Daily life of a cultivation judge

If there was any clue to be found regarding what had happened to Jiang Hao, or Bai Chen, or even the rest of the ferry, that clue more than likely lay within the spiritual imprint. It was right there—just within spitting distance—yet that did little to ease Yang Qing's anxiety as he approached it, fearing it might slip through his fingers, as it very well could.

What he was dealing with now wasn't some inanimate object like the rune, where he had the luxury of interacting with it however he pleased. This was a spiritual imprint which, by design, was sentient and ephemeral, and this made it a slippery thing to deal with.

Spiritual imprints were like the soul's "prints." They carried the user's will and intent, hence their sentient nature. One forms their spiritual imprints when in the core formation realm, though at that stage they are only half-awake—'half-dead,' so to speak. Beyond marking ownership over something, they didn't serve much purpose.

It was only after one broke through to the palace realm and began touching upon the powers of the Grand Dao do their spiritual imprints truly gain their sentient nature. From that moment forth, it would be present in one's every move, which was why getting injured by someone from that realm or above was always dangerous. Their techniques and attacks carried their imprint, which they could then use to track you or sense your presence within a certain range.

Just like how Yang Qing had done with that member of the Ghost Blood Hands Syndicate who had sneaked into his promotion ceremony under the guise of sect master of Flying Feather Sword Sect.

Feng Xin had injured him using talismans that contained Yang Qing's spells, which were made right after he had broken through to the palace realm. Each talisman carried his spiritual imprint, and the moment that syndicate member who was injured by them appeared in front of him, Yang Qing immediately sensed the subtle trace of his imprint lingering on the man.

Whether it was luck or misfortune, Feng Xin had detonated the talismans the instant he saw that syndicate member. That gave the syndicate member no time to deduce Feng Xin's identity. Had he known Feng Xin was a member of the Order, there was no way he would have dared come anywhere close to that ceremony.

Not to mention, Yang Qing's imprint was far more penetrative and elusive than most. It wasn't just formed from his comprehension of the Grand Dao, but was also shaped by his peerless Yin-Yang Jade Nature Physique, whose combination was like giving wings to a tiger.

Anyone on the same level as him could forget about erasing his imprint once they were marked by it. And the stronger he grew, the more pervasive and far-reaching his spiritual imprint would become.

At the moment, for example, when it came to talismans produced from his abilities, they had his spiritual imprint, which made them stronger when it came to reaction. They had a liveliness to them that gave them a certain degree of autonomy; however, because of his level, that degree of autonomy was still closer to mechanical in nature than natural.

It was like a puppet whose functionality was based on a set of inscribed instructions. That meant its actions were restricted to certain acts and conditions, and anything that fell outside that scope, it wouldn't be able to respond to.

The same applied to Yang Qing. His spells were autonomous to a point, but due to the limitations imposed by his cultivation base, they were also static to a degree. That said, because of the nature of his purple-grade art and his constitution, his spells had a liveliness to them that someone at his level shouldn't have had.

That being said, the stronger he became, the more pervasive and loud the effects of his spiritual imprint would become in his everyday life.

At the moment, if his spiritual imprint was activated...say, by someone crushing a talisman that contained one of his spells—unless he was within a certain radius, he wouldn't be able to sense or realize it. But for a Domain-level expert, that wouldn't be the case.

From what he had heard and read, Domain-level experts could vaguely sense when their spiritual imprint was triggered, regardless of distance, with that feeling becoming sharper the closer it occurred. Where Yang Qing's limit was maybe a 20-kilometer radius, theirs was at least a thousand times that.

Not only that, the awareness of their spiritual imprint received a huge boost too, especially when it came to autonomous actions. A Domain expert's spiritual imprint could serve as a clone for them. They could see, hear, feel, and even interact with the world through it, including speaking, which proved invaluable when reacting to or initiating attacks.

From what Yang Qing had read, these spiritual imprint clones carried about 5–10% of their owner's power, with that percentage applying to early-stage Domain experts. It might seem small, but it was still more than enough to handle a dozen peak-stage Palace realm experts. And in terms of flexibility and adaptability, it far surpassed what Yang Qing's talismans could achieve, even if those talismans contained 100% of his power.

The greatest asset a cultivator had when reacting to sudden situations was their judgment. And that was something Yang Qing's spiritual imprints lacked, whereas Domain experts' imprints did not.

He'd also read that the imprints of Soul Formation experts were even more overpowered, as they closely matched the true strength of their owner. That alone was said to be one of the key reasons why Soul Formation experts were the wealthiest—and also the hardest to kill.

Through their imprints, they could delve into and traverse dangerous locations that most wouldn't dare approach—like the void itself—in search of fortune and the mysteries of the Grand Dao.

Provided a Soul Formation expert didn't have horrible luck and invite calamity upon themselves, they had the highest life expectancy. It was part of the reason Yang Qing so desperately wanted to climb up. He just wasn't built for life at the lower levels, where your existence could be snuffed out in the blink of an eye.

He was someone who valued his life greatly, and at the same time, he was a coward with deep wanderlust in his heart. The safest way to fulfill his desires (and he had plenty of them) was to reach Soul Formation.

Should that day ever come, he'd be unhinged and as daring as they came. He'd dare steal food straight from a dragon's mouth, ransack a phoenix's nest, and pull all sorts of trickery on Old Lei before vanishing into the void for a millennium or two. The possibilities were endless.

Feeling his attention slipping toward imagination—especially the last part—Yang Qing quickly pulled his focus back.

Yin Yang Twin Star Seal.

Yang Qing's left hand shone with a moon-bright glow, while his right blazed like the sun. The stars dotting the cicada's body reacted to the change in his hands—half turned pristine white, while the other half radiated with golden sunlight.

Suddenly, the stars moved like grains of sand, then congealed into a single star that was half white, half golden, perfectly mirroring Yang Qing himself. Half his body was bathed in golden flames, while the other half was covered in gentle, moon-white brilliance.

Yang Qing's eyes burned brightly as he smiled in anticipation. His physique made him the bane of purely yang or purely yin entities because he was able to match or restrain them in equal measure.

He could have used his yin side alone to contest the spiritual imprint, given its yin-aligned nature. But why settle for that when he could bully it with two forces—one that resonated with it, and the other that naturally restrained it?

His talents might be passable in other areas, but Yin-Yang... now that was his domain.