Daily life of a cultivation judge



The courtroom unsurprisingly was just the same as the one he had in the superior core courts. The podium was made of 50,000-year-old red dragon wood and the floor was made of blossom citrine black marble.

If Yang Qing were to point out a few things that seemed different, it would be maybe the size and the two people currently standing at the center of the courtroom with their backs facing Yang Qing.

One of them was a male with a roguish brown hair. He had on a fading grey robe that had a lot of patchworks done in different colors. On top of the grey robe, he had a plain black cloak that was just as worn out. He was slightly tall and had a medium build.

Next to him was a lady with silver hair tied in a ponytail. She had light yellow robes and a brown scarf on her neck.

The moment Yang Qing stepped into the courtroom, they simultaneously turned in his direction.

The male looked to be in his late thirties and had a scruffy beard and a devilish charm and smile to him, while the silver-haired lady had big eyes that seemed to hide a swirling whirlpool, a petite oval face and a beauty that matched her radiant silver hair. 

They were both sizing Yang Qing just as he was doing to them. He wasn't too surprised to find that they both had a higher cultivation base than him. Since they were all in the early stages of the cultivation realm, Yang Qing could more or less tell their realms. The male was in the fourth stage of the palace realm while the silver-haired lady was in the third stage.

"You must be Dai Chen's friend and our new boss, I'm Yu Gen and she is Xia Ting, we will be working together from today until two members of your team reach the palace realm.

Ah, nice to meet you by the way. With how many cases we work, it leaves me in a hurried state even in my conversations, sorry for that," said Yu Gen as he sheepishly laughed.

"Nice to meet you, Judge Yang Qing, I'm Xia Ting," said the silver-haired lady as she offered Yang Qing a courteous Daoist salute. Her face was taciturn and her tone calm.

Yang Qing couldn't help but notice the contrasting personalities between the two.

"Nice to meet you all, I'm Yang Qing and I'll be in your care from now on," said Yang Qing as he offered a Daoist salute of his own in return.

"Here, we were told to give you this," said Yu Gen as he tossed over a white jade talisman which perfectly fell into Yang Qing's palms.

"In there, you will find the list of cases assigned to you for the month. We've already started on the first three cases and we should be able to give you our detailed findings on them by the end of the week.

Luckily, we have been told you'll be preparing for and supervising the Institute's examinations first, which gives us a little more breathing room to conduct our investigations on the cases. Also, I think I should tell you this, later there will be some cases where you will have to do the groundwork yourself or you could assign some of them to your inquisitors. 

There should be some that involve some rank 4 sects which they can handle while Xia Ting, I, and now you, will handle ones that involve rank 3 organizations. But don't worry as your seniors we will take the bulk of it, only when we feel overwhelmed will we request your assistance, I hope you don't mind," said Yu Gen with an apologetic look on his face.

"No, No, I don't mind. I'm the one who should be thankful to have your assistance and hope I'm not a burden to you all. I'm more than happy to do my part to help lighten it," said Yang Qing with deep sincerity in his tone.

Roaming inquisitors had one of the best employment packages and had free access to training sites that would require someone like Yang Qing to spend merit points to gain access. However, despite the presumably good scheme they had, they also had one of the worst and most dangerous working schedules.

Due to the shortage of manpower around the Order and the cases that never end, roaming inquisitors are spread thin and they are always out, shuttling between cases across different courtrooms. Their service wasn't restricted just to the headquarters. In case someone at the branches got injured, died, or was incapacitated, someone from the roaming inquisitor would fill in that role either as an inquisitor or the branch chief.

They were constantly moving around hence the name 'roaming inquisitors.' The constant moving about the continent in the conduct of their duties earns them no small number of enemies, which is why they have one of the highest fatalities and also one of the strictest of training. 

They never handle cases alone; they always do it in a group of two or a maximum of four, depending on the severity of the case. The teams formed are carefully chosen to complement each other in terms of combat.

Yang Qing could feel that Xia Ting had a stronger soul compared to Yu Gen, while Yu Gen's body felt like it was boiling magma that was about to erupt.

Also due to the nature of their work, they couldn't have any official wear. They always dressed like itinerant cultivators out there to blend in and all had to practice the gold-grade art, 'The Ten thousand droplets transformation of the white veiled tree' to the blooming level. 

The Ten thousand droplet transformation of the white veiled tree was a transmorphing cultivation art that would let them transform their bodies, down to the nature of their qi signature, and the degree of change wasn't restricted to humans, it extended even to spirit beasts. At its perfection, even an early-stage soul formation expert would find it hard to tell someone or something apart.

Yang Qing wasn't even sure if these were the true faces of Yu Gen and Xia Ting. The names were probably true but the rest, from the face down to their habits, may probably be an act that has been ingrained to them that it has become second nature. It was because of this that after a certain period of time, every roaming inquisitor had to spend some time in the heart soul tree, a saint-grade tree that the Order had. Its purpose was to help one polish their heart and in times of doubt, provide clarity. Without it, the roaming inquisitors would be constant victims of internal demons.

You can only pretend to be something for so long before you become it. Such was one of the struggles of being a roaming inquisitor.