Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 744 - 744 0468 A Significant Test

Chapter 744: Chapter 0468: A Significant Test Chapter 744: Chapter 0468: A Significant Test Chapter 0468: A Significant Test

Even the yearly tax revenue of the Great Zhao Nation barely exceeds a few tens of million taels of silver. If Qi Tian were to use premium spirit stones to set up the Thirty-Six Jindan Core Array once, it would cost the Great Zhao Nation hundreds of years of tax revenue. From this, one can imagine to what extent the Thirty-Six Jindan Core Array is extravagant.

The Ninth Prince calculated it all, and it was a staggering lot. He had been oblivious earlier, but the more he thought about it, the more amazed he became. Qi Tian had invested such a significant amount on him; how would he ever repay this in the future?

Qi Tian said, “Don’t worry about the cost required to set up the Thirty-Six Jindan Core Array. As long as it can push the Ninth Prince to the Gold Core Realm and supplement the weakest link in the plan, no matter how big the price, it is worth it. However, Ninth Prince, I have to apologize to you.”

Ninth Prince quickly said, “Master, even if this means enduring immense pain, it’s insignificant compared to the possible benefits and your generosity. I know you are doing this for my sake, for the sake of our family and for the sake of the whole Great Zhao. I am willing to endure this pain.”

Qi Tian nodded repeatedly, saying, “If you can think this way, that’s the best. Get ready now, and enter the Thirty-Six Jindan Core Array. Let me see if thirty-six top-grade spirit stones can push you into the Gold Core Realm.”

Although the Ninth Prince verbally agreed, he still had his concerns. He had someone bring him paper and pen, and then he started writing letters to his wife and children, explaining the specifics of his current situation. He also told them what to do in case he died within the Thirty-six Jindan Core Array. Essentially, he was preparing his will in advance, just in case anything unintentional occurred.

After completing his will and handing it over to Qi Tian, the Ninth Prince, without any hesitation, stepped into the Thirty-Six Jindan Core Array, sitting cross-legged in the center. He took a deep breath, waved at Qi Tian, saying, “Master, I am ready. You can start now.”

Qi Tian made a hand seal, emitting a beam of radiant light. The Thirty-Six Jindan Core Array was activated instantly. The array drew Spirit Qi from the top-grade spirit stones and poured it into the Ninth Prince’s body in strands of rosy clouds.

Just like Guan Xun, it didn’t take long for the Ninth Prince to start screaming horribly. He was aware of how this screaming compromised his dignity, so he’d initially tried to endure the pain. However, it didn’t take long before he couldn’t bear it. The pain was way too unbearable, piercing his heart, drilling into his bone marrow, making him wish he were dead.

Qi Tian watched all this happen without betraying any emotions. Even if the Ninth Prince’s screams were horrifying, it wouldn’t faze him. This method was supposed to rush the Ninth Prince’s cultivation level straight from the Qi Refining Initial Stage to the Gold Core Realm. Countless cultivators in the world had suffered a lifetime, decades, or even hundreds of years, and still, they might not get such an opportunity. The Ninth Prince was merely chosen by him, and thus got such a once-in-a-lifetime chance. If he couldn’t bear this bit of pain, then he was of no use at all.

As for people like Gao Jin Mei, they would never sympathize with the Ninth Prince. They were all just jealous of the Ninth Prince’s good luck. Those precious top-grade spirit stones were being used up on the worthless Ninth Prince. How could they not be envious? If it were somebody else, they would have certainly fought to seize it. Now, they could only watch. Not wishing for the Ninth Prince to die horribly within the Thirty-Six Jindan Core Array was already very kind of them.

Time ticked by, second by second. The situation of the Ninth Prince was similar to that of Guan Xun. Around twelve hours later, the premium spirit stones in the Thirty-Six Jindan Core Array were all consumed. The cultivation level of the Ninth Prince rose steadily until it reached the Foundation Establishment Fifth Level, then it stopped. The Ninth Prince himself had already passed out from the pain long ago.

Gao Jin Mei and the others shook their heads. The Ninth Prince wasn’t doing well. Both of them had thirty-six top-grade spirit stones, and Guan Xun made it from the Qi Cultivation period all the way to the Foundation Establishment Ninth Level. However, the Ninth Prince stopped at Foundation Establishment Fifth Level. The difference was enormous. This stark contrast clearly exposed a ruthless fact: If the Ninth Prince wanted to continue advancing his cultivation realm and reach the Gold Core Realm, the resources he would need to consume would far surpass Guan Xun’s.

There were two possible explanations for this. One was that the Ninth Prince’s talent was better than Guan Xun’s. Here, “better” didn’t imply that the Ninth Prince could advance ranks more easily than Guan Xun. Instead, it meant that every time the Ninth Prince advanced a rank, the expansion of his meridians and sea of consciousness would be superior to Guan Xun’s. Thus, the Ninth Prince would require many more cultivation resources. The other possibility was that the Ninth Prince’s talent was worse than Guan Xun’s. When using the same amount of cultivation resources, the absorption efficiency of the Ninth Prince was lower and wastage was more. This was why under the same conditions, he could only progress to the Foundation Establishment Fifth Level, while Guan Xun could be promoted to the Foundation Establishment Ninth Level.

Among these two possibilities, Gao Jin Mei and the others were inclined to believe that the wastage situation of the Ninth Prince was worse than that of Guan Xun. And thus, it seemed that things could only get worse from here.

After conducting a detailed examination of the Ninth Prince using the sensing function of the Heavenly Dao Engine for Spirit Qi, Qi Tian found the situation was indeed worse than anticipated. The condition of the Ninth Prince was considerably poorer than Guan Xun’s, with an absorption efficiency of only about seventy percent of Guan Xun’s. If comparision was done based on this efficiency, then to ascend to the Gold Core Realm using the Thirty-Six Jindan Core Array, the Ninth Prince might need to use the Thirty-Six Jindan Core Array not just once more but possibly two or three more times. If so, the cultivation resources the Ninth Prince would need to consume would be astronomical, enough to even make Qi Tian turn green with envy.