Chapter 412: Hua Changxi Is Just a Nascent Soul Cultivator

That was a fiery red figure.

Under the sunlight, the figure was like blazing flames, both dazzling and radiating an intense, inviolable majesty.

She stood quietly among the crowd, as if she had suddenly appeared, yet also as if she had long been standing in the square.

Without words, without movement, just by existing, this fiery red figure plunged the entire noisy square into an eerie silence, and everyone's mind was firmly captivated by her.

"Is she Hua Changxi?"

Xia Ji squinted his eyes, staring straight at the fiery red figure.

Xia Zhen had imagined various ways Hua Changxi would appear, but never thought she would show up so silently before the crowd. After a moment of daze, he nodded: "Yes, she is Hua Changxi."

Meng Qingyao asked urgently: "Master, what cultivation level is Hua Changxi? Is she the master of Lingguang Hall?"

Xia Ji glanced at her, and only after his gaze returned to Hua Changxi did he speak: "Hua Changxi's current cultivation isn't even as high as yours. She is merely a Nascent Soul realm cultivator who hasn't even opened her Spirit Platform."

"Ah—"

"Really?!"

Meng Qingyao and Xia Zhen's voices, filled with shock and disbelief, sounded one after another.

Xia Zhen said quickly: "Elder, are you sure you didn't misjudge? Is Hua Changxi really only a Nascent Soul realm cultivator?"

Xia Ji looked at him: "Are you questioning the Realm-Viewing Technique of the Xia family?"

Xia Zhen quickly shook his head.

Xia Ji ignored him and continued to frown at Hua Changxi: "The Xia family's Realm-Viewing Technique can see through the foundation of a cultivator's realm. Whether Hua Changxi has cultivated a breath-concealing technique or wears a high-grade artifact that hides her aura, before the Realm-Viewing Technique, her cultivation level cannot be concealed."

"As of now, Hua Changxi is merely a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Hearing Xia Ji's so certain words, both Xia Zhen and Meng Qingyao were somewhat dumbfounded.

Regarding the rumor that Hua Changxi is the master of Lingguang Hall, although both of them subjectively hoped it was false, as some 'evidence' was continuously uncovered, they had gone from complete disbelief to somewhat believing.

But now they were told that Hua Changxi is only a Nascent Soul realm cultivator with an unopened Spirit Platform, which was truly beyond their expectations.

After all, the strength displayed by the master of Lingguang Hall was such that killing Spirit Platform cultivators was like killing chicks.

Xia Zhen murmured: "So, Danyuan Peak and the Hua family were not lying. All these years, Hua Changxi really was in seclusion breaking through?"

Xia Ji did not respond to this at all, only stared fixedly at Hua Changxi, his eyes flickering with intense curiosity.

Not only Xia Ji's trio were shocked and surprised, other powerful experts paying attention to Hua Changxi also found it unexpected.

In the old courtyard of the square, Wen Shouren and Liu Mingyi stood respectfully behind an old man with white hair wearing a green robe.

The old man was Han Kun, the Grand Elder of the successor to the Dan Sheng Hall.

Han Kun: "Hua Changxi probably isn't the master of Lingguang Hall. Her cultivation is too low; she is only a Nascent Soul realm cultivator."

Upon these words, not only Wen Shouren and Liu Mingyi, but even Gu Xing who was nearby looked over.

Wen Shouren: "Elder, are you certain?"

Han Kun nodded affirmatively: "No mistake, Hua Changxi indeed has not opened her Spirit Platform."

After hearing this, confusion first flashed in Gu Xing's eyes, and then his brow furrowed.

Since the rumor that Hua Changxi was the master of Lingguang Hall spread, although there had been no concrete evidence proving it true, he believed it.

No one understood Hua Changxi's potential better than he did.

After all, Hua Changxi was the one who had taken ten Qihuang Tokens in a row.

Even someone as outstanding as Wei Zhenjie had only taken one.

Gu Xing looked at the fiery red figure in the square with a complex expression: "A low cultivation realm doesn't mean weak strength. Don't forget, Hua Changxi is also a body cultivator."

Hearing this, Wen Shouren quickly nodded: "That's right." He then quickly looked at Han Kun: "Elder, can you tell to what extent Hua Changxi's physical body has been tempered?"

Han Kun shook his head: "Hua Changxi's physical body has its aura completely concealed, like an ordinary person. I cannot see any sign of tempered cultivation."

Upon these words, not to mention Gu Xing, even Wen Shouren didn't believe it: "Impossible! Hua Changxi obtained the Body Forging Technique from Qihuang Hall; the entire Hua family is cultivating it. She couldn't not practice it."

"A body like an ordinary person..."

[]

Gu Xing murmured these words, his gaze dazed. Could Hua Changxi have already reached the state of returning to simplicity in body refinement?

To achieve the returning of the physical body to simplicity, one must at least open the Path of the Physical Body.

The Path of the Physical Body...

Gu Xing thought of the brief manifestation of the realm of laws above the Wutong Forest, and the 'Great Dao of the Physical Body' that appeared and vanished hastily in the mirror.

Hadn't it failed to be opened successfully?

Han Kun naturally thought of this as well, and exchanged a glance with Gu Xing, both their eyes filled with deep confusion.

There was no help for it — the Path of the Physical Body is much harder to open than the Path of Spiritual Cultivation. In ancient texts, very few Dao Lords who had opened the Path of the Physical Body described its details.

Thus, the two could not quite see through Hua Changxi's situation.

In the Qihuang Pavilion, Chu Tianxun's brow was also deeply furrowed: "Zhu Xin, are you sure you didn't sense the aura of the Eight-Petal Divine Lamp?"

Behind him sat cross-legged a female cultivator draped in a white cloak, her entire face as pale as paper because she had just performed a secret technique.

Zhu Xin nodded affirmatively: "I truly did not sense the Eight-Petal Divine Lamp. Hua Changxi should not be the Lord of Lingguang Hall."

Hearing this, Chu Tianxun clearly was unwilling to believe it.

He had personally led an investigation: Hua Changxi had been kidnapped by Cao Jun, father of Jingzhao Prefecture's governor Cao Xingzhi, at the location which is now the underground scripture transmission hall of Lingguang Hall.

All Vermilion Bird Army members obtained the cultivation technique "Vermilion Bird Divine Art" there.

Perhaps the reason Hua Changxi was able to embark on the path of cultivation was because she obtained the "Vermilion Bird Divine Art" there.

Hua Changxi is definitely connected to Lingguang Hall!

Chu Tianxun looked at Zhu Xin: "Could it be that you can't sense the Eight-Petal Divine Lamp because she placed it in a Sumeru mustard seed?"

Zhu Xin shook her head: "Given my connection with the divine lamp, even if it were in a Sumeru mustard seed, I could still sense it."

Chu Tianxun still refused to believe: "Then could it be that Hua Changxi didn't bring the Eight-Petal Divine Lamp with her?"

Zhu Xin was silent for a moment: "That is a divine lamp! Who would obtain such a treasure and not carry it on their person?"

Chu Tianxun could not refute this.

Shen Qianfan, who was standing by in the corner, spoke up: "Perhaps Hua Changxi really is not the Lord of Lingguang Hall."

"Wasn't the source of the rumor already found out? It was just a bunch of former laborers from the Medical Department blowing things out of proportion."

"The red lotus on Hua Changxi's forehead is just an atavistic bloodline totem."

Chu Tianxun shot a cold glance at Shen Qianfan, feeling very displeased.

If Hua Changxi is not the Lord of Lingguang Hall, then who on earth is the Lord of Lingguang Hall?!

On the northwest side of the square, Tang Yufeng nudged Gu Jinfan beside him with his elbow: "Do you think Hua Changxi is the Lord of Lingguang Hall?"

Gu Jinfan withdrew his gaze from that fiery figure, looked at Tang Yufeng and the other Qihuang Hall masters who were pricking up their ears: "If I say she is, would you truly believe it? If I say she is not, would you truly stop investigating?"

Tang Yufeng awkwardly rubbed his nose: "We're just exchanging opinions."

Gu Jinfan turned his gaze back to Hua Changxi, his eyes distant: "Guessing whether or not Hua Changxi is the Lord of Lingguang Hall is meaningless."

"Who the Lord of Lingguang Hall, who commands the hundred thousand Vermilion Bird Army, is doesn't matter. What matters is the inheritance of the Vermilion Bird's resolve: 'Uphold the majesty of the Vermilion Bird, guard the peace of the four directions.'"

Tang Yufeng: "The Vermilion Bird Army previously fought the Phoenix Clan to the death, and indeed displayed the majesty of the Vermilion Bird."

Just when all parties, regarding the matter of 'whether Hua Changxi is the Lord of Lingguang Hall', could neither believe nor disbelieve, a group of disciples from Danyuan Peak arrived from the east side of the square.

"Make way!"

Led by Ye Lingxuan and Jiang Henian, several dozen Danyuan Peak disciples squeezed through the crowd, trotted over to Yu Fu and the other two, and surrounded them in the middle.

Jiang Henian was just about to seize the initiative and condemn Princess Lingyuan for going too far, when he noticed that everyone on the square was looking towards the southern end.

Following everyone's gaze, Jiang Henian and the others also saw that dazzling fiery figure.

"Hail, Peak Master!"

The instant they saw Hua Changxi, Jiang Henian and his group were all startled in surprise. The next moment, their surprise turned into a uniform bow of greeting.

The onlooking cultivators on the square, seeing the extremely deferential posture and the sincerely submissive expressions of the Danyuan Peak disciples, felt some stirring in their hearts.

Regardless of what Hua Changxi was like as a person, there was no faulting how she lifted up the disciples of Danyuan Peak.

Every disciple who entered Danyuan Peak had experienced considerable development and growth there over the years.

Many had gained far more than they had expected when they first entered.

Never mind that Qihuang Pavilion and Lingjing Pavilion were both deliberately or inadvertently suppressing Danyuan Peak; its growth flourished year by year, something no one could deny.

Wei Zhenjie sighed with admiration: "Hua Changxi may be an absentee manager who often disappears, but the people of Danyuan Peak are all truly convinced by her!"

Yunyou, standing beside him, caught the note of appreciation in Wei Zhenjie's tone and her gaze toward Hua Changxi grew even brighter.

Could Hua Changxi be the Hall Master?

The Hall Master was also an absentee manager who often vanished.

Unfortunately, she was only an Infant Transformation cultivator, and Hua Changxi's aura was too well concealed—she couldn't detect her realm or cultivation level at all.

At that moment, Hua Changxi stood among the crowd like an ordinary mortal.

If the three hall masters of Danyuan Peak hadn't spotted her earlier, probably no one would have known she was in the square.

Yunyou's feelings at this moment were somewhat complicated.

She also didn't know whether it would be better for Hua Changxi to be the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall or not.

However, Hua Changxi concealed her aura so well that she clearly didn't seem injured, whereas the Hall Master must have been hurt when she occupied the Parasol Tree Forest and seized the ancient qin.

From this perspective, Hua Changxi probably wasn't the Hall Master.

The cultivators gathered at the southern end of the square instinctively stepped back the moment they saw Hua Changxi following Yu Fu and the other two's gazes.

In an instant, a vacant circle formed around Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi stood with her arms crossed, a smile on her face, her posture lazy yet exuding an indescribable calm; she showed no reaction to the bows of the Danyuan Peak disciples or the attention of the entire crowd.

She nodded to the Danyuan Peak disciples, signaling them to rise, then slowly swept her gaze across the whole square.

Wherever her eyes fell, everyone averted their gaze; some less experienced cultivators even unconsciously held their breath.

Though Hua Changxi had no spiritual energy fluctuations and looked like an ordinary mortal, everyone still felt an invisible but very real pressure from her.

They didn't know what that pressure was, only instinctively avoiding it.

In the crowd, Wei Zhenjie felt this pressure and was first surprised, but quickly raised his eyebrows in understanding.

Heaven and Earth's Will!

Opening a Great Dao would cause one to be imbued with Heaven and Earth's Will.

Hua Changxi still carried traces of Heaven and Earth's Will—it seemed the path of the physical body hadn't failed to be opened.

Confirming this, Wei Zhenjie's gaze toward Hua Changxi grew even more brilliant.

Hua Changxi's eyes swept briefly over the crowd, and each cultivator she glanced at breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Finally, Hua Changxi's gaze landed on Princess Lingyuan, whose expression had stiffened.

Looking at Princess Lingyuan, who had forcibly barged into Danyuan Peak with her people, Hua Changxi's radiant face gained a faint, elusive smile. Meanwhile, her eyes lifted, and as her gaze shifted, it carried a hint of contemptuous amusement.

Princess Lingyuan's body stiffened under the stare, and a barely concealed panic flickered deep in her eyes.

There was no help for it—if Hua Changxi really was the Lingguang Hall Master, then she was the ruthless person who had killed Uncle Shou and Aunt Zhaohuang!

Although Uncle Shou's cultivation technique was somewhat sinister, his strength ranked among the royalty.

As for Aunt Zhaohuang, she had activated her atavistic bloodline at birth and had always been one of the most outstanding cultivation talents in the royal family.

Both of them had died at the hands of the Lingguang Hall Master. If Hua Changxi truly attacked her, she certainly couldn't escape.

Just as Princess Lingyuan was thinking about how to deal with Hua Changxi's impending move, Hua Changxi indifferently looked away from her, as if she were nothing more than an insignificant decoration.

Hua Changxi's gaze fell on Wei Zhenjie, who was standing in the center of the crowd. She changed her arms-crossed stance to clasping her hands behind her back, then walked toward Wei Zhenjie with a relaxed smile.

As she approached, the crowd immediately made way.