Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 966 - 966 0579 The Prince Gives Way_1

Chapter 966: Chapter 0579: The Prince Gives Way_1 Chapter 966: Chapter 0579: The Prince Gives Way_1 Chapter 0579: The Prince Makes a Concession

After examining his daughter Zhao Ninglu, Zhao Shibo was certain that Zhao Ninglu hadn’t been harmed. Through a conversation with her, Zhao Shibo could almost be certain of one thing: Qi Tian and Gao Jinmei didn’t have any ill intentions. However, merely based on his daughter’s words, Zhao Shibo still couldn’t conclude that these two people were truly talented and extraordinary individuals.

He’d heard of the concept of potential before, but he had never heard of anyone possessing the ability to awaken another person’s potential. If truly such secret arts existed, why would they bother with the arduous process of cultivation? Why not just find a way to awaken their own potential and be done with it? Especially for someone like him who had cultivated for a long time without making any advancement in his realm, he was even less likely to easily believe in the notion of potential.

Staring intently into Zhao Ninglu’s eyes, Zhao Shibo asked, “Daughter, tell me the truth, are you certain that Qi Tian and the others aren’t deceiving you? Can they really awaken your potential?”

Zhao Ninglu said resolutely, “I’m certain. How could I possibly joke with you about such a matter? Not to conceal the truth from you, Master Qi told me that after their examination, they’re fairly confident that they can develop the potential within me. Once all my potential is developed, the likelihood of my advancing to the Gold Core Realm will be over fifty percent.”

Doubt flickered in Zhao Shibo’s eyes as he spoke, “Has your potential truly been unlocked, and have you experienced it yourself, or did they merely tell you so verbally?”

Zhao Ninglu replied with some dissatisfaction, “Father, Master Qi and Master Gao were trying their best to awaken the potential within me. Just as they had started, you rushed here with your men and, through the Sound Transmission Array, demanded that they send me out. Now, I’ve gained no benefit and have been blamed for it. I don’t even know if Master Qi and Master Gao are still willing to help me stimulate my potential.”

Zhao Ninglu’s eyes shifted as she spoke, “Since this is the case, I, as your father, will personally speak with the two of them. I’ll ask them to demonstrate their secret art on you in my presence, out of respect for me. I want to see for myself how they awaken your potential. If they can prove this to me, I am willing to apologize to them personally, reward them generously, and hire them as our family’s retainers. How does that sound?”

Zhao Ninglu said, “Are you going to watch them personally? Isn’t that an obvious display of distrust?”

Zhao Shibo answered, “Your safety is at stake; I cannot afford to be anything but careful and cautious. If the two of them truly possess real skills, they certainly won’t worry. But if they are charlatans, hmph, I will let them know the consequences of trying to deceive the royal family.”

Zhao Ninglu knew her father well; although his talent for cultivation wasn’t great, his tenacity and stubbornness were unyielding. Once he decided on something, unless the Prince himself intervened, no one could change his mind. Since her father had made up his mind, she had no power to change Zhao Shibo’s thoughts. Out of helplessness, she could only say, “Father, if you insist, then please give me some time. Let me communicate with Master Qi and Master Gao first, in the hope that they can understand your feelings and actions. However, let me be clear: if they are unwilling to accept your approach, you cannot force them. You have already reached the Gold Core Stage, but I am still stuck at the Half-step Golden Core stage, unable to make any progress. I don’t want this heaven-sent opportunity to be ruined by you.”

Zhao Shibo laughed and said nothing more. He had already made up his mind and wouldn’t change it based on a few simple words from his daughter.

Zhao Ninglu turned and went back into the secret chamber. The Gold Core Realm powerhouses left in the secret chamber had thoroughly inspected the place. They not only found Zhao Ninglu’s changed clothes and removed accessories in the dressing room but also questioned Qi Tian and Gao Jinmei briefly, verifying their identities. Through these inspections, they didn’t find anything suspicious for the time being.

Of course, to say there was no suspicion at all wasn’t quite the case. When asked about their Sect lineage, both Qi Tian and Gao Jinmei insisted that due to their Sect rules, they must not reveal it arbitrarily and thus refused to answer the question.

In the Imperial Family Secret Territory, the royal family was the absolute ruler. However, aside from the royal family, as centuries passed, some hidden sects and families emerged within the territory that seldom showed themselves. These powers indeed wouldn’t reveal their details readily, as they feared their growing strength would be seen as a threat by the royal family, potentially leading to their extermination – events that did indeed occur in history, though they were events of the distant past.

In recent centuries, the royal family had ceased their purges against these hidden sects and families. Instead, they changed their approach, using methods of engagement and alliance, as the geography of the Imperial Family Secret Territory itself had been changing.