Chapter 263: Emulation

Just because Hua Changxi brought over a hundred people to join the Danyuan Secret Realm, the Divine Wood guarding the Pill Saint Hall flashed into existence; although it vanished quickly, it still shattered the composure of many.

First the Pill Cauldron Altar appeared, and now the Danyuan Peak has emerged.

The Medical Bureau, which now increasingly resembles a sacred land in its infancy, is undoubtedly telling everyone that everything Hua Changxi has done can drive the revival of the sacred land.

Gazing up at the towering Danyuan Peak, the faction of nobles led by the imperial family and the faction of Dao guardians led by the Xia family fell into profound silence.

What shocked them most was that the Divine Wood possessed a spirit!

They had clearly witnessed the interaction between Hua Changxi and the Divine Wood; when the Divine Wood finally retreated, it truly bestowed something upon Hua Changxi.

At this, the expressions of Prince Shou, Xia Zhen, and others became extremely grave.

Since the Divine Wood has a spirit, gaining its recognition is of utmost importance!

As more and more people gathered in the square, Prince Shou, Xia Zhen, and others, though eager to ascend Danyuan Peak to investigate, knew this was not the right moment.

They had just opposed Hua Changxi, and given her willful nature that cares little for saving face, if she were to vent her anger by forbidding them from ascending Danyuan Peak while so many watched, they would suffer immense humiliation.

Without lingering, Prince Shou, Xia Zhen, and others departed the square with heavy expressions.

The emergence of Danyuan Peak stirred intense excitement in the hearts of the other secret realm masters.

Without needing Meng Qingyao to summon them, the secret realm masters voluntarily gathered in the Spirit Realm Pavilion.

Wei Xiao, the ninth son of Prince Nanding, asked anxiously, "Hua Changxi obtained Danyuan Peak by recruiting apprentices; can we do the same?"

Yan Qianying, the third son of Prince Dong'an, replied, "It should be possible, but the precondition is that we must also recruit apprentices for the Pill Saint Hall just like Hua Changxi, and use the resources within our secret realms to train them."

Yue Heng, the fifth son of Prince Xiping, took up the conversation and voiced the question concerning everyone: "Is that Danyuan Peak under Hua Changxi's sole control?"

Feng Che, the second son of Prince Beizhen, stated, "The Divine Wood bestowed the character 'Yuan' upon Hua Changxi; if I am not mistaken, Hua Changxi is the peak master of Danyuan Peak."

"The only one capable of seizing Danyuan Peak from Hua Changxi's hands is likely the future master of the sacred land."

As descendants of the four titled kings of the Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei regions, Yan Qianying and the other three were exceptionally sensitive and concerned regarding matters of occupying and seizing territory.

Not only they cared, but the other secret realm masters present were equally concerned.

If they could, like Hua Changxi, possess a peak solely to themselves, they would have territory belonging entirely to them.

Although most of them hailed from great aristocratic families, they still longed to own their own territory rather than relying blindly on their clans.

Yan Qianying looked at Meng Qingyao and asked, "Pavilion Master, do you think we should emulate Hua Changxi?"

At these words, the room instantly fell silent.

Not long ago, these very people had been waiting to see Hua Changxi make a fool of herself; now they were to emulate her actions, and many felt awkward and embarrassed deep down.

Furthermore, since they had all received vigorous cultivation support from their families, the resources within their secret realms ought to be shared with their clans.

If they truly emulated Hua Changxi, most resources in the secret realms would have to be used to train apprentices and disciples, meaning the share available to their families would decrease drastically.

Meng Qingyao, also a scion of an aristocratic family and well aware of how her interests were entangled with her clan's, said, "...The secret realms belong to you; whether to emulate Hua Changxi is for you to decide."

Xia Ziyang saw the situation clearly: obtaining a peak like Hua Changxi would undoubtedly be a great benefit; even if some resources were lost initially, once the sacred land fully manifested in the future, it would better assist their clansmen.

Knowing that everyone found it difficult to save face, he smiled and said, "The Spirit Realm Pavilion is a whole; all members should share the same boat and contribute jointly to the revival of the sacred land."

"Hua Changxi is also a member of the Spirit Realm Pavilion; her actions benefit the revival of the sacred land, so we naturally ought to emulate her. We are all simply striving for a faster revival of the sacred land."

As soon as he spoke thus, the embarrassment in the hearts of the others dissipated considerably, and they began to echo and respond in agreement.

Watching this scene, Mu Qingying felt somewhat unsettled in her heart.

Previously, they had deliberately excluded Hua Changxi from meetings, acting as though they did not recognize her as a member of the Spirit Realm Pavilion; yet now, they claimed Hua Changxi was a member, truly saying whatever convenient words suited them, whether good or bad.

Seeing her reaction, Yuan Tianchou smiled and said, "Although Xia Ziyang's words sound lofty and high-minded, if all secret realm masters emulate Hua Changxi, it will indeed benefit the revival of the sacred land."

Mu Qingying nodded. "I know."

"I just feel that previously everyone opposed Hua Changxi erecting the Oath Stele and recruiting apprentices, but now that they see profit to be gained, they are all emulating her; it is truly somewhat ironic."

Yuan Tianchou, however, took a broad view: "Such is the way of the world; one simply gets used to it."

Watching the crowd chatting with great enthusiasm, Meng Qingyao also felt quite unsettled in her heart; noticing Xia Zhen standing outside the courtyard, she immediately spoke to dismiss everyone.

Everyone rose; the secret realm masters of the Dao Guardian faction remained standing, while it was Yan Qianying and others from the Medical Bureau faction who departed.

Regarding the Dao Guardian faction's habit of occasionally discussing matters privately within the Spirit Realm Pavilion, Yan Qianying and the others were long accustomed to it, so they promptly left.

As soon as they left, Xia Zhen entered.

Meng Qingyao, Xia Ziyang, and the others hurriedly stood up. "Sixteenth Elder."

Xia Zhen looked at the few juniors before him and said in a deep voice, "We must take the initiative to do something."

Otherwise, Hua Changxi's prestige would grow higher and higher; if this continued, she would inevitably suppress Meng Qingyao.

Meng Qingyao was the person the Xia family had carefully selected to manage the Pill Saint Hall; this matter concerned the future development of the Xia family and absolutely could not afford any failure.

Xia Zhen continued, "I heard your conversation just now; since you wish to emulate Hua Changxi, then act quickly."

"You also saw the Divine Wood flash today; the reason the Divine Wood recognized Hua Changxi is that her actions have basically all been for the sake of the sacred land."

"If you wish to gain the Divine Wood's recognition, in your future conduct, you must strictly control the selfish desires in your hearts."

Xia Ziyang and the others hastily expressed their stance: "We respectfully abide by the Elder's teachings."

Meng Qingyao suddenly asked, "Sixteenth Elder, could Hua Changxi be a successor of the Pill Saint Hall?"

Xia Zhen paused briefly, then shook his head. "Probably not."

If Hua Changxi were a successor of the Pill Saint Hall, Gu Xing's attitude would not be so ambiguous.

Xia Zhen noticed the slightly discouraged expression on Meng Qingyao's face, knowing she had been disheartened by Hua Changxi, yet he did not offer words of comfort.

Qingyao, Ziyang, and these others had previously been too smooth in their paths; now it was time for them to undergo some tempering.

On Danyuan Peak, the first batch of arrivals had all sworn the Heart Demon Oath.

More than ten retired Demon-Suppressing Army soldiers failed to gain the Oath Stele's approval.

Under the coverage of the golden light from the Oath Stele, because their hearts were not sincere, their essential blood could not fuse into their identity tokens.

Hua Changxi looked at these dozen-plus individuals and said, "Cultivators should follow their hearts; since you harbor other thoughts, simply follow your hearts and do not force yourselves too much."

Hearing Hua Changxi speak thus, these people all lowered their heads.

"It is getting late; I will take you down the mountain."

Hua Changxi rode the spiritual clouds, bringing both those who had not gained the Oath Stele's approval and Eunuch Yu, who had received an identity token, down to the square together.

Many people were still gathered in the square; seeing Hua Changxi and her party descend on clouds, they all promptly made way.

Hua Changxi nodded to the crowd in gratitude, then quickly led Eunuch Yu and the others back to Qihuang Hall Number Thirteen.

"It is getting late; the recruitment of apprentices will continue tomorrow."

"Eunuch Yu, tomorrow you will take today's recruited apprentices to Danyuan Peak. Do not enter the secret realm yet; Danyuan Peak is overgrown and barren, so you must lead the people to clear a path up the mountain first."

"The spiritual qi on Danyuan Peak is dense. Previously, I intended for you to build dwellings within the secret realm, but now that we have Danyuan Peak, all apprentices may carve out cave dwellings on the mountain and reclaim five mu of spiritual fields each. What to plant in those fields is up to you."

Upon hearing this, those who had become apprentices of the Danyuan Secret Realm, as well as those about to join, all wore expressions of delighted surprise.