It didn't take long before Yang Qing, Assistant Head Liang Wen and Song Guozhi reached the Star blooming mist valley.
The venue was already booming with people and the air of festivity along with rife anticipation had already filled the air.
The glowing mist that was filled with Dao charm seemed much more abundant than it was the previous day.
Yang Qing managed to spot a few familiar figures among the crowds of people present since at the moment it was only those from the Order who were present. The invited guests would arrive two hours later.
Of those present, Yang Qing spotted Ling Meimei the hall master of the formation hall who was currently being shadowed by other members of her department as she issued rapid instructions. Dean Zhu Lao was also next to her which based on his docile appearance didn't look like it was out of choice. Yang Qing couldn't help but chuckle at this.
Along with the formation hall, there were members of other departments; there was the craftsmanship division where he spotted Chief Song Chuanli among their ranks, there was the internal logistics division which was keeping track of everything that was being used since the moment the ceremony ended, the place would return to its natural bare state, the members of the eagle guard division were also there, and their numbers were also the largest.
The eagle guard division handled security around the headquarters, the branches, the institute, and other various facilities of the Order such as the Glowing Respite Valley. The division wasn't made up of the most talented recruits and it was usually composed of those who barely managed to survive getting admitted to the institute and finished their training. Their results were not the best either, however, that was only in comparison to the monsters the Order recruited. Those who managed to survive in such a place, even if they didn't stand out and were mostly at the bottom of the group, could still be considered elites if they were pitted against other factions that were not the Order.
After their graduation, members of the eagle guard division would enter specialization training in which every member would be trained skills in a particular subject depending on their affinities to that area. For example, there would be those trained in poison detection, others in detection and handling of certain types of curses, others trained in attacks using a particular weapon, others in defense using specific means i.e. formation, barrier seals, or even through the use of a weapon. The Order's aim was to maximize whatever talents they had and thoroughly hone them in a particular area. They were masters of a particular section within a section, which made them tough opponents when you faced them as a group or as a well-matched one-on-one opponent.
Yang Qing also managed to spot a few members of the Shadow Hawk division lurking about. A ceremony like this was the best ground for the intelligence department to update their information and gather more intel on the different organizations around the Southern continent.
Yang Qing looked around some more as he was soaking everything in. It was at this moment that he finally felt it; he was finally an outer palace court judge.
When this day ended he would be in a different station. Everything leading to this moment felt so surreal. He felt a tad bit emotional, especially after remembering how much of a shock it was to him after he stepped into the courts of the Order as an outer core judge. He was practically beaming at the time, thinking he had scored the easiest and the safest job of his life, only to get a rude awakening by getting slammed with cases upon cases.
From that point on things just seemed to spiral out of control. He began a losing battle with the Order, which made him lose the one good thing left of his despair-filled days, which was his income. He has suffered so many penalties and fines over the years, then there was the money-sucking abode, along with the abyss celestial nesting weaver that made sure he would never have any single spirit stone lying around at the end of the month. Merit points were his only saving grace, otherwise, he was not sure how he would have survived.
He found a nemesis and source of his internal demons in Lei Weiyuan, who has been a constant thorn in his side. Just when he thought finally he would be leaving the core courts behind three months ago, once again the Old demon reared his fangs and tortured him to the last day.
But finally, here he was. His nose felt a little hot and it took all he had not to shed a few tears.
....
"Hi, Wen,"
"Yang Qing that robe looks quite good on you,"
Yang Qing was pulled from his emotional nostalgic rubdown by a greeting from Dean Zhu Lao who had managed to sneak away from his wife. But with the way his eyes kept darting in her direction cautiously, it didn't look like he had long.
"Thank you, Dean Zhu Lao," said Yang Qing as he offered a warm smile and cupped his fists in greeting.
Assistant head Liang Wen and Song Guozhi also exchanged their greetings with Dean Zhu Lao.
"How is the experience?" asked Dean Zhu Lao as his eyes glittered while scanning the three saint-grade treasures Yang Qing had on.
"I can't quite put it into words, but I can say it's a humbling experience," said Yang Qing with a bitter smile.
The more he attuned himself to the senses of a domain expert the clearer it became to him on the gap between an early-stage palace realm expert and a domain expert. At this moment he could only hope the senses he had was for a late-stage domain expert because if it was an early-stage domain expert, then that would mean at his cultivation realm he would be less than an ant against any domain expert in the middle stages up to the peak of the realm.
"Well, it is understandable you would feel that way but don't let it dishearten you. You've only just begun your journey, just take it day by day," said Dean Zhu Lao as he bent a little to scrutinize the sleeves of the blue universe enclave robe with a deep fascinated expression appearing on his face.
Yang Qing started to feel a bit better after Dean Zhu Lao's statement but his next words threw him back into that familiar pit of despair.
"Too bad you only get the senses of a third-stage domain expert, though at least it's of one with a saint domain," said Dean Zhu Lao.
....
"What a waste. This robe should be used as a curriculum subject at the institute instead of letting him waste away in the mountain of the internal logistics department.
I wonder what the spirit mountain is thinking by locking him in there," said Dean Zhu Lao with regret showing in his tone.
"Blue Universe are you sure you don't want to join the institute? As long as you say yes, I'm pretty sure I can find a way for the spirit council to agree to it," added Dean Zhu Lao.
"I much prefer the rest in the mountain rather than being constantly ogled and quizzed by an overly curious brat. I can't believe that nature of yours is still there," said Blue Universe.
Even though his spirit hadn't been manifested physically like in the arced dome hallway Yang Qing had been in, he could still freely transmit his voice without making an appearance.
"What do you mean by that senior? I am only in awe of your breadth of character and wisdom. There are not many people I can say can best me in terms of knowledge but in front of you, Veiled Destiny and Green Cocoon, I have to admit that I am nothing more than a junior who has only learned to crawl," said Dean Zhu Lao. He bowed when he said that and even somehow managed to radiate the aura of a humble youth seeking guidance from a renowned scholar.
"How many years has he been training his bootlicking skills? I hate to admit it, but I'm miles apart from Dean Zhu Lao," thought Yang Qing as he sighed in both admiration and inferiority at his lacking skills.
Yang Qing, Assistant Head Liang Wen, and Song Guozhi became unwitting bystanders for the next three minutes as Dean Zhu Lao fawned over the spirits of the three saint-grade treasures. He went back and forth to try and get them to join the Institute but he failed in the end when he received an innocent smile from his wife, Ling Meimei who had arrived at his back during his three-minute theatrics.
Even though he failed, Yang Qing couldn't help but look at the Dean who was currently walking like a humble slave behind his wife, in a new light.
From their brief interaction, he detected that the two saint-grade artifacts i.e. Blue Universe and Veiled Destiny, clearly held Dean Zhu Lao in high regard based on how freely they communicated. The spirit of the two artifacts seemed like they treated the Dean as a peer despite the Dean being a peak domain realm expert and the two spirits being the equivalent of a soul formation expert with their saint grade rank.
This thought was further solidified when even the enigmatic and mercurial Green Cocoon chimed in a few words though it was mostly calling Dean Zhu Lao shameless, thick-skinned, and interesting which Yang Qing wasn't sure if it was a mistake on the Green Cocoon's part since she didn't speak much. However, the fact that she bothered to talk to Dean Zhu Lao despite only speaking about 300 words in over 10,000 years, showed that she too held the Dean in some regard.
….
"That kid still hasn't changed," said Blue Universe. One could detect unlike before there was a hint of admiration in his tone like that of a teacher who had seen a student exceed all their expectations.
"You detected it too?" asked Veiled Destiny.
"How could I not, when I was the one who spoke about it? I didn't expect he would actually follow up on my rumblings. I'm not even sure if it exists,"
"It…does….Fei..proof….this…kid….might…be…but…..missing…..one…thing…interesting…shameless…though," said Green Cocoon.
"So that bastard has it, no wonder,"
"Knowing what you know now, are you going to reconsider the challenge you made to him?" asked Veiled Destiny teasingly.
"RECONSIDER?!! Why?!! Just because he had a primordial domain? You look down on me too much, Veiled Destiny.
With our background, is that something we need to fear? Besides, last time if it wasn't for him cheating we would have won. Actually, it makes me feel a tad bit better, even with that special domain going on for him, he still needed to cheat so he could win…hahahaha…..maybe I should practice my zither skills too and a good song to go with it….mmmh maybe I could enlist kid Zhu Lao's help. He does seem exceptionally gifted in this regard," said Blue Universe.
….
Yang Qing could hear their communication but he could make neither heads nor tails of what they were talking about. But before he could question them on some of the things they were discussing, assistant head Liang Wen had already dragged him to the platform so he could synchronize his medallion to the central array that had been placed in the Star blooming mist valley.
Time seemed to fly quickly after that because before he knew it, almost two hours had already passed by and the guests were already being welcomed into the valley.
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