Chapter 241: Drawing Lots Requires Ritual

【Quiet】

In a spacious room that resembled both a tea chamber and a study, a large "Stillness" character, written with fluid brushstrokes, hung in the center; the hundred-square-meter space held a white-golden grand clock, a small incense burner, and several other artifacts.

A figure in a cream-white robe embroidered with a golden-thread design of auspicious beasts vying for radiance stepped slowly from behind the house, paused briefly beside the incense burner, then walked to the edge of the viewing platform.

Beneath him, clouds stretched like an ocean; above, stars dotted the sky, and a half-moon spilled its clear radiance. Rare sacred herbs planted across the mountains and fields absorbed the lunar glow, emitting patches of spiritual light—a scene unseen in cities that filled Su Lin with profound peace.

After bathing in the Sacred Spring, Su Lin donned a new set of clothes that had been consecrated. He placed the dried, steeped, and leftover Wu Dao tree tea leaves into the incense burner, lighting them together with a specially crafted incense; the room filled with the rhythm of the Dao.

He brushed back the long hair grown by his hair-growth technique, now dyed a sacred white; behind him, a radiant halo of merit glowed, sending out waves of white light, the Buddha-light shimmering in the shape of blooming white lotuses.

At a single glance, he looked like a handsome, otherworldly divine being wreathed in sacred presence, as if he had stepped out of an ancient legend.

Su Lin sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his aura nearly merging with heaven and earth; in the state of heavenly-human resonance, the Biyun divination chart before him spun rapidly, finally settling on the most auspicious moment.

He slowly closed his eyes, clearing all distracting thoughts to maintain his heavenly-human posture, waiting in stillness as the stars and moon turned, awaiting the arrival of that pivotal moment.

Pointless effort? Mysticism? Superstition?

You're talking about science in a fantasy world? Life needs a sense of ritual, and so does gacha luck—the more you respect "luck," the more "luck" will favor you.

Time slipped away grain by grain; Su Lin's entire being merged with heaven and earth. He even invoked Heavenly Will to artificially generate various auspicious phenomena—the violet mist blanketing the sky was his own crafted effect.

Those dragons, phoenixes, bai ze, and nine-colored deer have no intelligence; they are auspicious creatures born of heavenly will, but the fortune they carry is real.

The fortune of all under heaven amounts to eight dou, and Su Lin alone claims one shi—the rest of all living things owe him two shi.

In this mode, he won every gamble in the mortal world! He could take the college entrance exam blindfolded and still be admitted by default! Lottery tickets would fly into his hands from relatives in charge! Everything within this world bent to his will!

Time passed drop by drop, and Su Lin sank his consciousness into his sea of awareness, keeping company with a stretch of primordial chaos.

In an instant, a wisp of golden light rose slowly from the east, illuminating heaven and earth! Within Su Lin's sea of awareness, a ray of world-creating golden light appeared!

Su Lin's eyes snapped open—the moment had arrived!

"Strike the great bell once—the immortal realm descends, celestial beasts resonate in harmony, and a twelve-tiered Merit Golden Lotus emerges!"

"Strike the great bell twice—the gates of the divine kingdom open, the God of Light appears, the ranks of kings descend as guardians, and the choir stands ready…"

"Strike the great bell three times…"

"Raise your voices in song!"

"Praise the Way of Heaven in this world! Praise the Great Dao of Fortune across the heavens!"

"Good luck comes to wish you good luck, good luck brings us joy and love, good luck comes we welcome good luck, riding good luck to prosperity across the four seas."

Amid the pleasant music, Su Lin took out the "Dice of Probability" he had "borrowed" from Will and said in a low voice:

"You don't want me to toss you into the Sea of Holy Light, do you?"

The Dice of Probability trembled violently, leapt on its own from Su Lin's hand, and landed on the ground showing a "6."

A roll of 6 is super-lucky—whatever you do, your wishes will be fulfilled. This unique item will accept threats, but if threatened too often, it will quietly trip you up.

Su Lin then took out two glass test tubes, pulled out the stoppers, and dripped the blood of the Serpents of Fate into the formation beneath his feet. The Dice of Probability sensed the blood of a Sequence One of this Pathway, and a ripple resonated with the formation at his feet; two phantom images of the Serpents of Fate shot skyward.

Crosses, talismans, consecrated Buddha statues—anyway, they're free, so why not believe in them a little?

"Blessings upon the Boundless Yuanshi Tianzun One, amen, Amitabha—great lords, you must protect me! This is an act of saving the world. What I want isn't cheats; I, Su, hate cheaters most of all. I just love this world deeply."

All preparations were complete—this moment was the peak of fortune!

"My turn! Draw!"

Su Lin took a deep breath, waved his hand to open the gacha interface—and amid a stretch of pure white haze—

【】 points invested.

A feint, while the system hadn't reacted yet—secret technique! The Arithmetic-Progression Extraction Method!

【，，，，】 points invested.

Secret technique! High-Value Asset Investment!

【】 points invested.

Ripples echoed across the system interface as gray light streaks surged; Su Lin's heart rose to his throat. One of the earliest gray streaks pierced through space, emerging from the screen and diving into his system backpack.

Immediately after, several other streaks followed, each piercing the void to enter Su Lin's mind and system backpack respectively.

Su Lin did not check his later acquisitions first; like scratching a lottery ticket, he turned his attention to the first item he had drawn.

Take a look at 【Character Card: Swat】.

*Slap! *

Su Lin slapped himself across the face.

What the hell? What's Swat for?! Am I supposed to use this card to summon world police to fight a bunch of demons and monsters?!

Take another look—maybe it was just an illusion earlier.

【Character Card: Swat】: As a member of the U. S. Special Tactics unit—

Alright, that's life—sometimes unexpected things just happen.

Su Lin pulled a towel from the historical projection and wiped his face.

"Damn." Su Lin muttered under the towel: "At least throw in a nuclear briefcase, would you?"

He decided to face reality and turn his full attention to the description.

【Character Card: Swat】: As a member of the U. S. Special Tactics unit, and also as a transmigrator—getting transported into a game world is one thing, but these old geezers are trash at the game yet love it to death. After coming back from the Trial Island, they said they wanted to practice with me on the transport ship, and after I only killed a hundred of them, they kicked me out on the excuse that I was cheating. Small fries. (Effect: Land Immortal)—I, Swat, did not cheat!

"Cheater, if you kill a hundred on the transport ship, of course they'd kick you." Su Lin cursed. Fine—big fall, big rise. At least this card looks like it has some value; at least I didn't lose out.

Speaking of which, it's strange. Back then, a ten-thousand Wind Spirit Moon Shadow was way stronger than a twenty-thousand Fusion Device, and the thirty-thousand one was a broken flute. Could it be that spending more or less on these draws doesn't matter, and it's just a difference between good and bad?

Enough thinking—let's look at the others.

【Good luck really comes~】

Su Lin shouted upward: "Haven't you eaten?! Sing louder!"

The voices above grew louder, and Su Lin nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the other items in his system backpack.

The first was a long jade tablet, made of white jade and black jade, simple in overall design. On the white jade were two black characters, and on the black jade were two white characters. The whole thing was two chi long and could be held in one hand.

【Ask the Dao: Reversing Fate, Severing Karmic Debt】: One reversal of fate, one severing of karmic debt. Whether you reverse fate first or sever karmic debt first, after using one effect, the other automatically activates once.

Effect One: Reversing Fate. Once absorbed into the body, it allows borrowing the power of those with whom you share good karmic ties, but with extremely high probability, you will be influenced to perform actions habitual to them. (I really want another sip of your sour plum soup, Senior Sister. — Fu Shen Jun)

Effect Two: Severing Karmic Debt. Summon projections of all those who harbor resentment toward you, transcending time and space. The deeper the grudge, the higher the probability of summoning, and the closer the projection's power is to the original. (On the path of asking the Dao, resentment with others is inevitable. After ten thousand years of cultivation, looking back, I find myself nostalgic for those people. Had I chosen a fiery path back then, I wouldn't now be burning incense for my enemies. I've endured so long, I've become immortal. To make amends for regrets and resolve karmic ties, I must summon them all and kill them once more. — Fu Shen Jun)

Su Lin always felt this item carried too much information. Do these masters, after attaining the Dao, just randomly create weird stuff like this?

Not bad, though the side effects seem substantial—borrowing power requires killing an enemy first, or killing an enemy before you can borrow others' power.

Su Lin thought: Who could I borrow power from? My groupmates or Su Tuoni?

As for enemies, Su Lin has always been kind to others—he seems to have no enemies at all.

Su Lin: "."

Hmm, never mind. For now, use this as a storage item.

Su Lin's eyelids twitched as he forced himself not to think about using this thing.

Next item—another rock?

【Hengyu Tianqing Stone】: A Hengyu Tianqing Stone from the Hengdao Sacred Ground of the Zhao Tian Realm. When the Great Dao River flowed through this universe, it washed this stone away, scattering it into other worlds. Having been brushed by the Great Dao, it was not fully destroyed, leaving behind residual Dao principles within. Cultivating near it aids in comprehending the Dao's laws. If left exposed for long periods, there is a small probability (0.000%/day) of summoning a phantom image of the Great Dao River. (Damn it! Who summoned the Great Dao River inside the Sacred Ground? I'll peel their skin off! What? It was my daughter. — Zhang Sect of Hengdao Sacred Ground)

"A great item!" Su Lin's eyes lit up. He hurriedly looked at the next item: a longsword, entirely azure, emitting a faint glow, its style resembling ancient Earth Warring States-era swords.

【Tianqing Yu Xu Sword】: A sword of slaughter, yet not a sword of killing. Forged by Yuan Shi Tianzun, Zhang Sect of Yu Xu Palace in the Gao Tian Yuan Realm, it circulated among the Three Realms before falling into the hands of Wu Ming, sparking great chaos. Eventually, the Gao Tian Yuan Realm's Heavenly Court sealed it with twelve layers of seals. (I saw the suffering of all beings, so I raised this sword to question the light of heaven—Wu Ming)

"Yu Xu? Yuan Shi Tianzun?!" Su Lin paused, realizing the "Gao Tian Yuan Realm" prefix suggested this might be a world with similar counterparts.

Su Lin drew it out. Instantly, ghostly-blue spiritual light surged from the blade, as if sun, moon, and stars howled within its body.

So beautiful.

The wind from the spiritual light stirred the white hairs on his shoulders; countless indescribable sword qi swirled, sweeping across the surroundings.

Su Lin's eyes widened slightly. He had never seen such a beautiful sword—the cold gleam did not intimidate; its edge was like frost and snow, yet evoked the warmth of winter.

"Seals? Wait for now." He sensed something troublesome.

Finish examining everything first. Is there nothing else? Not even a cultivation technique or skill?

【Fourth Catastrophe Simulation Device (v1.0)】: After successfully anchoring to a world, you may deploy the player template to that world. As long as the anchor remains, you may descend without limit. Player death causes no effect on your original body.

Requirement: As this is v1.0, you must manually anchor at the world's source. The Pan-Spatiotemporal Alliance assumes no responsibility for any incidents occurring during this process.

(Note 1: The world's consciousness will feel you're shoving a pile of other people's vomit into its belly and will react violently. Back then, I was chased across more than ten thousand universes by three self-aware Heavenly Dao entities.

Note 2: Friend, you know what Fourth Catastrophe types are like. Even if you give them a low-tier reward like a rock, they'll sell you all their time. — Cai Liusu, Chairman of the Pan-Spatiotemporal Alliance)

"Opposing heaven," Su Lin's lip twitched—he hadn't expected to see an old acquaintance: "217 and the Evolution Fusion Device were made by you, weren't they?"

This unreliable vibe felt just right. At least this system came with full instructions.

【Wangque Flower of Sheng Quan】: After ingestion, it cleanses all of your past, severs old ties, and grants rebirth. (At the distant endpoint, I saw the light of divinity. It was an unforgettable journey—I traveled alongside many different sentient beings. Though they could not accompany me long, every moment was worth remembering. Farewell, then. — Sheng Quan)

Su Lin drew out the item: a flower with transparent petals, its stamen formed by a heart that continuously leapt. In appearance, it was neither grotesque nor bloody—only possessing a unique beauty.

"Another item whose effect is unclear and must be guessed?" Su Lin shook his head and put the flower away. But if it's something like a complete transformation, the side effect might be severe? Amnesia?

He turned his gaze to the final item—a bead-like object he'd impulsively spent 200,000 yuan to draw.

Should be… maybe… probably… not too bad.

Su Lin read its name.

【Strongest Food System】

"?" Su Lin rubbed his eyes. Strange. Looked again.

【Strongest Food System】

Su Lin: "areyoukiddingme?"

Are you kidding me?

What is this? What the hell?

Su Lin pulled out a chair from a historical projection, sat down, and rested his chin on his clenched fist, thinking for several minutes.

"Can you even do this? Huh… so I'm a dual-system protagonist?"

【Strongest Food System】: As the name implies, complete tasks to earn rewards. After integration, you assume the ultimate task of completing the system and creating the supreme dish. Usage: Place at the center of the forehead. (This system was produced by Jing Ye Dao Zun. PS: Don't worry—he just wants someone to automatically feed him while he sleeps.)

Su Lin's lips curled into a √.

I'm truly sorry, groupmates—you asked if I'm a system protagonist? Oh my, how do I even answer that? And you keep accusing me of cheating? I didn't ask for this—the external cheat just showed up on its own. Hehehe.

He drew out the system and placed it in his palm, then moved it toward the center of his forehead.

The nearly illusory, unreal bead rippled through the air, slowly merging into Su Lin's forehead.

【Strongest Food System loading: Current progress 1%, 2%—LOADING FAILED!】

CRASH!!!

Before Su Lin could react, the bead was violently expelled from his forehead in a spiral motion, zipping out and slamming into the wooden floor, shattering the wood and leaving a hole.

【System Prompt: Inferior plugin removed from host. Cleaning fee of 1000 Mr. Points deducted.】

"."

"."

"FUCK!!!!!!!!!"

An indescribable Nascent Soul-level god of light screamed at the end of Shuijing Peak.

"RNM, GIVE ME MY MONEY!!!!!!"

(End of Chapter)