Soul Elder Certification! Thoughts of a Barony!

Early the next morning, Lan Tian got up at dawn. After washing up, he practiced a set of punches in the courtyard, thoroughly working out the fatigue from days of travel. He then crouched beside the Nine Heart Begonia and watched it for quite a while before returning inside for breakfast.

After eating and drinking his fill, he changed into a clean, neat outfit, removed the brand-new two-ring Soul Master badge from his collar, and tucked it into his pocket.

Today, he was going to the Spirit Hall Branch to update his registration and officially advance from a two-ring Soul Grandmaster to a three-ring Soul Elder.

As he passed the pancake stall at the entrance to Nuoding City, he casually bought two meat-filled pancakes and ate them as he walked. By the time he entered the Spirit Hall Branch's main hall, chewing on the hot, crispy pastry, there were a few more people inside than during his last visit.

The old deacon surnamed Zhao was still behind the counter, his gold-rimmed glasses resting on his nose as he looked down at a thick ledger.

When he looked up and saw Lan Tian enter, his gaze swept over him, and his eyes suddenly narrowed slightly.

"Doctor Lan? You've been away for more than half a month, haven't you? You look even better than before you left." Elder Zhao set down the ledger and greeted him with a smile.

Lan Tian walked to the counter, placed the two-ring badge on its surface, and got straight to the point. "Elder Zhao, I'm here to update my registration. I've already broken through to three-ring Soul Elder."

The smile on Elder Zhao's face paused before surprise appeared. "Three-ring Soul Elder? Doctor Lan, I remember you were twenty-three when you registered as a Soul Grandmaster six years ago... No, twenty-seven? How old are you now?"

"Thirty-three." Lan Tian smiled.

"A thirty-three-year-old Soul Elder, not even thirty-five. That's unprecedented in Nuoding City."

"Come, let's test your Soul Power Level first."

Elder Zhao clicked his tongue a few times, then turned and brought out the Soul Power testing stone disk from the inner room, placing it on the counter.

Lan Tian pressed his palm against the disk, and Soul Power naturally flowed out.

The markings on the disk spun rapidly before steadily stopping at level thirty-three.

Elder Zhao leaned closer for a look, then raised his head to inspect him again, his eyes showing even greater surprise. "Level thirty-three? Doctor Lan, your... third Soul Ring, how many years was it?"

"An exactly thousand-year-old plant Soul Ring."

Without changing expression, Lan Tian presented the explanation he had long prepared. "I found a thousand-year-old Sun-Moon Grass in Sunset Forest. It was a plant-type Soul Beast, and it happened to match the primary attribute of my Blue Silver Grass. The absorption process went quite smoothly. With the foundation laid by my first two Soul Rings and my accumulated cultivation over the years, my Soul Power suddenly rose an extra two levels. I was surprised too. Normally, it should only have reached level thirty-one."

"Sun-Moon Grass..." Elder Zhao pondered for a moment and nodded. "That is indeed a good choice. It had only just crossed the thousand-year threshold and belonged to the same plant type. A high compatibility can indeed provide an additional increase in Soul Power. You were lucky, but more importantly, the foundation from your first two rings was solid. Otherwise, no matter how high the compatibility was, your Soul Power couldn't have jumped two extra levels at once."

"You're right, Elder Zhao." Lan Tian answered without further explanation. As long as his surface-level explanation held together, no one would truly dig into the matter and test the exact age of his Soul Ring.

Elder Zhao asked no more questions. He took out the registration ledger and updated the information, then retrieved a brand-new three-ring Soul Master badge and handed it to him.

The three-ring emblem on the badge had one more ring than the two-ring version, and its material was somewhat heavier as well. Under the lamplight, it gleamed with a steady luster.

"Oh, right. There's also the matter of your subsidy."

Elder Zhao took a money pouch from beneath the counter and placed it on the surface. "The subsidy for a three-ring Soul Elder is one hundred Gold Soul Coins per month. Keep it safe."

Lan Tian accepted the pouch and weighed it in his hand. It was satisfyingly heavy. He tucked it into his robes and smiled. "Thank you, Elder Zhao. There's something else I'd like to ask you about."

"Go ahead."

Lan Tian lowered his voice. "Six years ago, you mentioned that Soul Elders and above could apply for a barony from the Tiandou Empire. Now that I've officially broken through to Soul Elder, I'd like to know the exact process and what materials I need to prepare."

The moment Elder Zhao heard this, his expression became noticeably more serious.

He set down the ledger in his hand, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and beckoned Lan Tian closer. Lowering his voice, he said, "Doctor Lan, you're asking at exactly the right time. The Tiandou Empire has a fixed procedure for granting baronies to Soul Masters. Put simply, there are three steps."

"First, register and file your records with Spirit Hall. You've already completed this step. As long as there's an official record confirming your status as a Soul Elder, that's enough."

"Second, submit an application to the local City Lord's Mansion. The City Lord's Mansion will verify your identity and proof of strength, then report it to Heaven Dou City once everything is confirmed. The key to this step is having a guarantor. Someone must vouch for your character, strength, and whether you have committed any illegal acts. Given your position as chief physician, City Lord Alfred should be willing to speak for you."

"Third, once Heaven Dou City completes its review, it will officially issue the title documents and proof of land grant. A baron's territory generally isn't large, ranging from several hundred to over a thousand mu, depending on imperial policy and that year's land allocation. Still, don't expect the land to be especially good. It will most likely be plots in remote areas. But once you have a title, traveling throughout the empire will become much more convenient. You'll receive tariff reductions, priority passage, and can seek help directly from local authorities if you encounter trouble. There are quite a few benefits."

Lan Tian committed Elder Zhao's words to memory one by one, then asked, "Roughly how long will the whole process take?"

"If things move quickly, three to five months. If not, half a year to a year is normal." Elder Zhao waved his hand. "It mainly depends on whether Heaven Dou City is busy. The internal conflict there only settled down recently, and government affairs should be getting back on track. If you submit it now, it might even be faster. Still, I suggest you first give City Lord Alfred a heads-up so he knows what to expect. Once you have all your materials ready, send them directly to him. As soon as the city lord approves and stamps them, the matter will be half settled."

Lan Tian nodded solemnly. "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Zhao. I understand now."

He put away his new badge and subsidy money, bid Elder Zhao farewell, and walked out of the Spirit Hall Branch. Standing on the steps outside, he let out a long breath.

Morning sunlight slanted down from the eastern rooftops, falling across the street's paving stones and coating the entire road in a warm golden glow.

A thirty-three-year-old Soul Elder was unprecedented in Nuoding City.

Although Soul Elders in their early thirties were not especially rare across the entire Tiandou Empire, considering that he had started with only 0.1 Innate Soul Power and a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, this achievement was truly worth feeling a little proud of.

More importantly, once his application for a barony was approved, his status in Nuoding City would rise from "the chief physician hired by the city lord" to "an officially recognized noble of the empire."

With that status, gathering resources in Sunset Forest or elsewhere and traveling throughout the land would become much easier. Even his future plans for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well could make use of his noble status to mobilize more resources and manpower.

He roughly went over his future path in his mind, then walked briskly back to the clinic. The instant he pushed open the door, his entire body seemed to settle.

There was no rush concerning the title. He would first organize the necessary materials, then find a suitable opportunity to mention it when City Lord Alfred was available. After that, he could simply proceed according to the process.