Daily life of a cultivation judge

The Cultivation Ethics Charter was considered a common moral law that all the organizations around the Southern Continent adhered to, kind of like how the mortals had their moral laws that were the same across countless regions despite having different cultures for example filial piety to one's parents.

The cultivation world had something similar. The Cultivation Ethics Charter was created out of it. It was a charter that highlighted the ethical responsibilities of cultivators by emphasizing qualities such as candor, honor, and integrity to name a few.

Of course, the irony of the charter wasn't lost on the world considering the brutality of the cultivation world.

However, regardless of how things were, the charter was still needed as it was a form of an anchor for their humanity, otherwise, without it, they would be no different from the fiendish cultivator.

The Charter was more like a defense or proof that they were different from them, a moral high ground so to speak.

Different leaders from sect leaders to clan leaders, to merchant leaders, to manor leaders and other organizations, down to rogue leaders of considerable repute came together and created a list of practices that established the moral bottom line cultivators shouldn't cross or even the entity itself.

Based on the testimony given by Ma Qi and the recording he made, Yang Qing knew for a fact, that the Striding Falcon Sect had violated some of those clauses.

Just from that fact alone, he could pass the sentence and enforce it without invoking the second guiding principle, the Alliance Cooperation Accord. However, the Striding Falcon Sect were sneaky in their conduct, even if they violated some of the clauses in the Cultivation Ethics Charter, they were not direct about it, and the ones that they were direct were considered negligible. They were not strong enough to trigger the intervention of the Order to interfere in their internal affairs.

For example, the planting of the disintegrating sulfur desert laceflower next to the abodes of the outer sect disciples could be considered a soft violation of their living standards because in terms of negative effects, all it did was make the air hot and the place smelly but in exchange, one could argue it made the area safer due to its decomposing abilities.

Yang Qing wouldn't be able to directly interfere just from that. The indirect violations were the more egregious ones but the sect was sly in the way they violated them. The outer sect disciples were given the illusion of choice, and even the mistreatment they suffered was within the bounds of the regulations of the sect. 

For example, using supervised duels to send a message, or using the top tier orange grade art as a tool to ensure the outer sect disciples end up in servitude that lasts a century.

Though Yang Qing could still use the indirect acts as evidence for enforcing his sentence, those at the Striding Falcon Sect would use the situation and paint themselves as victims of the Order as they labeled and vilified them as tyrants.

With the current reputation of the Order, it wouldn't take much for the statement to be taken as true. There was already a spark slowly gaining momentum on how the Order were tyrants looking to place the entire continent under its thumb and lord over them. Yang Qing wasn't about to give the Striding Falcon Sect the chance to add more teeth to the widespread roaring rumor.

This was why he opted to trigger the Alliance Cooperation Accords. With it, he could send the case to four neutral organizations with considerable repute and of the same rank as the culprit, in this case, it would be organizations that were at rank 3, same as the Striding Falcon Sect.

Once the four reviewed the case they would vote on whether they agree or disagree with the judge's ruling. Those in disagreement could outline their reasons and their suggestion for a replacement sentence.

The ruling went by a majority vote, of which the judge's sentence also counted as one, so in Yang Qing's case he only needed two of the four organizations to agree with him for him to enact his ruling, though even if he lost, he could still follow through with it if he felt strongly that his choice was the right one, or he could compromise and take the suggestions of the four parties.

Later during sentencing, the results of the ruling would be publicized throughout the continent, along with the recorded opinion of the four members regardless of whether their votes support the judge or not.

It was an act of transparency by the Order and also a preventive measure so things don't get misconstrued.

Yang Qing waited for about twenty minutes before the members of the Judicial Review Committee finally sent their response from their end.

"Luckily the sect master of the Three Warden Mirrors Sect already came out of seclusion about three years ago.

She has already given her ruling on the matter along with the heads of the other three. You should be receiving their recordings shortly.." 

Jiang Chen had only just said that when the gold eagle medallion in Yang Qing's hand shimmered four silver cuboid objects with complex runes flew out of it.

"I've received it seniors.." Yang Qing said with a bout of unease welling up inside of him as he held those four talismans.

He was just from eliminating one sect and now he was in the storm of another. He was a bit unnerved by it, though this instance paled in comparison to the matter of the Ice Emerald Sect.

Just as Yang Qing was lost in thought, his medallion shimmered again as a white shell that looked to have been made of the scales of some beast appeared out of it.

"It's an ascendant-grade artifact that works similar to the deer horn that the vice president gave you, except this one can't break formations. 

However, it can transmit information audio or visual around a 500,000-kilometer radius of it and it ignores noise canceling arrays and any other barriers that are at the blue grade and below.

Use it to transmit the results, oh and Yen Xu will go with you for expediency. The branch can't be left empty and the royalty of Deer Mountain Kingdom should just be about to invite you over...

Take care, Yang Qing.."

"Take care, Seniors, and thank you for your assistance.."

After the call had ended Yang Qing had a slight frown as he wondered what the royalty of the Deer Mountain Kingdom could possibly want with him.

However, he immediately pushed those thoughts behind him and inserted his spiritual essence into the four talismans. The information contained within them was the most important at the moment.

Less than half a minute later he was already done going through them. Yen Xu seemed to have anticipated it as she appeared just as he was done.

"Let's go.." she said as she unceremoniously held him by his hands and they disappeared from the courtroom like a gust of wind.