beyond, with this interval consistently increasing after each subsequent crystal is produced.

Production frequency only escalates when the mature dragon vein itself experiences an enhancement in quality. Yet, until such an improvement occurs, the interval between the creation of each crystal widens considerably.

This scarcity, however, hardly incites complaints, considering the immense value of a mature dragon jade crystal.

In terms of monetary value, it approached that of a middle-tier ascendant-grade treasure. However, its worth in specific applications could surpass even some ascendant-grade treasures, particularly due to the benefits it conferred, such as in the brewing of potions.

While the exact discoverer remains unknown (Yang Qing suspected it was another breakthrough by the Eternal Blossom Sanctuary Sect), the discovery revealed that incorporating a mature dragon jade crystal into one's cauldron during potion brewing significantly boosted the likelihood of producing a gold-grade potion. Remarkably, the crystal could be used with nearly any potion, requiring no special processing—simply add it to the brew, stir, and continue with the recipe. The end result held a chance for a gold-grade potion, and the crystal itself could be reused a few more times before its contained energy was depleted.

Its advantages were not confined to alchemy alone. Domain experts could leverage a mature dragon jade crystal to swiftly stabilize their realm or deepen their comprehension. Yang Qing had even heard Ren Shu mention that, with sufficient comprehensive talent and ability, a single crystal could support a Domain expert from the first stage all the way to the seventh stage.

Alternatively, if one chose not to use it for cultivation but as an energy source, a single crystal possessed the capacity to power any blue-grade formation for at least fifty thousand years. For low-tier to mid-tier gold-grade formations, it could provide power for five thousand years, and for a thousand years for top-tier gold-grade formations.

Nonetheless, for those inclined to utilize it as an energy source and maximize its one-time value, the most effective application would be with a high-grade spiritual vein.

Numerous methods existed for transforming a high-grade spiritual vein into a lesser dragon vein, most of which were invariably intricate. However, one particular method stood out for its simplicity, requiring neither skill, precise timing, nor luck. By merely placing a mature dragon jade crystal into the core of a high-grade spiritual vein, a perfectly formed lesser dragon vein would materialize within a few years.

If a mature dragon jade crystal possessed such remarkable capabilities, one could only ponder the potential of a jade crystal derived from an Ancestral Dragon Spiritual Vein. What properties and powers might the crystallized essence of such a vein exhibit?

Yang Qing could not ascertain this, having never encountered or interacted with one.

The Ancestral Dragon Vein of the Order had not yielded a single Ancestral Dragon Jade Crystal since the Order's inception. Records Yang Qing had perused offered no specific timeline, noting instances where Ancestral Dragon Veins had gone unfruitful for extended periods without producing a crystal. In contrast, this same vein produced mature dragon jade crystals monthly. As for lesser dragon jade crystals, their sheer abundance rendered counting them pointless, with a year's output potentially forming an entire mountain.

Yet, an Ancestral Dragon Jade Crystal remained so rare that one might live an entire lifetime without witnessing its production.

And there, directly before Yang Qing, lay three coins that, judging by the potent aura they radiated and the palpable effect they exerted merely by existing, were almost certainly crafted entirely from Ancestral Dragon Jade Crystals.

While Yang Qing remained ignorant of the specific functions of an Ancestral Dragon Jade Crystal, basic reasoning, informed inference, and his experience with the magnificence of an Ancestral Dragon Spiritual Vein led him to believe that it would not be an exaggeration to classify such a crystal as a saint-grade item—perhaps even at the pinnacle of that grade, or akin to a rare, naturally occurring jade treasure.

Despite its immense perceived value, some individuals had evidently seen fit to fashion mundane objects from it. Who possessed the audacity to commit such an act?