Daily life of a cultivation judge
Chapter 1201 - 1201: Transformation in the hallway

"Where is he?" Yang Qing softly mumbled, his brow creasing. He stood at the center of the circular hallway of the Black Medallion Tower whilst wearing a pensive look as he looked around him.

A flock of cultivators in different robes, with varying cultivation levels and expressions, moved through the hallway, some entering, others leaving.

Amid the flurry, he couldn't spot the figure he was searching for.

"Figures," Yang Qing thought with a scoff. The one time I actually hope to stumble onto him, he's nowhere in sight.

He looked around a little longer before finally deciding to head to the Mimicry Chaos Portals.

He had been walking halfway toward the portal that led to the palace courts when he paused. A nostalgic look flashed across his face as he caught sight of the blue colored portal in the corner of his eye.

"It wouldn't hurt to start there..." Yang Qing mumbled.

He turned toward the milky blue ethereal curtain with floating runes freely flowing within it like debris in a river.

Letting out another nostalgic sigh, Yang Qing stepped through it, with Haishi and Bolin following closely behind.

The two spirit beasts looked visibly nervous as they passed through the curtain, especially Bolin. Technically, it was his first time using that portal.

During his first visit, he'd been sealed inside a bamboo jar, which left him in a hibernated state. He hadn't seen anything until he woke in Yang Qing's courtroom.

Afterward, Feng Xin had used a different portal to take him and Haishi directly to the Beast Tamer Hall.

Of the two, Haishi was the only one who had experienced using those portals before, but judging by how petrified she looked, one would easily assume it was her first time.

Seeing her so terrified only worsened Bolin's own fears. He couldn't help but wonder how bad the experience could be, imagining all sorts of painful scenarios. And, as someone born in a place like the Green Fog Region, he had plenty of grim source material to fuel those thoughts.

The instant his body touched the curtain, he flinched and squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the worst pain imaginable.

But it never came.

Instead, he felt as though his body were gently floating in a warm spring. The sensation passed almost too quickly, and before he knew it, he found himself in a long hallway filled with human cultivators from all walks of life.

Some of them immediately turned their attention to him.

Instinctively, Bolin flinched. His retaliatory reflex kicked in, and a colorless, traceless fog began to seep from his body, slowly drifting toward the humans.

But just before it reached them, Bolin caught himself. He remembered where he was.

He instantly stopped the fog's advance and pulled it back through his pores, swallowing it down. His gaze darted to Yang Qing, watching warily to see if he had noticed.

He let out a quiet breath of relief when he saw that Yang Qing's attention was elsewhere.

The judge seemed too absorbed in the hallway itself, with the reminiscent look he wore suggesting he was lost in old memories.

Luckily, he didn't notice, and I stopped in time, thought Bolin, heaving a sigh of relief.

Despite the months he'd spent here, he still wasn't used to humans—aside from maybe those within Yang Qing's circle, and perhaps a few from the Beast Tamer Hall. His recent, almost-successful kidnapping hadn't helped matters either.

I still need more control.

In addition to training the regenerative side of his innate abilities, those from the Beast Tamer Hall, and Luo Meili in particular, had been helping him with his instinctual urges, teaching him how to better rein them in.

In the Green Fog Region, the place being what it was, the environment demanded fast, preemptive strikes to survive. After living like that for nearly a thousand years, striking first had become an ingrained habit, especially when it came to human cultivators, even if they posed no real threat.

However, given his new surroundings, it was a given that he could no longer act on those instincts anymore.

It was a struggle. Sometimes he worried that restraining those impulses might dull his senses and leave him vulnerable. But over time, he began to accept it, especially once he came to understand the vast gap in power between himself and members of the Order.

Even if he did strike first, it wouldn't matter.

They were faster than him. And during his time here, he'd come to a humbling realization that some of them wouldn't even bother dodging his attacks, either because they were completely immune to his toxins, or they had ways of neutralizing them without him even realizing how.

Luo Meili and some of the staff members from the Beast Tamer Hall that he regularly sparred with fell under that category. His experience with the latter was actually the greatest humbling for him.

At least with Luo Meili, she had a higher cultivation realm than him, so Bolin was at peace with her effortlessly nullifying his strongest trump card. But when it came to the staff from the Beast Tamer Hall, his defeats at their hands left a bitter taste in his mouth, especially since everyone he sparred with was only at the fourth stage of the Core Formation realm.

Not once had he won a single bout against them. Each time, he was soundlessly defeated, to the point where he even began to question if he was truly a Rainbow Mist Toad, a spirit beast touted to possess one of the most powerful toxins around.

At least the one good thing to come out of that experience was that, between his shattered confidence and the presence of terrifyingly unbeatable opponents, it helped shape his mindset when it came to his instinctual urge training. Though judging by his most recent slip, he still had a long way to go.

But at least Judge Yang Qing didn't notice, Bolin thought in relief.

However, not a moment after that thought crossed his mind, his body instinctively froze as a gentle voice echoed in his head.

"Seems like your training is paying off."

Bolin stood rooted to the spot, his eyes widening instantly as his gaze locked onto the green-haired youth walking ahead of him. The youth strolled leisurely down the hallway, wearing a carefree smile and a nostalgic look as he muttered to himself about how the corridor brought back memories and how far he'd come.

Bolin remained frozen in place, feeling as though his soul had left his body. He only snapped back to reality when he heard Haishi's worried voice call out to him.

"Bolin, are you okay?" the mirage dragonfly asked, her tone filled with concern.

It took him a moment to compose himself, though in this case, "composing himself" merely meant finding the strength to move his vocal cords. As for the rest of his body, he wasn't sure he had any control left at all.

"I'm okay, Haishi," he replied.

Haishi didn't seem convinced.

Her expression soon shifted as she started looking hesitant about something. Her hesitation became the thread Bolin needed to pull himself back together, even just a little, as he found himself wondering what was troubling her.

If he hadn't seen her in the Green Fog Region with his own eyes, he would never have believed that a spirit beast like her was a resident of the place, given how she acted. She didn't have that edge to her. The extreme vigilance or hidden ruthlessness that made it possible to take a life in an instant. She seemed too nonchalant, and she definitely lacked that brutality that came from being baptized by constant kill-or-be-killed battles.

He often found himself wondering how she managed to survive such a place with a disposition like hers, or even improve her strength to where it was today. Bolin didn't believe it was from devouring other spirit beasts or humans like he did.

"Maybe some herb," he mused, before bringing his attention back when he saw her inch closer to him. Given the disparity in size, with Bolin being just about the size of one of her compound eyes, that sight drew curious looks, which made Bolin feel nervous.

"What?" he asked, glancing around awkwardly in response to all the gazes trained on him.

"I'll give you one..." Haishi said hesitantly, suddenly holding out one of her fruits. It was a summer blossom peach.

It took a moment for Bolin to realize what was going on, and he chuckled when he looked at his empty hands. It seemed Haishi had interpreted his earlier behavior being a result of him finishing the fruits Yang Qing had shared with him.

Shaking his head with a slight cackle, Bolin said, "I'm okay, Haishi. You can keep that. I'm full."

Even a blind man could tell she was reluctant to part with the fruit.

"You're sure?" Haishi asked immediately, sounding a bit too excited—then, realizing it, repeated the question with a more composed tone, feigning concern. "You're sure?"

"I am," Bolin softly answered. "I was just surprised by all the humans here," he admitted, as some strength finally returned to his body, thanks to Haishi's actions.

"Some make me nervous too," Haishi admitted, before she quickly started munching on the peach she'd just offered Bolin.

"Let's go. We don't want Judge Yang Qing to leave us behind," said Bolin as he hopped in Yang Qing's direction, the latter already a few steps ahead, heading deeper into the hallway. Haishi nodded and flew beside him.

Even with countless gazes trained on him, thanks, no doubt, to Haishi's enormous presence, though Bolin still felt anxious and uncomfortable, he found it moderately easier to endure. The presence of the massive dragonfly blissfully eating fruit without a care in the world probably had something to do with it.

They soon caught up with Yang Qing, who was basking in joy at the sight of the inquisitors in the hallway, overrun with fatigue, though looking perfectly composed on the surface. Seeing them so thoroughly beaten made the world feel a little brighter to him.

He joyfully took in the 'sights', making sure to savor every look of exhaustion he came across as he walked down the hallway and made a bend to the right that led to his former courtroom.

But no sooner had he turned the corner than he froze.

His joyous smile melted away at the sight of the taciturn, middle-aged man walking toward him. Clad in black robes, of average height and slightly slim build, with silver hair tied in a topknot and matching eyes, the man approached with his hands clasped behind his back.

The entire hallway seemed to disappear around his frame, while all voices and presence were drowned out by the sound of his footsteps.

"What are you doing here?" the figure asked. "Looking to help with the cases?"

He stopped a few paces from Yang Qing, his calm silver eyes settling on him. Yang Qing, for some reason, had lost his voice. Thankfully, after a brief bout of nausea, anxiety, and what felt like a mild panic attack—all symptoms he'd long grown accustomed to when facing this man—he managed to collect himself.

Respectfully cupping his fist, Yang Qing donned a solemn look and said,

"I would love nothing more than to share the burdens of my juniors, but I wouldn't want to intrude or rob them of the chance to learn and gain experience."

He had learned his lesson from last time, carefully choosing his words, lest he open a door for the old fiend before him to exploit.

"So what are you doing here?" Lei Weiyuan asked calmly.

"I was looking for you, actually," Yang Qing admitted, his response drawing a faint glint of surprise from Lei Weiyuan—one that Yang Qing secretly relished, shamelessly counting it as a small victory.

"Oh? And why is that?" Lei Weiyuan asked, not bothering to hide his intrigue.

"Do you, by any chance, know anyone in the Silver Crane Sect?"

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