Chapter 242: The Pusher of the Era (Eleven)

"Hua Changxi is likely discussing alchemy too, but when it comes to alchemy, no one can compare to Qingyao. I doubt Hua Changxi can come up with anything new; I say we should just leave."

The scions of the Dao-Protecting families, who prided themselves on their noble status, were unwilling to lower themselves by sitting on the rear rows of meditation cushions and hesitated over whether to depart.

Just then, Hua Changxi arrived, accompanied by Yu Gui, Zhou Qiuyu, Wang Yunchu, and Guo Cheng.

Seeing Meng Qingyao and her group standing still, Hua Changxi said nothing, merely nodding toward them before leading the other four toward the stone cauldron.

"Curator Hua has arrived; the lecture is about to begin. Let us take our seats quickly."

Dongfang Hao was the first to walk over and sit on a meditation cushion, with Meng Qingyao following closely behind; only then did the others reluctantly take their seats one by one.

"I want to see what sort of spectacle Hua Changxi can make of such a grand arrangement and what meaningful content she can actually deliver."

Upon Hua Changxi's appearance, the once-noisy square gradually fell silent, with everyone's gaze following her movements.

Yu Gui and the other three followed Hua Changxi to the front of the stone cauldron, forming two pairs on either side of it; they arranged tables and stools, then laid out the prepared brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and blank bamboo slips.

Hua Changxi scanned the square, where nearly ten thousand meditation cushions were almost fully occupied; being watched so closely by nearly ten thousand people simultaneously, her heart pounded like thunder, filled with both nervousness and excitement.

Taking a deep breath to calm her mind, Hua Changxi waved her hand, causing a curtain of light to materialize directly behind the stone cauldron, after which she sat on the meditation cushion below the cauldron.

Yu Gui and the others beside her took their seats in turn, organizing the writing materials and blank bamboo slips, ready to begin recording at any moment.

After settling herself, Hua Changxi did not immediately begin the lecture; instead, she manipulated her spiritual energy to lift the spiritual herbs from the medicine racks one by one into suspension.

Then, each spiritual herb began to slowly fly through the air above the square in a clockwise spiral motion.

Hua Changxi carefully controlled the intensity of her spiritual energy to ensure that everyone in the square could clearly see each spiritual herb.

As the spiritual herbs rose into the air, a rich fragrance of medicine rapidly diffused throughout the space above the square.

Although the spiritual herbs in the air were merely grade-one varieties, the sight of thousands of them moving slowly and orderly through the sky was still quite magnificent.

The square was very quiet, with everyone looking up at the spiritual herbs hovering in mid-air.

Even the nobles present, who held abundant cultivation resources in their hands, had never seen so many spiritual herbs at once.

If this was true for the nobles, it was even more so for ordinary cultivators.

The revival of spiritual energy had only fully entered public view a few years prior, so many spiritual plants and herbs remained extremely unfamiliar to everyone.

Even the nobles, though possessing alchemical and medical lineages, lacked systematic and complete knowledge; many of the spiritual herbs now hovering in mid-air were unseen by them as well.

Even Gu Jinfan, who had been reborn, observed carefully.

Meng Qingyao did the same, her expression serious.

She knew that the spiritual herbs currently hovering in mid-air all originated from the high-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm obtained by Hua Changxi.

At this moment, she felt somewhat shocked by the sheer variety and completeness of the spiritual herbs produced within the Divine Wood Secret Realm that Hua Changxi had acquired.

The grade-seven secret realm she possessed did not contain nearly this many grade-one spiritual herbs.

Could it be that the Divine Wood Secret Realm obtained by Hua Changxi was of a higher grade than hers?

Meng Qingyao's heart felt heavy.

As a Fire-Wood spiritual body, a born alchemist, hailing from the cultivation clan Meng and meticulously trained by the Dao-Protecting Xia family, she had been confident before arriving at the Medicine Bureau that she would lose to no one.

She truly had not expected someone like Hua Changxi to appear.

Both unconventional and flamboyantly striking, Hua Changxi gave an immediate impression of arrogance, as if she regarded no one else with any importance.

Although she disliked Hua Changxi's arrogant disregard for others, she secretly admired Hua Changxi's unrestrained spirit, something she herself could absolutely never achieve.

Moreover, everything Hua Changxi did managed to shock her.

Whether it was facilitating the opening of public secret realms or holding lectures in the square like this time.

This person wore her emotions on her sleeve, seeming easy to read at a glance, yet her actions always followed no discernible pattern, making her impossible to predict.

Hua Changxi...

Meng Qingyao had to admit that although Hua Changxi was difficult to approach, she possessed a unique charm that compelled one to want to understand her deeply.

"Qingyao."

Seeing Meng Qingyao's poor expression, Meng Yuchuan assumed Hua Changxi's overwhelming prominence had displeased her; after a moment's thought, he offered comfort:

"This Hua Changxi seems intent on explaining aspects of spiritual plants; these are just basic common knowledge, completely incomparable to your lectures on alchemy."

Upon hearing this, Meng Qingyao smiled bitterly: "Brother, have you considered that from the standpoint of the Alchemy Saint Hall, Hua Changxi's approach is actually more beneficial for the dissemination of the Dao of Alchemy and medical arts?"

Meng Yuchuan paused, then frowned: "Basic knowledge of spiritual herbs can be mastered by buying a book at the Ghost Market; why dedicate a special lecture to it and cause such a huge commotion?"

Meng Qingyao knew her brother was trying to protect her; forcing a smile, she said nothing more and continued observing the spiritual herbs in mid-air.

Not only was Meng Qingyao guessing the grade of Hua Changxi's secret realm based on the number of herb species, but Gu Xing was doing the same.

Gu Xing possessed a grade-seven secret realm himself, yet it did not contain as many grade-one spiritual herbs as Hua Changxi had displayed today.

Watching Hua Changxi manipulate her spiritual energy with intense focus, a sharp light flashed in Gu Xing's eyes.

Could it be that this girl obtained a grade-eight secret realm?

As for a grade-nine secret realm, Gu Xing had not even considered the possibility.

For no other reason than that only the Master of the Sacred Land qualified to open a grade-nine secret realm.

"A grade-eight secret realm..." Gu Xing's eyes flickered continuously.

Regarding the Blessing of the Divine Wood, most people only knew of the secret realms bestowed by the Divine Tree; in fact, besides the secret realms, the Blessing of the Divine Wood granted another opportunity.

That was the ability to initially glimpse the height a person could reach on the path of cultivation based on the grade of their secret realm.

A grade-eight secret realm corresponded to the Dao-Integration Realm.

Did the Divine Tree believe that the girl Hua Changxi had the potential to forge her own Dao?

Gu Xing had never doubted Hua Changxi's talent; from the fact that she managed to take nine wooden tokens, he knew she was no ordinary person.

The Dao-Integration Realm...

He had read about it in some fragmented scrolls left behind by the Sacred Land; during ancient times, several masters of the Alchemy Saint Hall were cultivators of the Dao-Integration Realm.

Apart from the Four Spirit Emperors and the various deities responsible for maintaining the order and operation of the realms, the Dao-Integration Realm represented the pinnacle of power!

Gu Xing looked at Hua Changxi, his eyes flickering continuously.

Regardless of whether Hua Changxi can ultimately become the Master of the Sacred Land, as long as she belongs to the Dan Sheng Hall, it means the Dan Sheng Hall will gain a Dao-Integration realm expert in the future, which is undoubtedly a good thing for the Sacred Land.

Let us hope this girl does not disappoint the recognition of the Divine Tree!

Several thousand grade-one spiritual herbs circled the square for nearly two quarter-hours, then flew back in an orderly fashion behind the stone cauldron, arranging themselves in vertical rows and hovering steadily in mid-air.

Witnessing this scene, many cultivators present changed color.

"Setting aside Hua Changxi's medical skills and Dao of pill refining for now, her ability to control spiritual herbs is truly formidable."

At this moment, many suddenly realized that Hua Changxi possessed talent not only in medicine and pill refining but also that her cultivation strength was certainly not low.

"She knows medicine, knows how to refine pills, and her strength is not low..."

She indeed has the confidence and capital to be arrogant.

In an instant, most of the nobles present reached this conclusion.

"Refine the spiritual herbs of heaven and earth, cultivate the supreme pill heart!"

A crisp and ethereal voice reached the ears of everyone in the square at a moderate pace.

"Hua Changxi, Hall Master of Qihuang Hall Number Thirteen of the Dan Sheng Hall, greets you all; today, I will explain the identification of grade-one spiritual herbs."

"The Dan Sheng Hall enters the Dao through pills and saves the world with medicine, assisting cultivators in breaking through realms and overcoming tribulations, and saving all living beings from illness and suffering."

"Before refining pills, one must first learn to distinguish spiritual herbs."

"Spiritual herbs are the foundation of pill refining, objects imbued with the spiritual qi of heaven and earth..."

Hua Changxi manipulated the first spiritual herb to hover above the stone cauldron and cast a spiritual light upon it; this light shone onto the screen behind the cauldron, instantly projecting a lifelike, magnified image of the herb.

This projection screen was custom-made for Hua Changxi by Tong Yao, specifically so that everyone could see the full appearance of the spiritual herbs clearly.

Afterwards, Hua Changxi began explaining the names, growth habits, medicinal properties, and attributes of the spiritual herbs one by one, starting from the most common and basic ones, while Yu Gui and the other three began to take notes diligently.

"Hua Changxi is making such a huge fuss just to lecture on common knowledge about spiritual herbs that everyone already knows; it is truly a waste of everyone's time."

Meng Yuchuan could not help but complain, and other nobles also felt greatly disappointed.

"Brother."

Meng Qingyao stopped Meng Yuchuan's outburst; she had noticed that apart from a small minority, most people present were listening attentively.

What they considered common knowledge about spiritual herbs was actually unclear to many people.

Among them, quite a few had even brought out ink and brushes prepared in advance and were silently taking notes.