Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 553 - 553 0371 Seriously Affecting the Display of

Chapter 553: Chapter 0371: Seriously Affecting the Display of Power_2 Chapter 553: Chapter 0371: Seriously Affecting the Display of Power_2 Zhao Junfei, hearing these words, was frightened into kneeling immediately, saying, “Your humble servant wouldn’t dare.”

The Crown Prince scoffed, “I thought as much. You lack the nerve. Uncle, get up quickly. The floor is cold.”

Zhao Junfei climbed up nervously from the ground, asking, “What should your humble servant do next? Please instruct me, Crown Prince.”

The Crown Prince said, “You must pay a visit to Guardian National Master Manor and meet Chen Wenbo. This spiritual stone vein was first discovered by their manor. The Imperial Master Mansion snatched it away, leaving the Guardian National Master Manor without a single spirit stone. Wouldn’t Chen Wenbo be anxious? He’s at the crucial stage of advancing to the Gold Core Stage, the time when he most needs resources for cultivation.”

“Your humble servant understands.”

…

Whether she liked it or not, Zhao Qian had no choice but to start managing the myriad affairs of King Zhangbei Manor. With the lesson of Zhao Puxue’s previous mishap and Qi Tian’s precedent of executing Gold Core powers, regardless of how dissatisfied the personnel of King Zhangbei Manor were with Zhao Qian, the new Prince, they had no choice but to fully cooperate with her work.

The first thing Zhao Qian did was confirming how to restore the relationship with the Imperial Master Mansion. She wanted to relocate the entire King Zhangbei Manor to Lubei County, but the fiefdom of the King Zhangbei Manor is in Zhangshui City. Unless approved by the court, changes can’t be made arbitrarily. Otherwise, the court could strip King Zhangbei Manor of its title for this reason alone and reclaim all the property.

Given this, Zhao Qian could only choose the most conservative method, that is, to hire cultivators from the Imperial Master Mansion to serve the Prince Mansion. At the same time, Zhao Qian also decided to select two among her younger siblings in the manor to send to the Imperial Master Mansion for apprenticeship. Not just as nominal disciples as in the past, but like ordinary people, become ordinary disciples of the Imperial Master Mansion.

In fact, Zhao Qian wished more for her siblings to join Qi Tian’s County Master Mansion. However, Qi Tian did not give her such an opportunity. He made it clear that he wouldn’t take in disciples and temporarily wouldn’t allow his subordinates to do so either.

As for this, Zhao Qian could only express regret. She could clearly feel that the gap between her and Qi Tian was widening. She hadn’t noticed it in the past, but ever since Huang Liuyan left, Huang Liuyan, who had been the bond between them was gone, and their relationship was not what it used to be. Moreover, Qi Tian was neglected at King Zhangbei Manor before, and even she was helpless to change the plight Qi Tian faced. As a result, her relationship with Qi Tian started to decline. She could feel that if their relationship was like before, she could have asked Qi Tian for help, or even begged him to spare her father. But now, it’s definitely not possible.o

This change was not only perceived by Zhao Qian, but also by Qi Tian. As for this, Qi Tian could only sigh and silently accept the reality, without trying to make any changes.

On one hand, the personnel of King Zhangbei Manor brought it upon themselves. They did not merely offend Qi Tian, which was actually just the last straw. The real reason was that they backed the wrong horse. They were the forces that had received countless help from the Imperial Master Mansion, but when the Imperial Master Mansion needed them the most, they chose to abandon them and cling to the Crown Prince instead. This was something Qi Tian absolutely couldn’t tolerate and also the cause of extreme dissatisfaction among the personnel of the Imperial Master Mansion.

Since they did the wrong thing, they should be punished. Qi Tian also wanted to use this matter to make an example of them, to prevent the emergence of forces similar to King Zhangbei Manor in the future.

On the other hand, after witnessing the prosperity of Wanjie City, when Qi Tian returned to Great Zhao, King Zhangbei Manor, which was incredibly noble in the eyes of the people, seemed ordinary. They were not even on par with rural wealthy landlords. How could Qi Tian value such a force?

As for implicating Zhao Qian, it was actually Qi Tian giving face to Zhao Qian. He only punished the three individuals from King Zhangbei Manor that displeased him the most, without making things difficult for others. He even made Zhao Qian the new King Zhangbei, so she could change the manor according to her wishes, and ensure that her father and brother lived a life of security and comfort.

Qi Tian had done everything he could for Zhao Qian, pushing his limits. After all, there was no special relationship between them; at their best, they were good friends. With all he had done, he fulfilled his obligations to the fullest.

After arranging matters pertain to King Zhangbei’s Manor, Qi Tian completely put it behind him. Unless something special occurred, King Zhangbei’s Manor would likely never feature in his life again.

Qi Tian had summoned Lu Jingfei, Xu Jifa, and Wang Xiuwu to his side. Truth be told, although he had recruited the three of them and even helped them consume the Pseudo-True Pill, which aided their breakthrough to the Pseudo Core Realm, he didn’t know much about these new subordinates.

This time, Qi Tian planned to use his own way to build reciprocated understanding and affection. His chosen method was simple – exchanging moves, or in other words, fighting.

Qi Tian had Lu Jingfei and the others not only fight amongst each other but also mix it up. Sometimes it was a free-for-all, a two-on-one, or one-on-one in turns. Moreover, at times, Qi Tian would personally step in and join their melees.

Having learned of Qi Tian’s previous feat of slaying a Gold Core powerhouse and possessing a strength on par with one, Lu Jingfei and the others did not worry about him being unable to handle their sparring sessions. Instead, they chose to engage with Qi Tian in the chaotic battle. Initially, they were a little hesitant, but they realized how foolish it was to reserve their strength during the fights. Qi Tian completely dominated, showing no mercy and beating them until they cried out in pain.

Lu Jingfei and his companions promptly adjusted their strategy, no longer holding back, and sometimes even combined their strength to launch a joint attack on Qi Tian, but still, their encounters ended mostly in defeat.

After continuous sparring over several days, Qi Tian finally identified the problem.

Although Lu Jingfei and the others had broken through to the Pseudo Core Realm, possessing strength akin to Gold Core Stage, their mindset remained stagnated at the Foundation Establishment Stage. It was as if they were guarding a treasure chest but only dared to take little from it each time.

In addition, the strength of Lu Jingfei and his companions was evidently on the weaker side. Not only in comparison to true Gold Core powerhouses, but their power was also lacking compared to Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi, who had advanced earlier than them.

This was actually related to their initial background. Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi were brought up in the Imperial Master Mansion, where they had all sorts of cultivation resources, something Lu Jingfei and the others couldn’t compete with. As for Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi’s age, they had the upper hand as both were around forty to fifty when they broke through. The three – with the youngest’s bone age surpassing seventy – could hardly compare to them in terms of innate vitality. As a result, the gap between them expanded rather than narrowed after reaching the Pseudo Core Realm.

The third issue was the lack of coordination among the three. Xu Jifa and Wang Xiuwu, being a couple, could collaborate effectively. However, once Lu Jingfei got involved, it became a disaster. The rhythm set by Xu Jifa and his wife was entirely disrupted by Lu Jingfei, resulting in a decline, rather than increase, in their combat strength.

The fourth issue was their equipment. The armaments they used were still those meant for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage. The poor quality severely hampered the effectiveness of their abilities.

Qi Tian itemized the problems he had identified and began rectifying them specifically for Lu Jingfei and his companions.

He couldn’t change the innate issues; after all, what’s done can’t be undone, and he didn’t possess any superhuman capabilities. He had to ignore these problems. The first thing he did was replace their equipment. Qi Tian had recently killed a Gold Core powerhouse, so the deceased’s belongings – which he couldn’t use – were distributed to Lu Jingfei and the others.