Wen Chang’s drastic change

"Now that the interloper is gone, we can resume where we left off," Yang Qing said as he waved his hand. A green-blue flame ignited the remaining bloodstains on the floor, and in an instant, it was as pristine black as before.

"Here, take this for your injuries," Yang Qing said, tossing a milky-white pill with two orange stripes. The stripes indicated its suitability for a specific cultivation realm—pills with one stripe were meant for those in the Qi stage, while even body refinement cultivators could safely consume half. Two-striped pills were suitable for foundation realm cultivators, while three-striped ones were meant for core formation experts. The number of stripes continued increasing up to five for domain realm cultivators.

As for pills usable by those in the soul formation stage, they required a special characteristic—one of which was the ability to induce a tribulation, much like a cultivator breaking through to a higher realm. Pills that survived tribulations were as rare as qilin horns and phoenix feathers. Any such pill could cause a major upheaval across the continent, and an alchemist capable of concocting one would be highly sought after, even in the Holy Lands.

Peng Zhen caught the pill, and with just a whiff, he felt his entire body being restored and revitalized. From that alone, he could tell this pill was of exceptional quality, even among others of its rank. Without hesitation, he consumed it.

Being forcibly freed from Dong Yanlin had torn his meridians, and he could feel that nearly a third of his blood essence had been drained when the technique was undone. As the pill dissolved in his dantian, a warm current spread throughout his body, repairing and strengthening everything in its path. Within half a minute, every damaged meridian and internal organ had been nourished. The pill even went so far as to purify his internal qi, making it denser and more fluid.

Peng Zhen was shocked. A single pill had accomplished what only mid-grade sky-rank treasures could—cleansing qi. Despite being mid-grade, such treasures fetched an exorbitant price due to the highly sought-after nature of their effects.

"Thank you, Judge Yang Qing," Peng Zhen said, offering a solemn bow.

"It's nothing. Giving you the pill isn't much of a sacrifice on my part. I have thousands of them just lying around. Since they're useless to me, I just treat them as candy—they have a sweet and refreshing flavor," Yang Qing said frivolously, acting like a spoiled young master.

Peng Zhen almost coughed up blood again when he heard those words—especially seeing Yang Qing's I can waste without care because I'm rich expression. He was even tempted to take a swing at him. To make matters worse, Yang Qing casually pulled out a handful of the same pills from his medallion and stuffed them into his mouth without a second thought.

"It seems you're not joining the Blood Ghost Hands Syndicate?" Yi Jie asked calmly, his face unreadable.

"I'm afraid we couldn't quite agree on the terms. Plus, I have a feeling the syndicate would work me to the bone even more than the Order—and the jobs would be riskier. I'd rather stay here and deal with one fiend than join a place that would make that geezer Lei Weiyuan seem like a saint," Yang Qing said as he walked back to his podium.

"Tsk." Yi Jie clicked his tongue, a small frown flashing across his face before vanishing just as quickly.

Yang Qing narrowed his eyes at him.

"This idiot… He wasn't joking. He really wanted me to become a lackey for the syndicate. How badly does he want to get rid of me?! Just you wait, Yi Jie—whatever hole Lei Weiyuan throws me into, I'll make sure to drag you INTO ALL OF THEM WITH ME. That should teach you—mmph!"

Yi Jie had been sitting coldly, staring forward like a seasoned expert, when suddenly, a deep shiver ran down his spine. It was as if some unseen danger was looming over him. Instinctively, he looked around—only to meet Yang Qing's venomous glare.

"What's this guy planning now…?" Yi Jie thought, unease creeping through his entire body.

"Ahem. Now, regarding the case of Sect Master Cheng Yuan vs. Wen Chang—I, Yang Qing, Superior Court Judge of the Order, hereby offer my verdict and judgment after having heard all sides of the story…"

CRACK.

Just as Yang Qing was about to continue, a soft cracking sound, like an egg breaking, echoed through the courtroom.

Cheng Yuan's expression immediately turned nervous yet hopeful as he glanced toward the source of the sound—the black blob surrounding Wen Chang. It had shrunk further, solidifying into an almost clay-like structure, now riddled with cracks.

Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen exchanged uncertain glances. Unlike Cheng Yuan, they had no idea what was inside that strange black mass. In the chaos of the courtroom events, they hadn't given it much thought. But now, as Peng Zhen observed Cheng Yuan's reaction, a realization dawned on him.

"So that's what's inside…" he mused.

"Good. Now we can have all members present for the final verdict," Yang Qing said, resting his chin on his interlocked fingers as he watched the black blob begin to shatter.

The cracks spread rapidly, covering its entire surface. However, the dramatic explosion Cheng Yuan had been expecting never came. Instead, once the cracks became as numerous as those of a dried riverbed, the entire structure silently dissolved into black vapor.

The vapor didn't dissipate into the air; instead, it flowed directly into Wen Chang's body, sinking into her skin as if being absorbed.

Cheng Yuan, Peng Zhen, and Gui Bingwen couldn't hide their surprise when they saw Wen Chang's current form. She looked entirely different from before.

For one, her size had drastically shrunk. Previously, she had been a towering 20 meters in height and girth, but now, she was no larger than a calf, standing at around one meter tall. Her coat, however, was what truly stood out. Even someone unfamiliar with spirit beasts would immediately recognize her as something special. The leaf symbol on her fur had become more vivid and lifelike, so much so that one might mistake it for an actual leaf resting on her body.

Upon closer inspection, one could see small glyph-like symbols etched along the midrib of the leaf. They shimmered in a radiant red hue, though their glow was subdued by the emerald green of the leaf, as if being swallowed by its brilliance.

"She seems to have gained more than I expected," Yang Qing mused. "Though if Sect Master Cheng Yuan makes full use of his own gains from today, his progress will be remarkable. But this sect… it really has some interesting people. Especially Peng Zhen. Who would have thought someone would be crazy enough to use that method to improve their pillars?"

His gaze lingered thoughtfully on Peng Zhen for a moment.

Just then, Wen Chang, who had kept her eyes shut, suddenly opened them. Her pupils were pitch-black, yet they held a profound wisdom hidden beneath their depths.

She blinked a few times as she took in her surroundings, readjusting to the courtroom. When her gaze finally landed on Cheng Yuan, she hesitated for a brief moment before bowing her head so low that it touched the floor.

"Thank you so much for taking care of me, Sect Master, and for tolerating my selfish outbursts and greed. I now realize how foolish and childish I've been. I will make sure to make up for it a hundredfold with this little life of mine and help shoulder the sect's burdens—if you'll allow me," Wen Chang said solemnly and softly.

Her remorse was evident, but so was a newfound maturity in her tone. She still had the voice transmission ball around her, using it to convey her thoughts.

"You are not at fault, Wen Chang. I, too, was to blame for neglecting my duty as Sect Master," Cheng Yuan said with a sigh. "You were born in the sect, making you an irreplaceable part of it. I became so focused on the bigger picture that I lost sight of what was right in front of me. I will have to shamelessly ask for your help—because the sect will need it for the trouble that awaits us."

Though relieved that Wen Chang was safe, the looming threat of the Ghost Hands Syndicate still weighed heavily on him. Worse still was the uncertain fate awaiting Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen. Even setting aside his personal ties to them, the sect could not afford to lose two peak foundation stage members at the same time.

Wen Chang was confused by his words but didn't dwell on them for long. Instead, she turned to Yang Qing and offered another deep bow of gratitude. She owed him her very life. Without his timely intervention, she might have lost her sanity, gone berserk, and ultimately imploded.

Not only had he saved her, but she had also gained far more than she expected. Her path forward felt clearer, her entire sense of self seemingly metamorphosed. The energy within her body had quadrupled compared to before. Though she appeared smaller, she was now strong enough to overpower four of her former selves with ease.

Only now did she realize how wasteful she had been. Her massive size was the result of inefficiently processing the energy from the herbs she consumed. Most of it had either been wasted or stored as fat instead of being properly refined and converted into her own strength. She had focused solely on consuming in large quantities rather than truly absorbing and utilizing each herb's essence.

Yet all this time, filled with righteous anger, all she had done was complain and cause a ruckus for feeling Cheng Yuan and the sect had shortchanged her when in truth she'd been squandering what she got.

This revelation filled her with even deeper remorse toward Cheng Yuan. She had squandered so much of what he had given her.

"Wen Chang, I'm glad you made it out okay. We've already reached a conclusion on your case, and Peng Zhen from your sect is here with us as well. Don't be alarmed—things are more complicated than they seem. Your Sect Master will fill you in on the details once we're done here," Yang Qing patiently explained.

Only now did she notice the two people standing to her right. Her emotions were conflicted, especially when she saw Peng Zhen. She had known him since she was a calf—he had practically raised her. She couldn't reconcile the man she remembered with the traitor she had assumed him to be. But she held back from an outburst.

She wasn't sure how, but some deep instinct told her that the people in this courtroom—Yi Jie, Feng Xin, Mao Yunru, and most of all, Yang Qing—were far more terrifying than they appeared, despite not releasing a hint of their cultivation. Something intrinsic warned her that they were not to be trifled with.

Yang Qing nodded appreciatively, seeing Wen Chang restrain herself.

"Now we can finally close this case. And this is only the first day of the week... The Order is as black-hearted as ever," he lamented inwardly. "Hopefully, when I'm at the palace courts next week, the cases will be simpler and fewer."