Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1599 - 1599 0939 Too Late to Stop

Chapter 1599: Chapter 0939: Too Late to Stop Chapter 1599: Chapter 0939: Too Late to Stop Chapter 0939: Too Late to Stop

When Gao Yuqiu expressed his willingness to provide compensation, several of the young talents turned and left the room, uninterested in teaming up with He Hongxia.

Gao Yuqiu did not make things difficult for those cultivators who left but honored his promise, giving each departing young talent a top-grade spirit stone as compensation, a gesture that garnered the appreciation of those who stayed.

Qi Tian chose to stay. He had made up his mind to first join He Hongxia’s team to understand the specifics of the Holy Land Competition and then decide his next steps.

The number of young talents like Qi Tian who chose to stay wasn’t small. When the living room had calmed down again, it became clear that, excluding the three female cultivators from Cat Ear City, there were as many as twenty-eight of them.

Gao Yuqiu was very pleased and said, “Thank you, fellow Daoists, for your trust in us. We will prove that your trust was not misplaced. With our united efforts, I am confident that we can achieve a result in the Saint Great Competition that will satisfy every one of you.”

Mr. Jianqiang said, “Let’s skip the fluff for now. Fellow Daoist Yuqiu, with so many people staying, you surely aren’t planning to put them all in one team? I must declare, regardless of your arrangements, I definitely want to be on the same team as Hongxia Fairy.”

“You toad, don’t dream of eating swan meat. Only I am worthy of acting alongside Hongxia Fairy. You better scram,” another male cultivator said, sparing no courtesy.

“All of you shut up. I am the protector of the Immortal. If you want to get close to the Immortal, you’ll have to get past me first,” said yet another male cultivator, charmed by the allure of Hongxia Fairy.

Seeing that the young talents who remained were about to clash, He Hongxia quickly interjected, “Fellow Daoists, please calm down. Your decision to stay, especially your trust in me and Cat Ear City, means a great deal to me. However, as everyone knows, each Holy Land Competition is highly dangerous, and often some Daoists are eliminated without gaining anything. The purpose of forming a team is to avoid such outcomes. If possible, I would certainly like to team up with every Daoist here. It would be an honor to strive together with you in the Holy Land Competition. Unfortunately, the rules of the competition are explicit, and I have no power to change them. Therefore, regrettably, I can only choose seven young talents to accompany us.”

A male cultivator shouted, “Why only seven?”

He Hongxia patiently explained, “According to the rules set by the Holy Land, each team can have no more than ten members; that’s the absolute limit, not to be exceeded. Since we already have three sisters from Cat Ear City, we can only invite seven more young talents to join our team.”

“Pick me, pick me,” Mr. Jianqiang shouted, raising his hand eagerly as soon as He Hongxia finished speaking.

The other young talents, not to be outdone, clamored to join the team.

Gao Yuqiu said, “Whether or not you can join our team, we have our own criteria for selection. If any of the young talents do not meet our standards, we will first express our regret and then offer compensation. The compensation will be five top-grade spirit stones per person. Please, do not feel slighted and kindly accept this token of our sincerity.”

Qi Tian did not know what criteria Cat Ear City used for selection, nor did he know if he met them, so, just in case, he decided to do something to avoid completely leaving the developments in the hands of He Hongxia and her team.

Qi Tian coughed and said, “We have thirty-one people here, and since each team consists of ten, why can’t we form three teams? Ten per team would perfectly allow for three teams, leaving only one person to be eliminated.”

He Hongxia glanced at Qi Tian, having already noticed him earlier. While others were conquered by her charm, Qi Tian had been the most indifferent, seemingly unaffected by her allure.

She had originally thought that Qi Tian would be one of the talented young men to leave, but unexpectedly, Qi Tian had stayed and was willing to form a team with them. What surprised her was that at this moment, Qi Tian would propose such a plan, which seriously deviated from their initial intentions.

He Hongxia gave a slight smile, a more infectious charm emanating from her, filling every corner of the living room; Mr. Jianqiang and the others looked at He Hongxia with even more bewildered eyes.

Huo Hongxia did not look at Mr. Jianqiang and the others; her beautiful eyes were fixed only on Qi Tian as she said, “Sir may have misunderstood; there are clear rules from the Holy Land regarding team formation. One region is only allowed to form one team. Apart from the Holy Land, which is not subject to this restriction, people from other regions like us must abide by this rule.”

Qi Tian spoke indifferently, “Even if this rule exists, it’s not like there are no ways to circumvent it. Your Cat Ear City is participating in the Saint Great Competition this time with three Immortals; you can simply split into three teams. One team can be formed under the name of Cat Ear City, and the remaining two can be formed under the names of other regions. It’s perfectly feasible. After all, we could just nominally let others be the captains, but actually, the control of the teams would still be in the hands of the three Immortals. This way, we can accumulate more strength. The power of thirty people is definitely going to be much greater than that of ten; more people mean more power, giving us a greater chance to seize more and better opportunities in the Saint Great Competition. Fellow Daoists, don’t you agree?”

“Yes, yes, Sir speaks the truth. We should really do that, form three teams, and all stay together. When the time comes for the Saint Great Competition, the three small teams can merge into one large team, and then everyone will be able to stay with Hongxia Fairy again,” said someone immediately in support of the plan proposed by Qi Tian. The speaker lacked confidence in themselves and wished to stay with He Hongxia, naturally rushing towards Qi Tian’s proposal. As long as He Hongxia and her group agreed to this plan, they would almost certainly not be eliminated.

Straight after this person, more than a dozen talented young men followed suit.

He Hongxia, Gao Yuqiu, and Gao Yulan looked at each other, bewildered by the turn of events, which was different from what they had anticipated, catching them off-guard.

He Hongxia was about to deploy her charm again, using her influence to calm down the shouting young talents and make them listen to their arrangements.

He Hongxia wasted not even a second, immediately taking action, ready to exert her charm to influence the others.

Qi Tian had been wary from the start of He Hongxia using such tactics; his mind was firm, and he could remain unaffected by He Hongxia’s charms, but others could not. To garner more support, Qi Tian definitely could not let He Hongxia succeed. He quietly opened a black hole in his palm and released the Transporting Whirlwind, letting it whirl around He Hongxia like a celestial dog swallowing the sun, completely devouring the charm she emitted.

Undeniably, He Hongxia was a very beautiful woman; her facial features, expression, and figure were exceptionally endowed, easily endearing her to others, her charm greatly surpassing that of ordinary people. However, the real reason her charm could influence other cultivators wasn’t just her natural allure but more so because of the cultivation technique she practiced, which turned her charm into a weapon.

Of course, this weapon was not a tangible one like knives or guns but an intangible, mental construct, yet in the end, it was indeed a special manifestation of Spirit Force. Being a form of Spirit Force, it could not escape the grasp of the Transporting Whirlwind.

He Hongxia soon realized that her previously infallible charm seemed to have failed somehow, no longer affecting the other young talents in the living room. She had never encountered such a situation before; a flash of panic crossed her deep eyes. Charm was her greatest reliance; losing its efficacy was like a swan with broken wings, and she dared not imagine the consequences.

Qi Tian feigned ignorance of what had happened and loudly called out, “Fellow Daoists, I think the plan I proposed is quite reasonable. What do you think? Shouldn’t we allow the three Immortals of Cat Ear City to form three teams, and when we get to the Saint Great Competition, merge into one? This would be beneficial for both us and the Immortals of Cat Ear City. I can’t see why the Immortals of Cat Ear City would refuse? Could it be that when they formed the team, they just said nice things, but in reality, they still want to use us? Not sincerely considering what’s best for us?”

He Hongxia was sweating profusely; she was still looking for the reason her charm had become ineffective, far too late to stop Qi Tian.

Seeing the adverse situation, Gao Yuqiu quickly said, “Sir, you’ve gone too far. We invited everyone here because we genuinely want what’s best for everyone, not to use anyone.”

Qi Tian said, “If you truly have our best interests at heart, then follow the plan I proposed, form three teams, and let us all join them, satisfying our desire to be with Hongxia Fairy. That way, even if something happens in the Saint Great Competition, we will be willing. If you insist on driving us away, then you have ulterior motives, planning on pulling us into your team to use us as pawns, as stepping stones, sure to send us into danger first whenever it arises.”