Immortal's Guidance

At this moment, many newly enrolled disciples arrived at the Martial Hall one after another, all with excited expressions hanging on their faces.

Lu Ren also followed behind a group of disciples and arrived outside the Martial Hall.

Elder Zhu Tie already stood at the entrance of the Martial Hall. Gazing at the neatly arranged disciples, he spoke, "Starting today, once every month, you will all be able to claim one Aperture Opening Pill at the Martial Hall. This will continue for a year, until you successfully open your spiritual apertures."

"After claiming the Aperture Opening Pill, you will swallow it right here and undergo the aperture opening ritual. Those who successfully open their apertures today may borrow a Human Tier High-grade Martial Skill in the Martial Arts Pavilion and cultivate it for half a year."

Hearing these words, the eyes of many new disciples burned with fervor.

Martial skills and cultivation methods are graded from low to high into Human Tier, Yellow Tier, Mysterious Tier, Earth Tier, Heaven Tier, and so on, with each tier divided into lower, middle, and upper grades.

The vast majority of them were lineage disciples, yet even they rarely came into contact with martial skills of the Human Tier High-grade level.

As long as they successfully opened their apertures today, they would be able to borrow a Human Tier High-grade Martial Skill. Once the cultivation of that skill succeeded, their combat power would naturally soar.

Today, no matter what, I must successfully open my aperture!

I possess a Fifth-grade Bloodline; I will definitely succeed in opening my aperture!

Many new disciples were eager to try.

Immediately, Elder Zhu Tie carried out a huge wooden box from inside the Martial Hall. Before the wooden box was even opened, a pungent medicinal fragrance drifted out from within it.

As Elder Zhu Tie opened the wooden box, pill after pill resembling pearls lay inside, emitting a rich medicinal aroma. They were none other than Aperture Opening Pills.

"As the saying goes, beasts cannot transform without opening their apertures, and humans cannot cultivate without opening them. Only when the spiritual apertures in your bodies are opened do you possess the qualifications for cultivation!"

"Now, line up in order to claim one Aperture Opening Pill each, sit cross-legged in the plaza to consume it, and use the medicinal power to comprehend yourselves!"

As Elder Zhu Tie's voice fell, all the new disciples formed a queue one by one. After claiming their Aperture Opening Pills, they sat cross-legged in the plaza, preparing to open their apertures.

Lu Ren claimed an Aperture Opening Pill and likewise followed the crowd to the plaza.

In the distance, Yun Qingyao saw Lu Ren claim an Aperture Opening Pill, a trace of a smile hanging on the corner of her mouth and a faint glimmer of anticipation hidden in her heart.

If even a Scrap Bloodline could successfully open its apertures, it would be enough to shock the entire Jiangyun Kingdom.

However, the moment this thought flashed through her mind, she heard a loud voice ring out from afar.

"Senior Brothers, I am about to put the Aperture Opening Pill in my hand up for auction! Highest bidder wins, starting at ten thousand copper coins, with each bid raising the price by no less than ten thousand!"

Lu Ren's voice fell.

For a moment, the entire audience froze.

The new disciples froze!

Elder Zhu Tie froze!

And Yun Qingyao froze even more!

This fellow actually took the Aperture Opening Pill he had just claimed and put it up for auction? And starting at ten thousand copper coins, no less?

"Truly, rotten wood cannot be carved. It's bad enough that he has a Scrap Bloodline, but he lacks any drive to improve himself and actually auctions off his Aperture Opening Pill!"

Yun Qingyao grew truly angry, turned around, and left.

The tiny shred of favorable impression she still held for Lu Ren in her heart vanished completely.

As for this good-for-nothing disciple, she might as well treat him as non-existent!

The elders who were secretly watching were dumbfounded as well.

On the very first day of enrollment, to auction off the claimed Aperture Opening Pill in full view of the public—such a thing had simply never happened before.

If you were a genius with a Sixth-grade Bloodline, that would be one thing; even without consuming an Aperture Opening Pill, you could still open your apertures within a short time.

Yet you were a good-for-nothing, a good-for-nothing who didn't even possess a First-grade Bloodline—the legendary Scrap Bloodline.

Standing at the entrance of the Martial Hall and seeing Lu Ren hold the Aperture Opening Pill aloft for auction, Elder Zhu Tie flew into a rage. "Lu Ren! With a Scrap Bloodline, you openly auction off the Aperture Opening Pill you just claimed, showing no drive to improve yourself! Is this disrespectful to the sect, and disrespectful to your master?"

Lu Ren shook his head repeatedly, explaining, "Disciple wouldn't dare! Disciple feels no disrespect toward the sect or Master!"

Elder Zhu Tie raged, "No disrespect? What does the Disciples' Rules say? Once you become a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, you must strive hard in cultivation. No matter how weak your talent, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can become a powerful Martial Artist! Although you possess a Scrap Bloodline and your chances of opening your apertures are slim, you still cannot give up!"

Lu Ren said, "Elder Zhu Tie, you misunderstand. That is because this disciple has already opened his apertures!"

Instantly, Elder Zhu Tie trembled all over with even greater anger. "Nonsense! With a Scrap Bloodline and without even consuming an Aperture Opening Pill, how could you open your apertures? Your master, Yun Qingyao—a monstrous talent with a Seventh-grade Bloodline—took a full month to successfully open her apertures despite not taking an Aperture Opening Pill, yet you dare claim you have already opened yours?"

At this moment, not only Elder Zhu Tie, but the other disciples as well felt that Lu Ren had gone mad to utter such absurd words.

Lu Ren smiled. "Elder Zhu Tie, this disciple has truly opened his apertures. If you don't believe me, come test me!"

Seeing Lu Ren's confident expression, Elder Zhu Tie walked up to him and pressed his palm against Lu Ren's lower abdomen. Immediately afterward, he felt a faint wave of energy transmitting outward.

"Spiritual Qi is converging. You've truly opened your spiritual apertures?"

Elder Zhu Tie was immensely shocked, his cloudy eyes staring fixedly at Lu Ren's face.

This was simply too incredible.

A Scrap Bloodline had actually opened its apertures directly!

"What? Lu Ren opened his apertures?"

"Impossible! How could a Scrap Bloodline open its apertures?"

All the disciples felt it was unbelievable, finding it very difficult to accept this fact.

They were still waiting to consume their Aperture Opening Pills to open their apertures, yet this Scrap Bloodline had actually already done so.

Elder Zhu Tie had once wondered whether Lu Ren had already opened his apertures before entering the Qingyun Sect.

However, he quickly dismissed this thought, because the Bloodline Testing Stone Tablet could not only test bloodline talent, but also detect whether one's apertures were opened.

In other words, Lu Ren had opened his apertures only after entering the sect.

"Lu Ren, how did you pull this off?"

Elder Zhu Tie asked.

Lu Ren had already prepared his excuse, explaining, "Last night I had a dream. I dreamed of an old man with the air of an immortal. He said I possessed the endowment of a Great Emperor. When I woke up, I felt a burning pain in my abdomen, and my apertures had actually opened!"

"Immortal's Guidance?"

Elder Zhu Tie said in shock.

"Immortal's Guidance?"

Lu Ren murmured.

Elder Zhu Tie's face still maintained its shock. "This must be the legendary Immortal's Guidance! Although rare, it has happened before. Our sect once had a disciple whose talent was also very weak, yet he suddenly opened his apertures. Despite his mediocre talent, he still managed to open seven spiritual apertures and cultivate all the way to the Spirit Stream Realm!"

Following this, Elder Zhu Tie said solemnly, "Lu Ren, this is your good fortune, a blessing bestowed upon you by the heavens, and an immortal's grace enabling you to become a true Martial Artist. You must strive hard in cultivation and strive to surpass that disciple's achievements!"

If a Scrap Bloodline could also cultivate to the Spirit Stream Realm, it would certainly be considered a miracle.

"This disciple will heed the Elder's teachings!"

Lu Ren cupped his fists, then asked, "Elder, now that I have successfully opened my apertures, what about this Aperture Opening Pill of mine..."

"Sell it to whoever you want!"

Elder Zhu Tie turned around and no longer interfered in Lu Ren's affairs.

Lu Ren smiled, then cast his gaze toward the surrounding disciples and said in a loud voice, "Who wants this Aperture Opening Pill of mine? Highest bidder wins!"

All the disciples were startled for a moment, but quickly snapped back to their senses and began bidding in a mad rush.

Quite a few among them were lineage disciples of major families in Jiangyun Kingdom, and they were certainly not short on money. As long as they could obtain the Aperture Opening Pill, open their apertures a step ahead of others, and become Martial Artists, their status within their lineages would also rise.

What's more, successfully opening their apertures today meant they could go to the Martial Arts Pavilion to borrow a Human Tier High-grade Martial Skill.

No matter what, they had to seize this Aperture Opening Pill.