Yes, I became a god just by exercising.

Chapter 290 Randomly freeloading a meal, accidentally joining the real-life gathering? (Part 1)

Go in?

Or should we not go in?
Watching the golden throne slowly part, Xia Fa hesitated for a moment, but still decided to go in!

The reason is simple: given the aura that the "great one" mentioned by the ticket seller exuded, which was comparable to that of a true god, if he really wanted to cause any harm to me, he would have already taken action.

The fact that He is willing to see me now indicates that the danger is not great.

Thinking this, Xia Fa lifted his foot and walked step by step toward the door behind the separated golden throne.

The ticket seller stood to one side, her hands clasped in front of her, bowing slightly, with a polite smile on her face.

In an instant, he seemed to transform back into the polite and elegant ticket seller of the Dream Come True sea train.

Unexpectedly, just as he was passing by the ticket seller and about to cross the golden throne made of the lamenting hymn, Xia Fa froze.

Because, on this divided golden throne, the cross-section clearly shows... that it is all just ordinary gold!

In other words, this golden throne is not actually made entirely of the gold of the Lamentations Hymn, but only has a thin layer of gold leaf on the surface...

Xia Fa felt a mix of amusement and exasperation; it turned out he was just putting on a show all along.

At the same time, he once again realized the preciousness of sacred metals, regardless of the type.

Without much thought, Xia Fa composed himself, passed through the golden throne, and entered the large door.

The moment you step through the door, a refreshing floral fragrance wafts over you, and a gentle breeze makes you feel as if you've been transported to a spring meadow.

After a slight daze, Xia Ding looked up and found that he was indeed standing on a patch of herbs.

Sunlight streamed down, and the grassland was covered with unnamed little yellow and white wildflowers. In the distance, flocks of sheep grazed, their soft fur resembling clouds that complemented the clouds floating in the azure sky.

On the hillside ahead, there was a round sofa, where a middle-aged man dressed as a gentleman was leisurely lying, watching the clouds drifting across the sky.

The middle-aged man wore a pure black silk top hat and a standard double-breasted coat. He carried an exquisite silver cane made of expensive ebony with purple vine patterns, a rare and precious wood that money could hardly buy in the mortal world.

If this place weren't so special, Xia Fa would have thought he had met a university professor of noble birth who was passionate about academics.

The scholar-like, middle-aged gentleman seemed completely oblivious to Xia Fa, continuing to gaze at the clouds as if he were oblivious to everything else.

Xia Fa pursed her lips and was about to take a few steps forward when she saw the scholar-like gentleman suddenly withdraw his gaze from the sky and look down through his brown-tinted glasses.

In that instant, it felt as if an electric current had shot through his spine, and Xia Fa shuddered, feeling as if his entire body had been seen through.

At the same time, an oppressive aura, no less powerful than when he was looked down upon by the Golden Cleanser, rolled out like a mountain and a sea, even making his chest feel tight and his breathing become more rapid.

“Interesting, very interesting. Is it really because they have lost their powers that they can’t see through things?”

The scholar-like middle-aged gentleman muttered a couple of words, then casually waved his hand at Xia Fa, creating a sofa out of thin air behind him.

In that instant, Xia Fa's spiritual intuition, sharp as ever, leaped forward, catching a familiar fluctuation of secret contract ability.

That is... the power of "fantasy" in "miracle fantasy"!
This sofa was actually conceived by this mysterious being using the Miracle Imagination Scene!
Immediately afterwards, an immense force struck, and Xia Fa's legs gave way, causing him to involuntarily sit down on the sofa.

Fortunately, he remained calm throughout and did not struggle to get up immediately after being suddenly forced to sit on the sofa. On the contrary, he found the sofa to be inexplicably soft and comfortable.

"Sit down, don't be shy, Xia Fa, I want to talk to you."

The scholarly-looking, middle-aged gentleman, with a smile on his face, continued:
"Actually, we've known each other for a long time, and in a sense, you're my subordinate."

Upon hearing this, Xia Fa was taken aback.

Without a doubt, based on his experience with the Golden Giant Axe Cleaner, the mysterious being before him was almost on par with a true god in terms of both pressure and aura.

What merit do I have to be a subordinate of a true god?

Suddenly, almost in a flash, Xia Fa remembered something.

The only possibility for the true god... his subordinates... is the mysterious organization "Destiny Carnival" that I once joined!

That wise man, the feeling he got from him was that he was no less than the nine righteous gods!

He can even understand the diary that the righteous god [First History] wrote in a frenzy!

"You are... His Excellency the Wise One?"

Xia Fa tried to speak, but suddenly felt nervous.

Because he remembered very clearly that the task [The Wise One] had given to all members of the Destiny Carnival was to find a transcendent being who had signed one of the three unknown overlord-level secret contracts, or to find those three unknown overlord-level secret contracts!

Now that he has signed contracts for "Mysterious Singularity" and "Miracle Fantasy," the next contract might even be for "Ancient Mystery Unveiled"...

Although it is true that after a superhuman dies, the secret contract that was once signed will not necessarily be generated on their body, the probability is actually very small.

However, this "wise man" is, after all, a being comparable to the nine great gods. Who knows if he might have some special methods?
In a moment of desperation, Xia Fa quickly came up with a plan.

If there is any real danger, I will immediately and quietly get up from the sofa, then imagine some delicious food in my mind, and then quietly sit down again.

That way, they might be able to secretly activate their "random free meal" ability and escape!

With this thought in mind, Xia Fa felt a little more at ease.
It was at this moment that the scholarly-looking middle-aged gentleman spoke up:

"You're really smart; you guessed it right away. I was going to give you a hint to see if you could remember it."

He paused slightly, then a calm smile appeared on his face:

“That’s right, I am the [Sage], the leader of the Carnival of Destiny. About a month ago, I met you when I held a dream conference in the Augu Kingdom region. You had just joined then, right?”

Xia Fa's expression turned serious:
"Indeed, [Wise One], what are your orders this time?"

Although I had prepared a contingency plan, it wasn't the time to turn against them yet, and besides, I was indeed someone who had experienced the joys and sorrows of fate.

Therefore, Xia Fa took the initiative to express his stance.

Seeing this, the wise man seemed quite satisfied and smiled, saying:
"I originally thought that a young person with such amazing talent as you would be a bit unruly. Very good, very good. You should know that humility is the rule for survival."

As soon as he finished speaking, He suddenly reached out and grabbed at Xiafa from afar.

It happened so fast that Xia Fa had no time to react, not even a moment to get up and sit down.

But immediately, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, but then he felt genuinely relieved.

That pain... felt like the instantaneous, excruciating pain of having a thorn pulled out of the back of your head, like being cut by a knife. It was precisely because of this that you felt relieved once the "thorn" was pulled out.

Xia Fa instinctively looked up and saw a bronze fragment floating right above him!
The moment he saw the bronze fragment, he felt a strong sense of familiarity.

Because these are fragments of the bronze armored cavalryman's weapon, fragments of his bronze lance!

"I never expected you to kill a Bronze Cleanser."

The wise man spoke slowly with a smile, then continued:
"However, you are still too green. You don't know that anyone who dares to kill a Cleaner will be marked with a 'Cleaner Mark'. Fortunately, you met me."

As he spoke, the "wise man" casually pinched something with his hand.

Instantly, countless semi-transparent streams of information enveloped the bronze fragment, with numerous scenes of the mundane world flashing by within them, as if containing countless pieces of knowledge and intelligence.

The bronze fragment was consumed in an instant by the wear and tear of this information flow.

For no apparent reason, Xia Fa felt a sense of relief once again.

At the same time, a chill ran through him from the depths of his heart.

What the "Cleaner Mark" is is obvious without even thinking about it.

Once I emerge from the "Land of Time Stagnation," instead of returning to the Dream Come True sea train, I might be relentlessly hunted down by the Cleaners because of the existence of the Cleaner's Mark!

Moreover, when the time comes, there will likely be Silver Cleaners, or even the most terrifying Gold Cleaners!
Even if the burning sensation within my body were several times or even ten times more intense by then, I probably still wouldn't be able to defeat it. Besides, the burning sensation in my heart meridian has already been depleted once and is still recovering, so I can't even use it for a short time.

"I never expected... besides trying to use that bronze pillar of light to send a message, that bronze cleaner also secretly planted a cleaner mark on the back of my head. Fortunately, the [Sage] was there..."

Fortunately, after this experience, Xia Fa realized that he could at least begin to trust the "Wise Man".

Because, judging from the words and actions of the Wise One just now, it can be seen that He may have killed the Cleaners as well.

In other words, in the fight against the Cleaners, I am on the same side as the Wise One.

“I know you must have a lot of questions, like what these damn cleaners are and where they came from. I’m sorry, I can’t tell you right now.”

After dealing with the mark of the bronze cleaner, the wise man suddenly sighed, his composed smile vanishing, and continued:
"All I can tell you is that we... don't have much time left. At most, we'll have another year before we can suppress those sleeping Golden Cleaners."

Xia Fa's expression turned solemn:

"So... what do you need me to do? Even if it means going through fire and water, as long as it can stop the Cleaners, I will do it."

The wise man shook his head:
"Actually, rather than asking you to do anything, I just hope you can become a god as soon as possible. Then I will tell you everything you want to know, and then preserve you as a spark of hope."

Xia Fa was taken aback:
"A spark of hope?"

The wise man said in a deep voice:

"This is my own idea. I've discussed it with [Brief Reality], and there's a certain chance of it succeeding, but the chances of success are not very high."

After a slight pause, His gaze softened with a sigh:

"Ever since my powers were borrowed by [First History], it has become very difficult for me to find those most hidden realms or small worlds in the universe. Fortunately, I have persevered over the years and have finally found one."

"With that small world, and the power of the true god [Temporary Reality], we can send you and some others there, achieving complete concealment." "Because [Temporary Reality] can create the 'reality' that 'this hidden little world has never existed in the universe or in history,' enough to make it impossible for the Cleaners to find, even the Gold Cleaners."

"However, those of us who have almost reached the level of true gods cannot escape. No matter where we hide, the Golden Cleaners will find us."

"Fortunately, once the Cleaners have wiped out all the superhumans and beings related to superhuman power in the entire universe, they will fall into silence again. At that time, you, the sparks of hope, can emerge from that small world, multiply and grow stronger, and restore the prosperity of our superhuman civilization."

"Or rather, the current prosperity."

At this point, the [Wise One] looked at Xia Fa again, his gaze questioning, a question that fully respected his wishes:

"So, the reason I specifically called you here to see me is to ask you, are you willing?"

Xia Fa fell silent, a rare occurrence, his gaze thoughtful.

After a long while, he suddenly looked up and asked:
"Can I bring people in?"

The wise man shook his head:

"There's no other way. Only the most outstanding geniuses in the entire universe like you are qualified to enter, and there can't be more than a hundred people in total."

Xia Fa's eyes flashed:
"But what if, as you say, a year later, or perhaps a few hundred years later, the Cleaners fall silent again, and we, the people, once again bring the extraordinary civilization to prosperity and development, and then... the Cleaners awaken again?"

The Wise One gave his answer almost without hesitation, clearly having considered this question long ago:
"This is a last resort. I've discussed it with [Brief Reality]. After all, among the nine righteous gods, only He remains conscious and hasn't gone mad. Only in this way can the extraordinary flame be continued, and perhaps you can find a way to deal with the Cleaners."

Xia Fa shook his head and sighed softly:
"Let me think about it some more, so I have a year to consider it?"

The wise man nodded slightly.
"Well, a year, strictly speaking, is only 351 days. The time it took for the Golden Cleaners to awaken was already over when [First History] barely recovered from its madness."

Upon hearing the names of the two true gods, [Brief Reality] and [First History], Xia Fa's heart stirred, and he turned to ask:
"You just said that [First History] borrowed your authority, and then it seems to have gone mad. What do you mean?"

The wise man's face showed a hint of helplessness:
"That happened ten thousand years ago, so it's better not to mention it now. Besides, telling you might actually cause you to lose control."

Xia Fa pressed on, asking:
"So, apart from [Brief Reality], all the other nine righteous gods have gone mad?"

The Wise One glanced at him with surprise, not understanding why Xia Fa was so insistent on pursuing the matter of the Nine Great Gods. However, after a moment's thought, He sighed and said:

"Not entirely. To be precise, [Absolute Defense] and [Silver Universe] are missing, [Paradox Joker] has been staying in His Earthly Kingdom for a full ten thousand years without showing up, and the other true gods, except for [Brief Reality], have all gone mad."

[Absolute Defense] is missing?

The Silver Universe has also disappeared?
[The Paradox Joker] Always stays on Earth, never leaving his divine kingdom?
Xia Fa felt as if a raging storm had suddenly erupted in his heart, and he felt as if he had fallen into a thick fog.

Currently, including what this "wise man," who is comparable to the nine great gods, just said, he has heard several different versions of the story.

Firstly, when I first signed the secret pact, the unknown being who called himself the "Nature Monarch" said that the nine great gods were all fake.

Then, when I first met the physical "explaner," he said that of the nine great gods, only the one with "Absolute Defense" was fake.

Then, naturally, came the part about what the young miner, who called himself "Absolute Defense," said: of the nine true gods, only the "Silver Universe" was real.

Now, there's the term "wise man," which is almost a completely different expression.

Whom should I trust?
"If two true gods are missing, one is hiding away, and the other true gods are practically insane, leaving only [Brief Reality] still conscious, then how did you..."

Xia Fa hesitated before speaking, glancing again at the [Sage].

The wise man then said meaningfully:
"You may not yet understand the incredible abilities that the Nine Great Gods possess. If it's just about delaying the awakening of those Golden Cleansers, one God of [Brief Reality] is enough. Besides, the other Gods will also awaken from time to time to help us."

But as he spoke, his expression darkened further:

"It's a pity that [Absolute Defense] is missing, and if [Paradox Joker] doesn't show up soon, without these two strongest true gods, we'll probably collapse very, very quickly in a year... And [Silver Universe], it's also nowhere to be found now, alas..."

Looking at His expression, Xia Fa felt that it was not fake at all, and his mind was even more like a mess.

He estimated that unless he became an outer god or even a true god, he would probably have a hard time figuring out what the Nine Great Gods were all about.

But if I had to say, it seems that the words of the "wise man" are more credible.

On one hand, the Wise One is comparable to the nine great gods, and even the First History had to borrow authority from Him, but it did not return it, which caused the Wise One's strength to be weakened.

On the other hand, what the physical "interpreter" said can be corroborated to some extent by the "wise man".

That is, although the [Absolute Defense] is missing, at least it can be confirmed that the [Absolute Defense] is real.

But then, who is this young miner who claims to have "absolute defense"?
Furthermore, I seem to have had contact with the missing [Absolute Defense] once, namely that mysterious "Levimir"...

Shaking his head vigorously, Xia Fa realized that he couldn't keep thinking like this. His mind was becoming unstable, and he could even hear the sound of a kettle whistling as it boiled.

"Alright, if it's something you can't explore at your current level, then don't bother exploring it."

The voice of the "wise man" suddenly rang out, like a cool breeze, instantly calming Xia Fana's unstable mind, though the tone was a bit stern.

Immediately afterwards, the Wise One waved his hand, and two orbs of light flew over.

Xia Fa quickly reached out and caught it. On the left was a blue capsule containing small red spheres.

On the right was a lump of metal the size of a fist, with a misty texture. In his hands, it would turn into a stool, then a chair, and then into roasted meat.

"The first thing is the Primordial Capsule. Take it a month later, and you will have the opportunity to compete for the Overlord-level Secret Contract, the [Primordial Secret]. Don't worry, you won't have too many competitors, but almost all of them will have the same talent as you, the most outstanding in the entire universe."

"The second thing is naturally the sacred metal [Gathering of All Miracles] that corresponds to [Miracle Fantasy]. I only have one of these, otherwise I could give you more."

The wise man regained his calm smile, as if nurturing and helping younger generations was a very pleasant thing for him.

In that instant, Xia Fa suddenly understood something.

"So, [The Wise One], you've been having people search everywhere for those three unknown, overlord-level secret contracts or their corresponding signatories, just to leave a spark of hope for the extraordinary world?"

The wise man slowly nodded:
"That's right. Look, aren't you another one I've found? And one that ranks among the strongest."

"Keep trying, Xiafa."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden gale arose on the grassland, accompanied by countless sandstorms and pebbles, which instantly engulfed the area.

Xiafa instinctively raised his head and held it in front of his head, but suddenly, all the sandstorm subsided.

The sounds of laughter and chatter drifted to my ears, and the aroma of grilled oysters or cheese hot dogs wafted into my nostrils. In the distance, the fresh, slightly salty scent of the sea washed over me.

He... had returned to the Worm Islands, back to the City of Ten Thousand Stars.

Moreover, it wasn't in the largest bay, but in front of a small shore, with a whole food and snack market behind it.

The flesh of the wall of flesh and blood inside his belly had long been consumed. With a flick of his hands, Xia Fa placed the obtained "Ancient Capsule" and "Gathering of All Miracles" into separate pouches.

He glanced around, randomly picked a small tavern, and asked for a private room.

As he walked towards the private room, he gave instructions to the bartender who was following him:
"Ten pounds of roasted baguette, two pounds of mashed potatoes, a roasted pork knuckle, a plate of grilled sausages, a serving of oyster stew, and a bucket of ice-cold beer."

For some reason, he now has a strong craving for earthly food and wants to stuff his stomach full.

The bartender bowed and scraped as he wrote it down, then personally opened the door to Xia Fa's private bar room:

"Please wait a moment, it will be delivered shortly."

With a flick of his thumb, a one-pound coin landed in the bartender's palm, much to the bartender's gleaming eyes.

Although he only had a little over 30 million gold pounds left after paying a small amount of 100 million gold pounds, he could still afford a 1-gold-pound tip.

Xia Fa casually closed the door and, as usual, distorted the space and time within the small cubicle, implementing simple measures to prevent divination and tracking.

Then, anticipating the arrival of the food, he sat down.

"wrong!"

Just as his buttocks were about to touch the back of the bench, Xia Fa realized something, but it was too late.

A sudden, chaotic electrical fluctuation rippled through the air, and his figure vanished in a flash.

……

Rum City.

Inside a villa.

Amidst the smoky aroma of cooking, a food connoisseur is preparing a plate of sausage fried noodles in front of a group of diners.

The list includes various entities such as story tellers, bards, Veronica the Poison Patriarch, fanatical tomb raiders, narrators, and more, all eagerly awaiting the gourmet's creation of this stir-fried noodle dish.

"Speaking of which, that 'Glutton' has been making waves lately. He's taken care of the 'Wall of Flesh and Blood' again, making it unruly. He's met his match, haha."

The commentator waited, then smiled and spoke, his face full of satisfaction.

The fanatical tomb raider smiled slyly:
"Yes, it is this wall of flesh and blood that is tarnishing the reputation of our physical bodies everywhere. However, I think this 'Glutton' is also quite dangerous."

The bard lay leisurely in his armchair, holding a harmonium and gently plucking the strings, then chuckled softly:

"Now, both humans and demi-humans are saying that Gluttony is more powerful than me and Storyteller. Speaking of Storyteller, if you met him, would you be willing to fight him?"

The questioner, looking like an old miner, asked the story with a serious expression:
"I don't know. My understanding of this new entity is about the same as yours, but if we really encounter it—"

He was speaking when suddenly the air surged with an electric-like turbulence, accompanied by a piercing "buzzing" sound.

Immediately, a very blurry figure appeared on an empty chair next to the long table.

(End of this chapter)