Chapter 17: " An Ordinary Day in an Immortal City"

Gu Dao shook his head, dispelling the distracting thoughts.

As he tested his strength in the forest, manipulating the chaotic energy in his hand, he felt an unprecedented surge of power. He was certain—he could now crush his former self with a single strike.

However...

"My Acquired Chaos Body consumes too many resources. It's like a bottomless black hole, devouring far more than an ordinary cultivator."

Although his combat power was undeniably terrifying, he couldn't ignore this major drawback.

"Cultivation isn't just about fighting and killing. It's about resources, comprehension, and the Dao itself. Without understanding, raw power is meaningless."

Gu Dao gazed into the vast sky, his thoughts drifting.

"If you cultivate the immortality without cultivating your mind, you are putting the cart before the horse."

Gu Dao's gaze lingered on the sky. A strange sensation spread across his forehead—then, a jade-like bone surfaced, flickering with chaotic light. A mysterious aura rippled outward, vast and boundless

With the Acquired Chaos Body, every bone in Gu Dao's body had been reforged by chaos itself. Each bone carried a trace of divine power, making ordinary spells useless before him.

But with his current strength, these divine bones were nothing more than sealed treasures—powerful, yet beyond his reach

For now, only the bone in his forehead had been activated.

The mystical ability linked to this bone was none other than the Chaos Divine Light.

As Gu Dao attempted to channel the power within, an extremely potent, multicolored light began to condense at the center of his forehead, Ready to burst forth into the sky.

But in the next moment, his expression changed.

With great effort, he forcibly suppressed the eruption, his face turning pale as he gasped for breath.

As he sat down on the ground, Gu Dao let out a long sigh.

"I almost ruined myself... I'm still too close to town. If I attract unnecessary attention, who knows what might happen to me?"

His thoughts turned toward the future.

"I need to be more careful until I have the strength to protect myself. Otherwise, I might end up in some young master's mansion, having my Chaos Bones extracted for their own use—just like a certain Heavenly Emperor.

The thought made his expression darken.

"That one had his supreme bone stolen by his own cousin and nearly died. If it weren't for his protagonist halo, he would have been done for."

"Of course, in the end, the boy grew up and became a powerhouse—but only because the author kept blessing him at every turn. An Immortal King watching over him, countless lucky encounters…

"Meanwhile, I have nothing."

A casual cultivator—a term that sounded almost romantic, like a free-spirited wanderer. But in reality, it was just another way of saying:

"No background, no resources, no future."

Gu Dao exhaled softly, pushing aside the distracting thoughts and continued on his way to town.

"For now, I should take things step by step."

.....

Soon, he arrived at the town gate, where he found a different monk guarding the entrance.

As usual, he went through the formation array and paid one spirit stone to enter the town.

He remembered that the monk said. 'Once you step into the Qi Training Realm, don't forget—report to the administration pavilion. Get your ID and a copy of the town rules. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble."

So After entering the immortal town, he went straight to the center of the town for the place.

Puchan Town was very large, but Gu Dao had been wandering around it for nearly seven days, and he know the place very well.

It must be said that the commercial atmosphere in the Puchan town was still extremely strong.

Walking in it, if it were not for the surging strength in his body reminding him all the time, Gu dao sometimes even felt that he had arrived at a tourist town in Earth.

Gu Dao finally reached the town administration pavilion. The building stood tall and majestic, its stone walls exuding an ancient, dignified aura.

The moment he stepped inside, a young maid in a green uniform approached. She exuded the aura of a middle-stage Qi Training cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist," the attendant greeted with a calm smile. "How may I assist you?"

I need to get an ID," Gu Dao responded, his tone also polite.

"Of course, follow me fellow Daoist. First, we need to head to the Bureau of Identification." She gestured for him to follow as she led him through the bustling halls.

As she led him through the pavilion's bustling halls, she pointed out various government bureaus: the Tax Bureau, Land Transactions Bureau, and the Bureau for Shops and Businesses—each department efficiently managed.

They passed by some mortals and cultivators, some handling business, while others, like Gu Dao, were newcomers registering their identities.

Upon arriving at the Bureau of Identification, they were met by a monk behind the counter, sipping tea as he was looking at a strange artifact.

The monk glanced up. "Fellow Daoist, what can I do for you?"

"I need an ID," Gu Dao replied.

The monk nodded and, after asking a few standard questions, gestured toward a formation circle.

"Step into the array. This will take a moment."

The monk explained, "This formation scans your cultivation level and records your information for official identification."

Gu Dao stepped into the glowing array. Light flickered above his head, and glowing script displayed his details:

Gu Dao: Level 1 Qi Training, 19 years old, from Dali Mortal Country.

Gu Dao casually mentioned he came from a nearby mortal country, offering no further details.

The monk nodded as the formation faded. "Everything checks out. Your ID will be ready shortly."

Gu Dao handed over 10 spirit stones for the registration fee and turned to the maid, handing her an extra five spirit stones.

"Thank you for your help," he said with a slight smile.

The maid's eyes brightened as she gratefully accepted the spirit stones. "Thank you, fellow Taoist.

...

Gu Dao held the ID card, roughly the size of his previous life's version.

Although it looked like paper, it felt cold and metallic, protected by a thin layer of light detectable only through spiritual perception—clearly a refined artifact.

Issued by the town government, this household registration certificate resembled a secular yellow registration book.

On the left side of the front of the card, Gu Dao 's appearance was engraved on it by some unknown means.

On the right side was the name of the Qinglan region and the town, and Gu Dao's own cultivation and Age.

The reverse side is a bird's-eye view of the entire Puchan Town.

The picture is so beautiful that it looks like the real thing.

"As one's cultivation advances, re-registration is required in any Qinglin Sect-controlled city," the issuing monk had explained.

"If you make progress in cultivation, you must update your household registration certificate."

Along with the card, Gu Dao received a thick rulebook, every page packed with strict laws.

The strict rules of this town were laid bare before him—strict, detailed, and absolute."

Flipping through it, Gu Dao gradually gained a deeper understanding of Puchan Town—and the cultivation world itself.

After about half an hour, he slowly put the book down. At this time, the original fatigue had turned into an indescribable mixture of five emotions.

Here, violating the rules didn't just mean fines or imprisonment—it could mean death or forced labor in servitude.

The laws covered taxes, criminal punishment, corvée labor, commerce, land transactions—every aspect of life, woven into an intricate web of control.

The message was clear:

Outside the town, your life is your own. The rulers don't care.

Inside the town, you are a resource to be exploited. And their interests must never be challenged.

Some crimes carried fates worse than death—souls ripped from their bodies, sealed into lamps, and burned forever!

Among the punishment measures, the lives of the immortal cultivators are very cheap and not cared about!

Obviously, in this book of law...

the intention of the law is not only clear, but also naked and undisguised...

And there was one particular rule, marked in red, that must never be violated—

Not just here.

it was across the entire Qinglan Region.

...