Dayuan Prefecture, Merit Department.
Within the grand and solemn black palace, the very air seemed to have solidified under an unseen layer of law and order.
In the center of the main hall, a massive plaque, black as ink with gilt characters, hung high above, bearing the words "Merit Mirror."
These two words were not just the symbol of the Merit Department, but also a sharp sword hanging over the heart of every Judge.
Here, merits and demerits were determined and the futures of Cultivators were judged. The greatest fear was making a mistake. With the slightest carelessness, a single stroke of the brush could destroy an innocent Cultivator’s entire life path or allow a truly wicked villain to escape the Law Net.
Therefore, cases with blurred lines, where merits and demerits were intertwined, were the most difficult to handle.
At this moment, behind a tall stack of documents, the vermilion brush in the hand of Zhu Wuji, the Merit Department Chief, hovered for a long time, unwilling to fall.
His gaze swept over the thick file on Chu Bai in his hands. His brow furrowed slightly, as if he were weighing a decision, or perhaps marveling at its contents.
"A graduate of the Daoist School, from the Anping Humble Family... All told, he’s only been cultivating for a few short years..."
Zhu Wuji murmured to himself, his fingertip tracing over the shocking milestones in the file: entering the Daoist School, receiving the White Talisman, becoming a Demon Slaying Officer, achieving Foundation Establishment.
"Such progress is nothing short of outrageous."
"If this file is accurate and not falsified, then this young man’s talent makes him a peerless prodigy, the likes of which our Dayuan Prefecture hasn’t seen in a thousand years!"
At this thought, Zhu Wuji set down the file. His gaze was like lightning as he looked at a middle-aged Judge standing in attendance below.
"Li De’an, has this record been thoroughly verified? Is any of it embellished?"
Before him, Li De’an, a Regular Eighth-Grade Merit Judge, took a step forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and spoke with a resolute expression:
"My Lord, it is absolutely true. I am willing to stake my official’s cap on it."
Li De’an paused, a nostalgic look appearing in his eyes. "Back then, during the Dayuan Prefecture Daoist School’s Immortal Official Examination, I was the one personally overseeing the test. I, along with several headmasters, awarded him the White Talisman."
"At the time, he was just a commoner with no rank, but his temperament and methods already showed a talent far surpassing his peers. His control over a battle and his ruthlessness made him the most promising prospect the Daoist School had seen since its founding."
"Furthermore, after Chu Bai was appointed, I personally reviewed the merits he earned on several occasions. The Godslaying at Sanmu River, breaking the stalemate at Threadline Gorge, eliminating the bandits at Chaotic Bone Ridge... Every single case is verifiable and absolutely stunning."
Hearing his subordinate’s confirmation, Zhu Wuji nodded slightly. The appreciation for such talent in his eyes grew stronger, but it was quickly replaced by a deep-seated dilemma.
"He is both a once-in-a-millennium prodigy and a true hero with solid accomplishments... But this time, he performed Foundation Establishment Without Talisman in the Cyan Nether Realm and even drained the entire realm’s Spiritual Mechanism. It’s truly difficult to determine the penalty for this crime."
Zhu Wuji’s fingers tapped lightly on the desktop, the crisp sound echoing through the vast, empty hall.
"Merit must be rewarded, and crime must be punished. Only then can we stay true to the founding principles of our Merit Department."
"If we only reward and do not punish, what becomes of the law? But if we only punish and do not reward, I fear we will chill the hearts of all Cultivators in the world and, what’s more, break this promising young sapling."
It was an impasse.
Just as Zhu Wuji was lost in thought, his expression flickered. He sensed several powerful auras descending from the clouds outside the hall.
Zhu Wuji let out a long breath and slowly rose to his feet. He straightened the justice robe on his shoulders, a symbol of absolute impartiality, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Let’s go."
He walked toward the exit with his hands behind his back, his voice echoing in the great hall.
"The other Lords involved in this matter should be arriving now."
In the back hall of the Merit Department, inside a secret chamber protected by layers of Restrictions designed to block out Celestial Secrets, the atmosphere was now stretched to its absolute limit, like a bowstring about to snap.
The Calm Heart Saliva incense on the low table had long since burned out, yet no one had lit a new stick. The air was filled with several distinct, yet equally terrifying, pressures that collided silently in the void, creating invisible ripples.
Seated in the host’s position was, naturally, the Merit Department Chief, Zhu Wuji.
To his left was Hee Wenyan, the Director of the Celestial Observatory and a Purple Mansion Master, dressed in purple robes with a cold and stunningly beautiful face.
To his right was an old man with a rigid face and stark white hair and beard. He wore a Magic Robe embroidered with black and white yin-yang fish, and he exuded an air of inhuman rigidity.
This was none other than Chang Buyu, the Chief of the Dao Record Department, who oversaw the registration of all Cultivators in Dayuan Prefecture and was known for being the most particular about rules.
Meanwhile, Shen Xuance, the Chief of the Examination Department, sat in the lowest-ranking seat, calmly holding his teacup, seemingly unconcerned by the impending storm.
"Everyone."
Zhu Wuji was the first to break the silence, tapping a finger on the file on the table. "The man has been brought here; he’s waiting in the front hall. We need to set the tone for these proceedings."
"Hmph."
A cold snort was the first response, coming from Chang Buyu of the Dao Record Department.
He slammed his teacup down, his expression dark. "Set what tone? Foundation Establishment Without Talisman makes one a Wild Cultivator! That is an iron law set down by the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou! If not for his pittance of merit, the law dictates we should cripple his Cultivation and throw him into the Death Prison!"
"A pittance of merit?"
Hearing this, Shen Xuance didn’t even lift his eyelids, merely stating faintly, "What arrogant words, Lord Chang. Slaying three Foundation Establishment Evil Gods and saving more than five thousand three hundred future pillars of the Court—you call that a pittance of merit? If that’s a pittance, then I wonder how many people under your jurisdiction, Lord Chang, have achieved such a great feat in the past century?"
"You!"
Chang Buyu was choked speechless for a moment, then his beard bristled. "Merit is merit, and a crime is a crime! The law cannot be ignored! If everyone were to follow his example and just break through whenever they felt like it, then what use is my Dao Record Department? What use are the Daoist Schools? Wouldn’t the world descend into chaos!"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Shen Xuance said languidly. "In that desperate situation, if he hadn’t broken through, he would have died, and he would have dragged five thousand people down with him.

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