Daily life of a cultivation judge

"No, not at all, Judge Yang Qing," said Peng Zhen as he gently shook his head.

After the enormous favor Yang Qing had shown them—whether it was healing the injuries of the Tupelo tree that was at a critical stage in its cultivation, showing mercy to Peng Zhen and Cheng Yuan despite the scheme they pulled by borrowing the Order's hand to take care of the thorny Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands Syndicate member, or even giving Peng Zhen a blue-grade cultivation art to use in his sentence—any one of those things meant Peng Zhen owed a huge debt to Yang Qing.

Because of it, if Yang Qing had asked him for a favor that had a high chance of mortality, Peng Zhen would have gladly done it despite the risk, let alone agree to something as trivial as answering an impromptu call from him.

He had, after all, expected nothing less than life-altering consequences for the scheme they pulled, yet what he got in turn was mercy.

Not one to delay, Yang Qing explained why he had Peng Zhen brought over.

It was rather simple, really. With Ma Yuan's date of departure fast approaching, Yang Qing hoped to do as much as he could to equip Ma Yuan with all that he needed to survive out there with his daughter.

Well, as much as he could possibly do for a crippled Core Formation cultivator and an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

With their strengths, no matter what measures Yang Qing employed, it was still a tall order to guarantee their safety. Their strength wasn't much in comparison to what the world would throw at them, but Yang Qing still wanted to try nonetheless, if only to alleviate the gnawing sense of guilt twisting in his chest, for not saving Ma Yuan's wife and Ma Ling's mother.

One of the things he hoped to do, which was pretty high up on the priority list, was improving Ma Yuan's combat abilities.

In the world they lived in, nothing screamed more loudly than power. 99% of the dangers Ma Yuan and his daughter would face would be likely combat-based, and Yang Qing knew better than anyone, that only strength could silence those threats.

Yang Qing had been sparring with Ma Yuan to help increase his familiarity with the Mortals' Path to Transcendence cultivation art.

Despite hours spent together, each session felt like trying to sculpt water. Ma Yuan learned, yes, and at a good pace at that, but because of the ever-shrinking timeline, it didn't seem fast enough.

While he did his best to help him absorb as much as he could, be it from spars or from Yang Qing executing the moves so Ma Yuan could notice the areas he was lacking, Yang Qing still felt dissatisfied with the results despite them being good.

The only way he would have some semblance of peace of mind with Ma Yuan being able to survive out there on his own, along with his daughter, was if his combat abilities at least reached the barest minimum standard of the Order. He was not there yet despite the pointers he received from Yang Qing or his friends when they came by.

If anything remained constant in their world, it was time and how easy it was to die. Time was always running out and death was always prowling about looking for its next guest.

All things remaining constant, with the training regimen being as it was, it would take Yang Qing at least two and a half months to help Ma Yuan reach that standard he wanted.

But they didn't have that long. Ma Ling was due to complete her treatment in a few weeks, and while they could delay their date of departure, Yang Qing didn't exactly have the most predictable of jobs, even if it was one of the more structured ones in the Order.

Three weeks and four days. That's all the time they had.

So what could he do? He knew no matter how many spars he had with Ma Yuan, his learning period would not shrink, and the reason for that was the huge gap in their abilities and realm.

That vast difference in ability, despite how intense it was or how closely Yang Qing controlled his strength to match that of Ma Yuan's, still fell short when it came to the psychological influence it had on Ma Yuan.

Ma Yuan came into every spar expecting to lose, and while he did put in his best effort, that assumption and expectation acted like a mental seal that kept him from truly pushing himself and unlocking his latent potential.

If you already expect to lose, even if you give it your all—and worse, because it is just a spar—subconsciously, you won't give it your all, not in the truest sense where one needs to ignite their spirit, will, and essence to make a significant step.

And Yang Qing knew that Ma Yuan, with the weight of his losses, wouldn't release those chains on his own and he couldn't do it for him either because of the gap.

The special component needed to surpass his limits would remain absent if things remained the same, and this was why Peng Zhen was here. He was the missing link needed to spur Ma Yuan on.

Peng Zhen was the best whetstone he could use on Ma Yuan.

Yes, Peng Zhen was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he had something in him that Yang Qing appreciated: the pure devotion with which he pursued the Dao. That dedication was reflected in his fortitude and willpower, which would put most to shame.

This was the man who tempered his pillars with tribulation lightning. The man who willingly used himself as bait to lure away a member of a dangerous organization like the Scarlet blood ghost hands syndicate, all so he could provide a way out for his sect.

He may not be in the Core Formation realm, but Yang Qing didn't think he was lacking in any way compared to some of them. His personality, dedication, and the fact that he was now cultivating a blue-grade art made him the perfect sparring partner for Ma Yuan, who—even though was a Core Formation expert—technically also wasn't one because of his crippled cultivation base.

With what Yang Qing had seen from the death duels Peng Zhen had with the students at the Institute, Yang Qing knew the dedicated vice sect master had enough in his arsenal to bridge the gap between him and Ma Yuan. And if it wasn't enough, Yang Qing was confident he could help him bridge that gap.

Ma Yuan may not feel anything losing to Yang Qing, but no matter how reserved he was, he would definitely hate to lose to a peak-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

As for Peng Zhen, knowing the man, he would be all too eager to try his mettle against a Core Formation expert and even look to win.

Both men needed this. Both had something to protect, something that mattered to them more than their lives. One was his daughter, and the other, was his sect, and to both, there was no shortage of dangers threatening what they held dear.

It was a match made in heaven for those two. But it wasn't just those two who would gain something from it—Yang Qing would too.

Seeing Peng Zhen use his art would likely inspire him and provide insights he may have otherwise missed if he delved into it alone. He may have created it, but he still needed to see it work in different hands to identify what he had missed and what improvements he could make.

He still held ambitions of elevating it to the gold grade and possibly even the purple grade—and then use the resulting fame to milk everything he could from the Order as he sought recompense for past grievances.

Yang Qing couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of him smugly trading fame for compensation, imagining the embarrassed faces of the seniors at the Order when he came to collect.

...

"I knew I chose the right person," thought Yang Qing as he saw the blazing fighting spirit within Peng Zhen's eyes.

It burned as bright as a thousand stars.

With the vice sect master already raring to go, Yang Qing quickly called Ma Yuan over from Chief Song Chuan's place, where he had been diligently following the lead of the Azure Aqua Beetles as instructed by the old craftsman.

It didn't take long for Ma Yuan to arrive and for Yang Qing to quickly break down his intention of having him spar with Peng Zhen for three days a week.

Though Ma Yuan didn't utter a word of complaint or refusal, Yang Qing could tell he didn't put much stock in Peng Zhen as a sparring partner. It felt more like he was being used as a guide to a junior.

Pride still whispered in his ear. He had been a formidable expert once, after all. Now? Now, his mind still clung to the ghost of who he used to be.

Yang Qing couldn't exactly judge him for it. Before his cultivation base was crippled, Ma Yuan had decent foundations that gave him the capacity to look down even on fellow Core Formation experts. Even now, despite his crippled base, he could still go toe to toe with early-stage Core Formation experts without fear of losing.

And so, with that misplaced confidence, he entered the spar.

He got into that fight thinking he had the luxury of going easy on Peng Zhen, only to find what he was facing wasn't a junior seeking guidance but a peer bearing the momentum of a turbulent mountain.

The clash of their strikes echoed like thunder. Ma Yuan's relaxed stance broke as soon as Peng Zhen's fist whistled past his face, faster than he had anticipated.

Yang Qing's eyes shone in interest immediately after that first trade as he thought to himself this matchup between the two was better than he thought.

Ma Yuan fought using the Mortals' Path To Transcendence which gave him versatility and fluidity in his attacks but Peng Zhen wasn't any different in that regard either. Yang Qing developed the Brilliant Ray Fist Art using the Mortals' Path To Transcendence as a reference. He admired the spirit of the art that showed how all techniques be it fist, sword, or spear, could be traced from the same root, and using that understanding, one could effectively combine them freely as they wished.

He created the Brilliant Ray Fist Art borrowing that spirit. It was a fist art in its essence, but that fist art needed one to gain a deeper understanding of other schools of combat to make any gains with it.

Seeing Peng Zhen execute it he could finally see for himself how close it was to the spirit of the Mortals' Path To Transcendence.

The duo went neck to neck for almost half an hour before Ma Yuan grasped an opportunity and bombarded Peng Zhen in a drowning flurry of attacks, eventually snatching victory in the process.

But even then, despite Peng Zhen being forced into a passive state where he could only defend while taking a beating, he still managed to stubbornly hold on and keep Ma Yuan busy.

After the match, Ma Yuan walked up to Yang Qing and Peng Zhen, the surprise on his face poorly hidden as he gave a curt nod to Peng Zhen, acknowledging his strength.

"Thank you for the match. I underestimated you."

Peng Zhen smiled, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, but there was no defeat in his eyes despite how battered his body was that Yang Qing was quickly restoring.

"Thank you for going easy on me," he said.

His response though polite and well-meaning was grating to his ears and made Ma Yuan twitch slightly in embarrassment especially when he recalled his earlier intentions.

"Next time I will make sure to defeat him soundly," thought Ma Yuan as he put up a facade of an amiable smile as he praised Peng Zhen a bit before he excused himself and walked over beneath the green flame tree to meditate as he went over the fight as was standard practise after every bout.

The two men agreed to meet again for another spar in two days. This time, Ma Yuan seemed more eager for the match, his competitive nature stoked by Peng Zhen's resilience and fighting spirit.

Yang Qing watched the exchange between the two men and smiled. His plan was working, maybe even better than he had hoped. Competition bred progress and the flames of rivalry had already taken root in both their spirits.

After Peng Zhen left, Yang Qing took a deep breath and sat down on his porch, a jar of wine already on hand.

Seeing the sparkle in Ma Yuan, It wasn't just about training Ma Yuan anymore—it was about reforging his spirit to fight, a component he had overlooked. He had thought Ma Ling would be enough but seeing his reaction now and the flicker within his spirit, Yang Qing realized he had been mistaken.

When Ma Yuan got crippled, he didn't just suffer a terrifying blow to his cultivation base, but to his spirit too.

Yang Qing could push him as hard as he could and train him in as many ways as he could but all of that would be for naught if Ma Yuan froze and was unable to put into practice all he was taught. But now he had seen that sparkle, a reason to push forward even though he felt like the world had taken everything from him. A reason to not despair even in the face of insurmountable odds.

Yang Qing leaned back, as he gazed at the clear sky.

"I think... you've finally started to wake up," Yang Qing softly said, his voice though soft, carrying over to where Ma Yuan was.

Ma Yuan opened his eyes and turned toward him, surprise evident on his face.

Yang Qing's eyes softened, his voice growing quieter, almost as if he were speaking to himself more than to Ma Yuan.

"You lost a lot, Ma Yuan. More than anyone could imagine. But as long as you're still breathing, as long as there's still something you care about, then you have to keep moving forward. And not just for your daughter, but for yourself too."

Ma Yuan looked down, the weight of those words sinking in.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was heavy but not uncomfortable.