I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

In the afternoon, Lin Che sat alone on the bluestone platform under the spirit tree on the island in the middle of the lake.

Sunlight filtered through the lush foliage, casting dappled shadows on his knees, swaying gently in the breeze like flowing gold dust.

The leaves of the spirit tree rustled in the wind, the sound unhurried and gentle, like some ancient soothing melody, calming the mind.

About an hour later, the communication jade slip in my sleeve became slightly warm.

He stopped cultivating, slowly opened his eyes, and the spiritual light that had been gathered during his cultivation gradually dissipated in his deep eyes, returning to his usual calm.

He took out the jade slip, held it in his palm, and probed it with his divine sense.

The message regarding the black player was brief, accompanied by a list:

"In and around Burning Bone City, there are three third-tier masters who are currently homeless: two alchemists and one weapon refiner. Their cultivation levels, backgrounds, and current situations are as follows."

Lin Che read through each item one by one.

All three people on the list are at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

Alchemists and weapon refiners at the Golden Core stage are honored guests in any family, and those who can enter the Eye of the Black are certainly not ordinary people.

The first one is an alchemist named Lu Yunzhou.

He was originally a rogue cultivator and served as a guest elder in a medium-sized sect in his early years. Later, for reasons unknown, he left and wandered around the Burning Bone City area.

His alchemy skills are known for their "stability," and he is especially skilled at refining the "Breakthrough Pill" used by Foundation Establishment cultivators to break through to the Golden Core stage. His success rate is much higher than that of other alchemists of the same level, and he has an excellent reputation among independent cultivators.

He was about 120 years old, in the early stage of the Golden Core realm, without any sect or school, and without a fixed source of income. He occasionally took on some casual jobs, and his life was not very comfortable.

The note on the last line reads: "This person can be contacted using a spirit beast as a bargaining chip; the success rate is not low."

The second one is an alchemist named Pei Wan, a female cultivator who came from a humble background.

Her alchemy style was completely different from Lu Yunzhou's.

He is not skilled in breakthrough pills, but specializes in healing and detoxification pills, especially the "Jade Marrow Bone-Regenerating Pill".

That is one of the most difficult types of third-tier pills to refine, requiring extremely strict control of the heat and the ratio of medicinal ingredients; the slightest mistake will cause the furnace to explode.

This woman was aloof and rarely interacted with others. She lived alone outside Burning Bone City for many years, and like other demon hunters, she made a living by gathering herbs and refining pills in the Fulong Mountains.

At the early stage of the Golden Core realm, around ninety years old, he is considered young among independent cultivators, and his spiritual root should be quite good.

The black-handed player's note: "This person has an eccentric personality and is not easy to approach. If you want to recruit him, you must cater to his preferences and not force him."

The third one is a weapon refiner named Tie Wushuang. He is in the early stage of the Golden Core realm and comes from a rogue cultivator background. He is quite famous in the weapon refining industry in Burning Bone City.

This person's weapon-making style is rough and bold; he dislikes delicate and small items and is skilled at crafting large magical artifacts and war machines.

They once built a batch of heavy crossbows for the garrison of Fen Gu Guan, which were incredibly powerful and are still in service on the pass today.

He was about 150 years old, belonged to no sect or school, and had his own workshop on West Street in Burning Bone City. His income was not very stable. He would occasionally receive some large orders and make a sum of money, but most of the time he lived a leisurely life, drinking and discussing philosophy with a few close friends.

This person is of extremely high value.

Chuyang City is currently building its defenses and is lacking in large-scale defensive equipment.

If we can successfully recruit them, we can negotiate cooperation with the city lord's mansion and generate direct profits.

The black-clad commenter noted: "This person is forthright, enjoys drinking, and values ​​loyalty. To recruit him, spirit stones aren't the most important thing; compatibility is."

Lin Che held the jade slip in his palm, his mind racing as he weighed the options.

Alchemists and weapon refiners at the Golden Core stage are honored guests in any family.

Such people won't be easily recruited unless you can offer them something truly compelling.

Spirit stones? They don't lack them, at least not to the point of working themselves to the bone for a newly arrived merchant guild.

Cultivation techniques? The Lin family might be able to produce something, but that would be too conspicuous.

Low-level techniques are meaningless, and people might not even care about them.

Advanced cultivation techniques have too great an impact.

Therefore, this approach to cultivation methods is not advisable.

Mythical beast.

Only spirit beasts are a unique asset of the Lin family, something they cannot offer elsewhere.

He replied to Zhihei with a concise message: "Try to arrange contact, starting with Lu Yunzhou and Tie Wushuang. Don't consider Pei Wan for now; we'll talk about her after we figure out her preferences."

Of the three, Lin Che favored Lu Yunzhou and Tie Wushuang the most.

The former is the most likely to be successfully recruited.

The latter is very helpful to Chuyang City and the Lin family!

…………

Three days later, in the western part of Burning Bone City.

On the second floor of an elegantly decorated teahouse, there is a window seat with a wide view.

Looking out from here, you can see the bluestone pavement of West Street winding into the distance, with shop flags fluttering on both sides. Occasionally, a spirit beast carriage will pass by, its wheels making a rumbling sound as they roll over the stone slabs.

The air was filled with the fragrance of spirit tea, mixed with the sweet aroma of roasted spirit potatoes from street stalls, and the low roars of beasts coming from the spirit beast workshop in the distance.

Lin Xuandong sat by the window, with a pot of spiritual tea and two plates of snacks in front of him.

The tea is made from the finest Yunwu Lingya tea leaves, with a bluish-green liquor and a delicate aroma;

The pastry has layers of flaky pastry, sprinkled with sesame seeds and sesame seeds, making it look incredibly appetizing.

But he didn't move an inch, sitting upright, his gaze occasionally sweeping towards the doorway.

Today he was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, with a jade belt around his waist, and his hair was neatly styled. He looked clean and refreshing, exuding the shrewdness and competence unique to businessmen.

His face lacked the playful expression he usually wore at home; instead, it displayed a calm and composed demeanor, as if he were used to such situations.

About half an hour later, the door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man dressed in a gray robe walked in.

He was thin and gaunt, with slightly prominent cheekbones, a hint of weariness between his brows, and faint dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't had a proper rest in a long time.

But those eyes were bright, not the sharp, brilliance of a young person, but a kind of clarity that comes from experience, like jade polished by time, its luster restrained yet warm and radiant.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow, each step firm and steady.

It was none other than Lu Yunzhou, a third-level alchemist.

Lin Xuandong immediately stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said respectfully but not servilely, "Greetings, Senior Lu. I am Lin Xuandong, the manager of the Lin family's Qingmu Chamber of Commerce in Chuyang City. I apologize for inviting you here so humbly."

Lu Yunzhou glanced at him, nodded slightly, and without exchanging pleasantries, walked straight to sit down opposite him.

His posture was very casual, leaning back in the chair with his legs naturally apart, without the prim and proper airs commonly seen in Golden Core cultivators.

Without saying a word, he simply picked up the spiritual tea that Lin Xuan had poured, took a sip, and looked out the window.

Lin Xuandong didn't rush to speak, but also took a sip of tea.

There weren't many people in the teahouse. Occasionally, customers would come and go, their footsteps very light. The waiter's voice, which was being greeted in hushed tones, was mostly blocked out by the screens between the booths.

Outside the window is a quiet alleyway on West Street, sparsely populated. A few sparrows hop around on the eaves, chirping and adding a touch of life to the peaceful afternoon.

"Speak, what can you give me?" Lu Yunzhou put down his teacup, his tone indifferent.

Having learned of the other party's intentions through the intermediary, he decided to get straight to the point.

He dislikes beating around the bush and the usual approach of building rapport before getting down to business.

Speak your mind directly. If it works, great; if not, forget it.

Lin Xuandong put down his teacup, took out a jade box from his sleeve, gently placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Lu Yunzhou.

The jade box was small, about the size of a palm, and was entirely emerald green. Its surface was engraved with fine array patterns, and a faint spiritual light seemed to flow around it.

This is specifically designed to preserve the vitality of spirit beast eggs.

Lu Yunzhou glanced at him but didn't make a move; he simply gestured for him to open it with his eyes.

Lin Xuandong opened the jade box.

Inside lay a fist-sized spirit beast egg. The eggshell was light blue with fine silver patterns on the surface, like a spider web or leaf veins, with a faint spiritual light flowing through it.

The eggshell has a warm touch, which means life is breathing and growing.

"This is..." Lu Yunzhou's gaze shifted slightly.

"A Tier 3 High-Grade Wind-Attribute Spirit Beast Egg, Azure Sky Cloud Eagle." Lin Xuandong's voice was not loud.

"The breed cultivated by our Lin family has extremely high bloodline purity. After reaching adulthood, it can grow to the peak of the Golden Core stage. This spirit beast egg is a gift from my father to you, senior. It is just a small token of my respect, and I hope you will accept it with a smile."

Lu Yunzhou remained silent for a moment.

Without refusing, he reached out and gently touched the spirit beast egg.

His fingers were long and slender with distinct knuckles, and his fingertips carried a faint fragrance of medicinal herbs, the kind of scent that only someone who had dealt with spiritual herbs for many years would have.

The moment his fingertips touched the eggshell, he felt a warm life force emanating from within, like a heartbeat, steady and powerful.

The heartbeat was calm and steady, carrying a vibrant and unstoppable power unique to new life.

His eyes immediately changed.

It wasn't greed, nor excitement, but something more complex and indescribable.

It sounded like a sigh, like nostalgia, and like he had such expectations and dreams in some distant past.

"Good stuff." He withdrew his hand, his gaze falling on Lin Xuandong's face. His tone remained calm, but the light in his eyes was even brighter than before.

"What does your Lin family want me to do?"

Lin Xuandong didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Please, senior, serve as the honorary alchemist of the Qingmu Chamber of Commerce."

Lu Yunzhou did not answer immediately.

He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and his gaze fell on the flock of sparrows hopping around outside the window.

The sparrows were tireless, hopping from the rooftop to the branches, occasionally pecking at their feathers and chirping softly, carefree.

He stared at it for a long time, as if he were thinking about something, or perhaps recalling something.

After a long while, the sound slowly came over.

"I'm used to being carefree and don't like being constrained. What are you, the merchant guild's, supposed to do as your retainers?"

"No need to work in the office." Lin Xuandong was prepared. He took out a contract from his sleeve and handed it to Lu Yunzhou with both hands.

"Senior only needs to refine pills when the Chamber of Commerce needs them, and can cultivate and study pill formulas in his own cave at other times."

The Chamber of Commerce provides a fixed monthly salary, ten catties of third-tier spirit beast meat, one third-tier spirit herb, and five thousand spirit stones. The Chamber of Commerce also purchases pills refined by senior members at market price without taking any commission.

He spoke slowly, explaining each point clearly without ambiguity or concealment.

Lu Yunzhou picked up the contract and read through it page by page.

He read very slowly, looking at each line several times, as if searching for some kind of trap, or as if weighing the pros and cons.

His fingers slid lightly across the paper, his gaze moving from the first clause to the last. Finally, he put down the contract and looked up.

"Can your Lin family guarantee a stable supply of third-tier spirit beast meat?"

"Yes." Lin Xuandong nodded, his tone firm: "My father cultivated this variety himself. It's of superior quality and can't be bought on the market. Senior can go to Chuyang City to take a look first before deciding."

"What about third-tier spiritual herbs?"

"Our Lin family has a third-tier spiritual vein and a dedicated spiritual herb garden, ensuring a stable supply of spiritual herbs. Senior, you can rest assured about that."

Lu Yunzhou remained silent for a long time.

The sunlight outside the window gradually slanted westward, casting a long shadow on the ground.

Customers began to arrive at the teahouse. Footsteps, conversations, and the clinking of teacups mingled together, coming from next door, faint but not noisy.

"I have one more condition," he finally spoke, his voice a few decibels lower than before.

"Please speak, senior."

"I need a kind of elixir." Lu Yunzhou took out a jade slip from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Lin Xuandong.

"I have the seeds, but this plant has extremely demanding environmental requirements; I can't grow it in my own cave. Could I exchange my salary for this third-tier spiritual herb? Could the Lin family help me cultivate it?"

Lin Xuandong picked up the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and glanced at its contents.

It was a rare medicinal herb he had never seen before, with an obscure name and unique recorded properties, requiring specific spiritual veins and soil conditions.

He pondered for a moment, his face remaining expressionless, but his mind was racing with calculations.

He had never heard of this kind of spiritual herb before, and he didn't know if the Lin family's third-tier spiritual vein could meet its growth conditions, nor did he know how high the cost of cultivating it would be.

If you rashly agree to something and then fail to deliver, you will lose credibility.

"This is a matter I cannot decide on my own; I need to consult my father," he said truthfully, his tone sincere.

"However, I think there shouldn't be any problem. The Lin family has done some research on spiritual plants and has cultivated many rare spiritual herbs. If you trust me, you might as well give me the seeds as well. After my father confirms them, I will give you an answer."

Lu Yunzhou glanced at him, his gaze scrutinizing.

"Alright." He nodded, stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Lin Xuandong, and said in a warmer tone than when he arrived: "Then we'll wait for your news. If you have a reply, please let me know at any time."

He turned and left, his steps lighter than when he arrived.

As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, turned back to look at the spirit beast egg on the table, and a hint of reluctance flashed in his eyes.

It was an indescribable feeling, as if I was saying goodbye to something.

He didn't say anything, just glanced at her one more time, then pushed open the door and disappeared into the bustling street.

Lin Xuan watched his figure disappear, let out a long sigh, picked up the tea that had long since gone cold, and took a swig.

The bitterness of the tea spread on his tongue, but he found it sweet.

The first one, it's a success.

He glanced down at the spirit beast egg on the table, a slight smile playing on his lips, then closed the jade box and tucked it into his sleeve.

He picked up the jade slip containing the spiritual medicine left by Lu Yunzhou, held it in his palm, and was already planning how to report to his father...