Chapter 240: The Pusher of the Era (Part Nine)

"Curator Hua, is it really necessary to make such a mountain out of a molehill? I simply saw you standing at the entrance and kindly invited you to sit; how did you leap to the conclusion that we are not cut from the same cloth?"

Huo Yunxiao felt that Hua Changxi was not only unapproachable but also prone to unreasonable quibbling.

Seeing him still纠缠 ing, Hua Changxi dropped all pretense of politeness: "Huo Yunxiao, do you realize that your so-called 'kindness' is steeped in arrogance?"

"You are angry because I rejected you. You believe that as the disciple of the Minister of the Heaven Department, having condescended to seek friendship with me, I ought to be overwhelmingly grateful and accept your offer with sheer delight."

"If I am unwilling, then I am failing to appreciate your generosity and refusing to give you face."

"Your behavior is identical to what the Meng family just did."

"All of you deeply believe you rank higher than me; as someone in a lower position, I am expected to cooperate with you unconditionally."

Huo Yunxiao opened his mouth, wanting to retort, yet found himself at a loss for words.

Hua Changxi looked at him and said, "If you truly treated people with sincerity, you would understand that others have their own principles and thoughts, and thus may reject you. Upon being rejected, one should withdraw politely. But what are you doing?"

"Is this not forcing your own will upon others?"

Huo Yunxiao fell silent, glanced at Hua Changxi, and returned inside the hall with an uncomfortable expression.

Seeing Huo Yunxiao return empty-handed after being lectured by Hua Changxi, the expressions of the others inside the hall turned somewhat peculiar.

The attendees today represented every faction of power in Jingcheng.

Representatives from the imperial clan, the nobility, the ancient families, and the court officials were present, alongside envoys from sects such as the Celestial Master's Mansion, Xiangguo Temple, and the Three Pure Ones Palace.

The reason for such high regard was that the eighteen curators of the Qihuang Hall could, to a certain extent, be regarded as the first batch of seed candidates for the revival of the Pill Saint Hall.

Hua Changxi...

This realm master who had publicly slighted Xia Zhen's face had long been thoroughly investigated by all factions.

"Indeed, just as the reports stated... she acts entirely according to her own whims!"

Many representatives shook their heads inwardly; in their view, even if one harbored dissatisfaction, one should not voice it publicly, thereby severing any possibility of future cooperation.

Those who wield power ought to keep their joy and anger hidden beneath their countenance.

Prince Shou also whispered to Chu Junhao at his side: "Little Seven, that Hua Changxi is exceedingly difficult to deal with."

Chu Junhao smiled: "Imperial Uncle, I do not see it that way. All Hua Changxi desires is sincerity and equality in interaction."

Prince Shou scoffed: "Sincerity?" He shook his head with a clicking sound, as if he had heard some great joke.

Seeing this, Chu Junhao said nothing, merely glancing at Hua Changxi standing at the courtyard gate, a different emotion flickering in his eyes.

Just as everyone was critiquing Hua Changxi, Mu Qingying appeared, clad in a blue robe.

The moment she emerged, everyone's gaze shifted toward her.

Mu Qingying felt somewhat nervous; this lecture carried a significance entirely different from her previous teachings at the Qihuang Hall.

In the past, the quality of her lecture need not be overly concerning; but now, to a certain extent, she represented the Pill Saint Hall. As the curator of the Pill Saint Hall's Qihuang Hall, the quality of her teaching would be judged by the world.

Moreover, whereas previously her audience consisted solely of internal members of the Medical Bureau, today many attendees were powerful and influential figures from Jingcheng.

These individuals possessed extraordinary insight, having learned of the spiritual qi resurgence long ago, and knew far more about cultivation than she did.

Furthermore, their influence on public opinion was immense, capable of guiding the direction of many affairs.

Thinking of this, Mu Qingying felt immense pressure; she took several deep breaths to calm her mind before beginning her lecture.

She could not disgrace her Master; for this lecture, she had brought out her most prized skills, leaving no opportunity for anyone to look down upon her.

Mu Qingying lectured on the process of refining the second-grade Coagulation Golden Pill and performed a live demonstration.

Among second-grade pills, the Coagulation Golden Pill was the most difficult to refine; it was the essential breakthrough pill required by most Qi Sea cultivators to overcome their bottlenecks and enter the Core Formation realm.

Upon seeing the medicinal ingredients Mu Qingying used to refine the Coagulation Golden Pill, Hua Changxi immediately knew she would absolutely fail to produce a top-grade pill, as several of the herbs had been improperly processed.

Nevertheless, Mu Qingying's pill-refining techniques and procedures were quite smooth, and coupled with her accessible explanations, many in attendance kept nodding in approval.

Under the scrutiny of the crowd, despite her nervousness, Mu Qingying successfully refined the Coagulation Golden Pill in a single attempt.

A second-grade upper-tier Coagulation Golden Pill!

Smelling the rich fragrance of the pill filling the air and seeing the golden Coagulation Golden Pill hovering above the furnace, everyone cast looks of approval toward Mu Qingying.

"Indeed, a strict master produces a talented disciple. Director Gu, congratulations; Alchemist Mu is destined to become a renowned grand alchemist within the Four Spirit Realms."

The other curators also stepped forward one after another to exchange insights on pill refinement with Mu Qingying.

Watching Mu Qingying surrounded by a crowd, Hua Changxi did not approach, but instead turned and left Hall Number One of the Qihuang Hall.

Seeing her depart directly, Apothecary Xu hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to say, "Curator, shouldn't you go over and exchange a few words with Curator Mu?"

Hua Changxi shook her head: "There is no need."

Hearing this, Apothecary Xu wore an expression of helplessness.

What did she mean, 'no need'? It was very much needed; this was the most basic etiquette for social obligations!

On the way back to Hall Number Thirteen of the Qihuang Hall, passing by the old courtyard square, Hua Changxi recalled the congested scene at Hall Number One just now and decided that on the day of her own lecture, she would teach right here in the square.

The students could not simply stand dryly; recalling that the newly unsealed Hall Number One was laid out with numerous meditation cushions, Hua Changxi immediately sent a message to Jing Le, asking if he had any spare cushions.

Jing Le replied quickly: "How many do you need?"

Hua Changxi estimated the number of people who had come to Hall Number One today: "About ten thousand."

This reply was not so prompt; it was not until Hua Changxi had returned to Hall Number Thirteen with Apothecary Xu and the others that Jing Le finally responded: "Very well."

Hua Changxi: "When can I come to collect them?"

Jing Le: "Anytime."

After receiving the reply, Hua Changxi told Apothecary Xu and the others, "I am stepping out for a while," and departed.

Watching her leave, Apothecary Xu and the others felt somewhat uneasy, fearing she would vanish again as before, not reappearing for several months.

Fortunately, Hua Changxi returned very quickly this time.

However, upon her return, she immediately buried herself in the eastern room and did not emerge again.

Hua Changxi had entered the secret realm to gather first-grade spiritual herbs; she had already decided what topic she would cover in her lecture.

She would lecture on spiritual plants!

There were many varieties of first-grade spiritual plants in the secret realm; when she taught, she would bring out the corresponding spiritual plants to help the listeners remember them better.

For the next ten days or so, Hua Changxi would attend lectures given by other hall masters.

The current hall masters of the Qihuang Hall were indeed individuals with some talent and accomplishment in the Dao of alchemy and medical arts; even Director Gu Qiming and Minister of the Heaven Department Wei Zhenjie personally attended a lecture.

The two did not personally demonstrate the pill-refining process but instead shared their insights and experiences regarding pill refining, which offered certain inspiration and guidance to those just beginning to refine pills.

The other hall masters all lectured on how to refine pills.

The process of refining pills was actually much the same for everyone; the reason the quality of the final pills differed lay solely in the varying degrees of control everyone exerted over the various steps of pill refining.

Whether they were hiding their true abilities or not, all the hall masters lectured only on how to refine second-grade pills.

Hua Changxi did not believe that none of the hall masters knew how to refine third-grade pills; she felt that many of them were concealing their strength.

After more than ten days of attending lectures, the one most talked about among them was Meng Qingyao.

This was for no other reason than the furnace of top-grade second-grade pills she had refined during her lecture.

When a top-grade pill was successfully refined, a pill luster would diffuse; this luster contained Dao rhymes, and those sitting close to Meng Qingyao during the lecture had absorbed some of these Dao rhymes.

Because of this, Meng Qingyao's reputation soared to unprecedented heights.

Nowadays, within the Medical Bureau, no matter where one went, one could hear people discussing Meng Qingyao.

The twenty-eighth day of the first lunar month was the day Hua Changxi was scheduled to teach.

On the twenty-seventh, after attending Wu Lingyue's lecture, Hua Changxi instructed Physician Xu and others to post notices outside Qihuang Hall Number Thirteen and at the main gate of the Medical Bureau, informing everyone that she would be lecturing in the square the following day.

"This Hua Changxi, why does she love making a spectacle of herself so much!"

Inside Qihuang Hall Number Seven, Meng Yuchuan kept complaining to Meng Qingyao and the Dongfang brothers about Hua Changxi.

"All the other hall masters teach inside the Qihuang Halls; only she loves showing off, running off to teach in the square."

"What is she trying to do? Highlight how special she is?"

Dongfang Hao, recalling how every time he went to listen to lectures at other Qihuang Halls he would see Hua Changxi standing amidst the crowded throng, remarked: "...Perhaps she simply felt the square was large enough to accommodate everyone who came to listen."