Daily life of a cultivation judge

When Yang Qing reached his family's courtyard he was shocked to find a full house present. His cowardly father was around today though he was still squirming in his seat as his eyes occasionally darted in the direction of his grandfather who was lost in his own thoughts, his brother and wife were around like always, and his two nephews while his mom was effortlessly preparing a sumptuous meal.

Yang Qing came in just the right time when she had just finished her preparations. Like a dutiful son, he helped her put them in serving bowls while sneaking a few early bites here and there with his mother's approval of course.

While his family always ate their meal, they were never as enthusiastic about it as Yang Qing was which was why his mother always loved asking him to come over as often as possible.

Yang Qing was always in awe of her cooking skills. She was a skilled alchemist and had contributed a lot to the clan through it, however, her real passions lay in cooking, so she decided to combine both and had slowly been improving her skills as a chef alchemist, though it was more apt to consider her a chef physician.

She knew how to combine her ingredients well and maximize their properties with the goal of improving the health and functionality of those who ate her meals.

With everything placed, Yang Qing unreservedly gauged himself. Later his mother asked him to stay over for a few days.

Yang Qing wanted to reject, but when he saw her worried eyes and pleading look he obliged. Even without telling her anything, either about the ordeal at the Ice Emerald Sect or his being unconscious for three days, and his physique experiencing a period of weakness, his mother could already tell something was wrong with him even though she was weaker than him, and Yang Qing going to great lengths trying to conceal everything outwardly.

"A mother's intuition is scary," he thought to himself.

After the meal, he, his father, his grandfather, and his brother went outside for a discussion. For a family of body refinement zealots, though this was mostly his grandfather, with his brother slowly growing to the title, the discussion they had mostly centered around that topic.

Yang Qing opened up to his father and brother about his passing out and the speculative cause for it, in addition, he also mentioned to the three the experience he had months prior when he was trying to investigate if there was a manifestation of his physique two months prior when he was last here.

"The peerless jade physiques are truly mysterious. I feel we have barely scratched the surface with it.." said Yang Qing's brother as he rubbed his chin in deep contemplation.

"Qing'er you're sure you're okay, the valley master confirmed there are no underlying permanent repercussions for what you did.

Everything has an equivalent balance. If you used the abilities that approached the realm of a soul formation expert as a palace realm cultivator, then an equivalent cost for doing it will be borne.." said his father with worry in his tone.

"They did say the price would have been much dire if I did not have a certain thing left to me by my senior. The senior is a powerful soul formation expert, even among others of her kind, she seems to have a special position.

The object she left served as the price.." said Yang Qing as he winced bitterly when he recalled all he had left of the green pearl Green Cocoon left him was a single wisp that would disappear in a month as per his estimates.

"But this is still shocking, I didn't expect the peerless jade physique to have spirituality.." added his father.

"I didn't either, though I am grateful I was protected because of it, I still feel at ease at the prospect my body was taken over without me noticing it.." said Yang Qing with a grim expression.

"When did you become such a worry wart. Shouldn't you be jumping in joy for having a fail-safe measure to guarantee your life.." his grandfather gingerly said as he stroked his beard.

"Besides, I feel the part about your body being taken over is misconstrued.." he added as his eyes shone with wisdom that had been honed over and over for countless years.

"How so, Grandpa?" curiously asked Yang Qing adopting the air of a studious student.

Despite having a higher cultivation base, Yang Qing was always reverent to the breadth of wisdom his grandfather and even his father had.

Having a high cultivation base didn't mean that one knew more than those lower than them in cultivation base, though it was usually assumed that those with a higher cultivation base knew more because they had long lifespans and had powerful abilities that became tools they could use to grow their wisdom and knowledge.

However, that wasn't always fact. Those with lower cultivation bases, if they had single-minded devotion to a particular subject, and were actually good at it, may know more than those with higher cultivation bases, which was how even someone with a core formation cultivation base who excelled at formations could end up becoming a blue grade formation master before even stepping into the palace realm.

Cultivation base was cultivation base, experience was experience, and wisdom was wisdom. In his mind he always felt the amount Dean Zhu Lao knew, was probably more than what soul formation experts would know despite the former being at the peak of the domain realm. This was why he always adopted a humble attitude whether it was to his grandfather, and father, or to those who had devoted their entire lives to the study of a single subject for countless years.

"I feel you judging your physique similar to that of inherited bloodline physique and are going on the notion that what you experienced was an antecedent atavism, but thinking that way is wrong, while what the valley master said had some truth, it is also erroneous..."

Yang Qing raised his brow in surprise when he heard that before a look of realization hit him.

"You did not inherit your physique, it was not passed down from someone or something to you, you acquired it, and as your father said, everything has an equivalent balance and cost, you paid the price to gain your Yin Yang jade bones.

Whatever its demands were, you paid it and finally reaped its rewards. No spirit beast, no spiritual plant, or rare treasure gave it to you, you gained it by yourself which is why I think peerless jade physiques can not be replicated. 

The test is unique to the person, and I feel the type of physique you get is also tied to who is fundamental.

Yang Qing, the physique you got is yours, it's not the Yang family's, it's not something some cultivation art gave you because if it was, we would have already produced one already. It is not something you got from some spirit beast or special bloodline.

Your yin-yang jade bones are yours and yours alone. They appeared because of you and no reason else. If we subjected someone else to what you went through and they formed a peerless jade physique, even without any evidence to back it up, I am confident he/she would not get the yin-yang jade bones.

So the fears you have, they're unwarranted. To me, it's the same as fearing your own shadow. 

The Yin Yang jade bones are you, everything it took to create them, came from you. It is no different from your hands, feet, eyes, or legs. 

Let me ask you this did we tell you the name of your physique, or did you instantly know its name the moment it appeared?" asked Yang Fen.

"I knew it.." Yang Qing answered. 

When he broke through to the peerless jade physique, the name Yin Yang jade bones appeared within him like he always knew it, and it had always been with him from his birth, something etched within his soul.

"And the abilities, did you have to train them to discover them?"

Yang Qing shook his head sideways. He instinctively knew how to use the Yin Yang jade bones' abilities with perfection, like it was second nature. It was as easy as breathing and easier than walking.

"How is that any different than learning to use your nose or ears when you are born? You don't train to use them, you just use them.

Your yin yang jade bones are you, the more accepting you are of it and stop seeing it as something external, the more I feel you will discover about it and of yourself since it's basically a reflection and amalgamation of you. 

The core part of you, the real you, one that hasn't been marred and colored by the things around you.  We all have things that are fundamentally us from the moment we are born, however, it gets buried in the happenings of life and we forget or deny it.

The reason peerless jade physiques are hard to get or replicate is because i feel it involves finding oneself and not many people can.

Who protected you that day, was you, not some will or something else, just you, the pride of our life, Yang Qing.."