"On behalf of the Order, I would like to thank you all for availing yourself of this occasion. I know for some of you the journey was not easy and getting the time to make an appearance couldn't have been easy either.
For that, I Lai Ning, Chief Justice of the Order would like to thank you all for gracing us with your presence. I offer this salute to you all, irrespective of which ranked organization you belong to. Your presence here is highly appreciated," Chief Justice Lai Ning said as he offered a Daoist salute to the guests.
The salute may have seemed simple and inane to an unknown mind but to the cultivation world, the connotation behind it was immense. One cultivator giving another cultivator a Daoist salute was a form of recognition and acknowledgment, which was why it was never given lightly.
This was why Chief Justice Lai Ning's simple Daoist salute left the guests buzzing with excitement especially those from rank 3 and below. Their presence had been acknowledged and appreciated by a high-ranking figure of one of the largest organizations in the world. The excitement they felt from that greeting matched the same excitement that was there when the members of the two Holy Lands showed up.
"Now I won't take much of your time since I'm not a bard and I'm not particularly used to this type of thing.
Now on this day, we would like to recognize one of our own. A young cultivator with tremendous potential who by all accounts is considered to be living up to those expectations.
He has done all we have asked of him and he has done it with an exemplary attitude and dedication towards his post as a judge of the Order…"
Yang Qing's ears were buzzing as he couldn't believe all those words were about him. He knew his reputation well, as a matter of fact almost the whole Order knew his reputation well to the point that it had reached the ears of top figures like Assistant Director Jun Pei and Superior Domain Judges like Meng Chao.
When Yang Qing looked around, especially in the section where the Order employees were seated at, almost all of them, even though they tried to hide it, had looks of disbelief on their faces, some even snickered a bit at what Chief Justice Lai Ning was saying.
"Can't these guys learn to at least hide their emotions better? What if the guests notice something off with their reactions," Yang Qing worriedly thought as he decided to ignore them and continue to hear Chief Justice Lai Ning's words that were very much pleasing to the ears.
This was one of the few times he wished he had Mao Yunru's habit of walking around with over a dozen white jade recording talismans. He wanted to immortalize this moment forever and it would also be a good source of endless bragging when he had friends over at his place. He even envisioned himself tying Kang Huilang and the rest to a chair and making them listen to those recordings over a thousand times.
..
"I am deeply gratified to see young cultivators like him within the Order. Those despite being blessed with enormous talent, still continuously apply themselves in their everyday lives to be better and better, and Judge Yang Qing has without a doubt, done this.
The ceremony is called a promotion ceremony to elevate him to a higher station but it is also a ceremony of recognition and honor for the efforts he has undertaken over the years. This is why he is also one of the youngest palace realm judges to grace our courts at the tender age of 23 years.
Yang Qing, I congratulate you for all you have done for the Order in your capacity as a judge and as an employee of this fine institution. Everyone at the Order including even the president knows all your accomplishments, both on the bench and off the bench, especially the latter..." said Chief Justice Lai Ning as he made a pause because the members of the Order present, whether they were on the platform or the section where the other employees had sat, they all shared a laugh when Chief Justice Lai Ning made that statement.
This drew curious gazes from the rest of the crowd including even the special guests from the Holy Lands as they couldn't get why almost every member of the Order laughed at that statement. As far as they could tell, the statement didn't seem to have any hidden joke underneath.
But everyone who laughed knew exactly what Chief Justice Lai Ning meant by Yang Qing's off-the-bench accomplishments.
Even Yang Qing himself knew exactly what it was, which was why he had a mild pale figure at the moment.
"Even the president knows? How did he even know? Isn't he a lofty cultivator who shouldn't concern himself with the actions of a passionate youth fighting for cultivator rights and working conditions?
I wonder if I'll be okay?" Yang Qing fearfully thought as he dreaded the next words of Chief Justice Lai Ning's speech.
After the brief pause, Chief Justice Lai Ning continued with his speech after the crowd had calmed down.
"Your shared insights and suggestions have helped the Order refine its framework to better serve the cultivators and population as a whole of the Southern Continent.
For that we thank you and on my authority as the Chief Justice, I hereby officially declare Yang Qing an outer palace court judge, with all its privilege and commensurate responsibilities.
Yang Qing would you come please?" said Chief Justice Lai Ning as he beckoned Yang Qing over.
Yang Qing stood up and solemnly walked over with steady steps. Once he was a few steps away, Chief Justice Lai Ning waved his sleeves and a faint roar was produced beneath the ground under the platform.
The guests who have been to these ceremonies a couple of times were not too surprised by the roar, but those new to the whole experience were thoroughly terrified by the roar. The roar seemed to echo down into their very souls as it dragged out their most primal fears.
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