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Chapter 1172: Powerless to Refute

Facing the gazes of everyone present, Long Yan still showed no intention of speaking, maintaining his silence as before.

“Long Yan, if you have an opinion, state it quickly. Don't waste everyone's time. ”

Luo Yao said in a deep voice. His expression, which was already not very pleasant, grew even more somber as he spoke.

Long Yan naturally detected the displeasure in Luo Yao's tone. He frowned deeply and, after a moment's hesitation, still spoke.

“Great Emperor, if Guardians are appointed without selection, this might cause dissatisfaction among those below us and attract gossip from others. Your subordinate believes that Guardians should still be chosen through a formal process; only then will it truly convince the masses. ”

Luo Yao's brow furrowed. He seemed to have anticipated this scene today, so he responded in a deep voice immediately, as if he had prepared beforehand, without even needing to think.

“Chosen through a formal process? What kind of time is this? The battle between us and the enemy has long entered a white-hot stage. If we were to gather Emissaries of Death for a martial arts competition and layer-by-layer selection now, do you think such an approach is feasible? Perhaps the moment we gather the Emissaries of Death in the Underworld, our headquarters will be sacked by the enemy! ”

Luo Yao's words made Long Yan's brow furrow even deeper. He still wanted to retort, but before the words could leave his mouth, he was forcefully blocked by Luo Yao's next statement!

“Yongle has recently rendered many services, both great and small, for our Underworld Office. This is well-known throughout the entire Underworld Office, and his merits alone are sufficient to make him the Guardian of the Second District. Furthermore, I have personally verified his strength and cultivation realm. His combat power is very strong; while not invincible among those of the same rank, he certainly has few rivals. As for his realm, it is indeed as the rumors say: he has not only reached the peak of the Earth Soul late-stage realm but is also quite close to the Life Soul realm. With such a realm, I ask you all here today, how many of you can compare to him? ”

Luo Yao's earlier words did not bring any shock to the few people present. After all, Yongle's recent achievements for the Underworld Office were no secret; the people present had already been surprised by this matter long ago. Therefore, when Luo Yao brought it up again now, it naturally wouldn't cause any more astonishment in the hearts of those present.

However, Luo Yao's subsequent words truly shocked the people present.

Regarding the rumor that Yongle's realm was very close to the Life Soul realm, they had all heard about it to varying degrees, but they either adopted a skeptical attitude towards it or simply didn't believe it at all. Yet now, Luo Yao, right in front of them, had confirmed that the rumors were all true. How could they not be shocked?

Across the Four Continents plus the Underworld, the Jingling Continent Underworld Office was universally acknowledged as the weakest. This was true whether for Luo Yao, as the Great Emperor, or for the nine Guardians under his command.

Leaving aside the five Great Emperors for now, and speaking only of the nine Guardians under them, the Guardians under the other four Great Emperors had, to varying degrees, individuals who had entered the Life Soul realm. Conversely, among the Guardians under Luo Yao's command, not a single one had entered the Life Soul realm. On the surface, the highest-ranked Guardian was Wen Hexuan of the First District, whose realm had long since reached the peak of Earth Soul late-stage, and who was universally recognized as the strongest among all Guardians in the Jingling Continent Underworld Office.

Of course, this was only on the surface. As for who was truly stronger or had a higher realm in secret, that was unknowable. However, the public would only acknowledge information presented on the surface. It wasn't that they didn't acknowledge information that was kept secret, but rather that they had no means of knowing it, and thus, naturally, could not acknowledge it.

Wen Hexuan, at the peak of the Earth Soul late-stage realm, was not only one of the nine Guardians under Luo Yao but also oversaw the most important First District. So why would Yongle, also at the peak of the Earth Soul late-stage realm, not be qualified to become the Guardian of the Second District?

Although Luo Yao's current words did not explicitly use Wen Hexuan as a standard for comparison, the meaning behind his words was naturally clear to everyone present.

With the shock in their hearts, no one spoke again. Even Long Yan, who had intended to retort to Luo Yao, after learning of Yongle's current cultivation realm, also honestly closed his mouth. It wasn't that he didn't want to refute, but that Yongle's realm left him powerless to do so.

At this moment, the gazes of the several Guardians present towards Yongle changed considerably. Although the peak of the Earth Soul late-stage realm was only one step away from the Life Soul realm, that single step was quite distant, and every slight improvement at this realm was incredibly difficult. Since Yongle was already quite close to the Life Soul realm, it might not be long before he successfully broke through.

Once Yongle truly broke through to the Life Soul realm, both his status and his strength would undergo earth-shattering changes. The position of Luo Yao's top Guardian would certainly belong to him. As for his strength, there was even less to say; a single realm's advancement naturally meant a world of difference in power.

Precisely because they considered these factors, the gazes of these Guardians towards Yongle now differed from before. Some Guardians even harbored thoughts of forming strong connections with Yongle.

Seeing that Long Yan had stopped speaking, Luo Yao shifted his gaze to Wen Hexuan.

“Are you certain you have no objections? ”

Luo Yao asked in a deep voice. Although Wen Hexuan had just expressed his stance, Luo Yao still posed this question now. The intent behind it was clear to everyone present, and Wen Hexuan was naturally no exception.

Upon hearing this, Wen Hexuan immediately rose and responded respectfully at once.

“Your subordinate has absolutely no objections. As the Great Emperor said, whether it's the merits Yong Guardian has achieved for the Underworld Office or Yong Guardian's current realm and strength, he is qualified to become a Guardian, and serving as the Guardian of the Second District is more than sufficient. ”

Whether Wen Hexuan's words were truly heartfelt or merely lip service, Luo Yao did not dwell on this point. After receiving Wen Hexuan's affirmative reply, he said nothing more to Wen Hexuan, simply giving a faint 'hmm' and sweeping his gaze across the others.

Seeing that Luo Yao had no intention of continuing to question him, Wen Hexuan then sat back down.

Luo Yao's gaze swept over the faces of the other Guardians present. Seeing that no one intended to speak, he continued.

“Since none of you have any objections, then this matter is settled. Since everyone is already gathered here, I will now take a little more time to discuss the recent battle situation. ”

In truth, Luo Yao's very first words upon bringing Yongle into the meeting room had already made it clear that Luo Yao's intention to make Yongle the Guardian of the Second District was resolved. The reason he questioned the eight Guardians present was merely a symbolic gesture; even if someone objected, he would still adhere to his own decision.

The eight Guardians present naturally understood this principle. Thus, even if some felt uncomfortable about it inwardly, they still outwardly agreed with Luo Yao's approach. Even Long Yan, who had spoken out in refutation, ultimately chose to compromise.

As for why Long Yan publicly refuted Luo Yao's decision—whether it was due to his personality or if it held another meaning—that remained unknown.

In the time that followed, Luo Yao summarized the recent battle situation and made some arrangements and deployments. As time was pressing, he did not spend too long on it; the entire emergency meeting lasted only a brief half an hour from start to finish.

If time had been sufficiently abundant, this emergency meeting would naturally not have ended so quickly. Even the matter of Yongle becoming the Guardian of the Second District alone would have consumed a considerable amount of time. However, with the war against hostile forces growing increasingly fierce, and various emergencies potentially arising at any moment, Luo Yao naturally dared not spend too much time on such matters.

After the meeting concluded, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing went together to the Jingran Pharmacy. Along the way, Yang Haoran unreservedly shared his experience in refining Soul Crystals with Xu Meijing, and Xu Meijing, in turn, shared much of her own experience with him.

Under Gu Yi's management, the Jingran Pharmacy had undergone earth-shattering changes. Not only had the shop's area more than doubled, but the number of staff had also increased to over twenty. These twenty-plus individuals were merely the shop assistants within the pharmacy; the Ghost Doctors of Jingran Pharmacy were not even included in that count.

Relying on her own abilities and wielding the banner of Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, two Guardians, in just one short year, Gu Yi had successfully recruited a total of six Ghost Doctors for Jingran Pharmacy. Although six individuals might not seem like many, for the New Beginning Realm, where Pharmacists were scarce, six Pharmacists were actually quite a considerable number, especially since this achievement only took one year.

The types of medicines currently sold at Jingran Pharmacy had increased significantly compared to a year ago. Because each Pharmacist would naturally refine different types of Dānyào and concoct different medicines, the increase in Pharmacists naturally led to an increase in the variety of medicines.

However, of the various medicines currently sold at Jingran Pharmacy, only a small portion were refined and concocted by Jingran Pharmacy's Ghost Doctors; the majority still came from Yang Haoran's Medicine God Society.

Because of the wide variety of Dānyào sold and their very reasonable prices, Jingran Pharmacy's reputation had grown even larger compared to a year ago. Even though the pharmacy's location was quite remote, it did not affect the explosive growth of its fame. Throughout the entire Underworld, almost no one, except for newly arrived spirits, was unaware of Jingran Pharmacy.

As Jingran Pharmacy's fame surged, Gu Yi, the manager of Jingran Pharmacy, also carved out a considerable reputation for herself in the Underworld. The reason the word 'carved' is used to describe it is because Gu Yi, for the benefit of Jingran Pharmacy, battled wits and bravery with others, naturally including her competitors, and slowly, she carved out a significant reputation.

When Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing arrived at Jingran Pharmacy, seeing the booming business, so popular that even the threshold was nearly trampled flat by customers, smiles unconsciously appeared on both their faces.

“Heh heh, Gu Yi is truly becoming more and more capable. Jingran Pharmacy changes day by day under her management; every time I come here, I'm surprised by the changes. Although you, fellow, aren't much to look at, you're certainly good at judging people. ”

“Heh heh, not only is my discernment good, my methods are equally extraordinary. Otherwise, how could I have won over a great beauty like you? ”