Chapter 220: First Resource Allocation of the Dan Saint Hall

Gu Xing took the Seven-Vein Divine Wood Leaf, then Hua Changxi and Meng Qingyao each picked up a Three-Lamp Incense; perhaps there was a hidden competitive spirit in both their hearts, and they inserted the incense into the Divine Wood Cauldron almost simultaneously.

Xia Zhen wanted to stop them but it was too late. Only when he saw both incenses burning at the same time did he heave a deep sigh of relief.

At that moment, his heart suddenly jolted—in his own mind, he had already come to believe that Meng Qingyao, carefully nurtured by the Xia family, might not be able to surpass Hua Changxi.

The third-grade incense soon burned out. Two Three-Vein Divine Wood Leaves floated in midair. Meng Qingyao simply turned to look at Xia Zhen, but Hua Changxi directly waved at Gu Xing: "Senior Gu, come quickly and take the Divine Wood Leaves."

Seeing Hua Changxi's matter-of-fact attitude, Gu Xing did not put on a show of modesty. He stepped forward ahead of Xia Zhen and straightforwardly collected both Divine Wood Leaves.

At this sight, Xia Zhen's eyes went wide. In his expectation, the two lower-grade secret realms should have been managed one each by him and Gu Xing.

Now that all three secret realms were in Gu Xing's hands, even if he could participate in managing them in the future, it would only be in a supporting role.

Gu Xing looked at Xia Zhen: "Brother Xia, once I've thought through how to manage the three public secret realms, I'll discuss the specific management details with you."

Xia Zhen felt extremely stifled at this moment. As the Protector, he ought to be the foremost authority in the Medical Affairs Department, but now he had to humble himself beneath Gu Xing.

Although filled with indignation, Xia Zhen managed to control his emotions.

He knew that even though he was the Protector, Gu Xing, as the gatekeeper of the Alchemy Saint Hall, had a more legitimate claim to managing the public secret realms.

"Alright. For the early restoration of the Alchemy Saint Hall to the world, I will surely assist Brother Gu in managing the three public secret realms to the best of my ability."

Seeing that Gu Xing had become the supreme authority over the three public secret realms, Wei Zhenjie and Heavenly Master Zhang exchanged a knowing smile. Even the Prince of Shou, seeing that the Protector family had gained no advantage, looked considerably brighter.

As for the others present, on the Medical Affairs Department side, since the people from the Protector family had immediately vied for the position of hall master upon arrival, they were naturally pleased to see Xia Zhen suffer a setback.

Meanwhile, the cultivators from the Protector family all felt aggrieved and resentful on Xia Zhen's behalf. In their view, the Protector had made great contributions to the Four Spirit Realm and deserved the support of everyone.

Dongfang Hao had no particular objection; Hua Changxi was not wrong—having Gu Xing manage the three public secret realms was indeed the fairest and most impartial arrangement.

Only...

Compared to others whose attention was fixed on the three public secret realms, Dongfang Hao focused his attention on Hua Changxi as a person.

In terms of taking the initiative, Qingyao truly fell far short of Hua Changxi.

That was also true—Qingyao was a junior carefully nurtured by the Xia family, and the Meng family was an old cultivation clan. Having never lacked cultivation resources since childhood, she was certainly no match for Hua Changxi, who came from a small, humble household.

Meng Yuchuan also held a strong grudge against Hua Changxi. He said coldly, "Qingyao is too bound by propriety, while that Hua Changxi, when she sees something good, is like a vicious dog seeing food—she knows nothing of decency or humility. Qingyao, going up against her, is bound to suffer losses."

Hearing this, Dongfang Hao immediately furrowed his brows.

Dongfang Xu also strongly disagreed: "Brother Meng, your words are too caustic."

Meng Yuchuan, recalling the temperament of the Dongfang brothers, softened his tone: "I was too extreme. I'm just too worried about Qingyao. A cultivator from as low a background as Hua Changxi is very difficult to get along with."

Dongfang Xu: "Whether a person is easy to get along with has nothing to do with their background, does it?"

Meng Yuchuan laughed: "Xu-di, you're still too inexperienced. People from low backgrounds have an extremely strong sense of gain and loss; they have to haggle over everything. Why does Hua Changxi have a bad relationship with her family? Isn't it because they are constantly calculating with one another?"

Dongfang Xu felt that Meng Yuchuan was not a member of the Hua family and didn't know the internal situation, so he shouldn't make casual judgments. But he couldn't find a reason to refute him, so he simply stopped arguing.

Seeing that neither Dongfang Xu nor Dongfang Hao responded, Meng Yuchuan also stopped saying anything else.

All eighteen sticks of alchemical incense were lit, and the confrontation and contest triggered by the sudden appearance of the Protector in the Medical Affairs Department was finally over.

However, its effects were just beginning.

The eighteen secret realms bestowed by the Divine Tree could be considered the first allocation of resources by the Alchemy Saint Hall.

And those who obtained secret realms, by mastering the resources within them, had ascended to the positions of the first batch of power-holders in the Sacred Land.

As long as they could hold onto this position and manage the secret realms well, when the Alchemy Saint Hall was restored in the future, these people would become the founding elders of the Sacred Land.

Except for a few, the vast majority of those present came from noble backgrounds and were no strangers to the workings of power. Those who had obtained secret realms were thinking of finding followers; those who hadn't were also sizing up the realm masters, intending to carve up the resources.

The ones who were targeted first were naturally Hua Changxi and Meng Qingyao, who had obtained high-grade secret realms.

With the backing of the Xia and Meng families, it was not easy to get a share from Meng Qingyao. But Hua Changxi was different—no backing, no connections, low background, and little knowledge—she was the best target for "carving up."

Even Xia Zhen and Wei Zhenjie were considering how to win Hua Changxi over.

Xia Zhen spoke first, smiling at those who had obtained secret realms: "Everyone, for the sake of the Sacred Land's early restoration, I will remain in the Medical Affairs Department from now on. Regarding the management of the Divine Wood Secret Realms, I believe all realm masters must discuss it together. What does everyone think?"

In his view, gathering all realm masters together would not only make it convenient for him to keep track of their thoughts and ideas but also, through discussion, legitimately intervene in the direction of the Alchemy Saint Hall's development.

Among those who had obtained secret realms, the Medical Affairs Department side included Hua Changxi, Mu Qingying, Yuan Tianchou, Shen Qianfan, Heavenly Master Zhang, and members of the four princely houses of different surnames; the Protector family side included the five Protector families and Meng Qingyao.

These people—excluding Hua Changxi and Shen Qianfan—all had their own social circles and understood the importance and necessity of building connections.

Since they were all members of the sacred land now, when the Alchemy Saint Hall was revealed in the future, everyone would surely have to work together; they would see each other all the time, so making friends and getting to know each other in advance was still very necessary.

Therefore, Mu Qingying and the others voiced no objection.

Just when Xia Zhen thought everyone would agree, Hua Changxi, who disliked being constrained, spoke up: "Senior Xia, since the Divine Tree granted this secret realm to me, how I manage the secret realm is my own business. There’s no need to discuss it at all."

Xia Zhen truly felt that Hua Changxi was a bit like a troublemaker. Didn’t this girl understand what obedience meant? He took a deep breath: "Friend Hua, your words are mistaken. The development of the secret realm is not your affair alone; it concerns the reappearance of the Alchemy Saint Hall..."

Hua Changxi detested people whose mouths were full of righteousness and responsibility while their hearts were filled with selfish desires. She interrupted directly: "Senior Xia, you are a Dao Protector, not the lord of the sacred land. The reappearance of the Alchemy Saint Hall is not something that can be discussed by a few secret realm masters gathered together."

After speaking, she glanced at the sky, which was already growing late.

"Today is New Year’s Eve, aren’t you all going home to reunite with your families? It’s getting late; I have to go home. I won’t chat with everyone any longer. Goodbye."

Watching Hua Changxi stride away, everyone was dumbfounded. They had never seen such an “unrestrained” person.

Prince Shou looked at Xia Zhen, who was so angry he seemed about to burst into a towering rage, and felt like laughing up at the sky. He said to Chu Junhao beside him: "This Hua Changxi truly shows no face to anyone."

Chu Junhao twitched the corner of his mouth. He hadn’t expected Hua Changxi to be so “willful” either. He gave an awkward laugh: "That’s just how people with true temperament are, I suppose."

Heavenly Master Zhang couldn’t stay calm at this moment either: "Hua Changxi and Changxin look exactly alike, but their temperaments are truly..."

Wen Lanzhou took over: "Truly two completely opposite types of people. Senior Sister Changxi is the most considerate and thorough person."

Heavenly Master Zhang thought of the Hua family’s situation: "A temperament like Hua Changxi’s might be because no one taught her."

Wen Lanzhou nodded in agreement: "If Hua Changxi keeps being so uninhibited, she will definitely suffer greatly. She has completely offended Senior Xia today."

Huo Yunxiao cut in: "The way Hua Changxi acts is indeed a bit reckless. But I have to say, I’m a little envious. There aren’t many people who can live as freely as she does."

"Freely?"

Jiexian of the Xiangguo Temple overheard and smiled, shaking his head: "Curator Hua can’t even manage the most basic self-restraint. How can she be considered free?"