Daily life of a cultivation judge
Chapter 1181 - 1181: False world; Complete World (1)

Yang Qing's spar with the starlight crab went as expected, which was a proper one-and-a-half-hour thrashing of the poor creature. But despite the one-sided beating, it proved to be a worthwhile endeavor for both parties.

As the trainer, Yang Qing refined his control over his spells and techniques, taking great care to deliver just the right amount of force to ensure the starlight crab could hold out longer. At the same time, he deepened his understanding of his abilities, especially with the Brilliant Ray Fist Art.

Though he was the art's creator—and therefore had a perfected-level mastery of it—Yang Qing still needed to reattune his body and mind to it, given its recent elevation from a low-tier to a mid-tier blue-grade technique.

The spar helped him do just that.

As for the starlight crab, though it was now lying pitifully on the ground, aching all over, too weak to even breathe, with its consciousness slowly slipping away, it was as happy as could be. The spar had helped it digest more of the insights contained within the wisdom pearl Yang Qing had gifted it, and convert those insights into its own strength.

The new addition of deep blue star motes on its carapace was proof of it. It could even feel that the barrier leading to the sixth stage of the core formation realm had loosened greatly. After this spar session, it intended to seclude itself, digest all the gains it had accumulated thus far, and use them to fuel that push. By its estimates, it should not take more than four months.

It's a pity though... thought the starlight crab, as a glimmer of regret flashed across its ten eyes while it strained its blurry vision to look up at Yang Qing.

That was four months without a spar.

"What's with the look?" Yang Qing asked, amused by its expression.

He bent toward it and carried its battered body over to the green flame tree, setting it down at the base of the trunk. Just like he did with Zheng Hu after their spar, he wanted the starlight crab to recover on its own, with the green flame tree acting as a non-invasive guide throughout the process.

Just because the fight was over didn't mean the teachings of the spar had ended. The injuries the starlight crab had incurred during the fight would continue to guide it as it slowly healed. If Yang Qing healed it immediately, he would be robbing it of the valuable lessons that only its battered body could provide.

"See with your eyes, hear with your ears, smell with your nose, taste with your tongue, and feel with your body the subtleties of life, the red dust of mortality, and the beauty of transcendence," was a phrase he adhered to greatly.

Seeing its reluctant eyes that were slowly drifting into unconsciousness, Yang Qing chuckled as he softly patted the starlight crab's head.

"Don't worry, we'll make up for the time lost during your breakthrough, Starlight," Yang Qing said as he tried to cheer the crab up.

His words sparked a sudden surge of excitement in the starlight crab, which tried to raise its claws in response, only for them to fail miserably as they hung limply by its side.

With nothing else left to use to convey its feelings and or message, it resorted to using the one part of its body that still worked, albeit barely, its eyes. They flashed with gratitude and excitement, then conveyed one final message before it passed out: You better keep your promise.

"Am I that shady looking?" Yang Qing muttered, rubbing his nose sheepishly at the look the starlight crab had given him.

"I don't know if I should be happy or sad about this," he added with a wry smile and a slight shake of his head, before turning to make his way to the nest above, casting one final glance at the unconscious starlight crab as he did.

He was happy that it was growing. At least now it was learning to entertain suspicion, instead of having a one-track mind that judiciously took everyone at their word due to its simplistic nature. If it was going to stop Ellie, it needed more than a powerful cultivation base. It needed a discerning and deeply suspicious personality just to catch a whiff of Ellie's cunning.

But as pleased as he was with its development, personality-wise, he was also a little sad that the first person it used that growth on was him. He couldn't help but wonder if someone had started secretly filling its head with ideas about him. That slight glance of scrutiny it gave him before passing out had definitely been surprising, to say the least.

Shaking his head again, Yang Qing disappeared into the nest, silently praying he wouldn't have to deal with the celestial nesting weaver's foul personality.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it secluded in its corner. Its "corner" was a fig tree surrounded by mist that carried the feel, grandeur, and appearance of the cosmos. The mist was violet, and within it, shooting stars could be seen constantly streaking past. At its center swirled a galaxy with a deep blue-black richness, so profound it felt like it stretched on forever.

The vividness of the cosmos and galaxy within that mist was no different from that of the skies, though one could argue that the cosmos within the mist was even more awe-inspiring. When one looked at the stars in the sky and its vast expanse, all they felt was admiration for its quiet beauty, its breadth, and perhaps maybe the secrets held within. But when they looked at the skies within that violet mist, the first thing they'd feel is veneration and pressure at looking at something that had a heavenly quality to it and was filled with unfathomable power.

Its foul personality and rotund body, which severely lacked grace, sometimes made Yang Qing forget that the celestial nesting weaver was even a mythical creature. But every time he came to its nest and saw things like that mist, he was painfully reminded of what it truly was.

"Show off," Yang Qing snidely remarked with clear envy in his tone as he made his way to his corner to meditate. His spot was a small hill filled with all manner of lush shrubs and plants, beside a spring that exuded a tranquil, mesmerizing presence.

The world inside the celestial nesting weaver's nest was deceptively large from within, it was far more expansive than what it appeared to be from the outside, nestled atop the crown of the green flame tree.