Daily life of a cultivation judge

"I understand, Judge Yang Qing and I respect the court's decision on the matter.." said Chen Gutian.

"Zian'er what's with that face?" asked Chen Gutian with a genial smile as he addressed the Chen Clan Leader who had contorted brows.

Chen Zian paused as if he were hesitant with his words, but eventually, he decided to voice out his thoughts.

"Uncle, with what we've been told wouldn't it be better if.... I... did it?" Chen Zian asked, leaving a lot unsaid, but the breaks in his words and how he spoke, said a lot and it was what the other elders were thinking too.

If only one challenge was allowed, Chen Gutian may not be the safest bet to issue it.

No matter how much of a hateful snake Chen Zholan was, no one in the clan would ever discount his talent. It was one of the reasons most within the clan were amiable to him even those from the faction that opposed Chen Zian. His talent was greatly admired by most within the clan, and Chen Gutian, well, with how boisterous he usually was, he got into no small number of fights because of it.

They had all seen him fight, and even though those fights were not fights to the death, it was enough to form a baseline. None of them felt Chen Gutian had the facilities to defeat Chen Zholan. His odds of losing were higher.

They may not like Chen Gutian that much, with some even hating his guts, but they respected Chen Xue, and what happened to him had to be avenged and the best person would be Chen Zian, who even though they disliked just as much as they did Chen Gutian, even more so, they could not deny he was powerful or why else would their leader, Chen Bo, choose to seclude himself for almost 300 years, in desperation to improve his strength?

To them, Chen Zian taking up the mantle of vengeance was a no-brainer, especially if they only had one shot at it.

But Chen Gutian thought otherwise.

"Permit my selfishness one last time, Zian'er.." Chen Gutian said with a sad smile.

"It's the only thing I can do for him as his father. Let me do this, I need to do this.." Chen Gutian softly said, the resolve in his voice echoing out loud.

Chen Zian stared at him for a moment before he answered,

"Fine.." a sigh escaping his lips as he did so.

"Thank you, and don't worry, I may not have been much, but I was Chen Xue's father. I won't lose.." added Chen Gutian with a carefree smile on his face.

"I will toast to your victory.." Chen Zian said, smiling for the first time.

"Not the cheap stuff, use the 10,000-year-old petal peony spirit wine in my abode. I had been saving it up to share with Xue'er when he reached the sixth leaf.... but this would be a good moment as any.

Pour some at his tablet will you?"

"I will.."

Only after the exchange was done did Yang Qing continue.

"The other minor elements of the fight is we will provide everything needed for the combat; this is the weapons and even the robes you will wear for that duel. All external objects you may have will all be confiscated and the venue will be a plain platform.

Does that answer any questions you might have?" asked Yang Qing, his eyes on Chen Zholan as he did.

"No, no, I don't,"

"I am okay too, Judge Yang Qing.."

"Okay then. To the rest of you, since this involves a member of your clan, all of you including Chen Zian will be permitted to view the duel. Your sentence will resume immediately after the duel concludes.."

"Thank you for your consideration, judge.." harmoniously said the elders who seemed glad. Whether it was because they would get to see Chen Zholan get what he deserved or because they had a pause in the execution of their sentence, who knows?

"Okay, I, Yang Qing, Outer Palace Judge of the Order, as the officiator of the blood debt duel between Chen Gutian and Chen Zholan hereby approve of its immediate commencement.." Yang Qing said as he brought his gavel down instantly producing a burst of light that covered everyone in the courtroom.

A second later they were in a different location. They were atop a platform that seemed to have been built on the peak of a mountain. The whole mountain was filled with fog, which strangely enough didn't impede vision, but instead seemed to make the skies above them clearer like they were looking at the skies on a clear night filled with the light of stars and moon.

"What is this place?" muttered some of the elders as they gazed around them in stupefaction while Chen Zian looked visibly surprised as his eyes were trained on the fog that surrounded the platform. He could feel some powerful, archaic, and ethereal force lurking within it, something boundless, and transcendent.

He could feel something within him whispering to him that what he sought was in that fog, he only needed to grasp, but try as it may, whatever power or mysteries was in that fog was as ephemeral as its form. It seemed so close yet so far, understandable in one second and indecipherable the next, and the more he tried, the more he felt it getting further and further away like an obscuring veil was wrapping itself ever so tightly around him with every failed attempt.

In the end, he couldn't help but sigh in reluctance as he increasingly felt that whatever was in that fog, as long as he grasped a tiny portion of it, would have provided him a path to the palace realm. The deep yearning he felt when he saw that fog was something that was evoked from within his true essence, which meant that whatever that fog was, it had something that could greatly impact his cultivation.

After today's events, he was ever so desperate to reach the palace realm and desperately protect his clan's right to existence and survival.

..

Once everyone had settled down, Yang Qing appeared at the center of the platform.

"You can all take your seats..." he said as he waved his sleeves which caused the fog around them to churn as it extended backward while a few portions separated matching the exact number of all those present, except Chen Zholan and Chen Gutian.

Those portions quickly moved beside all those present who looked quizzically at it before Yang Qing told them they could sit on it.

Once they sat, most couldn't help but gasp in surprise which Yang Qing expected considering he had the same reaction when he first felt how soft and comfortable that fog was as a futon. Even now, all he wanted was to jump and relax on it. It was the most relaxing and softest thing he had ever sat on. It evoked a sense of comfort he could never put into words, but considering the nature of that fog, it was only to be expected.

In a hurry to get the show on the road, Yang Qing waved his hands once more, causing a churn in the fog which trembled as another portion separated from it, only now it divided into two portions, with one portion headed to Chen Zholan and the other to Chen Gutian.

Just as both were wondering what to do with the mysterious fog, they saw something incredulous happen. The fog on each of their sides transformed into a long row of shelves filled with all kinds of weapons that all released the same fluctuations identifying them as top-tier sky-grade weapons.

Neither Chen Gutian nor Chen Zholan could believe what they were seeing. Chen Gutian's recent breakthrough in serenity was destroyed as his eyes widened in shock as he looked at the never-ending rows of all manner of weapons from swords, to sabers, to staffs, to spears, to gauntlets, to glaives. Whatever weapon he could think of was there, and the quality all matched.

To him, such a sight was something he would never imagine. He had doubts if even the Gong Clan, one of the founding families of the Red Maple Empire that had built its foundation in blacksmithing would have such a lineup of weapons, and ones that were at the absolute peak of the sky grade, all at the same standard.

Just by sight alone, he felt there was about hundreds of thousands of sky grade weapons, and that was just his side, on Chen Zholan's side it was bound to be the same number.

"You have three minutes to choose your weapon from the row.."