The First Pot of Gold

"How boring. Cultivation is definitely more interesting..."

Uchiha Chen sighed while watching the night view of the street.

As a first-year student at the Ninja Academy, he had been busy trying to extract chakra during this time.

His cousin, Uchiha Ishihara, had successfully extracted chakra months ago, even before the academy term began.

His younger cousin, Uchiha Fugaku, who was a year his junior, had managed to extract chakra before he was even old enough to enroll.

Yet he, himself, had yet to take that step. His heart was filled with anxiety.

If his mother hadn't insisted he go out for a walk, he would certainly still be training right now.

Without realizing it, Uchiha Chen arrived at Konoha Bookstore.

Uchiha Chen was very familiar with this bookstore; his father, Kagami Uchiha, had loved to linger here when he was alive, often staying for the entire day.

However, ever since his father sacrificed himself during a mission, he had never returned to this place.

Thinking of the many beautiful memories he shared with his father, Uchiha Chen couldn't help but feel his eyes grow moist.

"I'll just treat this as revisiting an old haunt." Clinging to a shred of nostalgia for his late father, Uchiha Chen walked into the bookstore.

The shop was quiet. Aside from a teenage employee at the front desk, there was only an old man standing by the bookshelves inside.

Uchiha Chen recognized the old man; he was the owner of the bookstore, Murai Anju, a retired chunin.

"It's Chen. I haven't seen you here in a long time," the employee at the front desk greeted him warmly.

Uchiha Chen offered a forced smile and walked over to a bookshelf.

This was the shelf his father had loved to browse the most.

Back then, he would always ask his father, "Why aren't the ladies in these books wearing any clothes? Aren't they cold?"

His father would laugh, pat his head, and say, "They are actually very powerful ninjas; they aren't afraid of the cold at all."

His father was a formidable ninja, a disciple of the Second Hokage, and a classmate of the Third Hokage. How glorious his life had been back then.

But after his father died, the clansmen called him a traitor to the Uchiha. Uchiha Chen could not understand why they would say such things.

"How boring. I still can't grasp the profound mysteries in these books." He put down the book he had been idly flipping through—the one his father had loved most.

"Hm? Why is Grandpa Anju still standing there? It looks like he's reading a book."

Uchiha Chen walked over, puzzled.

"Grandpa Anju, what are you reading?"

"Oh, it's Chen. I haven't seen you here in ages. This is a new arrival from today. My, I didn't realize I'd been reading for so long. I still have things to attend to." Murai Anju seemed to snap out of a trance, put down the Journey to the West in his hands, and hurried toward the exit.

As he reached the door, he didn't forget to instruct the employee, Uehara Setsuko: "Little Setsuko, remember to contact the person who delivered that Journey to the West when you have a moment. We need to print more copies. It's truly a rare book with such a novel theme."

Uchiha Chen, filled with a hint of curiosity, picked up the copy of Journey to the West.

"Six Paths Sage? The Heavenly Court?" After flipping through a few pages, Uchiha Chen felt that this book wasn't as profound as the ones his father liked, but it was quite interesting. He decided to buy it.

Returning to the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Chen reported briefly to his mother before heading to his room.

Although Kagami Uchiha had died young, he had served as a high-level advisor to Konoha and completed many high-ranking missions, leaving behind a substantial inheritance for his wife and son.

However, both mother and son were very frugal, and buying this Journey to the West was his only expenditure in the last few months.

He tried to extract chakra on his bed a few more times, but just like always, Uchiha Chen failed again.

It seemed he hadn't inherited his father's talent for cultivation, and this cold, hard fact hit him hard.

After doing some simple training, it was time to sleep.

As a ninja-in-training, a regular daily schedule was very important.

Uchiha Chen climbed into his small bed and was about to turn off the light when he suddenly noticed the Journey to the West lying on his nightstand.

I'll read for a few minutes before sleeping...

Uchiha Chen thought to himself.

The story went that the Ninja Monkey arrived at Fangcun Mountain to seek an audience with Immortal Bodhi, but the Immortal refused to see him. So, the Ninja Monkey knelt at the mountain gate, drinking rainwater when thirsty and picking wild fruits and vegetables from the surrounding forest when hungry. Thus, regardless of wind or rain, sunrise or sunset, spring or autumn, three years passed in the blink of an eye.

In the end, the Six Paths Sage did not disappoint those who were determined. Immortal Bodhi was finally moved by the Ninja Monkey's unwavering perseverance and summoned him, taking him as a disciple and bestowing upon him the name Sun Wukong.

"The Six Paths Sage does not disappoint those who are determined... I suppose I just haven't been determined enough. I must learn from this Ninja Monkey's perseverance. One day, I will definitely succeed in extracting chakra!" Uchiha Chen muttered to himself as he read this.

On this day, Immortal Bodhi was on a stone platform, explaining the profound mysteries of ninjutsu to his disciples.

The eighty-plus disciples sitting below were all listening with rapt attention.

Yet, Sun Wukong was actually dozing off?

"Huh? How could he fall asleep at such an important moment? He knelt for three years just to be accepted as a disciple. He should cherish this!"

When Immortal Bodhi asked Wukong what ninjutsu he wanted to learn, he refused everything, insisting only on learning the art of immortality.

Enraged, Immortal Bodhi struck Sun Wukong on the head three times with his ruler.

At the third watch of the night, Sun Wukong waited until the others were fast asleep, then quietly got up and snuck into Immortal Bodhi's room, only to be discovered by the Immortal.

Immortal Bodhi said: "Wukong, why are you not sleeping in the middle of the night? What have you come here for?"

Sun Wukong said: "Was it not you, Master, who told me to come?"

"Has this Ninja Monkey lost his mind? How dare he be so bold, committing such an act of insolence and then lying about it?" Uchiha Chen felt a surge of irritation as he read this.

Sure enough, Immortal Bodhi rebuked him: "When did I ever tell you to forgo your sleep and come here in the middle of the night?"

Sun Wukong scratched his head and explained: "Master, when you were teaching during the day, you rapped my head three times with your ruler. Was that not a sign for me to come find you at the third watch of the night?"

Upon hearing this, Immortal Bodhi laughed heartily: "You clever Ninja Monkey, born of heaven and earth, you truly have spiritual insight. I shall now teach you the art of immortality."

"That works too? It seems my own comprehension is simply lacking..." Uchiha Chen's eyes widened.

"Chen, time for breakfast!"

"Chen?"

"Still not up? Could the child be sick?" (⊙o⊙)?

By the time Uchiha Chen was startled awake by his mother's voice, he had already finished reading Journey to the West (Volume 1).

He lifted his head to look out the window; the sky was already bright.

Did I really stay up all night reading?

Konoha may be called a village, but it is fully comparable to a modern town. Its land area is even absurdly large.

After all, in this chaotic world, a place where one can live in peace like Konoha is truly rare. The constant influx of people over the past few years has pushed the permanent population of Konoha to just over one hundred thousand.

One week later, the first batch of one hundred copies of Journey to the West (Volume 1) had completely sold out.

Thanks to Shinozaki Ayumi receiving a timely reminder from her employee, Uehara Setsuko.

The second printing of five hundred copies of Journey to the West (Volume 1), along with five hundred copies of Journey to the West (Volume 2) that Xian Yu had worked diligently to finish, were stocked just in time to fill the gap.

With a price of 100 ryo per book, after deducting printing costs and the consignment fee charged by the bookstore, Xian Yu had accumulated 9,180 ryo in royalties at Konoha Bookstore.

Unable to wait, he had Shinozaki Ayumi make a trip to Konoha Bookstore to withdraw the money.

Looking at the 9,180 ryo he had just received and the 2,530 ryo already in his pocket, Xian Yu was filled with excitement. He could finally open that Black Iron Treasure Chest in his inventory!

"System, I want to deposit ten thousand ryo."