Han Cai did not plan to stay in this area but he had decided he would have a backup abode in this area after he got citizenship. He will continue his journey looking for the powerful cultivator his ex-girlfriend mentioned.
Shortly after, Han Cai and Qin Wei reached a rather prominent mountain peak.
On top of it, stood a small, antiquated two-story pavilion. The exterior was considerably weathered and the architectural style was obsolete. Hanging on the entrance was a signboard with a missing corner, bearing the skewed inscription "Ledger Hall".
Staring blankly, Han Cai found it hard to reconcile what he saw with what he'd expected. He turned to Qin Wei and asked, "Is this really...?"
"Regrettably, yes. This indeed is the Eternal Ledger Hall." The young man spread his hands, portraying a sense of resignation.
As he prepared to leave, he cautioned Han Cai, "I'm off now. But remember, the elder managing the Ledger Hall has quite an eccentric temperament!"
As Qin Wei disappeared from sight, Han Cai shook his head, landing calmly in front of the pavilion and walked in.
Just as he neared the entrance, he heard a somewhat eerie voice, "Come in! The door isn't locked." Startled by the abrupt declaration, Han Cai hesitantly moved towards the pavilion.
Inside, Han Cai was dumbfounded.
The interior was in stark contrast with the worn-out exterior. It was extravagantly adorned. The floor was laid with glistening, fire-red silk; the walls gleamed with gold and jade, and countless shimmering gems hung from the ceiling. The corners were adorned with various exotic, radiant plants he'd never seen before.
Across the room was a peculiar stone bed, radiating an unfamiliar blue light. He couldn't identify what it was made of, but it was certainly precious.
A bedraggled, middle-aged man lay there, dressed in vibrant, fire-red specter hide, casually holding a massive ivory orb as he looked indifferently at Han Cai.
Keeping his surprise in check, Han Cai bowed and respectfully asked, "Greetings Senior. I wish to process the paperwork for residency. Are you the one responsible for such matters?"
The middle-aged man sighed lightly, then perked up and asked, "Residency? Do you have a sponsor?"
Han Cai nodded.
The process for obtaining residency was fairly straightforward. The middle-aged man simply pulled out a gold-embossed book and inscribed Han Cai's name into it. Han Cai, in turn, swapped the emerald amulet he had received from the Grassland's Quay for a sky-blue talisman.
The talisman emitted a soft blue glow and was a lower-level talisman. The middle-aged man explained that the talisman carried a minor fireproof and waterproof ability, making it quite useful.
Then, the middle-aged man tossed a silver leaf pamphlet towards Han Cai.
"Locations radiating a white light are already occupied. The ones emitting gray light are available. Pick one as your cultivation ground! ." He managed to say only a few words before he was interrupted by a persistent cough, implying a severe underlying condition.
Han Cai carefully opened the Silverleaf Pamphlet, which revealed a detailed map of the Robust Bison Plateau. White and gray lights intermingled on the map, emitting an enigmatic glow.
The radiant spots were focused at the heart of the grassland, the Sky-Blue Mist Area.
Han Cai realized that the Sky-Blue Mist Area was much larger than he had anticipated..
Upon examining the areas bathed in white light, Han Cai squinted his eyes.
While there were fewer white spots compared to the gray ones, the intensity of the gray light varied greatly, ranging from dazzling to dim.
Han Cai didn't consider the grasslands highlighted by intense light, as the middle-aged man had already explained, "Those without Core Formation cultivation cannot claim the areas with high spiritual energy. For other areas, there are no such restrictions, as long as they are marked with gray light."
This concurred with what Qin Wei had mentioned earlier, but now only valleys and caves, emitting dull gray lights, remained for selection.
After examining the map for a while, he looked up at the middle-aged man and asked, "I have a query, Senior. Are there any constraints on how much space I can use to set up my cultivation abode?"
The middle-aged man appeared surprised but responded with a scoff, "You can put any formation spells and restrictions you desire within a radius of a few kilometers, provided you have sufficient space."
With a steady voice, Han Cai said, "Then, can I choose this place? Since it's marked with gray light, there should be a spirit vein, correct?" He lightly tapped a particular spot on the map, making the gray light turn green. Han Cai then returned the silver-Embossed Book to the middle-aged man.
"There!?" The middle-aged man's pallid face revealed astonishment at the location Han Cai had chosen.
The spot was on the outskirts of the Robust Bison Plateau and was previously glowing with a faint gray light. It was one of the farthest locations.
"That's the Minor Grasslands. Although it's just about thirty-five kilometers in size, it does possess a short spirit vein a few kilometers long. We established a basic protective spell and set up a tiny settlement there, currently inhabited by a few hundred people... It's a fact that you won't face interference from other cultivators if you select that spot, but its concentration of Spiritual Qi is merely two-thirds compared to what you'd find in other grasslands.".The middle-aged man conveyed this with a peculiar smile, tinged with a touch of scorn.
Han Cai stayed quiet. He understood that given the middle-aged man's smirk, this grassland surely had its complexities.
"There were a few cultivators like you before who preferred to cultivate in seclusion. Yet, invariably, they returned after a couple of years. They'd rather expend a hefty amount of spirit stones to select a new cultivation area than continue on that grassland. After all, Spiritual Qi density is of paramount importance to cultivators. Besides, whoever chooses this grassland must also shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding it. The cost of the spirit stone for the grassland's defensive formation spells will fall on you.
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