Cui Daqi's words undoubtedly left everyone present utterly stunned.
Wang Ba found them even harder to believe.
He had taken more than eight years off... and been promoted on his first day back?
Was that reasonable?
It certainly wasn't!
Especially since most of the deacons here were old hands, including quite a few cultivators at the late Gold Core stage or even its peak.
Some had spent one or two hundred years in the Spirit Cuisine Department.
Wang Ba was a junior who had joined the Spirit Cuisine Department only a dozen or so years ago and taken eight years off besides. What had he done to deserve this?
Feeling the complicated, envious, or jealous looks cast his way by the deacons who had been quite friendly before, Wang Ba instantly felt as though he were sitting on needles.
He really was not used to having so many people's attention on him.
He hurriedly bowed. "Minister Cui, could there have been a mistake? I've only been here such a short time. Deacon Kong and Deacon Fan are both more familiar with the Spirit Cuisine Department than I am, and their skills are excellent..."
At Wang Ba's words, some faces in the crowd eased slightly, though they still looked far from pleased.
Having presided over the Spirit Cuisine Department for years, how could Cui Daqi fail to understand Wang Ba's predicament? Yet after sweeping his gaze over the people below, he smiled as though completely unaware.
"What are you saying? The departments of our Five Elements Offices aren't places where seniority determines everything. Ability is what counts. You placed second in the Gold Core Realm Spirit Chef Hundred Questions Tower at the Dao-Seeking Assembly. Surely no one can object to you serving as deputy minister."
"But my cultivation level..."
"Cultivation level