Chapter 189: Cave Abode and Mountain Guardian Beast
"Our Heavenly Star Palace isn't as busy as your Abode Assignment Palace, but I still don't get enough spare time to come and visit you whenever I please. It just so happens to be the case that we've welcomed a new elder into our sect. His name is Li Feiyu, and I've brought him here to complete the registration process and pick out a cave abode," Qi Liang replied with a smile.
"I see. That's not a problem at all. Greetings, Elder Li, my name is Yu Xiansheng, and I currently serve as the attendant elder of the Abode Assignment Palace. I'll get you registered right away," Elder Yu said with a smile
"Thank you, Elder Yu," Han Li hurriedly said.
Yu Xiansheng waved a hand in response, then summoned a brush that appeared as if it had been carved out of gold and jade with a flick of his wrist. He then made his way over to the table and began to quickly write something down onto a thick book that was glowing with azure light.
As he was writing, Yu Xiansheng suddenly paused for a moment, then raised his head as he asked, "Have you decided what you're going to do to fulfill your elder duties for the first 100 years, Elder Li?"
"I'll complete three regular elder missions," Han Li replied.
Yu Xiansheng seemed to have already anticipated this answer, and he nodded in response before continuing in his writing.
A short while later, Yu Xiansheng looked up again as he said, "The registration is complete. According to the rules of our sect, all inner sect elders and direct disciples are entitled to a mountain of their own. Hence, it's time for you to select a mountain to construct your cave abode on, Elder Li."
He then swept a sleeve through the air, and a green scroll that was over three feet in length appeared before him amid a flash of green light.
Immediately thereafter, the scroll began to slowly unfurl itself, revealing a piece of artwork depicting a stretch of scenery.
Han Li swept his gaze over the piece of artwork to find that it was extremely complex, complete with countless mountains and bodies of water.
Initially, he didn't find the scroll to be all that remarkable, but as soon as his gaze lingered for a moment one of the mountains, that section of the artwork would instantly expand before his eyes and become more vibrant and lifelike, as if he had been transported to the actual location, much to his amazement.
"This Inkspirit Scenic Scroll contains an artwork that depicts our Bell Toll Mountain Range. However, the mountain range is too vast to be encompassed in a single frame, so you're only seeing a part of the mountain range right now. If you want to see other areas, then you'll have to extend the scroll further," Yu Xiansheng explained with a smile.
He swept a sleeve through the air as he spoke, and the image in the scroll began to slowly move to reveal more of the landscape.
As more and more areas were revealed, Han Li noticed that different areas on the artwork had different background colors. Some were blue, some were green, some were golden, and some were pitch-black, as if ink had been inadvertently poured onto those areas.
There were also some areas that didn't display a real-life image, even after Han Li's gaze had lingered on them for a while.
"Why do these areas have different background colors? Do they serve different purposes?" Han Li asked.
"That's right. The golden areas in the scroll depict the mountains where some of the most integral palaces of the sect are situated, and they're mostly distributed throughout the central region of the Bell Toll Mountain Range, such as the Ostentatious Palace, the Merit Conveyance Palace, and the Abode Assignment Palace, while the silver areas are where the cave abodes of the direct disciples are situated," Yu Xiansheng explained.
He then swept his sleeve through the air once again, and the image in the scroll moved several hundred feet to the right before stopping at a blue area.
"The green area that you saw earlier was the western region of the mountain range, where the cave abodes of all of the outer sect elders and disciples are situated, while this blue area depicts the eastern region of the mountain range, where the cave abodes of all of the inner sect disciples and elders are.
“As for those gray areas, they mark out the sect's trial venues, such as the Snowmelt Forest and the Inexplicable Valley, and barring certain special circumstances, those areas are generally closed off to everyone," Yu Xiansheng continued.
"Are those black areas the restricted areas of the sect?" Han Li asked.
Yu Xiansheng nodded in response. "That's right. Aside from the dao lords and deputy dao lords, only a select few core elders and direct disciples are permitted to enter those areas. There are powerful restrictions set up around all of those areas, so there's no way you'll inadvertently stumble into them."
"I see. I've only just arrived in the sect, and I know next to nothing about this place. I have no idea which mountain to choose among this vast selection. Can you make some recommendations, Elder Yu?" Han Li asked with a smile.
"Of course," Yu Xiansheng replied with a nod.
He swept his sleeve through the air once again as he spoke, and the image in the green scroll abruptly accelerated in its movement, instantly traveling over 100 feet to reveal several mountains that extended all the way up into the clouds.
"This Sun Mountain Peak is only only around 100,000 kilometers in radius, but there's a spirit spring of an exceptional caliber on it, thereby allowing the mountain to naturally gather the world's origin qi, making it an exceptional place for cultivation. Roughly 250,000 kilometers away is this Sundrum Peak, which takes up a slightly larger area, but it has no spirit spring," Yu Xiansheng introduced as he pointed at two of the mountains on the scroll.
"It doesn't really concern me whether a mountain has a spirit spring or not. Is there a more peaceful and secluded mountain available?" Han Li asked.
After a moment of deliberation, Yu Xiansheng swept his sleeve through the air again, and this time, the image in the scroll moved for close to 1,000 feet before stopping.
"This Dawnfall Peak is situated in a rather secluded location, and it's also quite a short mountain. If I recall correctly, no elder has ever resided there. It's surrounded by many plains and valleys, so it's a lot more quiet than the other mountains. If you'd like to select this mountain, then you'll have to construct your own cave abode there," Yu Xiansheng said as he pointed at the scroll.
Han Li's gaze followed Yu Xiansheng's finger, and he stared at the Dawnfall Peak for a while without saying anything, seemingly not quite satisfied with the location.
Yu Xiansheng exchanged a glance with Qi Liang upon seeing this, then said, "That's alright, let's keep looking."
With that, he continued to introduce other mountains to Han Li.
Some time later, right as Yu Xiansheng was gradually losing his patience, Han Li's gaze was suddenly drawn to a corner of the scroll, where a lone mountain was standing, and he asked, "Elder Yu, can I choose this mountain?"
A peculiar look appeared on Qi Liang's face at the sight of Han Li's selection, and he asked, "You want to choose the Crimson Dawn Peak?"
Han Li noticed Qi Liang's reaction, and he asked, "Is there something wrong with this mountain?"
Before Qi Liang had a chance to reply, Yu Xiansheng explained, "No, there's nothing wrong with the mountain. It was previously occupied by another elder, and it's been vacant ever since that elder's passing. I suppose it's a good choice, considering it already has a cave abode completely with a medicine farm and a beast stable, all it needs is to be tidied up a little. You can go to the Cattail Spirit Valley later to pick out some servants to do that for you."
Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, but he didn't say anything further, settling on this mountain as he expressed his gratitude to Yu Xiansheng.
With a flick of his wrist, a small seal appeared in Yu Xiansheng's hand, and he pressed the seal down onto the scroll where the Crimson Dawn Peak was situated.
As soon as the seal made contact with the scroll, a burst of peculiar fluctuations immediately swept over the Crimson Dawn Peak and the surrounding area, and when Han Li set his gaze upon, he discovered that he was no longer able to see a real-life image of the area.
Yu Xiansheng stowed the seal away, then flipped a hand over to produce a crimson badge and a storage bracelet as he smiled and said, "Alright, the Crimson Dawn Peak and the area close to 300,000 kilometers in radius belongs to you now, Elder Li. Here's your attendant elder badge and a storage bracelet that contains some information and resources."
Han Li accepted the two items and stowed the storage bracelet away before carefully inspecting the elder badge.
It was a palm-sized badge that seemed to have been constructed from a jade-like material, and the visage of a strange dragon was engraved onto one side, while the other side carried the word "Elder" inscribed in seal script.
"This elder badge is an important identification token, and it'll be required in many instances in our sect. In order to prevent it from being stolen, you need to mark it with your blood essence. The badge also contains 100 free merit points given out to all new elders, so make sure to keep it safe," Qi Liang said.
Han Li nodded in response, then brought his index and middle fingers together before tapping them onto the badge.
A burst of light flashed from his fingertips, and a drop of golden blood essence instantly emerged before quickly seeping into the badge.
A peculiar golden pattern instantly appeared on the surface of the badge amid a flash of light, and the pattern was giving off an aura that was unique to Han Li.
He then injected his spiritual sense into the badge, and sure enough, there were already 100 merit points inside.
"Elder Li, would you like me to take you to the Cattail Spirit Valley to select some servants, or to the Beast Rearing Fields to select a mountain guardian beast?" Qi Liang asked.
"What's a mountain guardian beast?" Han Li asked.
"They are spirit beasts that had been tamed by the sect. Given your cultivation base and your status as an inner sect elder, you're entitled to Body Integration Stage spirit beast to guard your mountain and cave abode," Qi Liang explained.
Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this, and he asked, "Will I need to spend merit points for such a beast?"
"No, the mountain guardian beast is gifted to you by the sect free of charge, just like the servants. Most of the servants are outer sect disciples who wish to serve a True Immortal. It looks like you're quite interested in a mountain guardian beast, so how about I take you to the Beast Rearing Fields first?" Qi Liang proposed.
"I'm just intrigued as I've never heard of something like this before. Back when I was selecting my mountain, I noticed that the Imperial Dragon Peak that the Merit Conveyance Palace is situated on isn't too far away from here. I'd like to go and take a look there first," Han Li said.
Qi Liang faltered slightly upon hearing this, then said, "You're quite observant to have noticed that, Elder Li. The Imperial Dragon Peak appears to be not far away on the map, but it's actually quite some distance away in our Bell Toll Mountain Range. Are you sure you don't want to have everything organized in your cave abode first before you go to the Merit Conveyance Palace?"
"Truth be told, I've been yearning to see the scriptures in the Merit Conveyance Palace for a long time, and now that I've finally managed to join the sect, I simply can't suppress the urge to want to go and take a look there first," Han Li replied as he intentionally put on a bashful expression.
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