86: Naturalization is stable and legal

Accompanying Yue Wudao for a while, they walked along a street lined with shops on both sides. Most of the magnificent buildings were Martial Artist shops, while shops run by Mortals were few and far between.

Among them, there were many Talisman shops and armor shops, where the skirts, clothes, and armor were all enveloped in Spiritual Light. Next to them were Artifact Refining workshops, which were truly tall and grand, with various weapons looking quite fierce. There were even more Medicinal Pill shops, and the medicinal fragrance and food aroma wafting from the restaurants were all rich in spiritual energy, so much so that just smelling them could stir Chen Cuo's appetite.

However, upon closer inspection, the currency they traded in was all broken Spirit Crystals, which are the pulverized product of Spirit Stones.

Gold and silver were useless here, which meant Chen Cuo didn't have a single penny on him.

As for inquiring about the quotas for registration, the answers from those shops left Chen Cuo somewhat dissatisfied; compared to what White Egret said, it was a world of difference.

Yue Wudao also shook his head with a bitter smile. He went to the Yuanfu Sect's sub-branch, where the clerks were all Acquired Realm Martial Artists, who acted arrogantly towards him, an Innate Expert, which displeased him. The other party also stated that they would not be recruiting new Talisman Masters in the near future.

He could only investigate the Huang Family. The Huang Family's Talisman workshop was a dispatched force from an external Cultivation Family. It was rumored to be a large Family with Golden Core Great Perfection Cultivators in the outside world.

White Egret said that Cultivation Realms in the Cultivation World are divided into Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation.

And as long as an Innate Martial Artist successfully absorbs spiritual energy, entering the Cultivation World is equivalent to having the strength of a seventh-level Qi Condensation Cultivator. If it is an Innate Great Perfection Grandmaster, it is even equivalent to a Qi Condensation Great Perfection Cultivator.

The Huang Family's influence was not small, or rather, any major force or large Family that could have a hand in the Jueling Realm had either been prosperous in the past or were currently prosperous.

Even White Egret's Artifact Refining workshop was an external force, an industry named Lingbao Mountain, and it also had Golden Core Great Perfection Cultivators.

As for Yuanfu Mountain and the like, there's no need to mention them; they are even one of the overlords that rule the outside Cultivation World. One of the great Divine Ability users who originally established this foundation was from Yuanfu Mountain.

These major forces also discovered the potential here and clearly regarded this place as a secret Realm to Cultivate.

Although this secret Realm's most abundant resource was only population.

Yue Wudao went to the Huang Family, and both sides found each other agreeable. He immediately decided to sign a contract for ten years. The Huang Family would teach Yue Wudao the art of making Spirit Talismans, and Yue Wudao would work for the Huang Family, making Talismans for ten years. After the term expired, he would be granted the method of absorbing spiritual energy.

As for the quota to cross Realms, there was none; he had to find a way himself, as the Huang Family also had to prioritize their trusted subordinates.

Comparing these, Chen Cuo truly gained a huge advantage. White Egret immediately used the method of absorbing spiritual energy to win him over. It seemed that the situation at her Bailu Smithy was not optimistic recently, and it needed fresh blood.

When Yue Wudao signed the contract, Chen Cuo also witnessed it. This oath was a blood pact, guided by the soul. Neither party could violate it, or they would pay a huge price.

"Old Brother Chen, I won't accompany you anymore. I think the conditions at the Bailu Smithy are quite good, you can give it a try!"

Chen Cuo didn't say much, only: "Thank you for the reminder, old brother. I will return those five broken Spirit Crystals to you as soon as possible. We'll meet again!"

After a reluctant farewell, Chen Cuo left the market. Sure enough, White Egret was still waiting not far away.

Chen Cuo had already compared various options, and the conditions at the Bailu Smithy were already excellent. Chen Cuo naturally wouldn't be ungrateful. He already had a Spiritual Root, so it was naturally better to get the method of absorbing spiritual energy sooner rather than later, to facilitate his Cultivation and gradual study.

He stepped forward, bowing respectfully, and said, "From now on, I humbly ask for your care, Boss Bai."

The matter of registration was thus settled.

Chen Cuo followed White Egret back to the Bailu Smithy. The entire Xueshan City was still quite large. Chen Cuo estimated that the total population inside and outside the city was probably over 100,000.

Compared to Mortal cities, this was already a metropolis. Although it was nothing compared to modern cities in his previous life, this was in ancient times, and on top of a mountain peak, where land was limited.

The Bailu Smithy was located near the edge of the city center. Many people were busy at the moment, but when Chen Cuo went to look, there was only one white-haired Innate Expert in the shop, diligently forging a hoe.

However, that hoe also looked extraordinary, with various line-shaped inscriptions on it, like a low-grade Magical Artifact.

Along the way, White Egret had explained the classification and Rank of forged Magical Artifacts. The initial stage was low-grade Magical Artifacts, followed by first-Rank Magical Artifacts, divided into three levels: High Grade, Medium Grade, and Low Grade.

In this Jueling Realm, at most, only first-Rank High Grade Magical Artifacts could be forged, but it was very difficult, and they couldn't even be used, because an Innate Expert's True Qi simply couldn't activate them; only magic power could.

An Innate Great Perfection Martial Artist, a master who has successfully absorbed spiritual energy and possesses the rudimentary form of magic power, can only barely use a first-Rank Medium Grade Magical Artifact within the city. Outside the city, they would suffer backlash.

So, even though the hoe was only a low-grade Magical Artifact, it was ultimately different from ordinary Mortal iron tools and knives. This hoe could only be driven by a Acquired Realm Perfection master, and it was forged to be used for farming in the fields within the city.

White Egret said that this old Master was named Dai. Thirty years ago, he signed an agreement with the Bailu Smithy, but he was not adequately prepared when he absorbed spiritual energy and failed to absorb a Spiritual Root.

And there was no chance to try again. Even if he crossed Realms to the Cultivation World, he would only be an ant or a tiny insect, so he might as well stay here. His contract had ended, so he renewed it, only doing light work, usually teaching apprentices, essentially retiring in the shop.

Later, White Egret also recruited two new Innate Experts who could refine artifacts. One did not renew his contract after it expired, and one actually died two months ago.

This caused the output of the Bailu Smithy to drop significantly. Now, Master Dai also had to personally work overtime, and sometimes White Egret would even refine artifacts herself.

Today, when she went out to purchase Artifact Refining spiritual materials, she immediately met Chen Cuo, who possessed Innate True Fire. She instantly felt that her own Artifact Refining workshop had hope of flourishing again, which is why she sincerely invited him.

After entering, Chen Cuo greeted the busy Master Dai. The latter was too busy to pay attention to him or White Egret, even though she was the boss.

A moment later, Chen Cuo finished reading the contract handed over by White Egret and found no deceptive schemes. He then forced out a drop of blood essence to complete the contract signing.

Finally, White Egret handed over two books: one thin, handwritten text, which was precisely the method of absorbing spiritual energy, and one special, kneaded scroll, which contained the Bailu Smithy's forging method, but only the basic volume.