I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Eight years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Eight years ago, he orchestrated a scheme in the secret realm that caused the three alliances to fall apart.

The Cheng, He, and Liu families have been distrusting and attacking each other for years, resulting in a significant loss of strength, and they are no longer able to restrain the development of the Lin family.

The whereabouts of Liu Zhengyun, the head of the Liu family, remain unknown to this day; he has neither been seen alive nor dead.

The Liu family was embroiled in a fierce internal struggle for the position of family head, causing their strength to plummet.

Although the Cheng and He families are still barely maintaining their relationship, without the Liu family's checks and balances, their conflicts are gradually surfacing, and they are no longer the solid alliance of the "three families" of yesteryear.

The Aoki Merchant Guild's development in Burning Bone City is now unimpeded.

……

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

The branches and leaves of the spirit tree were even more lush than eight years ago, and its canopy spread out like a giant umbrella, enveloping the entire cultivation platform in a cool, green shade.

Sunlight filters through layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground like scattered gold.

The blue stone platform under the tree had been sat on by Lin Che for countless days and nights, its surface worn smooth as a mirror, vaguely reflecting a human figure.

Lin Che sat cross-legged on the stone platform, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and even.

His aura merged with the entire secret realm; with each breath, the spirit trees swayed, the lake water rose and fell, and the wind came and went.

The Golden Elixir has been perfected.

He could sense the changes in the golden elixir in his dantian.

It was no longer still, but slowly rotating. With each rotation, a wisp of spiritual energy would overflow from the golden core, travel through the meridians, and return to the golden core.

The golden elixir is breathing, inhaling and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and brewing some deeper transformation.

That's a sign that the baby is about to be formed.

Lin Che opened his eyes, his gaze calm as still water.

His cultivation has been firmly established at the peak of the Golden Core stage. He only needs an opportunity, a spiritual object, and a catalyst to trigger the Heavenly Tribulation and advance towards the Nascent Soul stage.

And he already had that trigger.

Blood Jade Infant Marrow.

The dark red crystal in the secret realm lay quietly in his storage bag.

Now all that's missing is a sufficiently harmonious state of mind, waiting for that crucial moment to make the final push.

It took him 24 years to complete his Golden Core at the age of 49 and 73.

Twenty-four years, from the initial stage of the Golden Core realm to standing at the peak of the Golden Core realm.

This speed, even in the entire Southern Region, would be enough to leave any Golden Core cultivator speechless.

Some people spend their entire lives and still can't even get close to the threshold of the Golden Elixir;

Some people are lucky enough to form the Golden Core, but they waste a hundred years in the early stages and cannot make any progress in their entire lives.

But Lin Che's face showed no smugness, only calmness.

Because he knew that the completion of the Golden Core was not the end, but a new beginning.

Only those at the Nascent Soul stage are truly qualified to stand on the chessboard of the Southern Region.

No matter how strong a Golden Core cultivator is, he is nothing more than a pawn, at most one of the more important pieces in the game.

Only Nascent Soul cultivators are qualified to make moves and stand on equal footing with those forces that have dominated the Southern Region for hundreds of years.

Lin Che slowly stood up, stretched his muscles and bones, which made a slight cracking sound.

"Isn't today the day of the clan assembly?"

Thinking this, Lin Che walked out of the secret realm and pushed open the door of the secluded cultivation room.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his face with the unique, refreshing scent of Shattered Star Lake.

He took a deep breath, and the familiar air, filled with the fragrance of water plants and spirit flowers, filled his lungs, invigorating him.

Walk along the bluestone path toward the council chamber of the main complex.

On the way, he met Lin Xinyao.

The girl stood by the lake, wearing a light blue dress that fluttered gently in the morning breeze, like a blue lotus blooming on the lakeside.

Her long hair cascaded down to her waist, the ends slightly curled, gleaming softly in the sunlight.

She has grown much taller than she did eight years ago and is now a graceful young woman.

The childishness of the past has faded, replaced by a gentle and serene demeanor.

She stood there, gazing at the lake, lost in thought.

"Xinyao," Lin Che called out.

Lin Xinyao turned around, a smile appearing on her beautiful face.

"grandfather."

"Your cultivation has improved again." Lin Che glanced at her and nodded in satisfaction.

Her cultivation level was already at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

With a top-grade wind spirit root and an exquisite heart, his cultivation speed far surpasses that of his peers, making him the undisputed number one among the third generation of the Lin family.

Not only that, she gradually became an indispensable part of the Lin family.

What is the core of the Lin family?

The answer is simple—beast taming.

The core inheritance of the Lin family is the "Ten Thousand Beasts Paying Homage to the Ancestor Technique".

This Heavenly Rank inheritance not only contains cultivation techniques, but also the inheritance of the art of beast taming, encompassing everything from the selection, breeding, and taming of spirit beasts to the purification, advancement, and awakening of bloodlines.

It can be said that from Lin Che to Lin Xuanqi and the others, they are all part-time beast tamers.

The problem lies precisely in this "part-time job".

Lin Che had to spend most of his time cultivating, and Xuan Qi and Xuan Jing both had their own main jobs, so they had very little time to spend on beast taming.

On the contrary, the Lin family's most core beast taming ability was left behind.

The birth of Lin Xinyao undoubtedly solved this problem for the Lin family.

With her exquisite mind, she was born to be the best beast tamer.

Her perception of spirit beasts far surpasses that of ordinary people; she can understand their emotions and has enjoyed interacting with them since childhood.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, she began to take over the Lin family's beast breeding work.

She was in charge of the overall planning and coordination of the cultivation of spirit beasts in the entire Shattered Star Lake and Qingze.

From the selection and mating of spirit beasts to the feeding and training of cubs, and the allocation of adult spirit beasts, she personally oversaw every step and never made a mistake.

"Are you also going to the council chamber? Come on, let's go together," Lin Che said with a smile.

"it is good."

The two walked together at a leisurely pace, along the bluestone path beside Shattered Star Lake, heading towards the main area.

Lin Che started chatting with her.

"How are your father's and your uncles' spirit beast breeding programs going?"

As the number of people in the tribe increased, problems also arose.

That means the Lin family doesn't have enough spirit beasts to cultivate right now.

They only cultivate a limited number of species, and the cubs of top-quality spirit beasts are given priority to the core members of the clan. The remaining ones, in terms of both quantity and quality, are far from meeting the demand.

What's more troublesome is that the natal spirit beast bound to their own cultivation technique, "The Myriad Beasts Pay Homage to the Ancestor," must also conform to the spirit root attribute.

Those with a metal spiritual root can only contract with metal-attribute spiritual beasts, those with a wood spiritual root can only contract with wood-attribute spiritual beasts, and so on.

This has led to most members of the clan having to buy their own spirit beasts.

This is not a long-term solution.

As a family that tames beasts, the Lin family has to buy their own natal spirit beasts. If word gets out, wouldn't they become a laughing stock?

Lin Che himself could cultivate more spirit beast species.

It doesn't have to be the best bloodline; a mid-grade or high-grade bloodline is also acceptable. As long as it can cover more spiritual root attributes, it can meet the needs of most of the clansmen.

But that would take too much time; he couldn't possibly manage it all by himself.

So, Lin Che waved his hand and promulgated a new clan rule: every generation of core members of the Lin family must cultivate at least one spirit beast species.

Since you've received such exceptional treatment from the family, you should give back.

Starting from the third generation, only core members of the Lin family could cultivate the Heaven-rank cultivation technique "Ten Thousand Beasts Paying Homage to the Ancestor"; other family members could only cultivate "Ten Thousand Beasts Technique".

Not only that, the family provides the most cultivation resources to its core members, and top-quality bloodline spirit beasts are only provided to core members.

Lin Che's consistent principle is that treatment and responsibility should be commensurate.

Although Xuanqi and the others were not officially designated as core clan members, they received the same treatment as the core clan members.

They naturally had to complete this task as well.

"The uncles already have a plan and have started selecting breeds," Lin Xinyao replied in a clear and organized voice. "The breeds selected by Aunt Xuanjing have already begun to breed. They should be spirit beasts that mainly produce spiritual herbs, specifically used to assist the work in the spirit herb garden."

She paused, then laughed out loud: "As for my father... you know his temperament. How could you expect him to settle down and cultivate a spirit beast population? How about I cultivate them for him?"

Lin Che naturally understood Lin Xuanjing's personality best.

He'd be the first to charge into a fight, but getting him to calm down, select breeds, mate, and observe the growth of the offspring is pure torture.

However, Lin Che still smiled and shook his head: "No, I fully support you in cultivating more spirit beast populations. But your father's cultivation task must be completed by himself."

He paused, then continued, "Of course, it doesn't have to be a combat-type spirit beast. As long as it has unique characteristics, it's fine. Edible spirit beasts and spirit beasts that produce spiritual items are both acceptable."

"You need to supervise him and ensure he completes this task." Lin Che's tone became more serious. "The task of the assessment is also entrusted to you. According to the detailed rules I set beforehand, your father and your uncles cannot lower their standards. If they disagree with your assessment, let them come to me personally. I will back you up."

In the Lin family, besides himself, Lin Xinyao is arguably the one who has studied this beast-taming inheritance the most deeply.

She passed Lin Che's test long ago and has her own unique insights into the bloodline, habits, and breeding methods of spirit beasts.

Lin Che was very reassured by her judgment.

Lin Xinyao covered her mouth and chuckled: "Okay, I will definitely urge my father to complete the breeding of spirit beasts as soon as possible."

The two chatted about the recent situations of three generations of their clansmen, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the entrance of the council hall in the comprehensive area.

……

Comprehensive District Council Room.

A huge map was spread out on the long table, with every inch of Qingze's land densely marked on it.

Eight years of development have transformed that once barren land into the Lin family's stronghold.

The area of ​​the spirit herb garden has tripled, the size of the spirit beast ranch has quadrupled, and the production of spirit fish has increased fivefold.

A single season's harvest of spiritual herbs from a spiritual field nourished by a third-tier spiritual vein is equivalent to a year's harvest from Shattered Star Lake.

Lin Xuan handed a thick ledger to Lin Che, his voice tinged with emotion:

"Father, the development of Qingze is basically complete. The spirit herb garden, spirit beast ranch, and spirit fish breeding area are all in use. This year's output has increased by 40% compared to last year. At this rate, in another five years, Qingze's output will surpass that of Shattered Star Lake."

Lin Che flipped through the account books and nodded.

Lin Xuanjing then stood up and walked to the map.

"I have complete control over the garrison." His voice carried a hint of pride. "Eight battalions, three thousand cultivators, including more than two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. The City Lord's Mansion has completely given up on vying for command. Zhang Mo is now only in charge of his own direct subordinates; the rest will listen to me."

"The garrison's training system has also been fully upgraded. I've learned a lot from Lao San, including formation drills, live-fire exercises, and wilderness survival—a complete system. The garrison's combat effectiveness is now much stronger than before. A few days ago, during a drill, I led two battalions on a patrol around the outskirts of the Fulong Mountains and killed several late-stage second-tier demonic beasts with zero casualties."

Lin Che nodded slightly.

The garrison is the first line of defense for Chuyang City. With less than twenty years until the beast tide, this army will be one of the most important forces for the Lin family to fight against it.

To assist the second son in managing the garrison, Lin Che assigned Lin Xinyao to him, which could be considered a kind of training for the boy.

"What about the guards?" He looked at Lin Xuanfeng.

Lin Xuanfeng stood up, the long sword at his waist swaying gently with his movements, emitting a faint hum.

"The guard team currently has 300 official members, 150 reserve members, and 42 Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. All of their equipment has been upgraded to spirit armor crafted by Master Tie Wushuang. The combat capability of a three-person team is sufficient to deal with late Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts."

He paused, then continued, "Seven sentry posts have been set up around Qingze in a ring shape, covering all possible directions from which demonic beasts might invade. The early warning array, the protective array, and the spirit gathering array are all activated and controlled by Fifth Sister. Any intruder, no matter which direction they come from, can be detected immediately."

Lin Che nodded.

Lin Xinqing was assigned to the family's guard team.

This arrangement will maximize the potential of both children.

His gaze then fell on Lin Xuanjing.

Lin Xuanjing stood up, still holding an unfinished piece of spirit jade in her hand. When she saw her father looking over, she quickly put the spirit jade into her sleeve, a blush of embarrassment flashing across her face.

But when she began to report, the blush faded, replaced by a professional and focused expression.

"I have divided the herb garden into three areas according to my father's plan."

Wetlands near water sources are used to cultivate aquatic medicinal plants, such as Bixin Orchid, Water Cloud Turmeric, and Cold Pool Lotus. This year's yield has increased by 50% compared to last year.

Drought-resistant herbs such as Ganoderma lucidum, Ganoderma lucidum, and perilla leaves are planted on gentle slopes with higher elevations, resulting in stable yields and superior quality.

The outermost open area is planted with spirit beast feed: yam, moonlight grass, and chalcedony rice. This fully meets the Lin family's spirit beasts' feed needs, eliminating the need to purchase it from outside.

Lin Che nodded, his gaze falling on Lin Xuanqing, who was hidden under a bamboo hat.

"What about the formation?"

Lin Xuanqing stood up, his voice not loud, but every word clear.

"Qingze's array system has been fully set up, with thirty-six outer early warning arrays, eighteen core protective arrays, and forty-nine spirit gathering arrays. All arrays are interconnected and under my unified control."

"In addition, I also designed a 'water network array' based on the terrain and the direction of the spiritual veins in Qingze..."