Chapter 282: Invincible Within the Same Realm

As soon as the news spread that the four great holy lands were jointly recruiting disciples openly in various regions, Danyuan Peak witnessed a surge in registrations.

Those registering were precisely internal personnel of the Medical Bureau and cultivators from the areas surrounding Jingcheng.

Realizing they could not stop Hua Changxi from recruiting, the imperial family and the powerful noble clans acted decisively, releasing a batch of cultivators who wished to study medicine and pill refining.

Although these individuals would have to prioritize the interests of the Dansheng Hall after joining the Danyuan Secret Realm, they ultimately came from these clans, so some degree of familial connection would inevitably remain.

Dingyuan Count's Manor.

The Count looked emotional: "I never expected Hua Ninth Lady to break through the siege laid by the imperial family and the nobles, winning this round."

The heir apparent of the Hua clan also wore a complex expression: "Since the Hua clan did not choose to support Hua Ninth Lady at the very beginning, even if we now intend to draw close to her, I fear we will not gain any favor."

The Count, however, held a different view: "Hua Ninth Lady is, after all, of Hua bloodline; some ties are not so easily severed as she might wish." Saying this, he brought out two bottles of pills submitted by his two granddaughters.

These were the monthly allowances received by Hua Shuran and Hua Wanyue: one bottle contained First-Grade Yuanling Pills for cultivating cultivation, and the other held First-Grade Healing Pills for strengthening the foundation and nurturing vitality.

Both bottles contained top-grade First-Grade pills!

Outsiders believed Hua Changxi stood alone and weak, yet her ability to distribute so many top-grade First-Grade pills to apprentices surely indicated that a large group of pill refiners stood behind her.

Otherwise, supplying such a vast quantity of pills would be impossible.

The Count believed that Hua Changxi was the successor of the Dansheng Hall, and moreover, the representative pushed to the forefront.

Thinking thus, the Count looked at his heir: "Previously, the clansmen Hua Third Young Master took to join the Danyuan Secret Realm did not possess particularly good spiritual roots. This time, anyone in the clan who wishes to study medicine or pill refining shall be permitted to register."

Previously, although the Minister of the Heaven Department led the way by sending a batch of retired Demon-Suppressing Army soldiers to join the Danyuan Secret Realm, he still did not hold high hopes for Hua Changxi.

Therefore, he had only sent a portion of clansmen with mediocre spiritual roots to follow Hua Third Young Master into the Danyuan Secret Realm, merely as a gesture of support.

But now, since Hua Changxi was the representative successor of the Dansheng Hall, joining the Danyuan Secret Realm had become the most legitimate channel for entering the Dansheng Hall.

"By the way, also notify our relatives and friends within the clan; if anyone wishes to join the Danyuan Secret Realm, gather them together to register alongside the clansmen."

"For this registration, let Hua Fourth Young Master and Hua Seventh Lady lead the group."

"Hua Fourth Young Master and Hua Seventh Lady grew up together with Hua Ninth Lady; even if one ignores the monk, one must respect the Buddha. With these two present, I imagine Hua Ninth Lady will not mistreat our people."

The heir nodded in agreement.

The Count fell silent for a moment, then added: "When Hua Bin and Hua Minghe arrive shortly, you must advise them to invite Hua Ninth Lady home for gatherings more often."

"Affection between people accumulates gradually through interaction."

"Given their current behavior, meeting Hua Ninth Lady only once or twice a year, how can any genuine affection exist?"

He paused.

"Furthermore, after joining Danyuan Peak, instruct Shuran and Hongrui to keep a closer watch on Hua Third Young Master and Hua Fourth Young Master, offering them guidance frequently."

"Hua Bin's family origin was too low; their methods of conducting themselves worked in the past, but now, their value has risen along with Hua Ninth Lady's. If they continue to act according to their old ways, they will be gnawed down to the very bone shards."

"We intend to ride the east wind provided by Hua Ninth Lady to strengthen the entire Hua clan."

"Hua Ninth Lady holds little affection for the clan; Hua Bin's family serves as the connecting link between the clan and her. Only if Hua Bin's family prospers can the rest of the clan benefit."

"You must explain this clearly to Shuran and Hongrui; henceforth in Danyuan Peak, the clansmen must prioritize Hua Third Young Master, Hua Fourth Young Master, and the others. They must adapt to this new reality quickly."

The heir sighed; nowadays, even the status of the imperial family was gradually declining, let alone that of the Dingyuan Count's Manor: "Father, rest assured, I will speak thoroughly with Shuran and Hongrui."

The Count could not bear for his grandchildren to curry favor with Hua Bin's family, whom they once could not even easily enter the manor gates to see, yet circumstances outweighed personal pride; if bowing low could secure survival and development, then doing so was no shame.

"Cultivating the body and tempering the heart; this too counts as a form of trial."

At Marquis Wu Yi's Manor, Marquis He was engaging in a similar conversation with his family.

Marquis He first spoke to the Marchioness: "From now on, whenever our manor attends various social engagements, Hua Fifth Lady must accompany us."

After the Marchioness nodded in agreement, Marquis He turned to Third Master He: "Hua Fifth Lady returns to the Hua family far too seldom; urge her to bring Xiaoman back to visit her natal home more often."

"Xiaoman was delivered by his Ninth Aunt; surely his Ninth Aunt cannot stand by and watch him, lacking spiritual roots, live out his life as a mere mortal."

Precisely because of Hua Fifth Lady's existence, Third Master He's status within the Marquis Manor had risen significantly: "The Hua family possesses special medicinal bath formulas for enhancing physical constitution; I will instruct Fifth Lady to secure some for Xiaoman."

He paused.

"If an opportunity arises, I will also have Fifth Lady request a medicinal bath formula for the Marquis Manor."

On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, traditionally the Mid-Autumn Festival for family reunions, the Human Resources Department at the foot of Danyuan Peak was instead teeming with people.

Registrants arrived in an endless stream, keeping Apothecary Xu and the seven individuals including Hua Shuran so busy their feet hardly touched the ground.

Meanwhile, in the Lingguang Hall, after noticing that the Zhu Que Army was not actively accepting missions, Hua Changxi issued another notice.

No, it was not a mission; more accurately, it was a recruitment announcement.

"Recruiting stewards for the Transmission Hall, Training Hall, Logistics Department, and Mission Hall; candidates for steward appointments will be determined by the number of missions accepted and the completion rate of those missions."

Sure enough, immediately after this announcement was released, several groups accepted the mission to 'investigate the anomalous phenomena in Nanxiang County'.

Having mobilized the enthusiasm of the Zhu Que Army, Hua Changxi placed a batch of pills in the pill warehouse of the Logistics Department, then prepared to return to the Medical Bureau.

After several days of fermentation, factions across Jingcheng had likely received news regarding the spirit-displaying devices deployed in various regions.

This time, Hua Changxi did not use the teleportation array but took a detour, scanning the skies above Nanxiang County once more before heading back to the capital.

"Hmm?"

During her survey, Hua Changxi detected several distinct spatial fluctuations.

Frequent spatial fluctuations; could this mean an ancient ruin was about to emerge?

Hua Changxi had never encountered an ancient ruin and knew little about what omens accompanied their emergence: "Could it be an ancient ruin?"

Yet, in Nanxiang County alone, there were at least eight or nine locations exhibiting obvious spatial fluctuations.

Could a single Nanxiang County possibly harbor so many emerging ancient ruins?

If Nanxiang County truly witnessed the emergence of so many ancient ruins, it was certain that during the ancient era, this place must have been a strategic stronghold.

Thinking of the Lingguang Hall located directly north of Nanxiang County, Hua Changxi's heart stirred: "Could Nanxiang County be related to Zhu Que?"

Hua Changxi memorized the locations of the spatial fluctuations, lingered no longer, and rode the clouds toward the gates of Jingcheng.

Along the way, she also noticed quite a few Nascent Soul realm cultivators.

"Ten... fifteen... twenty!!!"

Along the way, Hua Changxi spotted roughly twenty Nascent Soul cultivators.

These Nascent Soul cultivators were either hidden in the mountains and forests or concealed within the crowds; in short, they had blocked every entrance and exit to and from Nanxiang County.

This display clearly indicated a strict prevention of outside cultivators entering Nanxiang County to discover strange phenomena and seize the relic!

"Such a grand move..."

Hua Changxi turned her gaze toward the Nanxiang County Yamen; she had heard that after the Lingguang Hall emerged, Nanxiang County had been taken over by Prince Fu.

Deploying dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators at once truly demonstrated the Imperial Family's profound foundation.

With the aid of the Pulse Diagnosis Technique, Hua Changxi could see through the dantians of these Nascent Soul realm cultivators and 'observe' the amount of spiritual energy stored within their bodies.

One look revealed the problem.

The spiritual energy stored within these individuals was far less than she had expected; judging solely by the quantity of stored spiritual energy, she alone could fight more than ten such Nascent Soul cultivators.

Was it only this batch of Nascent Soul cultivators who possessed such meager spiritual energy reserves, or were all Nascent Soul cultivators like this?

If other Nascent Soul cultivators were also like this, then relying solely on spiritual energy, she could be considered invincible within the same realm!

Hua Changxi did not disturb these Nascent Soul cultivators but quietly returned to Jingcheng; as soon as she arrived at Danyuan Peak, she was blocked by the anxious Physician Xu.

"Curator, there are simply too many people coming to register; the eight of us cannot handle the workload, so the Personnel Department is applying to recruit a batch of new hands."