Chapter 273: Inaction

The Qihuang Pavilion and the Lingjing Pavilion replied swiftly; Apothecary Xu waited outside the Lecturer's Hall, and as soon as Hua Changxi finished teaching the apprentices, he immediately reported the responses from both sides.

"Director, the Qihuang Pavilion has agreed to let you lecture in Halls One through Nine."

"The Lingjing Pavilion did not agree to help resolve the matter of setting up a registration point at the entrance of the Medicine and Pharmacy Bureau."

Only one of the two conditions had been met, yet Hua Changxi felt no disappointment, merely sighing: "The Dao-Protecting Families are even more undeserving of their reputation than I imagined."

Recruiting more apprentices for the Danyuan Secret Realm counts as promoting the development of the Dan Sheng Hall.

The Dao-Protecting Families bear the responsibility of guarding the Dao; promoting the revival of the Dan Sheng Hall, one of the Five Great Sacred Lands, is also a form of indirect Dao protection.

Yet instead of offering support, they obstructed her from within.

Furthermore, she was the master of the Danyuan Secret Realm and thus inherently a member of the Lingjing Pavilion.

By rights, the Lingjing Pavilion bore the responsibility of helping her resolve her problems; after all, the original intention behind the Xia family proposing the establishment of the Lingjing Pavilion was to foster mutual assistance among the various Secret Realm masters.

She faced difficulties and even offered terms of exchange, yet under such circumstances, the Lingjing Pavilion still sought to suppress her; in essence, the establishment of the Lingjing Pavilion served merely to facilitate the self-serving agendas of the Dao-Protecting Families, while promoting the revival and development of the Sacred Land was secondary.

Apothecary Xu dared not casually comment on the Dao-Protecting Families, but he did relay what he had learned within the Lingjing Pavilion.

"Director, the membership of the Lingjing Pavilion has increased significantly."

"Previously, the members of the Lingjing Pavilion consisted solely of the various Secret Realm masters, but now, those young cultivators brought by Elder Xia have also joined."

"People are whispering privately, saying that the Lingjing Pavilion is imitating the Qihuang Pavilion."

Among the members of the Qihuang Pavilion, the eighteen directors constituted only a portion; many imperial clan members and scions of powerful noble families merely registered their names at the Qihuang Hall and thereby became members of the Qihuang Pavilion.

The Lingjing Pavilion followed suit; nowadays, within the secret realms, besides the realm masters, there were numerous managers and persons in charge.

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi frowned slightly, but soon her expression relaxed.

Whether it was the Qihuang Pavilion or the Lingjing Pavilion, they had turned the Medicine and Pharmacy Bureau into a mess; if Gu Xing, the most legitimate gatekeeper of the Sacred Land, chose not to intervene, then it concerned her even less.

She only needed to tend well to her own small plot of land.

Hua Changxi dismissed Apothecary Xu and then summoned the ten apprentices with the greatest talent for processing medicinal herbs.

She had been teaching apprentices how to process spiritual herbs at Danyuan Peak for nearly a month; these ten apprentices had learned most thoroughly, so she decided that future lessons would be taught by them.

Over the following days, these ten apprentices served as the main lecturers while she acted as an assistant, personally supervising them through several classes; once she confirmed they could independently teach the other apprentices, she began preparing to lecture at the Qihuang Hall.

Hua Changxi had successfully unlocked the teaching content for Qihuang Halls One through Nine, but only Hall One was bound to the Qihuang Token.

The other eight Qihuang Halls remained in a 'masterless' state, meaning others holding Qihuang Tokens still had the opportunity to bind themselves to these eight halls.

All ten of her Qihuang Tokens had been lost in the Nine Netherworlds, and she did not know when they might be recovered; her proposal to lecture at the Qihuang Hall was intended to test whether she could still bind with the halls without the tokens in her possession.

As for the criterion for judgment, it was the speed of cultivation.

Previously, when she unlocked the Qihuang Hall and lectured within it, her cultivation speed had increased.

On June 28, Hua Changxi arrived outside Qihuang Hall Two.

Several days earlier, news had spread that she would be lecturing on the "Complete Guide to Processing First-Grade Spiritual Herbs" at Qihuang Hall Two; she had expected many to attend, yet surprisingly, few had come.

The contrast was immense compared to previous lectures by other Qihuang Pavilion directors, where crowds had surrounded the hall so tightly that not even water could seep through.

Along Qihuang Street, people occasionally glanced toward Hall Two, but as soon as the Sacred Guard patrolled by, these individuals immediately dispersed.

Watching this scene, Hua Changxi fell into thoughtful silence.

The person responsible for managing Qihuang Hall Two was Xie An, the eldest disciple of Director Gu; upon seeing Hua Changxi arrive, Xie An immediately smiled and welcomed her out.

"Director Hua, everyone has been waiting for a long time, just for you to begin the lecture."

Hua Changxi smiled and asked: "There are hardly any people visible on the street; what is the reason for this?"

Glancing at the patrolling Sacred Guard in the distance, Xie An smiled and said: "The Sacred Guard stated that the Qihuang Hall is a place for instruction; loitering, gathering, and making noise are prohibited."

Hua Changxi asked: "Since when have such rules existed?"

Xie An chuckled: "They were implemented only recently."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi's eyes darkened; there was no need to ask further—these rules were clearly aimed at her. Although the Qihuang Pavilion had agreed to let her lecture, they did not wish for too many people to attend.

Xie An also felt helpless deep down; whether it was the Qihuang Pavilion or the Lingjing Pavilion, no one wanted Hua Changxi to gain too much prestige.

Hua Changxi said nothing further and stepped into Qihuang Hall Two.

Upon seeing that the people inside were either members of the imperial clan, scions of powerful noble families, or cultivators selected by the Dao-Protecting Families, her brows immediately furrowed.

Hua Changxi sneered inwardly; no wonder the Qihuang Pavilion had agreed to her conditions so readily—they had been waiting for her right here.

In exchange for her "Complete Guide to Processing First-Grade Spiritual Herbs," all she had obtained was the qualification to serve as a lecturer for this group of people!

Everyone inside was observing Hua Changxi's expression; seeing her face taut, many felt secretly delighted, especially Prince Shou, while even Xia Zhen wore a beaming smile.

Did she truly believe that possessing some skill entitled her to issue orders to them?

Hmph, dealing with someone lacking roots and background was simply too easy!

Gu Xing had also come; watching Hua Changxi ascend the main lecturing platform with a grave face, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Fortunately, she had not flipped out on the spot; she still possessed some composure!

Hua Changxi surveyed the people present, her gaze landing on Director Gu, and she smiled as she asked: "Director Gu, I have a question for you."

Without waiting for Director Gu to react, she directly posed her question.

"Do you believe you can firmly hold the position of director of Qihuang Hall Two?"

At these words, not only did Director Gu's expression change, but so did the faces of others who had hoped to see Hua Changxi make a fool of herself.

Director Gu had not expected Hua Changxi to target him; he asked in surprise: "What does Director Hua mean by this?"

Hua Changxi smiled and said: "If possessing a Qihuang Token guaranteed one the position of Qihuang Hall director, then why did Zhu Qinghuan lose her position as director?"

Director Gu's expression turned serious.

Hua Changxi continued with a smile: "Nowadays, the Qihuang Halls are merely empty courtyards; do you truly believe that having a Qihuang Token allows one to rest easy? That one need not shoulder the responsibilities of a director?"

"You are the director of Qihuang Hall Two, correct? But does Qihuang Hall Two operate according to your commands?"

"A person whose commands hold no weight—do you think such a person can firmly hold the position of director?"

"Do you believe such a person can gain the recognition of the Sacred Land?"

Director Gu understood clearly: Hua Changxi was dissatisfied that he had allowed the royal family to suppress her. Mocked by her in public, he wished to retort, yet found himself momentarily speechless.

Two days prior, Shen Qianfan had delivered a message stating that during the Outer Hall Master's lectures, no Qihuang Hall could accommodate more than one hundred attendees.

He knew this was the royal family's will; unwilling to confront them directly, he had raised no objection.

By his own code of conduct, this was acceptable; yet as the Second Hall Master, allowing others to meddle in Qihuang Hall affairs indeed made him appear somewhat negligent.

Hua Changxi held Director Gu, and indeed all others who possessed a Qihuang Token, in low regard.

These people did nothing, yet deluded themselves into thinking a mere token would secure their positions as Hall Masters—what kind of daydream was that?