Chapter 514: Drawing Lots

“Did you really find that kind of spiritual fire?”
After hearing Su Che’s account, Tian Yin was greatly surprised and asked in astonishment, “How could such a spiritual fire exist in the world? It can suppress the Dark Demon Beard Beast to such an extent without burning other materials… May I take a look at this spiritual fire?”
“Of course.”
With a thought, Su Che summoned a small cluster of that deep blue spiritual fire from the fourth layer of the Immortal Prison and made it float in his palm.
“This spiritual fire…”
Full of curiosity, Tian Yin examined it carefully for a while before ultimately shaking her head helplessly. “I may not have seen all the spiritual fires from the immortal and mortal realms, but at least I can identify their attributes and characteristics. Yet, as for this one… I really can’t tell.”
At that point, she shook her head again, her expression showing a hint of adorable resignation, and softly asked, “Where did you get the seed of this spiritual fire?”
“I didn’t obtain it; rather…”
Su Che said with a smile, “I created it myself!”
“Created your own spiritual fire?” Tian Yin became even more curious and, quite unusually, kept pressing further. “Is it a mutated spiritual fire?”
“Yes.”
Su Che nodded in agreement before adding seriously, “I have a magical artifact that can combine countless spiritual fires to create entirely new ones. However, this artifact is rather special, and I can’t show it to you for now. Tian Yin, there are still things I can’t tell you yet. One day, when I’m confident enough to protect both you and myself, I’ll share all my secrets without reservation. Do you understand?”
“It’s okay, I understand,” Tian Yin said gently with a smile, half-seriously and half-jokingly. “Similarly, I also have my own secrets I haven’t told you yet. When the day comes that you have enough strength to protect me, I’ll tell you everything, without any concealment. Is that alright?”
“Haha…”
Su Che laughed heartily. Of course, he knew Tian Yin said this on purpose to ease the slight sense of helplessness in his heart. Keeping secrets from those closest to one can sometimes be out of necessity.
As for the Cloud Temple they were in now, Tian Yin didn’t have any particular opinions either. Her assessment and feelings were similar to Su Che’s—she also thought it was a shame that such a place was built in the snow-like clouds, wasting such a beautiful atmosphere…
After waiting for about two hours, Heng Yi, who was guarding outside the temple, came in and reported, “Master, they’ve arrived!”
“Good!”

Su Che and Tian Yin stepped out of the temple together and said, “They arrived two whole hours after us. This proves that the Demon Beard Beast must really have been afraid of my threat and held them back for two hours.”
“Yes!”
Heng Yi and the others all laughed heartily, not worried at all about the arrival of Princess Xueyu and the others.
You see, Su Che and his four companions were now among the top five winners who had reached the finish line first. Until the mysterious old man announced the results and decided on the rewards, Princess Xueyu and the others would definitely not dare to attack Su Che again.
They might still compete with each other during the race, but now, Su Che and his group had a different status—as winners, they were naturally protected by the rules of the game.
Of course, these words weren’t spoken by the mysterious old man himself; they were just the most basic common sense and logic in the world.
Su Che and his four companions stepped out of the temple and came to one end of the steel cable. By using their Eye of Dharma techniques to the fullest, they could clearly see Princess Xueyu and the others at the other end of the cable, a hundred miles away.
Similarly, Princess Xueyu and dozens of other Upper Realm cultivators could also see Su Che and his group, as well as the temple behind them.
“They really reached the finish line ahead of us!”
One of the Upper Realm cultivators with a hooked nose said resentfully, “It seems Princess Xueyu was right. It must be that kid who used some trick to get those black tentacles to hold us back, which is why we were delayed so much.”
The others nodded in agreement in silence. Among them, Mu Yu Yue Zun said in a deep voice, “There are five of them. Without a doubt, the top five have already been determined. So, who will be sixth through tenth?”
These words expressed everyone’s thoughts. In this mysterious space and this absurd race, no matter how proud these Upper Realm cultivators thought they were, they had to clearly realize that their strength was insignificant in front of that mysterious old man—he could destroy them at any moment.
Since that mysterious old man was so terrifying and powerful, the rewards he offered would surely not be ordinary. It was even possible he might give the winners a huge surprise.
Even if there were no tangible rewards, being able to gain a chance to survive or even be released by him would be incredibly important and precious for everyone present.
But there were sixty-two Upper Realm cultivators here, yet only five spots remained for winners. With so many competing for so few spots, who would get them?

“That sixth place surely belongs to Daoist Xueyu without a doubt,” Li Jiu said loudly. “I suppose no one has any objections to that, right?”
“No!”
“Daoist Xueyu truly deserves it!”
Everyone responded in unison, having no objections at all. Leaving aside Xueyu the Immortal’s reputation from before, if it weren’t for her Holy Lamp of Exorcism today, it was uncertain whether anyone could have escaped that Forest of Tentacles.
One thing was certain: someone would surely have perished there, becoming food for the tentacles.
The sixth place went to Xueyu the Immortal without any dispute. She expressed her gratitude and accepted it calmly.
As for the remaining four spots, that was less certain. Everyone wanted them, seeing them as talismans for protection. More importantly, it was still unknown whether, aside from their own group of dozens, any others at the Tribulation Phase or Void Refinement Phase could manage to escape the Forest of Tentacles and make it here.
If those people all perished in the forest, it meant that the last ten losers who would face death as punishment would also have to be chosen from among them.
Who would want to die?
After struggling so hard to reach the Mahayana Phase, with immortality just around the corner, who would be willing to die?
The strength of these Mahayana cultivators was roughly equal; none of them acknowledged the superiority of another, except for Xueyu the Immortal, who commanded respect and admiration from everyone else. So, how could the last four spots be distributed fairly?
Fighting among themselves was definitely not an option—it would only lead to chaos, with no one getting a good outcome. Then, there was only one way…
“Lotto!”
Xueyu the Immortal said coldly, “There’s never a good solution to such matters; we can only leave it to fate to decide. Coincidentally, at this stage, everyone’s spiritual senses are impaired, which also prevents any suspicion of cheating.”
Lotto?
The other Mahayana cultivators were stunned. Although they had vaguely thought of this method earlier, the idea of them, as supreme warriors at the peak of mortal power, having to rely on lotto to determine their fate… It was an indescribable mix of emotions…
“Alright, let’s use lotto!”
A few Mahayana cultivators, including Li Jiu, were the first to agree. “Besides that, there really is no better way.”

This method of drawing lots, though somewhat trivial, at least preserves a bit of face among them, preventing them from fighting fiercely over those four spots and causing things to get out of control. Thus, this lottery event, which determined the fates of dozens of Mahayana-level powerhouses, was quickly concluded under the supervision and certification of Fairy Xueyu, using a fair method that everyone could accept. The four final winners were: seventh place went to Ancestor Guli, eighth to Li Jiu, ninth to Master Tianqi, and tenth to Princess Hua Li. Those who did not “win” could only sigh to themselves: Such is fate! Especially those who drew the ten highest numbers were utterly disheartened: Is this really my fate? With the spots assigned, they boarded the cable car in order according to their drawn numbers! Fairy Xueyu, in sixth place, went first, followed by the other four in order. To prevent anyone from feeling resentful and resorting to foolish acts against the winners, the other Mahayana-level practitioners had to wait before boarding the cable car in order, maintaining a sufficient safety distance from Fairy Xueyu and the others. In fact, they all realized that there might be dangers on this hundred-mile-long cable car. But since Su Che and his group had managed to cross it safely without losing a single member, it should be even easier for them, given their own Mahayana-level cultivation. Does “strength determines everything” really hold true so absolutely? “They’re boarding the cable car!” On the other side, Su Che and his group eagerly awaited to see how these Mahayana-level powerhouses would overcome the invisible illusions on the cable car and pass their mental trials. The moment Fairy Xueyu first stepped onto the cable car, her gaze was fixed straight ahead, seemingly crossing the hundred-mile distance in an instant to meet Su Che’s gaze. Su Che’s eyes twitched slightly as he thought, “What a sharp gaze this woman has!” Due to the great distance, Su Che couldn’t see her eyes clearly, but through the keen senses unique to cultivators, he could still sense her piercing gaze. “Master, I’m sure the illusion tests on the cable car won’t be a problem for her,” Old He said confidently. “I agree,” Su Che thought. “This woman is extraordinary—deeply unfathomable. She certainly won’t be defeated by mental illusions. But as for the others, it’s uncertain.”

“But, Master, don’t you hope to capture them alive and send them to the Immortal Prison to suffer all kinds of torture?”
Lao He asked again, “If someone dies because of this, then that would be…”
“That’s not something I can decide,” Su Che said with a faint smile. “If they die here, it can only be said that it’s their luck—the cable car helped them escape the punishment of the Immortal Prison…”