Elder Zhao shook his head and said, "You cannot be blamed for the greed of another. If anything, this is all the Million Snakes Sect fault."
"Elder Zhao is right, Sect Master. Don't blame yourself for any of this…"
"If you blame yourself, Sect Master, then I am also to blame, as I did not have the capability to protect the disciples in such times."
"You guys…" Liu Lanzhi almost teared up after hearing their words.
"Perhaps this situation is a blessing in disguise. Not did we experience the true cruelty of this world but we also survived it, and it will make all of us stronger. Although we have lost almost all of our disciples, we can always recruit more, albeit it'll take some time. Not to mention that we still have plenty of talented disciples left, and this includes all of you here."
Liu Lanzhi suddenly retrieved her storage ring and said, "This is my way of showing grat.i.tude. Thank you for stay loyal even in times when it seemed like the end — thank you…"
After saying those words, Liu Lanzhi poured everything that was inside the storage ring onto the table before them.
"T-T-This is…!"
Everybody there stared with a dazed expression at the dozens of Spirit Treasures and cultivation techniques that were piling on the table.
"W-Where in the heaven did you obtain all of these, Sect Master?!"
Elder Zhao immediately realized that the treasures on the table were all Spiritual Treasures, but that only shocked him harder, as he has never seen so many Spiritual Treasure gathered in one small spot before.
"It was a gift from the same Senior who protected us from the Million Snakes Sect," she said.
"Anyway, you guys can go ahead and pick any one Spiritual Treasure and cultivation technique from this table. You may keep the Spiritual Treasures, but I will need the cultivation techniques back after you have remembered all of its contents, as it will be shared by all disciples."
The sect elders looked at Liu Lanzhi with wide eyes. They simply couldn't believe how generous she was being with these Spiritual Treasures.
However, once the sect elders picked up the cultivation scrolls and actually saw its content, their eyes nearly popped from shock.
"I-I-It's an Earth-grade cultivation technique!"
Elder Sun gasped when he realized what he was holding.
Earth-grade techniques are just below Heaven-grade techniques that only places like the Million Snakes Sect would have, and even then, they would not have more than one of two of them.
"This one is also an Earth-grade technique!"
Another sect elder gasped when she read its contents.
"There's more than one?!"
"I-I also have one!"
Another sect elder spoke.
Liu Lanzhi smiled upon seeing their excited reactions.
"There are exactly 8 Earth-grade, 15 Spirit-grade, and 27 Mortal-grade cultivation techniques in that pile!"
Liu Lanzhi revealed to them the real numbers.
"Eight Earth-grade?!"
Elder Zhao's jaw dropped to the ground upon hearing that number.
"That's not all."
Liu Lanzhi proceeded to speak in a bragging voice, "All of these are only from one out of a few storage rings!"
"This is unbelievable… with just this pile of treasures, we are as rich as places like the Million Snakes Sect! And if this is just one of many storage rings… I wouldn't be surprised if we are now the richest sect in the Eastern Region!"
Elder Zhao wiped the sweat that was appearing on his forehead just from thinking about their newfound wealth.
After many minutes of looking through the pile of treasures, all twenty sect elders in the room have picked their spiritual treasure and cultivation technique.
"Now that you all have chosen a cultivation technique, I want you to cultivate it and become a stronger force for the Profound Blossom Sect. And when the Million Snakes Sect returns, I want all of you to be able to protect the disciples properly!"
"Yes, Sect Master!"
After speaking with the sect elders for a few more minutes, Liu Lanzhi dismissed them, leaving herself alone in the lecture hall.
"I am finally alone, huh."
Liu Lanzhi sat down at a nearby chair, feeling extremely weak.
Although she appeared to be fine just moments ago, Liu Lanzhi was actually barely keeping herself from collapsing due to stress and exhaustion this entire time, as she did not want to worry her disciples any more than she already has.
What's more, the sudden ma.s.s reduction in disciples has caused a great toll on her mind.
After sitting down for a few seconds, Liu Lanzhi could feel her consciousness slowly slipping away.
The next moment, Liu Lanzhi fell out of the chair and onto the floor with her eyes still closed. She was clearly so deep into her slumber that she didn't even feel herself hitting the floor.
A few seconds after Liu Lanzhi collapsed onto the floor, a slim figure appeared inside the lecture hall.
It was Su Yang, and he had been waiting for this moment.
Although Liu Lanzhi was able to fool all of the disciples and even the sect elders with her acting, Su Yang saw through everything with ease.
Su Yang calmly approached Liu Lanzhi's body and picked her up princess-style. He then used Nine Astral Steps to carry her body all the way from the lecture hall to the Yin Yang Palace, where he gently placed her body into her own bed.
Once he placed Liu Lanzhi on her bed, he silently stared at her resting face, seemingly in deep thoughts.
After standing there for a few minutes, Su Yang silently left the place and returned to his own living quarters in the Outer Court, where Xiao Rong has been waiting for him.
"Let's go, Xiao Rong. We are moving."
Xiao Rong nodded and swallowed an Appearance Reforming Pill, changing from her peerless appearance to being just a normal-looking young girl.
A few minutes later, they both left the house and approached the Center Court to look for a new house.
