I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Hearing the sounds of weapons clashing in the distance, Lin Che frowned slightly.

He did not want the newly discovered fiery cave to attract attention.

"Come in first." He waved his sleeve and quickly put the three spirit beasts back into his spirit beast pouch.

Immediately, his fingers flew across the screen, and more than ten array flags were precisely shot into the surrounding rock walls and ground, instantly activating a second-tier concealment array.

A light mist rose up, perfectly blending the cave entrance into the surrounding mountains and forests, making it almost impossible to detect.

After doing all this, Lin Che turned his attention to the source of the sound.

His divine sense spread out silently like mercury, instantly revealing the situation in the distance: it was just a few Qi Refining stage cultivators fighting.

He felt a little relieved and prepared to go see what was going on.

"go."

With a thought of his sword technique, the Azure Star Sword emitted a clear and melodious sword cry, carrying Lin Che as a streak of azure light, soaring into the sky towards the direction of the battle.

He did not deliberately conceal his figure or aura; the spiritual pressure of the Foundation Establishment stage spread naturally like ripples on water.

The two sides fighting below immediately sensed this powerful aura and stopped fighting simultaneously.

In the arena, three cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining were seen launching a pincer attack.

The person surrounded in the middle was a girl who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old.

Her clothes were torn in several places, her cheeks were covered in dust, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth. She gripped a short sword with a dim light in her hand, and her eyes were filled with confusion, unwillingness, and a trace of despair on the verge of death.

She was surrounded by two male cultivators dressed in matching blue outfits with the character "Chen" embroidered on their chests.

The leader was a tall, thin young man with an arrogant face and frivolous eyes. He held a flaming blade with flames leaping from its blade, clearly indicating that he practiced fire-based techniques.

His gaze toward the girl held a playful, cat-and-mouse-like quality.

The other person was short and stocky with a fierce face. He wielded a pair of heavy mountain-splitting axes, and his body shimmered with an earthy yellow spiritual light. He should be a cultivator skilled in defense and strength.

When the girl saw Lin Che arriving on his sword, she grasped at a straw, her pale face instantly lighting up with hope. She hurriedly cried out for help, "Please, senior, save me!"

Hearing this, Lin Che's lips twitched slightly. Are we that close? Are we so lacking in boundaries?

However, before Lin Che could respond, the two cultivators surnamed Chen spoke first, their attitude extremely arrogant.

The tall, thin youth brandished his flaming blade, glancing sideways at Lin Che with disdain: "Where did this rogue cultivator come from? Can't you see the Chen family of Spirit Herb Valley is here on business? If you know what's good for you, get out of my way and mind your own business!"

These remarks left Lin Che somewhat taken aback.

He wasn't pretending to be powerful at the moment; his Foundation Establishment stage spiritual pressure was on full display. Why were these two Qi Refining stage cultivators so arrogant?

The short, stocky monk stepped forward, clashing his two axes together with a muffled "clang," and explained with a hint of disdain:

"Where did this rogue cultivator come from? Don't you know we are the Chen family? Our ancestor came from the Xuan Kui Sect and was a disciple of the current City Lord of Chu Yang City, a Golden Core cultivator! Don't you even realize you're just a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator? You think you can afford to offend us? Get lost!"

Now Lin Che understood the reason. No wonder the Chen family was so arrogant.

Seeing the thoughtful look on Lin Che's face, the tall, thin youth assumed he was afraid and laughed smugly, "What? Now you're scared? Is being at the Foundation Establishment stage so great? In this Chuyang Territory, even if you're a dragon, you have to coil up; even if you're a tiger, you have to lie low! Dare to ruin the Chen family's affairs, or you'll regret it!"

Lin Che was speechless. Even if you have a powerful background, if you are so arrogant and offend people, will they be able to save you in time?

Although he used to be a demonic cultivator, he has now turned to the righteous path and naturally wouldn't kill people indiscriminately. If they talk nicely and don't reveal their earth fire, he'll let them go.

But you're so arrogant, even more arrogant than him, so Lin Che won't tolerate you.

He stood on the flying sword and began to wield it.

"Hey——!"

A clear, melodious chirping rang out, and the air behind him suddenly distorted. Instantly, blazing fire-attribute true essence condensed into a lifelike crimson flame bird with a wingspan of over ten feet!

The Flame Sparrow flapped its wings, radiating scorching heat that caused the surrounding vegetation to curl slightly.

The arrogance on the faces of the two cultivators surnamed Chen froze instantly, replaced by utter terror.

"You...how dare you! I am a cultivator from the Chen family!"

Lin Che's eyes were indifferent as he gently pushed his finger forward.

The crimson flame bird let out a high-pitched cry, transforming into a stream of blazing light that burned everything, instantly engulfing the two of them!

"No, ah, our Chen family will never let you get away with this..."

The pleas abruptly ceased.

After the blazing flames of true essence subsided, only a charred black spot remained. The two Qi Refining cultivators had vanished without a trace, their remnant souls burned away completely.

Seriously, someone with such weak strength dares to be so arrogant; Lin Che has lived for over thirty years and has never seen many like them.

After dealing with the two, Lin Che calmly turned his gaze to the surviving girl.

The girl, stunned by his thunderous actions, trembled slightly. Seeing him approach, she quickly suppressed her fear and bowed deeply again, her voice trembling with relief: "Junior Su Wanwan thanks Senior for saving my life!"

Lin Che rode his flying sword and slowly landed on the ground, with the Azure Star Sword obediently hovering beside him.

He sized up the girl who called herself Su Wanwan, his gaze lingering for a moment on her delicate yet haggard face. Suddenly, he felt a vague sense of familiarity about her.

The girl wore a faded light purple coarse cloth robe. She was slender, with a classic oval face, and her skin appeared somewhat pale due to long-term malnutrition and constant travel.

But her almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright, and now, slightly widened by fear, they had a touch of gentle charm, making her appear even more pitiful.

Her long hair was loosely tied up with a simple wooden hairpin, and a few strands of black hair fell down beside her pale cheeks, adding a touch of delicate charm.

There were several cuts on the sleeves of the robe, from which blood was faintly seeping.

Lin Che suppressed the inexplicable sense of familiarity in his heart, deliberately showing a playful smile on his face, and said, "It's nothing, just a small matter. I'll give you ten thousand low-grade spirit stones."

"Huh?" Su Wanwan was stunned. She raised her pale face, her almond-shaped eyes filled with astonishment and helplessness. "Ten thousand spirit stones?"

Lin Che feigned displeasure, raising an eyebrow slightly: "What? You personally asked me for help, and I resolved your troubles. Now you want to renege on your debt? Ten thousand spirit stones isn't much for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wanwan's eyes instantly reddened. She bit her lip and explained in a tearful voice, "This junior... this junior really doesn't have that many spirit stones on me."

She originally wanted to refine a pill that could be used to break through her limits, but she didn't have enough spirit stones, so she decided to try her luck at Shattered Star Lake.

She tried to find the main ingredient for the pill she wanted to refine, but instead ran into her enemy. Where would she get the spirit stones to pay the bill?

Seeing her pitiful yet anxious expression, a barely perceptible smile flashed in Lin Che's eyes.

He changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat gentler: "No spirit stones? That's easy. I plan to establish a family here, and they can work for me to pay off their debts."

His change of mind from eliminating the threat by killing them all wasn't solely due to a vague sense of familiarity or the fact that they were good-looking.

The main reason was that during his close observation just now, he had quietly used his system abilities to investigate the woman.

Su Wanwan

[Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 5]

Gender: Female

Lifespan: 19/120

[Spiritual Roots: Mid-grade Wood Spiritual Root, Low-grade Fire Spiritual Root]

[Constitution: Affinity to Herbs and Spirits] (Unawakened)

[Cultivation Technique: Green Wood Technique (Low-grade Spirit Rank)]

[Spells: Wood Binding Technique, Lightness Technique, Light and Agile Sword Technique, Cloud and Rain Technique, Fertile Soil Technique, etc.]

[Secret Technique: None]

[Supernatural Powers: None]

[Cultivation Arts: First-Tier Mid-Grade Alchemist]

That's right, this girl possesses a spirit.

Herbs are compatible with spiritual entities!

This spirit is a natural-born plant master and alchemist!

Possessing an extraordinary perception of the essence of plants, they can intuitively grasp the medicinal properties, are skilled at cultivating spiritual herbs, and even have a natural control over gentle alchemical fire, which can greatly increase the success rate of alchemy.

This is definitely a good candidate for farming, and can also excel at alchemy.

The benefits a young girl can bring far outweigh the troubles she might cause.

As for trouble? He's an expert at hiding his identity.

The bewildered look on Su Wanwan's face gradually faded, replaced by a firm determination.

She took a deep breath, nodded solemnly to Lin Che, and said in a soft but exceptionally clear voice, "Okay, I understand. I will never forget your life-saving grace, senior. I will work hard to repay this debt."

She didn't take his help for granted, especially since he had saved her life; without him, she would have died here today.

Since there's nowhere to go and the future is uncertain, staying and working for my benefactor is a viable option.

Thinking of this, the uncertainty in her heart faded a bit.

Lin Che had originally planned to offer some benefits, but he didn't expect the girl to be so honest and agree so readily.

I was just about to say something.

Suddenly, the Illusionary Crystal Seeker Beast in the spirit beast pouch sent an urgent message: "Master! Over there! There's a very strong fluctuation of spiritual energy, so dense!"

Lin Che's eyes lit up as he realized that the little guy's supernatural power had not yet ended.

Unexpectedly, besides the Earth Fire Cave and the Crimson Sun Spirit Tree, there are other opportunities in this Shattered Star Lake area.

Without delay, he immediately said to Su Wanwan, "Come with me."

He then used his sword to quickly return to the cave entrance that connected to the underground fire.

He waved his hand to dispel the concealment array, revealing the original cave entrance, and briefly instructed, "I have other important matters to attend to. You wait here for now and do not move around unnecessarily. There is an array I have set up here, so it is relatively safe."

Without time to explain further, he reactivated the concealment array to hide the cave entrance, then summoned the Illusion Crystal Seeker Beast from his spirit beast pouch and took to the air once more on his sword.

"Which direction?" Lin Che asked.

The Crystal Seeker perched on his shoulder, its jewel-like eyes gleaming, its tiny paws pointing eagerly towards Shattered Star Lake: "Over there! It's right there, I can feel it so clearly!"

Lin Che followed the instructions and sped away on his sword, the sword light cutting through the sky. However, when he looked in the direction the little guy pointed, he couldn't help but stop the sword light.

Because he had arrived at the shimmering shores of Shattered Star Lake, and at the same time, he roughly understood where the spirit was located.

His gaze fell on the island in the center of Shattered Star Lake, shrouded in mist and appearing and disappearing.