Daily life of a cultivation judge Chapter 2 2: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (2)

Reaching the apex of Qi refinement, he then departed from his family to the Order's trial grounds. His swift success in their screening, being a 10th-level Qi refinement cultivator at such a young age, undeniably marked him as a genius. On the Blue Origin planet, the cultivation realms are structured as follows; Body Refinement → Qi Refinement → Foundation Stage → Core Formation Stage → Palace Stage → Domain Stage → Soul Formation Stage.

Yang Qing had heard whispers of a potential realm beyond Soul Formation, though its specifics remained a mystery. In truth, throughout his entire life, he had only encountered a Core Formation expert on one occasion. This encounter occurred when he was still in the Body Refinement stage, and the experience left an indelible mark, profoundly shaping the person he is today.

Within the Body Refinement stage, there are six distinct levels: Iron Body, Bronze Body, Silver Body, Gold Body, Diamond Body, and finally, the Peerless Jade Body. Upon achieving the Silver Body stage, an individual has sufficiently opened their meridians to commence Qi absorption and subsequently enter the Qi Refinement stage.

Many choose to advance to Qi Refinement at this juncture, as cultivating a Gold Body or Diamond Body does not significantly extend one's lifespan. Furthermore, progressing from a Silver Body to a Diamond Body demands considerable talent, effort, and resources. Some cultivators spend decades on this endeavor, losing precious time that could have been invested in pursuing higher realms.

An individual's vigor diminishes with age, impacting the potency of their Qi for a successful breakthrough. Amongst the factors hindering a smooth advancement, aside from comprehension and accumulation, age plays a crucial role.

Regarding the subsequent stages, from Qi Refinement onward, each comprises twelve distinct levels.

During the evaluation tests, Yang Qing was discovered to have already cultivated a Peerless Jade Body and was situated at the 10th level of Qi Refinement. This revelation caused quite a stir among the evaluators and instructors, although such a phenomenon was not entirely unprecedented.

Given the vast number of applicants who have sought to join the Order over the past centuries, a few talents comparable to Yang Qing, and even some surpassing him, have graced the Order's halls from time to time. These exceptional individuals have ultimately become the pillars that uphold the Cultivation Order to its current standing.

Yang Qing's admission into the Order was seamless, proceeding exactly as he had anticipated. He was inundated with resources, granted specialized one-on-one training, and given unrestricted access to a wide array of cultivation techniques and facilities.

Upon his acceptance into the Order, he resolved to exert his utmost effort to distinguish himself. His rationale was that the more he stood out as a prodigy, the less likely they would be to assign him to perilous missions. He was confident they would instead shield him, much like a treasured mythical artifact.

"Maintain a low profile. NEVER!!! If I end up doing grunt work that is bound to be dangerous and tiring. I, Yang Qing, am a cultivator who seeks a comfortable life." He diligently repeated this mantra daily during his time at the Order's training institute.

Consequently, he devoted himself entirely to cultivation, ensuring his brilliance was evident. He even began engaging in various other professions to showcase his versatility. He delved into the study of formations, beast taming, alchemy, herbology, weapon refinement, talisman production, and medicine. He pursued them all.

Naturally, he found himself inept at most of these pursuits, with the exception of formations and medicine. This led him to temper his fervor and incorporate humility among his agreeable traits.

However, his diligent efforts soon bore fruit, as he distinguished himself from his peers in his class through his talent and dedication. He ultimately became one of the strongest individuals, reaching the early Core Formation stage, also known as the Illusory Core stage. Due to his results, albeit somewhat ostentatious, he was granted direct entry as a judge, bypassing the initial inquisitor role.

Tears of joy streamed down his face upon learning he would be appointed directly as a judge, rather than first serving as an inquisitor. The higher-ups misinterpreted his tears as a profound sense of duty towards the Order's cause, even admiring his broad character and admonishing the other trainees to emulate such dedication.

Little did they realize that his weeping stemmed from the realization of his long-cherished dream. What was the role of a judge? Where were they stationed? Judges were counted among the most esteemed officials within the Cultivation Order society. Many served at the main headquarters, a location fortified and protected to a degree far exceeding any empire or first-rate sect.

Wasn't this precisely what he had always yearned for? He envisioned sitting comfortably in a secure courtroom all day, adjudicating cases, receiving generous compensation in the form of all the resources he could desire, and avoiding any personal risk or arduous labor. He had secretly plotted to delegate some of his responsibilities to the inquisitor assigned to him. This was the dream he had conceived after the profound trauma of near-death terror inflicted by a Core Formation expert during his Body Refinement stage.

"PREPARE YOURSELVES, WORLD, THE GENTLE EXISTENCE OF YANG QING HAS ARRIVED!" he exclaimed inwardly.

He yearned to begin his new role, or so he anticipated. The moment he commenced, he was overwhelmed by a myriad of cases, each accompanied by specific targets and stringent oversight from a superior. Yang Qing was convinced this individual was the very embodiment of his inner demon, a source of his profound torment.

Judges commence their careers as outer-core court arbiters, gradually ascending the hierarchy as they advance through cultivation realms and successfully navigate work-related evaluations. Occupying the lowest stratum, outer-core judges are tasked with adjudicating all disputes originating from body refinement cultivators up to those at the zenith of the Foundation Establishment realm.

The vast majority of individuals within the cultivation world inhabit these very realms, with a mere fraction, perhaps one in a thousand, achieving advancement to the Core Formation stage. As for a Qi refinement cultivator? One could awaken to find a blade of grass that had already embarked on its Qi cultivation journey. Consequently, the ceaseless tide of cases never ebbs, and given that a Core Formation expert can endure a month without sustenance or slumber, Yang Qing soon came to grasp the veracity of this assertion.

He was utterly drained, his very essence and final Qi reserves depleted. For certain cases, he found himself compelled to abandon the secure sanctuary of the courthouse and the reliable defensive arrays that permeated his chambers. A profound disillusionment settled upon him, acknowledging the avaricious nature of this establishment. Escape was not an option; he was aware of the grim fates that befell those who betrayed their commitments. Such consequences were indelibly imprinted upon their minds through potent illusion spells, vividly and gruesomely depicting the repercussions of deviating from the Order's code of conduct.

Thus, the hopeful Yang Qing of a gentle life perished, and the exhausted, sleepless Yang Qing emerged.

Fortuitously, amidst his days steeped in despair, a profound realization struck him. If he were to elevate his own cultivation realm, would not the sheer volume of cases he was obligated to handle diminish, simply because the nature of the cases would adapt to his higher standing?

The cases one typically handled were directly proportional to the judge's proficiency. Should he attain the Palace realm, he would preside over Palace realm cases, and even if they were to assign lesser matters, it would be restricted to individuals at the apex of the Core Formation realm. How numerous were cultivators of the Palace realm? Surely, they were not as abundant as those in the Foundation and Qi refinement stages.

"Gentle life Yang Qing, prepare for your resurgence," Yang Qing quietly murmured to himself, a wild grin contorting his features.

"HEY! HEY! YANG QING!!! What transfixed your thoughts at the court's entrance? We shall be tardy and find ourselves undertaking sect valuations once more."

Yang Qing was jolted from his reverie by a sharp cry from Yi Jie. With a surge of renewed determination, he quickly moved towards his companion, as he was now one step closer to achieving his objective. At the age of twenty-four, he had already reached the Palace realm in his cultivation and had successfully passed the internal assessments to qualify as a Palace court judge.

He would have commenced his duties three months prior, had his supervisor not discovered that Yang Qing had misrepresented the duration of his breakthrough to the Palace realm during his period of secluded cultivation. The process had actually required five months for him to achieve and stabilize his current realm. However, Yang Qing, in his misguided brilliance, had elected to feign a period of eight months, incorporating an additional three months during which he had essentially been asleep.

This minor deception had not eluded the astute perception of his supervisor, Lei Weiyuan, an expert at the Domain level, who could readily discern the temporal distance of his breakthrough from the unwavering stability of his aura. Through a measure of gentle persuasion, Yang Qing confessed the truth, and those three months were obligingly appended to his official timeline.