Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 539 - 539 0364 Lack of High-End Combat Power_2

Chapter 539: Chapter 0364: Lack of High-End Combat Power_2 Chapter 539: Chapter 0364: Lack of High-End Combat Power_2 Lin Zhisheng remained silent. He was well aware of Qi Tian’s reasoning, but it wasn’t easy to willingly give up tangible personal interests when one’s life hangs in the balance.

Qi Tian understood the inherent discord in this matter. To ensure a better future for the Imperial Master Mansion, he had to suppress the personal ambitions of those elders who shouldn’t covet anything. He said, “Elder Lin, you may leave first. Later, I will discuss this specifically with Great Elder Chen Chen, Luo Xia, Hao Wenxi and the others, to devise a fair solution. This will ensure the future development of the Imperial Master Mansion while also satisfying everyone to a certain extent.”

After bowing slightly toward Qi Tian, Lin Zhisheng reluctantly departed.

Qi Tian had Chen Chen, Luo Xia, Hao Wenxi and others summoned. When he expressed Lin Zhisheng’s request, they all fell silent.

From a logical perspective, they knew they should prioritize the overall interests of the Imperial Master Mansion; however, they were not emotionless creatures. In their hearts, it was difficult to abandon old pioneers like Lin Zhisheng who had made significant contributions to the mansion, simply because they had exhausted their potential.

Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi did not speak. Although their strength was second only to Qi Tian, they respected their positions, leaving the decision to Qi Tian, and Great Elder Chen Chen; all they had to do was execute the final decision.

Great Elder Chen Chen remained silent for a while before sighing and saying, “Qi Tian, people like Elder Lin Zhisheng have made significant contributions to what the Imperial Master Mansion is today. We cannot abandon them just because they have aged and lost their potential, expecting them to sacrifice themselves for the younger generation. In the past, when we didn’t have as many spirit stones, we could, perhaps, make such demands. But now, as we sit on a vein of spirit stones, to continue along the same line would be heartless. We cannot practice gratitude when it suits us and discard those who have completed their service for us. At the same time, we cannot ignore the reality of wasting large amounts of resources on these old pioneers. Cultivation resources are not easy to come by. I believe we can distribute some resources to these elders based on their past contributions to the Mansion, their age and other factors. As an upper limit, we can give them up to five thousand low grade spirit stones – a final distribution, letting them decide for themselves how to use them. If they wish to attempt a breakthrough, they can use it for that; if they want to use it elsewhere, they are free to do so. If any elder voluntarily gives up these resources, we can take care of their descendants by favoring them with cultivation resources for a certain period.”

After listening to Great Elder Chen Chen’s suggestion, Qi Tian nodded. He originally disagreed with providing resources to elders like Lin Zhisheng who had exhausted their potential. However, this could lead to displeasure amongst the elders, sowing the seeds of troubles for the Imperial Master Mansion. Similar to the past life, if the elderly, who have worked their entire lives, do not even have a pension, it could create a significant social concern.

Giving out significant number of spirit stones to elders like Lin Zhisheng is equivalent to providing them a large retirement fund. It also acknowledges their lifelong service to the Imperial Master Mansion. If these elders cannot succeed even after receiving these spirit stones, they cannot blame the Imperial Master Mansion for not taking care of them further.

Qi Tian nodded and said, “Good, we will proceed as Great Elder Chen Chen suggested. Since we are offering these stones, let’s be generous about it, setting the upper limit to ten thousand low-grade spirit stones per person. Half of those will be provided by the Imperial Master Mansion and the other half by myself, from my one-tenth share.”

“Qi Tian, how can we allow that? You wrested control of this spirit stone vein from Guardian National Master Manor and gifted it to Imperial Master Mansion. Even if you wanted only one-tenth of it, you would have already sacrificed a lot. How can we ask you to contribute more?” Great Elder Chen Chen quickly responded.

Qi Tian waved his hand, saying, “It doesn’t matter. I won’t be contributing much more anyway. If it can help Imperial Master Mansion grow stronger quickly, I don’t mind giving up a bit more.”

Deeply moved, Great Elder Chen Chen fell to the ground, giving Qi Tian a grand salute, “Qi Tian, your sacrifice is truly noble. On behalf of the two to three thousand disciples of the Imperial Master Mansion, I express our deepest gratitude. When the Mansion Master returns, I will recommend you as the junior Mansion Master.”

Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi quickly expressed their agreement, “We are also willing to join the Great Elder in proposing this to the Mansion Master.”

Qi Tian waved his hand, saying, “We can discuss this later. But for now, Great Elder, I’ll leave it to you to announce our decisions and explain them to our elders.”

“I am obligated to do that.” Great Elder Chen Chen bowed and left.

Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi exchanged glances, saying, “Qi Tian, we will take our leave too.”

“Wait a moment, both of you. Are we safe now at the Imperial Master Mansion? If the Mansion Master, Wu Tie, from the Guardian National Master Manor, or even the Mansion Master from the National Master Manor comes here, could you resist them?”

Luo Xia gave a wry smile, saying, “Qi Tian, are you deliberately asking for the known? Both Master Hao and I are at the Pseudo Core Realm. Although we have progressed somewhat in the Pseudo Core Realm with your help, neither of us is confident in winning a fight against any Mansion Master. Moreover, our Mansion Master is the weakest among the three National Masters. How could we possibly defeat Wu Tie?”

Qi Tian was well aware of this situation. While his current measures could significantly enhance the strength of the Imperial Master Mansion and relieve many restrictions, the mansion lags in high-level combat abilities. Too expect Imperial Master Mansion to dominate over the other two National Master Mansions was wishful thinking at best.

To put it bluntly, the current status of the Imperial Master Mansion was like a castle built on sand. An ant or a bird could come and do their worst, but the castle would still stand. However, a single man could easilydestroy it. Mansion Masters Wu Tie of Guardian National Master Mansion and Yu Ting of National Master Manor were such individuals.

Going by Liu Ziyan’s emergence – a Gold Core powerhouse Qi Tian had never heard before, the likelihood of more Gold Core fighters appearing existed.

In this case, depending solely on Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi to defend the Imperial Master Mansion would be too much to ask. But if they cannot protect the Mansion, all of Qi Tian’s labor would be in vain, rendering everything futile.

Qi Tian did not find this outcome acceptable. He contemplated for a moment before asking, “Among the remaining Mansion Masters, Elders, and other high-ranking members, who do you think could rise to your level?”

Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi glanced at each other, both understanding what Qi Tian meant. He intended to cultivate more Pseudo Core Realm practitioners; if the quality wasn’t enough, to make up for it with quantity.

Undoubtedly, Qi Tian’s move would come at a considerable cost. They struggled to find the right words. Think about it, if they were in his place at this time, would they be willing to pay such a high price? Could they really expect Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu to hand over the throne to him?