Chapter 431: Legitimate and Proper

Yuan Qi stood at the entrance of the Stargazing Tower, watching Hua Changxi's figure merge into the night on Central Street; thinking of the two treasures she had taken from the Star Sea Pool, a sigh involuntarily rose in his heart.

There were only nine Realm Tokens in the entire Four Spirits Realm, obtainable solely by those with great fortune.

As for the Zhu Que Bow, it was even more extraordinary; it was the companion magical treasure of Zhu Que, one of the Four Spirits who opened up the Four Spirits Realm. After the Four Spirits passed away and merged with the realm, the Zhu Que Bow had circulated only in the hands of the 'Zhu Que Emperor'.

Even the legendary Imperial Weapon had been obtained by Hua Changxi...

Could she protect it?

Or rather, could she control the Zhu Que Bow?

Although Yuan Qi had sensed Hua Changxi's extraordinariness ever since the Stargazing Tower appeared, the emergence of the Realm Token and the Zhu Que Bow made him update his understanding of her once again.

"What did Hua Changxi go to the Stargazing Tower to do?"

Wei Zhenjie's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

Yuan Qi looked toward Wei Zhenjie on the distant Ascension Tower, recalling how, when he had previously sought confirmation from this man regarding the rumor that 'Hua Changxi is the Hall Master of the Lingguang Hall', the fellow had feigned profundity and kept silent; a cold snort immediately escaped Yuan Qi's nose.

Now, he no longer needed to seek verification from this fellow.

He already knew Hua Changxi's identity in his heart, and furthermore, he possessed insider information that others did not.

Yuan Qi affected an air of superiority, lifting his chin slightly and giving Wei Zhenjie a smile that said 'Heavenly secrets must not be revealed', then flicked his sleeve, turned around, clasped his hands behind his back, and leisurely returned to the Stargazing Tower.

Seeing this demeanor, Wei Zhenjie shook his head with amusement, then looked again in the direction where Hua Changxi had disappeared, lost in thought.

Hua Changxi had gone to the Stargazing Tower to collect a debt, and the satisfaction evident between her brows as she left suggested that Yuan Qi had paid a heavy price this time.

Had he obtained items from the Star Sea Pool?

After leaving the Stargazing Tower, Hua Changxi returned directly to the bamboo hut on Danyuan Peak.

She was quite satisfied with this trip to the Stargazing Tower.

Yuan Qi had not tried to claim credit while downplaying the favor; he had directly acknowledged that he owed her a debt of gratitude and, moreover, had proactively offered 'compensation'.

Since refining the Realm Token and the Zhu Que Bow within the Stargazing Tower was inconvenient, upon returning to her own territory, Hua Changxi impatiently inspected both items carefully; only after confirming there were no imprints on them did she begin the refinement process.

Alas, the refinement of both failed completely!

Only then did Hua Changxi truly realize just how high-grade the two items she had obtained were.

After all, her current physical strength had already reached the level capable of opening a Physical Dao, yet under such conditions, she was unable to refine these two magical treasures, which was truly beyond her expectations.

Although the Realm Token and the Zhu Que Bow could only be viewed and not used, Hua Changxi still felt that this trip to the Stargazing Tower had been well worth it.

Had she not made the trip to the Stargazing Tower, the tower would certainly not have thought to compensate her proactively.

Relying on her own efforts, merely gathering information about the Realm Token and the Zhu Que Bow would likely have been impossible, let alone directly possessing them.

Putting away the Realm Token and the Zhu Que Bow, Hua Changxi took out the Shennong Cauldron and began refining the common fourth-grade pills needed for the journey to the Lingguang Hall.

Just as Hua Changxi immersed herself in pill refining, the Qihuang Pavilion, the Lingjing Pavilion, and the forbidden grounds of the Dansheng Hall were still debating endlessly over the matter of 'Secret Realm Masters governing the Sacred Land'.

Qihuang Pavilion.

Princess Ling Yuan, her face full of reluctance, looked at Chu Tianxun: "Grandfather Tianxun, are we just going to stand by and watch the Secret Realm Masters snatch the power from our hands, then wait for them to rise above us?"

Chu Tianxun looked at her: "Otherwise, what do you want to do?"

Princess Ling Yuan was deeply unconvinced: "On what grounds should we cede power? The predecessor of the Dansheng Hall was the Medical Office, a government agency under the Imperial Court's jurisdiction; even though the Medical Office has now become the Dansheng Hall, it is not right to kick away the ladder after crossing the river."

"The Imperial Court also contributed to the Dansheng Hall's development to its current state; even if we have no merit, we at least have toil to our name."

"And as for the Xia family over there, I refuse to believe that the Xia family is willing to cede power either."

"Nowadays, the core strength of the Dansheng Hall consists either of people promoted by the Imperial Court or those cultivated by the Xia family; as long as we do not relent, the entire Sacred Land will be unable to function."

Chu Tianxun sighed: "If 'Secret Realm Masters governing the Dansheng Hall' were merely a proposal by Hua Changxi, we would have plenty of methods to let that proposal die a natural death, but..."

"The Divine Wood has acted, promulgating the Sacred Land Laws; our chances of reversing the situation are now nearly nonexistent."

Princess Ling Yuan remained unwilling: "Surely we cannot do nothing? If we do not fight back at all, won't people think the Imperial Court is easy to bully?"

Chu Junhao could no longer hold back; looking at Princess Ling Yuan, he said: "Eldest Sister, the promulgation of the Sacred Land Laws means that the Secret Realm Masters governing the Sacred Land has become a legitimate and proper affair."

"Unless we have the ability to overthrow this law, we can only act in accordance with it. Trying to engage in petty schemes at this point would be acting against the trend, and doing so would be meaningless."

Princess Ling Yuan snorted with a laugh, looking utterly disdainful of Chu Junhao: "You haven't even done anything yet, and here you are boosting others' morale while dampening your own prestige; where is the backbone of an Imperial Prince?"

Due to differences in their birth mothers, royal children mostly maintained only a superficial sibling affection, rarely treating each other as true family deep down; regarding Princess Ling Yuan's sarcasm, Chu Junhao paid no heed, simply stating the facts calmly.

"At present, the Imperial Court indeed still retains some influence and could certainly mount some resistance."

"But what about afterwards?"

"Whether it is the noble families following the Imperial Court or the ordinary cultivators attaching themselves to us, they entered the Dansheng Hall seeking a bright future."

"Asking them now to act against the Sacred Land Laws is almost equivalent to making them sacrifice their futures just to vent their anger; constrained by the prestige of the Imperial Court, they might obey for a time, but before long, resentment will surely arise in their hearts."

No longer looking at Princess Ling Yuan, Chu Junhao looked instead at Chu Tianxun: "Doing this will only place the Imperial Court in an even more disadvantageous position within the Dansheng Hall."

Chu Tianxun actually agreed more with Princess Ling Yuan, yet he also knew that Chu Junhao's words were correct.

For Hua Changxi to so ruthlessly kick the Imperial Court out of the Dansheng Hall's highest management layer and for them to do nothing in response was truly suffocating!

The atmosphere here in the Lingjing Pavilion was relatively much more relaxed.

Xia Ji smiled as he looked at Meng Qingyao: "The Secret Realm Masters governing the Sacred Land is a good thing for you, the Pavilion Master of the Lingjing Pavilion who oversees the Secret Realm Masters."

Meng Qingyao showed hesitation on her face: "But Master, my contributions to the Dansheng Hall are not as great as Hua Changxi's; in the ways of pills and medicine, I may not necessarily surpass her either; the position of Lingjing Pavilion Master... should belong to Hua Changxi."

Xia Ji smiled: "Put your heart at ease and simply perform your duties well as the Lingjing Pavilion Master."

"Hua Changxi does not personally manage even Danyuan Peak or the Danyuan Secret Realm; she will care even less about the Lingjing Pavilion."

Hearing this, Meng Qingyao did not feel particularly happy; instead, she felt somewhat unsettled in her heart.

When facing Hua Changxi, she always felt a profound sense of frustration.

Xia Ji perceived Meng Qingyao's unease but did not offer much guidance, simply saying: "Qingyao, in the future when managing the Lingjing Pavilion, you must prioritize the Dansheng Hall; as for the interests of our sect and family, let your elder brother and others fight for those."

Upon hearing this, Meng Qingyao's eyes brightened, and she agreed very quickly: "Yes."

After hearing this, Xia Zhen looked at her several times; only after Xia Ji dismissed Meng Qingyao did he speak: "I did not expect that Qingyao would be unwilling to fight for the family's interests."

Xia Ji looked at him: "It is not that she is unwilling, but that we have pressed the family's interests onto her shoulders, and she feels the burden is too heavy."

"Qingyao's talent and various conditions are superior to Hua Changxi's, yet there is one point where she clearly falls short: her mind is too burdened. She worries excessively, to the extent that she cannot fully unleash her potential."

Xia Ji nodded in agreement: "Qingyao is too sensible; she always knows how to think of the family and share the burdens of her elders, unlike Hua Changxi, who only cares about herself in everything."

After hearing this, Xia Ji felt somewhat moved.

Perhaps cultivators should be more carefree like Hua Changxi; only then can their path proceed more smoothly?

The forbidden grounds of the Pill Saint Hall.

None of the successors of the sacred lands opposed having the master of the secret realm, who was bound by the sacred laws, take charge of the sacred land; on the contrary, they strongly approved.

"Once Ling Guang Hall returns from the medical consultation, we will push for the convening of the Secret Realm Masters' Assembly, and then find a way to establish during the meeting the operational system of the ancient Pill Saint Hall that Gu Xing described."

"As long as this system is successfully established and the successors of the sacred lands are assigned to various departments, the Pill Saint Hall can function normally."