The Cloud Mist Great Hall is situated in the most spiritually abundant central location in front of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
It covers an extremely vast area, and its halls are grand and luxurious.
It uses Spirit Gathering Arrays to set up special Cultivation grounds, provided for the guards of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range to Cultivate during their rest.
A few years ago, the Spiritual Land in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range was in short supply, and good locations could only be found through connections.
A large reason for this was the formidable patrol guards here, ensuring excellent public order, with no petty criminals daring to act presumptuously.
Even now, the patrol guards of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range still possess a certain deterrent effect.
The scarcity of Demon Insects near the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, compared to other areas, is also due to the continuous suppression and killing by the patrol guards.
Therefore, the fact that Qi Ping was able to rent a suitable spot in Area B at this moment represents the best opportunity in recent years; before the chaos of robber cultivators and Demon Insects, it would have been impossible for Qi Ping to rent a suitable spot in Area B.
As Qi Ping, wearing his familiar straw hat, entered the Cloud Mist Great Hall, he quickly found Steward Zhu, who was busy there.
"Steward Zhu,"
Walking up to Steward Zhu, Qi Ping simply cupped his fists and bowed.
"Oh, is it Xiao Qi? Why are you here?"
Steward Zhu looked at Qi Ping with some surprise; the last time, Lord Qingshu even had him go to Peak Seven and asked him many questions.
Seeing the long-abandoned courtyard, he had thought that Old Zhou and Qi Ping had both met with misfortune.
"Sigh," Qi Ping first sighed, then said with some trepidation, "Last time, a Lord in green robes from the Qingyuan Sect said there might be a very strong robber cultivator there, and if I could help find his whereabouts, he would give me a generous reward."
"But I haven't found anything during this time, and the more I thought about it, the more scared I became. Spirit Stones are tempting, but one must be alive to spend them. So, after much thought, I decided to move to a safer place!"
Qi Ping spoke according to his prepared explanation, a hint of fear showing in his eyes.
He also took this opportunity to explain why he was changing locations.
"Is that so? Where's Old Zhou?"
"With all the Demon Insects and robber cultivators recently, he, an old man, returned to the mortal realm."
"Returned to the mortal realm? That's good too! At his age, he wouldn't be able to Cultivate much anyway; returning to the mortal realm to enjoy his later years is not bad! Where do you want to move? I'll handle it for you."
Steward Zhu had a good impression of Qi Ping, who was considered an old friend's Legacy successor, and was willing to help with a small favor.
However, Qi Ping's next words made his jaw drop.
"I want to move to Area B!"
"Area B?"
Steward Zhu looked at Qi Ping in disbelief. Area B was nothing special to him, but ordinary Loose Cultivators rarely dared to rent such an expensive place.
"Yes, Area B. I heard the safety there is much higher…"
Qi Ping confirmed, also providing his explanation.
"There are guards who regularly patrol and clear the area nearby, so it is indeed much safer, but the rent is not low, and the risk is very high!" Steward Zhu kindly reminded him.
"Safety is paramount, and I've also thought it through. I've wanted to take a gamble for a long time, and I've already planned how to earn back the Spirit Stones!"
As he spoke, Qi Ping displayed the youthful vigor and drive characteristic of a young man.
"Then I won't try to dissuade you. However, due to the Qingyuan Sect's mandatory 30% increase in rent, there's nothing I can do to help you with that. But the Spiritual Lands in Area B all have fluctuating price ranges, so I'll try to give it to you at the lowest price possible!"
"Thank you, Steward Zhu!"
"It's a small matter. Let me tell you about the currently available spots in Area B."
Steward Zhu did this not only out of a lingering sentiment for Old Zhou but also for his own self-interest.
Due to the mandatory rent increase and the chaos of Demon Insects, a large number of tenants had left, causing a sharp decline in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range's rental business.
The Zhu family's share also decreased as a result, and his income had dropped significantly. Therefore, being able to rent out Spiritual Land in Area B was also a good thing for him at this moment.
"How does it look? Do you want me to recommend something? Currently, over 50% of the Spiritual Land in Area B is vacant; normally, some good spots would never be available," Steward Zhu asked after a while.
"Thank you for your guidance, Steward Zhu, but I already have a rough choice! It's these two…"
As Qi Ping spoke, he pointed his finger towards Spiritual Land number twenty-eight and twenty-nine.
"These two? They are indeed not bad. Although the Spiritual Qi in Intermediate Spiritual Land is much less than in other places, the overall area is two or three times larger than other Spiritual Lands, making it very suitable for raising Bees."
Among the currently vacant Spiritual Lands in Area B, these two Spiritual Lands, while not the best, offered the highest cost-performance ratio and were among the popular Spiritual Lands in Area B.
Under normal circumstances, it would never have been Qi Ping's turn to rent them.
"I'd like to go see the actual sites first, and I'll come back to find you later, Steward Zhu."
"Alright, go see for yourself! I'll wait for you here!"
After bidding farewell to Steward Zhu, Qi Ping immediately headed to the Area B mountain range.
On the way, Qi Ping could barely suppress the joy in his heart; twenty-eight and twenty-nine were two excellent locations!
Although the Spiritual Qi density on the Intermediate Spiritual Land was not as good as others, there were more low-level Spiritual Lands, and the area was two or three times larger than other Spiritual Lands in Area B.
Compared to Peak Seven in Area D, it was even more incomparable, at least four or five times larger!
And most importantly, these two Spiritual Lands were located deep within the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, uninhabited, and adjacent to non-Spiritual Land, so their privacy was also excellent.
It allowed for private farming, and in case of danger, it was convenient for Qi Ping to transform into Bees and escape into the complex terrain deep within the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. The area was also particularly large, allowing for the cultivation of a large amount of hundred spirit grass as food resources for the rapid expansion of Bees, making it the most suitable development ground for Qi Ping!
Soon after, Qi Ping ascended to Peak Twenty-Eight and Twenty-Ninth in Area B, and after some investigation, he immediately confirmed that this was the place.
Large area, good secrecy, and abundant Spiritual Qi!
"This place is really good!" Qi Ping couldn't help but exclaim.
The only drawback was the insufficient Spiritual Qi density of the Intermediate Spiritual Land.
But Qi Ping had four spirit origin stone pillars with abundant Spiritual Qi, so cultivating Advanced Spirit Medicine did not depend on these Intermediate Spiritual Lands.
"It's just a pity that I don't have enough Spirit Stones right now, so I can only rent one of them."
This made Qi Ping feel a bit regretful, because Spiritual Land number twenty-eight and twenty-nine were adjacent. If he could take both of these Spiritual Lands, this place would truly be his backyard!
With the spirit origin stone pillars' enhancement, this place would be enough for Qi Ping to develop for a very, very long time!
Especially if he could obtain something better than the spirit origin stone pillars in the future to Cultivate Advanced Spirit Medicine, it would be even more suitable, such as an Advanced Spirit Gathering Array. In that case, he could probably develop to the Golden Core stage without any problems.
"Let's wait for that Black-robed Rune Cultivator's Storage Pouch. No matter what, a Qi Refining Late Stage Rune Cultivator's wealth should certainly include several hundred Spirit Stones."
"Once I secure these two Spiritual Lands, this will be the most suitable place for my development!"
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