The Rich Cultivator

Chapter 753. Joining the Dark Forest Society

Tyler slowly raised his hand from the bowl of hot water and opened his palm.

The spiritual root testing stone had indeed melted, but only slightly. The changes were visible around the edges, while the majority of the stone remained intact.

Seeing this, Tyler finally relaxed.

"So I have spiritual roots."

That was good news.

He had already prepared himself for the possibility that this body lacked cultivation talent entirely. If that were the case, he would have to search for heavenly treasures capable of creating spiritual roots. Such treasures existed, but they were neither common nor cheap.

More importantly, since this body already possessed spiritual roots, there was no need to take such a risk. Cultivators who forcefully added new spiritual roots often encountered all sorts of problems later. Unless absolutely necessary, nobody would choose such a path.

After putting away the testing stone, Tyler left his room and headed downstairs.

The carriage driver was still sitting outside the inn. The man seemed surprisingly patient.

When he saw Tyler emerge, he immediately stood up.

"Young Master, another trip?"

Tyler nodded.

"Dark Forest Society."

The driver grinned and quickly prepared the carriage.

A short while later, the skeleton horse once again pulled the carriage through the streets of Skull Town.

The town gradually disappeared behind them. The surrounding roads became quieter. The number of travelers also decreased.

After traveling for some time, a strange forest finally appeared before Tyler.

The moment he saw it, he immediately understood why it was called the Dark Forest. The entire forest looked colorless.

The trees were black, the leaves were black, and even the distant mountains looked as though someone had washed away all traces of color from the world. It was not simply darkness. Rather, it resembled a painting that had lost every color except shades of gray.

Tyler sat inside the carriage and quietly observed the scenery. "It should be a formation."

That was the only explanation he could think of.

The skeleton horse eventually stopped before the forest entrance.

The driver turned around and asked, "Young Master, you have a registration token, right?"

Tyler took out a skull-shaped wooden token.

The token wasn’t rare.

Anyone who wanted to register at the Dark Forest Society could purchase one in Skull Town for a few silver coins.

After confirming the token, the driver visibly relaxed. "Then there won’t be any problems."

Tyler paid the remaining fare and stepped out of the carriage. The moment he crossed into the forest, the scenery changed.

The colorless world disappeared as green leaves, brown tree trunks, and patches of earth immediately returned to normal. Only the dim lighting remained unchanged. Sunlight barely penetrated through the dense canopy overhead, giving the forest a gloomy atmosphere despite its restored colors.

Looking at the contrast between the interior and exterior, he couldn’t help admiring the formation.

As he continued deeper into the forest, strange sounds occasionally echoed from every direction. At times he heard the hissing of snakes. At other times he heard the roars of beasts hidden somewhere among the trees. Several times it even sounded as though something enormous was moving through the undergrowth nearby.

However, no matter how carefully he searched, he could not find a single creature. Eventually his attention shifted toward the skull token in his hand. Without needing anyone to explain it, Tyler already understood its purpose. The token was not merely proof of registration. It was also protecting him from whatever dangers lurked within the forest. Otherwise, the beasts whose voices he could hear would probably have shown themselves long ago.

After walking for some time, Tyler noticed that the token itself was slowly shrinking. Tiny fragments occasionally broke away from its edges and crumbled into dust before disappearing completely.

Seeing this, he immediately understood that the token had a time limit. This was hardly surprising. If the tokens lasted forever, people would simply reuse them indefinitely. Fortunately, he had no intention of wandering around the forest for days.

Eventually the dense forest opened up and revealed a small settlement surrounded by a simple wooden fence. Several old huts stood inside while beams of sunlight filtered through gaps in the canopy above. Compared to the eerie forest outside, the settlement appeared almost ordinary.

Tyler pushed open the wooden gate and stepped inside. The moment he did so, he heard a faint crunch beneath his feet. The sensation felt exactly like stepping on insect shells. He lowered his head to investigate but found nothing unusual. The ground appeared completely normal. Yet every step produced the same crunching sound.

After staring at the ground for several seconds, Tyler ultimately chose to ignore it.

The Dark Forest Society clearly wasn’t a normal place. He had only arrived at the entrance. There was no point questioning every strange thing he encountered.

Near the center of the settlement sat an old man behind a wooden table. Numerous scrolls were stacked around him. The old man slowly read through them one by one. His appearance was somewhat unsettling. A thick stitched scar ran around his neck. Several insects occasionally crawled in and out of his collar. Meanwhile, a giant bug rested atop his head like a helmet.

As Tyler approached, the old man casually scratched his neck, causing several insects to fall onto the table. Tyler calmly placed a bag of silver coins before him.

"Senior, I wish to join the Dark Forest Society."

The old man finally looked up from his scrolls and glanced at the silver coins. Before he could speak, a youthful voice suddenly sounded.

"The registration fee is correct."

Only then did Tyler realize that the speaker was not the old man but the giant bug sitting on his head. The insect crawled forward slightly, examined the silver, and then turned toward Tyler.

"Hut Number Five."

Tyler nodded and followed the directions without asking questions.

The fifth hut was easy to find. A large number five was carved directly above the entrance.

Upon entering, Tyler discovered a pale-skinned man sitting behind a table. The man wore black robes decorated with red skull patterns, while a small cauldron rested beside him. Something unpleasant was boiling inside. The smell that filled the room resembled rotten flesh mixed with medicinal herbs and decay. It was so potent that ordinary people would likely struggle to remain standing.

Tyler endured it silently. He knew very little about corpse cultivators and saw no reason to offend them over something trivial.

The pale-skinned man glanced up at him.

"New disciple?"

"Hopefully."

The man pointed toward a crystal sphere resting on the table.

"Place your hand on it."

Tyler stepped forward and complied. The moment his palm touched the crystal, colored smoke began swirling inside. Dark green smoke appeared first, followed by brownish-yellow smoke and finally faint traces of silver. The colors twisted around one another before gradually stabilizing. The pale-skinned man carefully observed the crystal for several moments before speaking.

"Sixty-seven percent Yin Wood Attribute, twenty-four percent Earth Attribute, and nine percent Metal Attribute."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Three spiritual roots. The distribution isn’t balanced, but Yin Wood is clearly dominant. Your talent isn’t particularly impressive, but it is sufficient. A low level Three grade Spiritual Roots."

The pale-skinned man recorded the results onto a scroll before taking out a skull-shaped seal. After dipping the seal into the bubbling liquid within the cauldron, he stamped the document and added his signature. The smell in the room immediately became even worse, causing Tyler to silently admire the resilience of those who cultivated such techniques. Once everything was finished, the scroll was rolled up and handed over.

"Welcome to the Dark Forest Society, Junior Brother. Proceed through the next door and report to the Outer Disciple Office."

Tyler accepted the scroll with both hands and thanked him before leaving. Upon stepping through the indicated doorway, the scenery changed once more. A much larger settlement spread out before him. Stone roads connected numerous buildings while disciples moved back and forth carrying cultivation resources. For a moment, the place looked no different from any other cultivation sect.

Then Tyler noticed the graveyards.

Rows upon rows of graves occupied large sections of the settlement. Wooden signs stood above them displaying various advertisements.

Fresh Corpses.

Rotten Corpses.

Half Price Sale.

Special Discounts.

Tyler stared at the signs for a long moment. Disciples openly walked among the graves while discussing prices. Some inspected corpses as though they were selecting livestock. Others appeared dissatisfied with quality and attempted to negotiate lower prices. Looking at the bustling marketplace built around the dead, Tyler finally understood why Skull Town employed corpse cultivators everywhere.

The Dark Forest Society might be classified as a righteous sect, but it was certainly not a normal one.

After asking a passing disciple for directions, Tyler tucked the registration scroll under his arm and headed toward the Outer Disciple district. The sounds of disciples haggling over corpse prices gradually faded behind him as he walked deeper into the sect, officially beginning his new life as a disciple of the Dark Forest Society.