Daily life of a cultivation judge

Seeing Yang Qing's excitable face, Wei Shen sighed, as he put a damper on those emotions.

"While I can tell you about the scroll tubing, I'm afraid there's not much I can reveal about that place—only that the key to it lies in this," Wei Shen said, pointing to the parchment in his hands.

"That parchment? But I only got it after I arrived, how could it be a ke--" Yang Qing's voice trailed off as an idea struck him.

"Could it be because my art evolved?" Yang Qing asked, voicing his suspicion.

"In part, yes," Wei Shen replied, his gaze filled with admiration as he looked at the parchment.

"Two conditions must be met to gain access to that area. Both are intertwined and in some cases, depending on the circumstances, the condition could merge into one," Wei Shen explained.

"I take it one of those conditions is middle-tier blue-grade art?"

Wei Shen nodded in response.

"What is the other one?"

"The other condition, which could be considered to be the primary condition overall, is that cultivation art must be your creation."

"My creation?" asked Yang Qing.

"Yes," Wei Shen replied with a sigh of admiration. A blue-grade art might not be much in his eyes, but it was still impressive—especially one that had reached the middle tier. What made it even more remarkable was that it was a creation of someone so young.

Earlier, he had questioned why Yang Qing seemed to receive 'special treatment' by being allowed here before his time. However, seeing the results before him, it now made sense—especially when considering the nature of Sage Mountain and its Owner.

The Order was filled with countless talents capable of easily comprehending high-grade cultivation arts that others struggled to master. However, the ability to comprehend an art did not necessarily translate to the ability to create one.

The Order boasted many cultivators who had mastered gold-grade arts to the perfection stage, yet only a rare few could create such an art themselves. Among 100 cultivators who had mastered a gold-grade art, perhaps only three possessed the ability to create one.

Creating a cultivation art demanded more than just a high level of comprehension. It required a breadth of thought, deep understanding, and a unique quality to transform one's insights into the grand Dao and the world's governing principles from abstract concepts into tangible forms. These forms had to be usable, interpretable, and comprehensible not only to the creator but also to others.

The transformation from abstract to tangible was where most cultivators failed. There was never a lack of gifted cultivators who possessed unique insights and extraordinary abilities capable of unraveling the mysteries of the heavens, yet these revelations at times made sense only to them. It was akin to how spirit beasts instinctively knew how to perform certain actions without understanding or explaining the "how"—they simply could.

Creating an art meant being able to demystify those things and breaking them down into comprehensible forms that others could use to replicate those feats. It was always easier to follow the foot markings left by others than it was to be the pioneer trudging forward in the unknown.

Creating a cultivation art, regardless of grade, was no easy feat. This was why Wei Shen couldn't help but feel impressed by Yang Qing's accomplishment—especially when comparing it to his own attempts. Over the years, Wei Shen had experimented with creating cultivation arts, many of which ended in failure. His sole success came when he managed to evolve a middle-tier blue-grade art he had an affinity for into a low-tier gold-grade art—a feat he only achieved at the peak of the Domain realm.

When he was at Yang Qing's level, he couldn't have replicated what Yang Qing had achieved.

"So if my art had reached the middle tier when I arrived, would I have been automatically sent to that place?" Yang Qing asked after mulling over Wei Shen's words.

"Yes, you would have.." Wei Shen answered in an affirmative tone. "If you executed the art here that is," he added, for clarity.

"If you practiced cultivation arts that you did not create, the door to that place would remain hidden."

Though it was clear this was no ordinary place, Yang Qing couldn't resist giving Sage Mountain another look, feeling as if he were seeing it for the first time, hiding even more unfathomable secrets.

"How does it even know I... you know what, never mind," Yang Qing said, dismissing his own question with a quick shake of his head and a wry smile.

He had been curious as to how the Sage Mountain could distinguish between an art he created and one he hadn't. However, given the mystical nature of this place and all he had witnessed in the past few hours, such a feat seemed well within its capabilities. It was the Sage Mountain, after all—if it couldn't do at least that much then it would be entirely unworthy of its name.

"What about that person? Is he the owner of this place?" Yang Qing asked, his eyes alight with curiosity.

"Still not giving up, are you?" Wei Shen remarked with a helpless smile.

"If you were in my shoes, could you?" Yang Qing quipped with a sly grin.

"Fine, but I can't tell you much about him. I'm not allowed to, and your rank is still too low," Wei Shen said with a resigned sigh.

Yang Qing bobbed his head enthusiastically, curiosity continuously shining on his face. A starving man would have no qualms about being fed week-old moldy bread so long as it would help him stave off the hunger.

Yang Qing didn't expect Wei Shen to reveal the mysterious man's entire background; a few crumbs of information would be enough.

Wei Shen looked around him wistfully. "He could be considered the owner of this place, in a sense," he answered, bringing his gaze back to the slightly confused and extremely curious Yang Qing.

"In a sense?"

"I can't tell you much more than that," Wei Shen said, pausing slightly as his gaze fell on the scroll tubing. "Actually, there is one more thing I could add about him, and it's related to your tubing."

Yang Qing's ears seemed to perk up at that remark, tingling with attention.

"If you were to leave here without that tubing, all memories of him would vanish," Wei Shen said, his tone and expression turning somber.

Before Yang Qing could process the shock of the news, Wei Shen continued,

"Judge Yang Qing, you need to be very mindful of this: you cannot.. CANNOT under any circumstances, reveal that you saw him to anyone. It's acceptable for you to discuss it here with me, as I am the current guardian of this place.

However, it is strictly forbidden to mention him beyond this Mountain. If you disregard this warning and let it slip, even just a little, you will likely die. I hope you will heed this well."