Chapter Ten: Vital Energy Cannon

As he was marveling at how wonderful the world was, a sudden voice left Tianming utterly bewildered.

“Ding! You have reached the minimum recharge threshold of one hundred gold. The amount has been credited to your Tianming account. You may now proceed with a lottery draw.”

“Dora?” Tianming, clutching his gold note, felt the joy drain from him in an instant.

This was all his worldly possessions. If it was gone, he would truly be left to wander the streets.

He tightened his grip, only to discover that the gold note had indeed vanished.

“Hey, young man, your roast chicken!” A middle-aged man, looking every bit the part of a friendly uncle, raised a golden, glistening roast chicken and called out to Tianming.

Tianming, coming to his senses, felt his face flush with embarrassment—for now, he was penniless...

“Uncle, I just remembered something urgent I need to attend to. I won’t be needing the roast chicken after all. Goodbye.”

He had intended to buy the roast chicken to fill his empty stomach, but clearly, that was no longer an option.

“Wait—”

Before the vendor could finish, Tianming quickly slipped away under the man’s gaze, disappearing into a side alley.

...

His stomach growled.

As the saying goes, skip a meal and hunger gnaws at you. Tianming was truly at his wit's end and could only endure his hunger in silence.

“Dora! Next time, could you at least ask for my opinion before recharging?” Setting his bowl down, Tianming gritted his teeth with every word.

“Command received. Would you like to proceed with the lottery draw?”

“Yes.”

Tianming didn’t dwell on the issue; as long as Dora would consult him in the future, that was enough.

He closed his eyes, and a festive, wheel-shaped image appeared vividly in his mind.

Examining the wheel carefully, Tianming noticed a large, red pointer at its center, while all around were question marks.

Above the question marks, resplendent golden characters displayed his balance: 101 gold.

All other areas remained shrouded in mystery.

“One free initial draw. Warrior Realm draw: 100 gold. Qi Induction: 1,000 gold, and so on...”

Tianming said, “Then I’ll take the free initial draw.”

“Sorry, Tianming, you’ve already used your first draw. Please use gold for additional draws.”

Tianming frowned. “Wait... when did I use it?”

“Think carefully. Bamboo-copter.”

It all made sense now. In that tense standoff outside the city gates with Qilian Chuang... He’d been lucky to draw the bamboo-copter—had it been something useless, he’d have been done for. But recalling the week-long ban, Tianming bit his lip—such a waste of a good item.

“Draw!” he ordered.

“Ding ding ding~ Congratulations, Tianming! You have received the Vitality Cannon, now stored in your extra-dimensional backpack. Call its name to retrieve it.”

“Cut the suspense—just tell me how many times I can use it.”

Knowing Dora’s character, Tianming didn’t even need to guess—there had to be restrictions, or there’d be no way to extract gold.

“As long as you wear the Vitality Cannon on your arm and shout ‘Pong Bang’, you can fire a Primal Vitality Blast at your enemy. But use it wisely—the cannon can be fired ten times. Each shot lets you defeat an adversary a realm above your own; ten shots could defeat an opponent two realms higher.”

Dora, exposed, remained unfazed, explaining meticulously, though that greedy tone crept back in: “Of course, if Tianming wishes to continue using it, you may pay 999,999 gold for permanent usage rights.”

“One million gold—you might as well rob me! Dora, you must be mad with greed,” Tianming raged inwardly, not at all impressed by the cannon’s power.

At this moment, Tianming couldn’t help but think of Dora as ‘the Swindler’ instead.

...

“Young friend, why do you slumber here, idly wasting your youth?”

Just as Tianming was about to use sleep to dull his hunger, a hazy, boundless voice echoed in his mind.

“Ah!” The voice startled him so much he snapped awake from his stupor.

Looking up, Tianming saw an elderly man with white hair, leaning on a cane, stroking a long beard, and regarding him with appreciative eyes.

The old man’s appearance was utterly ordinary, with the bearing of a commoner. Yet, had Tianming looked more closely before opening his eyes, he would have seen a universe in those eyes—vast as a sea of stars, enough to lose oneself in an instant.

“Sir, do I know you?” Rubbing his eyes, Tianming asked in confusion.

The old man’s gaze was mild, his tone friendly yet unfamiliar. It was odd for such a stranger to appear before him, and Tianming couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

The old man shook his head, remaining silent.

“Since we’re strangers, you must be here to give me some money, right?” Scratching his head, Tianming picked up his bowl, his clear, bright eyes shining as he smiled at the old man.

Tianming could think of no other reason for the old man’s appearance, so he put on his most ingratiating manner.

“I have no money, young friend, but I do have something you’ll find intriguing,” the old man replied with a smile, stroking his beard.

“I’m all ears!”

Though he had no idea what the old man was referring to, Tianming’s curiosity was piqued.

“The will of Heaven is clear; the Child of Tomorrow receives his mandate. From today, you will become one of the 6,666th inner disciples of the Celestial Derivation Sect. Congratulations on becoming the first in the sect’s history to join with the lowest cultivation and still attain inner disciple status.” The old man chuckled, then drew a black token from behind his back and placed it in Tianming’s bowl.

“You know, I only accept money. If it’s not money, I might consider it,” Tianming said seriously, setting the bowl back on the ground.

He weighed the token in his hand—it was heavy, well-made, and looked valuable enough to fetch a good price.

The old man shook his head again.

“Young friend, look closely at the inscription on the token. Whatever you do, do not sell it. I believe one day you’ll understand that today’s encounter was no accident.”

Perhaps reading Tianming’s mind, the old man tapped his cane on the ground. In an instant, his eyes flashed like a galaxy of stars.

Tianming...

That profound, ethereal gaze left Tianming’s vision hazy and dreamlike, as if he were adrift in a brilliant sea of stars, lost and unable to find his way.

It was a long time before he finally came to himself.

“The old man just now...” he murmured, shaking his head. As he tried to recall what had happened, a wave of dizziness struck, leaving the old man’s face entirely blurred in his memory.

“Remember, always keep the token with you—it will be of great use.”

In the midst of his daze, this was the one phrase Tianming remembered with utter clarity.

“So, he was a master after all. But who on earth was he?”

Tianming thought about it—he knew of no such otherworldly figures in this world, especially since he had only just arrived here. But a slight headache made him stop dwelling on it; after all, self-torment wasn’t his style...

Examining the token, Tianming realized that its once black surface had turned a brilliant golden hue. On the left, it was engraved with “Celestial Derivation Sect Inner Disciple.” On the right, his own name, “Tianming,” was inscribed in bold characters.