Daily life of a cultivation judge

Step by step, Yang Qing walked through the grass, following a familiar path to the mountain. He brushed his hands against the leaves as he passed them and even took the time to squat, feeling the refreshing coolness of the river below.

With every step he took, he felt his sense of being was being purified and elevated. His sense of self grew clear, his mind grew sharper and his perception grew wider. He felt a sense of harmonic balance and elevation growing within him with every step he took.

But that wasn't all he felt. Insights within him began to stir, anxious and agitated, threatening to burst forth. The Sage Mountain didn't simply manifest insights out of nothing; rather, it nurtured the potential already within a person, making the mountain both beneficial and dangerous to those cultivators who had high comprehensive abilities when it came to cultivation arts.

The more gifted one was in comprehension, the more insights Sage Mountain would draw out, creating an even greater demand on the cultivator's ability to balance their mind and spirit to not get overwhelmed.

It was during moments like these that Yang Qing felt a sliver of gratitude toward his grandfather and the others for the torturous training they gave him which led him to attain the Yin Yang peerless jade physique.

"Nature's Guiding Lullaby," his meditation art born from the runes of his physique, showed its strength in an environment like this. As he circulated the art, Yang Qing felt surrounded by a ward that isolated his mind and heart, sheltering them from the pressures around and within, while continually refreshing his spirit.

He felt as though he were relaxing in a cool pond on a hot summer day—the chill kept him calm and refreshed, shielding him from the sun's heat.

It only being his third time here, Yang Qing chose to return to a familiar spot rather than venture to a new location. He made his way to a grove situated about thirty meters up the mountain, on its east, to a little grove where the trees, river, and mountain merged harmoniously. It had the perfect blend of shade and sunlight, and the soothing sound of the river added to its appeal.

Soon, Yang Qing reached the grove, pleased to see it remained as he had left it. Perhaps the number of fallen leaves had increased since he was last here, but that only added to the natural beauty of the place, suiting him perfectly.

Just as he was about to sit in the same spot as before, he paused. His gaze drifted to a section of the mountain connected to the grove, where a scarlet-gold, egg-shaped protrusion was embedded in the rock of the face of the mountain.

Yang Qing walked over and began parting the vines, moss, reeds, and dirt that partially obscured it. With the covering removed, the object came into full view—a scroll, one end protruding from the mountain while the other end seemed deeply entrenched within.

The scroll's exposed end looked weathered, marked with rust and earth stains, and speckled with plants that had rooted in its surface, adding a rustic charm.

"Let's see if I can pull it out now," Yang Qing muttered as he took hold of the end and tugged at it. He started with moderate strength, cautious not to damage it, but soon found his concern was unnecessary. The scroll didn't budge, not even dislodging a speck of dirt.

Yang Qing increased the output of his strength to about 50%, but it still didn't budge, not even in the slightest, then he increased it to 80%, which produced the same results as the first two tries. Unwilling to give up, he circulated his cultivation base to the full and pulled for almost a full minute before finally giving up in frustration when he noticed no shift in its position.

"Why are they here?" Yang Qing muttered, curiosity and determination flickering in his eyes as he leaned forward to examine the scroll.

It was one of the mysteries of this place. As far as he could tell the mountain was littered with them. Walking over here he had come across about seven of them, all spread about, and he was certain if he explored other parts of the mountain, he was bound to find more scrolls. And each and every one of them, just like this one, were deeply entrenched in the mountain, with only the end sticking out.

The first time he'd encountered them, he had tried to pull each one free just as he did now only to fail exquisitely. He had spent an entire day on the venture, with nothing to show for it other than a frustrated mind and a stream of curses.

The stubbornness that kept him going at the time, the stubbornness that prevailed even now was, in his mind, this place was too wonderous of a place for those scrolls to not be hiding something precious. If one could glean profound insights from just staring at a blade of grass, how much would one harvest from those scrolls? What profound mysteries and secrets did they likely hide?

The gnawing curiosity about what these scrolls held remained a persistent itch that hadn't faded since his first visit. This was his third time here, and despite having tried every method he could think of, he hadn't come any closer to success.

After his last failure, he'd concluded that the reason lay with his cultivation base—or perhaps his lack of interaction with various Daos and his assimilation of them.

He suspected that the force of Dao itself might be required to pull these scrolls free, considering the mountain's nature and its dense aura of innumerable Daos.

This theory was one of the reasons he had eagerly anticipated this visit. Now that he was a palace-realm cultivator, he thought he might finally have the strength and insight to unlock the scrolls' secrets. But his theory, ultimately fell short, just like it had the previous two times.

In today's attempt, he hadn't just relied on physical strength as a palace realm cultivator to pull it but he had instead infused his pull with the concentrated power of his Dao, combining all of his accumulations so far. Yet even that hadn't worked.

Having matured a bit since his first visit, Yang Qing found it easier to accept this failure. Though he'd felt anticipation, the disappointment didn't weigh on him as heavily this time.

Whatever mysteries the scrolls held, he believed they would reveal themselves when the time and conditions were right. As much as he longed to solve them, he wouldn't waste his efforts on frustration, especially when he had limited time and more important priorities.

He had only two days here, and he intended to make the most of it. With one last lingering look at the scroll, he tore his attention away and moved to his usual spot. He pulled out an amber-hued jade that glowed softly in the sunlight.

This jade was the ethereal heart serenity jade, an artifact he had acquired at great cost—one that required a significant number of merit points, along with promises and favors, some of which he was still repaying.

Regardless of the expense, it was well worth it. The ethereal heart serenity jade emanated a tranquil aura that resonated with the mind, stabilizing emotions and silencing inner chaos. This energy helped him reach the ideal mental state for deep contemplation. Additionally, it enhanced self-reflection, promoting clarity and insight, allowing him to understand the essence of his Dao by better understanding himself.

The jade would be invaluable here, helping Yang Qing sort through the flood of insights and choose those that suited him best. Any gains he made today would be, in no small part, due to this jade—justifying every ounce of effort it had taken to obtain it.

Without delay, Yang Qing settled himself onto the jade, taking a few moments to clear and center his mind. Once he found his rhythm, he began reviewing his cultivation, searching for areas in need of immediate focus. With the ethereal heart serenity jade's assistance, he quickly identified a starting point.

He decided to begin with his creation, the Brilliant Ray Fist art, building on the inspirations from his fight with Zheng Hu and refining it with the insights Sage Mountain fostered. Perhaps, by the time he left, the art would advance slightly from its current low-tier blue grade to the middle tier of the same grade.

Yang Qing still held lofty ambitions of elevating it to the purple-grade tier someday. It was a nearly impossible feat, considering the limited number of purple-grade arts in existence, but life was made for dreaming and striving for the impossible, wasn't it?

Wasn't that, after all, the essence of cultivation itself? To defy limitations and reach for the heavens?

The Sage Mountain inspired him to pursue the extraordinary. This place was far too magnificent to settle for anything less.

With his direction set, Yang Qing swiftly entered a state of profound contemplation, allowing the flood of insights within him to flow freely.