Jing Yuan wasn't angry. If he got angry over things like this, he would have succumbed to the Mara long ago.
He said calmly, "They're just trying to force me to pick a side. This isn't the first or second time a commission on the Xianzhou has undergone reform. Even if I know many of the formulas in there are problematic, who's to say I don't have even more effective ones? Who can guarantee I don't have one or two Master Alchemists under my control, refining elixirs for me?"
"The Alchemy Commission hasn't treated the people of the Xianzhou for many years. Even with so many medical departments still in operation, they mostly cater to guests from outside."
"And now, they've suddenly released so many formulas related to the Mara-Struck state."
"If you were a common citizen of the Xianzhou, would you believe that we, the ones high above, haven't secretly collaborated with the Alchemy Commission to experiment? And when we do experiment, can they keep an eye on us the whole time?"
"Don't take the trust of the people for granted. The common folk are actually the calmest, most ruthless group of people. They only trust one thing: whether you have the ability to protect their interests."
"As for your past achievements? Your character and morals? Your image and abilities? Those are just accessories for obtaining a public office. They don't have the power to decide who becomes the General, so the people simply don't believe that you, the General, truly care about their interests."
"This is the reality of the Xianzhou!"
Jing Yuan asked with a faint smile, "Yukong, you don't really think you got the position of Helm Master because of your hard work and achievements, do you? The people of the Xianzhou live for so long; there are plenty who have worked hard and achieved much."
Yukong wasn't surprised by this. She said calmly, "It's because I was the most suitable among the candidates."
Jing Yuan nodded, not at all surprised by her answer.
He said with admiration, "You see, the very structure we've designed for the Xianzhou has a tendency to create divisions. A single list of formulas from the Alchemy Commission has caught us completely off guard. This shows there is clearly a mastermind within their ranks."
Yukong's brow furrowed. "But we can't just let the Alchemy Commission run wild. They even dared to publicly post parts of their experimental processes. It goes without saying what else they've been doing in secret."
A thought occurred to her, and she added, "And there are those Disciples of Sanctus Medicus stirring up trouble."
Jing Yuan wasn't surprised. Ever since the former Master Alchemist, Yunhua, was framed and forced out, the Alchemy Commission had been showing signs of losing control.
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have indeed been causing trouble. I was just looking for a new way to handle the problem with the Alchemy Commission."
Before Noldrei's grand vision, Jing Yuan might have tried to keep the Alchemy Commission running as it was—calling back the former Master Alchemist, or arranging for her apprentice to take over.
But after Noldrei's unexpected intervention, Jing Yuan had a new idea.
He no longer intended to preserve the Alchemy Commission's original structure. Instead, he planned to reorganize and reallocate its resources to better suit the current interests of the Luofu Xianzhou.
Yukong was already very old. Compared to most Xianzhou natives, she only had about fifty or sixty years left.
She never thought that Jing Yuan, at this stage, would dare to make such a bold move.
"General, how do you plan to handle the Alchemy Commission?"
Jing Yuan wasn't worried about what the Alchemy Commission had done. He already knew from their actions what they truly wanted.
The group of extremist believers, led by Dan Shu, had now embarked on a path to certain death because of the Pure Land theory Noldrei had created.
Disciples of Sanctus Medicus had been fractured because of him. If Dan Shu still wanted to maintain the faith of the Sanctus Medicus, she had to follow this suicidal path to the very end. She had completely turned herself into a stepping stone for the Pure Land Faction.
Against an enemy who was determined to die, Jing Yuan knew that simple killing was useless.
He was even having trouble intercepting their messages now. Since the situation had already fermented, he had to reshape the beliefs of the Sanctus Medicus followers within the Xianzhou.
"This incident was undoubtedly carried out by members of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. They've undertaken this with the determination to die, even intending to use their deaths to reawaken the people's faith in Abundance."
Jing Yuan couldn't help but sigh. "It's a pity. So many outstanding alchemists have been tied to the war chariot of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
"Against an enemy that is seeking death, sending the Cloud Knights to attack will only be counterproductive."
"Not only will it fail to strike a blow, but it might even fulfill their wishes."
Yukong's mind went a little numb. In her two hundred-plus years of struggle, she had never encountered such a difficult opponent.
The Alchemy Commission hadn't taken the path of armed conflict like their predecessors, but had instead turned to this vexing battle of faith.
When it came to the beliefs in the hearts of the Xianzhou people, military force had to be used with extreme caution.
"To deal with the remnants of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, we naturally need someone who can intervene deeply and is skilled at shaking their faith."
Jing Yuan subconsciously thought of Noldrei. The Pure Land theory that man had come up with was truly eye-opening.
He could see that the reason Noldrei was doing this was most likely out of boredom, casually casting out bait to test the mettle of the people on the Xianzhou.
To put it bluntly, he wanted to see if the people here could successfully handle what he threw at them.
It was like dropping the concept of rational science into a religious society and observing what kind of variables it would produce.
Noldrei's frankness in their conversations far surpassed Fu Xuan's.
For example, Noldrei would bluntly state in their chats that the level of contradictions a civilization could resolve determined the organizational power it could wield.
If the Xianzhou couldn't even resolve a conflict of faith...
Jing Yuan could guess that in Noldrei's eyes, the people of the Xianzhou were probably not worthy of much awe.
Yukong thought for a long time but couldn't come up with anyone who could intervene in the Alchemy Commission's internal affairs.
She asked hesitantly, "The Alchemy Commission has been isolated from the other Six Commissions for so long. Can we still find someone who can step in?"
It wasn't that Jing Yuan was determined to compete with Noldrei.
He was simply helpless against the fanaticism of these Disciples. A mere outsider offering a bit of guidance and hope was enough for this group of believers to charge forward and sacrifice themselves without hesitation.
Jing Yuan smiled and explained, "Among the Six Commissions, who is it that can intervene in the work of the other commissions at any time, understand their actions at any time, and gain their trust at any time? Who do you think that person is?"
Yukong was slightly stunned, then her brow furrowed tightly.
She found the situation highly unbelievable. Fu Xuan? In what way did she seem capable of handling something like this?
"She can't even divine the current chaos of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and notify us. How can she help us secure the Alchemy Commission?"
'Fu Xuan, it's not that I don't have faith in you, but our colleagues in the Six Commissions think the same way.'
Jing Yuan gave a bitter, helpless smile. Perhaps Noldrei was the only one who had the most faith in Fu Xuan right now?