Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1550 - 1550 0900 Sever Their Foundation

Chapter 1550: Chapter 0900: Sever Their Foundation Chapter 1550: Chapter 0900: Sever Their Foundation Chapter 0900: Severing Their Foundation

Li Rusen gave a cold smile and said, “Sir Zheng, are you threatening me? Are you using your numbers to force me to bow down to you?”

Zheng Wengen quickly responded, “Mr. Li, please don’t misunderstand. We have always held the highest respect for the Li family patriarch. Not to mention other things, just for the sake of the patriarch’s dignity, we wouldn’t trouble you. But as the saying goes, ‘Give an inch, and I’ll return it with a yard.’ Your current approach is not suitable for us. We hope you can be flexible. This isn’t about whether you’re being coerced or not; it’s about mutual respect. As intelligent as you are, you couldn’t possibly misunderstand this, right?”

Being used to acting arrogantly, Li Rusen really wanted to retort Zheng Wengen’s words. He couldn’t believe that, as the descendant most trusted by his grandfather, even if he were to poke a hole in the sky, his grandfather would swat away anyone who troubled him. However, just then, a Nascent Soul Master who had come with him sent him a psychic message advising him to take the opportunity to make concessions. The Nascent Soul Masters Zheng Wengen was agonizing about were not only numerous and powerful, but their formation was also formidable. If it really came to a clash, the likelihood of both sides suffering was tremendous. If Li Rusen were to be damaged in the conflict, the loss would be irreparable.

Li Rusen had no choice. The Nascent Soul Master who had advised him was his grandfather’s trusted confidant. To some extent, his words represented his grandfather’s wishes. He could only comply and not defy. Reluctantly, he opted for a compromise, saying, “Sir Zheng, since you have spoken, I can’t entirely dismiss your request. Here’s another proposal that both sides might accept. I need to build a powerful team and select from as many candidates as possible. If you take everyone away, my plan to form a team might fail. If I cannot build the team, then the probability of securing the most valuable opportunities in the Holy Land’s grand competition will be very low. Such an outcome would undoubtedly hurt our side of the world, leading to its decline—the consequences of which are unthinkable. I believe none of us, including myself, want to see that happen. Thus, I hope you can take some of the juniors you are interested in, but also leave some to participate in my selection. To avoid disadvantage during the grand competition, I hope you seniors can leave behind your most competitive juniors. Would this proposal be acceptable to you, Sir Zheng and other Masters?”

Li Rusen’s proposal was indeed a significant concession. Before Zheng Wengen could even respond, several Nascent Soul Masters standing with him nodded repeatedly, and some even voiced their agreement. These masters were accompanying their teams to participate in the grand competition in the Holy Land. Some of the Perfect Gold Core Stage cultivators they led were very close to them, while others were almost strangers. To the strangers’ life and death, they were indifferent. If they hadn’t met Li Rusen, they wouldn’t mind showing kindness to the strangers in the same team. But now, with Li Rusen standing behind the might of the Li family patriarch, they naturally chose not to antagonize the Li family patriarch. As for the safety of the strangers, it fell outside their concerns.

Zheng Wengen had initially planned to push Li Rusen into making further concessions. Unexpectedly, before he could express his stance, about half of the group had already preliminarily agreed to Li Rusen’s proposal. Realizing that the team’s morale had dissipated, if he insisted on opposing the wish of the majority, he wouldn’t be able to continue representing the team in negotiations with Li Rusen. Consequently, he wouldn’t see the concessions Li Rusen had just made come to fruition. Thus, he decisively nodded and said, “It’s acceptable. We will proceed according to the plan you proposed, Mr. Li.”

Li Rusen said, “If that is the case, then seniors, you may take one junior from your teams, but not more than two. The rest should stay to continue participating in my selection.”

Zheng Wengen frowned and replied, “Isn’t that too few?”

Li Rusen said, “Do all you seniors have many juniors to protect? It can’t be that you seniors, taking advantage of my youth and inexperience, want to claim all the cultivators who came with you as your juniors and take them all away, right?”

Zheng Wengen showed an embarrassed expression. Indeed, that was his intention, but now that Li Rusen had exposed it, it would be inappropriate to proceed as planned. Moreover, he had to consider the potential consequences of such actions. Making an enemy of the Li family patriarch had never been his goal.

Staring intensely at Zheng Wengen, Li Rusen read his expression and let out a slight cold smile. He continued, “If seniors wish to take away more juniors, that’s not impossible; however, I have one condition. This time, going to the Holy Land to compete for a good fortune, securing a good future of our side of the world can’t be accomplished by just my efforts alone. I need more capable cultivators to help me. Seniors surely know your companions better than I do. Thus, if you can recommend a capable cultivator to assist me, I will allow you to take away two additional juniors. In this way, we both get what we need. You take care of your juniors, and I get to successfully build my team, having enough resources to strive for a new future for our part of the world.”

If Li Rusen hadn’t shown them any courtesy at the beginning, now he was giving Zheng Wengen and his team immense maneuverability. If handled well, they could reap significant benefits, essentially handing the advantages directly to them.

Although Zheng Wengen was generally honorable, the proposal Li Rusen laid out seemed beneficial to them yet actually severed their foundation. After all, Li Rusen demanded the most powerful cultivators in the Perfect Gold Core Stage from their team—those representing their region’s potential to contend for opportunities in the Holy Land. If all were handed over to Li Rusen, wouldn’t it make it much easier for Li Rusen to secure opportunities?

Zheng Wengen shook his head and said, “I’m sorry, but I cannot accept this proposal.”

Most of the Nascent Soul Masters standing with him shook their heads, understanding Li Rusen’s malicious intentions and unwilling to send their most capable juniors to be exploited by Li Rusen.