Chapter 2138: Lottery

After cultivating for an unknown period, Zhang Xuan dimly perceived a vast, boundless ocean before his eyes. Within it, divine power surged, and countless strands of golden-yellow divine spiritual energy drifted endlessly.

His concentration peaked, and he reached out, trying to grasp one of the strands to extract it. However, his entire being suddenly trembled, and everything before his eyes receded like a tide in an instant. When he opened his eyes, he was still in his room, illuminated by the glow of a luminous pearl. What he had seen felt like a dream.

"Was that... an illusion?"

He frowned. Ever since he began cultivating, he had never encountered inner demons; if they appeared once or twice, he would even take them in as students. As for illusions, they had never materialized before. Why, then, had such a problem suddenly arisen?

Could it be that the cultivation technique he had comprehended contained many errors?

With a flick of his wrist, he produced a blank book and began to write down the "Heaven's Favor" cultivation technique.

Before he could finish writing, the book trembled slightly and turned to dust.

His expression darkened. He hadn't used any cultivation technique or exerted any power; he had merely been writing down the technique he had comprehended, yet the book couldn't withstand it.

He paused, then took out a piece of hard alloy from his storage ring.

It was likely a material used for forging mid-grade divine artifacts; at the very least, with his current strength, he found it difficult even to bend.

He tried writing "Heaven's Favor" on it again.

Again, before he could finish, it also turned to dust, as if it couldn't withstand the power emanating from the cultivation technique.

"'Heaven's Favor' has surpassed the Heavenly Dao cultivation techniques... The Heavenly Dao of the God Realm doesn't allow its existence!"

He sighed. He clearly understood the power of this technique; it was no weaker, only stronger, than the Flawed Heavenly Dao cultivation technique he had previously practiced. This indicated it had already surpassed the Heavenly Dao. Given its defiance, how could the Heavenly Dao possibly permit its existence?

"No wonder... in the Firmament, I couldn't summon the Divine Tribulation..."

He gave a bitter smile. Heavenly Tribulation was the Heavenly Dao's punishment for cultivators who defied it. Previously, when he had triggered lightning tribulations, the Divine Tribulation didn't strike him but instead kept striking Little Yellow Chicken, who had just broken through. He had been puzzled then, but now it seemed that his cultivation technique had surpassed the Heavenly Dao, rendering it unqualified to govern or inflict punishment upon him.

"If I can't write it down, the Library won't be able to identify any flaws... It seems I can only rely on myself now!"

All this time, he had relied on the Library to find flaws in cultivation techniques, thus enabling him to practice the most complete and correct versions. Now, that situation was coming to an end.

He would have to proceed step by step, relying on himself to slowly accumulate and gradually improve.

He meticulously reviewed the technique he had created in his mind again, finding no issues. Only then did he continue to take out the pills from the jade bottle and consume them one by one.

After cultivating for an unknown duration, his body crackled audibly. Zhang Xuan stood up, feeling as if his entire physique had grown significantly taller. The power within him surged, ready to burst forth, more than twice as strong as before.

"I've reached the peak of low-grade deity realm..."

He smiled faintly. After a period of cultivation, he had advanced from the initial stage of low-grade deity to its peak, ready to break through at any moment.

If not for the insufficient supply of pills, he would very likely have already succeeded.

"However, even with more pills, I wouldn't dare directly attempt to break through to mid-grade deity..."

Having read the books left by Inch of Ash, he had gained a certain understanding of the deity cultivation system.

In his current state, with enough pills, breaking through to mid-grade deity wouldn't be an issue. However, during this period of cultivation, only his divine essence had increased; his physical body and soul had not yet undergone a complete transformation.

A rash attempt would endanger both his body and soul, as they wouldn't be able to withstand the immense divine essence.

At that point, not only would his strength not improve, but it would be akin to installing a ticking time bomb within himself, making it extremely perilous.

He looked outside. The sky was fully bright, approaching noon.

Stepping out of his room, Sun Qiang approached him.

"Young Master, I've clarified the matter of divine spiritual energy! Just as Teacher Moyun said before, it's restricted and not easily obtained. To acquire it, one must go to Divine Mountain. However, Divine Mountain isn't accessible at all times; it opens only once every six months, and not everyone gets a chance. One needs to obtain entry qualifications in advance."

Zhang Xuan frowned. "Qualifications?"

Sun Qiang replied, "Yes, Divine Mountain opens once every six months, allowing a thousand people to enter each time... This means you must be on that list of one thousand to have a chance!"

Zhang Xuan asked, "When is Divine Mountain opening next?"

"Tomorrow..." Sun Qiang replied with a bitter smile.

Zhang Xuan was taken aback, not expecting the timing to be so soon. "How can one get on this list?" he asked.

"Anyone under thirty years old whose cultivation hasn't reached the deity level can apply. However... this time's selection competition has already concluded, unless... you challenge someone on the list. If you win, you can replace them."

Sun Qiang paused, then continued, "It's just that... those who made it onto the list are very well-hidden and certainly won't be willing to compete. Furthermore, almost all of them are qualified through major powers. Replacing someone... it's not that easy!"

With the chance to enter Divine Mountain and advance to deity tomorrow, who would offer such an opportunity for others to compete for?

The gap between a deity and a non-deity is too immense. Missing this chance would be equivalent to losing the opportunity to ascend and completely forfeiting all future prospects in the cultivation world.

"Is there no other way?" Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed.

Although he understood that the God Realm operated on the principle of strength, it wouldn't be difficult for him and his students to seize some spots given their abilities. However, he was unwilling to directly snatch away someone's life-changing opportunity when they had done nothing wrong.

Sun Qiang said, "There is! Nightfall City is such a large city, yet it only grants a thousand spots every six months. The Ghostly Heavens likely anticipated that this would lead to contention and potential unrest. Therefore... at the Nether Hall, managed by the City Lord, an additional two hundred spots have been made available for purchase. Those who succeed in buying one will also have the opportunity to enter Divine Mountain."

Cities have rules that everyone must abide by, but when pushed to desperation, some are still willing to take risks.

To avoid such trouble, this method was specially devised.

"Purchase? Does that mean the highest bidder wins?" Zhang Xuan was surprised.

If so, would anyone with enough money be able to buy all the spots?

That would be blatant profiteering!

"Of course not. The price isn't high, but... whether you succeed depends on luck!" Sun Qiang nodded.

"Luck?" Zhang Xuan became even more confused.

How was luck involved now?

Sun Qiang explained, "These spots aren't directly sold. Instead, it's like rolling dice. Each time, one hundred points are laid out, and you can randomly choose to purchase one. If you win, you get the spot; if not... you have to wait for the next round. Each point can only be bet on by one person, no more. Also, each person can only make one purchase per day. Once one hundred purchases are made, the results are announced!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan was stunned. "Doesn't this sound like a lottery?" He looked at Sun Qiang with a question in his eyes. "How much does one purchase cost?"

"It's not expensive, but it's not cheap either! One divine coin per try!" Sun Qiang said.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Considering the purchasing power of one divine coin, the total number that Nightfall City could yield wouldn't be excessive, thus preventing people from just trying their luck.

If wealthy individuals wanted to purchase a spot with a one percent chance, it would essentially cost them one hundred divine coins to secure one... It was likely that even they couldn't afford to buy all of them.

It provided an opportunity for others while making it not too easy to obtain... It was indeed a good method.

"Where is the Nether Hall? Let's go see!" Zhang Xuan said. After taking a few steps, he added, "Bring Zhao Ya and the others along!"

Since he was striving for their entry into Divine Mountain, it was naturally better for them to participate themselves.

Besides, since each person could only make one purchase per day, if one attempt failed, they could all try once to see whose luck was better. Regardless, securing a spot was the priority.

"Alright! However, the Nether Hall isn't close to here; if we walk, it will take at least three or four hours!" Sun Qiang said.

"No problem. If walking isn't feasible, we'll ride horses!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

Having robbed the mountain bandits, they were now quite wealthy, possessing over a dozen pseudo-deity realm horses. While walking would take three or four hours, riding horses would likely take less than half an hour.

Sun Qiang said no more and turned to leave. A short while later, Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and the others all appeared before him.

Judging by their expressions, they seemed to know what they were about to do, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation.

"Let's go!"

Mounting their horses, everyone set off together.

As estimated, they arrived in less than half an hour.

Finding a place to stable their horses, they walked inside.

This so-called Nether Hall was vastly inferior to the Transcendent Hall of his previous life. It didn't appear grand but was very spacious, somewhat resembling a large shopping mall.

Upon entering, they indeed saw many people gathered inside.

"I've won a spot! Anyone interested in buying? 50 divine coins! One-time payment, no credit!"

"I'll take it..."

"Give it to me, I'll pay 51!"

"I'll offer 52!"

Immediately, a large crowd rushed to snatch it up.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was puzzled.

"One divine coin buys a chance to draw, and many people come here to try their luck. Once they succeed, they sell it at a high price... As long as it's under a hundred, someone will definitely buy it; people are willing to pay. After all, even if you have a hundred divine coins, you'd need to draw continuously for a hundred days, or find a hundred people to each purchase one number... Neither option is easy to achieve..."

A one percent chance doesn't guarantee success even after a hundred draws.

It's possible to succeed on the first try, or not even after more than a hundred attempts.

Sun Qiang gave a bitter smile and continued, "Over time, it has become a business. Many people try to study patterns and make a living from it..."

"Study patterns?" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Just like lotteries in his previous life, there were no patterns to be found.

It would be better to work steadily; the chance of earning five million was greater than winning the lottery!

Of course, many people didn't understand this, and quite a few made a living, even staked their lives, on it.

Reflecting on it, the current scene was remarkably similar.