Daily life of a cultivation judge

Yang Qing didn't have long to get lost in his thoughts before Ye Xun appeared in his office ten minutes later or less with two people in tow.

Yang Qing saw the same look in them that he had when he and Mao Yunru had when they were being carried by Lei Weiyuan to the dark valley.

The look was a mixture of shock and humility. You hear stories of how mighty domain experts are but it's one thing to experience it personally, especially, as a 'mighty' palace realm expert yourself.

Yang Qing felt if Lei Weiyuan had carried him when he was at the core formation realm he wouldn't have been as heavily impacted as he was when he did when he was at the palace realm.

When you breakthrough to the palace realm it's like stepping into another life and you're reborn. The changes one experiences from the core formation realm to the palace realm are greater than if one leaped from the qi refinement realm directly to the peak of the core formation realm.

In the palace realm, you can intrinsically feel it, you officially entirely become a new being one that is capable of calling the force of the rain, the stars, split oceans, and shatter mountains, being invulnerable and impenetrable to a lot of things. The sense of connection to a greater world that you were not worthy of seeing before.

Seeing, feeling, and experiencing the grandness of Dao for the first time, there was nothing like it. One could easily lose themselves to that rush of power and seismic transformation. You think to yourself with my abilities, maybe just maybe I could even stand toe to toe with a domain expert unaware if the palace realm was a flaming spark, then the domain realm was an unquenchable inferno covering millions of hectares in comparison.

Being in Lei Weiyuan's domain space, Yang Qing realized how paltry his palace realm cultivation was in comparison. He was only but a sapling that just peaked its head out of the earth, while Lei Weiyuan was a mature tree already reaching for the stars.

You realize your smallness and the two people before him had the same look to them.

Yang Qing nodded and smiled in gratitude to Ye Xun who disappeared swiftly after.

"Thank you for coming, King Zhou Luan, Zhang family head Zhang Qishan..Please.." Yang Qing said as he welcomed them to the seats by the table with him coming over to take the seat at the opposite side.

It took a brief second before the two came out of their stupor and thanked Yang Qing for his hospitality.

Their gaze seemed to inadvertently move to the location Ye Xun had just stood at. Clearly the shocking experience that her domain space did to them had not abated.

Yang Qing poured them the leftover ginkgo tea to help calm their nerves. It did not have the greatest of tastes but it was good nonetheless, especially its calming properties.

The duo accepted as they quickly regained their composure. Their display was worthy of the two topmost figures within the kingdom.

Yang Qing closed his fingers together as he leaned forward slightly.

"The reason I called you here so urgently has to do with the fire adler bear and a few things I managed to dig up over the past few days.." said Yang Qing.

His words instantly drew a somber attention from the two.

"You should know that the fire adler bear had a close relationship with the two obsidian serpents, more so with their daughter, the one who died in the attack. He took care of her when she was young..."

Both the king and the Zhang family head, instantly froze when they heard that realizing the implications.

If the fire adler bear was led to believe that they had a hand in the death of the obsidian serpent as the parents did, then they did not doubt in their hearts it would attack them to the death.

Spirit beasts were fiercely loyal to their relationships and would honor them to their death. A potentially enraged domain-level spirit beast wasn't something they could handle, even in their heyday, and after their experience in the domain space of Ye Xun, they now knew how terrifying the domain realm was.

If the fire adler bear targeted them, they were as good as dead. The King wasn't even sure if the Twilight Sanctuary Array would be able to defend them for an hour, after what he experienced.

The Zhang family head seemed to have come to the same conclusion, as he too had a grim expression on his face in reaction to the news.

"Then.." 

The king opened his mouth to say something but Yang Qing lifted his hand to motion to him to let him finish first, which the king heeded as he closed his mouth.

"The fire adler bear is also close to the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree and their relationship is even closer than the one he has with the obsidian serpents. They could even be considered siblings considering they knew each other since he was a cub.

She is the one who told me of the fire adler bear's relationship with the two obsidian serpents. 

The reason I mention this is because of several reasons.."

Yang Qing's demeanor turned serious as he rested his chin on his clasped fingers.

"First is a warning for you not to try anything untoward on the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree.

She is not only connected to the fire adler bear but to his master too, and another spirit beast she called the badger, and I consider her a friend.."

"The fire adler bear has a master?!" asked the king with widened eyes.

"Pardon me, Branch Chief Yang Qing, the badger you mentioned, do you have any more description about it?" asked the Zhang family head as his brows contoured.

"Yes, the fire adler bear has a master and that master considers the sycamore tree a daughter based on how she described their interactions. There are shreds of evidence I saw here and that seems to support it.

The badger also shares the same master as the fire adler bear, and that badger from what the sycamore tree told me has been having yearly duels with someone from the Zhang family but it has been quite some time since it has done so.."

"So he is still alive.." said the Zhang family head with a sigh.

"Qishan, you know the badger?" asked the king when he saw the Zhang family head's reaction.

"Yes, the badger used to spar with my grandfather until he disappeared a few hundred years ago.

They used to battle every year at the Forsaken Drought Valley before its disappearance.." answered the Zhang family head as his gaze turned distant.

"2,990 draws, and one narrow win.." he added with his mind seemingly elsewhere.

"In all their duels, my grandfather won only once and it was a pyrrhic victory at that. He passed out immediately after their battle.

From what Grandfather said, the badger recovered from the wounds earlier than him and kept watch over him when he was unconscious. 

If the badger had wanted to kill him, it could have, but it didn't and just left after he regained consciousness.

That was the last time he saw it. He went to the Forsaken Drought Valley yearly after that but the badger never showed.

They fought like bitter enemies leaving each other at death's door each time, but every year, Grandfather would be busting with joy whenever the day of the duel was close and I'm sure it was the same for the Badger.

Grandfather took me to a few of their fights, and they both had the same look during the fight. Even when their bodies were covered in all kinds of gory wounds, labored breaths, and barely maintaining their consciousness, they had this pure blissful joyful look that never left them from the moment the fight started to when they both passed out.

Even now, despite not seeing the badger, Grandfather still has that same look every year whenever the day of their duel arrives.

An eagerness of when they would clash again.

Wherever the badger is, I bet he has the same look as Grandfather.."