My Auto Cloning System-Chapter 103: Flying Blade 2

"A fish? Are you kidding me right now? What am I going to do, slap a Qi Realm master to death with a wet trout? Or salmon? Is that my destiny?!" Yin Zhe screamed, while grabbing chunks of his own messy black hair. (Argh! Why?!)

Second pull: [Moon] - [Moon] - [Star]

"So close! You're teasing me! You're a heartless, digital monster, you know that?!"

Third pull: [Golden Ticket Icon] - [Golden Ticket Icon] - [Golden Ticket Icon]

[JACKPOT! You received 5 Golden Tickets back!]

Yin Zhe's mood flipped instantly. He started dancing on his rickety wooden bed, hopping up and down like a caffeinated monkey on a hot stove. "Yes! The system loves me! I am the king of luck! I am the golden child of the Yin clan! Witness me!" (Bounce! Squeak! Creak!)

He didn't stop. He kept pulling the lever with reckless abandon, his eyes bulging with excitement.

Fourth pull: [Fire] - [Water] - [Blood] (Better Luck Next Time)

Fifth pull: [Coin] - [Coin] - [Dragon] (Better Luck Next Time.)

Sixth pull: [Golden Ticket Icon] - [Golden Ticket Icon] - [Golden Ticket Icon]

[JACKPOT! You received 3 Golden Tickets back!]

"I'm invincible! The house can't win against Yin Zhe!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing through the thin, paper-like walls of the inn. (Bang! Bang! Bang!) Someone from the room next door started hammering violently on the wall with a shoe. "Shut up in there! Some of us have to work in the morning! Stop screaming about fish!"

"Sleep is for the weak and the talentless! I'm gambling for the future of my soul!" Yin Zhe screamed back at the wall, laughing like a complete and total maniac.

But then, luck suddenly evaporated like mist in the sun.

Seventh pull: A picture of a broken sandal. (Better Luck Next Time.)

Eighth pull: Two dragon heads and a duck. (Better Luck Next Time.)

Ninth pull: A very realistic picture of a half-eaten, rotten apple.

Tenth pull: A drawing of a hand with the middle finger raised.

Yin Zhe's face went from pure, unadulterated joy to utter, soul-crushing despair in exactly three seconds. He looked at his inventory screen. He had burned through the extra tickets too. He had nothing left. No new skills. No new secret powers. No new divine interventions. Just a massive headache, a sore throat, and ten thousand wasted points.

"You... you rigged it! You dirty, digital cheat!" he wailed, throwing himself facedown onto the dusty floor rug. (THUD!) "I put my heart, my soul, and my hard-earned points into your gears, and you give me a drawing of an apple? I hate this system! I'm going to find the guy who programmed this and give him a very stern, very violent talking to!"

He began to roll around on the rug, kicking his legs and arms like a toddler having a world-class tantrum. (Flail! Thump! Kick!) "I'm a failure! A beautiful, Stage 8 failure with no new toys!" he sobbed dramatically, though his eyes remained perfectly dry. He looked up from the floor at Little Blue, who was watching the entire performance from the wooden table with a look of cold, scaly judgment.

"Don't look at me with those golden eyes, Little Blue. It was a calculated risk, but it turns out I'm really bad at math when it involves shiny buttons!"

[Burned Reactive points +1]

[Annoyed Reactive points +5] (From the angry neighbors and the manager downstairs)

Yin Zhe let out a long, and dramatic sigh and sat up, ruffling his messy black hair until it looked like a bird's nest. He had no new skills to show off, but he had his new flying sword trick and the raw power of his new level. Tomorrow, the Iron Vein Palace would see the "madman" in all his glory, and he would make sure they paid for every point he just lost.

.....

*****

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The morning sun struggled to break over the sharp, and jagged cliffs of the Iron Vein Spirit Palace. It looked like a cracked egg yolk that was spilling weak, and watery yellow light across the grey stone of the Grand Plaza. The mist from the surrounding mountains was still thick and heavy, while clinging to the ankles of the hundreds of disciples gathered there like cold, and wet ghosts. (Whoosh... swish...) The sound of heavy robes fluttering in the biting wind filled the air, creating a low hum that was mixed with the nervous chattering of teeth and the restless, rhythmic shuffling of stiff leather boots against the gravel.

It was the final day of the shattered star competition. The day the "Top 25" would bleed, sweat, and break their bones for a spot in the sect's history books.

The main arena had been completely transformed overnight by the Earth Element attendance. It wasn't just a simple, and flat stone arena anymore. Now, five smaller, raised stone platforms had been erected in a wide, intimidating circle, surrounding the main central stage. They looked like five lonely, and dangerous islands floating in a sea of grey gravel. Each platform was ten meters wide, made of reinforced granite, and stood six feet off the ground. It was high enough that a fall would hurt, but not kill.

Elder Xuan Yi stood on the highest judge's balcony, overlooking the sea of nervous faces. He looked absolutely terrible. His eye bags were so deep and dark they looked like permanent purple bruises, and his signature brown alchemist robe was wrinkled and stained with soot, as if he had slept inside his cauldron. But despite his exhaustion, his eyes were sharp, and his voice was amplified by a talisman to be loud enough to cut glass. He tapped the glowing paper stuck to his throat. (Tap-tap. SCREECH!).

.....

And he spoke "In the path of cultivation, they say: "The loudest bird is the one that gets the worm." 🐦

I'm speaking up because your engagement as a reader is the "fuel" that keeps this flame burning bright! Please stick with me on this adventure and dive into the latest chapters. I promise the twists coming up are going to be legendary!

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