I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Time flies, and six years have passed in the blink of an eye.

As the children grew up, they began to take over various family affairs.

The family's manpower shortage has finally been alleviated somewhat.

As always, Lin Che spent most of his time cultivating.

Azure Mystery Realm, the island in the middle of the lake.

The morning mist, like a veil, gently shrouded the lake.

The cry of the blue-eyed eagle in the distance pierced through the clouds, intertwining with the low murmur of the green toad nearby.

A gentle breeze blows, the willows sway lightly, the flowers sway gently, and a faint fragrance permeates the air.

"call--"

He let out a long sigh, smoothing out the surge of spiritual energy that had been turbulent due to the breakthrough, like calming the sea after a storm.

Only after the last trace of energy dissipated deep within his meridians did he slowly open his eyes.

"You've reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm."

Lin Che murmured to himself, his tone devoid of pride, only a faint sigh.

It has only been eight years since he formed the Core Formation stage, yet he has already progressed from the initial stage to the middle stage. This speed is something to be proud of in the entire Southern Region.

But he knew in his heart that this was due to the aptitude of the Holy Spirit Root, the advanced resources provided by the system, and the arduous cultivation he had never slacked off over the years.

After recalling the time, Lin Che had a rough estimate of the speed of his breakthrough.

"It will be eight years before I break through to the Golden Core stage in two months. I should be able to break through to the Nascent Soul stage before the beast tide arrives!"

Eight years ago, Lin Che, at the age of forty-nine, successfully formed his Golden Core.

Now at the age of fifty-seven, he has officially entered the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

……

The spirit beasts that had formed a life-bound contract with him immediately sensed this fluctuation.

They were connected to Lin Che's mind; the moment his cultivation broke through, that resonance from the depths of his soul was faster than any other communication.

The Azure Scaled Dragon was the first to leap out from the bottom of the lake.

It is now dozens of feet long, its entire body covered in green scales that gleam with a cold luster in the morning light. Its head is held high, and the two whiskers at the corners of its mouth flutter in the wind, giving it the imposing presence of a real dragon.

But the fawning smile on his face lacked any of the majesty that a dragon should possess.

"Congratulations, Boss, on your breakthrough again! You truly are a reincarnated immortal, a living saint!" Its voice came from the divine sense, its fawning tone making the nearby crocodile turtle roll its eyes.

Lin Che glanced at it, and the corners of his lips slightly lifted.

This guy hasn't neglected his cultivation.

Upon closer inspection, it has now reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

There has been considerable progress compared to six years ago.

In particular, her skill in flattery was unparalleled.

The alligator snapping turtle slowly crawled out of the lake.

Its carapace was thicker than it had been six years ago, and the patterns on its shell were more intricate. With each step it took, the ground trembled slightly.

Unlike the Azure Scaled Dragon, it didn't fawn over Lin Che; it simply lay quietly beside him, bowing its head slightly as a gesture of congratulations.

It is also in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

Lin Che turned his head and looked at the Burning Sky Sacred Sparrow perched on the branch of the Misty Hidden Heart Tea Tree.

The Heavenly Sacred Sparrow perched on the highest branch, its crimson-gold feathers gleaming in the morning light, but its small face held an exceptionally unpleasant expression.

It has been trapped at the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage for some years now.

It started at the same time as Lin Che, but it has yet to successfully form its core.

It's not that they lack talent or resources, but rather that it's much more difficult for spirit beasts to form their cores than for humans.

Their lifespan is long, but their cultivation speed is much slower.

Lin Che sighed inwardly as he looked at its sullen expression.

Not only the Burning Heaven Sacred Sparrow, but also the Azure Profound Realm Spirit and the Crimson Flame are stuck at the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage.

They were all among the earliest spirit beasts to follow Lin Che, and their talents were all quite good, but they were just missing that final step.

The further one progresses in cultivation, the more the advantages of the human race become apparent.

What often takes a mythical beast a hundred years to achieve, a human can accomplish in just a dozen years.

In fact, the Burning Sky Sacred Sparrow is only thirty-three years old from the time it hatched until now.

You should know that the old man Cangming Jiao was over two hundred years old when he finally reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

If it weren't for Lin Che, the Holy Spirit Root, as a comparison, its cultivation speed would actually be quite fast.

Lin Che couldn't help but comfort him: "Don't worry, your efforts over the past few years have paid off. I can feel that you're just one step away from a breakthrough. Right now, all you need to do is adjust your mindset."

"Yeah, yeah, big sister, what's the rush?" The Azure Scaled Dragon sidled up, grinning, and said, "Look at me, so weak, but I'm not in a hurry at all, am I?"

Only after hearing its master's words of comfort did the Burning Heaven Sacred Sparrow turn its head around.

He glared at the Azure Scaled Dragon and snorted, "Hmph, do you need to tell me?"

Seeing that the Burning Heaven Sacred Sparrow had recovered its spirits, the other spirit beasts began to congratulate Lin Che again.

The atmosphere under the tree grew increasingly lively.

Lin Che looked at them, a smile appearing on his lips.

"Alright, everyone, you can all go home now." He waved his hand. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll have an extra meal tonight."

"Great!"

The Azure Scaled Dragon was the first to cheer, its tail slapping the water's surface and splashing up a spray of water.

Although the Heavenly Sacred Sparrow did not speak, its eyes clearly brightened.

Lin Che smiled and shook his head.

At this point, we'll have to sacrifice the spirit birds again.

Of course, there are also the newly bred Crimson Flame Oxen.

Those large, golden-red creatures had delicious meat and were full of spiritual energy. They sizzled and dripped oil when roasted, and even he couldn't help but eat a few more bites.

……

After the celebration, Lin Che toured the secret realm.

He examined the situation of each population.

The Golden Lion Beast Clan has gained several more cubs, fluffy and resembling little lions, who are rolling around next to their mothers.

The ancient bell patterns on the backs of the new generation of Qingpu Mingchan are becoming increasingly clear, and some of them have already begun to awaken their bloodline supernatural powers.

The red-scaled fire carp darted and swam through the lava, their scales shimmering with a golden luster in the firelight, a breathtaking sight.

The Wangtianyin couple hatched another litter of chicks. The four furry little creatures huddled together in the nest, emitting soft chirps...

Everything is going in a good direction.

Lin Che nodded in satisfaction and prepared to visit his hometown.

But in Lin Che's heart, one word kept echoing.

time.

The higher the rank of a spirit beast, the slower its advancement speed.

That's easy to understand.

Unlike humans, they have a very long lifespan.

Just like the vortex dragon turtle that Lin Che encountered when he first arrived here, which had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and had an astonishing lifespan of 1,200 years.

It should be noted that the lifespan of a human Golden Core cultivator is generally only around eight hundred years.

It's easy to imagine how exaggerated the difference is between the two.

If spirit beasts could cultivate at the same speed as humans, where in the world would humans have a place to stand?

Another point.

As the bloodlines of the spirit beasts in the secret realm gradually improve, their breeding cycles also gradually lengthen.

To date, not a single fifth-tier bloodline spirit beast has given birth to offspring, and even fourth-tier ones are very rare.

Golden Lion Beast, Azure Sea Dragon, Mountain-Bearing Crocodile Turtle... those races that were first promoted are now facing the dilemma of "no descendants at the high level".

What's troubling all of this is time.

Before teleporting out of the secret realm, Lin Che turned his gaze towards the direction where the Azure Profound Realm Spirit was located.

Is it possible to... solve this problem?

As he pondered this in his mind, his figure had already vanished into the secret realm.