NOVPUBUpon the precious and high-quality stone floor, smooth and flat, small mountains of various resources were piled up.
There were raw, unprocessed items, such as all kinds of spirit materials, Spiritual Medicine, Spirit Grass, and so on.
Processed items too, such as pills, talismans, spirit food, Array Plates, puppets, and more.
One by one, the Deacons of the Diwu Hall stood by, swiftly conducting inventory checks, inspections, and recording...
This place resembled both a dispatch center for all sorts of resources and a vast warehouse.
Among these, there were several rare spirit items that made Wang Ba’s heart race.
Wang Ba did recall that he still had some puppet parts in his Storage Treasure, which he had picked up in the capital of the West Sea Country.
"I wonder if they are of any value,"
he muttered to himself, though he didn’t hand them over to the cultivators of the Diwu Hall.
The main reason was that he had more important matters to attend to while following Cui Daqi.
Soon, the two arrived at a spacious palace.
By now, the palace was already filled with numerous cultivators, almost all of whom were at the Nascent Soul stage, with only a handful of Golden Cores.
Noticing that Wang Ba, who was merely at the Early Stage of Golden Core, was following Cui Daqi, many Nascent Souls instantly revealed a hint of surprise on their faces.
However, some of the older Nascent Soul cultivators who had seen Wang Ba in the Chunyang Palace were briefly taken aback before casting friendly glances his way.
Some acquaintances of Cui Daqi also came over to greet him proactively.
Being of much lower realm, Wang Ba found it hard to hold conversations with these Nascent Soul cultivators, so he could only follow behind Cui Daqi.
However, he soon saw Ma Shengxu hurrying in.
"Martial Uncle Ma!"
"Martial Nephew Wang, you’ve been promoted to Vice Minister?"
Ma Shengxu was quite surprised but soon nodded and said,
"Rende Hall really knows how to spot a gem."
Wang Ba promptly offered several modest remarks in return.
Before long, Ma Shengxu was called away by an acquaintance.
Wang Ba once again became almost invisible.
Not until Qi Yan, the Minister of the Beast Department, arrived did Wang Ba finally see another familiar face.
"Martial Uncle Qi."
Wang Ba took the initiative to greet him.
"Wang Ba?"
Qi Yan, too, showed a hint of surprise at Wang Ba’s presence.
Upon learning that Wang Ba had been elevated to Vice Minister, his expression grew pensive.
He then seemed to recall something and said to Wang Ba,
"When you are free, come to Shou Peak to find me."
Wang Ba immediately nodded in agreement, as he indeed had matters to discuss with Qi Yan.
Qi Yan, known for his reserved nature, did not engage in much conversation with others but did talk with Wang Ba briefly about Beast Control.
Before long, Wang Ba saw the big drinker He, another Vice Minister of the Spirit Food Department, enter the hall.
Upon seeing Wang Ba in such a setting, He clearly froze for a moment, his face revealing an astonished expression.
Wang Ba quickly paid his respects to He as well.
With some skepticism but still with a nod, He acknowledged the gesture as a return of the courtesy.
The number of people in the hall continued to grow.
Finally, a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a robe embroidered with the unique symbols of Diwu Hall patterns, such as immortal herbs and spirit cranes, led the way in.
"...It’s Vice Master Song,"
Wang Ba faintly heard someone whispering as if introducing the newcomers to the newly appointed Vice Minister.
A chill ran through Wang Ba’s heart upon hearing this.
Master Song? Could it be Martial Uncle Song Dongyang, whom Master Yao Wudi once bullied?
But soon, Wang Ba regained his composure.
Were it before, he might indeed have been extremely nervous.
Now that Master Yao Wudi had successfully achieved Immortal Ascension, there was no need for such apprehension.
Amid the noise, Master Song glanced outside the hall and spoke softly. Instantly, the hall fell silent:
"Hall Master, everyone is here."
As his words ended,
another cultivator also dressed in Diwu Hall’s robe, with fiery red hair and a youthful appearance, stepped over the threshold and walked in.
His gaze, deep as the ocean, swept over everyone, instantly causing all the cultivators to lower their heads and say in one voice:
"All the divisions of the Five Elements Division greet Master Xi."
Wang Ba was among them, feeling somewhat tense inside.
This was his first time meeting the Immortal Ascension stage Hall Master of the Earth Palace.
Yet, he couldn’t help but think of an irrelevant question.
"Martial Brother Xi Wushang... doesn’t seem to have the same hair color as the Hall Master," he thought.
But this thought was quickly suppressed by him.
He dared not mention Immortal Ascension directly in his thoughts.
And as for Master Xi Kui of the Earth Palace, his gaze drifted over Wang Ba in the crowd without surprise.
Although the Rende Hall was responsible for allocating positions within the sect,
such middle-level appointments required his approval before being reported upwards.
He was well aware of Wang Ba’s assignment as Vice Minister,
and in some ways, his nod had indeed given it a push.
This was a way to reciprocate and thank Wang Ba for his previous action in saving his descendant.
Of course, if Wang Ba hadn’t had the capability, he would not have forced the issue.
It didn’t take long.
Master Xi then said, "There’s no need for formalities, please take your seats."
Everyone found a spot to sit and cultivators from the Earth Palace served tea in turn.
Then Master Xi spoke up:
"Today’s assembly is for the same reason as the previous ones, the great flood disaster is imminent, and the expansion of the Yuan Magnetic Sea Eye in the West Sea is relentless. We must do everything possible to construct this Tribulation Crossing Raft... Of course, apart from the raft, we need to accelerate the collection of many resources – the more, the better."
"This is why I’ve summoned you all here, and since some have taken up new positions as Vice Ministers, I thought I’d mention it along the way..."
Wang Ba sat among the crowd below, inconspicuous.
