Chapter 212: Greed, Hatred, and Delusion

"Mu Qingying, what kind of secret realm did you obtain?"

The three grades of medicinal incense correspond to different tiers of the Divine Tree secret realms, yet no one knows exactly what those tiers are—not even the members of the Guardian Families—so when Mu Qingying received the Divine Tree leaf, everyone watched her eagerly, and Prince Shou directly asked about the nature of the secret realm she had acquired.

Naturally, Mu Qingying did not wish to reveal the tier of her Divine Tree secret realm to outsiders; just as she was about to seek help from Director Gu, Gu Xing stepped in to relieve her dilemma.

"The Divine Tree secret realm is a gift from the Divine Tree; aside from the Master of the Sacred Land, no one is permitted to inquire about it."

Upon hearing this, Prince Shou's expression soured; he knew that old fool Gu Xing was warning him not to let the imperial family lay claim to the Divine Tree secret realm.

Internally, he scoffed at this; there was nothing the imperial family desired that it could not obtain.

Seeing that Mu Qingying, after hearing Gu Xing's words, quickly retreated behind Gu Qiming without any intention of answering him, Prince Shou, though filled with dissatisfaction, said nothing more.

He had noticed that the Guardian Families were equally eager to know the tier of the Divine Tree secret realm; he had been too hasty just now and should not have asked in such a setting.

Gu Xing ignored the varied expressions of the crowd; all things have two sides, and while obtaining a Divine Tree secret realm is indeed a significant opportunity, without the corresponding ability to protect it, a good thing could turn into a disaster.

If one cannot even safeguard a secret realm, then for the sake of the Sacred Land's development, it is better to replace such a person sooner rather than later.

"Continue."

With Mu Qingying leading the way, everyone now had some understanding of the procedure for worshipping the Divine Tree.

The No. 2 Qihuang Hall was managed by Xie An, Director Gu's eldest disciple, but since the wooden tablet had been obtained by Director Gu himself, it was Director Gu who stepped forward personally to worship the Divine Tree.

Gazing at the three types of medicinal incense on the offering table, Director Gu's face showed hesitation; he was no stranger to secret realms, having explored several with the Demon-Suppressing Army as a trusted aide to the Minister of the Heaven Department.

Secret realms differ vastly from one another; some possess thin spiritual energy where even first-tier spiritual herbs are scarce, while others are covered from mountain to valley with spiritual herbs and fruits.

The higher the tier of the Divine Tree secret realm, the richer its resources undoubtedly are.

Director Gu certainly desired a higher-tier secret realm; if his speculation was correct and the condition for igniting the incense was linked to one's contribution to the Sacred Land, then his years of diligent and dutiful management of the Medical Bureau should count as a contribution to the Sacred Land, shouldn't it?

Could he ignite the first-grade medicinal incense?

Director Gu's hand hovered between the first-grade and second-grade incense; although he wanted to play it safe and choose the second grade, in the end, he steeled his resolve and picked up the first-grade incense.

Seeing him take the first-grade incense, a flicker of contemptuous laughter crossed Xia Zhen's eyes, while Gu Xing's expression shifted slightly, though he only sighed silently in his heart.

Greed, hatred, and delusion—the three poisons of the human heart!

If one cannot pass these three trials, one will not go far.

After performing three kneelings and nine prostrations before the Divine Tree cauldron, Director Gu, nervous and apprehensive, inserted the incense into the cauldron, then eagerly awaited its ignition.

Alas, the incense showed no sign of burning.

Seeing the unresponsive incense, Director Gu was filled with disappointment; anxiously looking at Gu Xing, he said, "Senior Gu, I was insincere just now; let me bow and worship once more," and reached out to pull the incense from the Divine Tree cauldron.

At that moment, Xia Zhen stepped forward and pressed down on Gu Qiming's hand: "Director Gu, each person has only one chance to worship the Divine Tree."

Unable to break free from Xia Zhen's grip, Gu Qiming looked toward Gu Xing for help.

Gu Xing looked at him and sighed, "You are attached to appearances; step back."

"Master."

Xie An, Mu Qingying, and Yuan Tianchou all approached with worried expressions, standing on either side of Gu Qiming.

Looking at his three disciples, Gu Qiming forced a bitter smile, using reason to suppress his unwillingness: "Please forgive my offense; I lost my composure just now," and with that, he led his three disciples to the side.

Since Gu Qiming failed to ignite the incense, for those worshipping the Divine Tree afterward, this meant one extra stick of incense remained; while secretly delighted, they also felt some anxiety, worrying that they too might fail to ignite the incense.

Next came Hall No. 3 and Hall No. 4, but since neither Celestial Master Zhang nor the Minister of the Heaven Department had arrived, it was directly Yuan Tianchou of Hall No. 6's turn.

Having learned from his master's lesson, Yuan Tianchou, like Mu Qingying, directly chose the third-grade incense; perhaps due to possessing the wooden tablet, the moment the third-grade incense was inserted into the Divine Tree cauldron, it ignited spontaneously, and the rising green smoke coalesced into a green leaf that fell into his hand.

"It seems that anyone who obtained a wooden tablet can ignite the incense as long as they choose the third grade," someone muttered softly.

Huo Yunxiao thought the same; glancing at Hua Changxi beside him, who wore a thoughtful expression, he whispered, "What do you think determines whether the incense ignites? Could it be that everyone who obtained a wooden tablet can only choose the third-grade incense?"

Hua Changxi did not respond, merely glancing across at Meng Qingyao.

Previously, she had believed the Guardian Families arranged for Meng Qingyao to ignite the alchemical fire of the Second Street to gain prestige, but now... she felt that letting Meng Qingyao ignite the Second Street's alchemical fire was intended to enable her to ignite a higher grade of incense.

The Divine Tree bestows blessings, but how is the amount of blessing determined?

If she were the Master of the Sacred Land, she would surely base it on everyone's contributions to the Sacred Land.

Thinking thus, Hua Changxi suddenly felt she understood the conditions for igniting the incense.

"No way, is Gu Jinfan also choosing the first-grade incense? Isn't she afraid of ending up with nothing, just like Director Gu?"

Huo Yunxiao's exclamation pulled Hua Changxi back from her thoughts; focusing her gaze, she saw Gu Jinfan holding a stick of first-grade incense, hesitating.

No one expected that, despite Director Gu's cautionary tale, someone would still choose the first-grade incense.

Some cultivators from the Medical Bureau, recalling Gu Jinfan's mysterious and unfathomable ability of foresight, adopted serious expressions.

The cultivators from the Guardian Families, however, wore expressions of both anticipation and mockery; they anticipated Gu Jinfan choosing the first-grade incense so that another stick would remain for them to worship the Divine Tree, while mocking her for overestimating her abilities.

Gu Jinfan struggled for a moment with the first-grade incense in hand, thinking that since she had returned through rebirth and was inherently a person of great fortune, obtaining a high-tier Divine Tree secret realm would undoubtedly have an immeasurable impact on the reappearance of the Alchemical Saint Hall, and the Divine Tree must be able to perceive this.

Thinking thus, Gu Jinfan firmly held the first-grade medicinal incense and walked toward the Divine Tree cauldron.

Seeing this, just as a contemptuous smile began to form in Xia Zhen's eyes, he noticed Gu Xing's solemn gaze; his heart tightened, and he scrutinized Gu Jinfan again—could it be that this female cultivator was extraordinary enough to warrant the attention of the Sacred Land's gatekeeper?

In his expectation, only Meng Qingyao should be able to ignite the first-grade incense; if someone from the Medical Bureau also ignited it, it would be highly unfavorable for Meng Qingyao's future takeover of the Alchemical Saint Hall.

Xia Zhen's expression turned serious as he watched Gu Jinfan perform three kneelings and nine prostrations, then anxiously insert the first-grade medicinal incense into the Divine Tree cauldron.

After several breaths, seeing no sign of the incense igniting spontaneously, Xia Zhen smiled.

As he had said, unless one had made a great contribution to the Sacred Land, it was impossible to ignite the first-grade incense.

Seeing the unresponsive incense, Gu Jinfan froze, her eyes filled with disbelief; how could this be? Why hadn't the incense ignited? She was someone who had returned through rebirth, destined to have a profound impact on the trajectory of the entire Four Spirits Realm.

Seeing that Gu Jinfan failed to ignite the first-grade incense, Gu Xing felt somewhat disappointed.

This female cultivator gave him a complex feeling; she seemed to know many things, and her words were often for the benefit of the Alchemical Saint Hall; he had harbored some hope that she could inject some vitality into the revival of the Alchemical Saint Hall.

Alas, she had not gained the approval of the Sacred Land's Divine Tree.