CHAPTER 86: CHAPTER 86: SPIRITUAL LAND SELECTION, A PLEASANT SURPRISE!

The Cloud Mist Hall is situated at the heart of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, where spiritual energy is the densest.

The area it covers is extensive, and the hall is grand and luxurious.

It is equipped with a Spirit Gathering Array, creating a designated cultivation area for the mountain range’s patrol guards to train during their rest.

Several years ago, the spiritual land in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range was in high demand, with prime locations requiring connections to secure them.

A significant reason for this was the strong patrol guards, ensuring excellent security, leaving no room for troublemakers to act recklessly.

Even now, the patrol guards of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range still hold a significant deterrent effect.

The scarcity of Demonic Insects around the Cloud Mist Mountain Range compared to other areas is also credited to the continuous extermination efforts by the patrol guards.

Thus, Qi Ping was fortunate to rent a suitable location in Zone B at this moment, considered the best opportunity in years. Before the chaos of the Tribulation Cultivator and Demonic Insects, it would have been impossible for Qi Ping to rent a suitable location in Zone B.

...

At this moment, Qi Ping, wearing his familiar straw hat, entered the Cloud Mist Hall and soon found Steward Zhu, who was busy working there.

"Steward Zhu..."

Approaching Steward Zhu, Qi Ping gave a simple fist salute.

"Huh... it’s little Qi? What brings you here?"

Steward Zhu looked at Qi Ping in surprise; last time, Master Qingshu sought him out to the seventh peak and asked him many questions.

He saw that long-abandoned courtyard and thought that Old Zhou and Qi Ping had met their end.

"Sigh..." Qi Ping first sighed and said with some fear:

"Last time, a cyan-robed master from the Cyan Origin Sect said there might be a very powerful Tribulation Cultivator there. If I could help locate his whereabouts, I would be rewarded handsomely..."

"But during this time, I haven’t discovered anything. Instead, the more I think about it, the more scared I get. Spirit Stones are tempting, but you need a life to spend them, so after much thought, I decided to move to a safer place!"

Qi Ping recited his prepared excuse, showing a hint of fear in his eyes.

He also took this opportunity to explain his reason for relocating.

"I see... what about Old Zhou?"

"With all the Demonic Insects and Tribulation Cultivators lately, he has gone back to the Mortal World..."

"Gone back to the Mortal World? That’s also good! At his age, there’s not much he can cultivate, so going back to live out his years in peace isn’t a bad idea! Where do you want to move? I’ll arrange it for you..."

Steward Zhu had some fondness for Qi Ping, who inherited from an old friend, and was willing to lend a helping hand for minor matters...

But Qi Ping’s next words shocked him greatly.

"I want to move to Zone B!"

"Zone B?"

Steward Zhu looked at Qi Ping in disbelief; though Zone B was nothing special to him, few ordinary Loose Cultivators dared to take on such expensive rent.

"Yes, Zone B. I’ve heard it’s much safer there..."

Qi Ping confirmed and provided his explanation.

"There are guards patrolling and cleaning regularly nearby, indeed making it much safer, but the rent isn’t low, and the risk is high!" Steward Zhu kindly reminded.

"Safety is the most important, and I’ve also thought it through. I’ve already planned how to earn back the Spirit Stones!"

As he spoke, Qi Ping exuded the unique vigor and determination of youth.

"Then I won’t dissuade you, but since the Cyan Origin Sect forcibly raised rent by 30%, I can’t help you with that. However, the spiritual land in Zone B has fluctuating prices. I’ll try to get it for you at the lowest price!"

"Thank you, Steward Zhu!"

"It’s a small matter; let me tell you about the currently available spots in Zone B..."

....

Steward Zhu did this partly out of old affection for Old Zhou and partly because of his own interests.

Due to the forced rent increase and the chaos caused by Demonic Insects, a large number of tenants had left, drastically reducing the rental business in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.

The division Zhu Family’s profits decreased as a result, and his income dropped significantly, so being able to rent out spiritual land in Zone B was good for him.

"How do you like them? Want my recommendation? Currently, over 50% of the spiritual land in Zone B is available, and some good places usually never open up..." After a while, Steward Zhu asked.

"Thanks for the suggestion, Steward Zhu, but I already have a preference! These two spots..."

Qi Ping said while pointing towards the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth spiritual lands.

"These two? They are indeed not bad. Although the spiritual energy on intermediate spiritual land is inferior, the overall size is two to three times that of other spiritual lands, making it very suitable for beekeeping..."

These two plots, although not the best among the currently available spiritual lands in Zone B, provided the best cost-benefit ratio and were among the popular spiritual lands in Zone B.

In ordinary times, Qi Ping would have had no chance to rent them.

"I want to check them out first, and I’ll come back to you, Steward Zhu, later..."

"Alright, go ahead and take a look! I’ll be here waiting for you!"

...

After bidding farewell to Steward Zhu, Qi Ping immediately headed to the Zone B mountains.

As he traveled, Qi Ping found it hard to suppress his inner joy; the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth were excellent spots!

Though the concentration of spiritual energy on intermediate spiritual land wasn’t as high, compared to low-level spiritual lands, the area was two to three times larger.

Compared to the seventh peak in Zone D, it was at least four or five times bigger!

Moreover, most importantly, these two plots were deep within the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, uninhabited, and surrounded by non-spiritual lands, offering excellent privacy.

He could farm in privacy and, in case of danger, easily transform into a bee and escape into the complex terrain of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. The area was vast, perfect for planting plenty of Hundred Spirits Grass as bee feed, making it the perfect development ground for Qi Ping!

Soon, Qi Ping arrived at the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth peaks in Zone B and, after some exploration, immediately confirmed that this was the place.

Large in area, discreet, and rich in spiritual energy!

"This place is truly excellent!" Qi Ping couldn’t help but exclaim.

The only drawback was the insufficient spiritual energy concentration of intermediate spiritual land.

But Qi Ping had four dense Spiritual Origin Stone Pillars, so cultivating high-level Spiritual Medicine didn’t rely on these intermediate spiritual lands.

"It’s just a pity that I don’t have enough Spirit Stones now and can only rent one of them..."

This left Qi Ping feeling a bit regretful, as the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth spiritual lands were adjacent. Securing both would make them his private garden!

With the support of Spiritual Origin Stone Pillars, it would be enough for Qi Ping to develop for a long time!

Especially if he could obtain something better than Spiritual Origin Stone Pillars in the future to cultivate high-level Spiritual Medicine, such as a high-level Spirit Gathering Array. In that case, reaching the level of Golden Core should be no problem.

"Wait for that black-cloaked Talisman Cultivator’s storage bag. As a late-stage Qi Refining Talisman Cultivator, they probably have hundreds of Spirit Stones..."

"Once I secure these two plots, this will be the most suitable place for my development!"