Daily life of a cultivation judge

They both looked at Yang Qing with disbelief showing in their eyes.

"Big brother you're not just saying this to look cool?" Zou Yi asked with a suspicious look.

"I'm not…it's not exactly strange, is it? There are palace stage experts who are younger than me at the Order while others around the same age as me and I know for a fact there are some like me in some of the rank 1 sects much less the holy lands.," Yang Qing offhandedly said.

He would have added their father to the mix since he was a 33-year-old blue-grade formation master. He could be considered a talent even by the Order's standards. But he decided against it, for fear of souring their moods.

The tale behind the clan head selection made him more curious about their current head who was seemingly younger and showed so much talent to eclipse a 33-year-old blue-grade formation master.

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Zou family may soon rise into a rank 1 family," Yang Qing mused as the two siblings eyed him like some rare artifact.

"Big brother with our talent…?" Zou Yi hesitantly asked. When the rush of excitement had worn off, he couldn't help but notice their current predicament.

They were just at the bronze realm of the body refining stage. In the three years they were making their way out of the Zou family territory, they didn't have time to cultivate and they were forbidden to use the Main clan's techniques the moment they were banished.

With no cultivation arts and resources, their cultivation had stagnated in those three years.

They would be heading into the Order, a place known to be the stomping grounds of world-defying geniuses, he couldn't help but feel self-conscious about his current realm along with if he had the talent to actually get in. Even if Yang Qing spoke up for them, the Order was known for its impartiality when it came to these things.

Zou Liqin seemed to be sharing the same fears too as she too went silent as worry showed on her face.

"You don't have to worry too much about not having the talent to get in, as long as you give it your all the rest will work itself out. The Order doesn't only take gifted geniuses in cultivation. The Order needs talent in many different areas and cultivation is just one part amongst a long list of other parts. You both may have talents in those other parts.

You're both conscientious people, I'm sure the Order will have a place for you. So don't sell yourself short. Just do the best you can down to the last second," Yang Qing said as he rubbed their heads.

Zou Yi and Zou Liqin clenched their fists with fire blazing in their eyes.

"If you do manage to get in we could help you relocate your parent's graves back to the Order if you want. Even bringing back your grandfather may not be an issue though it would be a little troublesome but as long as you become a member of the Order it is doable," Yang Qing softly said a bit cautious about whether the question will lead them back to their despondent looks.

"No, they're fine where they are. Our parents would want it that way. Despite how things turned out in the end, it doesn't change the reverence and pride they held as members of the Zou family.

They were buried with honors at the Zou ancestral burial grounds.  I know they are at peace while keeping each other company. As for grandfather, I know he wouldn't agree to leave the clan. His entire being is anchored there. It would be unfair of us to ask him to leave all he has ever known behind. He has lost too much and sacrificed so much for us already, we can't possibly ask any more of him," Zou Yi said as he sadly smiled.

"We don't bear any resentment against the Zou clan for what happened. That's not to say we didn't at some point.

During the first year after losing our parents and our grandfather imprisoned, the pain brought by that loss led us down a pit of bitterness, rage, resentment, and never-ending blame. We blamed the Zou clan for using such a dangerous test as a method for selecting the clan head, our father for not knowing when to give up, our mother for forgetting about us as she recklessly charged in after our father, our grandfather for taking our punishment denying us a chance at death which would have been a welcomed relief since we could join our parents instead of the endless torment we had to endure as the living.

The list of blame was pretty long…" Zou Yi said as his gaze became distant.

"But we don't blame them anymore. We may not be over their deaths and sacrifices but moving on is the burden we have to bear as their children so they don't worry and also it's our responsibility as children of the Zou family.

Our circumstances are not unique within the clan. Actually that's one of the things that has helped us in continuously trying to move on. At the clan, there's no shortage of those who went through the same thing we are going through now when their loved ones failed and died in the selection process. But they continued on and the side branches that came up as a result of it are proof of that.

Liqin and I promised we would live our fullest lives though as you can see we are not doing a good job of that with our pitiful looks but we are improving and learning to.

We want to be brave and charge through to our last breaths like our father who kept on charging through to his last breath or our mother who went in after him and our grandfather who showed no hesitation in taking the sword of punishment that was meant for us.

We want to live and grow then if we are able to, we can go back and show him, his sacrifice wasn't for nothing," Zou Yi said as he cheerfully smiled whilst holding Zou Liqin's hand.

"I commend your resolve. I'm sure the Order if anything will help you live the lives you envisioned and I'll also be there to support you in any way I can," Yang Qing said with a heartfelt sigh.