"Now, seeing this Chu Bai has such a profound foundation and an extraordinary Dao Foundation, wouldn’t it be a terrible waste to destroy him? Why not... have him join my Celestial Observatory? He can sign a contract, serve as an official for a hundred years, and work for the Observatory to repay his debt. How about it?"
"What?!"
Chang Buyu was dumbfounded, frozen on the spot as if struck by a bolt from the blue.
"You... Director Hee, just now in the back hall, you clearly said..."
He pointed at Hee Wenyan, his finger trembling. ’This woman! In the private chamber just a moment ago, she was the one who proposed refining him into a Daoist Soldier, so how, in the blink of an eye, has that turned into "serving as an official for a hundred years" here in the main hall?!’
’This is hardly a punishment; it’s a blatant recruitment! Although he’d have to sign an indenture contract, this is a formal position within the Celestial Observatory!’
"That was then, this is now."
Hee Wenyan paid no mind to Chang Buyu’s fury. Her only concern was maximizing benefits. A living Foundation Establishment prodigy with limitless potential was worth more than a hundred times a mindless Daoist Soldier.
She said coolly, "With this young man’s talent and methods, a hundred years should be more than enough to compensate for the Celestial Observatory’s losses this time.
We might even... turn a hefty profit."
"That’s unacceptable! Foundation Establishment Without Talisman can’t be judged so lightly..." Chang Buyu tried to argue further.
"Indeed!"
Shen Xuance, who had been on edge the entire time, saw an opening and refused to let the perfect opportunity pass. He quickly chimed in loudly:
"Lord Hee has a brilliant perspective! Chu Bai is exceptionally talented and has also performed a great service. It would be too much of a waste to simply execute him.
It would be far better to let him atone for his crime through meritorious service. Letting his useful self serve the Court and the Celestial Observatory would be making the best use of him, and it would also demonstrate the benevolence of our Great Zhou, showing mercy beyond the law!"
"Director Zhu, what are your thoughts?" Shen Xuance directly passed the matter to the chief judge.
Chang Buyu’s face was livid. Looking at Hee Wenyan who had switched sides in an instant and Shen Xuance who was opportunistically jumping on the bandwagon, he felt a tightness in his chest and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
’So after all this fuss, was he the only bad guy here, the one trying to have someone put to death?’
In the main hall, the atmosphere turned somewhat strange due to Hee Wenyan’s "recruitment offer."
Chang Buyu was still fuming, while Shen Xuance was going with the flow. Both were waiting for the chief judge, Zhu Wuji, to make the final decision.
However, upon hearing this, Zhu Wuji, seated on the high platform, didn’t relax his brow. Instead, he frowned deeply.
He looked at the upright young man in the hall below. Although he too was inclined to spare the life of this rare talent, unwilling to see a prodigy fall, Hee Wenyan’s proposal...
’"Join the Celestial Observatory and serve as an official for a hundred years?"’
Zhu Wuji sneered inwardly. ’This is hardly a punishment. This is clearly finding the boy a powerful backer in an organization overseen by a Purple Mansion Master! The Celestial Observatory has limitless resources and a transcendent status. A sentence like this, while called ’repaying a debt,’ would in reality be an opportunity for him to gain prestige.’
’If I set this precedent, wouldn’t all the Noble Family Descendants try to do the same in the future?’
’Today, one destroys a Spirit Realm and gets "punished" by going to the Celestial Observatory. Tomorrow, another trespasses in a Forbidden Land and gets to "serve a post" in the Dao Record Department. Wouldn’t the laws of the Great Zhou become a complete joke?’
"Unacceptable."
Zhu Wuji’s voice was steady, yet it boomed like a great bell, instantly silencing the noise in the hall.
His refusal was absolute and unequivocal, leaving no room for negotiation.
"The Merit Department wields the power of punishment in Dayuan Prefecture. If our judgments cannot reassure the public and uphold justice, wouldn’t we become a place that bends the law for personal gain?"
Zhu Wuji’s gaze swept over his colleagues, his tone solemn. "While I am willing to hear the opinions of my fellow Directors and take them into consideration, I will never make a rash judgment because of them, much less turn punishment into a transaction."
With that, he ignored the others’ reactions and slowly rose to his feet, the majestic aura befitting a ’Judge’ rising to its zenith.
"You must all be clear: although this is a single case, it must be judged in two parts."
Zhu Wuji held up two fingers and stated with perfect clarity:
"The first crime is Foundation Establishment Without Talisman. This is a prohibited act."
"The second crime is the destruction of the Spirit Realm. This is a loss to the public."
"Regarding the matter of Foundation Establishment Without Talisman..."
Zhu Wuji’s gaze fell on Chu Bai, a glint in his eye. "I have investigated and found that this young man’s foundation is pure and righteous. There is no trace of him cultivating any Evil Technique, nor has he colluded with any truly villainous Wild Cultivator organizations. His breakthrough to Foundation Establishment was a natural culmination of events, achieved under desperate circumstances when Heaven and Earth themselves were moved."
This statement definitively established Chu Bai’s identity—not as an Evil Demon, but as a genius who had violated protocol.
This point saved Chu Bai’s life.
But immediately after, Zhu Wuji flipped his palm, and the black Official Seal, symbolizing the highest judicial authority in Dayuan Prefecture, was now firmly in his grasp.
"However, the law cannot be ignored. Since a prohibition was violated, a punishment must be served—and a heavy one at that, to serve as a warning to future generations!"
The high-hanging Merit Mirror plaque seemed to sense the summons of the Official Seal, shooting out a black-and-red pillar of light that enveloped the entire hall.
Upon seeing this, Chang Buyu, Hee Wenyan, and Shen Xuance all turned solemn and fell silent. They knew that the moment Zhu Wuji brought out the Official Seal was the moment of final judgment, a time when no one could interfere.
"The Verdict of Dayuan Prefecture—"
Zhu Wuji’s majestic and powerful voice echoed throughout the hall:
"Candidate Chu Bai, though you have the merit of saving others, by achieving Foundation Establishment Without Talisman, you have violated an iron law. The death penalty may be spared, but you cannot escape punishment."
"The sentence is: You are stripped of the right to reside in Dayuan Prefecture and are hereby exiled to the Extreme North Land! You must travel on foot, and only after journeying thirty thousand li may you return!"
Exile to the Extreme North!
Hearing this, the heavy stone in Shen Xuance’s heart finally fell, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
Although the Extreme North Land was bitterly cold and perilous, with Demons running rampant, it was also an excellent place to temper a Cultivator. For a Cultivator who had just reached Foundation Establishment and desperately needed real combat to stabilize his Realm, this was not just a punishment, but a trial.

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