Chapter 213: Eighth Rank Divine Wood Secret Realm
Hua Changxi was not surprised that Gu Jin Fan failed to ignite the incense of pills. Although Gu Jin Fan was suspected to be a reborn individual and knew the future development direction of the Dan Sheng Hall, she had not done anything specific to benefit the Dan Sheng Hall, so it was normal for her not to receive the Divine Wood Blessing.
In front of the offering table, Gu Jin Fan had also intended to re-worship the Divine Wood. As soon as he showed such an expression, he was impatiently waved away by Xia Zhen and could only retreat to his original position absentmindedly.
Next up were Shen Qianfan from Hall Number Eleven and Zhu Qinghuan from Hall Number Twelve.
Shen Qianfan knew his own capabilities well and, without hesitation, directly chose the third-grade incense. After worshipping the Divine Wood, he successfully obtained a Divine Wood Leaf.
Zhu Qinghuan hesitated a bit when choosing the incense of pills, but in the end, she took the third-grade incense. She thought she would also receive a Divine Wood Leaf like the people before her, but a strange thing happened: she couldn’t even ignite the third-grade incense.
“What’s going on?”
Zhu Qinghuan stood before the offering table, flustered and unsure of what to do. Everyone else watching this scene was also confused.
Xia Zhen looked at Zhu Qinghuan with inquiry. He was a bit puzzled. Logically, obtaining a wooden token meant being recognized by the Sacred Land. If one was recognized by the Sacred Land, the Divine Wood would surely bestow some blessing, and this female cultivator should at least receive a secret realm of the lowest grade.
Gu Xing also frowned, scrutinizing the bewildered and helpless Zhu Qinghuan. Unable to understand what was happening for a moment, he could only wave for Zhu Qinghuan to step down.
Zhu Qinghuan dejectedly retreated to her original position, her face full of confusion and bewilderment.
Huo Yunxiao muttered to Hua Changxi, “Could it be that Zhu Qinghuan didn’t get the wooden token, but someone gave it to her?”
Hua Changxi thought it was unlikely. If that were the case, Old Master Gu would surely know, but judging by Old Master Gu’s expression, he was clearly also perplexed.
“Alright, stop thinking about it. It’s your turn,” Huo Yunxiao urged Hua Changxi.
Hua Changxi glanced at him and strode towards the offering table.
Upon reaching the offering table, Hua Changxi’s gaze fell directly on the first-grade and second-grade incense. She had ignited the pill fire of First Street, unlocked nine Qihuang Halls, and opened Number One Qihuang Hall, so she had definitely contributed to the Dan Sheng Hall.
She was just unsure of the extent of this contribution.
Igniting the second-grade incense should be possible, but with the better first-grade incense available, she naturally wanted the better one.
Should she take a gamble?
Hua Changxi quickly glanced at Xia Zhen. The fact that he had brought out three grades of incense was certainly not for show; he likely believed someone among the people he brought could ignite the first-grade incense.
She guessed that the person who could ignite the first-grade incense was likely Meng Qingyao.
Meng Qingyao had ignited the pill fire of Second Street, and Xia Zhen felt she could ignite the first-grade incense. While Second Street was above First Street, Hua Changxi had also opened Qihuang Halls, so in terms of contribution, she was on par with Meng Qingyao.
With this thought, Hua Changxi’s hand reached out towards the first-grade incense.
Seeing another person who didn’t know their limits pick up the first-grade incense, Xia Zhen felt speechless. He sneered and shook his head, looking at Gu Xing. As expected, he saw Gu Xing’s face tighten and said, “Young people always have to stumble before they know their own limitations.”
Hearing this, Gu Xing was startled. He looked at Xia Zhen and said nothing.
Hua Changxi also looked at Xia Zhen. She was very displeased with the contempt in his tone towards her, but considering so many people were watching, she decided not to argue with him. However, after enduring it for a while, she felt a strong urge to gamble, so she spoke up.
“Senior, choosing which incense is my freedom. Even if I get nothing in the end, I will accept it.”
“As someone from a Guardian Family and an elder, not only do you not encourage the younger generation, but you also discourage them. How can you do that?”
“The reason young people are young is because they dare to think, dare to act, dare to strive, and dare to venture. Of course, this is the hot-blooded spirit that the elderly lack. It’s understandable that you don’t understand.”
This was the first time Xia Zhen had been openly contradicted and rebuked by a junior, and for a moment, he was taken aback.
The others were also in a state of shock.
The people from the Medical Affairs Department had smirks on their faces. The Xia Family had aggressively brought the young descendants of several major hidden families to compete with them for Qihuang Halls. Due to their status as Guardians, they had directly suppressed them, forcing even Prince Shou to retreat.
Inwardly, Prince Shou and the others felt very aggrieved. Seeing Hua Changxi stand up and slap Xia Zhen in the face now made them feel secretly delighted.
Prince Shou whispered to Chu Junhao, “I quite like Hua Changxi’s temper, of course, provided she’s on our side.” If Hua Changxi’s fiery temper were directed at him, the situation would be quite unpleasant.
Chu Junhao smiled and replied, “Hua Changxi has a temper, but it’s usually directed at the situation, not the person. She didn’t intentionally go against Imperial Uncle before.”
Prince Shou heard his nephew speaking up for Hua Changxi and shook his head in disagreement, “She’s the kind of person who lacks reverence. Such people are difficult to subdue.”
Chu Junhao smiled, “Then we won’t subdue her.”
Prince Shou glanced at Chu Junhao and said no more. The scene of Hua Changxi refuting Xia Zhen just now made him realize that if Hua Changxi were used well, she could be a good blade. He then stopped caring what his nephew intended to do.
On the other side, the cultivators from the Guardian Family were indignant and resentful of Hua Changxi’s disrespect towards Xia Zhen.
“This Hua Changxi is truly ill-bred. Which prominent family would fancy a young woman like her?”
“Forget prominent families; even in ordinary households, someone with her temperament is extremely unlikable.”
Meng Qingyao listened to the whispers around her, feeling a bit dazed. Looking at Hua Changxi, who firmly defended herself against Xia Zhen, the words of her ancestor suddenly echoed in her mind.
“The strong do not need to be liked.”
“Qingyao, you must remember, you are now a cultivator. You no longer need to abide by the worldly expectations for women. You must be like a man, naturally and brilliantly, to contend for everything you desire.”
Meng Yuchuan had been agreeing with others and complaining about Hua Changxi. When he noticed his sister’s expression change, he quickly asked with concern, “Qingyao, what’s wrong?”
Meng Qingyao looked at her brother, then at the Dongfang Brothers looking at her with concern, and murmured, “I have a premonition that this Hua Changxi might be my greatest opponent.”
Meng Yuchuan was stunned, then chuckled, “That’s unlikely. Someone who seeks attention is not qualified to be compared with my sister.”
Dongfang Hao added, “Hua Changxi’s defiance of Senior Xia, while seemingly bold, is actually foolish. Making an enemy of someone with no conflict of interest will not lead her far. Indeed, she is not worth worrying about.”
Meng Qingyao listened, her thoughts somewhat chaotic. On one hand, she admired Hua Changxi’s courage to defend her in front of Senior Xia. On the other hand, she felt Dongfang Hao was right; offending someone with higher authority than oneself was indeed unwise.
Cultivators from both sides were whispering about Hua Changxi’s actions. Gu Xing looked at the nonchalant Hua Changxi with a heart full of helplessness.
This girl is too carefree and doesn’t know self-restraint at all. With her emotions so openly displayed, she cannot be a power holder. She truly needs to stumble a few more times to understand that dealing with people requires tempering one’s sharpness.
On Xia Zhen’s side, he had also recovered from the shock of being publicly refuted. Just as he was about to regain his dignity, Hua Changxi had already stood before the Divine Wood Cauldron and was performing the kowtow.
“Divine Wood above, disciple Hua Changxi bows in reverence. Now that Spiritual Energy is reviving and the path to immortality is treacherous, my cultivation path is fraught with obstacles, and medicinal materials are scarce and difficult to find. I hope the Divine Wood will show mercy and bestow a high-grade secret realm to help this disciple reach the pinnacle of Alchemy.”
After completing the three kowtows and nine bows, Hua Changxi stood up and respectfully inserted the first-grade incense in her hand into the Divine Wood Cauldron.
As the incense entered the cauldron, accompanied by a slight “sizzle,” sparks of light instantly spread from the tip of the incense.
Following that, wisps of green smoke quietly emerged from the edges of the flames. The curling smoke rose, carrying a rich incense of pills, and the aroma quickly permeated the plaza.
Hua Changxi was closest to the smoke. The moment she smelled the aroma, she entered a profound and mysterious state. She clearly felt her vision rapidly lose focus, but soon, a towering giant tree appeared in her sight.
Outside the giant tree, a straight plume of smoke continued to rise, passing through layer after layer of branches and leaves.
‘Up, further up!’
The layers of the giant tree’s branches and leaves were too distinct. In an instant, Hua Changxi thought of the grade of the secret realm. She immediately understood that the higher the green smoke rose, the higher the grade of the secret realm obtained.
Unfortunately, as the green smoke passed the seventh layer of branches, it began to struggle, wavering as if about to dissipate.
Hua Changxi didn’t know the highest grade of the Divine Wood Secret Realm, nor could she control how long the incense of pills would burn. Just as she was preparing to receive a seventh-grade secret realm, the Shen Nong Cauldron in her mind vibrated.
In an instant, the pill smoke, which was about to dissipate, surged up again, quickly passing the eighth layer of branches and heading straight for the ninth layer.
Unfortunately, another accident occurred. When the pill smoke reached the ninth layer of branches, it was still dense, but it couldn’t penetrate the ninth layer of branches no matter what.
‘Come on, go up~’
Hua Changxi shouted frantically in her heart, so engrossed that her face turned red.
“Clang~”
In her mind, the Shen Nong Cauldron vibrated again. This time, it directly shook the smoke, causing it to dissipate.
Hua Changxi regretfully opened her eyes with a “whoosh.” She clearly felt that if the smoke had exerted a little more force, it would have broken through the ninth layer of branches, but it was dissipated by the Shen Nong Cauldron.
Before she could lament, she met a pair of wide-eyed, stunned gazes.
Seeing Xia Zhen staring intently at the Divine Wood Leaf in front of her, Hua Changxi unhesitatingly caught the Divine Wood Leaf. As soon as it entered her hand, it quickly merged into her body and hovered within her Dantian.
