Chapter 4: Mysterious Pagoda Space

Words : 1920 Updated : Feb 21st, 2024

Dwight suppressed his anger, maintaining a forced smile as he said, "Noah, how about we cut a deal? You name your price, and we can settle this in private, right now." Dwight was determined to get Noah's Meridian Opening Pill and be the first disciple to open his meridian. If he could manage that, he might even gain the attention of the sect elders. Being the first always drew the most notice. Rumor had it that during the meridian-opening ceremony, the elders would closely observe, and those who opened their meridians early would often receive rewards from the sect. Noah paused to think before replying, "Dwight, since you're so sincere, I'll give you a fair price—100,000 copper coins." "100,000 copper coins?" Dwight's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Do you think that's too low?" Noah said, feigning seriousness. "You're right; there are many who'd want my Meridian Opening Pill. Let's make it 200,000 copper coins." "200,000 copper coins?" Dwight almost choked. The price had just jumped tenfold! He had money, sure, but he wasn't foolish enough to throw 200,000 copper coins at a single pill. "Noah, keep your Meridian Opening Pill," Dwight said, forcing a polite smile as he turned to leave. "Dwight!" Noah called after him, pointing to the sword on the table. "How about the Fire Spirit Sword—interested?" "Wait, are you serious?" Dwight's eyes widened in disbelief. "That was a gift from the Saintess, and you're just going to sell it?" "My master gifted it to me. Now it's mine, so of course I can sell it!" Noah replied with a slight smile. Noah had the pagoda, which granted him an abundance of time for cultivation, but what he really needed were resources. Since he didn't currently require the Fire Spirit Sword, selling it could be a means to acquire those resources. For a moment, Dwight hesitated. After a long pause, he said, "Noah, that's a low-grade spiritual weapon. It's worth at least a million copper coins. I don't have that kind of money on hand!" Though Dwight came from a wealthy family, he was still a minor, and his monthly allowance was only 100,000 copper coins. At the moment, he had around 200,000 copper coins to his name. "That's fine if you can't pay it all at once. You could pay in installments," Noah suggested. "Installments? What does that mean?" Dwight asked, looking confused. "You pay me 20% upfront, and the remaining 80% over the course of a year, with a little interest—let's say 10%," Noah explained. Though Dwight had never heard of "installments," he quickly grasped Noah's meaning. "Alright," Dwight nodded. "I'll pay 200,000 copper coins now, and the remaining 800,000 over ten months, at 88,000 copper coins a month." Dwight knew that the Fire Spirit Sword would be a perfect match for him, especially after he awakened his fire element abilities. His family would likely increase his allowance following the awakening, so the 1 million copper coins didn't seem like an issue. Plus, he'd immediately enjoy the power of the sword. "Let's make it official," Noah said. He quickly pulled out paper and a brush, drafting a contract that both signed and sealed with their thumbprints. "Here are 20 spirit notes, worth 10,000 copper coins each," Dwight said, handing over the notes—widely accepted currency across Cloud Country. After the transaction was completed, Dwight left with the Fire Spirit Sword in hand, satisfied with his new acquisition. Noah safely stashed the 20 notes in his robe, then calmed his mind, readying himself for what came next. Almost immediately, a familiar stabbing pain pierced through his head. Within moments, his surroundings shifted, and he found himself inside a round, vast space: the pagoda's inner world. The space was mostly empty, save for a simple, small hut surrounded by several large rocks and broken logs. Inside the pagoda, time worked differently. Whether he stayed for three years or five, only a moment would pass in the outside world. Furthermore, this time wouldn't affect his lifespan—though he would need food to survive; he could still starve to death here. "My body is still too weak," Noah thought. "But if I train it enough, I might be able to awaken my abilities. Even if my talent isn't great, I'll train for ten years. If that's not enough, then I'll train for a hundred or even a thousand. I refuse to believe I can't activate my meridians!" Confident in his resolve, Noah stepped out of the pagoda space and headed to the dining hall. It was late afternoon, and many new and older disciples were already there, enjoying their evening meal. Instead of joining them, Noah made his way to the back kitchen. The head chef, a hefty middle-aged man, gave Noah a puzzled look. "Young disciple, this is the kitchen, not the dining area." Without a word, Noah discreetly slipped a banknote into the chef's hand. "I'm looking to buy some spirit rice." The chef glanced at the note, which was worth 1,000 copper coins, and immediately his expression changed to one of respect and wariness. Where had this wealthy disciple come from? He quickly tried to return the note. "Please, there's no need. Just tell me what you need." The 1,000 copper coins were hard-earned from Noah's time working as a server. But now, with the money he'd made from selling the sword, this amount seemed insignificant. "I never take back money once given. I'm serious about my request. I want to buy 200,000 copper coins' worth of spirit rice," Noah said confidently. Unlike ordinary rice, spirit rice contained spiritual energy, making it essential for those on the verge of becoming martial artists. A single pound of spirit rice could feed a person for three meals over five days. Naturally, it came with a high price tag. "You... want to buy that much spirit rice?" The chef was shocked—200,000 copper coins would buy 4,000 pounds of spirit rice, enough to last one person around 20,000 days. "Does the dining hall have that much? I want it now," Noah pressed. "Yes, we do," the chef answered, still bewildered. He led Noah to the storage room, where dozens of large sacks of spirit rice were neatly stacked—at least a hundred bags in total. "For 200,000 copper coins, you can buy 4,000 pounds. Each bag weighs 100 pounds, so that's 40 bags. But... how do you plan to carry all this?" the chef asked curiously. Noah stepped forward, touched one of the sacks, and in an instant, stored it in his pagoda space. "Is that... a spatial artifact?" the chef stammered, his jaw dropping as he watched the sack of rice vanish. Spatial artifacts were rare treasures that could store items. They came in various forms, like earrings, rings, bracelets, pendants, or pouches, and only the wealthy or powerful could afford them. Noah quickly stored the remaining 39 bags in his pagoda space, then handed the chef a banknote worth 200,000 copper coins. "Here's the payment. I'll come back for more in the future. Please, keep this between us." With that, Noah left the kitchen. After a quick meal in the dining hall, he returned to his dormitory and re-entered the pagoda space. Looking at the neatly stacked bags of spirit rice, Noah felt a sense of security. "These bags will last me nearly 20,000 days—about 55 years. I refuse to believe I can't activate my meridians after all this time!" Determined, Noah began his relentless training.

Chapter 4: Mysterious Pagoda Space

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