[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl":3,"chapter-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-214":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Great Jin's Most Iron Rice Bowl",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1896988,2531,"Chapter 214: Gains and Losses","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-214",214,"\u003Cp>The first-grade incense stick was as thick as a fist; unlike the third-grade incense that burned up rapidly, the first-grade incense burned for a very long time. Now that the alchemical fragrance had been exhausted, the air was still filled with a rich scent of alchemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bathed in the alchemical fragrance, most people had not yet recovered from their shock; they had never expected that Hua Changxi could actually ignite the first-grade incense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not everyone was surprised by Hua Changxi igniting the first-grade incense; Gu Xing was not, Gu Jinfan was not, and even Meng Qingyao wore an expression that said, 'I knew it.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since Hua Changxi pushed open the doors of the Alchemy Saint Hall with a single shove, and ever since she took the ten wooden tokens from the Qihuang Hall, Gu Xing had known that this girl held extraordinary significance for the Alchemy Saint Hall. That she could ignite the first-grade incense seemed perfectly normal to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jinfan's expression was somewhat complex; watching Hua Changxi, who had avoided an early death only because of her own rebirth, ignite the first-grade incense, and realizing that she, having returned through rebirth, was still inferior to someone who had died young in their previous life, she found it hard to let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the side of the Guardian Families, Meng Qingyao's face was exceptionally grave. She had come to the Medical Bureau carrying her family's mission and expectations, destined to take over the Alchemy Saint Hall in the future. Yet at this moment, looking at Hua Changxi who had ignited the first-grade incense, she had a strong premonition that this person might truly become her greatest rival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the first-grade incense had been ignited, the gazes everyone cast upon Hua Changxi were no longer dismissive as before; they had all become serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this, for those on the Medical Bureau's side, even if Hua Changxi could unravel the secrets of the Qihuang Hall, and even if she could refine top-grade first-rank pills, she possessed no power or influence, so the crowd had truly not taken her to heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone present knew that even if a lone wolf possessed great strength, their influence remained limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, Hua Changxi, who had obtained a high-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm, was completely incomparable to her former self; her importance had instantly risen by several levels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For those on the side of the Guardian Families, before this, Hua Changxi was merely one among eighteen Hall Masters; even if she had obtained a wooden token, she posed no threat to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Hua Changxi, having obtained a high-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm, equated to receiving high recognition from the Divine Wood; just this single point could potentially affect their layout and schemes regarding the Alchemy Saint Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the varied expressions of the crowd, Hua Changxi withdrew with a tight face; at this moment, she did not feel the happiness she had imagined, but rather her heart felt heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the Divine Wood Leaf entered her dantian, she received all the information regarding the Divine Wood Secret Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Alchemy Saint Hall's Divine Wood Secret Realms totaled nine grades, and the one she had obtained was an eighth-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a first-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm grew the spiritual herbs and plants required by cultivators at the Qi Refining realm; in a second-grade secret realm grew those required for the Qi Refining and Qi Sea realms; in a third-grade secret realm were those required for the Qi Refining, Qi Sea, and Core Formation realms...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following this pattern, an eighth-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm contained the spiritual herbs and plants required for eight realms: Qi Refining, Qi Sea, Core Formation, Infant Transformation, Spirit Platform, Spirit Condensation, Soul Departure, and Dao Integration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Obtaining an eighth-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm that had never been extinguished was equivalent to Hua Changxi acquiring a massive resource repository of medicinal ingredients; she ought to be happy, yet an eighth-grade secret realm was not so easy to obtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key to the secret realm was the Divine Wood Leaf; from the moment she accepted the Divine Wood Leaf, she had formed a connection with the Divine Wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she had successfully opened Qihuang Hall Number One previously, she had no connection with the Alchemy Saint Hall, but now, simply by taking over the eighth-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm, she had truly become a member of the Alchemy Saint Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the future, should the Alchemy Saint Hall encounter any crisis, she would have to appear immediately to save the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of the demonic clans she had encountered at the center of the artifact formation eye in the Artifact Saint Palace, and thinking of Baili Changfeng who had sacrificed himself to turn to stone to seal the rift in the formation eye, Hua Changxi felt as though a heavy stone were pressing upon her shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Obtaining the eighth-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm made her happy; yet becoming a member of the Alchemy Saint Hall gave her a feeling of being trapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Hua Changxi had never so clearly understood what was meant by 'gains and losses'; everything has its price!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the excitement Hua Changxi displayed was not high, the crowd found it somewhat incomprehensible; even Gu Xing glanced at her repeatedly with a strange expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Although Hua Changxi ignited first-grade alchemical fragrance, judging by her demeanor, the grade of the secret realm she obtained probably isn't too high.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the surrounding discussions, Mu Qingying, Yuan Tianchou, and Shen Qianfan, the three who had received the Divine Wood Leaves, silently exchanged glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After receiving the Divine Wood Leaves, they had all understood the situation regarding the Divine Wood Secret Realms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three grades of alchemical fragrance corresponded to three tiers of secret realms: igniting third-grade incense allowed one to obtain one of the first, second, or third-grade secret realms; igniting second-grade incense allowed one to obtain one of the fourth, fifth, or sixth-grade secret realms; igniting first-grade incense allowed one to obtain one of the seventh, eighth, or ninth-grade secret realms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lowest grade Hua Changxi could have obtained was a seventh-grade secret realm; a seventh-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm contained spiritual herb resources capable of supplying a cultivator's training up to the Soul Departure realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi was not unhappy; she was likely so happy in her heart that she was about to fly away, but merely refrained from showing it in front of others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Friend Hua, what grade of secret realm did you obtain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This question was asked by Xia Zhen; as an old-school cultivator, Xia Zhen knew well that prying into another's fortune was taboo, yet he simply could not restrain himself. He could not comprehend how Hua Changxi had managed to ignite the first-grade incense; could it be that she was the one who ignited the alchemical fire on the First Street of the Alchemy Saint Hall?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at Xia Zhen and asked with a smile, \"Senior Xia, I hear that the Guardians are searching everywhere for destined ones. May I ask, apart from the Medical Bureau, have you placed people in any other sacred site ruins?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this question, Xia Zhen's face immediately sank: \"Young Friend Hua, what the Guardians do is not for you to ask.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi also wiped the smile from her face, looking directly at Xia Zhen: \"Senior Xia, you are not the Master of the Sacred Land; what grade of secret realm I obtained is not for you to ask either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Zhen truly had not expected to be contradicted multiple times in a single day by a junior; he had never encountered someone who showed him so little face. With a smile that did not reach his eyes, he said, \"Young Friend Hua seems to harbor great hostility toward this old man?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi also smiled without reaching her eyes: \"Senior Xia, before today, you and I did not know each other; why would I harbor hostility toward you? Wasn't this hostility provoked by you? Why are you turning around and asking me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Zhen fell silent, looked deeply at Hua Changxi for a moment, and then shifted his gaze away first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before coming to the Medical Bureau, based on information gathered by his subordinates, Hua Changxi's impression on him had been: disobedient to elders, arrogant and unruly, distant from family, and without friends; even with some talent in alchemy, she was an unlikable and unsociable young lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Much like those martial artists of the past who preferred to fight alone, someone who did not understand cooperation and did not know how to develop their own power base could not stir up any great waves and was simply not worth his attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after meeting and speaking with her personally, Xia Zhen discovered that his judgment of Hua Changxi had been too one-sided; this was a person not bound by worldly conventions, and the sharpness she displayed caused him, a Spirit Platform realm expert, to feel intense apprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This apprehension had arisen inexplicably, making Xia Zhen feel it was somewhat absurd and laughable; at that moment, he merely shook his head with a smile and cast the thought aside. It was not until the day the Alchemy Saint Hall reappeared and he saw Hua Changxi accept the Sacred Land's Alchemy Seal that he realized it was the destructive nature she carried, which treated rules as nonexistent, that had caused his apprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a person who destroyed rules!\u003C\u002Fp>",1589,"2026-06-12T02:51:23.636Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","26fe1b4395033b36745356d177acaa7e119bf6b39a552ac8128d247b81af7c1a","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-215","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-213",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]