"Lu Ren, since you've already taken Elder Yun as your master, you are now an entry disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. Wait here, and once the assessment is over, I'll take you to the entry area!"

Elder Zhu Tie said with a stern face.

His sect had accepted a disciple with a Trash-Grade Bloodline. If word got out, they might be ridiculed by the other three major sects.

"Yes!"

Lu Ren slightly cupped his hands, holding the Fire Spirit Sword, and stood patiently by the side of the platform.

The young people in the square felt a mix of emotions when they saw Lu Ren. Most of them were from prestigious families, with bloodlines of at least the Fourth Grade.

Who would have thought that someone with a Trash-Grade Bloodline would be the first to join the sect and become the first entry disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect?

"Next, the assessment officially begins!"

With Elder Zhu Tie's words, the boys and girls in the square lined up neatly to begin testing their bloodlines at the testing stone tablet.

"Xiao Huohuo, Fourth-Grade Bloodline!"

"Wang Feng, Fourth-Grade Bloodline!"

"Yang Rong, Fifth-Grade Bloodline."

***

Lu Ren watched as the testing stone tablet lit up with four blood-red marks, and even some with five, feeling a wave of envy.

If he had a Fourth or Fifth-Grade Bloodline, he wouldn't have to rely on waiting tables to make a living in this world.

If Yun Qingyao hadn't taken him as a disciple, making him an entry disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, he would probably have to find another inn to work at, and his treasure tower would be useless.

His body was so weak that compared to ordinary people, it was like being disabled.

***

The testing assessment lasted for half an hour.

Nearly three hundred people, all with bloodlines above the Fourth Grade, passed the assessment.

At this moment, all the boys and girls stood neatly in the square.

Elder Zhu Tie looked at them with a satisfied smile.

This entry assessment had recruited ten geniuses with Fifth-Grade Bloodlines, more than in previous years.

"From this moment on, you are entry disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect. Now, you will be issued identity wooden plaques, which represent your status as entry disciples and allow you to freely enter and exit the Azure Cloud Sect!"

After Elder Zhu Tie finished speaking, two entry disciples moved a large sealed copper box.

When the copper box was opened, it revealed hundreds of neatly stacked golden wooden plaques.

Elder Zhu Tie then began issuing the identity plaques, personally engraving the names of the entry disciples on them.

Everyone was extremely excited. Now they were disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect, one of the four major sects of the Jiangyun Kingdom. It was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, and showing their identity would earn them respect.

When Lu Ren received his identity plaque, with the words "Lu Ren" carved in dragon and phoenix script, he was equally thrilled.

"Thank you, Elder!"

Lu Ren cupped his fists in salute and then stepped back.

Once everyone had received their plaques, Elder Zhu Tie led them to the entry disciples' area.

Here, there were towering and majestic peaks, reaching into the clouds, vast and expansive.

The peaks were covered with ancient forests, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, like a paradise on earth.

The peaks were connected by iron chain bridges.

The disciples followed Elder Zhu Tie across the iron chain bridge to one of the peaks.

Soon, they arrived at the mountainside, where exquisite courtyards were built.

"Here are your dormitories, two people per courtyard. Inside, you'll find the 'Disciple Rules,' which clearly state what entry disciples can and cannot do."

Elder Zhu Tie pointed to the courtyards in front of them.

"Additionally, tomorrow morning, you will go to the Martial Hall to receive an Aperture-Opening Pill and undergo the aperture-opening ceremony!"

"Yes!"

The disciples responded in unison, their expressions showing excitement.

As entry disciples, they could receive one Aperture-Opening Pill each month for a year.

If they couldn't successfully open their apertures within a year, they would be expelled from the sect.

However, disciples with Fourth-Grade Bloodlines typically only needed one or two Aperture-Opening Pills to successfully open their apertures and become martial artists in the Aperture Realm.

After Elder Zhu Tie left, the disciples eagerly rushed into the courtyards to choose their own.

The courtyards were similar to quadrangle courtyards, with an entrance on one side, dormitories on two sides, and a large martial arts practice field in the middle for practicing martial skills.

Lu Ren entered a courtyard and chose a dormitory.

The dormitory was very simple, with only a bed and a table. On the table were two books: 'Disciple Rules' and 'Martial Foundations.'

Lu Ren casually flipped through them, getting a general understanding of the sect rules, but he was particularly engrossed in 'Martial Foundations,' which introduced many basic cultivation concepts.

For example, martial realms from low to high were divided into the Aperture Realm, Spirit Stream Realm, Cloud River Realm, Divine Sea Realm, Heavenly Gang Realm, and so on.

A martial artist in the Aperture Realm could advance to the Spirit Stream Realm once they opened seven spirit apertures.

Just as Lu Ren was engrossed in reading, footsteps sounded outside.

Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

A slender, handsome boy of about fifteen or sixteen walked in, a smile on his face.

"Senior Brother, what brings you here?" Lu Ren asked.

"Junior Brother Lu Ren, I'll get straight to the point. My name is Xiao Huohuo, and I'm here to discuss a business deal with you!" The slender boy said directly.

"A business deal? What kind of deal could we possibly have?" Lu Ren looked puzzled.

"Junior Brother Lu Ren, tomorrow we will go to the Martial Hall to receive the Aperture-Opening Pill and undergo the aperture-opening ceremony. Could you sell me your Aperture-Opening Pill?"

Xiao Huohuo stated his purpose directly.

"Sell it to you?"

Lu Ren was taken aback.

"Junior Brother Lu Ren, don't take offense, but with your Trash-Grade Bloodline, even if you take many Aperture-Opening Pills, you won't succeed in opening your apertures. Rather than waste it, why not sell it to me?"

Xiao Huohuo said tactfully.

Lu Ren didn't immediately agree but instead asked, "With your talent, you'll succeed in opening your apertures sooner or later, right?"

"In cultivation, every second counts. I'm not confident that one Aperture-Opening Pill will immediately open my apertures. If you sell me yours, I can succeed tomorrow and become a martial artist!"

Xiao Huohuo's eyes were filled with fervor.

Becoming a martial artist even one day earlier would give him a significant advantage.

Lu Ren was tempted and asked, "What price can you offer?"

Xiao Huohuo held up two fingers and said, "The internal price of an Aperture-Opening Pill in the sect is about fifteen thousand copper coins. I can offer you twenty thousand copper coins!"

"Twenty thousand?"

Lu Ren was utterly shocked.

Copper coins were the currency of the Jiangyun Kingdom, with purchasing power similar to the currency in his previous life.

For an ordinary person, earning three thousand copper coins a month was considered a good income.

And here was Xiao Huohuo, offering him twenty thousand copper coins.

To know, in a year of working as a waiter in an inn, he only earned fifteen hundred copper coins a month, just enough to feed himself.

Seeing Lu Ren's surprise, Xiao Huohuo looked smug. From Lu Ren's attire, he didn't seem like a child of a prestigious family.

Twenty thousand was definitely a large sum for Lu Ren.

Moreover, with Lu Ren's Trash-Grade Bloodline, he didn't need the Aperture-Opening Pill.

However, Lu Ren shook his head and refused, "No deal!"

"No deal?"

Xiao Huohuo looked incredulous and asked, "Then what will you do with it?"

Lu Ren smiled slightly and said, "Senior Brother Xiao, since you want my Aperture-Opening Pill, I'm sure other senior brothers do too. Tomorrow, I'll auction it off, and the highest bidder will get it!"

Right now, he needed money the most, so he wasn't going to sell it to Xiao Huohuo for just twenty thousand copper coins.

Hearing Lu Ren's words, Xiao Huohuo nearly choked. If he had known Lu Ren was such a shrewd businessman, he wouldn't have approached him privately about this matter.

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan