Opening the Spiritual Aperture

Lu Ren had long since made his own cultivation plan. His physical condition was far too poor now, nowhere near that of the people of the Xuanhuang Continent.

As for talent, there was even less to say—Scrap Bloodline.

If he wanted to grow stronger, he could only work tirelessly and persistently. First, he would train up his body, then attempt to open his aperture.

Dripping water could pierce stone, gold and stone could be carved through, and an iron pestle could be ground into a needle!

So what if his talent was poor?

He had unlimited time to cultivate.

From then on, Lu Ren began training. Every day, he did a thousand push-ups, a thousand sit-ups, and ran ten kilometers around the thatched hut.

He ate Spirit Rice for all three meals!

The first few days were pure torment for Lu Ren. He simply could not keep going, and his entire body ached unbearably.

A month later, Lu Ren's body had completely adapted to this level of training.

By then, Lu Ren could clearly feel the changes in himself. His body had become sturdy, and the lines of his muscles had begun to show.

Lu Ren then increased the workload: two thousand push-ups, two thousand sit-ups, and twenty kilometers of running around the thatched hut.

And so, Lu Ren persisted for a full three years!

Three years later, Lu Ren had trained his body to the point where he looked slim in clothes but muscular without them. His strength had also clearly increased severalfold.

Only after three years of bitter training did Lu Ren feel that his body had finally become comparable to those entry-level disciples.

With my talent, taking an Aperture Opening Pill will probably have no effect at all. I might as well try opening an aperture myself. No matter how poor my talent is, I can't possibly fail to open one for more than sixty years!

Lu Ren pondered silently.

In the days that followed, Lu Ren continued his high-intensity training, eating Spirit Rice every day to replenish his strength.

He spent six fixed hours each day training and three hours attempting to open an aperture, gathering the strength of his entire body at his lower abdomen and trying to break through. He had read basic cultivation manuals; the first Spiritual Aperture was located in the lower abdomen.

The remaining three hours were naturally for sleeping and resting.

Day after day, year after year.

Fifty years flashed by in the blink of an eye!

Aside from feeling as though his liver could no longer take it, Lu Ren's appearance had not changed at all. Yet he had begun to grow impatient.

Fifty years!

A full fifty years with nothing but tedious training. An ordinary person would have gone mad long ago.

Yet throughout those fifty years, Lu Ren had clung to a single obsession.

That was opening an aperture. He had to open an aperture.

Without opening an aperture, he could only remain an ordinary person in this world!

Since he had come to this world, he was unwilling to live an ordinary life.

But he had never imagined that even after fifty years, he still had not managed to open an aperture.

This Scrap Bloodline truly was terrifying!

Fortunately, this was the Pagoda Space, where only a single second would pass. If this had been outside, after fifty years, one foot would already be in the grave.

"Fifty years... even an iron pestle should have been ground into a needle by now!"

Lu Ren shook his head, his face full of bitterness.

Over these years, nourished by Spirit Rice, he felt that his body had already reached its limit. He could not improve even a single step further.

Yet he still could not open an aperture.

The Spirit Rice would last another three years.

If he still could not open an aperture in those three years, he could only try using an Aperture Opening Pill.

One year!

Two years!

Three years!

Lu Ren remained in the Pagoda Space for another three years, but there was still no change in his lower abdomen.

"I've been grinding away for fifty-five years and still couldn't open an aperture. Am I really this useless?"

Lu Ren could not help muttering a complaint.

However, just as he was preparing to leave the Pagoda Space, a scorching sensation suddenly surged from his lower abdomen, as though it had been set ablaze.

That searing force drew the power of his blood and vitality from throughout his body toward his lower abdomen.

At once!

Lu Ren felt as though an immense force were violently churning within his lower abdomen, causing him unbearable agony.

And the pain only grew more intense.

Lu Ren curled up on the ground in pain, rolling about without stop.

This process lasted for ten breaths. Then, a sudden crack sounded from his lower abdomen, as though an egg had shattered.

The pain soon vanished, and he felt a strange power gathering in his lower abdomen.

An ecstatic look appeared on Lu Ren's face. Then he could not help but burst into wild laughter, his voice echoing throughout the entire Pagoda Space.

HAHAHAHAHA!

After fifty-five years, he had finally opened an aperture. He had opened his first Spiritual Aperture in his lower abdomen.

At that moment, Lu Ren could clearly sense subtle changes in himself. He seemed able to draw upon the strange power within that Spiritual Aperture and channel it into his limbs, causing his strength to soar.

With one punch, he could probably unleash a thousand jin of force.

As he was now, one punch would definitely be enough to kill a cow.

This was a Martial Artist, whose strength far surpassed that of ordinary people!

"I've successfully opened a Spiritual Aperture. I'm officially a Martial Artist now!"

Lu Ren clenched his fists tightly, feeling the power flowing from his Spiritual Aperture, his heart filled with boundless excitement.

After fifty-five years and spending two hundred thousand Copper Coins, he had gone from a frail and helpless person to a Martial Artist who had opened a Spiritual Aperture.

And during those fifty-five years, only one second had passed in the outside world.

Even those disciples who had entered the sect alongside him, including geniuses with Fourth-grade and Fifth-grade Bloodlines, still needed to take Aperture Opening Pills to open their apertures.

But he had already opened his!

"Money. I need a huge amount of money. As long as I have enough money, even if my talent is terrible, my cultivation speed will still far surpass any genius!"

With that thought, Lu Ren planned to auction off the Aperture Opening Pill he would receive tomorrow.

He had already opened an aperture, so he no longer needed an Aperture Opening Pill.

Xiao Huohuo wanted to buy his Aperture Opening Pill, and others would surely want it as well. It would definitely fetch a good price.

After leaving the Pagoda Space, Lu Ren carefully read through the Disciples' Rules before going to bed early.

The next morning!

Several elders gathered atop a mountain peak, their gazes all fixed on a great hall in the distance.

A huge plaque hung above the entrance to that hall, engraved with the words "Martial Hall."

Today, the newly admitted disciples would go to the Martial Hall to collect Aperture Opening Pills and undergo the aperture-opening ceremony there. Naturally, these elders were paying close attention.

Just then, Yun Qingyao, dressed in white, flew over from afar and landed not far from the elders, startling them all.

A green-robed elder looked at Yun Qingyao and suddenly said, "Elder Yun, why have you come here? I heard that yesterday, you took an entry-level disciple with a Scrap Bloodline as your disciple. Could it be that you came to watch your disciple open an aperture?"

"How could a Scrap Bloodline possibly open an aperture? Even taking countless Aperture Opening Pills would make no difference."

Another elder chimed in.

Yun Qingyao said coldly, "What is wrong with a Scrap Bloodline? On the path of cultivation, I have always believed there are no worthless bloodlines, only worthless people!"

After returning yesterday, she had thought carefully about it. A person who clearly knew he could not cultivate yet still wanted to take her as his master—this resolve alone was enough for her to give Lu Ren a chance.

Therefore, for the first time in her life, she had come to watch Lu Ren open an aperture. Whether he succeeded or not was unimportant; what she wanted to see was Lu Ren's attitude toward cultivation.