"In this world, brute force is indeed the ultimate truth!" Returning to the dormitory, Lu Ren was filled with emotion. If he couldn't match Xiao Huohuo in strength, he feared that the matter of the Fire Spirit Sword would still be kept in the dark. "Master will know that I sold her Fire Spirit Sword, I'm afraid she will blame me. Regardless, I will focus on improving my strength first!" "I should return the martial arts skills first!" Lu Ren held three secret books in his hand and left the courtyard. Arriving at the Martial Arts Pavilion, the elder guarding the pavilion immediately recognized Lu Ren and asked, "Lu Ren, how has your martial arts practice been going in the past month?" "Just average. I am here to return the secret books." Lu Ren smiled and handed over the three secret books. The elder looked at the three secret books in front of him and guessed that Lu Ren had given up on practicing martial arts. After all, with a weak bloodline, he had no talent for cultivation. Being able to open the first Lingqi aperture was a gift from the immortals. If you want to practice martial arts, it may be difficult to get started without three to five years of hard work. "I said that you can return these three martial arts skills anytime. Why not continue to work hard?" The elder asked strangely. Lu Ren smiled faintly and said, "I am already working hard in my cultivation!" He had been practicing diligently for eighty-two years. Who could compete with his efforts? "Is this your idea of hard work?"
The elder guarding the pavilion was slightly angry and said, "It was for Elder Yun's sake, and also because you have a weak bloodline, that I gave you special treatment. But you only practiced for a month and returned the martial arts skills. Your talent is poor, if you don't work hard, you will be expelled from the sect sooner or later!" "But I have already mastered all three martial arts skills!" Lu Ren replied before leaving. If the elder guarding the pavilion knew that not only had Lu Ren mastered all three martial arts skills, but had also perfected two of them and reached mastery in one, he might have a different opinion. He even opened six Lingqi apertures. After Lu Ren left, the elder guarding the pavilion shook his head in disappointment, feeling let down by Lu Ren for not cherishing the gift from the immortals of becoming a martial artist and opening his Lingqi apertures. "Elder Qiu, what is Lu Ren doing at the Martial Arts Pavilion?" At that moment, Yun Qingyao walked in. Her mood was already not great because of Lu Ren's situation. She had come to the Martial Arts Pavilion to borrow a few sword manuals to improve her self-created sword technique, but unexpectedly ran into Lu Ren. However, she deliberately avoided Lu Ren, not wanting to have too much interaction with him. "Oh, it's Elder Yun!"
The elder guarding the pavilion suddenly became angry and rebuked, "Your disciple, not aspiring for progress, finally opened his Lingqi apertures, he should have worked hard to cultivate. But he borrowed three martial arts skills from me, practiced for only a month, and returned them!" "Only practiced for a month?" Yun Qingyao was stunned, then lamented, "He has a weak bloodline, but now that he has opened his Lingqi apertures, if he works hard to cultivate martial arts, he may not be unable to break through to the Spirit Creek realm." Thinking of this, Yun Qingyao sighed deeply in sorrow for Lu Ren. She had intended to teach Lu Ren well, but with his current attitude, it seemed impossible. Lu Ren returned to the courtyard, thinking of making money. He had planned to make a fortune with the Fire Spirit Sword, so he could earn 88,000 copper coins every month, equivalent to over twenty years of cultivation. Now that this income stream was cut off, he had to think of other ways to make money. "If I cultivate for another twenty years, I should be able to master the Spirit Cat Step and open my seventh Lingqi aperture!" Lu Ren was eager to open his seventh Lingqi aperture and then advance to the Spirit Creek realm. As far as he knew, even for talented new disciples, it would take three to five months to possibly break through to the Spirit Creek realm, pass the assessment, and become an outer disciple. There was a risk of being expelled as a new disciple, but outer disciples were different; even if their cultivation progress stagnated, they remained outer disciples. Therefore, Lu Ren was eager to break through to the Spirit Creek realm as soon as possible. But without resources, he could not progress. He needed a lot of money, at least tens of thousands of copper coins, to possibly master the Spirit Cat Step.
"Adventure?" Lu Ren suddenly remembered the description in the "Standards for Being a Good Student and Child". As a new disciple who had opened six or more Lingqi apertures, he could take on tasks to earn contribution points. With these points, he could borrow superior-grade martial arts skills from the Martial Arts Pavilion and purchase cultivation resources within the sect. However, taking on tasks involved risks, especially for new disciples with weak strength and lack of experience. They could only join the teams of senior disciples, considering it as an experience to earn some spoils of war. Of course, the most important aspect of tasks was self-improvement. No matter how powerful one's martial arts skills were, without practical combat experience, it would be meaningless and the combat effectiveness would not be realized. "Now that I have mastered two martial arts skills and reached proficiency in the Spirit Cat Step, it's time to test my strength in actual combat!" With this in mind, Lu Ren walked along the iron chain bridge towards another peak. In the outer sect area of Qingyun Sect, there were three peaks. One peak housed the disciples' guest chambers and dining hall, another had the martial hall and the Martial Arts Pavilion, while the third had the Contribution Hall. As Lu Ren arrived at the square in front of the Contribution Hall, he saw many disciples gathered there. They were in groups of two or three, exuding powerful aura. "These people should be senior outer disciples!" Lu Ren speculated silently. Outer disciples like them, who had opened their Lingqi apertures but failed to enter the Spirit Creek realm within three years, would also be expelled from the sect. At this moment, in a corner of the square, many disciples had gathered in a circle.
In the center of the circle stood a slender and exquisite girl, dressed in a green practice robe that accentuated her well-rounded chest and proud figure. Two young men stood beside her, their faces filled with excitement.
"Senior Sister Qin Yu, take me in! I promise to obey and shout '666' by your side!"
"Senior Sister Qin Yu, you know my talent. I've been here for two years and only opened three Lingqi apertures!"
"Choose me, choose me! I'll definitely support you to the end!"
As Lu Ren squeezed into the circle, he overheard the commotion. Curious, he couldn't help but ask a senior brother nearby, "Who is she?"
The senior brother glanced at Lu Ren and said, "You must be a new disciple, right? You don't even know Senior Sister Qin Yu?"
"Indeed, I am a new disciple. So, who is Senior Sister Qin Yu?" Lu Ren asked with a smile.
"Senior Sister Qin Yu is a genius ranked first among the entry-level disciples in terms of strength!" the senior brother explained.
Lu Ren was puzzled. "If she is a genius, shouldn't she have already become an outer disciple?"
"You don't understand. Senior Sister Qin Yu could have entered the Spirit Creek realm long ago, but she wants to break through the limit and unlock the eighth Lingqi aperture!" the senior brother explained with a look of admiration on his face.
"The eighth Lingqi aperture!" Lu Ren was completely dumbfounded. Aren't there only seven Lingqi apertures in a martial artist's body?
"Yes," the senior brother nodded, "This time, Senior Sister Qin Yu is planning to take three low-powered disciples to train and hone her combat skills. She has already recruited two, and one spot is left."
"Why take three low-powered disciples?" Lu Ren asked curiously.
The senior brother replied, "When entry-level disciples take on tasks, they need to form a team of four. With Senior Sister's strength, recruiting three strong disciples wouldn't be challenging at all."
"No wonder!" Lu Ren nodded slightly, realizing, "So, these disciples are basically competing to be picked as the last one!"