E8

After slamming the door and walking out, Lin Wan leaned against the cold wall of the stairwell, breathing heavily.

Drops of sweat kept sliding down his forehead, and soon his shirt was soaked with cold sweat. His fingers trembled uncontrollably, and his face was pale.

In one day, he had forcibly activated his spiritual energy multiple times despite his weakened condition, and Lin Wan’s body could no longer take it.

The human body has a self-protection mechanism; it will force the body into a state of dormancy, or fainting, when it cannot withstand the current intense stimulus to prevent irreparable damage.

However, in the previous instances, he had suppressed the fainting episodes by forcibly activating his spiritual energy.

Although he had temporarily managed to keep his consciousness awake, the pain and damage to his body still existed.

In fact, because he had activated his spiritual energy again while suppressing the fainting, the burden on his body had increased.

So this time, after enduring repeated torment, his body finally couldn't take it anymore and gave out.

Lin Wan leaned against the wall, feeling his body explode with pain and fatigue, and frowned in frustration as he sighed.

Clearly, he had powerful spiritual energy that could defy heaven and earth, but because of his fragile body, he had to seal away this immense power. When he needed to act, he could only carefully extract a small amount of energy. Such a life was incredibly stifling.

He needed to get stronger quickly...

Gazing at the Lin family's front door, Lin Wan felt a strong urge to draw a bad luck curse on it. But his aching body reminded him of the harsh truth: "You can't go on like this."

Taking a breath, Lin Wan grasped the railing and slowly made his way down the stairs step by step.

He couldn't delay any longer; he didn’t want to endure this weak and fragile body for even a second longer! He needed to find a cheap hotel to rent a room immediately; he was going to wash his marrow and transform himself, stepping onto the path of a story filled with excitement!

...

—Three Minutes Later—

Lin Wan, breathing heavily, finally managed to drag his frail body out of the community gate.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he sat on the curb, feeling overwhelmed as he began to ponder his life.

He had just been dreaming about the future when he realized he had inadvertently overlooked the most important problem—

As someone who was completely broke, he couldn't afford even a small room in a cheap hotel right now!

Without money, he couldn’t find a safe place to wash his marrow;

If he didn’t wash his marrow, his body would remain weak, unable to support his activation of spiritual energy;

And if he couldn’t activate his spiritual energy, wouldn’t the powerful advantage he gained from his reincarnation be sealed away?

It was too miserable; it was just too miserable. Why was he in such a dire situation?

Sitting on the curb, Lin Wan thought about his current predicament and couldn’t help but shed a tear of sympathy for himself.

Recalling the countless stories he had read during his troubled high school years about people making comebacks, he felt increasingly angry.

Why, when others experienced reincarnation, did they all live inspiring lives in the workplace, while his script turned into a tragic family drama?!

In terms of misfortune, he was certainly not lacking!

Sighing sadly, Lin Wan rested his chin in his hand and thought for a long time, yet still couldn’t find a suitable answer.

Perhaps this was the gap between life and ideals...

Starting capital for entrepreneurship was just too hard to come by...

Looking into the distance, Lin Wan thought sadly.

He kept gazing, staring into the distance, feeling sorrowful for a long time, when suddenly his gloomy eyes brightened.

...Hmm? Wait, that sign??!

Lin Wan's eyes sharpened.

At the end of the street, at the corner, a store sign hung high, shimmering with unusual colors in the last rays of the setting sun.

Old Yao Pawnshop

A pawnshop...

Lin Wan silently read the sign in his heart.

That’s right, although he had no money now, his space was filled with treasures. It’s not an exaggeration to say that if he pulled out a blade of grass from his space, it would be something that the current cultivation world would fight over!

But... do I really have to part with the little treasure I’ve saved for so long...?

Thinking of the countless precious materials I’ve painstakingly gathered in my space, each one a little mountain of treasure, and realizing that one of those adorable little gems is about to leave me, Lin Wan felt as if his heart was bleeding.

Oh, his treasure—he had accumulated it for so long, filling an entire space with his precious finds...

Lin Wan struggled internally for a long time. In the end, he pinched the only fifty cents he had in his pocket and sighed, turning to walk toward the public restroom in the opposite direction.

Forget it. Being strong is the foundation for standing tall. Only by becoming stronger can I acquire more treasures...

Moments later, Lin Wan walked out of the restroom with a sorrowful expression.

He looked at his palm and sighed softly again.

In his palm lay a pearl, about the size of an adult woman's fist, pure white and lustrous, appearing completely flawless.

Actually, this pearl wasn't entirely without flaws.

After all, this pearl was the smallest and least visually appealing one he had painstakingly selected from a pile of pearls he had gathered. Despite its size, its surface was dull, and when viewed carefully with spiritual awareness, it showed slight asymmetry—these were the "defects."

It was precisely because this was a defective item that Lin Wan felt only a little heartache when he took it out to exchange for money.

Faced with the harsh and unforgiving reality, Lin Wan eventually bowed his proud and stubborn head. Heartbroken yet unwilling, he took out his little treasure to exchange it for a bit of money.

Treasure, you can stay here for a few days. Once I have money, I will definitely come back to redeem you!

When that time comes, you will be the great contributor of our family. Daddy will never complain about your looks again; you will be No. 1 among that pile of pearls!

Lin Wan stood at the door of the pawnshop, tightly gripping the pearl in his hand, reluctantly bidding farewell to it for a long time.

After a while, he took a deep breath and finally stepped through the door of the pawnshop with a heavy heart.

Seeing this, Old Yao in the shop restrained his joyful feelings and greeted Lin Wan with a familiar, warm, yet measured smile as he approached quickly.

“Hello, what would you like to pawn?”

The pawnshop run by Old Yao’s family had been in business for several generations.

Each generation of Old Yao passed the shop down to Little Yao, who grew up to become Old Yao, who then passed it to the next generation of Little Yao.

Old Yao was no exception.

He grew up in the shop, learning to identify treasures from his father while also mastering the skill of reading people’s expressions.

When Lin Wan hesitated at the shop door, Old Yao had already keenly observed him.

Seeing Lin Wan’s face, filled with hesitation and reluctance, along with his tattered clothes, Old Yao immediately understood the situation of the boy at the door.

It was likely another impoverished youth, forced by life’s circumstances to come to the pawnshop to pawn something inherited from his ancestors.

Generally speaking, items pawned in such situations were usually valuable. What kind of surprise would this young man bring him?

With this thought, Old Yao couldn’t help but smile slightly, his mood lifting further.

But soon, his joyous feelings plummeted.

He looked at the pearl Lin Wan held up toward him, and his lips couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

Are today’s kids really so lacking in common sense? Even if you wanted to bring a fake pearl to scam money, you shouldn’t bring something this fake!

Looking at the boy with sparkling, hopeful eyes and an eager expression, Old Yao felt both angered and amused.

“A pearl as white and lustrous as this, without any flaws, is worth more the bigger it is. Once, an 8.3-carat pearl sold for a sky-high price of one hundred million.”

Watching Lin Wan’s eyes light up further as he spoke, Old Yao coldly continued, “So, you should know that the fakes should be more believable. A luminous pearl like yours, even Empress Dowager Cixi couldn’t afford! Who are you trying to fool?”

With a wave of his hand, Old Yao shoved the thin Lin Wan out of the shop door, then said with disdain, “Go play somewhere else, don’t interfere with my business! This kid looks decent, but how is he so dim-witted?”

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