After the female disciple went to fetch the spirit beast, Han Li waited quietly at the guest reception platform, occasionally casting glances at the various restrictions scattered around.
Aside from the mountaintop where Han Li stood, the rest of Spirit Beast Mountain was divided into spirit beast habitats of varying sizes by colorful restriction formations.
Each area sealed off by restrictions served as a breeding ground for a particular type of spirit beast. Only the rotating disciples from Qilin Pavilion were allowed entry — outsiders were forbidden, for fear of startling the spirit beasts or being harmed by those not yet tamed.
So although Spirit Beast Mountain appeared utterly silent, it was in fact home to nearly a thousand different spirit beasts at the very least. The scale was truly impressive!
The female disciple didn't keep Han Li waiting long. After the time it took to finish a meal, she emerged from within one of the restriction barriers cradling a fist-sized creature and headed straight for Han Li.
"This is the Double Pupil Mouse. The rental fee is one low-grade spirit stone per day!" The female disciple gently stroked the little beast's soft fur and addressed Han Li respectfully.
"Fine. Here are three spirit stones — I'll need it for three days," Han Li said to the woman in a calm tone.
"In three days, Granduncle, you simply need to release the Double Pupil Mouse and it will return to Qilin Pavilion on its own. In the meantime, I hope you will treat this creature well. This pouch contains Earth Pear Fruit, its favorite treat — please feed it a few when you have time." The young girl accepted the spirit stones, handed the spirit beast to Han Li, and produced a small white pouch.
Han Li gave a slight nod and took everything in stride.
Then, under the respectful gaze of the young woman, he flew off on his flying tool.
Han Li headed northwest through the air.
As he flew, he couldn't help but study the docile Double Pupil Mouse cradled in his arms.
At first glance, this little yellow creature really did look like an ordinary field mouse — the same small body, the same yellow fur, and the same slender tail.
The only difference was a pair of large eyes on its face that were nothing like those of a field mouse. Despite being the sole distinction, it instantly made the creature adorable beyond belief!
Moreover, faint five-colored wisps of light flickered within its eyes, lending the beast an air of mystery and distinction.
Even someone as cold and detached as Han Li, upon seeing the creature's endearing appearance, couldn't resist petting it a few times, and found himself wondering whether he might raise one of his own.
But Han Li was well aware that despite its gentle demeanor, this little beast was in fact a genuine mid-grade first-level spirit demon beast.
Aside from its miraculous double pupils, the creature possessed steel teeth capable of crunching through copper and iron, and a pair of front claws that could pierce metal and bore through stone. It was far less harmless than it appeared on the surface!
At the thought, Han Li flicked one of the beast's tiny ears and watched it twitch amusingly. A soft chuckle escaped his lips, and it seemed as though a long-buried bit of childlike wonder had resurfaced from deep within his heart.
Carrying the little beast, Han Li flew continuously for a full day before finally stopping at the outermost fringe of the northwestern part of the Taiyue Mountain Range.
A hundred li further north lay the territory of Yuanwu Kingdom, home to the great cultivation sect Tianxing Sect, which had also established a market there — one that stood in loose east-west opposition to Yellow Maple Valley's own market.
Two hundred li to the west was the border between Jian Prefecture and Yue Kingdom's smallest province, Xi Prefecture.
This was the only province among the seven that had no sect stationed in it. Other than yellow-soil plateaus, it consisted of a vast, boundless desert covering fully three-quarters of the entire province. The total population was barely over a hundred thousand, so there were simply no resources or manpower worth claiming. Naturally, it had never caught the eye of any of the Seven Great Sects.
There were two reasons Han Li had chosen to establish his cave dwelling in this vicinity.
First, this area lay in a desolate stretch of the Taiyue Mountain Range — bordered by Yuanwu Kingdom on one side and close to Xi Prefecture on the other. Fellow disciples and other cultivators rarely passed through here, which meant no one would disturb his cultivation.
Second, it wasn't far from the Tianxing Sect's market. If he wanted to sell medicinal herbs or buy supplies, he could easily make transactions there without fear of being recognized.
It was with these two considerations that Han Li had selected this location, despite its spiritual energy not being the richest. Unlike other Foundation Establishment disciples, whose cave dwellings were packed densely into the few spots with the densest spiritual energy, he had deliberately chosen apart from the crowd.
After landing, Han Li fitted a slender rope he had prepared in advance around the Double Pupil Mouse's neck, lest the creature dart off too fast and he lose track of it. Then he took a round, yellow fruit from the small cloth pouch and tossed it to the little beast to gnaw on.