"You just got back, you must be tired. Take a good rest first. I'm heading out for a bit, and I'll cook you something special for your birthday dinner tonight," said Ryoji as he gently ruffled Renji's hair.
"Go ahead, go ahead."
With a stockpile of spirit stones and demon cores now in his hands, Renji was already focused on something far more exciting than dinner.
As soon as Ryoji left, Renji rushed to his room, clutching his haul with anticipation.
He quickly did the math: Ten mid-grade spirit stones, valued at 500 energy points each by the system.
Then there were fifteen demon cores: five intermediate third-tier cores worth 350 points each, and ten advanced third-tier cores worth 400 points each.
"So that's 1750 plus 4000… total of 5750 energy points."
"And the spirit stones? That's 5000 more."
"Which means… a grand total of 10,750 energy points!"
Renji nearly burst with joy. This was the first time he truly felt the pleasure of being a second-generation elite. He didn't have to fight for this fortune—it was simply a birthday gift.
No wonder the arrogant rich kids in novels always had the upper hand. They didn't just have wealth—they had resources to grow stronger without lifting a finger.
Having tasted that luxury firsthand, Renji now fully understood its value.
Excited, he began planning how to use this new treasure trove of energy.
First, the ten mid-grade spirit stones. He thought about trading them in for energy, but decided against it.
Spirit stones were different from demon cores. They could be directly absorbed to cultivate spiritual energy—something demon cores couldn't do as effectively.
Before the mission investigating the beast tide, he and Yuna had each received one mid-grade spirit stone from Principal Wang Daochuan of Azure Dragon Academy, and they both advanced a whole sub-rank.
One stone could raise a first-tier psychic by an entire level.
After hesitating, Renji finally decided to keep all ten stones for cultivation. Energy points could be earned later, but improving his psychic rank was a rare opportunity.
He immediately began the absorption process.
Now at Advanced First-Tier, Renji needed three mid-grade spirit stones to reach the Initial Second-Tier.
The system worked like this: Each rank advancement required three stones, at least until the third tier.
He used all ten stones and reached Advanced Second-Tier, just shy of the third tier.
It wasn't disappointing though. For an average student at Azure Dragon Academy, reaching the second tier typically took six months to a year.
Reaching the third tier, however, was a true milestone. It demanded not only energy but also real combat experience and a hardened will.
The academy's average? Two and a half years to get from second to third tier.
Though he hadn't reached that milestone yet, Renji was more than satisfied with his progress.
"Next up: the demon cores."
Without hesitation, he converted all the demon cores into energy points. That netted him 5750 points.
Added to his existing 800 points, Renji now had 6550 energy points to spend.
"Time to shop!"
The best deals always came from the Mystery Shop, where prices were often slashed for a limited time.
But when Renji opened the system menu, he saw the shop was closed!
"Already? It's been half a month?"
He'd completely lost track of time and missed the free refresh.
"System, when does the Mystery Shop open again?"
[The Mystery Shop opens randomly. However, the host can spend 500 energy points to activate it manually.]
"I can pay to open it?"
Renji's eyes sparkled.
500 points wasn't cheap, but if he could get a discount again, it would be worth every bit.
"Open it now!"
[Ding! 500 energy points deducted. Mystery Shop activated.]
Eight glowing items appeared on a virtual shelf before him:
Mangekyō Sharingan (Amaterasu): 7000 energy pointsMangekyō Sharingan (Tsukuyomi): 7000 energy pointsMangekyō Sharingan (Kamui): 20,000 energy pointsMangekyō Sharingan (Kotoamatsukami): 20,000 energy pointsMangekyō Sharingan (Susanoo): 30,000 energy pointsSage Art: Gate of the Bright Deity (Myōjinmon): 25,000 energy pointsWood Release: Unsealed Healing: 7000 energy pointsWood Release: Cutting Technique: 1000 energy pointsWood Release: Tree Binding Eternal Burial: 300 energy points
Four Sharingan abilities and four Wood Release techniques—Renji started seeing a pattern.
The Mystery Shop often recycled exclusive system skills like eye arts and wood-style ninjutsu, offering them with discounts. Meanwhile, the lottery drew broader powers like tailed beast skills or sealing arts.
But compared to a single lottery pull costing 5000 points, Renji preferred the discount store model.
Next, the system triggered the discount roll.
Renji chanted mentally: "Hundred percent, Hundred percent…"
A flash of golden light.
60% off.
A bit disappointing—he had hoped for 90% off like before—but still, it was a decent deal.
Here were the new prices:
Amaterasu: 2800 pointsTsukuyomi: 2800 pointsKamui: 8000 pointsKotoamatsukami: 8000 pointsSusanoo: 12,000 pointsMyōjinmon: 10,000 pointsUnsealed Healing: 2800 pointsCutting Technique: 400 pointsTree Binding Burial: 120 points
He had 6050 points left to spend.
After some agonizing, he made his decision:
Amaterasu and Unsealed Healing.
One for offense, one for support. Fire and healing. Power and resilience.
A perfect pair.
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