Lottery Cube

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"Huh? This kid is about to break through?" Noticing what was happening inside Wang Yan, Card Fairy paused, then said in surprise, "That's two days earlier than I expected!"

Before Card Fairy could think any further.

Hum! A wave of red light rippled outward. Threads of red light whistled in every direction like the wind. Wang Yan felt countless fine strands of red light pouring into his body and surging toward the Immortal Card Artifact in his Dantian. Within the artifact's inner space, the ball of spiritual energy kept expanding. It had initially felt no bigger than a small egg, but before long, it had grown to the size of a fist.

Then.

Whoosh, whoosh! The ball of spiritual energy suddenly surged through his meridians in every direction, racing through Wang Yan's body along the route of the Fire Art. His meridians stung as magical power coursed through them, as though they had widened considerably. The power swirled straight into his head, and his entire body began crackling and popping...

This circulation of magical power lasted almost a quarter of an hour.

At last!

"!" Wang Yan abruptly opened his eyes, a gleam flashing through them. He immediately noticed that his five senses seemed different, as though his eyes and ears had been refreshed. He could see farther, and his hearing was astonishingly sharp. He felt like an entirely different person. Even his sunburn seemed to have improved considerably, and his skin was no longer so crimson.

"So this is Minor Completion of the Cultivation Realm?" Never in his life had Wang Yan felt so comfortable in his own body. He had already fallen in love with the sensation. Looking at his hands, he murmured to himself...

Suddenly!

"Hah!" Wang Yan sprang to his feet with a fierce shout. Red light flashed around his foot, and he stamped it against the ground. With a boom and a burst of red light, a sizable crater appeared beneath him. His entire body shot upward, soaring several yards into the air. This was far more powerful than before.

"Hah, hah, hah!" Wang Yan roared in midair, throwing more than a dozen punches and kicks in rapid succession. Threads of flame blasted from his hands, sending sheets of Red-Light Flame three or four feet beyond his fists. A scorched smell filled the air, and the heat was astonishing.

Thud! Only then did Wang Yan land on the ground. Delighted, he said, "At Minor Completion of the Cultivation Realm, I can already give magical power form and release it outside my body! It really is impressive!"

"Impressive, my foot!" Before Wang Yan could revel in his delight, Card Fairy's voice rang in his head, dousing him with cold water. "You call that Minor Completion of the Cultivation Realm impressive? I could turn you to ash with a single breath!"

"Uh... how could I compare with an elder like you?" Wang Yan was in a good mood after successfully advancing, and he answered with a smile.

"Of course you couldn't!" Card Fairy replied, sounding smug and thoroughly pleased.

"Right! Card Fairy, why does it feel like I can't draw magical power out of the Immortal Card Artifact very quickly? Is it because of my cultivation?" Suddenly remembering something, Wang Yan hurriedly asked.

Indeed, Wang Yan had just tried using his magical power, but drawing it out of the artifact had been about as fast as when he used to practice his water-element cultivation method. Naturally, that puzzled him, so he brought it up with Card Fairy.

"Oh... looks like you've noticed already!" Card Fairy gave a soft exclamation, then spoke casually.

"Is there a problem?" Wang Yan's heart lurched. A flicker of foreboding crossed his face, and he hurriedly asked.

"Your cultivation is too low. The Immortal Card Artifact is a divine artifact, after all. Without me, you wouldn't be able to activate it at your level!" Card Fairy explained. "And since this artifact has replaced your Dantian, you can only rely on it to gather and channel magical power. But your cultivation falls far too short, so when you use magical power, you'll be considerably slower than cultivators of the same level who still have their Dantians."

"Really? Doesn't that mean I'll have a lot of trouble fighting cultivators at my level?" Wang Yan froze. Though his cultivation was shallow, he understood the principle: the higher a cultivator's cultivation, the faster they could cast spells. If he cast more slowly than his opponent, wouldn't he be at a terrible disadvantage in a magical duel?

"I wouldn't call it trouble. You have Immortal Cards, don't you?" Card Fairy replied without concern. After a pause, she added, "I wasn't the one who destroyed your Dantian. You should be grateful I could bring you back alive! As the saying goes, every gain comes with a loss. Be content with what you have!"

"Mm! But I can't rely on Immortal Cards for everything, can I?" Wang Yan said with a bitter smile. Still, things had already come to this, and there was nothing he could do. He paused, then remembered Wang Ziling and cursed furiously, "It's all that despicable, treacherous Wang Ziling's fault! I swear I'll take that bastard's life!"

"Wang Ziling?" Card Fairy paused in surprise. "Right! How exactly was your Dantian destroyed? Did this Wang Ziling have something to do with it?"

"...!" Wang Yan hesitated. Card Fairy had asked him several times before, but he had never told her. Judging by how she had treated him lately, however, she did not seem to harbor any ill intentions. After a moment's hesitation, he recounted every detail of Wang Ziling's plot against him and the methods he had used. "A while ago...!"

After hearing Wang Yan's account.

"Ah! What a terrible pity!" Card Fairy cried out rather theatrically...

Her reaction left Wang Yan puzzled, and he hurriedly asked, "What's a pity, Card Fairy?"

"What a terrible pity. That Wang Ziling really is a talent. With such cunning and such methods, he'll probably go much farther in the Cultivation World..." Card Fairy went on, actually praising Wang Ziling and sounding greatly impressed by him.

"Hey! Card Fairy! What are you saying? What's so good about a vicious, crafty little fiend like him?" Wang Yan protested dismissively. Naturally, hearing Card Fairy praise his enemy displeased him.

"Tsk, tsk!" Card Fairy smacked her lips repeatedly. After a pause, her voice suddenly grew grave. "You little brat! Stop being so naive! The Cultivation World is far crueler than you imagine. It's a world where people devour one another. If you don't have enough tricks up your sleeve, you might as well wait to die! Give up cultivation while you still can, go back to the mortal world, and live out an ordinary life!" Card Fairy sounded distinctly angry as she berated Li Xiaoya.

"You...!" Wang Yan choked on his words, almost bursting into curses. What kind of reasoning was that? But he suddenly remembered what Wang Ziling had said that day, after piercing his Dantian and throwing him into the lake: this was a world where people devoured one another! Shock swept through his heart. Gritting his teeth, he said heavily, "Even if it's a world where people devour one another, I'll still brave it and see who devours whom!" His gaze was unshakably resolute, while inwardly he thought, For her, and for Father and Mother! He clenched his fists, making up his mind.

"Very good! You finally have a little backbone!" Card Fairy answered approvingly. Still, she understood that although Wang Yan had endured considerable hardship, he had remained true to his nature, which was a good sign. Though she had praised Wang Ziling, that did not necessarily mean she truly thought highly of him. If nothing else, given his methods, she would probably come to a miserable end if she ever fell into his hands... With that thought, she suddenly spoke solemnly to Wang Yan. "All right! To reward you for reaching Minor Completion of the Cultivation Realm, this fairy will bestow something good upon you!"

"What is it?" Wang Yan paused, then hurriedly asked. Suddenly remembering his agreement with Card Fairy, he added, "What are you going to give me?"

"Hehe! Let's play a game!" Card Fairy chuckled, then hurriedly said, "Expose the artifact! I won't pay for your clothes if they get ruined!"

"Wait! Right away!" Wang Yan hurriedly replied. Though his clothes were already in tatters, they were still better than running around bare-bottomed, even if no one was there to see him. He quickly exposed the artifact at his Dantian and said, "Ready!"

"All right! Watch this!" Card Fairy said eagerly.

Hum! As Card Fairy spoke, the artifact at Wang Yan's Dantian suddenly blazed with spiritual radiance. Five-Colored Spiritual Light surged out, and a swath of multicolored radiance flew from the artifact. An enormous object appeared in the air...

Thud! It slammed heavily into the ground, making the earth vibrate with a humming rumble. It was an immense cube covered in countless small metal pieces, with a frame on either side. Threads of spiritual light flowed over it amid countless glowing runes. The small metal plates bore patterns of various colors, none of which formed a complete image. They were clearly fragments of individual Immortal Cards.

"What is this?" Wang Yan asked in utter astonishment, watching such an enormous metal block fly out of the artifact on his belly. "Could this artifact also be a storage treasure that can hold other treasures?"

"Never mind all that! Let's play a lottery game!" Card Fairy replied.

"A lottery game?" Wang Yan froze and asked in surprise.

"Haha! This Cube Lottery Wheel contains all the Immortal Cards I refined in the past. You can draw once now and see how lucky you are!" Card Fairy said with a laugh.

"Huh? A lottery?" Wang Yan exclaimed, unsure whether to laugh or cry. After a pause, he hurriedly said, "Hey! Card Fairy! Why not just give them to me? What's the point of drawing lots?"

"No! I won't give them to you for nothing!" Card Fairy said stubbornly. "If I handed you Immortal Cards for free, how would you have any motivation left to cultivate? I still..." She trailed off, then abruptly changed tack. "Why all this nonsense? If you don't want it, I'll count that as forfeiting!"

"Hey! I'll draw, all right!" Wang Yan was not insatiably greedy. He vaguely understood Card Fairy's intent: she wanted him to keep working hard at cultivation. It also seemed that his cultivating diligently had something to do with her. With that thought, he hurriedly asked, "How do I draw?"

"Just spin that cube!"

"All right!" Wang Yan hurriedly answered. He walked up to the wheel, placed his hand on the square Lottery Cube, and gave it a forceful push. Countless little metal squares on the metal cube began spinning wildly...

What good thing will I get? Watching the cube tremble, Wang Yan felt an inexplicable flicker of anticipation...