As for the true nature of the war, it was not something Li Fan could currently comprehend.
As the dark clouds that shrouded everyone gradually dispersed, and the summoned cultivators returned to their hometowns, the impression of the war that lasted for more than eight months seemed like a fleeting dream, as if it had never happened.
It was only when occasionally mentioning those friends who had disappeared forever that one could vaguely recall the fierce war.
Li Fan, of course, also had familiar cultivators who fell in the war.
Not to mention Chen Ying from the Medicine Hall, who died early in the ambush by the Five Elders.
In the Yanyun Sea, both Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang from the Demonstration Hall perished.
The losses were also severe in the Array Hall, with three members being conscripted.
Gong Boyu and another Nascent Soul Array Master named Mu Bowen were affected by the battle of Nascent Soul experts and did not survive.
Only Zhang Zhiliang survived.
Countless other cultivators who held various positions on Wanxian Island and had only met Li Fan once before also perished in this war.
The brutality of the Tianling State war was evident.
Fortunately, the world was not lacking in cultivators who were willing to give their all, one after another, in a life-and-death struggle.
With a notice from the Tianxuan Mirror, soon, the war and its accompanying deaths were forgotten by everyone.
Within three years, each cultivator could purchase cultivation techniques at the original price with a 30% discount.
Each person was limited to one purchase, and it could not be gifted to others.
Once this news was announced, the cultivators who were feeling somewhat depressed were all energized and motivated.
For those whose contributions were just a little short of affording a technique, the discount allowed them to immediately purchase the cultivation technique they had been longing for, and they joyously began cultivating.
As for those with significantly fewer contributions, but could still afford a technique after three years of effort, they began frantically completing tasks to accumulate contributions.
Finally, for those with little to no remaining contributions and no chance of success even with three years of effort, resorting to some "borrowing" or "overnight wealth" methods became their lifeline.
As the most renowned method of overnight wealth in the Yanyun Sea, the "Fixed Fish" at the end of the sixteenth year attracted several times more cultivators than usual.
The sky above the islands was densely packed with people who came to join the excitement.
Li Fan was naturally among them.
He distinctly remembered that the fish to be chosen this time was a white parrotfish.
Although his contribution points were already enough, Li Fan wouldn't let any opportunity for wealth growth slip by.
Selecting the target, he placed his bet.
The 27-day observation period passed in the blink of an eye.
Soon, it was the day when the lake water erupted into the sky, and the grand prize was born.
Most cultivators had bloodshot eyes, their expressions tense, not daring to make any abnormal sounds, just staring intently at the numerous fish struggling in the lake below.
The final result surprised Li Fan.
The fish selected this time was unexpectedly not the white parrotfish he remembered.
Instead, it was a shiny, majestic swordfish.
"I won! I won! The grand prize! I won the grand prize!"
Amidst the continuous sighs and curses of the cultivators, a particularly excited exclamation stood out.
Following the sound, Li Fan saw a young cultivator with disheveled hair, tattered clothes, but extremely excited at the moment, his face flushed.
"First prize! I won! First prize!"
As if afraid that others wouldn't know, he shouted frantically.
Ignoring the many murderous gazes, the young cultivator tilted his head back and laughed heartily, looking somewhat crazy.
"Oh my, isn't this Han Yi? I heard that a few years ago, he was swindled by some Foundation Establishment master and lost everything, leading a miserable life. Unexpectedly, his luck turned today, and he won the grand prize!"
"What the hell kind of luck is this!"
"Why don't I ever get such good things? This time, I've lost all the several hundred contribution points I painstakingly accumulated!"
"With so many people this time, and it's the grand prize. The winner takes all. It's the end of the year, and the usual prize pool will be emptied..."
"I swear, the final reward is estimated to be at least over a million contribution points!"
After a rough estimate, the gazes of the cultivators towards Han Yi changed.
And because he won the jackpot, Han Yi, who was somewhat forgetful, finally noticed something.
In the increasing number of eyes, his expression became nervous and uneasy.
Fortunately, the rules of "Fixed Fish" were still in place. Under the public eye, the safety of the winners was guaranteed.
Otherwise, if such a simple act of killing for treasure occurred, once the rules were broken, the number of cultivators playing "Fixed Fish" would definitely decrease.
It was better to take advantage of this opportunity to publicize and attract more cultivators to participate.
A little Foundation Establishment cultivator at the end of his rope, desperate and impoverished, could make a desperate attempt and completely turn his life around.
From then on, he could rise to the pinnacle of life, with hopes of reaching Nascent Soul or even Core Formation.
Was there any advertising slogan more attractive than a living example like this?
Under the exchanged glances of the organizers of "Fixed Fish," Han Yi was quickly brought to the center of the crowd.
After a careful calculation, the organizers handed Han Yi a substantial reward of 1.56 million contribution points on the spot.
Upon receiving the reward, Han Yi's expression became less excited. He appeared somewhat dazed, as if he couldn't believe that all of this was real, and his face seemed a bit confused.
The greedy looks in the eyes of the onlooking cultivators became even more frightening.
For the safety of this lucky individual, the organizers of "Fixed Fish" decided to personally escort Han Yi back to Wanxian Island.
Those cultivators who had lost all their chips to Han Yi reluctantly followed behind.
Soon, amidst the crowd, Han Yi left the sea area.
Only the tuna fish leader, quietly digesting the spiritual energy of the other participating fish, remained.
And Li Fan.
Watching the tuna leader whose aura was continuously growing stronger, Li Fan couldn't help but sink into deep thought.
"Why is the result of this world different from what I experienced?"
"Where did the variable come from?"
Losing the jackpot, Li Fan didn't feel much emotional imbalance.
Apart from "Fixed Fish," he had many other methods to earn a large number of contribution points.
The reason for the different results was what truly interested him.
"According to reason, besides a slightly larger number of participants, there shouldn't be anything that could affect the results of 'Fixed Fish.'"
Li Fan stood still, pondering for a long time without obtaining a reliable answer.
Deciding to use the secret technique "Transformation of the Dao God" (化道神一), he continuously replayed the scene of "Fixed Fish" in his mind.
Slowly, Li Fan began to discern something.
Li Fan believed that there were "no major variables" based on the perspective of the cultivators.
However, from the perspective of the countless fish participating in "Fixed Fish," variables were everywhere.
It could be caused by some item casually discarded by a cultivator, resulting in changes in the water flow.
It could also be a certain fish that changed its trajectory due to the intimidating aura of a cultivator.
...
Because the fish were too weak and the cultivators too powerful.
Weak, they couldn't survive on their own, only drifting with the current and being manipulated by so-called variables.
Li Fan gained some insights.
(End of this chapter)