Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1541 - 1541 891 I Am Not Obliged to Tell You

Chapter 1541: Chapter 891: I Am Not Obliged to Tell You Chapter 1541: Chapter 891: I Am Not Obliged to Tell You Chapter 0891: I’m Not Obligated to Tell You

Qi Tian was not in the mood to care about what Yi Xuwen was thinking. Using the excuse that his recent trip had been too exhausting, he chatted with Yi Xuwen briefly before sending him away.

Afterward, Qi Tian set up a Defensive Barrier in his dwelling to ensure that no one could spy on him, and then he began to inventory his gains. In the battle in the valley, more than a dozen Nascent Soul Masters had perished under the claws of Huo Yunbiao, without a single survivor. Naturally, the items they left behind became Qi Tian’s spoils of war.

It took Qi Tian some time to take stock. Haishan City, indeed, lived up to its fame as a place of wealth far and near. He had spent forty days in Haishan City clearing meridians for others, exerting both effort and care, and in the end, he gained over five hundred million top-grade spirit stones. It was not a small amount, but now, after sorting through the belongings of those Nascent Soul Masters, he found that there were over four billion top-grade spirit stones alone. Adding that to his earnings from clearing meridians, the total came to over ten billion top-grade spirit stones. And if other treasures were included, the total value could double again.

Qi Tian smacked his lips, knowing well that Haishan City was wealthy but he hadn’t expected that it would be to such an extent. It nearly triggered an impulse in him to rob Haishan City, but this thought only flickered through his mind before he snuffed it out; he hadn’t yet reached the point where he was willing to forsake his life for money.

With such hefty wealth, Qi Tian felt that if he were to participate in the competition, he should be able to afford to buy some good items. He let out a sigh of relief; at last, he could settle down for a while.

Indeed, in the days that followed, Qi Tian stayed mostly within National Master Manor, not going anywhere else and spending his days either in meditation or reading various texts. Those killed Nascent Soul Masters had left quite a number of books and documents, including accounts of how they had cultivated and broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage – all of which became important reference materials for Qi Tian. However, their reference value for Qi Tian was not great, serving only as better than nothing.

Qi Tian gradually came to a realization. His situation was unique, different from every Nascent Soul Master he encountered, making it difficult to find useful references from them. If he wanted to break through the barrier between the Gold Core Stage and the Nascent Soul Stage, he had to blaze his own trail by force. The idea of simply copying someone else’s successful pattern held no hope at all.

Despite this realization, Qi Tian didn’t stop reading the various texts. On the contrary, he devoted a great deal of thought to them, believing that he might indeed find something useful within.

In the blink of an eye, the day for the grand competition was drawing nearer. Yi Xuwen once again visited in person to inform Qi Tian that the time had come and that they should set out. Thus, Qi Tian concluded his period of closed-door cultivation.

The people of National Master Manor highly valued Qi Tian’s participation in the grand competition. Besides Qi Tian bringing Huang Liuyan with him, Mansion Master Yi Xuwen would also personally accompany them.

Yi Xuwen, Qi Tian, and Huang Liuyan left National Master Manor together and headed to Wanjie Commerce for the gathering.

While the lower-ranking cultivators in Wanjie City might not know that Qi Tian was going to participate in the competition, the upper echelons of Wanjie City’s major powers were all aware, gathering in Wanjie Commerce, waiting to see Qi Tian and the others off.

Wanjie City was sending four individuals to the competition: Great Elder Qi Tian from National Master Manor, the chief disciple Zhang Baolin from Jufeng Tower, plus Han Boxiang, a disciple from Rain-Breaking Pavilion, and Liang Hansen, the sole direct disciple of an independent Master.

These four were the exceptional cultivators under the age of thirty who reached the peak of the Gold Core Stage, culled from among millions. To say they were one in ten thousand would be understating their rarity; they were one in a million, extremely precious.

Wanjie Commerce specifically hosted a banquet to see off Qi Tian and the others. Zhu Chaolun, President of Wanjie Commerce, Vice President Lu Songsheng, and the two Vice Presidents from Ink Flood Dragon Association, Ge Pengcheng and Zhang Chenghua – a few of the most notable figures from Wanjie City’s major powers – all attended.

For this competition, Lu Songsheng and Zhang Chenghua were to lead the group, with each of the four participants being allowed to bring two companions.

The banquet was held at Wanjie Commerce, with Zhu Chaolun naturally playing the gracious host. He frequently proposed toasts, wishing for Qi Tian and his group to achieve victory and return triumphantly. He publicly promised that if Qi Tian and the others obtained a good ranking in the competition, bringing glory to Wanjie City, Wanjie Commerce would not be stingy with their rewards.

As Zhu Chaolun pronounced the words “generous rewards,” the assembled guests all showed signs of surprise. Those words should not be carelessly spoken, as they imply a high-to-low relationship, with the speaker putting himself above everyone else. Given that there were people from the Ink Flood Dragon Association present, Zhu Chaolun’s words were considered inappropriate.

Many guests turned their eyes to the two Vice Presidents of the Ink Flood Dragon Association. In recent years, the President of the Association had been in closed-door cultivation, and all affairs had been handled by these two Vice Presidents, both of whom were known for their bad tempers. This was especially true when it came to the standing of the Ink Flood Dragon Association and Wanjie Commerce; they were ruthless, inflicting light punishment for minor issues or resorting to dire measures for more significant matters. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t killed over such issues before.

Ge Pengcheng remained silent, having been in that state since he entered Wanjie Commerce. Zhang Chenghua, however, exhibited a flicker in his eyes, and to everyone’s surprise, he didn’t direct his aggression towards Zhu Chaolun but kept his intense gaze fixed on Qi Tian.

While everyone waited for the Vice Presidents to vent their anger, Zhang Chenghua began questioning Qi Tian.

“Qi Tian, I’ve heard that you spent over a month traveling recently. Is it convenient for you to tell us where you went on this trip, whom you met?”

Qi Tian well understood why Zhang Chenghua was asking him this, but of course, he could not reveal the truth. He calmly replied, “Vice President, where I travel, what I experience, and whom I meet are my private matters. I’m not obligated to tell you.”

Zhang Chenghua coldly stated, “I suggest you consider carefully before deciding whether to answer my question or not.”