When it comes to cultivating immortality, it naturally starts with upgrading the herb garden.

The long-faced man followed the scent through the forest and arrived at a cave.

It was getting dark.

The leaves swayed in the wind, and the dark entrance to the cave looked somewhat eerie.

But the long-faced man wasn't afraid; he had the cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining.

As a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator who can roam freely in Wandaobo, how could he possibly panic over the slightest disturbance?

"Fellow Daoist, I am from the Lower Sword Sect Alliance."

no respond.

Only the evening breeze, blowing from who-knows-where, rustled through the leaves, creating a hoarse sound as the leaves jostled and collided.

The long-faced man stared into the cave, and the cave stared back into him.

The aroma is strongest here.

There was no continuation.

Song Chen must be here.

"I see that your cultivation level is quite high, and I sincerely invite you. Compared to the Zhang family, the Alliance has fewer constraints, more resources, and a brighter future."

The long-faced man called out towards the cave with a sinister smile.

no respond.

He sensed something was wrong and cast a Night-Shining Talisman into the cave.

The cave was empty, deserted.

The detection technique malfunctioned?

This is not unusual.

The essence of the detection technique is to examine the degree to which a cultivator's aura affects spiritual energy within a moment, and this degree of influence on spiritual energy is affected by various external factors.

For example, the wind blowing, wild animals passing by, or the existence of the probe being erased can all change the degree to which the aura affects the spiritual energy.

The long-faced man looked around, carefully observing every corner.

Got nothing.

He summoned his flying boat, turned and flew away, sighing regretfully, "What a wasted trip! What a wasted trip!"

The flying boat drifted away slowly, and night gradually fell.

Under the shade of a tree beside the cave entrance.

Song Chen was holding an invisibility talisman in his hand, and he activated the Qi Concealment Technique in his dantian, standing there quietly without moving.

The long-faced man vanished completely.

All sounds are silent.

Song Chen probed his storage bag with his consciousness, took out a contract, glanced at it, summoned a flying boat, and headed towards Wanhe Island.

Wanhe Island, Wanhe Island, the island lives up to its name.

As Song Chen's flying boat entered the island's wetlands, a large flock of startled white cranes flapped their wings and splashed in the water.

After several wetlands, Mangyong City came into view.

Mangyeong City is also divided into North Alley, South Alley, and Middle Alley.

Like Huanbei, Zhongxiang here is extremely bustling.

The South Alley and the North Alley are different.

There is a clear disparity in wealth and security between the South Alley and North Alley of Huanbei. The North Alley is significantly safer and much wealthier than the South Alley.

The South Alley and North Alley in Mangyong are almost identical.

Song Chen entered Wanhe Island from the north. Naturally, the first thing he did upon entering the market was the North Alley. After passing through the North Alley and the most bustling Middle Alley, he slowly landed in the South Alley at an extremely luxurious mansion.

The mansion was very large.

There is a courtyard on the outside, with a huge protective array on it. The roadsides are planted with flowers and plants, and upon closer inspection, you will find that they are all spiritual herbs.

Inside is a huge room; calling it a castle would be more appropriate.

It was clearly nighttime, yet the castle was brightly lit.

There is a huge character "Zhang" on the gate of the courtyard.

This is the Zhang family residence.

The contract lists three addresses: Cliff Island (Huanbei City), Wind Crane Island (Wanjing City), and One Finger Island (One Finger City).

Since Song Chen couldn't go to the address in Huanbei City, he naturally came to Fenghe Island.

A wisp of spiritual energy was sent into the summoning talisman on the door, and the talisman immediately lit up, rushed into the formation, and flew towards the castle.

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhang Guan arrived at the courtyard gate with a smile, opened the gate, and released the array.

Song Chen went inside.

Zhang Guan walked in front, and Song Chen followed behind.

"Perfect timing, everyone's here."

Song Chen did not answer.

"Any questions about the Zhang family, I can answer them to the best of my ability."

"Will the Zhang family protect me for the next four years?"

Without giving it much thought, Zhang Guan smiled and said, "Of course."

Song Chen nodded and didn't say anything more.

The two quickly arrived at the castle, pushed open the door, and found themselves in a medieval-style hall.

The floor was gleaming, a huge floor lamp hung overhead, the walls were inlaid with sparkling gems, and there were magnificent staircases with gilded handrails on both sides, leading to a platform at the end of the stairs.

The wealth of a cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Refining is terrifying.

There were five people standing in the middle of the hall, both men and women.

Song Chen glanced at them and saw that their cultivation levels were all in the middle stage, with no one in the later stage.

As soon as he entered, several people turned to look at him, their gazes not unfriendly, but rather scrutinizing.

Song Chen meant no harm, responding with glances and nodding in return.

Zhang Guan had somehow appeared on the landing at the top of the stairs. Smiling, he glanced at the people below and said:

"Since you're here, it means you all agree to join the Zhang family."

"Just as agreed at the beginning, I will break through to the late stage of Qi Refining in four years. If I fail to break through, I will follow the family's arrangements for twenty years."

"Here's another option for everyone: a direct marriage alliance to become part of the Zhang family, but the children born will bear the Zhang surname. Anyone interested?"

silence.

Song Chen lowered his head.

The five men looked up at Zhang Guan, their eyes filled with determination.

As if anticipating the outcome, Zhang Guan remained expressionless and said, "In that case, let's sign the contract!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the contract slipped from Song Chen's hand and was spread out in front of him.

Not only him, but the contracts of the other five people were also laid out in the same way.

In the lower right corner of everyone's contract, there was a circle resembling the shape of a thumb, with wisps of sparks appearing on it.

Obvious.

Press the button to complete the signing.

Song Chen quickly checked the contracts and found no problems. Then he glanced at the contracts of the people in front of him out of the corner of his eye.

Much the same.

He then channeled his spiritual energy into his right thumb and touched the spark.

A burning sensation surged from my fingertips into my heart. The sensation didn't stop there; it flowed down into my dantian and merged into the spiritual liquid.

Song Chen felt his whole body boil.

Fortunately, this feeling only lasted for a moment before disappearing.

Song Chen examined his dantian and found that the burning sensation was actually a wisp of harmless spiritual energy.

This contract technique is essentially the same as the Three Talents of the Wind and Rain, both using spiritual energy as a catalyst.

Seeing that the group had finished signing, Zhang Guan's smile widened, his eyes almost squinting as he said:

Congratulations on successfully signing your contracts!

"You can now go to the room at the back of the castle to collect your monthly resources and the token representing the Zhang family's identity!"

"Of course, as members of the Zhang family, you can also choose to accept missions in exchange for resources; it's all up to you!"

"Finally... I wish you all continued success and progress on your spiritual path!"

Zhang Guan stepped over the railing in front of him and came to the group, leading them to the back of the castle.

There stood a well-dressed woman who greeted the group politely upon seeing them.

"This is Aunt Jiang, the cultivator who will be handling resource allocation for you for the next four years. Say hello to her!"

The contract has been signed.

Zhang Guan's tone changed, clearly carrying a hint of command.

The group didn't seem to mind and greeted Aunt Jiang warmly.

Song Chen was no exception.

Then, Zhang Guan nodded slightly, pushed off with his body, and headed towards the top of the castle.

"If you have any questions, just ask Aunt Jiang. I have to go now!"

Song Chen watched Zhang Guan's retreating figure, fully aware of the situation.

The newbie protection period has ended.