Early the next morning, Lan Tian rose before dawn. After washing up, he practiced a round of boxing in the courtyard, thoroughly working off 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 his fill, he changed into a clean, neat outfit, removed the brand-new two-ring Soul Master badge from his collar, and slipped it into his pocket.
Today, he was going to the Spirit Hall Branch to update his registration and officially advance his Soul Master rank 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 as he walked. By the time he entered the Spirit Hall Branch hall, chewing on the warm, crisp pastry, there were several more people inside than during his last visit.
The old deacon surnamed Zhao was still behind the counter, his gold-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose as he looked down and flipped through 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 have been away for over 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 up to the counter, placed his two-ring badge on its surface, and went 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 that when you came to register as a Soul Grandmaster six years ago, you were twenty-three... 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 is 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 Testing Stone disk from the inner room, placing it on the counter.
Lan Tian pressed his palm against the disk, and his Soul Power naturally surged forth.
The markings on the disk spun rapidly before steadily stopping at level thirty-three.
Elder Zhao leaned closer to inspect it, then looked Lan Tian over again, his eyes carrying even greater astonishment. "Level thirty-three? Doctor Lan, your... third Soul Ring, how many years was it?"
"Exactly a thousand-year plant Soul Ring."
Without changing expression, Lan Tian repeated the explanation he had prepared long ago. "I found a thousand-year-old Sun-Moon Grass in Sunset Forest. It was a plant-type Soul Beast and happened to match the primary attribute of my Blue Silver Grass. The absorption process went quite smoothly. With my first two Soul Rings laying the foundation and my accumulated cultivation over the years, my Soul Power suddenly rose two extra levels. I was rather surprised myself. Normally, I should only have reached level thirty-one."
"Sun-Moon Grass..." Elder Zhao pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That is indeed a good choice. It had only just crossed the thousand-year threshold, and it belonged to the same plant type. High compatibility can indeed bring additional Soul Power growth. You were fortunate, but more importantly, your foundation from the first two rings was solid. Otherwise, no matter how high the compatibility, your Soul Power could not have jumped two extra levels at once."
"You are right, Elder Zhao." Lan Tian answered without further explanation. As long as his surface explanation held together, that was enough. No one would truly dig into the matter and test the exact age of his Soul Ring.
Elder Zhao asked no more questions. He pulled out the registration book 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 the material was somewhat heavier. It gleamed with a steady luster beneath the light.
"Oh, right. There is also the subsidy."
Elder Zhao took another 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 is one more matter I would 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 have officially become a Soul Elder, I would like to know the exact process and what documents I need to prepare."
At this, Elder Zhao's expression immediately became 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 are asking at exactly the right time. The Tiandou Empire has a fixed procedure for granting baronies to Soul Masters. Simply put, it has three steps."
"The first step is to register and file the record with Spirit Hall. You have already completed this step. As long as your Soul Elder identity has an official record, that is enough."
"The second step is to submit an application to the local City Lord's Mansion. The City Lord's Mansion will verify your identity and proof of strength. Once everything is confirmed, it will submit the application to Heaven Dou City. The most important part of this step is having a guarantor. Someone must vouch for your character, strength, and whether you have committed any illegal acts. With your status as chief physician, City Lord Alfred should be willing to speak for you."
"Third, once the review in Heaven Dou City is approved, the title documents and proof of fiefdom will be formally issued. A baron's fief is generally not large, ranging from several hundred to over a thousand mu. The specifics depend on imperial policy and that year's land allocation. Still, do not place too much hope in receiving an excellent fief. It will most likely be a plot in some remote area. But once you have a title, traveling throughout the country will become much more convenient. Tariffs will be reduced or waived, you will receive priority passage, and if you encounter trouble, you can directly seek assistance from the local authorities. There are quite a few benefits."
Lan Tian committed Elder Zhao's words to memory one by one, then asked, "About how long will the entire process take?"
"If it is quick, three to five months. If it is slow, a year or half a year is perfectly normal." Elder Zhao waved a hand. "It mainly depends on whether Heaven Dou City is busy. The internal strife there only settled down recently, and government affairs should be returning to normal. If you submit it now, it might even be faster. But I suggest that you first let City Lord Alfred know, so he is prepared. Once you have all your documents ready, send them directly to him. If the city lord nods and stamps them, the matter will already 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, bid Elder Zhao farewell, and left the Spirit Hall Branch. Standing on the steps outside, he let out a long breath.
Morning sunlight slanted down from the eastern eaves, falling across the brick pavement and bathing the entire street in a warm golden glow.
A Soul Elder at thirty-three was unprecedented in Nuoding City.
Although a Soul Elder in his early thirties was not particularly rare across the entire Tiandou Empire, considering that he had started with only level 0.1 Innate Soul Power and a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, this achievement was indeed enough to make him feel a trace of pride.
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 this status, it would be much more convenient for him to gather resources in Sunset Forest or elsewhere and travel across the land. Even the arrangements around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well could, in the future, make use of his noble status to mobilize more resources and manpower.
He roughly reviewed his future path in his mind, then walked briskly back to the clinic. The instant he pushed open the door, his entire body relaxed.
There was no rush regarding the title. He would first organize the documents, then find a suitable opportunity to mention it when City Lord Alfred was available. After that, he could simply follow the process.
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