Daily life of a cultivation judge

"S..sorry.." Hua Ying meekly said with trembling in her pupils after feeling the pressure that had descended on her.

She felt like her entire body had been submerged into an ocean with her bearing its entire weight on her back.

The experience lasted just a millisecond but her heart was beating wildly with her hairs standing on end.

Whatever anger and agitation she had was erased in an instant. 

The rest on noticing the sudden change, especially her paling perspiring skin couldn't help but look at Yang Qing warily. 

They were reminded they were standing before a palace realm expert, and before a palace realm expert from one of the most powerful organizations in the continent at that.

"It's okay.." Yang Qing said with a soft sigh.

"I understand the agitation and the anger, but as I said earlier, each of you is to give an honest account of yourselves concerning the case, and Chief Elder Wu Shen has done that and so has Elder Xin Zephyr.

In as much as you had an almost similar experience, your thoughts and judgment on it, vary. For me to give a suitable verdict, I need as much information as I can, and your thoughts play a part in it.

Please keep that in mind.." Yang Qing added.

"I will and once again, I am sorry for my poor display.." Hua Ying said as she slightly lowered her head in apology.

Once she saw Yang Qing nod in acknowledgment of her apology, she turned toward Wu Shen.

"I am sorry Daoist Wu Shen for my outburst and taking the anger of my incompetence on you.." she said as she cupped her fists in apology.

"There's nothing to forgive, Daoist Ying. I understand your frustration well. Even if I am unable to blame Long Zemin for what he did, doesn't mean I don't have misgivings about what he did.

It's just what I'm thankful for is higher than what I blame him for. It is not me excusing what we did, and I'm sorry if my statement made it sound that way.." said Chief Elder Wu Shen.

After, the two cultivators slightly nodded their heads to each other as a show of acceptance of each other's apology.

Yang Qing's gaze lingered on Wu Shen slightly before it moved to Hua Ying, who would be the next to give her testimony.

Wu Shen didn't understand the true reason why he was grateful to Long Zemin, just an intuition that Long Zemin's interference helped him preserve something vital. But as for what that something vital was, he didn't have a clue.

And from the way Hua Ying reacted, she didn't either. The remaining two cultivators in Xin Zephyr and Ling Qi, were just as livid as Hua Ying when Wu Shen made his statement about being grateful, it's just that they both had the presence of mind to be aware of their setting and thus controlled themselves.

But they too, didn't understand Wu Shen's gratitude, but to Yang Qing, he could understand it perfectly, and should the time come that Wu Shen understands why, Yang Qing knew the level of gratitude he was feeling now would explode exponentially.

The reason for that was, whatever else Long Zemin may have done, his timely intervention helped protect Wu Shen's dao heart, which safeguarded his chance of ever reaching the palace realm and other stages after that.

That important thing that Wu Shen couldn't put a finger on, was his dao heart which had already budded within him, he just had no idea yet. And the torment the poison was causing him, started affecting his heart.

Yang Qing had a feeling his dao heart was tied to the ethos of their core cultivation art, which encourages them to value their lives like an operating fundamental rule, and when Wu Shen started entertaining thoughts that maybe death would be the best option instead of trying to stay alive or trusting in the qualities of his cultivation art, his heart formed cracks.

Whatever foundational beliefs he had built up from the moment he started cultivating the art and all the experiences he had up to that point, were slowly being torn apart, and had he truly given to despair, and his dao heart shattered, then it wouldn't have mattered if he got completely healed of the poison from the tricolored white eyed tortoise, he would never amount to much. His path ahead would be permanently shattered and not only that, even the budding fist intent within him would disappear completely.

Intents were born of one's dao heart and persistence. It was an art's soul living through one's understanding and body.

What Long Zemin did was no different than saving Wu Shen's future and if he ever manages to reach the palace realm, that favor becomes Long Zemin giving Wu Shen, a new lease on life.

"Seems like the core art of the Flowing Fist Sect might be a growing art.. and if it is, provided they get good talents, it wouldn't be long before this range houses another palace realm powerhouse.." muttered Yang Qing as his eyes shone with an unfathomable glitter as his gaze fell on Wu Shen.

Growing cultivation arts were similar to weapon spirits that needed to feed off their wielders to develop. 

A growing art was like a big map that was mostly blank except for a few landmarks here and there. It would give you a rough idea of where a place was, but it would need the reader to find the route that led from one landmark to another and fill in the blank spaces in between those places. With every successful step forward more details would appear on the map, which would make plotting the next steps easier.

Growing arts were not limitless, they had a ceiling, but as far as Yang Qing knew, at the very least that ceiling was at the blue grade as every growing art had the essence of the dao in its framework for it to be one.

If the Flowing Fist Sect had one, then their potential was a notch above the rest. What Yang Qing didn't know was if they knew they had a growing art. He had his doubts.

"Maybe I should tell them and muddy the waters a bit. I could have them check in on the purifying light sparrow, the restoration oak tree, and the aurora azalea from time to time, lest someone absconds with them.."