Merit Lottery, Death Substitute Puppet

"Colorful Merit Fish, a billion-credit jackpot."

Since the news had long since spread like wildfire and everyone was discussing it, Lu Yang did not have to spend much effort to learn the full story.

It turned out that the First Saint Sect had a permanent special mission called "Accumulate Merit."

The location was a treasured site known as the Merit Pool, deep beneath Sacred Fire Cliff amid the Cloud Sea. Within the pool lived a rare Spiritual Beast known as the Merit Fish.

The fish came in five colors: white, blue, purple, gold, and colorful.

The closer their color was to colorful, the more abundant the Merit Fish's essence was. Eating one could not only improve the quality of one's qi, but could even help break through bottlenecks.

The "Accumulate Merit" mission had arisen from this.

Each person could claim the mission only once per month. First, they blindly chose a number, then paid 10 Contribution Points to take away the Merit Fish corresponding to that number.

However, the 10 Contribution Points paid by cultivators would not be reclaimed by the Sacred Sect. Instead, they would be recorded in the Merit Pool's account. The sect higher-ups had specially explained this: whoever selected the only Colorful Merit Fish in the Merit Pool would receive all the Contribution Points within the pool!

And nearly a hundred years had passed since this mission was first issued.

Yet throughout those hundred years, not a single person had selected the Colorful Merit Fish. As a result, the Contribution Points in the pool had accumulated into an astronomical figure.

"A billion! A whole billion!"

The old man in the rocking chair was still muttering under his breath, his tone brimming with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Just yesterday, the grand prize of this "Merit Lottery" had finally found its winner, and that disciple had entered the sect less than ten days ago.

A prize pool built over a century had been claimed by a newcomer who had been in the sect for less than ten days!

No wonder the old man of the Library Pavilion felt so unbalanced. After all, some of those billion Contribution Points had come from his own participation in the Merit Pool mission over the years.

Not to mention that while Xiao Shiye had received the billion-credit jackpot in the Merit Pool, he had also obtained the most precious Colorful Merit Fish. After eating it, he had broken through from Qi Refining First Layer to Qi Refining Completion overnight. He had now been accepted as a disciple by a True Person of the sect and entered seclusion to prepare for his Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

Even Lu Yang could not help showing a look of envy at such a turn of fortune.

But his gaze soon changed. That lucky fellow, Xiao Shiye, had not concealed the number he chose when he drew the Colorful Merit Fish.

"2025113"

Looking at that number, Lu Yang could not help swallowing.

Just as Lu Yang firmly memorized that string of numbers, intending to put it to good use in his next life, a graceful figure suddenly entered from outside the Library Pavilion.

"Junior Brother Lu?"

Lu Yang raised his head at the sound and immediately recognized her. It was Fairy Qingchen. She also seemed quite surprised, with the delight of an unexpected encounter on her pretty face.

"Oh, Qingchen. Is it time?"

The old man of the Library Pavilion also saw Fairy Qingchen. His previously listless expression instantly turned serious as he rose to his feet. "Then let's hurry and set out."

"Senior Brother, you're going to explore the cave abode too?" Lu Yang asked curiously.

"What else?" the old man of the Library Pavilion said irritably. "I just lost a huge sum of money. If I don't find some extra work, I'll be drinking the northwest wind!"

"You lost a huge sum of money?"

"Sigh, it was also because I was careless for a moment." The old man of the Library Pavilion sighed. "Some time ago, the Sacred Sect fought a great battle with Jiangnan's Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion."

"The Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion came prepared and forcibly seized one of the Sacred Sect's Ten Thousand Man Pits in the south."

"The Death-Substitute Yin Corpses produced by that Ten Thousand Man Pit were precious treasures. Once the pit was taken, their price within the Sacred Sect immediately soared."

"At first, everyone was stockpiling them. Out of caution, I watched from the sidelines for a while."

"Later, I saw that the price truly only rose and never fell. Thinking the opportunity would vanish in an instant, I finally made my move and bought a batch from others at a high price."

At this point, the old man of the Library Pavilion was so heartbroken that he beat his thigh in regret. "Who would have thought that the moment I finished stockpiling them, news arrived that the Sacred Sect had launched a counterattack and retaken the Ten Thousand Man Pit? The price that had just risen instantly plummeted, dropping even below the original price!"

Lu Yang: "..."

"But luckily, there was Qingchen." After sighing for a while, the old man of the Library Pavilion rallied again and exclaimed, "Qingchen is truly a good person."

Fairy Qingchen smiled shyly. "Senior Brother, you flatter me."

"I mean it from the bottom of my heart." The old man of the Library Pavilion said sincerely, "If you hadn't recommended Senior Brother Zhao to me, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have recovered my capital."

"It was only a small effort." Fairy Qingchen said modestly, "Senior Brother Zhao happened to need a batch of Death-Substitute Yin Corpses, while you happened to have stockpiled a batch. Qingchen merely happened to be in the right place at the right time. I only hope that when we explore the cave abode later, if Qingchen takes a liking to anything, Senior Brother can lend Qingchen a hand or two."

Senior Brother Zhao... Zhao Xuhe? Lu Yang's heart stirred.

"Oh, right, Junior Brother Lu."

Only then did Fairy Qingchen seem to remember Lu Yang. She turned to look at him. "For this exploration of the cave abode, do you truly not intend to come along?"

"...Please forgive me for making Senior Sister laugh."

Lu Yang shook his head. "I entered the sect only recently and am weak with little power. I only wish to focus on cultivation. Exploring a cave abode is too dangerous. Though I may wish to, I lack the strength."

"Kid, I don't like hearing that."

The old man of the Library Pavilion shook his head. "Focus on cultivation? Ordinary disciples without money or influence like us have no Immortal path if we only bury our heads in cultivation."

"Cultivating Immortality is inherently an act of defying Heaven. Without taking risks, how can one's cultivation soar by leaps and bounds?"

"When everyone else is afraid and wants to retreat, that is when you should be even braver in trying and fighting for opportunities. Only then can you seize them!"

When others are fearful, you become greedy. No wonder you went bankrupt.

No matter how vividly the old man of the Library Pavilion spun his tale, Lu Yang politely refused. The old man was so angered that he tossed out, "Rotten wood cannot be carved," before turning and leaving.

Fairy Qingchen could not press him further upon seeing this. She merely gave Lu Yang a deep look before turning and leaving as well. Together with the old man of the Library Pavilion, she arrived at a concealed cave abode on Mending Heaven Peak. She had him wait in the outer courtyard first, then entered the inner courtyard and came before a quiet room.

Before long, the doors of the quiet room opened, and Zhao Xuhe strolled out.

"Failed again? He still didn't agree?"

As Zhao Xuhe listened to Fairy Qingchen's account, his brows gradually furrowed. "He truly has a steadfast Dao Heart. Fine. Missing him does no real harm."

"Senior Brother, I think there is something wrong with him."

Fairy Qingchen lightly bit her silver teeth. "The Life Lamps of my three lovers have gone out. Last night, I sent them to kill that fellow. It seems they failed."

"You know it too, Senior Brother. My three lovers were all at Qi Refining Third Layer. Since Lu Yang was able to kill them... could he already be at the mid stage?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Zhao Xuhe shook his head without hesitation. "Breaking through a bottleneck is easier said than done. In just a few days, he could at most have reached Qi Refining Third Layer. He could not possibly have broken into the mid stage."

"You need not be so suspicious either. I checked his purchase records."

"He bought so many Vitality Pills. If he consumed them regardless of cost, reaching Qi Refining Third Layer would not be surprising. As for your three lovers..."

"He used a Cultivation Manual Loan to buy a divine ability, the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion's Divine Firmament Sword Control Art." Zhao Xuhe peeled back the layers of the matter as he analyzed it carefully. "If he possesses extraordinary talent and comprehension in the Sword Dao, allowing him to quickly master the Sword Art, then killing your three lovers would not be particularly strange."

"Senior Brother is right."

After pondering for a moment, Fairy Qingchen felt that Zhao Xuhe's analysis was more reasonable. After all, she had personally experienced how difficult the mid-stage bottleneck was.

It had taken her nearly ten years to barely break through.

To say that a disciple who had just entered the sect had broken through in less than a month—unless he were a True Person reincarnated and cultivating anew—it was simply a fantasy beyond the heavens.

"Enough. We'll discuss this matter later."

Zhao Xuhe waved his hand, cold light flashing in his eyes. "Handle the matter of the 'cave abode' first. Have all the people been gathered?"

"They have." Fairy Qingchen nodded. "Especially Wang Borong from the Library Pavilion. Senior Brother bought his Death-Substitute Yin Corpses, and he trusts us greatly now."

"Good."

Zhao Xuhe smiled coldly. "My Sacred Sect has always been rich in talent. Whether we can make a fortune from this opportunity depends entirely on my fellow senior and junior brothers."