The First Outer Disciple

"Lu Ren, since you have already taken Elder Yun as your master, you are now an outer disciple of our Qingyun Sect. Wait to the side. Once the assessment is over, I will take you all to the outer disciples' area!"

Elder Zhu Tie said with a dark expression.

His sect had accepted a disciple with a Scrap Bloodline. If word got out, the other three great sects would surely laugh at them.

"Yes!"

Lu Ren slightly cupped his hands, held the Fire Spirit Sword in both hands, and stood at the side of the platform to wait patiently.

The youths in the square looked at Lu Ren with mixed feelings. Nearly all of those who had come to Qingyun Sect for the outer disciple assessment were children of great lineages, and their bloodlines had reached at least the fourth grade.

How could they have imagined that someone with a Scrap Bloodline would be the first to enter the sect and become Qingyun Sect's first outer disciple?

"Next, the assessment officially begins!"

As Elder Zhu Tie's words fell, the young men and women in the square lined up in neat order and stepped forward to the Bloodline Testing Stone Tablet to test their bloodlines.

"Xiao Huohuo, Fourth-grade Bloodline!"

"Wang Feng, Fourth-grade Bloodline!"

"Yang Rong, Fifth-grade Bloodline."

As Lu Ren watched the Bloodline Testing Stone Tablet, he saw that nearly all of them lit up four blood-red markings, while some even lit up five. He could not help feeling envious.

If he had possessed a fourth- or fifth-grade bloodline, he would not have had to come to this world and make a living carrying trays.

If Yun Qingyao had not accepted him as her disciple and made him an outer disciple of Qingyun Sect this time, he would probably have had to find another inn and carry trays again. Even with the pagoda, it would have been of little use.

His body was too worthless. Compared to ordinary people, he was no different from a cripple.

The testing assessment lasted half an hour.

Nearly three hundred people had bloodlines of at least the fourth grade, and all of them passed the assessment.

At this moment, all the young men and women stood neatly in the square.

Elder Zhu Tie's gaze swept across them, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

This outer disciple assessment had recruited ten geniuses with Fifth-grade Bloodlines, several more than in previous years.

"From this moment onward, you are outer disciples of Qingyun Sect. I will now issue you identity plaques. This plaque represents your status as an outer disciple of Qingyun Sect and allows you to enter and leave Qingyun Sect freely!"

After Elder Zhu Tie finished speaking, two outer disciples carried over a huge sealed copper chest.

When the copper chest was opened, hundreds of golden wooden plaques lay inside in neat stacks.

Next, Elder Zhu Tie began issuing identity plaques, personally engraving each outer disciple's name onto their plaque.

Everyone was exceedingly excited. They were now disciples of Qingyun Sect, one of Jiangyun Kingdom's four great sects. They had truly achieved Carp Leaping Over Dragon Gate. Once they went out and revealed their identities, they would be treated with respect.

When Lu Ren received his identity plaque, it was carved with dragons and phoenixes, with the two characters "Lu Ren" engraved upon it. He was equally thrilled.

"Thank you, Elder!"

Lu Ren cupped his hands in salute, then stepped back.

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

There stood one majestic mountain peak after another, soaring into the clouds and stretching endlessly.

Ancient trees covered the peaks, while birds sang and flowers bloomed, making the place seem like an immortal realm in the Human Realm.

The mountain peaks were connected by iron chain bridges.

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

Before long, they arrived halfway up the mountain, where rows of elegant courtyards had been built.

"This is your dormitory area. Two people will share one courtyard. There is a copy of Disciples' Rules in each dormitory. It clearly states what outer disciples may and may not do."

Elder Zhu Tie pointed at the courtyards before them.

"Also, tomorrow morning, you will go to the Martial Hall to collect Aperture Opening Pills and undergo the Aperture Opening ceremony!"

"Yes!"

The disciples answered in unison, their expressions filled with excitement.

After becoming outer disciples, they could collect one Aperture Opening Pill from the Martial Hall every month for one year.

If they failed to achieve Aperture Opening within a year, they would be expelled from the sect.

However, disciples like them with Fourth-grade Bloodlines only needed to consume one or two Aperture Opening Pills to successfully open their apertures and become Martial Artists in the Aperture Opening Realm.

As Elder Zhu Tie departed, the disciples could not wait to rush into the courtyards and choose their own residences.

The courtyards resembled traditional quadrangles. One side held the courtyard gate, two sides held dormitories, and the center was a huge martial practice ground for cultivating martial techniques.

Lu Ren entered one courtyard and chose a dormitory.

The dormitory was extremely simple, containing only a bed and a table. Two books sat on the table: one was Disciples' Rules, and the other was Martial Dao Fundamentals.

Lu Ren casually flipped through the first book and gained a rough understanding of the sect rules. Yet it was Martial Dao Fundamentals that he read with relish, as it introduced much basic cultivation knowledge.

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

Once a Martial Artist in the Aperture Opening Realm opened seven Spiritual Apertures, they could attempt to break through into the Spirit Stream Realm.

Just as Lu Ren was reading with great interest, footsteps sounded outside.

A handsome yet thin youth of fifteen or sixteen walked in, a smile hanging on his face.

"Senior Brother, what can I do for you?"

Lu Ren asked.

"Junior Brother Lu Ren, I will not beat around the bush. My name is Xiao Huohuo. I came to discuss a deal with you!"

The thin youth said bluntly.

"A deal? What business could there be between us?"

Lu Ren looked bewildered.

"Junior Brother Lu Ren, tomorrow we will go to the Martial Hall to collect Aperture Opening Pills and undergo the Aperture Opening ceremony. Can you sell me your Aperture Opening Pill?"

Xiao Huohuo directly revealed his purpose.

"Sell it to you?"

Lu Ren was stunned.

"Junior Brother Lu Ren, do not blame me for speaking harshly, but you have a Scrap Bloodline. No matter how many Aperture Opening Pills you take, it will be impossible for you to successfully achieve Aperture Opening. Rather than waste it, why not sell it to me?"

Xiao Huohuo spoke as tactfully as he could.

Lu Ren did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked, "With your talents, you will be able to achieve Aperture Opening sooner or later, right?"

"On the path of cultivation, every second counts. I am not certain that one Aperture Opening Pill will let me immediately achieve Aperture Opening. But if you sell yours to me, I can successfully achieve Aperture Opening tomorrow and become a Martial Artist!"

Xiao Huohuo's eyes burned with fervor.

Becoming a Martial Artist one day earlier meant taking a great step ahead of others.

Lu Ren was somewhat tempted and could not help asking, "What price can you offer?"

Xiao Huohuo held up two fingers and said, "An Aperture Opening Pill is worth around fifteen thousand Copper Coins within the sect. I can give you twenty thousand Copper Coins!"

"Twenty thousand?"

Lu Ren was utterly dumbfounded.

Copper Coins were the currency of Jiangyun Kingdom, and their purchasing power was roughly comparable to the currency from his previous life.

For an ordinary person, earning three thousand Copper Coins a month was already considered decent pay.

Yet this Xiao Huohuo had opened with an offer of twenty thousand Copper Coins.

One had to know that after working as a waiter carrying trays in inns and restaurants for a year, Lu Ren had only earned fifteen hundred Copper Coins a month, and that had barely been enough to feed himself.

Seeing Lu Ren's shock, Xiao Huohuo's face revealed a smug look. Judging from Lu Ren's clothes, he clearly did not seem to be from a great lineage.

To Lu Ren, twenty thousand was absolutely a huge sum.

Besides, Lu Ren had a Scrap Bloodline and had no use for an Aperture Opening Pill.

However, Lu Ren shook his head and refused. "Not selling."

"Not selling?"

An incredulous expression appeared on Xiao Huohuo's face as he asked, "Then what are you keeping it for?"

Lu Ren smiled faintly and said, "Senior Brother Xiao, since you want my Aperture Opening Pill, the other senior brothers probably want it too. Tomorrow, I will put it up for auction. Whoever offers the highest price can have it!"

What he lacked most right now was money. Naturally, he would not sell it to Xiao Huohuo for only twenty thousand Copper Coins.

Hearing Lu Ren's words, Xiao Huohuo nearly vomited blood. Had he known Lu Ren was such a profiteer, he never would have approached him privately to discuss this matter.