Demon, come and cultivate for me.

"Hello, Senior Fan. My name is Zhou Chu. Thank you for your guidance. May I ask where I can register for the citizenship examination?"

The martial arts registration is good; one can enter the martial arts registration.

As a peak-level martial artist, how would others know I am a top expert if I didn't register as a martial artist?

If I don't let others know, wouldn't I be wasting my time?

Fan Li took the gourd from the long stick he was leaning on, unscrewed the lid, and the aroma of wine filled the air.

He gulped down a few mouthfuls and laughed:

"You brat, why are you so arrogant at first and so obsequious at the end?"

Just a moment ago he was calling me "old man," but now he's acting like a senior.

"We were just joking around," Zhou Chu said with a smile.

How was I supposed to know you were so awesome?

His strength was comparable to that of the prefect, yet he dressed slovenly, whether intentionally or not, it was unclear.

"The next centralized assessment by the government will be held next midsummer."

"This is going on for too long." Zhou Chu calculated the time; it was just past the beginning of autumn, and there were still several months until midsummer next year.

"It's not that you have to wait that long. The laws of Yan state state that those with outstanding talent have a special naturalization channel. With your strength, you meet the special naturalization requirements."

"Do you have a way?" Zhou Chu asked.

"If you are recommended by two martial artists of the same level, you can also become a citizen. However..." Fan Li said, looking Zhou Chu up and down.

"But what? You old... senior, you always only say half of what you mean." Zhou Chu couldn't stand people who didn't speak clearly, but he couldn't do anything about this old man.

"However, in this Wuyang City, only I and Prefect Zou can recommend you. I can recommend you, but it's hard to say with the Prefect."

Zhou Chu didn't respond to his question, but instead asked:

Why are you helping me?

Having known Fan Licai for less than a day, the old man's overtures made Zhou Chu suspicious.

If the reason given is that Zhou Chu killed Ji Ling Dao Ren to avenge his master, that reason is rather far-fetched.

After all, even if he didn't make a move, Fan Li's strength was definitely enough to kill Ji Ling Dao Ren.

"Hahahaha..." Fan Li suddenly laughed, "Young friend Zhou Chu is a straightforward person, so I won't keep you in suspense any longer."

"I recommended you for citizenship for only one purpose: I hope to borrow the Crimson Mirage Pearl you possess."

That's more like it.

Hearing Fan Li reveal his purpose, Zhou Chu felt slightly relieved; there is no such thing as unearned kindness in the world.

"No!"

Zhou Chu resolutely refused.

If Zhou Chu hadn't known the origin and purpose of the Crimson Mirage Pearl, he might have used it to gain a recommendation.

Now that we know the value of this bead, how can we easily lend it to others?

This thing cost countless lives; even he himself nearly lost his life because of it.

Fan Li was not surprised by this answer, as if he had known all along that Zhou Chu would refuse.

"You and I practice the same guiding exercise, and we've both reached our peak and reached a bottleneck. If you want to break through, you must find an advanced version of this exercise..."

After Fan Li explained, Zhou Chu understood the reason.

It turns out that the Dragon Form Guiding Exercise they practiced was a fragment of a scroll that had been scattered throughout the world.

To break through, one must find the complete cultivation method.

The complete cultivation method is hidden in the ancient human ruins in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

According to Fan Li, he had experience in going into the mountains and many clues about the ruins, while Zhou Chu had the Red Mirage Pearl.

The two went into the mountains together, complementing each other's strengths, and it wouldn't be long before they found the complete Dragon Form Guiding Exercise.

Zhou Chu is now a commoner, unlike Fan Li who has the identity of a martial artist and can travel freely to various places.

To travel south to Baiyue, one had to pass through several cities and passes within the territory of Yan. When passing through these passes, both Zhou and Chu needed the local government to issue travel permits.

Having a martial arts certificate would allow one to avoid these troubles on the road and travel without hindrance.

After Fan Li finished explaining, Zhou Chu agreed to go to Baiyue with him almost without thinking.

Clearly, this is a fair and mutually beneficial transaction, or rather, a collaboration.

"I have never met the Prefect of Wuyang before, so I don't know..." Zhou Chu was worried that the Prefect of Wuyang would refuse to recommend him for official registration, after all, this was no small matter.

"You don't need to worry. Just use some money, and with my influence, he'll have no reason to refuse," Fan Li said confidently.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior. Where should I go to see you tomorrow?" Zhou Chu and Fan Li agreed that they would go to see the Prefect of Wuyang together tomorrow.

"Golden Palace Tower," Fan Li said, naming the inn.

"Okay." Zhou Chu noted down the name, then suddenly felt a sense of familiarity: "You also live in Jinque Tower..."

Zhou Chu remembered that the inn he was staying at was Jinque Tower.

Unbeknownst to him, Fan Li met Xie Ning at the pawnshop, saw the Crimson Mirage Pearl, and then stayed at the Golden Palace Inn.

A moment later, the two returned to the Golden Palace Tower together.

As soon as Zhou Chu entered, he saw Xie Ning arguing loudly with the shopkeeper at the counter, while Hu Xiaobai chimed in from the side.

Zhou Chu went up to Hu Xiaobai and asked him. He then learned that although they were both in the top-class rooms, others paid one tael of silver per day, while they had to pay two taels of silver.

Hu Xiaobai learned of this by chance and told Xie Ning about it.

So Xie Ning stormed downstairs to argue with the shopkeeper and demand a refund.

The shopkeeper, unfazed, declared confidently:

"Our Golden Palace Tower is government property. Registered martial artists who reside here will have all their expenses halved. This is a rule set by the prefect."

Of the 100,000 people in Wuyang City, there are only about 300 martial artists.

The government provided these people with various preferential treatments in order to keep them in the city and protect the peace of the area.

In Xie Ning's eyes, martial artists were nothing special; the servants and guards in her household were all mid-level martial artists.

"Summon your prefect here!" Xie Ning said angrily, hands on her hips.

These words shocked everyone in the room.

Those who were drinking put down their wine glasses, and those who were drinking tea put down their teacups, all turning their heads to look at the counter.

The shopkeeper paused for a moment, then chuckled. He picked at his ear and said:

"Young lady, who did you say you wanted to call? Did I hear you correctly?"

This girl is either crazy or stupid.

That's a prefect! A peak-level martial artist! Not some shop assistant to be ordered around.

Xie Ning had been living a life of luxury since childhood, so a few taels of silver meant nothing to her.

In the capital, his peers earned several hundred taels of silver a day for pocket money.

But now all she has left is four taels of silver, which she obtained by exchanging other people's things.

Staying in a shabby inn costs several taels of silver more than others.

Moreover, a mere martial artist's status is nothing more than something the Xie family can take at will.

Unfortunately, the law stipulates that martial artists must be at least eighteen years old to be registered as citizens. She is only seventeen this year. Moreover, the Xie family members do not need to use martial artist status to support their identity. They will only be recommended by their family to be registered when they enter officialdom.

The innkeeper was still rambling on:

"I advise you, young lady, to rest early and not cause trouble. There are martial artists patrolling outside at night. If you really start a fight, you'll lose all face..."

"Shut up!" Zhou Chu stepped forward and slammed the box he had looted from Jiling Temple onto the counter. "It's just a few taels of silver, why all the nonsense?"

Zhou Chu opened the box and slammed the silver ingots onto the counter: "Say one more word and I'll tear your dog mouth apart."

Upon seeing the fifty-tael silver ingot, the shopkeeper immediately shut his mouth and nodded at Zhou Chu with a beaming smile.

Zhou Chu closed the box and pulled Xie Ning to his side with one hand:

"It's just a tael of silver, no need to argue with him."

Zhou Chu's small box contained a full thousand taels of silver, making him a typical nouveau riche. He didn't need to worry about a tael or two.

Furthermore, the rule that registered martial artists should pay one tael less silver is a regulation of the government, and it is not something that a small shopkeeper like him can control.