Xiao Huohuo suppressed his inner anger, but maintained a smile on his face, saying, "Junior Brother Lu Ren, how about this, you name a price, and we can make a private deal!"

He had to get the Aperture-Opening Pill from Lu Ren and become the first disciple to open his apertures. Perhaps he could even gain the attention of the sect elders.

Being the first always drew the most attention.

To read the uncut version, go to [pawread.com].

He had heard that every time someone opened their apertures, the elders would take notice, and the first few to do so would receive rewards from the sect.

Lu Ren pondered for a moment, then said, "Senior Brother Xiao, since you're so sincere, I'll give you a sincere price too—one hundred thousand copper coins!"

"One hundred thousand copper coins?"

Xiao Huohuo was so shocked by the price that his eyes almost popped out.

"Does Senior Brother think my price is too low? You're right, after all, so many people want my Aperture-Opening Pill. How about two hundred thousand copper coins?"

Lu Ren couldn't help but say.

"Two hundred thousand copper coins?"

Xiao Huohuo almost spat out blood at this, unable to speak for a long time.

This guy just multiplied his price by ten.

Although he had money, he wasn't stupid.

Only a fool would spend two hundred thousand copper coins on an Aperture-Opening Pill.

"Junior Brother Lu Ren, you can keep that Aperture-Opening Pill!"

Xiao Huohuo said with a smile and prepared to leave.

"Senior Brother!"

Lu Ren called out to Xiao Huohuo, pointing to the long sword on the table, and tentatively asked, "Are you interested in the Fire Spirit Sword?"

"You want to sell it to me?"

Xiao Huohuo's eyes widened in disbelief, "That was a gift from the Saintess when you first met, and you're willing to sell it to me?"

"A gift from my master is mine, so of course, I can sell it!"

Lu Ren smiled slightly.

He possessed the Pagoda Space, which gave him endless cultivation time, but he lacked resources. Since he couldn't use the Fire Spirit Sword right now, he might as well sell it for resources.

For a moment, Xiao Huohuo was tempted and finally said, "Junior Brother Lu Ren, this is a low-grade spirit artifact, worth at least a million copper coins. I can't come up with that much money right away!"

Although he came from a wealthy family, he wasn't yet of age, and his monthly allowance was only a hundred thousand copper coins.

Currently, he only had two hundred thousand copper coins on him.

"No worries if you can't pay it all at once, you can pay in installments!"

Lu Ren said.

"What do you mean by installments?"

Xiao Huohuo looked puzzled.

Lu Ren explained, "You can pay me twenty percent upfront, and the remaining eighty percent can be paid over a year. Of course, I'll charge you a little interest, how about ten percent?"

Xiao Huohuo had never heard of installments before, but he understood Lu Ren's meaning and nodded, "Alright, I'll give you two hundred thousand copper coins first, and the remaining eight hundred thousand copper coins, I'll pay you over ten months, eighty-eight thousand copper coins each month!"

He was definitely going to pursue the fire path, and the Fire Spirit Sword was perfect for him. Once he successfully opened his apertures, his family would give him more money each month.

A million was not unaffordable, and he could enjoy the power of the Fire Spirit Sword in advance.

"Then let's draw up a contract!"

Lu Ren said, immediately taking out paper and pen to write the contract, and both parties signed it.

"Here's a money note for two hundred thousand copper coins, for you!"

Xiao Huohuo took out twenty money notes from his pocket, each worth ten thousand copper coins.

These money notes were recognized currency in the Jiangyun Kingdom.

After the transaction, Xiao Huohuo left with the Fire Spirit Sword.

Lu Ren tucked the twenty money notes into his robe and began to clear his mind.

Immediately, a familiar stabbing pain hit his mind.

***

The next second, the scene before him changed, transforming into a space with a round sky and square earth.

This space was void except for a simple thatched hut, surrounded by some large stones and broken wood.

This was the Pagoda Space.

Here, even if he stayed for three or five years, only a moment would pass outside, and his lifespan wouldn't be affected at all.

The prerequisite was that he had enough food, or he would surely starve to death.

"My body is still too weak. If I can train it to be strong enough, maybe I can open my apertures. If my talent isn't enough, I'll train for ten years, and if ten years isn't enough, then a hundred or a thousand years. I refuse to believe I can't open my apertures!"

Lu Ren thought to himself.

As long as he had enough resources, he could break through in a single moment, even if it meant grinding it out!

***

With this in mind, Lu Ren exited the Pagoda Space, left his dormitory, and headed to the dining hall.

The dining hall was responsible for the daily meals of the entry-level disciples.

It was already close to the hour of Shen, and many new and old disciples were having dinner in the dining hall.

Lu Ren didn't eat but went to the kitchen.

The chef in the kitchen was a portly middle-aged man who curiously asked Lu Ren, "This is the kitchen, not a dining area, young disciple!"

Lu Ren discreetly slipped a money note into the chef's hand, saying, "I want to buy spirit rice!"

The chef glanced at the money note and saw it was worth a thousand copper coins. His expression changed, and he looked at Lu Ren with respect.

Where did this rich young master come from?

He didn't dare accept the money!

The chef returned the money note to Lu Ren, smiling, "Young disciple, just say what you need, take your money back!"

This thousand copper coins were what Lu Ren had painstakingly saved from serving dishes. Now that he had sold the Fire Spirit Sword, he didn't care about this thousand copper coins.

"Once I give money, I don't take it back. I do have a request; I want to buy spirit rice worth two hundred thousand copper coins!"

Lu Ren said boldly.

This spirit rice was different from ordinary rice, containing spiritual qi, making it very suitable for those about to become martial artists.

One pound of spirit rice could provide three meals for one person, lasting five days.

Of course, it was also very expensive.

"You want to buy that much spirit rice?"

The chef was shocked and incredulous.

Fifty copper coins could buy a pound of spirit rice, and two hundred thousand copper coins could buy four thousand pounds.

If one person ate it, it would last twenty thousand days.

"Do you have it in the dining hall? I want it now!"

Lu Ren said.

"Yes, of course!"

The chef didn't dare ask why Lu Ren needed so much spirit rice but led him to the storeroom, filled with bags of spirit rice, at least a hundred bags.

"Young disciple, for two hundred thousand copper coins, you can buy four thousand pounds of spirit rice, forty bags in total, each weighing a hundred pounds. But how will you take them away?"

The chef asked curiously.

Lu Ren walked up to a bag of spirit rice, placed his hand on it, and instantly stored it in the Pagoda Space.

"Does this disciple have a spatial treasure?"

The chef was stunned to see the spirit rice disappear into thin air.

A spatial treasure was a treasure with an internal space, allowing one to store items inside.

Items like earrings, rings, bracelets, jade pendants, and money bags could all be made into spatial treasures, but they were very expensive.

Anyone who owned a spatial treasure was either rich or noble.

Lu Ren stored all thirty-nine bags of spirit rice into the Pagoda Space, handed the money notes to the chef, and said, "Here's two hundred thousand copper coins. I'll come back for more spirit rice in the future, and I hope you can keep this a secret!"

With that, Lu Ren left the kitchen, had dinner in the dining hall, and returned to his dormitory to re-enter the Pagoda Space.

Looking at the neatly arranged bags of spirit rice, Lu Ren felt a deep sense of security.

"This spirit rice is enough for me to eat for nearly twenty thousand days, which is fifty-five years. I refuse to believe I can't open my apertures!"

With that thought, Lu Ren began to grind away.

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan