I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Two years later, north of Chuyang City, at Qingfeng Pass.

As dawn slowly rose from the eastern horizon, it bathed the walls of Qingfeng Pass in a warm golden light.

The wall remains at the same height as it was two years ago, but the newly added array patterns on its surface are noticeably finer than before, and the speed at which the spiritual light flows across the wall is almost twice as fast.

Silver-gray patterns meander along the curves of the wall, with a node glowing slightly every few feet, like veins breathing evenly, enveloping the entire city wall in a layer of continuously flowing light.

The garrison has been replaced.

Those faces that once patrolled in standard spirit armor are now the captains of their respective squads, standing on the edge of the training ground inside the wall, arms crossed, watching the newly arrived young cultivators drill in formation with steady eyes.

The recruits' movements were still a bit clumsy, and there were brief pauses when changing formations, but their eyes were bright.

Lin Che stood on the highest observation platform of the pass, his hands supporting the edge of the crenellations. His gaze passed over the city wall and landed on the road south of Qingfeng Pass, which was slowly stretching out in the morning light. The morning breeze blew from the direction of the gorge, carrying the unique coolness of the deep Fulong Mountains, and slightly rolled up the hem of his clothes.

Two years ago, this road was just a temporary dirt road paved with felled trees and gravel.

Today, it has been transformed into a rammed earth road that allows two spirit beast chariots to travel side by side. The road surface is flat, and there is a shallow ditch on each side for drainage.

Every hundred feet along both sides of the road stood a two-foot-tall stone pillar, each topped with a spirit crystal. The light from last night had not yet completely dissipated, and in the morning light, the last layer of pale silver afterglow remained.

The stone pillars are engraved with numbers and directional markings. They extend southward from Qingfeng Pass, with a fork in the road every so often, leading to different areas.

Occasionally, a spirit beast chariot would come from the south, its wheels rolling over the rammed earth road with a dull rumbling sound.

Lin Che stood on the watchtower for a while, then turned and walked down the steps, following the path inside the pass wall. He did not linger at Qingfeng Pass for long.

He emerged from seclusion today, his destination being the Myriad Beasts Sect's secret realm for breeding mounts.

…………

After two years of continuous renovation and development, the entrance to that secret place has been completely transformed.

The once dense forest and vines have been cleared to create a square area of ​​about 100 feet. The ground is paved with new bluestone, and several stone pillars with warning array patterns stand at the boundary. The spiritual light on the top of the pillars gleams with a pale silver luster in the sunlight.

The array's spiritual light flickered at a fixed frequency, each flash releasing an extremely fine probing ripple that absorbed all spiritual energy fluctuations within a hundred feet.

This is a defensive formation designed to prevent outsiders or monsters from entering.

When Lin Che arrived at the entrance, the guards had already received prior notice.

Two members of the Lin family, dressed in standard spirit armor, stood on either side of the stone gate. They were both young, around twenty years old, and were the fourth generation of the Lin family.

One of them saw Lin Che approaching and immediately activated the great formation to quickly greet him. As he clasped his hands and bowed, the armor plates on his sleeves made a soft sound as they clattered together: "Patriarch, you've arrived." His voice was clean and crisp, carrying the sharpness unique to young people, yet restrained by his excellent training. His gaze lingered on Lin Che's face for a moment before quickly returning to his chest.

Lin Che walked slowly over, his gaze sweeping over the two young clansmen.

They stood upright, their armor straps were tied meticulously, and even the spirit weapons at their waists were hung at the same height—a neatness that could only be achieved through repeated training.

"How are the preparations going?"

"Everything is ready. Manager Xinyao said she will be waiting for you in the fourth free-range area." The young clansman stepped aside to make way, but couldn't help but glance at Lin Che again, his eyes filled with an undisguised brightness.

Our ancestor was a legend.

They grew up listening to stories of their ancestor.

The story of establishing the clan at Shattered Star Lake, forming the Golden Core, overthrowing the Chen family, the Beast Taming Legion, and quelling the beast tide has been told repeatedly in the clan school classroom. Each generation of lecturers would slow down their speech when they reached key points so that the listeners could remember every detail.

Today he finally met the real person. His breathing was a few beats faster than usual, and he gripped the spirit weapon a little tighter. He felt that his posting today was worthwhile!

Lin Che stepped through the stone gate and walked towards the secret realm that was slowly unfolding in the morning light.

As Lin Che stepped across the silver-gray light curtain, a warm and moist breeze blew towards him from the depths of the secret realm.

The wind was several degrees warmer than the mountain wind outside the entrance, carrying the scent of earth, grass, and spiritual flowers, as if this space had finally come back to life after a thousand years of slumber.

The changes to the entrance plaza are the most noticeable.

The open space that was once covered with rubble and overgrown with weeds has now been leveled into a bluestone square about 100 zhang long and 50 zhang wide.

The ground was paved with several-inch-thick bluestone slabs, with fine mortar filling the joints between the slabs. The surface was polished smooth and flat, and when you walked on it, the soles of your boots made a steady sound as they touched the stone surface. Every step brought a sense of solidity.

In the center of the square stands a stone tablet about ten feet tall, with the eight characters "Lin Family Mount Training Base" engraved on its surface. The characters are filled with silver-gray spiritual ink, which gleams with a warm luster under the sunlight.

The buildings surrounding the square are no longer just ruins.

The roofs that had collapsed, the walls covered with vines, and the porches that had been eroded by wind and rain have now been restored in their original style and with the original materials.

The black tiles on the roof are new, while the bluestone on the walls is old, with traces of withered vine roots remaining in the cracks between the stones, creating a perfect contrast between the new and the old.

Lin Che crossed the plaza in front of the main hall and continued forward along the newly paved passageway on the west side of the main hall.

The spiritual plants on both sides of the passage are much denser than they were two years ago. The shorter ones spread close to the ground, while the taller ones reach a person's chest. They bloom with small, dense white flowers that sway gently in the morning breeze, like a thin layer of snow ruffled by the wind.

After passing through the passage, the space suddenly opened up, and there was an endless grassland in front of you.

After two years of careful restoration, the grassland is growing much better than it did initially.

The once sparse and dry grass has now become thick and even, with greenery spreading from underfoot all the way to the distant horizon. Every now and then, a cluster of low-lying wildflowers peeks out from the grass, swaying gently in the morning breeze.

In the distance, low hills rise and fall, covered with trimmed shrubs, their dark and light green hues interwoven into layers of overlapping patches of color.

The first free-range area is located southwest of the entrance plaza, covering an area of ​​approximately 120 li.

The terrain of this area is mainly open grassland, with only some low shrubs at the edges. Lin Che saw the first batch of spirit beasts in the distance.

It is a species of the Cloud-Treading Black Steed.

After two years of incubation, they have grown from the initial dozen or so pups to nearly a thousand.

At this moment, they are leisurely scattered on the grassland. Some are munching on the spiritual herbs, some are walking slowly side by side, and some are standing on a slightly higher place, facing the wind, their manes fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

They were a head taller than the Lin family's Wind-Stepping Steeds, with more streamlined bodies and limbs that looked more explosive.

They will replace the Wind-Treading Steed as the Lin family's new main land mounts in the future.

Their fur is dark gray, and in the morning light it has a fine, cloud-like sheen, which is the origin of the name "Treading Clouds".

The tips of each strand of hair are a translucent light white, leaving a trail like clouds when running.

Looking into the distance, Lin Che saw a young stallion running back and forth in the morning light. As its hooves flew, the tips of its light white coat left a broken silver line behind it, like a light mist blown away by the wind.

Several members of the Lin family, dressed in short blue jackets, were scattered across the grassland.

Some were grooming the spirit horse's mane, holding wide-toothed wooden combs in their hands, combing the hair in the direction of its growth, one stroke at a time, their movements unhurried and deliberate.

Some were inspecting the hooves of the fine steed, squatting down, holding the front hooves in their palms, and carefully examining the wear on the soles of the hooves.

A woman stood a short distance away, observing the activity of the herd of horses. She held a record-keeping disc in her hand, her eyes following the movement of the running stallion, occasionally glancing down at the disc.

As Lin Che approached, she looked up and, recognizing the newcomer as the patriarch, immediately put down the array plate in her hand and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Patriarch."

She was in her early thirties, with delicate features and a jawline that resembled Lin Xuanjing's, especially her eyes.

He wore a bronze plaque engraved with the character "心" (heart) on his waist, indicating that he was a descendant of the "心" generation.

"Who are you……"

"Lord, I am the head of the grassland area. My name is Lin Xinxuan, and my father is Lin Xuanjing."

So he really is Xuan Jing's child? Judging from his appearance, he does indeed resemble Xuan Jing somewhat.

However, they were probably the last batch of Lin family members born with the "Xin" generation title, Lin Che couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Most long-established families in the cultivation world adopt the practice of using the same generational name for every hundred years, and the Lin family has also begun to follow this practice.

But doing this will create another problem: the son and father share the same generation name, which is quite strange.

Therefore, the Lin family issued a new rule: only those with exceptional talent in each generation could be given a generational name.

The core of the change is to change the "generation name" from a "standard feature for every member of the Lin family" to an "exclusive honor for those with exceptional talent".

After all, the essence of the cultivation world is still "might makes right," and this system is highly consistent with the underlying logic of the cultivation world.

Family resources can also be tilted towards those with generational names, forming a virtuous cycle.

Of course, this doesn't mean that younger generations with less talent cannot obtain a "generation name".

Those who demonstrate their character, comprehension, and talent in the various arts of cultivation after birth can all be recognized. Even those who have made great contributions to the Lin family, even if they are just mortals, can still be granted a generational title.

As for those clan members who did not receive a generational designation, their treatment is actually no different from what it is now.

Shaking his head, Lin Che refocused his attention on the group of spirit beasts in front of him: "So you're from the Xuanjing lineage. Tell me about the specifics of this batch of Cloud-Stepping Black Steeds."

"Yes, Master, please take a look." She said, turning to point in the direction of the grassland. "There are estimated to be 1,800 Cloud-Treading Black Steed eggs in the secret realm. In the past two years, 1,300 have hatched, and it is expected that they will all be hatched in another six months. These Cloud-Treading Black Steeds are more active than we initially expected, with a mortality rate of less than 50%. They are also growing very fast, with half of them already reaching adulthood, and more than 100 of them are already pregnant."

Lin Che followed her finger and could clearly distinguish the size differences between the adult horses and the young individuals that were not yet fully grown.

As the head of the family, he was most proficient in beast taming and could tell the state of the clan in front of him at a glance.

He has a well-proportioned figure, is full of energy and spirit, and has a relaxed demeanor, which clearly indicates that he is well taken care of.

The ears of the grazing black steeds turned slightly, occasionally glancing up at the figures in the distance before lowering their heads to continue grazing, showing no signs of tension or vigilance.

Their breathing was steady, their steps were unhurried, and their manes shimmered with a unique, fine sheen in the morning light; each horse was in excellent condition.

"You've taken excellent care of these Cloud-Stepping Black Steeds. You truly live up to the reputation of the Lin family. Keep up the good work!"

"Thank you for the praise, Patriarch. We will certainly live up to the family's expectations!" Lin Xinxuan's voice carried a sense of relief after being recognized, and the smile on her face was even more genuine than before.

Lin Che looked around for a few more moments before continuing to walk forward.

Continuing deeper into the grassland, after crossing a gentle hill, the landscape begins to change.

The grassland was gradually replaced by a rougher vegetation, and the ground became harder, with large areas of gray-brown bare rock appearing, with scattered low shrubs stubbornly peeking out from the cracks in the rocks.

A faint heat began to rise in the air, the residual heat left by the geothermal energy as it traveled upwards from deep within the rocks. Even through the soles of my shoes, I could feel the ground slightly warming up.

We've arrived at the second grazing area, which is the habitat of the Black Armored Rhinoceros.

Lin Che stood on the edge of the hill and looked down. Nearly a thousand enormous creatures were scattered across this volcanic rock area.

Their skin is dark brown, covered with an extremely thick stratum corneum. The stratum corneum is like armor that has been repeatedly tempered, and it presents a unique texture and weight under the light. The rough surface is covered with fine lines, like old iron that has been repeatedly polished by time.

Their most distinctive feature is their horns.

Those large horns were not sharp, but rather presented a broad, shield-like arc.

Its curve is extremely full, like a flattened giant hammer, extending forward from above the bridge of the nose. Its edges are thick and rounded, making its purpose immediately clear: not to pierce, but to strike.

The combination of curvature and width, with every curve optimized to the maximum extent, allows them to distribute the impact force evenly across the entire corner while maintaining the charging speed.

From a distance, they look like slowly moving hills, their steps heavy and steady, each step leaving a clear indentation in the ground with neat outlines at the edges, marks left by the outward spread of that force.

This demonstrates their mastery of power.