Chapter Nine: The Lottery! The Lottery!

“Friends, I have to admit, your host is feeling a bit drained right now! Talking with people from another world is truly exhausting! It really puts my acting skills to the test. Sure, I did go to the Beijing Film Academy, but I only studied there for two years.”
“Now I finally understand: in this world, without strength, you have no right to speak. You’re not even worth as much as a pile of dung! At least no one dares to step on dung. That line is from the novel ‘Battle Through the Heavens’—it’s just the plain truth.”
Chen Bo collapsed onto his bed. The position was comfortable, but also a little desolate. He stared at the ceiling, where a spider web hung; a fly struggled helplessly within its threads, unable to break free.
Perhaps he was just like that fly, yearning for freedom but unqualified to attain it, destined to become nothing more than meat on a chopping block, waiting to be carved.
“Don’t worry, host! People from an entire world have your back—what’s there to fear?”
“That’s right, don’t let us Earthlings lose face! I’m going to write a novel about your experiences and post it online! My talent knows no bounds!”
“Someone’s already written it.”
“Feng Yu tipped the host 8 gold coins—just a small token, but it’s to show respect and offer comfort for your wounded heart.”
“The host must have the blood of our great Korean nation!”
“Get lost, you upstairs troll!”
Looking at these endearing netizens, Chen Bo was touched. Who said internet users were uncultured? Was this really so low? If this was considered low, then what would you call those people in real life who curse at the drop of a hat?
“Thank you all for the comfort—your host is feeling much better already. The most urgent thing now is to improve my own strength. Right now, I have over thirty thousand gold coins, which allows me to draw three times—but only from the basic lottery.”
“As everyone knows, the odds of getting a cultivation manual or a secret technique from the basic lottery are basically one in a hundred million, and even then, it’s likely a dime-a-dozen manual.”
“But there’s nothing else I can do for now. I can only complain that the system is too stingy.” Chen Bo hadn’t finished venting when the system abruptly spoke up.
“Ding! Main quest activated: The Three-Year Pact. Task: Reach the Sea-Cleaving Realm within three years. Various side quests will be issued along the way, each with rewards.”
“Failure to complete the main quest will result in death! Main quest completion rewards: two free lottery draws, ten million gold coins, and a mysterious treasure chest.”

There was actually a quest? This was looking more and more like a game.
The quest issued by the system wasn’t visible only to Chen Bo—every viewer in the livestream could see it as well. Chen Bo shrugged helplessly. “I was hoping to find an opportunity to take my family and leave Tianyang Province, but that’s clearly impossible now. Let me give everyone a brief overview of the geography in this other world—though, to be honest, I don’t know all that much myself.”
“The regions here go from largest to smallest: continent, domain, country, province, city, town, and village.”
“I think ‘domain’ is like Asia or Europe back on Earth. ‘Country’ needs no explanation.”
“A province is like a state or province on Earth. A city is pretty much the same as a city on Earth. A town here, though called a town, is actually closer to a county, especially considering that the population and area in this world are many times greater than on Earth—a single town here could rival a third-tier city back home.”
“As for the last, the village, I don’t need to explain—use your imagination.”
Chen Bo paused, then went on, “So now, what I need most is strength. The main quest is already out. If I fail, I’ll have to say goodbye to all of you.”
“Reaching the Sea-Cleaving Realm in three years—that’s going to be tough. The previous owner of this body took ten years just to get from having no cultivation at all to the Marrow and Bone Realm. Now the system wants me to reach Sea-Cleaving in just three years? That’s like nightmare-level difficulty. I’m still a rookie player!”
His outpouring of grievances won the sympathy of many soft-hearted viewers, and soon, another wave of gold coins came flooding in.
“Hao Anyi tipped the host 1,888 gold coins—money is never an issue for me. Just a small gesture. Don’t cry, stand strong! Follow the formation below!”
“Da Meng Bookworm tipped the host 1,888 gold coins—I’m not short on cash either. Don’t cry, stand tall!”
“Bang Bang tipped the host 10 gold coins—I’m just a poor soul, that’s a third of my monthly salary. Don’t cry, stand tall!”
“He Beifang tipped the host 888 gold coins—my broadsword is itching for action again! Don’t cry, stand tall!”
“Deng Gan Superman tipped the host 2,333 gold coins—la la la, don’t cry, stand tall!”
“Wow, Deng Chao is watching the stream too! I’m just a student, can’t afford tips, but I’ll join the formation—don’t cry, stand tall!”

So moved—watching the gold coins flood the screen, Chen Bo was almost brought to tears. In just a short while, he’d received over ten thousand gold coins in tips, bringing his total to more than forty-eight thousand.
“Thank you all so much for your generosity! Especially Hao Anyi and Da Meng Bookworm—these two big spenders are always on the frontline of tipping, and it makes me tear up. If I had a clove of garlic, I’d probably be bawling right now.”
“And of course, thank you to Brother Chao for the generous tip—over two hundred thousand yuan! And yes, I’ll admit I’m a fan of Brother Chao.”
“There are many others who’ve tipped as well. I can’t name everyone individually, so let me just say two words: thank you!” Chen Bo was heartfelt—after all, whether he could one day reach the pinnacle of life depended on these adorable fans.
“Next, it’s time for the host to use some coins for the lottery. I’d hoped to save up for a hundred thousand coins and try the intermediate draw, but time waits for no one. Right now I wish I could split every second in two.”
“Besides, I’m not the type to save money. I’m the live-for-today, drink-while-there’s-wine kind of guy. I can never save up, because I always spend it as soon as I get it—that’s why I never had a girlfriend back on Earth. Let this be a lesson to all my fellow single brothers out there.”
“I bet a lot of new friends haven’t seen me do a lottery draw before, so you’re in for a treat. To borrow a line from my idol Liu Qian: ‘Next up, is the moment to witness a miracle.’”
With that, Chen Bo summoned the lottery wheel, but not before striking a dashing pose—just for effect.
Evidently, the act worked—even those who’d seen it once before couldn’t help but be amazed again.
This time, Chen Bo didn’t enable the on-screen comments feature. Everyone was furiously sending messages, but in a tacit agreement, they all turned off the comment display.
On YaYa Live, you can turn off the scrolling comments while still posting them—you just don’t see them yourself.
“This lottery costs me ten thousand coins, with twelve slots as usual. Let’s see what we get.”
This was my first time sending a private message on Yuewen; before, I always hung out on the smaller forums. Qidian has always been a sacred ground in my heart. Old drivers fear nothing!