Chapter 245: Unpredictable Obstacles in Fish Farming

As the dark clouds overhead gradually dispersed and the conscripted cultivators returned to their hometowns, the eight-month-long war felt like an illusion, as if it had never happened. Only when occasionally mentioning the cultivator friends who had vanished forever would people vaguely recall the brutal conflict.

Naturally, Li Fan also had acquaintances among the cultivators who perished in the war. Aside from Chen Ying from the Medicine Hall, who died early in the sneak attack by the Five Elders' Society, both Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang from the Congyun Sea Martial Arts Hall perished. The Array Hall also suffered heavy losses. Of the three who were conscripted, Gong Boyu and another Nascent Soul array master named Mu Bowen were caught in the battle between powerful God Transformation cultivators and did not escape. Only Zhang Zhiliang survived. The countless other cultivators who held various positions on Wanxian Island, whom Li Fan had only briefly met, also died in this battle. The ferocity of the great war in Tianling State was evident.

Fortunately, this world never lacked cultivators who would press forward, one after another, fighting desperately for their lives. With an announcement from the Xuan Mirror, the war and its deaths were quickly forgotten. For three years, every cultivator could purchase cultivation techniques at 70% of the original price. Each person was limited to one purchase, and it was non-transferable. As soon as the news broke, cultivators who had been secretly saddened perked up and became invigorated. Those who were just a little short on contribution points but could now afford their long-desired techniques with the discount immediately purchased them and began cultivating with immense joy. Those who were quite a bit short on points but could barely afford a technique if they strove hard for three years began frantically undertaking tasks to accumulate contribution points. Finally, for those cultivators with not much contribution left, who knew they had no chance no matter how hard they tried within three years, methods of "borrowing" or "getting rich overnight" became their lifeline.

As Congyun Sea's most renowned method for getting rich quickly, the 'Fixed Fish' game, anchored to the end of the 16th year, attracted several times more cultivators than usual. The sky above the island was densely crowded with people who had come to watch the spectacle. Li Fan was naturally among them. He clearly remembered that the fish champion this time was supposed to be a white pomfret. Although he currently had enough contribution points, Li Fan would not let go of any opportunity for wealth growth. He selected his target and placed his bet. The twenty-seven-day observation period flew by, and soon it was the day the lake water erupted skyward, announcing the grand prize winner.

Most cultivators had red eyes and tense expressions, not daring to make a single unusual sound, simply staring intently at the countless fish competing in the lake below. The final result surprised Li Fan. This time, the fish champion was surprisingly not the white pomfret Li Fan remembered, but a majestic spearfish gleaming with golden light.

"I won! I won!" Amidst the cultivators' chorus of sighs and curses, an extremely excited shout stood out. Following the sound, Li Fan saw a dishevelled young cultivator in tattered clothes, who was now incredibly excited, his face flushed crimson. "First prize! I won! First prize!" As if afraid others wouldn't know, he shouted frantically. Ignoring the many murderous gazes, the young cultivator threw his head back and laughed, acting like a madman.

"Good heavens, isn't that Han Yi? I heard a few years ago some Foundation Establishment master cheated him out of all his life savings, and he lived a miserable life. I can't believe his luck turned today, and he won the first prize!" "What kind of goddamn luck is that?!" "Why does such good fortune never come to me? I just lost the hundreds of hard-earned contribution points I finally saved up!" "So many people participated this time, and it's the first prize. Winner takes all, and it's the end of the year, so the usual prize pool will be emptied..." "Damn! The final reward must be at least a million contribution points or more!" After a quick estimation, the cultivators' gazes upon Han Yi changed. Han Yi, a little carried away by winning the grand prize, finally sensed something. His expression grew tense and uneasy under the increasing number of stares.

Fortunately, the rules of the Fixed Fish game were still in place, ensuring the winner's safety in broad daylight, under everyone's watchful eyes. Otherwise, if killing for treasure became easy and the rules were broken, fewer and fewer cultivators would play Fixed Fish in the future. It was better to use this opportunity to publicize the game heavily, attracting more cultivators to participate. What could be more appealing than a living example of a destitute Foundation Establishment cultivator, at his wit's end, risking everything to completely turn his life around and henceforth reach the pinnacle of life, with the prospect of reaching Nascent Soul and God Transformation stages?

After exchanging glances, the organizers of the Fixed Fish game quickly brought Han Yi to the center of the crowd. Following some calculation, they immediately transferred a colossal reward totaling 1.56 million contribution points to Han Yi. Upon receiving the reward, Han Yi lost his excited expression. Instead, he seemed dazed and confused, as if unable to believe it was all real, with a somewhat blank look on his face. Meanwhile, the greed in the eyes of the surrounding cultivators grew increasingly frightening. For the sake of the lucky winner's personal safety, the Fixed Fish organizers decided to personally escort Han Yi back to Wanxian Island. Those cultivators who had lost all their stakes to Han Yi reluctantly followed behind. Soon, surrounded by the crowd, Han Yi departed from the area. Only the spearfish champion, quietly absorbing the essence of the other competing fish, and Li Fan remained.

Watching the spearfish champion whose aura was steadily growing stronger, Li Fan fell into deep thought. "Why is the outcome of this world different from what I experienced?" "Where did the variable come from?" Li Fan, having lost the grand prize, didn't feel much emotional upset. Besides the Fixed Fish game, he had many other ways to earn large amounts of contribution points. What truly interested him was the reason behind the different result. "Logically speaking," he mused, "apart from a slight increase in participants, nothing should have influenced the outcome of the Fixed Fish game." Li Fan stood still, contemplating for a long time, but couldn't get a reliable answer. He simply used the secret technique of Hua Dao Shen Yi, continuously replaying the scene of the Fixed Fish game in his mind. Slowly, Li Fan began to notice something amiss.

What Li Fan considered "no significant variables" was viewed from a cultivator's perspective. However, from the perspective of the countless fish participating in the Fixed Fish game, variables were ubiquitous. It could be a change in water currents caused by an item carelessly discarded by a cultivator, or a fish altering its trajectory after being intimidated by a cultivator's aura. Because fish are too weak and cultivators too powerful, the weak cannot stand alone; they can only drift with the current, manipulated by these so-called variables. Li Fan gained some insight.