Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 243 - 243 0212 There are just too many methods_2

Chapter 243: Chapter 0212: There are just too many methods_2 Chapter 243: Chapter 0212: There are just too many methods_2 “Young Marquis, as you see, no one is willing to exchange three hundred spirit stones for your things, right?” Qi Tian relentlessly pursued, “So you still need to bring out more items to fill in the gap.”

“Qi Tian, don’t push me too hard.” Zhang Xiankun said angrily.

“Who’s the one pushing too hard? It’s not me right? I didn’t run to Marquis Jingguo Manor demanding an explanation from you.” After a slight sneer, Qi Tian continued, “I’ll value your items a bit higher, two hundred and fifty spirit stones. You’re still short of fifty, hurry and gather them.”

Zhang Xiankun was seething, about to say something, when Pan Yulin suddenly intervened, pulling him back. Zhang Xiankun instantly came to his senses and swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.

Zhang Xiankun extended his hand, taking back the few items on the table, then pointed to the remaining items and said, “These items should be worth at least two hundred spirit stones, right? I’ll bet you with these two hundred spirit stones.”

Qi Tian shook his head, “Two hundred spirit stones, I won’t bet, it’s no fun.”

At that moment, Hao Shuo from the Guardian National Master Manor chimed in. “Is it just a hundred spirit stones you’re short? Here.” While speaking, Hao Shuo took out a wooden box filled with spirit stones and pushed it towards Zhang Xiankun.

Zhang Xiankun was overjoyed, and quickly thanked Hao Shuo. “Master Hao, thank you for your timely aid. Rest assured, I won’t take your spirit stones for nothing, consider it a loan. If Master Pan wins later, I will repay you double, if we lose, I’ll still pay you back with interest.”

Hearing this, Hao Shuo nodded in satisfaction. This was what he had in mind, he had been worrying about reaching a deal with Zhang Xiankun’s side, but Zhang Xiankun spoke up unexpectedly, sparing him from trouble.

At this point, Fang Yanxiong from National Master Manor who had been silent all along, spoke up. “Qi Tian, since you’re willing to bet with Zhang Xiankun, dare to bet with me? I’ll bet five hundred spirit stones against you. The stakes are that you won’t win against Pan Yulin in your duel. Do you dare to bet with me?”

Qi Tian hadn’t planned to get National Master Manor involved from the start. Even though National Master Manor was also at odds with Imperial Master Mansion, this time the conflict was mainly targeting Marquis Jingguo Manor. No matter if it was National Master Manor or Guardian National Master Manor, they had to be temporarily set aside. What Qi Tian hadn’t expected was Fang Yanxiong voluntarily stepping forward, disrupting his plans.

But very quickly, Qi Tian laughed and said, “Okay, I’ll take on this bet.”

While saying that, Qi Tian took out five wooden boxes filled with spirit stones placed them on the table. Fang Yanxiong also acted decisively, taking out a small box filled with spirit stones.

Upon seeing this, everyone was surprised that Qi Tian and Fang Yanxiong were also betting against each other and betting five hundred spirit stones at once, this was way beyond their expectations. Adding up the stakes, it amounts to eight hundred spirit stones.

“Qi Tian, I don’t know if you would mind if I join in as well. My wager is one hundred spirit stones. I also bet against you, that you won’t win against Sir Pan Yulin.” This time, the challenger to Qi Tian was Vice-Minister Wang Xin of Taichang Temple.

Without any expression on his face, Qi Tian took out another wooden box, “This is the last box I have, apart from this, I only have some loose spirit stones. So, Sir Wang’s bet is the last one I’ll accept. Any more, I won’t take.”

On hearing this, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Losing to Qi Tian in terms of cultivation speed made them feel frustrated. If Qi Tian were to have far more spirit stones than them, they would only feel more frustrated. Fortunately, Qi Tian admitted to having no more spirit stones, which somehow made them feel better. They did not expect that when Qi Tian said he had no more spirit stones, he was referring to those not stored in wooden boxes. What remained were loose spirit stones – be it three to five pieces called “loose one”, or a pile of them scattered together also referred to as “loose”.

Wang Song stood up, and said, “There are three duels here, and I will bear witness to them. Everyone must accept the consequence if they lose the bet. If anyone refuses to admit defeat after losing, they need to weigh whether they can bear my rage.”

Zhang Xiankun quickly added, “Master Wang, if I lose, I will certainly admit it. But I worry that if certain individuals lose, will they admit it too? If they insist on not admitting it because they have backers or because this is their home court, what should we do?”

Before Wang Song could respond, Qi Tian said, “I will certainly admit defeat if I lose the bet. If I refuse to admit it, may I be constantly troubled by internal demons in my future cultivation, and see no further progress in my cultivation level.”

Cultivators are very superstitious about swearing oaths related to their own future. If not handled properly, it could evoke internal demons. Of course, there are some cultivators who do not take oaths seriously, and even with numerous oaths made, expecting them to deviate into demonization due to non-adherence to one or two oaths is wishful thinking. However, generally speaking, once a cultivator takes such an oath, it is usually highly credible.

Zhang Xiankun was worried that Qi Tian would renege on his promise, while Hao Shuo and Wang Xin had no such concerns. The former was from the National Master Manor, and the latter was the Vice-Minister of Taichang Temple, both had the qualifications to not fear the Imperial Master Mansion.

Wang Song brought out a magical artifact and threw it onto the table. Suddenly, a veil appeared on the table. Runes flowed over the veil, all of them containing power. With all its power, the veil must weigh at least 100,000 pounds, covering the table securely. No one could lift it or take anything from under it.

“Alright, the conditions have been set, and the betting stakes have been readied. Qi Tian, shall we begin the duel now?” Zhang Xiankun looked at Qi Tian. He had already made up his mind to let Pan Yulin make his move if Qi Tian kept trying to avoid the duel.

Qi Tian did not refuse any further. He said, “Very well, let’s head to the death match platform.”

“Why bother going to the death match platform? Let’s sign the death-proof document right here and have a fight in front of us. There’s no need to worry, no matter how your fight turns out, we won’t interfere.” Zhang Xiankun stated.

Qi Tian had no objections, but Pan Yulin made a throat-slitting gesture at Qi Tian.

Qi Tian chose to ignore Pan Yulin and said, “Alright, let’s have the duel right here. Bring the death-proof document.”

Wang Song immediately had someone bring forth the death-proof document. Qi Tian read it from top to bottom and then signed it using a brush. Pan Yulin followed suit and affixed his signature on the document as well.

“Alright, let the duel begin.” Wang Xin acted as the referee for this death duel.

Qi Tian was not flustered at all. He did not attack Pan Yulin first, but instead slapped a talisman onto himself. He had been practicing the Gold Rune Volume intensively for a while and created several talismans in the process. Some of them he kept, the rest he either gifted or discarded.

Qi Tian was simply testing the efficacy of the talismans he had made. Pan Yulin, being a third stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, attacking the defensive formation afforded by the talisman, would provide invaluable data for refining talismans in the future.

Pan Yulin, unaware of Qi Tian’s intentions, sneered when he saw Qi Tian taking a defensive stance. He was not the type to mentor juniors. Qi Tian was a threat to his interests, and he could not stand by as his interests were being threatened. Regardless of the situation, he needed to eliminate this potential risk.

Pan Yulin first suppressed his cultivation level to the second stage of Foundation Establishment, fulfilling the promise he had made to Qi Tian. With Wang Song supervising, he had no choice but to suppress his cultivation level. However, suppressing his cultivation level did not mean that Pan Yulin’s combat strength would decrease significantly. As a veteran at the Foundation Establishment stage, he had many tricks up his sleeve.