Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 1151 Phenomena of quasi cores

1151: Phenomena of quasi cores

1151: Phenomena of quasi cores

“Mmh…

Personal disciples…” Yang Qing murmured, wearing a thoughtful expression.

It made sense for the Xia Clan’s founder to take in disciples, especially if he was looking to establish a family.

Judging by his actions, it seemed he had always intended for that family to develop into something much larger.

He may not have had the experience or strength to serve as a guide or master within the Silver Crane Sect, but surely he had met the standards to do so outside of it.

After all, before losing his cultivation base, he had been a core disciple of one of the longest-standing rank-two sects on the continent.

To reach the rank of core disciple in such a setting meant his talent was a cut above most within the sect.

And given the prestige and standing of the Silver Crane Sect, his talent would likely be considered exceptional even when measured against the entire continent.

Even an ordinary disciple from a sect of the Silver Crane Sect’s stature could be regarded as a powerhouse in certain circles—let alone a core disciple.

Only the best of the best could attain that rank—those whom the sect entrusted with carrying its will.

Therefore, even with a crippled cultivation base, the Xia Clan’s founder would still have had a great deal to teach.

I wonder what his cultivation base was, Yang Qing thought before deciding to ask rather than speculate.

“Do you happen to know what cultivation base your founder had before he was crippled?” he asked Xia Fang.

“He was a peak-stage Core Formation expert,” Xia Fang answered, a trace of reverence in her tone.

“He reached it at just 21 years old,” she added, her words highlighting why she spoke of her ancestor with such deep respect which went beyond the norms of her being a descendant, but also as a cultivator.

A 21-year-old peak Core Formation expert was nothing to scoff at.

Even by the Order’s standards, he would have been considered a remarkable talent.

Yang Qing wasn’t much older than that when he reached the peak of the Core Formation realm himself.

He had attained it at 20 and spent the next three years refining his abilities and deepening his understanding of his cultivation, before finally breaking through to the palace realm.

“Twenty-one years old… and with a quasi-gold-grade core at that,” Xia Fang added, her eyes shining with even deeper admiration.

Her words answered the very question Yang Qing had been about to ask.

“Quasi-gold… He really was talented,” Yang Qing muttered.

A quasi-gold core meant that Xia Fang’s ancestor had a hybrid core that was too powerful to be classified as blue grade but just a little bit shy of reaching the gold grade.

A core could only be considered quasi-gold if at least half of it was gold, with the remaining portion being blue.

Anything less, and it would simply be classified as a blue-grade core.

Take Zheng Hu, for example—one-third of his core was gold, while the rest remained blue.

In such a case, his core would still be considered blue grade.

However, if the split were an even half-and-half, it would qualify as quasi-gold.

There was also someone like Yu Huifeng, who possessed a quasi-purple core.

In her case, two-thirds of her core was purple, while the remaining third was gold.

Feng Xin had a similar case, except his quasi-purple core was more pronounced than Yu Huifeng’s, and he would have had a true purple core had he not acted like typical Feng Xin.

Quasi-cores were most often a consequence of events during the Foundation Establishment realm.

That stage required cultivators to form pillars one by one until they had twelve, after which they would sublimate and refine them through the power of tribulation, transforming them into a core.

Since these pillars were formed individually, it wasn’t uncommon for a cultivator to have pillars of different grades.

In the early stages, a cultivator might form four orange-grade pillars due to resource scarcity, which would limit their ability to fully utilize their talents.

However, if they later moved to a more conducive environment with better resources, they could end up forming eight blue-grade pillars after the initial four, orange-grade pillars.

Depending on the foundation and quality of those eight blue-grade pillars, the cultivator could either end up with a quasi-blue-grade core in the Core Formation Realm or a low-to-mid-tier blue-grade core.

The latter outcome would only occur if the eight blue-grade pillars were of high quality.

Such cases were common and could be found everywhere, including within the Order’s own ranks.

However, the Order handled these situations differently compared to most organizations.

Due to the Order’s constant search for talent, they recruited individuals from all walks of life and went to great lengths to evaluate applicants—often looking beyond surface-level potential.

This was why those with weaker starting points were still given a chance to prove themselves.

In contrast, most organizations required applicants to meet a basic threshold before even being considered.

For example, some sects required applicants to have reached the gold body stage in the body refinement realm or attained a certain level of mastery with a weapon just to qualify for their entrance examinations.

The Order, however, had no such restrictions.

Even someone with an iron body, the weakest stage in the body refinement realm, was eligible to take their test.

It wasn’t out of magnanimity but rather a recognition that diamonds in the rough often appeared as worthless stones due to poor starting conditions.

This was why the Order invested considerable resources and effort into their entrance examinations, with some lasting up to a year, whereas most organizations conducted theirs over just a few days.

For the Order, the tests weren’t merely about identifying the gifted but also about uncovering buried potential.

Every aspect of their exams was designed with that goal in mind.

Because of this, there was no shortage of applicants with seemingly ‘subpar cultivation’ who made it through.

Take the test Yang Qing supervised, for example.

One applicant had the lowest cultivation possible—he was still in the body refinement realm, possessing only an iron body.

Worse yet, he was already 17 years old with such a paltry cultivation base.

Had someone with such meager achievements dared to apply to most other organizations, they would have been turned away at the door without a second thought.

They likely would not even been considered for some of the lowliest menial posts such as servants that swept the floors.

But at the Order, he was given a chance.

And because of that chance, the Order’s meticulous test revealed that the gaunt 17-year-old youth had a talent for the saber when he unlocked saber sense during the examination without guidance, with nothing but sheer grit and intuition.

He wasn’t the only buried talent unearthed in that test.

There was also an old man at the late stage of the qi refinement realm, around 70 years old, with a murky foundation riddled with flaws.

Yet, despite his shortcomings, he managed to unlock sword qi and even defeat one of the powerful spirit beasts deployed in the test.

For individuals like him, once they passed the test, the Order would have them dissolve their current cultivation and start over to build a stronger foundation.

After all, no matter how high one’s talent, if the early stages of cultivation were built on shaky, flawed foundations, it would inevitably limit how far they could go.

A refined foundation paved the way for a longer and more stable cultivation path.