Daily life of a cultivation judge

Striding Falcon Sect

In one of the core buildings, there were two sides seated facing each other as a palpable tense atmosphere filled the room.

On one side was the sect master, and eight other figures who wore similar black robes with gold cloud markings. Most of the eight seemed young with only three being elderly and from their decrepit looks, they seemed well within their years.

The group stared ferociously at the group seated opposite them that was being headed by Chief Wei Shen.

The group from the chief elder's side didn't shrink back as they let out the pressures of their cultivation base which was able to drown out the side of the sect master. 

The group from sect master Pan Xue's side only had two late-stage core formation experts and it was two elderly men who looked to be at the end of their tether. The rest of the group was mostly comprised of early-stage core formation experts with the remaining few being at the middle stages of the core formation realm.

Despite their livid anger, they could barely compete with the momentum from the other side that had twelve cultivators with the weakest being at the sixth stage of the core formation realm.

"Enough..." sect master Pan Xue said as he waved his sleeves dispelling the pressure that was bearing on the elders from his side.

The chief elder along with a few of the seasoned elders all had looks of surprise on their faces when they saw how easily he dispelled the combined force of the twelve elders. Some of the elders from the Chief Elder's side even exchanged wary looks with each other.

"Seems like the rumors were true, Pan Xue has already reached the absolute peak of the core formation realm. I don't know how deep his accumulations are, but if the retired supreme elder were here, I have no doubt he would make a try for the palace realm.

But none of that matters, with our backing, there's nothing much he can do. As for the retired supreme elder, the seniors from the clan said he got injured heavily in the battle against the Stormcloud Empire. 

He was unable to completely heal them which ended up affecting his cultivation to date. His chances of breaking through to the middle stages of the palace realm are slim to none.

With his dwindling lifespan he should have eighty years at most. Once he passes we can finally search for the Stormcloud saber which should be the key to the hidden vault of the Stormcloud Empire.

Despite the sacrifices we made, they still had the cheek to hide the presence of a hidden vault that contained the true core wealth of the Empire.

With that old fossil out of the way, finding it shouldn't be hard. Whatever we find should be able to push higher even with the embargo, especially if it has the incomplete gold-grade art as the various seniors surmised is stored in there. As for Pan Xue and the rest..." thought Chief Elder as a strange glint flashed through his eyes.

"Stop, this isn't the time for infighting. Our sect is at a dire moment at the moment because of the Order. We need to put our differences aside and figure out how to weather through this storm.

With the 10,000 Mountain Mortar Manor and the Spirit Fire Wellforging Pavilion terminating their relationship with us we have to be prepared. They will likely ask for payment for the goods we took on consignment and we should also be prepared for other organizations to cut ties with us.

We need to stick together and commit everything we can to the sect to ensure we can survive this. We have survived worse, and I am sure, we can survive this too.." said Chief Elder Wei Shen.

"The Chief Elder is right.." said one of the young elders from the Chief Elder's side with a fawning attitude.

"Stick together?! Stick together?! It's all your fault that we are even in this mess, to begin with! If you had not given free reign to your disciples to do whatever they wanted, do you think we'd be here.." vehemently yelled one of the elders from Sect Master Pan Xue's side.

"Wen'er.." softly said the sect master as his gaze fell on the young elder.

"But master.." said the young elder still rife with indignation.

"What is done is done, no we need to think of a way forward.." said the sect master with a sigh.

"Sect master you need to teach your disciple better. He may be an elder but he is easily agitated which highlights his poor mentality. Maybe we should let him reside with those outer sect disciples.

It should lift their spirits to see an elder sharing the same accommodations with them. What do you think?" said the pink-haired elder with a playful smile.

Her tone was filled with unrestrained mockery and disdain as she said this. 

"Are you telling me how to guide my disciple, Wei Ling?" sect master Pan Xue said as a majestic presence was released from his body. The walls and the furniture in the room began to shake.

Chief Elder Wei Shen circulated his cultivation in a bid to dispel the pressure that was bearing on the pink-haired woman whose face was already pallid as she felt like an entire mountain had been slammed into her body.

Even with the Chief Elder's assistance the suffocation the pink-haired woman felt didn't seem to subside.

"Pan Xue are you sure you want to fall out now?" coldly asked the Chief Elder.

"Wei Shen, I will only warn you once! Don't forget the crest you wear and represent. You are a member of the Striding Falcon Sect, not the Wei clan. 

The same for the rest of you. Just because I was passive to the way you did your things do not think me a coward.

I may have done things that put shame on my title as Sect Master but do not for one second forget that I am the SECT MASTER OF THE STRIDING FALCON SECT! I will not hesitate to give my life for it..." sect master Pan Xue said as his body burst with a thick battle intent that made even the air shake.

"And I am not the only one who harbors those sentiments, be careful.." the sect master calmly added as he dispelled his pressure.