Light Fortress
Chapter 322 - 19 Grand Judge

Chapter 322: Chapter 19 Grand Judge

"Crash——"

Countless glasses shattered.

Arcs of light refracted, and fragments fell from the dome of the Taoist School.

A bright flame flickered among the countless shattered glasses, frozen in time!

Gu Shen furrowed his brows...

This was his duel with Shen Li!

In the midst of the fight, he was about to win when someone intervened. What was this supposed to mean?

Moreover... he knew what that fluttering robe in the distance signified.

The embroidered epaulettes on the robe symbolized the authority of a Judge from the Judgement Institute!

Shen Li, utterly disoriented and powerless to fight any longer, looked at the figure blocking his path, his gaze gradually becoming more lucid.

Only then did he realize what he had done and with difficulty, he spoke to address him.

"Teacher..."

This man was... from the Judgement Institute, the Fourth Judge!

This figure, who under no circumstances should have appeared in today’s duel, ultimately broke convention and intervened!

Gu Shen’s Chi Huo was held in the palm of the Fourth Judge.

The Judge seemed quite young from his appearance—his skin tight and his features defined but his hair was completely white, flowing down his back, giving him an ethereal, transcendent aura.

He did not harm the Chi Huo, merely cupped it gently in his hand and then as if releasing a captured insect, he opened his palm.

Gu Shen, remaining vigilant, squinted his eyes and summoned, the scattered Chi Huo gathering back together in thousands of strands.

The Fourth Judge softly said, "Gu Shen... you won. Let it be."

The very moment he intervened in the Taoist School, watched by hundreds of eyes, was tantamount to declaring the duel over.

Out of a desire to protect his student... he ultimately chose to step in.

Just as the strand of Chi Huo struck Shen Li between his brows, Gu Shen wanted to do something, but it was already too late to stop it.

Though he recognized his own victory.

Yet, Gu Shen still found it somewhat ironic... this Judge had always remained unseen, but he had been watching the duel at the Taoist School the entire time. If the one facing defeat had been him, would he have still appeared?

Naturally, he would not have.

Chu Jue and Zou He hurried to the fighting platform to support their junior brother.

The [Iron Eater] discontinued his frenzied state, and Shen Li’s face looked ghastly. The iron elements still chaotically floating around him; he had the power to absorb them but lacked the control to restore them to their places.

The scent of rust spread throughout the Taoist School, intensely pungent.

"... I lost?"

To this day, Shen Li still couldn’t accept that he had been defeated.

Having regained his composure, no matter how he looked, Gu Shen didn’t seem like his match!

"No... I won’t accept this..."

Shen Li suddenly raised his head, shrugged off the two helping him, and stared fixedly at Gu Shen, declaring, "I want to fight you again!"

The two senior brothers felt somewhat awkward.

The Fourth Judge deeply furrowed his brows.

Seeing this, Gu Shen nearly failed to suppress a laugh.

He shook his head, his voice light and indifferent, "You have already been defeated... what is there left to fight about?"

"You..."

Shen Li recalled the abnormality when his [Iron Eater] touched Gu Shen—the force that should have dispersed the opponent was suppressed instantly... that guy seemed to possess a bizarre power that he couldn’t understand.

A power to manipulate the iron elements even more exquisitely than he could!

Could it be the power of that strand of Chi Huo?

Or perhaps... a sealed item he concealed deep within?

"Are you afraid?" Shen Li gritted his teeth, "If you truly merit an S-rank, then fight me again... a fair and square match!"

Childish.

Foolish.

Gu Shen, looking at Shen Li, who was only a few years his junior, shook his head in disappointment.

"You say we fight, and then say we don’t... do you think this is your home?" Gu Shen spoke softly. "Brother Shen, you’ve lost, and you need to accept it."

The white-haired Judge furrowed his brows.

Without even speaking, he subtly snapped his fingers inside his sleeve.

Shen Li, his expression anger-filled, wanted to say more, but he found his mouth uncontrollably shutting... veins popped on Shen Li’s forehead, yet he couldn’t utter a word.

To silence someone, this method was the simplest and most direct!

"Actually... it’s not that we can’t fight again."

Gu Shen suddenly smiled again, his voice gentle, "If you wish for another round, I am more than willing to oblige. But this bout needs some stakes, right? After all, everyone’s time is precious."

Chu Jue frowned and whispered, "Gu Shen... what do you mean?!"

Gu Shen ignored the fellow.

He looked meaningfully at the Fourth Judge and earnestly said, "Grand Judge, I traveled a thousand miles from Da Du to Changye, actually to witness the famed Grain Rain Volume."

In Changye, Gu Changzhi left behind the Jingzhe Scroll and the Grain Rain Volume, collectively known as "Spring Breathing"!

There are no replicas available, and they cannot be taken away!

To view these two scrolls, one must come to Changye; there were no other options... The Jingzhe Scroll is at the Judgement Institute, and the Grain Rain Volume is at the Judgement Institute. The only way to complete the "Spring Breathing" is by viewing both scrolls within the two institutes!

As is well known.

Both Jingzhe and Grain Rain, even if one views them separately... are top-tier breathing techniques!

On the path of Extraordinary Cultivation, it’s crucial not to bite off more than one can chew... mastering one of these scrolls fully is already a great fortune!

Thus, the viewing threshold for these two breathing scrolls within both institutes is set very high, and only Transcendents who are taught by "well-known teachers" and possess "exceptional talent" are allowed to view them.