Chapter 3: Identity Registration

Led by Ye Qing, Fan Xing arrived at the center of the floral base. There was a plaza here, dotted with many devices that looked like old-fashioned telephone booths.

Ye Qing led Fan Xing to one of them, opened the door, and stepped inside. After closing the door behind them, Ye Qing asked, "Are you ready?"

Fan Xing nodded. "I'm ready."

"Then here we go." Ye Qing pressed one of the buttons on a panel along the wall.

Fan Xing felt a flash of white light before her eyes and instinctively closed them. After a brief sensation of weightlessness, she opened her eyes again.

"We've arrived!" Ye Qing said with a smile.

Arrived? Fan Xing looked around; she was still in the floral base, and her position hadn't changed at all.

Seeming to notice Fan Xing's confusion, Ye Qing explained with a smile, "Looks the same as the floral base in Hongguang City, right? Actually, this is already the Inner Realm."

He pushed the door open and stepped onto the grass outside, saying to Fan Xing with a grin, "Welcome to the Inner Realm, rookie Spirit User!"

As Fan Xing stepped out of the teleportation device, a tall tree with legs walked past them with heavy, rhythmic steps. Clearly, this was also a Spirit Seed.

Ye Qing teased, "Convinced now that you're no longer in Hongguang City? The floral base in Hongguang City doesn't have any Spirit Seeds other than Wood Spirits and Flower Spirits."

Fan Xing walked quickly toward Ye Qing, just as a lizard-shaped Spirit Seed darted past her feet.

"That's a Beast-type Spirit Seed," Ye Qing introduced.

Fan Xing nodded, not bothering to ask what a Beast-type Spirit Seed was or how it differed from Evil-type or Immortal-type Spirit Seeds.

As Ye Qing led her along, he explained, "The environment in the Inner Realm is mostly similar to the Outer Realm. The Outer Realm’s Hongguang City has a floral base, and so does this place, but here it's called Hongguang City. In the Inner Realm, it's known as Hongguang Town."

"Hongguang Town?" Fan Xing asked.

Ye Qing nodded. "Exactly. The Outer and Inner Realms are interdependent; whatever exists in the Outer Realm must exist in the Inner Realm. To distinguish between the two, locations with the same geography have different names."

Fan Xing nodded in understanding; no wonder there were two different terms. As she walked, she compared the two bases and soon noticed that this one was teeming with all sorts of Spirit Seeds.

Rabbits that could effortlessly hop over ten meters high, birds that spat fire, walking stones, and dancing plastic bags—these were all Spirit Seeds.

Ye Qing continued, "Besides the Spirit Seeds, have you noticed any other differences between the Outer and Inner Realms?"

Fan Xing shook her head. "No."

"Try to feel it carefully," Ye Qing suggested.

Fan Xing stopped and began to perceive her surroundings.

"Open your senses, relax your body, and clear your mind," Ye Qing instructed.

Fan Xing followed his directions and soon detected an anomaly: a faint, omnipresent energy in the air.

"Did you feel it?" Ye Qing smiled, secretly marveling at Fan Xing’s talent for sensing it so easily.

Fan Xing nodded.

"That is Spirit Source," Ye Qing explained. "It is what we Spirit Users and the Spirit Seeds rely on for survival. We convert it into internal spiritual energy by absorbing it. In fact, Corrupt Essence is also a form of Spirit Source, just a negative one."

Fan Xing suddenly understood.

Chatting as they walked, they soon reached the gate of the floral base. Ye Qing took out a transparent, palm-sized card. With a flash of light from the card, a giant dragonfly Spirit Seed appeared before them.

"Let's ride the Flowing Light Dragonfly to the city center," Ye Qing said.

The dragonfly, with its two pairs of transparent wings fluttering rapidly, landed gracefully on the ground and turned to let out a cry at Ye Qing.

"What was that card just now?" Fan Xing asked, surprised.

"This?" Ye Qing held up the card, which had a gold border and a shimmering, iridescent surface that was quite eye-catching. "This is a Spirit Energy Card. It's a tool developed by the Spirit User Alliance specifically for Spirit Seeds to reside in. It’s arguably one of the greatest inventions of the Alliance. It’s precisely because of this that Spirit User groups have been able to flourish the way they have today."

"What a convenient tool," Fan Xing remarked.

"Indeed," Ye Qing said, putting the card away. "Once you finish your registration, you'll receive one too. You can use it to house your Black Spirit Cat."

"There's such a perk?" Fan Xing looked pleasantly surprised.

"Of course! It's a benefit from the Spirit User Alliance," Ye Qing nodded. "Not just the card; you'll also get a flying mount like this to make traveling in the Inner Realm easier."

He gave the dragonfly's tail a light pat, only to be glared at fiercely by the creature.

"Haha," Ye Qing laughed awkwardly. "My Dragonfly has a bit of a temper."

Fan Xing covered her mouth to hide a smile.

"We'd better get going, or the registration office will close," Ye Qing said, swinging himself onto the dragonfly's back.

Fan Xing nodded and climbed up with equal agility.

"Good form," Ye Qing remarked. "No wonder you could fight a Black Spirit Cat."

He tapped the dragonfly's wings, and it immediately took to the sky in the blink of an eye. The Alliance's flying mounts were professionally trained, making for a very smooth ride.

Soon, they reached the city. As Ye Qing had said, the layout of Hongguang Town was identical to Hongguang City, just less bustling. Hongguang City was a major metropolis in the Longxia Kingdom with over ten million residents, always crowded and lively. In contrast, Hongguang Town was quiet, though Spirit Seeds could be seen everywhere. In essence, the Inner Realm was a world dominated by Spirit Seeds.

After a while, a massive building appeared in Fan Xing's line of sight.

"That's the place," Ye Qing pointed.

Fan Xing remembered that an identical building existed in Hongguang City, though it served as the municipal government headquarters there. As they approached, she saw many people on flying mounts coming and going. The mounts were bizarre—brilliant butterflies, giant winged snakes, ferocious-looking centipedes... it was a surreal sight.

Just as they landed, a young man on a bird-like Spirit Seed was about to leave. Seeing Ye Qing, he called out, "Yo, Ye Qing! Back already? Long time no see!"

"Long time no see!" Ye Qing replied.

The man hurried off, looking busy.

"The Spirit Energy squads are responsible for guarding both realms, so they are always busy," Ye Qing explained.

Fan Xing nodded in understanding. Just then, a woman on a winged lizard landed nearby. Seeing Fan Xing, she looked puzzled. "Captain Ye, where did this girl come from? She looks unfamiliar. Is she a new member of your Si-She Squad?"

Ye Qing explained, "Not at all. It's not the recruitment season yet. This is a newcomer who just awakened her spiritual energy; I'm here to register her."

The woman looked surprised. "A late-awakened newcomer?"

Ye Qing nodded.

The woman joked, "Are we about to have another big shot like Captain Chen Long? Though I heard Captain Chen Long has gone missing again. Who knows how long it’ll be this time? I really feel for the rest of the Chen Long Squad, having such an unreliable captain."

Ye Qing glared at her. "Stop mocking your superiors. Besides, Fan Xing isn't just some 'little girl'—she’s older than you, so call her sister!"

The woman tossed her head, put away her mount with a Spirit Energy Card, and huffed, "Hmph, I don't care how old she is. I'm the senior here; no way I'm calling her sister!" With that, she strode away.

Ye Qing turned to Fan Xing, looking helpless. "Don't mind her, that's just how she is."

Fan Xing smiled. "She's not wrong; those who are more capable come first."

"I didn't expect you to be so broad-minded," Ye Qing smiled. "Let's go inside!"

He led the way into the building, and Fan Xing quickly followed. Inside, Ye Qing ran into even more acquaintances, greeting person after person. Fan Xing soon realized that Ye Qing was quite famous; most people treated him with great respect.

After taking the elevator to the fifth floor, they arrived at a service hall. Ye Qing walked directly to a window. The staff member inside seemed familiar with him and stood up immediately. "Captain Ye."

Ye Qing nodded and said, "Identity registration."

"Did you catch another unregistered Spirit Seed, Captain Ye?" the staff member asked with a smile. It turned out that Spirit Seeds living in Hongguang Town also needed registration, or they would be considered "unregistered residents." The birth of Spirit Seeds was random and unpredictable, making the registration office a very busy place. Fan Xing was lucky; there was no queue today.

Ye Qing shook his head. "Not a Spirit Seed—a Spirit User registration."

The staff member paused. "A Spirit User? A newcomer?"

Ye Qing nodded. "Just awakened."

"A late-awakened one?"

"Exactly."

The staff member was astonished. "In all my time working here, this is the first time I've encountered one." She looked at Fan Xing behind Ye Qing. "Is this her?"

"Yes, Yu Fan Xing."

"Yu Fan Xing... what a nice name," the staff member said, leaning forward. "You're lucky. People who awaken their spiritual energy late are one in ten thousand."

"Thank you," Fan Xing replied politely with a smile.

The staff member turned to Ye Qing. "Newcomer's files, please."

Ye Qing nodded, tapped the bracelet on his wrist, and a large folder appeared in his hand.

*What on earth is that?* Fan Xing stared, wide-eyed. *How could that fit such a large folder?*

Ye Qing noticed her look and explained, "This is a Spirit Pattern Bracelet. It has many special functions and is another one of the Alliance's greatest inventions. Once you become a Spirit User, you'll get one too. For us, it's equivalent to an ID card in the Outer Realm."

Fan Xing finally understood.

The staff member opened the folder Ye Qing had handed over. Fan Xing glanced inside and was surprised to see her own personal file.

Ye Qing explained again, "I've already transferred your records from the Outer Realm to the Inner Realm. From now on, no one can easily access your files without special circumstances."

Fan Xing nodded. *That's efficient!*

The staff member carefully flipped through the file, her expression shifting to surprise. Fan Xing’s record was excellent—top grades since high school, graduating from the prestigious Longhua University, then working at a top-tier company for three years before quitting for unknown reasons. Later, she joined the "Jinxiu Studio," where she had been ever since.

What surprised the staff member more, however, was that this newcomer had been married once. The marriage lasted three years—the same duration as her first job—and she had divorced three years ago. Still, being married wasn't that strange; at thirty-one, she was at the perfect age for it in the Outer Realm.

The staff member entered the information into the Spirit User database. About half an hour later, she closed the file and smiled at Fan Xing. "The registration is complete. Now, we need to collect your biological information. Please go to that room."

Ye Qing gestured for Fan Xing to follow him to a room not far from the window.

Inside were various machines Fan Xing didn't recognize, with a computer in the center where a bald, elderly man in a white coat sat.

"Dr. Bai!" Ye Qing called out.

The old man glanced back at Ye Qing, his attitude casual, clearly familiar with him.

"I've brought a newcomer for biological data collection," Ye Qing said.

Dr. Bai gestured vaguely. "Over there."

Ye Qing led Fan Xing to the machine indicated.

"Place your thumb there," Ye Qing said, pointing to a small hole.

"What is this for?" Fan Xing asked, feeling uneasy.

"It collects your fingerprints and blood, recording your DNA information," Ye Qing explained.

Fan Xing was startled. *DNA information? I'm not human—will I be exposed?*

*What do I do?*

She kept her composure, but her mind was racing in a panic.

"Sister Fan Xing, what are you waiting for? Hurry up!" Ye Qing urged.

Fan Xing felt her scalp prickle and cold sweat forming. *Should I... run?*

*No, that won't work! I don't think I can beat Ye Qing.*

After a quick thought, Fan Xing decided to risk it and stuck her thumb into the hole. A laser scanned her, recording her fingerprints, and then she felt a sharp prick as her thumb was pricked to draw a drop of blood for the DNA analysis.