The Golden Character Workshop's Olive Branch

The door opened, revealing a beauty standing outside with a face like a lotus and brows like willow leaves, her eyes captivating the heart. Her snow-white skin was slightly pale and sickly, yet it made her all the more pitifully charming.

Chen Dengming looked in surprise at this rather enthusiastic neighbor and said, "Sister Xu, what is it?"

The seductive woman was also an Innate Martial Artist named Xu Wei, and she was the person he had interacted with the most over the past month or so.

Back when he first arrived at the Gathering Place and spent his first night sleeping rough, it was this woman who had given him a meal.

He hadn't forgotten her kindness and often reciprocated by giving her some fish, though they never actually met face to face at the time.

It wasn't until Chen Dengming officially obtained the right to live in a shanty house, and happened to be assigned a home next to hers, that the two gradually got to know each other through repeated interactions.

However, Chen Dengming had been focused on cultivation, rarely leaving his home. Most of their exchanges were initiated by this woman, who would come over enthusiastically to chat.

Chen Dengming initially thought her goal was to get him to patronize her business.

After all, she was someone who worked night shifts at the nearby Golden Character Workshop, and with a new potential customer nearby, it was only natural for her to come knocking to develop business.

But after several encounters, Xu Wei mostly chatted about trivial household matters, lamenting how hard it was for a woman to struggle at the bottom of the Cultivation World, never once bringing up anything directly materialistic.

Chen Dengming had a house full of wives and concubines in the mortal world; he was no novice in matters of the heart.

The occasional fleeting glances and heartfelt words from this woman gradually made him catch on, giving him the vague feeling that she was looking for a partner to share her life with, not a customer.

"Young Master Chen, this concubine apologizes for the intrusion, but I truly have good news to share. An Immortal Master from the Golden Character Workshop wishes to recruit you and asked me to come inform you. Congratulations, Young Master Chen."

Xu Wei spoke respectfully, her cherry lips parting slightly, her eyes full of eagerness.

"Oh?"

Chen Dengming's eyes showed surprise, but then his senses suddenly caught something, and his expression turned serious as he looked across the street behind the woman.

A sturdy male figure stood quietly at the street corner. Seeing Chen Dengming's gaze turn to him, he smiled and cupped his hands, his eyes bright as he transmitted his voice.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I am Wu Chen of the Golden Character Workshop. You've been here for over a month now, so you must have heard of our workshop's reputation. Would you be willing to join us?"

"Join the Golden Character Workshop?"

Chen Dengming's expression was momentarily stunned as his thoughts raced like lightning. Inwardly, however, he was very calm, knowing that the Golden Character Workshop had likely investigated the origin of his Waist Token.

But this matter had been over a month ago, and he had thought it would never come up again.

His initial idea of borrowing some influence was to avoid trouble and keep others from disturbing his peaceful cultivation life.

Unexpectedly, a cultivator from the Golden Character Workshop had now come to recruit him in person.

Within this Rogue Cultivator Gathering Place, there were over a dozen factions of varying sizes, and the Golden Character Workshop was one of the larger ones.

Many of the entertainment houses, tea shops, Spirit Rice stores, and even many of the houses in the Gathering Place were properties of the Golden Character Workshop.

By now, he had also learned that the workshop was composed of dozens of cultivators, with over three hundred Innate Martial Artist followers.

The workshop master was a Qi Cultivation Sixth Heaven cultivator with some connections to the Luo Family, and a good portion of the profits from their many businesses were paid as tribute to the Luo Family.

For such a faction to recruit him after learning he had a Luo Family Waist Token was only natural.

But sending a cultivator to personally invite him and address him as 'Fellow Daoist' seemed overly courteous and respectful.

This wasn't Chen Dengming selling himself short, but after a series of interactions with Qi Cultivation Cultivators, he had seen how poorly cultivators treated mortals.

Even Fairy Luo, who had treated him well, maintained a clear distance.

"Fellow Daoist Chen? Are you unwilling?"

At that moment, the sturdy male cultivator transmitted his voice again, his bright eyes fixed on Chen Dengming.

Chen Dengming snapped back to reality, immediately putting on a smile and cupping his hands. "How could this junior be unwilling when an Immortal Master personally comes to invite me? I'm just a bit overwhelmed by the honor."

The sturdy male cultivator laughed heartily at this and nodded with satisfaction. "Good, I'm glad you're willing. To be honest, our workshop master ordered me to personally invite you. Once you join the Golden Character Workshop, just perform well, and you might even get a personal audience with the workshop master. Your future will be boundless."

At these words, Xu Wei and a few neighbors who had been stirred by the commotion all looked at Chen Dengming with surprise and envy.

To be valued by the workshop master and even have a cultivator personally invite him—in their eyes, this was a meteoric rise.

Chen Dengming smiled politely, knowing full well that such empty promises were just pleasantries to be taken with a grain of salt.

He was just going along with the flow, since he couldn't very well refuse a cultivator who came to invite him in person.

Besides, there was nothing to lose. Joining a faction would also grant him some protection. But hearing that he had caught the workshop master's attention, he couldn't help but feel curious and cautiously probed.

"I am grateful for the workshop master's and Immortal Master's favor, but this junior is merely an Innate Martial Artist, new here and unfamiliar with the rules. May I ask what duties the Golden Character Workshop might require of me?"

The sturdy cultivator shook his head with a smile. "I'm only responsible for inviting you. As for your specific position and benefits after joining, someone else will discuss that with you.

But rest assured, since the workshop master values you, your position and benefits will certainly be good."

Chen Dengming breathed a sigh of relief. "I see. Thank you, Immortal Master."

A moment later, watching the sturdy cultivator leave, Chen Dengming looked at the Spirit Stone Xu Wei had handed him, his thoughts swirling.

The cultivator's personal invitation had indeed shown great sincerity and respect.

But the sense of superiority cultivators held over mortals was still clearly evident.

From start to finish, the man had spoken to him from across the street. Though seemingly polite, he was merely carrying out the workshop master's orders. Even the Spirit Stone, given as a greeting gift, was delivered to him through Xu Wei.

It was as if handing it over personally would dirty his hands or lower his status.

"Congratulations, Young Master Chen. Now that the workshop master values you, your path to immortality will surely be bright."

At that moment, Xu Wei once again offered her congratulations with a smile, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Chen Dengming as she approached with graceful steps, her fragrance wafting through the air.

Chen Dengming stepped back into the room and shook his head. "Sister Xu, we're both rogue cultivators without any background. You know as well as I do how hard it is to step onto the path of immortality with our kind of spiritual root potential."

Xu Wei paused, then forced a faint smile, her sickly face growing even paler. "It's hard, but it's the only chance we have to change our fate. At least we still have spiritual roots, right? Everyone in this gathering place is still holding on."

"You're right," Chen Dengming nodded.

Indeed, everyone in the gathering place—except for those mortals completely without spiritual roots—had once dreamed of treading the immortal path through cultivation, to change their mortal fate and become lofty cultivators.

Perhaps it was precisely that condescending attitude cultivators held toward mortals that drove so many with inferior spiritual roots to embark on the path of cultivation without hesitation, even knowing how difficult it would be.

Like impoverished scholars from humble families, no matter how lowly their birth, they never abandoned the ambition to change their lot through study.

Chen Dengming glanced at the other neighbors showing him smiles from afar, then took a deep look at Xu Wei's sickly, pale, bloodless face. He nodded in acknowledgment and closed the door.

Xu Wei's expression dimmed as she stared at the closed door. She let out a low sigh, as if pitying herself, then turned and entered her own room.

The world of cultivation was cruel—she had seen it before. And because she had seen it, she was all the more weary, long harboring the thought of finding a sturdy shoulder to lean on, to share the burdens of life.

Over a month ago, when Chen Dengming moved in as her neighbor, his background and personal circumstances had all satisfied and moved her. She had taken the initiative to approach him multiple times, even hinting at her feelings.

Unfortunately, the distance between her and Chen Dengming was like that closed door—seemingly close, yet far apart.

Now, that distance had only grown wider, as he gained the favor of the market master, making her feel unworthy.

At that moment, Chen Dengming paced inside his room, examining a low-grade spirit stone in his hand. His eyes held doubt and contemplation, with a flicker of caution.

A spirit stone—he wasn't yet a cultivator and couldn't use it at all.

Even his innate true qi couldn't draw out the spiritual energy within the stone.

So for now, this item was merely currency to him, or material to refine into an unconventional stone gu for ambushing others.

The Golden Character Workshop master had given him a low-grade spirit stone as an innate martial artist—a generous gesture. It surely wasn't just for the waist token in his hand.

The waist token he held was just an ordinary one issued by the Luo Family.

Such tokens were also held by over a hundred cultivators and innate martial artists in the marketplace, all of whom had served the Luo Family and earned merit.

The only special thing about his token was that it was gifted by Fairy Luo herself.

Only that connection could have alarmed a Qi Cultivation Sixth Heaven cultivator.

But this only brought him a headache and wariness.

Danger lurks near the powerful!

A Qi Cultivation Sixth Heaven cultivator was still far too strong for him at present.

Even though he had once killed a Qi Cultivation Second Heaven cultivator, Chen Dengming knew his limits—he was nowhere near capable of handling a Qi Cultivation Sixth Heaven cultivator now.

Whether the man's recruitment was well-intentioned or malicious, he didn't want to get too close to someone like that for now. He only wanted to lie low and cultivate in peace.

"I thought I could use some backing to avoid small troubles, but instead I've drawn a crocodile. Looks like I'll need to be even more careful about leveraging influence in the future... At the end of the day, all this unease comes from lacking real strength. I need to reach the Qi Refining Stage as soon as possible.

Also, I have to find time to gather materials for refining the Golden Silkworm Gu.

Once I forge the Golden Silkworm Gu, my trump card for survival will be much stronger."

Though Chen Dengming felt a pang of regret, he didn't rue his decision.

For now, the Golden Character Workshop master was showing goodwill, which meant he still feared Fairy Luo. Chen Dengming's gambit had worked.

Moreover, the old man he had killed was also from the Golden Character Workshop. Now that the workshop master was recruiting him, it seemed the hidden danger from that incident had passed.

But for now, he felt an even greater urgency.

Placing the spirit stone on the table, a glint of resolve flashed in Chen Dengming's eyes.

He had decided to cultivate the Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique and immediately improve his spiritual root potential.

Once his spiritual root potential rose from low-grade to medium-grade, his cultivation speed would increase tenfold.

What originally required over nine hundred days to reach Qi Refining First Layer would be shortened to just over ninety days after the upgrade.