Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 791 - 791 0491 Save Every Possible Penny - 2

Chapter 791: Chapter 0491: Save Every Possible Penny – 2 Chapter 791: Chapter 0491: Save Every Possible Penny – 2 Thinking about it, this time he had to bid on five thousand haunted houses, scattered throughout various streets of Wanjie City. Looking at those houses alone would be extremely exhausting. Qi Tian didn’t have the time. Relaxed cultivators started looking at the houses at least half a year in advance. They started gathering intel on each house even earlier.

Qi Tian only had a bit more than a day. If he wanted to make a profit, he would have to act quickly.

Riding on Hu Niu, Qi Tian began wandering around Guihua District. He had planned a route for himself so he could avoid backtracking and cover as many haunted houses in a single round as possible. He wouldn’t stop at every house; thanks to the Heavenly Dao Engine’s function sensing Spirit Qi, he could understand the general situation of a haunted house by simply passing by. Although the Heavenly Dao Engine couldn’t scan every single valuable item, the majority valuable items were reflected in its three-dimensional imaging, so he didn’t need to worry about significant errors.

To avoid raising suspicion, Qi Tian would occasionally stop and pretend to inspect some houses. He minimized his selection of houses, however, by the time he left Guihua District, more than an hour, almost two, had passed.

With districts like Guihua all around Wanjie City and given his current speed, there was no way Qi Tian could inspect all the haunted houses. He would just have to try his best and leave the rest to fate.

Thus, other than the time spent registering at Wanjie Commerce for the haunted house auction, Qi Tian used the rest of the time inspecting various haunted houses only to find not a single one worth investing in after checking hundreds of them. Although some houses contained good items, the potential cost to acquire the houses simply didn’t make the finds worthwhile since exploring them was such a hassle.

Qi Tian knew too little about these haunted houses. Despite becoming a resident of Wanjie City, he hardly lived there so he lacked basic knowledge of the city. He needed to consult someone familiar with Wanjie City.

His first thought was Huang Liuyan, but after weighing his options, he decided to postpone visiting her. Cheng Daoran seemed to be constantly monitoring Huang Liuyan, unless absolutely necessary, Qi Tian would rather grill some other sources.

This other source was Wang Na. Qi Tian met her when he first took on a job from Wanjie Commerce, heading to the secret realms to mine spirit stones. Coincidentally, half-step Golden Core Wang Na became Qi Tian’s subordinate.

Qi Tian planted a Slave Mark in Wang Na’s Sea of Consciousness, so he did not have to worry that she might betray him. He sent her a Message Paper Crane to arrange a meeting.

Wang Na was a disciple of the National Master Manor, but her master had passed away and without any backing in the Manor, she had a hard time there. To hide her affiliation with Qi Tian, she kept a low profile in the Manor. Using the spirit stones Qi Tian gave her, she was quietly trying to advance to the Gold Core Realm. If she could do so, she would be able to establish a firm foothold in the Manor.

As soon as Wang Na received Qi Tian’s Message Paper Crane, she hastily left National Master Manor and met Qi Tian at the arranged location.

Wang Na and Qi Tian didn’t act like typical master and servant, no greetings on meeting. Like covert operatives, they rendezvoused at a central park in Wanjie City, maintaining a certain distance from one another, not directly acknowledging each other, and communicated using a Sound Transmission Skill.

Through his inquiries with Wang Na, Qi Tian gained information about the haunted houses that the cultivators of Wanjie City happened to be most interested in. According to Na, some houses may even arouse the interest of Nascent Soul Masters.

Qi Tian hurriedly recorded the codes and locations of these haunted houses, intending to check them out later.

After discussing the haunted houses, Qi Tian asked Wang Na about Huang Liuyan. It was one of the tasks he had assigned her.

Wang Na briefed Qi Tian on everything she knew about Huang Liuyan. As ever, Huang Liuyan concentrated her efforts on cultivation, seldom socializing. As for Cheng Daoran, just as Qi Tian suspected, he behaved as before, restricting Huang Liuyan’s interaction with others, particularly males. Given Cheng Daoran’s identity, status and power, no one in the National Master Manor supported Huang Liuyan.

On hearing this, Qi Tian could only sigh; he simply did not have the power to aid Huang Liuyan at this point. Furthermore, he was not naive enough to stand against Daoran. Should he do so, Daoran would certainly hold him captive, using him as leverage to force Huang Liuyan into accepting some outrageous demands. By then, even if Huang Liuyan agreed under duress, Qi Tian was certain that Daoran would not let him off lightly, with destroying Qi Tian’s Dantian being likely outcome.

Qi Tian had no intention of leaving his fate to so-called destiny or relying on the perceived goodwill or fairness of the Manor’s elders. Regardless, it was best for him to steer clear of Daoran.

Lastly, Qi Tian inquired about Wang Na’s progress, not much time had passed since they last met, just over a year or thereabouts; not much when considering the lifespan of a cultivator. However, compared to Wang Na’s progress when they had last parted ways, her improvement could be described as virtually nil. Essentially, Wang Na’s current cultivation level and power remained almost unchanged.

It wasn’t surprising. Wang Na was in her Half-step Golden Core state, half a step away from entering the Gold Core Realm. However, if she were stuck at this half-step, it could very well turn out to be an insurmountable chasm. If she couldn’t pass this crucial point, it was entirely possible to remain at this level for her entire life.

Qi Tian asked Wang Na about her problem. After all, he has given her quite a few spirit stones, as well as Pseudo-True Pills and Three-Turns Heaven Earth Pills.

Wang Na felt a bit embarrassed. Over the past year, she hadn’t been lax in the least bit and devoted nearly all her time to cultivation. She tried measures that could be taken with all the resources Qi Tian had given her, yet the results were insignificant. The failure might be down to her fate not having arrived, Wang Na not having the aptitude to break into the Gold Core Realm, compatibility with the cultivation method, or possibly something else.

Qi Tian raised an eyebrow, remembering the Thirty-six Jindan Core Array. He considered if he should use it again to give Wang Na a little push to help her quickly advance to the Gold Core Realm. However, after some consideration, he dismissed the idea. The cost of using the Thirty-six Jindan Core Array was too high. Wang Na, in her current state, did not warrant its use, particularly since he was lacking top-grade spirit stones. Before he could find a way to secure more, he would have to economize.

Also, this was Wanjie City. From Qi Tian’s previous experience in operating the Thirty-six Jindan Core Array, he knew that the spectacle generated each time was too eye-catching to deceive others. Although it never bothered him when he was at the Great Zhao Nation, it would be wise for him to keep a low profile in Wanjie City and avoid attracting the attention of experts.