Chapter 211: One Leaf, One Secret Realm
The Divine Wood Secret Realm has no concept of Nirvana!
Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi’s pupils violently trembled. The fact that the Divine Wood Secret Realm had not experienced Nirvana, what did that imply? It implied that the Spiritual Medicine and Spiritual Grass within had likely survived from Ancient Times until now, and perhaps in countless numbers!
The others present were also shaken. Not only the Cultivators from the Medical Affairs Department, but even the Cultivators from the Guardian Family side had shocked expressions. It was evident that the Guardian Family had not informed them of this situation regarding the Divine Wood Secret Realm in advance.
Seeing the fervent eyes of the Cultivators present, Xia Zhen felt annoyed and looked displement at Gu Xing. He didn’t understand why Gu Xing had revealed that the Divine Wood Secret Realm had never experienced Nirvana.
Was it to test people?
Previously, he had deliberately concealed the fact that the Divine Wood Secret Realm had not experienced Nirvana, only stating that different grades of Incense of Pills corresponded to different grades of Secret Realms. This was precisely to prevent Meng Qingyao and others from harboring greed and being controlled by it, leading them to make unrealistic decisions.
But now, Xia Zhen looked at his Grandson, Xia Ziyang, and saw that his eyes were no longer calm, churning with a determined emotion. His brows furrowed into a knot.
“Cough cough~”
Xia Zhen coughed heavily twice, interrupting everyone’s reverie. He glanced at Gu Xing and said sternly, “One must act within their capabilities and not aim too high. For Cultivators, Resources are merely aids; do not forget your fundamentals.”
Gu Xing chimed in, “Fellow Daoist Xia speaks the truth. While the Divine Wood Secret Realm is good, all good things in the world require a price to possess. The more you take, the greater the responsibility you must bear.” As he spoke, he surveyed the Cultivators present.
“Before lighting the Incense of Pills, you must think this through clearly. If you cannot bear the responsibility, or are unwilling to bear it, there is no need to step forward to worship the Divine Wood, nor is there any need to occupy the position of Hall Master.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the Hall Masters all turned their heads to look at Hua Changxi in unison, all feeling that Gu Xing’s words were directed at her.
Seeing the Hall Masters like this, the others also looked at Hua Changxi.
Surrounded by everyone’s gazes, Hua Changxi was utterly speechless. “Why are you all looking at me? Senior Gu is admonishing everyone, not just me.”
Huo Yunxiao gave her a look that said, ‘Don’t try to wriggle out of it.’ “After the Qihuang Hall Master is confirmed, you are the only one who has been neglecting the Qihuang Hall.”
Hua Changxi laughed in anger. “Yes, I haven’t been staying at the Qihuang Hall, but you all stay in the Hall every day. But what have you done? You haven’t even done a single day of the Qihuang Hall’s most basic Spreading the Dao and Lecturing. How dare you talk to me!”
Huo Yunxiao was unable to refute Hua Changxi, and could only say dryly, “We were going to lecture, it’s just that we haven’t had the chance yet. We’ll lecture after the new year.”
Hua Changxi scoffed. “You’re going to lecture without knowing anything? I’m afraid you’ll just spout nonsense and mislead disciples.”
These words made Huo Yunxiao a little angry. He rolled up his sleeves, put one hand on his hip, and pointed at Huo Yunxiao with the other. “Hua Changxi, I’m telling you, arguing is arguing, but don’t resort to personal attacks. How could I possibly spout nonsense? You are questioning my character.”
“Slap~”
Hua Changxi slapped him, leaving a red handprint directly on the back of Huo Yunxiao’s hand that was pointing at her.
Seeing that a single slap hadn’t knocked Huo Yunxiao’s hand down, Hua Changxi was about to strike again. At this moment, two heavy thuds of a walking stick hitting the ground sounded. Hua Changxi looked towards the sound and saw Gu Xing, leaning on his walking stick, with a stern expression and a long face, looking at her.
“Huo Yunxiao was pointing at me, this is legitimate self-defense.”
Huo Yunxiao looked at his burning hand, still not having recovered from the shock that Hua Changxi dared to hit him in public.
It wasn’t just Huo Yunxiao who hadn’t recovered; the others present also hadn’t expected Hua Changxi to resort to physical violence in public.
Chu Junhao’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably when he saw Hua Changxi make a move. Duan Yuyan, seeing his unusual expression, smiled and said, “Hua Changxi is quite unique. This person will likely be even harder to subdue.”
Chu Junhao remained silent.
On the other side, Dongfang Xu also clicked his tongue twice. “This Female Cultivator has quite a fiery temper. She shouldn’t be learning Alchemy; she should be learning Artifact Refining. If she learned Artifact Refining, her achievements would surely surpass those in Alchemy.”
Hearing his words, Meng Qingyao carefully observed Hua Changxi again. After Senior Gu appeared, he was indifferent to everyone, but he showed a hint of displeasure towards this Female Cultivator. Others might think Senior Gu disliked her, but she knew that one only shows displeasure when they have expectations.
Senior Gu values Hua Changxi greatly!
Gu Xing tapped the ground again with his walking stick. “Alright, the nine Hall Masters who received the Wooden Tokens will go first. Begin worshipping the Divine Wood now.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Lanzhou, the Hall Master of Number Four Hall, quickly spoke up. “Senior Gu, the Wooden Token was obtained by my Master, Master Zhang. I, as a Junior, dare not worship the Divine Wood in place of my Master. I have already sent a message to my Master, and he is on his way. Please wait a moment, Senior.”
Huo Yunxiao no longer cared about glaring at Hua Changxi for hitting him and added, “Senior Gu, it is the same for me.”
Different grades of Incense of Pills corresponded to different grades of Secret Realms, and there were only eighteen sticks of incense. Now that everyone knew that worshipping the Divine Wood first offered a greater chance of obtaining a high-grade Secret Realm, they naturally did not want to wait.
Seeing that Gu Xing remained silent, Xia Zhen smiled and said, “With so many people, it’s not good to just wait. How about we worship while we wait? When Minister Wei and Master Zhang arrive, whoever’s turn it is, they can worship first.”
Gu Xing nodded. “Alright, we’ll do as Fellow Daoist Xia suggests.”
Huo Yunxiao and Wen Lanzhou exchanged a helpless glance. Unable to change anything, they could only hope their respective Masters would arrive sooner.
Subsequently, the people from the Medical Affairs Department and those brought by the Guardian Family stood on either side of the offering table.
At the same time, the Plaza was surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. They dared not approach, stretching their necks to look towards the Stone Cauldron, creating a noisy and chaotic scene.
Xia Zhen looked at this scene with displeasure and said to Gu Xing, “Without anyone to maintain order, it’s simply not proper. ” As he spoke, his gaze softened as he looked at Meng Qingyao. “I hope the Sacred Land will select a Holy Lord soon. Once the Holy Lord is chosen, they can command the Holy Guard to come out and maintain order.”
Gu Xing followed his gaze and also looked at Meng Qingyao. After looking, his gaze involuntarily shifted to Hua Changxi. Seeing that she was still bickering with Huo Yunxiao at this moment, he helplessly withdrew his gaze.
In the crowd, Huo Yunxiao looked at Hua Changxi with a face full of anger. “Why do you resort to violence at the slightest disagreement?”
Hua Changxi’s tone was icy. “If you dare to point at me with your claws again, don’t just talk about hitting, I’ll chop off your claws.”
Huo Yunxiao wanted to point at Hua Changxi and curse again, but after extending his hand, he met Hua Changxi’s dangerous gaze and silently retracted it. “No man would like a woman like you.”
Hua Changxi condescendingly scanned Huo Yunxiao up and down. “A man like you, I wouldn’t want even if you were given to me for free.”
Huo Yunxiao was so angry he didn’t want to speak anymore. But if he didn’t say something, he felt like he had lost. Just as he was racking his brain for a retort, Gu Xing spoke again, addressing the nine Hall Masters who had received Wooden Tokens. “You will step forward to worship according to the numbering of your respective Qihuang Halls.”
The Hall Master of Number One Qihuang Hall was Mu Qingying. Mu Qingying was the first to worship, feeling somewhat nervous and unsure. She couldn’t help but look at Department Head Gu and her two Senior Brothers.
Department Head Gu then looked at Gu Xing. “Senior Gu, what should one pay attention to when worshipping the Divine Wood?”
Gu Xing replied, “Follow your heart.”
These words were as good as saying nothing.
Department Head Gu was a bit helpless. Looking at the three types of Incense of Pills on the offering table, he guessed that the condition for lighting the incense might be related to contributions to the Dan Sheng Hall. However, since he was unsure, he could only say to Mu Qingying, “Choose however you wish, according to your own thoughts.”
Mu Qingying walked to the offering table and looked at the three types of Incense of Pills. Her finger quickly brushed over the First Rank incense, and after lingering between the Second Rank and Third Grade incense for a while, she finally picked up a stick of Third Grade Incense. She walked to the Divine Wood Cauldron, bowed respectfully three times, and then she didn’t know what to do next.
“Senior Gu, how should I light the Incense of Pills?”
Gu Xing said, “Insert it directly into the Divine Wood Cauldron. If you can receive the Divine Wood Blessing, the Incense of Pills will ignite on its own.”
After hearing this, Mu Qingying bowed three more times to the Divine Wood Cauldron with the incense, and then nervously inserted it into the Divine Wood Cauldron.
As soon as the incense entered the cauldron, it quickly ignited without fire.
Green smoke continuously billowed out and quickly gathered in front of Mu Qingying, condensing into a green leaf about half the size of a palm in the blink of an eye.
The Incense of Pills burned out at a visible speed. The green smoke broke, the green leaf formed, and it floated into Mu Qingying’s hand.
As the leaf entered her hand, Mu Qingying’s heart stirred, and the green leaf merged into her body, disappearing.
Looking at the bright-eyed Mu Qingying, Xia Zhen happily explained to everyone, “That green leaf is the Key to the Divine Wood Secret Realm. Following the guidance of the Key, one can find the entrance to the Secret Realm and enter it.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi’s eyes flickered. A single green leaf could open a Secret Realm; was this the legendary “one leaf, one world”?
