Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 493 - 493 0341 Only Extraordinary Talent Will Do_2

Chapter 493: Chapter 0341: Only Extraordinary Talent Will Do_2 Chapter 493: Chapter 0341: Only Extraordinary Talent Will Do_2 Despite the drop in realm, Qi Tian felt that not only had his strength not decreased, but it had actually increased a bit, boosting his combat power. More importantly, his transition to cultivating the Three Essence True Scripture had made his foundations sturdier, his path to practice wider, and his potential accomplishments in the future possibly higher.

Happy with the results, Qi Tian enjoyed these changes. The height of cultivation realm had never been his primary pursuit, he was seeking combat power and future growth prospects. It was like those at the Half-step Golden Core stage, despite their higher realm, they still fell easily to his blows. While the height of the cultivation realm is important, it should not be the only goal pursued.

The next day, after spending the night cultivating, Qi Tian happily walked out from his room. After a stroll outside, he found only Master Hao was on patrol. Qi Tian went up to greet Hao Wenxi.

“Master Hao, why are you alone? Where are Elder Xiao and Lord Luo?” Qi Tian asked with a smile.

Hao Wenxi said, “Weren’t they stimulated by you? A guy as young as you has cultivated to the seventh level of Foundation Establishment. If we don’t work harder, wouldn’t we be left behind? So last night, we held another meeting and decided to take turns on duty while the others quickly cultivate. Qi Tian, your time is more precious than ours. You’re still young and should seize your youth. Don’t waste your time, get back to cultivating as soon as possible. If anything comes up, we will notify you.”

Qi Tian pondered a little then nodded. Hao Wenxi was at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, and he had twenty cultivators of the Imperial Master Mansion at his disposal. There was essentially no problem he couldn’t solve. Staying here, Qi Tian wouldn’t be of much help, so it’d be better to take the time to cultivate.

And so, after bidding farewell to Hao Wenxi, Qi Tian returned to his residence and resumed his cultivation.

The True Essence within his body had completely transformed into the Three Essence True Scripture. There was no need to continue the transformation now—only cultivate the Three Essence True Scripture. He took out a large number of spirit stones and prepared some elixirs. Then he activated the Heavenly Dao Engine, ran the Three Essence True Scripture, and began cultivating.

Countless spirit stones shattered, turning into surging Spirit Qi which poured into Qi Tian’s body. Under the drive of the Heavenly Dao Engine, the Three Essence True Scripture revolved at an extraordinary speed, absorbing all this Spirit Qi into Qi Tian’s body, transforming it into Qi Tian’s True Essence, becoming part of Qi Tian’s strength, while rapidly propelling his cultivation realm upwards.

In just a few days, Qi Tian’s cultivation realm was elevated to the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment stage. The Three Essence True Scripture, as Qi Tian’s meticulously chosen method, had indeed borne fruit. Despite the slight increase in the cultivation realm, Qi Tian distinctly felt a significant increase in his strength. He was now confident to face four or five Half-step Golden Core cultivators single-handedly and still emerge victorious without resorting to any means, including the activation of the Heavenly Dao Engine. If he did activate the Heavenly Dao Engine, he was even willing to challenge those weaker Gold Core cultivators. Although he wasn’t entirely certain he could defeat them, he believed there was a good chance he could emerge unscathed.

If others learned about Qi Tian’s self-evaluation, they would probably say he’s lost his mind. A Gold Core powerhouse is absolutely not something a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage can match. It’s like the difference between a small mound and a real mountain; they’re simply not on the same level with a qualitative gap between them. Even the weakest Gold Core powerhouse, let alone facing four or five Half-step Golden Core cultivators, could withstand ten or more of them and still be victorious. Qi Tian daring to compare himself with Gold Core powerhouses, if it wasn’t insanity, what was it?

After cultivating to the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, Qi Tian stopped his cultivation. He left his residence once again and took a stroll outside, curious to see if there were any changes.

Today, Luo Xia was the one in charge of patrols and Qi Tian found him.

Upon seeing Qi Tian, Luo Xia shook his head, saying, “Something is amiss. The matter had already happened so many days ago. Even if the imperial court is sluggish, there should be a conclusion. Yet until now, there’s been no news from the imperial court. Even the Mansion Master hasn’t received any message.”

“Have you not tried to contact the Mansion Master?” Qi Tian asked.

Luo Xia replied, “Of course we have. On the very day we arrived here, and also the day before yesterday, and yesterday, we sent Message Paper Cranes to the Mansion Master, but we’ve received no reply.”

Qi Tian furrowed his brows, suggesting, “Should we send someone to Capital City to contact the National Master?”

Luo Xia shook his head, saying, “There’s no need. The National Master is now at the second level of the Gold Core Stage. His cultivation level is second only to Mr. Wu Tie and Mr. Yu Ting in all of Great Zhao. Though they have competition among themselves, they wouldn’t go as far as to harm the Mansion Master.”

“Master, I’ve always had a question. What’s the relationship between our Mansion Master and the Mansion Masters of the other two National Master Manors? And why did Huang Liuyan choose to practice techniques at our Imperial Master Mansion? What is her relationship with our Mansion Master?” Qi Tian asked.

Luo Xia answered, “These things are not exactly confidential. People who should know, are aware of them. You were simply not at the required level before, so we saw no need to inform you. But since you’re asking now, I’ll tell you briefly. You know that we as cultivators all have a need to practice self-cultivation. To put it bluntly, it’s worldly practice: tempering our mindset to facilitate easier breakthroughs later on. The way different sects’ cultivators practice varies. Some observe the world from a detached perspective, some play the role of good doctors, helping people with their illnesses everywhere they go, some kill wherever they go. These are the result of different methods of self-cultivation. Our Mansion Master and the other two Mansion Masters are actually from the same powerful faction – the National Master Manor. Their method of cultivating disciples is rather special. All their disciples choose to serve as National Masters when going out for self-cultivation, protecting the peace of their respective territories. Our Mansion Master and the other two Mansion Masters are actually fellow disciples, though not under the same master. If you go a few generations up, they might be considered family. Their competition in the National Master Manor was fierce and it increased even more when they arrived at Great Zhao.”

“Why did a single country like Great Zhao send three National Masters here? Isn’t this a waste of resources?” Qi Tian asked, “Also, what’s the deal with Huang Liuyan?”

Luo Xia replied, “I’m not sure why the National Master Manor sent three disciples to Great Zhao. The Mansion Master hasn’t told me anything about it. I do know something about Huang Liuyan, however. Though the National Master Manor is influential, it has many disciples. The internal competition is incredibly fierce and Huang Liuyan was not among those with the most exceptional talents in the Manor. Moreover, it seems that her master there had died, thus she lost her backing, and along with it, the hope of improving within the Manor. So, she chose to leave and seek opportunities for improvement elsewhere. I heard from the Mansion Master that many external National Masters invited Huang Liuyan to join them, but she rejected them all. In the end, she actively contacted our Mansion Master. Though they were taught by brothers, our Mansion Master had no improper intentions towards Huang Liuyan. Perhaps this is why she chose to practice at our Imperial Master Mansion? The fact is, her choice was correct. After all, she promoted to Gold Core Stage, didn’t she? The Mansion Master said that Huang Liuyan created a significant record within the National Master Manor.”

Qi Tian nodded his head. Having heard Luo Xia’s account, he managed to clear up a few matters. Slightly pondering, he asked again, “Have you been to the National Master Manor?”

Luo Xia shook his head, replying, “How could I go? The Mansion Master said that one would need to have outstanding talents to be taken there. It’s not just me, none of the other Elders and the Mansion Masters have been to the National Master Manor.”