Eternal Life through Drawing Lots

Bolts of lightning, each as thick as a small mountain, crashed down one after another. They formed a vast, thunderous ocean of rain that washed over Star Fall Mountain, tempering the Purple Gold Hall.

Each colossal pillar of lightning radiated a terrifying aura, enough to vaporize a Tier Four Great Cultivator on contact.

Seeing this, Fang Yang was stunned. ’So it wasn’t mist or clouds shrouding Star Fall Mountain, but a Thunder Pool,’ he thought. ’What an incredible feat. Don’t tell me Sen Yue is refining some kind of world-shaking Dharma Artifact...’

Suddenly, Fang Yang recalled his special connection to the White Feathered Eagle and its tribe.

In that instant, an idea struck him like a bolt of lightning.

’That’s it! Sen Yue must be using this great tribulation to refine a Dharma Artifact!’

If that was true, it was simply astonishing.

As Fang Yang pondered, the Flying Boat shot through the Thunder Pool and landed on the mountain.

Guided by the young acolytes, Fang Yang and the other four champions proceeded toward the Purple Gold Hall at the very summit.

They had reached the Purple Gold Hall.

As Fang Yang drew nearer, the Purple Gold Hall revealed its true form.

It wasn’t a purple-and-gold hall at all. That was merely a spectacular illusion created by the enveloping Sea of Fire and lightning.

It was a majestic palace, yet it more closely resembled a nine-story Heaven-Reaching Pagoda.

Each of its floors was stacked tightly one upon the other.

The bottommost layer was the color of an azure sky, the second was the color of a blue sky... all the way to the highest level, which was the color of Bai Tian.

The entire hall seemed to rise from the very earth, appearing out of thin air. Its aura pierced the firmament, like the nine celestial heavens of ancient legend!

Magnificent, this Thunderfire Hall!

Awed by the sight, Fang Yang praised it silently, then made sure his face wore the same shocked expression as the others.

"All of you, enter."

The resonant voice, like that of an Immortal, emanated from within the hall, causing the very air to tremble.

The hall’s doors opened slowly, and a cool breeze wafted out. Despite its gentleness, cold sweat began to stream down the backs of Fang Yang and the four other champions.

It felt as if Sen Yue could obliterate them with ease in the very next instant.

Fortunately, after a moment, this terrifying presence gradually softened into a gentle, moonlit breeze, warmly illuminating the group and guiding them into the hall.

The hall’s interior was arranged in tiers, high and low, much like the throne room of a mortal dynasty.

"Raise your heads."

At his words, Fang Yang and the others raised their heads to gaze at the highest point of the hall.

At the highest point... the brilliant light of the Taiyin converged like a vast river of stars. Sen Yue stood alone within it, as if immersed in the Milky Way itself, wreathed in the glow of countless constellations.

Sen Yue had a tall, slender build. His face was handsome and sharply defined, and he carried an air of serene detachment.

He was dressed in a Purple Gold Daoist Robe and a white jade crown, with one hand clasped behind his back.

Bathed in the brilliant starlight, he didn’t resemble a supreme monarch. He was more like a Daoist master who had grasped the principles of the cosmos, exuding the very bearing of an immortal.

"Jiang Venerable Sword, step forward."

The Tier Five champion, Jiang Venerable Sword, immediately stepped out from the line.

As soon as Jiang Venerable Sword ascended the high platform, a mist of starlight rose to obscure the scene. Fang Yang and the others could no longer see his or Sen Yue’s face, nor could they hear their conversation.

Jiang Venerable Sword, Ji Juyun...

Fang Yang stood to the side, watching as the champions went up one by one, only to descend moments later with joyful expressions before being led away from Star Fall Mountain by the acolytes.

For these champions to look so overjoyed, one could only imagine that Sen Yue had given them exceptionally generous rewards.

「Half an hour later.」

Of the five great champions, only Fang Yang was left standing in the hall.

Fang Yang was about to meet Sen Yue alone.

THUMP... THUMP-THUMP... THUMP-THUMP-THUMP...

At that moment, Fang Yang’s heart began to race, his emotions stirring with excitement.

He could have suppressed the feeling, but he chose not to.

He knew that the extraordinary Tier Five opportunity was about to be his!

"Fang Yang, I know of you." Sen Yue’s eyes narrowed into a faint smile, as if he could see through Fang Yang’s very soul, leaving him feeling utterly exposed.

Fang Yang knew this feeling wasn’t just an illusion.

Before a terrifying being like Sen Yue, he had no privacy to speak of, aside from the light orb of his [Seek Fortune, Avoid Disaster] talent.

"I’ve heard you’re a young general of extraordinary combat prowess, and an Alchemist Doctor of considerable skill as well. Is this true?"

"Answering the Monarch, compared to combat, I do indeed prefer to delve into the way of the Alchemist Doctor."

"An Alchemist Doctor... yes, that is good. I have a younger sister, your age, who is already a Tier Two Alchemy Master. How does she compare to you?"

"Her talent is world-shaking, enough to rival the Primordial Ancestors. She is far beyond my reach."

"’World-shaking, rivaling the Primordial Ancestors?’ Hahaha! Excellent, truly excellent..."

Sen Yue roared with laughter.

Fang Yang, however, was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Sen Yue hadn’t mentioned his stronger sister, Sen Wei, but specifically pointed to Sen Hui. It was a clear test of Fang Yang’s social acumen.

One wrong answer could very well turn the best possible fortune into the absolute worst.

Sen Yue had that kind of power.

Of course, Fang Yang believed that someone of Sen Yue’s stature wouldn’t be so petty.

But the gap between them was simply too vast.

With every word Sen Yue spoke, Fang Yang had to rack his brain to come up with the most thorough and flawless response possible.

"This is the Carp Eagle Divine Feather," Sen Yue said, his tone complex. "Though damaged, it might one day be restored to the Saint Realm."

A peculiar feather floated in mid-air.

The feather had the look of a hawk’s plume but the texture of a carp’s scale. It was an alternating pattern of green and red, with fine cracks along its edges.

Most peculiar of all, the feather would sometimes transform into a Fire Eagle and other times into a Thunder Carp, making it an incredibly mystical object.

’A Tier Five opportunity!’

’And one that could potentially become a Tier Six opportunity in the future!’

The moment he saw the Carp Eagle Divine Feather, the Fire Eagle Illusion within his body stirred, desperate to possess it.

"You will have to rely on your own power to refine it," Sen Yue said with a calm smile.

In truth, Sen Yue could have helped Fang Yang refine the Carp Eagle Divine Feather.

But doing so would only instill his own understanding into it, making it even more difficult for him to obtain the [Kunpeng Transformation] he desired.

WHOOSH! With the sound of a light breeze, the Carp Eagle Divine Feather transformed into a streak of rainbow light and landed in Fang Yang’s hand.

Fang Yang subconsciously activated his Fire Eagle Illusion.

In a flash, the Carp Eagle Divine Feather entered Fang Yang’s Void Acupoint True Essence Sea, where it was enveloped by the Fire Eagle Illusion.

"Ten days from now, you and the others, including Jiang Venerable Sword, will enter the Monarch’s Camp to participate in military planning."

"Fang Yang, I will remember you. ’An unparalleled Alchemist Doctor, rivaling the Primordial Ancestors.’"

"Do not disappoint me."

...

After descending the mountain, Fang Yang glanced back at Star Fall Mountain, which seemed to hang in the sky.

His feelings were complicated.

Sen Yue was even more difficult to handle than he had imagined—an incredibly shrewd monarch.

Every moment in Sen Yue’s presence had felt like sitting on pins and needles.

’’Alchemist Doctor, Alchemist Doctor...’’

Fang Yang sighed inwardly as an image of Sen Hui flashed through his mind.

Without another thought, Fang Yang turned and headed straight for the War Merits Camp.

Having obtained the [Carp Eagle Divine Feather], he decided to immediately return the favor. He used all of his war merits to redeem a Spirit Plant seedling called the [Silver Flower Fire Tree].

He intended to gift the [Silver Flower Fire Tree] to Sen Hui, hoping to curry favor with Sen Yue.

Sen Yue’s repeated mentions of Alchemist Doctors were clearly a hint for Fang Yang to look after Sen Hui.

And Fang Yang knew full well that devising strategies in the Monarch’s Camp was an easy way to earn great merits.

Even if he didn’t take the lead and simply echoed the consensus of the other advisors, he could earn back the merits he’d spent in no time.

’If you want to gain, you must first give. I can be magnanimous, too.’

Overnight, Fang Yang’s name vanished from the war merit rankings.

His disappearance sparked a flurry of discussion.

But when word got out that he had used them to buy a gift for Sen Hui, it triggered a wave of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Giving gifts was a skill in itself. Not just anyone could present a gift to Sen Hui.

If it were that easy, others would have surely sent her far more precious treasures!

When Lu Yao learned of this, however, she didn’t seem to have much of a reaction.

She simply felt a deep envy for Sen Hui.

She knew full well that comparing herself to Sen Hui was like comparing an ant to a Flood Dragon—there was simply no contest.

Moreover, she was the one who relied on Fang Yang; she couldn’t assist him the way someone like Sen Hui could.

Most importantly, though she saw Fang Yang as her lord and followed him, she still had her own pride.

As long as Fang Yang treated her well, she would never betray his trust.

Romantic love had never been her highest priority.