Chapter 143: The Test

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, after coming out of the Hua family, Hua Changxi found that she didn't seem to have any other place to go, so she could only walk aimlessly on the street.

The street was crowded with people, pedestrians rubbing shoulders, laughing and talking. Every street was bustling with people, extremely lively.

By the side of the street and under the eaves, all kinds of lanterns had long been hung, including rabbit lanterns, lotus lanterns, and palace lanterns, colorful and swaying gently in the wind.

Everyone's face was filled with a festive and happy look. Hua Changxi looked at everyone's smiles and suddenly felt that she seemed to be drifting outside this warm world.

At this moment, being in the noisy crowd, she clearly felt that there was an invisible thin film separating her from everyone.

Seeing that everyone had family members by their side, Hua Changxi's heart became inexplicably irritable. Suddenly, she didn't want to stay in the crowded city, so she walked quickly toward the Nancheng Gate and left the city gate.

Following the city gate, Hua Changxi flew south all the way on a cloud. Only when the surroundings became completely quiet and she felt the coolness of the wind blowing on her face did her heart gradually calm down.

It was not the first or second time she had had conflicts with her family, but this time, the old man telling her not to come back to the Hua family really stabbed a sword into her heart.

Perhaps influenced by Gu Xing's reminder two days ago that she "must find her position in the Medicine Department," she now discovered that what she needed to find was not only her foothold in the Medicine Department, but also her foothold in this world.

In the Medicine Department, the orders of the officials above could make her leave at any time; in the Hua family, if she didn't follow the old man's wishes, he could also directly expel her.

Leaving the Hua family, leaving the Medicine Department, casting aside the identity of a Hua family member, casting aside the identity of a servant in the Medicine Department, what was left of her in this world?

She suddenly realized that she was still like duckweed in this world, having no roots at all. She hadn't managed an identity that truly belonged to her.

Proprietor of Shennong Pharmacy?

Master of Mount Wuzhi?

Master of the Lingguang Hall?

None of these could represent the complete her; they were just a part of her.

Moreover, these were just superficial identities. When others mentioned them, they wouldn't think of her as a person, and they knew nothing about her.

Hua Changxi pondered and began to seriously think about how she should live in this world.

Going south from the Nancheng of the capital, she soon reached the territory of Nanxiang County. As long as she entered the territory of Nanxiang County, she could see the majestic palace of the Lingguang Hall.

Hua Changxi didn't fly for long before she saw the Lingguang Hall.

She didn't go over, but condensed a huge cloud and sat on the cloud, silently watching the official road below.

The Lingguang Hall was magnificent and tall, like a fairy palace. Even though every intersection was blocked by the imperial court's army, it still attracted people from all sides to come and investigate.

Before, Hua Changxi wouldn't carefully watch the actions of the stationed soldiers when entering and leaving the Lingguang Hall, but today, after watching for a while, she discovered something unusual.

Ordinary people or cultivators who wanted to approach the Lingguang Hall would definitely be blocked, but people holding various tokens were let through by the soldiers.

Looking at this scene of differential treatment, Hua Changxi's eyes darkened. Although those who were let through returned empty-handed, it still made her very unhappy.

Hua Changxi looked at the Lingguang Hall, thinking about the recruitment task of the 100,000 Zhu Que Army.

If she relied on herself alone to recruit 100,000 fire-spiritual-root cultivators who all had to inherit the will of Zhu Que, she didn't know how long it would take to find them.

She felt that she should exert the initiative of others and let others take the initiative to join the Zhu Que Army.

Thinking of this, Hua Changxi began to think.

The Lingguang Hall stood here. It could attract countless people without doing anything. If she told the world that there were top-level fire-attribute cultivation techniques in the palace, she could imagine that even with the imperial court's army stationed there, it wouldn't be able to stop people from all sides from flocking there.

Hua Changxi looked at the Lingguang Hall bathed in the clouds, and with a "whoosh," she flew down like a meteor and landed on the steps outside the main hall.

A moment later, a line of fiery red, conspicuous large characters condensed from fire spiritual energy floated above the main hall of the Lingguang Hall.

Those with predestined fire spiritual roots who enter the Lingguang Hall's Preaching Hall can obtain the top-level fire-attribute cultivation technique — "Zhu Que Divine Art."

To ensure that everyone who could see the Lingguang Hall could see this line of characters, and to ensure that the handwriting would not dissipate in a short time, Hua Changxi consumed half of the spiritual energy in her body to enlarge and solidify the handwriting.

"Look, what is that?"

As soon as the handwriting appeared above the Lingguang Hall, the onlookers saw it, immediately causing various discussions.

"Those with predestined fire spiritual roots who enter the Lingguang Hall's Preaching Hall can obtain the top-level fire-attribute cultivation technique — 'Zhu Que Divine Art.' What does this mean?"

"Does it mean that as long as we can enter the Preaching Hall, we can obtain the technique?"

Cultivators and martial artists who rushed from all over, even the onlookers, were incomparably shocked after seeing the line of characters condensed by Hua Changxi.

At this moment, even though the imperial court's army was stationed at the intersection, it couldn't extinguish the heat in their hearts.

The army general responsible for guarding the intersection saw the red handwriting, his expression became very solemn, ordered his subordinates to guard the intersection, and went back to the city to report to Prince Fu in person.

"What? The Master of the Lingguang Hall announced to the world that those with predestined fire spiritual roots can enter the Preaching Hall to obtain the 'Zhu Que Divine Art'?"

"'Zhu Que Divine Art'? What kind of technique is this?"

"Zhu Que is one of the four spirits of heaven and earth. What level of technique do you think it is?"

The news swept through the entire capital like a tornado.

Gu Jinfan was particularly silent when she heard this news.

She knew that the Master of the Lingguang Hall was most likely Hua Changxi. She was both surprised and puzzled that Hua Changxi would make such a move.

The "Zhu Que Divine Art" was one of the four top-level techniques in the Four Spirits World. She actually showed it so easily, and it was aimed at everyone. Did she know the value of the technique?

While puzzled, she also felt some admiration. The imperial court sent an army to block all intersections of the Lingguang Hall, and its purpose was self-evident. Hua Changxi's doing this was considered directly confronting the imperial court.

Even if her identity was not exposed to the imperial court, the fact that she dared to have such thoughts and dared to implement them was enough to make people look at her with admiration.

Gu Jinfan had to admit that she still knew too little about Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi knew nothing about the sensation she had caused. When she condensed the handwriting above the Lingguang Hall, the Zhu Que jade pendant reacted, and she discovered that she could control the Lingguang Hall through the jade pendant.

Although she had to swear to the Zhu Que stele before preaching, this could not guarantee the quality of the Zhu Que Army recruited.

After discovering the role of the jade pendant, she set up two levels of tests.

The first level was the distance from the Lingguang Hall gate tower to the steps. Spiritual energy could not be used. The rising of fire spiritual energy underground would cover the whole body with flames and burn the flesh. The flames would not really cause damage to the body, but the person being tested needed to have strong psychological endurance.

The second level was the distance from the first step to the Preaching Hall. Hua Changxi arranged a harsh and dangerous environment of battlefield slaughter. Those who surrendered without fighting, fled in the face of battle, bullied the weak, did not listen to commands, did not respect military orders, or betrayed and abandoned comrades would be automatically transmitted outside the gate tower.

After setting it up, Hua Changxi opened the Preaching Hall and the Practice Hall on the fifth floor of the palace complex at the same time.

Those who obtained the "Zhu Que Divine Art" technique could stay in the Practice Hall to cultivate, so there was no need to worry about the imperial court's subsequent accountability.

After doing all this, Hua Changxi entered the main hall, took out a stone bed made of top-grade fire spirit stones, placed it in the hall, lay on it, and began to cultivate.

She waited in the Lingguang Hall, wanting to see how many people dared to break through the imperial court's blockade to come to the Lingguang Hall.

Time slipped away bit by bit, night fell, the bright moon hung in the sky. Today should have been a day for everyone to reunite and enjoy the moon, but because of this announcement from the Lingguang Hall, it stirred the hearts of countless people.

By midnight, all the spiritual energy consumed by Hua Changxi had been restored. She opened her eyes and sensed it slightly, and she discovered that on the plaza between the gate tower and the steps, at least dozens of people were bathed in flames, struggling to move toward the palace.

"So many people?"

Hua Changxi was somewhat surprised, but soon she figured it out.

The world she was in now was called the Four Spirits World, and the four spirits were the strongest existence. The drawing power of the "Zhu Que Divine Art" was absolutely unprecedented.

Hua Changxi walked out of the main hall and stood on the steps, looking down at the dozens of people struggling to move on the plaza below. She didn't look for long before her expression suddenly tightened, and she looked up at the gate tower direction sharply.

"Boom~"

A giant sword light that was invincible swept across, seemingly wanting to slash and destroy the Lingguang Hall with one sword.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi narrowed her eyes, stood with her hands behind her back, and didn't move, watching the sword light fall.

However, when the sword light fell above the Lingguang Hall, a fiery red spiritual energy shield appeared, and then, a fire bird soared into the sky and attacked the direction where the sword light was issued like lightning.

"Ah~"

A shrill scream of a cultivator sounded, and a late-stage Golden Core cultivator holding a long sword was instantly burned to ashes by the fire bird.

Under the bright moonlight, the fire bird disappeared, as brilliant as fireworks. ===== CHAPTER 144 =====