Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 148 - 148 0157 The Last Level_2

Chapter 148: Chapter 0157: The Last Level_2 Chapter 148: Chapter 0157: The Last Level_2 Wen Di and all the other redeemed disciples lowered their heads in shame, some covering their faces with their sleeves as they walked away.

After Wen Di and the others, there were a few more disciples of the Imperial Master Mansion who had harvested less in the Lianying Realm or were not interested in the competition for the position of County Master. They handed in their valuables worth 10,000 taels of silver and then left.

When the area under the high platform had quieted down, only around ten of the more than a hundred returned disciples of the Imperial Master Mansion remained.

Luo Xia looked at Qi Tian and the others, his gaze sweeping over each of their faces. Li Hongbin, Li Yuman, and the other disciples from Sky Eagle Hall were all very familiar to him; they were hot favorites for the County Master position. But when he saw Qi Tian, he was taken aback.

Luo Xia pointed at Qi Tian and asked, “Who are you? And what’s your story?”

Qi Tian was the first to exit the space gate, and Luo Xia should have been the first to see him. But at that moment, someone was asking him for instructions, and he had to turn his head to give a few orders, resulting in him missing Qi Tian. Then Li Hongbin and Li Yuman came out one after another and he was too busy to check on Qi Tian.

Originally, Li Hongbin was furious and planned to lodge a formal complaint against Qi Tian when they returned to Imperial Master Mansion. But after Qi Tian successively defeated Cai Qilong and Chu Yang, the fighting power demonstrated by Qi Tian scared them. They were somewhat worried that if they complained about Qi Tian, he might take revenge on them. Therefore, Li Hongbin changed his mind about lodging a complaint immediately and decided to prepare thoroughly before dealing with Qi Tian.

Without Li Hongbin’s complaint and Luo Xia’s unfamiliarity with Qi Tian, he naturally did not recognize Qi Tian.

“Esteemed uncle, I am Qi Tian from Huangque Hall, and I wish to participate in the final selection for the position of County Master,” Qi Tian replied calmly.

“You must be kidding,” Luo retorted.

As he was about to call someone to send off Qi Tian, Chu Yang stepped forward and said, “Uncle, I would like to vouch for Qi Tian. He did indeed participate in the Lianying Realm trial and performed very well. He is definitely qualified to participate in the final selection for County Master.”

Luo Xia glanced at Chu Yang. Since Chu Yang was a cultivator with a strong likelihood of reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage and was likely to become a fellow disciple in the future, he had to give him face. So he said, “Since Junior Brother Chu Yang vouches for you, I will allow Qi Tian to participate in the following final selections. But think carefully about it, Qi Tian. Participating in the final selection may not necessarily be a good thing for you. You may lose a bunch of your cultivation resources and end up gaining nothing. Are you sure you want to participate?”

Qi Tian nodded heavily.

Luo Xia gave him a noncommittal sound. With a wave of his hand, a dozen tables were brought over, each one large and square, around one point two meters on each side. These tables were placed in front of Qi Tian and the others, one for each candidate.

Luo Xia said, “The few of you are the ones entering the final round of the County Master selection. The last round is easy, but also quite challenging. What is this last round comparing? What you are willing to dedicate to the Imperial Master Mansion. Now, you can bring out your harvests from the Lianying Realm and place them on the table. Remember, once something is placed on the table, it indicates that you intend to dedicate it to the Master Mansion. Mansion Master has arranged for impartial and just individuals to value your offerings. Based on the total value of these offerings, a ranking will be established. The top three will be chosen as County Masters from this ranking. If the total value is not sufficient, your offerings will not be returned, but will be converted into points for you. That’s all, now let’s begin.”

Some of them might have been hinted beforehand and others were well prepared. Most of the remaining dozen or so people started nervously gathering their things. After a moment’s hesitation, Qi Tian also began to take out his possessions.

The selection criteria set by the Imperial Master Mansion seemed a bit exploitative. With so many people vying for only three spots, the most polite way to describe the situation is “competitive”. The cynical might say it’s essentially buying an official position. Furthermore, it isn’t a clear price tag but a secret competitive bidding. In the end, it is uncertain who will win or lose.

Qi Tian was determined to become a County Master. Previously, he wanted to leave the Imperial Master Mansion to become a County Master mainly because he was afraid that staying would expose him as a fraud. However, he was now keen on being a County Master for different reasons. His experience in the Lianying Realm made him realize that hiding in the Imperial Master Mansion wouldn’t lead to any significant achievements. Moreover, he already possessed plenty of cultivation resources, so even if he left the Mansion to become a County Master, he wouldn’t need to worry about cultivation resources for a considerable amount of time.

In view of this, Qi Tian began taking out objects without any hesitation. One after another, storage bags were placed on the table.

Qi Tian had already sorted out all his gains from the Lianying Realm in advance. Everything was categorized and stored separately, so there was no risk of getting mixed up. He had placed all the spirit stones, Gold Rune Volumes and other important cultivation resources into his Wuhang Ring, so he didn’t have to worry about picking out the wrong items.

Li Hongbin, Li Yuman, and the others were no exceptions. They were all determined to secure the position of County Master. They were aware that Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu had managed to breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage during his time as a County Master. But now, the special cultivation resources of the Imperial Master Mansion were very limited. As in the case of Chu Yang, who was half a step away from reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, it was awe-inspiring but also hard-fought. If he could obtain a Foundation Establishment pill, he wouldn’t be painstakingly trying to merge his meridians bit by bit to breakthrough.

Li Hongbin and the others were facing an even more severe situation than Chu Yang. They had to find a way, because waiting for them to breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage on their own, they might have to wait until they were forty or fifty years old. By then, they’ll be too late.

There were only three County Master positions, and no one dared to hold back at this moment. Whatever they had, they took it out. Soon, the tables in front of each person were piled high with items. In contrast, Qi Tian only had a few storage bags, which made him particularly conspicuous.

“Alright, let’s end here,” Luo Xia clapped his hands and said. “Come, count what they have.”

Immediately, people stepped forward to assess what Qi Tian and the others had brought out. Those people were from the Zhigeng Palace, and they were all experienced and penny-pinching. Given the same item, they would give one tael of silver instead of one tael and one qian of silver. Often, they deliberately undervalued certain items. Li Hongbin, Li Yuman, and the others had to tread carefully when dealing with Zhigeng Palace’s evaluations, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.

Soon, the people from Zhigeng Palace came to Qi Tian’s table and took a look at the storage bags he had placed there, their eyes immediately lighting up. Among the disciples who had come forth so far, none of them had been willing to use slightly better storage bags. How good were Qi Tian’s bags? They seemed to be of fairly good quality.

A steward from Zhigeng Palace pointed at the storage bags on the table and asked Qi Tian, “Are you only offering the items in the storage bags, or are you including the storage bags themselves?”

Qi Tian had plenty of storage bags on him, so he laughed and said, “Of course, together with the bags.”

The few people from Zhigeng Palace looked at each other and saw a flash of eagerness in each other’s eyes.