Daily life of a cultivation judge

The Prince Ambrosia was unique among them in more ways than one. Unlike the others, it was incapable of producing honey, nor did it possess their illusory abilities. It was a dream ambrosia bee only in name and appearance; in every other aspect, it was entirely different.

It could not make honey, and it lacked illusory abilities, but in exchange for what it was missing, it gained what no other dream ambrosia bee possessed—raw physical strength and destructive power.

Honey from dream ambrosia bees was widely known as a counter to countless poisons, and for the dream ambrosia prince, that same potency manifested in reverse—as poison. It possessed one of the deadliest venoms, rivaling even Bolin's in potency.

A single sting was enough to kill anyone at the middle stages of the core formation realm or below within three seconds, while those in the late stages had only a few hours to find an antidote, or they too would join the rest in the Yellow River of Styx. And finding an antidote was anything but easy. Just as dream ambrosia honey could neutralize a hundred different poisons, the prince's venom was like a cocktail of a hundred poisons fused into one lethal dose.

Its poisoning ability was unmatched, its speed equally terrifying, and its physical strength just as formidable. And while it lacked the illusory powers of its kin, it still possessed their powerful spirit. Combined with its strength and venom, this made the prince an extraordinarily dangerous opponent.

A hive producing a dream ambrosia prince meant independence and survival. No longer would they have to rely on others for protection, nor would they need to cower or submit. With a prince of their own, they could depend solely on themselves. This was the shared dream of nearly every hive without an ambrosia prince, for having one meant living with dignity.

Because of this, most queens would go to any lengths to achieve such a dream. Some would not hesitate to devour another queen, while others, if their lifespan was nearly spent or they believed another queen held far greater potential, would even willingly offer themselves up.

But alas, even after consuming another queen and gaining the ability to produce a prince, actually succeeding was ninety percent luck and only ten percent tied to physiological evolution. This was why so few hives throughout history had ever managed to produce one.

Even so, despite the odds, queens continued to consume one another in pursuit of that chance. After all, beyond the possibility of birthing a prince, the cultivation benefits it offered more than made it a palatable choice to make.

Looking at the situation before him and the circumstances it created, Yang Qing suddenly found himself with the chance to obtain a queen of his own. His heart raced at the thought. When Meifeng first mentioned the dream ambrosia bees, the arrangement he had envisioned was simple—he would receive occasional refills of honey whenever he ran out, while the hive remained here.

He had never considered bringing them back to his abode. They were born in the Deer Mountain Range, and by the looks of it, they had developed a bond with Meifeng. However much he desired them, he would never have taken the hive away, even if they themselves suggested it.

But that larva—a queen in the making—changed everything.

When she hatched, would Lihua consume her, or drive her out to start a new hive? One thing was certain: she would not remain here. And of the two possible fates awaiting her, Yang Qing felt the odds leaned heavily toward the former.

From the fluctuations Lihua gave off, she still had a good five to seven thousand years left in her lifespan. This meant she was nowhere near exhausting it—and by extension, it also spoke to her potential. She was a peak-stage core formation expert with over five thousand years ahead of her to attempt a breakthrough to the palace realm. Consuming the larva queen when it hatched would only increase her chances of success in making that leap.

Dream ambrosia bees were weak and easily exploited because their abilities left them ill-suited for direct confrontation. But if Lihua were to break through to the palace realm, that would all change. The palace realm was regarded as the watershed of true cultivation, for the leap in ability and strength gained upon reaching it was enormous.

She might currently be weaker offensively than even a fourth-stage core formation spirit beast, but all that would change once she reached the palace realm. At that stage, she would be no weaker than her peers, and she would also gain new abilities that would benefit her tremendously—such as the capacity to produce multiple queens, her physical strength finally catching up, and her soul-related abilities gaining true lethality.

Beyond that, because of the unique qualities of the honey they produced and its countless effects, the leap in quality was a direct reflection of the flood of insights and knowledge embedded within their bloodline and racial abilities; insights that they gained the moment they broke through. Dream ambrosia bees might not understand the mechanisms behind how their hives became larger than they appeared, but they most definitely knew and understood every detail of how they made their honey. This made them exceptionally proficient alchemists, and the potency of their honey only grew stronger as a result—though their genius was not limited to that alone.

What it took human alchemists years and years of learning, trying, and dedication to learn, they knew instinctively. Every dream ambrosia bee that reached the palace realm automatically held the skill and proficiency of a blue-grade alchemist. Yang Qing even knew of a few prominent alchemist organizations that counted a dream ambrosia queen among their core members.

For the dream ambrosia bees, the well-being of the hive rested on the queen. A palace realm queen meant not only safety but also better honey. Better honey meant stronger brood members, and stronger members ensured the hive's longevity and prosperity. And with enough luck, the increase in both honey and brood quality might even lead to the birth of a prince.

Given those odds and what such a future could mean for the hive, would Lihua really let that larva queen go? She might be her daughter, but it would not surprise Yang Qing if Lihua chose the hive's needs over her own child.

It was often the calmest, most even-tempered individuals who proved to be the most ruthlessly pragmatic. An emotional person might abandon logic, but a tranquil one would calmly analyze the situation with a detached outlook and choose the most practical and the most beneficial path. And for Lihua, that likely meant one thing: eat her daughter when she hatched.

And that gave Yang Qing an opportunity. He could obtain a queen—and with her, a hive. A hive of his own meant honey (which he would, of course, have to keep hidden from Ellie and Feng Xin. This was DREAM AMBROSIA HONEY! After all. ). Beyond that, who knew? Perhaps the hive he gained, influenced by his aura and spiritual qi, coupled with the environment of his abode, might one day even produce a dream ambrosia prince.

And if it did....

The dream ambrosia prince was not a special dao lifeform like Gu Xing, but it was close, since it was a being born by chance rather than through any fixed formula. Discovering one was no different from stumbling across a mysterious phenomenon, and Yang Qing was all too eager to witness it. Who knew what insights and secrets the birth of such a being might reveal to him?

Having already decided on his course, Yang Qing shifted his attention from the hive to the queen.

"Would you care for a trade?" he asked Lihua.

Deal after deal since I came out… tch, no wonder merchants hardly ever sleep. Those sly eyes, that plastered ever-present smile, that glint of excitement they get when discussing deals or the potential of one. Who knew bartering carried such a thrill? thought Yang Qing.