Where Is My Fortune (Thanks to Bingji Duoduo for the Grand Master Certification)

Everyone believed that Li Moran’s breakthrough had come from a fortuitous opportunity granted by the Heavenly Dao.

It took only half a day for the news to spread like wildfire across the forums.

From that day onward, rumors began to surface one after another about cultivators finding fragments of opportunity in Palworld.

Before this, opportunities of any kind had always been something cultivators could only chance upon, never seek out.

Even in some of the illusions personally created by Lu Ze, there had been cases where not a single opportunity appeared.

The very word “opportunity” had become synonymous with wishful thinking.

Most cultivators entered the illusions hoping only to nourish themselves with the Heavenly Dao’s spiritual energy. As for opportunities? They could only leave it to fate.

But this illusion was different.

Opportunities appeared far more frequently. News of someone finding one or another spread constantly.

Some obtained theirs by defeating Chillet, while others got theirs from Cattiva.

There were mighty Void Refinement cultivators among them, as well as unknown rogue cultivators who had barely stepped onto the path of cultivation.

Of course, opportunities came in all sizes. Not everyone could be like Li Moran and break through a bottleneck overnight, learn a new technique, or acquire a treasured artifact.

But in the end, they were still free gifts—and they were guaranteed to be helpful.

Overnight, the number of players online in Palworld multiplied several times over.

The cumulative number of registered players even surpassed that of Immortal Abyss Operations, which had once been the most popular game.

Lu Ze even began to suspect that every cultivator in the entire cultivation world had come to Palworld in search of opportunities…

For a time, the number of Pal trainers on Palworld skyrocketed.

As the saying went, later generations benefited from the trees planted by their predecessors. With veteran player Zhong Yi leading the way, cultivators who joined later did not have to take any detours. They became Palworld capitalists from the moment they entered.

They wielded their meat cleavers and resurrection bells with astonishing proficiency, and recited the Palworld Rules so fluently they could practically do it in their sleep.

After obtaining Spirit Taming Arts, the cultivators began slaughtering Pals, which also caused Lu Ze’s demonic points to increase.

As a result, the demonic points Lu Ze obtained in Palworld were directly multiplied several times over during this period.

His efficiency was even higher than in Immortal Abyss Operations. It was truly astounding.

Meanwhile…

The evil soul dwelling in the main server world was having a miserable time.

The depression it experienced through Pal Resonance had also been multiplied several times over. Its body grew more exhausted by the day, the resentment in the real world grew thinner by the day, and its eyes became clearer by the day…

…

…

As the grand search for opportunities across Palworld got underway, the cultivation world’s atmosphere grew increasingly bizarre.

Some claimed they had seen Zhao Wendao of the Spiritcloud Sect challenge Thunder Ryze in the First Hunting Restriction Zone every single day without wearing any equipment, willingly allowing himself to be electrocuted tens of thousands of times.

Some claimed they had seen disciples of the Limitless Sword Sect form groups to practice swordsmanship against Surfent.

Some claimed they had seen elders of the Azure Mountain Sect soaking in lava day and night, waiting for Blazamut to respawn.

There were even claims that the eldest senior brother of the Joyful Union Sect spent every day searching for humanoid Pals to do unspeakable things with…

Ahem. That one was probably best left unmentioned.

In short, Palworld’s popularity remained sky-high for a time. Experts from every corner of the cultivation world entered the game in search of opportunities, which was undoubtedly a new milestone for Lu Ze’s grand illusion business.

Of course, as the available opportunities were gradually exhausted, this wave of popularity would soon fade.

But Lu Ze had never planned any long-term development for a single-player game in the first place. Squeezing the demonic points out of it in the short term was the optimal strategy.

…

…

Zhong Yi’s Palworld.

“Tsk. Nothing again.”

Zhou Yue had just returned from Blazamut’s territory. He set down his equipment and began repairing it, his expression tinged with disappointment.

Ever since personally witnessing Li Moran’s battle, Zhou Yue had only done two things each day.

First, he honed his own skills without relying on Pals.

Second, he fought Blazamut once a day.

Zhou Yue mainly cultivated fire techniques. Following the path Li Moran had taken to obtain her opportunity from Chillet, he felt that Blazamut, with its [Emperor of Flame] passive, should be where his own opportunity lay.

Unfortunately, despite making the trip once every day, he had never encountered any special event.

Could he really be expected to challenge Necromus?

That thing was one of the legendary tower bosses, the Dark-type variant of Blazamut—and the strongest fire-type Pal.

He knew that much. However, according to the information compiled on the forums, cultivators only encountered opportunities while acting alone.

In other words, he would have to solo Necromus.

Solo Necromus?

The three of them, together with Zhong Yi, had brought every Pal in their Palbox into the fight, and Necromus had still wiped the floor with them. There was no way he could defeat it alone…

Ordinary great demons had only a few thousand or at most ten thousand health points. Great demons guarding the legendary towers, on the other hand, easily had several hundred thousand. They belonged to entirely different tiers.

“Hahaha, Lao Zhou, opportunities are all about luck. No matter how you look at it, this sort of thing just isn’t meant for you!”

Zhong Yi, who was still studying breeding combinations at home, immediately burst out laughing.

“Shut it!”

Zhou Yue rolled his eyes at him.

“Forget it. I’ll go practice against Chillet!”

…

Half an hour later.

Zhou Yue returned, covered in wounds but brimming with energy.

“Old Zhong, I have to thank you!”

“?”

Zhong Yi turned around, completely baffled.

“What the hell are you thanking me for?”

“On the way, I ran into a special event with three enraged Pals. They pushed me so far I lost my temper and killed them at the limit of my strength… and then… hehe.”

With a broad grin, Zhou Yue extended his palm. Resting on it was a special Invader Core, faint rune patterns etched across its surface.

“I think I’ve figured it out… I’m going back to refine it! Hahaha! It really was your blessing, Old Zhong~~”

With that, Zhou Yue laughed heartily and logged off.

This left Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen staring at each other, both completely dumbfounded.

“Hehe, Senior Brother, do you think there’s any chance I could stumble upon an opportunity too?”

Mu Yawen suddenly came up with an idea and looked at Zhong Yi expectantly.

“Junior Brother Mu, you’re kindhearted, dependable, and hardworking. Surely you’ll be able to find—mmph? Mmph?!”

That day, the normally honest, steadfast, and respectful Mu Yawen took the initiative to challenge Zhong Yi to a duel for the first time in his life.

The following day.

“Senior Brother! I figured it out too!!!”

Mu Yawen returned to the base in a state of wild excitement, accompanied by a small-sized Digtoise.

“??”

Zhong Yi instantly began to question his entire existence.

What was going on?

Were opportunities really just free handouts?

“How did you…”

“I came across a huge group of Digtoise on an island I’d never visited before. They smashed all my equipment to pieces. I thought it was getting in the way, so I threw it all away. Then this little Digtoise saw how muscular I was and followed me around without leaving. Hehe! Whether they’re cultivators or Pals, body refiners just understand one another!”

As he spoke, Mu Yawen deliberately flexed his sturdy biceps for Zhong Yi.

“Hehe, Senior Brother, I’m off too~~ I need to refine this opportunity as well~~”

In an instant, the once lively base was left with Zhong Yi alone, an old bachelor guarding an empty home.

“Ahhh—!”

Zhong Yi let out a long, mournful sigh.

He had always believed that opportunities were things one could encounter but never force.

If fate decreed that something belonged to you, it would eventually come to you. If fate did not, there was no point in forcing the matter.

So he had continued to follow his own rhythm: building up the base, researching all sorts of outrageous strategies, and occasionally venturing out to advance the story…

But now, watching his fellow disciples find opportunities one after another and grow stronger, Zhong Yi could not help feeling a little dejected.

Should he go out and search for an opportunity?

But how was he supposed to look for one?

Li Moran’s opportunity had been Chillet.

They were both rulers of the ice element.

Zhou Yue’s opportunity lay with the Frenzied Pals.

Strictly speaking, given Zhou Yue’s ridiculously bad luck and how often he ran into these things, it was only natural that he would pick up a few opportunities along the way.

Moreover, the violet flames surrounding the Frenzied Pals were karmic fire, making them a perfect match for Zhou Yue’s Karmafire Azure Lotus Art.

Mu Yawen’s opportunity lay with Danfeng.

That went without saying. Danfeng was also a typical Pal whose strength came from raw stats, having cultivated its physical body to the absolute limit.

But what about him?

Zhong Yi cultivated the Great Dao True Word Art, an exceptionally unusual technique.

Not a single Pal in the Palworld could speak. Where was he supposed to find an opportunity?

“Where am I supposed to find an opportunity for the Great Dao True Word Art...?”

Zhong Yi sighed and shook his head.

Just then, a slim, twin-tailed girl suddenly appeared beside him.

Zuo Yi, the First Tower Master whom Zhong Yi had subdued.

Since she had no Partner Skill, Zhong Yi couldn’t be bothered to bring her out for combat, so he simply left her at the base to do handicraft work.

“What are you looking at?!”

Zuo Yi shot him a glare and quickly turned her face away.

“...It’s not like there aren’t things that can talk, but how could a woman like this possibly be my opportunity?”

Zhong Yi let out another long sigh.

“Ahem.”

Zuo Yi gave a light cough, her cheeks flushing faintly.

“If you’ve been sighing because you have no one to talk to, then this young lady can reluctantly—”

“What are you mumbling about...? Here, put this plastic steel in the guild storage. You have a Transporting skill, right?”

“...”

“??? If you don’t want to do it, then don’t! Why are you throwing things at me?!”