After settling down at the inn, Tyler called the innkeeper over and placed a pile of copper coins on the table.

"I’d like to exchange these for silver."

The innkeeper looked at the copper coins, then at Tyler, and immediately became much more enthusiastic. Tyler even added a small commission for the trouble. By the time the exchange was finished, three hundred copper coins had become ten silver coins.

Once the innkeeper left, Tyler casually tossed the silver coins into the copper pot.

A while later, he reached inside and took out more.

Then more.

Then more.

Looking at the steadily increasing pile of silver, Tyler couldn’t help smiling. No matter how many worlds he traveled through, the copper pot remained as reliable as ever. As long as he had a starting coin, making money was easier than breathing.

Over the next few days, Tyler’s life improved rapidly. He bought several sets of proper clothes, replaced everything the previous owner possessed, hired carriages whenever he needed them, and even gifted the innkeeper a new set of clothes. The old man was so happy that he nearly refused to accept payment for the room. Unfortunately, Tyler insisted. He didn’t like owing favors, especially when money was the easiest thing in the world for him to obtain.

At the same time, Tyler began gathering information about the cultivation world.

Unlike the Zi World, cultivators here weren’t some mysterious existence hidden from ordinary people. Everyone knew about the nearby sects. Tavern storytellers spoke about them. Merchants talked about them. Even random pedestrians on the street could point in their direction.

The two closest sects were the Sun Dial Sect and the Dark Forest Society.

Both were considered righteous sects.

At least, that was what the locals claimed.

Tyler wasn’t interested in debating whether a sect was righteous or demonic. He had lived long enough to know that labels didn’t mean much. What mattered was whether he could enter.

Unfortunately, that was where the problem began.

He wasn’t sure if this body even possessed spiritual roots.

For several days, Tyler tried every cultivation method he remembered.

Kunpeng Art.

Lake View Art.

Several water-attributed techniques.

Nothing worked.

Not even the slightest reaction.

Spiritual qi refused to move.

Tyler sat cross-legged on the bed and frowned.

"Either my spiritual roots are different or I don’t have any."

Neither answer was particularly comforting.

Still unwilling to give up, he spent money buying cultivation manuals from black markets and shady merchants. Most turned out to be useless. One claimed to be an ancient cultivation scripture left behind by an immortal expert. After reading half of it, Tyler discovered it was actually a recipe collection.

Another promised to let mortals ascend within three years.

It contained thirty pages explaining breathing exercises and another seventy pages advertising the author’s next book.

Tyler finally understood why cultivators rarely trusted mortal markets.

Since books weren’t helping, he decided to visit a sect personally.

The nearest option was the Sun Dial Sect.

Unfortunately, it was located beyond several mountain ranges.

Even with a carriage, the journey would take about a week.

Tyler hired several guards and prepared for the trip.

Three days later, he returned to the inn.

The moment he entered, the innkeeper looked surprised.

"Young Master, you’re back already?"

Tyler sat down and poured himself tea.

"The mountains are troublesome."

That was putting it mildly.

The mountain roads were filled with bandits. Worse, someone among his guards had leaked information about his wealth.

When the bandits appeared, the guards immediately scattered in every direction.

Not one remained behind.

Even Tyler ran.

The bandit leader was a First Level Qi Refining cultivator. Under normal circumstances, Tyler could probably defeat him with a slap. Unfortunately, he was currently a hungry mortal with no confirmed spiritual roots.

Running was the wiser choice.

As for the pursuing bandits, Tyler simply scattered silver coins behind him.

The effect was immediate.

The bandits who had been shouting about loyalty and brotherhood suddenly began fighting each other over money.

By the time they finished grabbing coins, Tyler had already disappeared.

A few days later, Tyler spotted one of his former guards in the city.

It was the mole.

The man was drinking wine and spending money rather comfortably.

Tyler looked at him for a few moments before quietly leaving.

The next day, the mole was seen crawling through the streets with both legs broken.

Tyler didn’t ask how it happened. The local gang didn’t ask why they received silver.

Everyone was happy.

After abandoning the mountain route, Tyler bought an expensive map and began studying alternatives. Eventually his eyes landed on another destination.

The Dark Forest Society. Reaching it by land was difficult. Reaching it by water was much easier.

According to local merchants, pirates occasionally appeared along the river, but most of them operated more like tax collectors than actual pirates. As long as travelers paid the toll, passage was generally safe.

After thinking for a day, Tyler bought a ticket.

The ship departed the next morning.

During the voyage, Tyler spent most of his time cultivating. Or at least trying to cultivate.

Sometimes he thought he could feel traces of spiritual qi. Sometimes he felt absolutely nothing. The uncertainty became increasingly annoying.

"If I don’t have spiritual roots, I’ll need to create them somehow."

That wasn’t impossible.

The problem was that heavenly treasures capable of doing such things were usually priceless.

Finding a treasure like that didn’t seem impossible. He had done that before.

Three days into the journey, pirates appeared exactly as expected.

Several ships blocked the river. The passengers became nervous. The captain paid a toll and The pirates left.

The passengers relaxed.

Tyler felt slightly disappointed. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but somehow that wasn’t it.

Several days later, the ship finally arrived at its destination. The town sitting beside the river looked gloomy even from a distance.

Dark buildings lined the streets. Gray mist drifted through the roads. The atmosphere felt cold and strange.

When Tyler stepped off the ship, a chill unconsciously ran down his spine. Most passengers remained aboard. Only a handful disembarked.

While Tyler was wondering how to enter town, a carriage slowly approached.

The horse pulling it wasn’t alive. It was a skeleton horse.

Tyler stared at the skeleton horse. The skeleton horse stared back.

After several seconds, Tyler decided not to ask questions.

"Welcome to Skull Town." The driver smiled. His skin was pale and his face looked sickly, but his attitude was surprisingly friendly.

"If you’re visiting, twenty copper coins. I’ll bring you to the best inn in town."

Tyler paid and climbed aboard.

As the carriage moved through the streets, he quickly noticed something unusual.

The workers unloading cargo at the docks were corpses. The people carrying crates were corpses.

The laborers moving goods through warehouses were corpses.

Not a single one spoke.

The driver noticed where Tyler was looking and laughed.

"First time?"

Tyler nodded.

"Don’t worry. These corpse are controlled by corpse cultivators. The locals love hiring them. They don’t complain, don’t get tired, and ask for minimum wages."

Only then did Tyler understand.

The Dark Forest Society might be considered a righteous sect, but it was clearly a Yin-attributed sect.

Looking at the walking corpses throughout the town, Tyler leaned back against the carriage and smiled. He felt this place is interesting.

The carriage soon arrived before an inn near the center of Skull Town. The driver hadn’t been exaggerating. Compared to the gloomy streets outside, the inn was surprisingly decent. The building was well maintained, the rooms were clean, and even the food was far better than Tyler expected from a town filled with corpse cultivators.

After renting a deluxe room, Tyler spent the evening eating and resting. Not long afterward, someone knocked on the door.

"Mr. Tyler, this is what you requested."

Tyler opened the door and found the carriage driver standing outside. In one hand was a book, and in the other was a small package.

After receiving payment, the driver happily left.

Tyler returned to the table and opened the book first.

The contents were exactly what he needed. It contained information regarding the Dark Forest Society, nearby settlements under its control, and the procedures required to join the sect.

"Oh?"

The more he read, the brighter his smile became.

"So anyone under twenty-five can join as an Outer Disciple as long as they pay the entrance fee. The only real requirement is possessing spiritual roots."

That was much easier than he expected.

After putting the book aside, Tyler opened the small package.

Inside was a gray stone roughly the size of an egg along with a slip of instructions.

"A spiritual root testing stone."

Tyler quickly read through the explanation.

The method was crude but effective. One simply had to hold the stone tightly in their palm and immerse it in hot water. If the stone melted completely, it meant the person lacked spiritual roots. However, if spiritual roots were present, the spiritual roots within the body would naturally slow the melting process.

Tyler looked at the stone for a moment.

This simple test would finally answer a question that had been bothering him ever since arriving in this world.

Without wasting any more time, he poured hot water into a basin, picked up the stone, and closed his hand around it.

Then he slowly submerged his hand into the steaming water.

His eyes remained fixed on the stone, Waiting for the result.