A black carriage with a golden eagle symbol on the side could be seen moving down a lane made of deep blue marble. The flooring gave the sensation of riding or walking on a cuboid ocean, mesmerizing anyone who gazed upon it.
This feeling was understandable, as the lane was paved with a 1000-year-old serene cyanic moonstone. The lustrous quality suggested it had been mined from high-grade ore. However, the moonstone lane, coveted by even the smallest sects who would trade all their secret cultivation techniques for it, was not the most striking feature in the place.
What stood out more were the two massive black dragon horses pulling the carriage. Towering at 5 meters tall, just one of their legs was the size of a full-grown, well-built body cultivator. But their sheer size wasn't the only danger, they were emitting the fearsome aura of a core formation stage beast. Even a snort from these creatures could pulverize a peak qi refining stage cultivator. Yet, here they were, reduced to mounts for someone's carriage. The sight spoke volumes about the importance of the person inside.
Pedestrians on the side were not surprised by the scene; it was a common occurrence in this part of the courtyard. This was the Courtyard of the Cultivation Order Courts, where only court officials and special access members could travel by carriage or flying sword.
The carriage came to a halt at the flight steps leading up to a black storied building, whose towering height seemed to pierce the skies. It radiated with a righteous and inviolable aura that made it seem impregnable.
The carriage driver, wearing half-red, half-blue robes emblazoned with a rhombus symbol and the numeral IV, quickly disembarked and gently knocked on the door of the carriage.
"Judge Yang Qing, we have arrived at the court building… Judge? Judge! Can you hear me? You better not have turned on the noise-cancellation array again."
His earlier dignified demeanor dissolved into frustration as the gentle knocking turned into furious pounding that did little in the way of penetrating the carriage door despite the force applied to them.
"Huh… We're already here? How fast." A hazy, sleepy voice emerged from the young man inside the carriage.
"Yi Jie, you better not have used the spatial array again. I told you it makes me sick. It's probably not good for the horses either. They seem slimmer."
"Again? When have you ever seen me use a spatial array?" Yi Jie replied, irritation seeping into his tone. His eyes and hands twitched slightly as he looked just about ready to use his palms like a saber and cleave the carriage in half along with the speaker.
"Besides, you don't even have the rank to be allowed access to the spatial array for direct transport to the court building's courtyard. "
"And you're too cheap to pay for one, even if you had the access," Yi Jie, softly muttered under his breath.
The carriage door swung open, revealing a young man with messy green hair and matching deep green eyes, his appearance disheveled as if he'd just woken up.
"Haha, sorry, Yi Jie! I was deep in sle— meditation! Yes, meditating. I was struck with an epiphany on how to perfect my grand lunar gaze. I must have lost track of time."
Yang Qing, the slovenly-looking green-haired youth gave a nervous laugh, awkwardly patting Yi Jie on the back, who tried unsuccessfully to dodge using phantom-void steps, a gold grade movement art. Yang Qing effortlessly nullified the movement and tapped him anyway.
"We have a long day ahead. You don't want to get yelled at by Supervisor Lei Weiyuan again for being late, do you? Even if your promotion ceremony is in a week, you still have to fulfill your duties as a superior core court judge."
"Yes, yes, I know," Yang Qing sighed, reflecting on how he had ended up in this position.
Born into a low-rank 5 family, Yang Qing's extraordinary cultivation talent had drawn the focus of his entire clan, who poured countless resources into him. However, as his cultivation level rose, it soon outpaced what his family could afford to support.
Because of his talent, he had the luxury of choice on which paths he could take. He could; join a sect, become a retainer to a more powerful family, act as a lackey for some minor prince, become a rogue cultivator wandering the world in search of fortune and adventure, or join the Cultivation Order Society as an official.
Of course, he chose the latter. The other options were far too risky and constraining for his liking. Even as a rogue cultivator, he wouldn't be as free as he imagined—strength and collective power still ruled the world. Thus, the Cultivation Order Society was his refuge and only real choice, offering stability without the constant risk to his neck from infighting and scrambling for resources, getting embroiled in factions wars, or other complications associated with sects and clans. The Order even provided room to slack off because of how powerful it was, not lacking powerful individuals or talent.
The Cultivation Order Society had been formed by a coalition of sects, cultivation clans, royal families, and other cultivation organizations. The southern continent, where Yang Qing lived, was rich in resources, treasures, and high-grade mines. It was blessed with dense and rich qi, second only to the central continent. Being located next to the Millionfold Treasure Ocean only fueled the competition further, as greed often triumphed over rationality.
With countless factions fighting over resources, chaos reigned. The southern continent was thrown into brutal conflict, with sects, clans, royalty, and rogue cultivators all vying for power and dominance, with others just fighting to survive.
This internal strife left the continent vulnerable, attracting foreign invaders from the west, east, and even the central continent. The residents of the southern continent, finally united by external pressure, managed to drive the invaders out, but this left a lingering question;
How could they avoid slipping back into the chaos?
The solution was the formation of the Cultivation Order Society, a neutral organization tasked with maintaining order across the continent. All members, whether sects, clans, kingdoms, or unaffiliated were subject to its rulings. Judges and officials were recruited from smaller, unranked families with little influence or from orphaned children with extraordinary talent. This ensured fairness, as the members had no significant ties to the major powers.
Over time, the Cultivation Order grew into an impartial and respected authority, with resources pooled from every corner of the continent used to train the finest talents. This once vulnerable coalition matured into a powerful, self-sustaining entity, no longer under the thumb of the sects or royal families and other high-ranking organizations that sought to subtly influence and control it as one of its subsidiary forces through the manipulation of the support they gave in its formative years.
After 1,000 years, the Order had grown into a respected powerhouse, drawing in ambitious and heroic young cultivators from across the southern continent. While many came to test their mettle against the continent's finest, Yang Qing's motivations were decidedly more self-serving. He believed that with so many powerful figures around, he wouldn't need to work hard as others would surely handle the burdens. He could simply enjoy the resources and leisurely coast through life.
At the age of 14, he eagerly signed himself up for recruitment, already daydreaming about the lavish, easy life that awaited him at the Cultivation Order Society.