Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 149 - 149 0158 The Method of Squeezing Dry

Chapter 149: Chapter 0158: The Method of Squeezing Dry Chapter 149: Chapter 0158: The Method of Squeezing Dry In Great Zhao, cultivation resources like storage spirit weapons including storage bags were always in great demand among cultivators. Otherwise, Zhao Qian wouldn’t have offered a storage bag with only half a cubic meter of space as a reward when she went to the Huangque Hall to assess outer disciples like Qi Tian.

Lianying Realm cultivators originally also lacked them, but due to the change in the Heaven and Earth Rules, many high-level cultivators were eradicated by the rules. Their storage bags, storage rings, etc. were left behind, becoming equipment for future generations. This provided everyone the opportunity to have a storage bag and Qi Tian benefited from this. He was able to acquire a storage bag each time he killed a native cultivator.

Of course, the storage bags Qi Tian brought out were relatively poor, with each storage bag’s capacity below five cubic meters. He kept the bigger ones for himself.

Zhigeng Palace was responsible for appraising treasure for the disciples of the Imperial Master Mansion, while also recycling valuables from the disciples. Storage bags have always been a focus of their collection. Qi Tian surprisingly brought out as many as three this time, and each one appeared to be of decent quality. As the officials in charge, they also stood to benefit.

A disciple from Zhigeng Palace picked up a storage bag and emptied its contents. Their first action was to test the storage bag’s capacity, then evaluate its price, then place the storage bag into a specially made brocade box. The box was inscribed with many runes, from a glance, it appeared to be a high-end item. If it was placed in the Lianying Realm, this brocade box might be valued more than the storage bag, but in the Imperial Master Mansion, the situation was reversed.

The treasures Qi Tian brought out were worth a total of one million taels of silver just for the three storage bags. Afterwards, Zhigeng Palace began to evaluate the various cultivation materials that were taken out from the storage bags and offered appropriate prices. Even though there were many items of different types, the Zhigeng Palace was quick. In less than an hour, they completed the task. Ultimately, the goods that Qi Tian brought out were evaluated to be worth two million taels of silver. Combined with the one million from the storage bags, the total was three million.

Qi Tian slightly furrowed his brows. The cultivation resources he brought out weren’t particularly good, but there were many of them. To purchase these items in the Imperial Master Mansion without considering the storage bags, it would definitely cost three million taels of silver. They indeed brought the price down quite harshly by saying it was only worth two million.

However, considering that everyone else is also getting lowballed by Zhigeng Palace and that the purchase price and selling price are not the same, it’s common sense, so Qi Tian didn’t argue. When he decided to compete for the County Master’s spot, he had already prepared himself mentally to abide by the rules, including accepting Zhigeng Palace’s evaluation.

After a while, Zhigeng Palace evaluated all the treasures contributed by the dozen or so disciples in the final round of selection and collected all of them. Then, they summarized everything into a register and handed it to Luo Xia, who was presiding over the event.

Luo Xia looked at the register and said expressionlessly, “Next, I’ll call out the names. Those whose names are called, stay. Those whose names aren’t called can leave; you’ve been eliminated. Li Hongbin, Wang Tao, Li Yuman, Guan Zhongsheng.”

At this point, Luo Xia paused, showing a hint of struggle on her face, then finally, she reluctantly called out another name. “Also, Qi Tian.”

Qi Tian’s heart nearly skipped a beat, he brought out quite a lot of goods and he assumed it was a sure thing, so Luo Xia should have called out his name first but he didn’t expect the first four names to not include him. Fortunately, he made it just in time.

This served as a wakeup call for Qi Tian. He was fighting a lone battle for the County Master’s position, but individuals like Li Hongbin had a team behind them. Perhaps their individual harvests couldn’t compare to his, but combined with the team’s harvest, it was a terrifying amount, and it might not necessarily be worse than his. He needed to be careful.

While Qi Tian was reflecting on himself, some of the disciples of the Imperial Master Mansion who weren’t named showed signs of reluctance. Many of them had contributed quite a bit of goods, so they assumed that they’d have a shoo-in chance of being selected. They didn’t expect to be mercilessly eliminated. Some of them were despondent in accepting the reality, and there were also some who were filled with regret. If they had known that this would be the outcome, they would have left immediately. Now, apart from earning back some points, there were no gains.

Once all the irrelevant individuals left, Luo Xia said, “There are only three spots for a County Master. The reason I left five of you is because among you, three individuals contributed treasures of equal value to the Imperial Master Mansion and, unfortunately, all three are tied for third place. Therefore, I want to give you an opportunity. Are you willing to make a larger contribution for the Imperial Master Mansion, offer more treasures? Whoever contributes the most wins, and the one who contributes the most gets first choice of the county they wish to govern. Here are the rankings: Li Hongbin in first place with four million, Wang Tao in second place with three point five million, and Li Yuman in third place with three million. Guan Zhongsheng and Qi Tian are tied for third also with three million each.”

After announcing the rankings, Luo Xia continued to say, “We won’t use the previous method now. If you want to make a contribution to the Imperial Master Mansion, promptly bring it out, and the personnel from Zhigeng Palace will evaluate it on the spot and award points. Finally, we will determine the top three. Lets begin, who will go first?”

Qi Tian sneered inwardly, this was turning into a bidding war. Whoever could offer more would win. He couldn’t help but get the impression that this was akin to buying an official position. The selection of the County Master should have been a serious matter, but Luo Xia’s manipulations were turning it into a farce.

At this point, Guan Zhongsheng stepped forward, saying, “I am willing to contribute an additional hundred pounds of White Essence Iron, one Storage Bag, and ten Low Earth-grade Spirit Weapons to the National Master Mansion … ”

As soon as Guan Zhongsheng started speaking, he rattled off a long list. As he spoke, he kept taking items out and before long, he had piled quite a few cultivation resources on the table.

Zhigeng Palace immediately took inventory of the items and quickly gave a value of one million taels of silver. Including his original three million, he now had a total of four million.

Not to be outdone, Li Yuman also began listing her contributions. She was able to bring out even more, yielding a total of two million taels worth. This put her as the one who had contributed the most cultivation resources in one go, leaping to first place. If no one surpassed her, she would not only qualify for the County Master position but would also have the authority to choose first.

Naturally, Li Hongbin couldn’t just stand by, he began to list his contributions as well. Wang Tao, realizing that he faced the risk of being eliminated, began listing his contributions as well.

And thus, Li Hongbin, Li Yuman, Guan Zhongsheng, and Wang Tao – everyone was giving their all, each digging deep into their pockets. As a result, their contribution values kept rising, reaching new heights again and again.

By the time the four of them were somewhat exhausted and the cultivation resources inside their pockets were nearly depleted, Li Hongbin, who was leading, had a contribution value that had skyrocketed to over nine million, nearly reaching ten million.

This was not a small amount. Considering that this value was calculated through the continuous discounting of Zhigeng Palace, if Li Hongbin was to purchase these resources, it would likely cost him at least fifteen million taels of silver. His gains from the Lianying Realm were substantial, and he had the full support of Hongmen behind him. However, he couldn’t possibly pocket everything without leaving any benefits for the members of Hongmen. Furthermore, many Hongmen members had been killed or injured in the Lianying Realm. They needed to be recognized and compensated. After these considerations, the resources he could use had significantly reduced, and he was now nearly at his limit.

It was no exaggeration to say that, after these contributions, he might be left with less than what an average Hongmen member would receive.

The situations of Li Yuman and others were similar. The bidding war staged by Luo Xia had forced them to continually raise their offers. Desiring to pull back was not an option at this point. After having invested so much in resources, pulling back now would mean most of their initial contributions would go to waste. Although they could receive points in return, the points would not equate to nearly as many resources as they had given. Who would be willing to bear such a loss?

“Good, very good. Your loyalty and sincerity toward the National Master Mansion is commendable. Maybe when the Mansion Master finds out, he will reward you. Hmm, have you all finished your contributions? Does anyone want to contribute more?”

Li Hongbin was the first to shake his head. He was currently first in line and no matter what, he was guaranteed one of the three County Master positions. He didn’t want to compete further. After all, he couldn’t leave himself nothing. He couldn’t possibly have gone to the Lianying Realm only to end up with nothing in return. Plus, as a County Master, he would have to raise his own funds. Without any reserves left for cultivation, he wouldn’t be able to function in his position.

Li Yuman and Guan Zhongsheng also shook their heads. They were basically in the same position as Li Hongbin, unable to offer more. This move by Luo Xia had effectively drained them; they were left with little to nothing. If they were to give everything they had, everyone would mutually self-destruct, leaving all benefits to the National Master Mansion in the end, thus giving away all their earnings from the Lianying Realm.

“Alright, I’ll announce the latest rankings. Li Hongbin is first with 9.7 million, Wang Tao is second with 9.1 million, Li Yuman is third with 8.7 million, Guan Zhongsheng is fourth with 8.5 million, and Qi Tian is fifth with 3 million. Does anyone object to these rankings? If not, I’ll take the top three.” Luo Xia’s words were punctuated with a specific look towards Qi Tian, who had remained silent all the while.

From the beginning, Li Hongbin, Li Yuman, Wang Tao, and Guan Zhongsheng were all somewhat nervous. All throughout, their gazes had mostly remained fixed on Qi Tian.