I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Lin Che no longer hesitated, quickly stepped forward, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority:

"I want this spirit beast."

Before he finished speaking, the cultivator who had been bargaining with Liu Yunzhou immediately frowned, and obvious displeasure appeared on his face.

He turned his head, his gaze filled with scrutiny and displeasure as he looked at Lin Che, and said in a stiff tone:

"Fellow Daoist, there's always a proper order to things, isn't there? I was the one who set my sights on this spirit beast first."

This man's name is Zhou Tongming. As a member of the Zhou family, a family specializing in beast taming, his eyesight is naturally excellent.

Although he couldn't fully see through the spirit beast's true nature, its peculiar form, somewhere between a spirit and a physical body, and the pure natural spiritual energy surrounding it, suggested that it was no ordinary creature.

He originally planned to use the Zhou family's reputation and bargaining skills to acquire this promising spirit beast at the lowest cost, but he didn't expect that a surprise attack would come out of nowhere.

He suppressed his anger and turned to Liu Yunzhou again, trying to overpower him with price, raising his voice slightly:

"Hmph! Kid, I'll offer five hundred low-grade spirit stones! That's enough for you to buy a top-quality healing pill, isn't it? Think it over carefully!"

The commotion over the price immediately attracted the attention of some independent cultivators nearby, who curiously gathered around to see what treasure had caused the two cultivators to argue.

Just as Lin Che was about to speak, some sharp-eyed people in the crowd recognized him, and hushed whispers immediately broke out:

"Look! Isn't that the cultivator who crushed the Zhao family on the arena?"

"That's right! It's him! His tiger-like spirit beast has such an powerful aura!"

"Hiss... that guy he's facing seems to be only at the Qi Refining stage, right? He dares to compete with that?"

These whispers and murmurs were like cold water poured over Zhou Tongming's heart, making him shudder.

His attention was entirely focused on the spirit beast, and since private duels were strictly prohibited within the city, he hadn't deliberately tried to sense the other party's aura.

Upon closer inspection, the other party exuded a calm and composed demeanor, radiating the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that only a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator could possess, clearly indicating that he was at the Foundation Establishment stage.

If he had watched the arena battles, he would probably have already retreated far away by now.

However, he didn't join in the fun, unaware of Lin Che's prowess. His pride as a member of the Zhou family made him unwilling to back down.

He gritted his teeth and raised the price again: "I'll offer... six hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones!"

This is almost all the savings he can currently access.

Upon hearing the price, which far exceeded his expectations, a hint of hesitation flashed across Liu Yunzhou's face. This amount was indeed enough to buy the pills, and he was almost ready to nod in agreement.

However, Lin Che did not directly bid to compete. Instead, he calmly took out a seemingly ordinary wooden plaque from his storage bag and handed it to Liu Yunzhou.

The people around looked puzzled and confused.

But the moment Liu Yunzhou saw the wooden sign, his pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately recognized it. It was the address of the small courtyard he and his sister rented in Burning Bone City!

"S-senpai? Is that you?" The boy looked up, his voice filled with disbelief and hesitation.

No wonder he didn't recognize him. The Lin Che in front of him was completely different from the rough and burly man he had been in Burning Bone City. Now he was tall and straight, with a handsome face and an outstanding temperament.

Lin Che nodded slightly, which was taken as acquiescence.

Liu Yunzhou instantly understood. He took a deep breath, turned to Zhou Tongming, whose face was grim, and spoke in a firm yet apologetic tone:

"I'm sorry, senior, I'm not selling this spirit beast."

Zhou Tongming's face instantly turned ashen. He glared fiercely at the boy and forced out a sound through gritted teeth:

"Hmph! We'll see!"

Having said that, he had no more face to linger, turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the crowd.

With so many people around, Lin Che didn't say much. He gestured for Liu Yunzhou to follow, and the two of them left the noisy trading area together.

On the way, Lin Che frankly told the boy about his disguise in Burning Bone City.

Liu Yunzhou also spoke frankly, choking back tears as he explained why he urgently needed the elixir.

He sold the spirit beast to save his seriously injured sister, Liu Qingxue.

It turned out that in order to gather cultivation resources, Liu Qingxue accepted a gathering mission and teamed up with several rogue cultivators to venture into the dangerous Silent Forest to gather the second-tier spiritual herb "Azure Wood Ginseng".

Unexpectedly, she encountered a pack of ferocious Shadowmoon wolves, and the group was scattered. She herself was seriously injured while breaking through the encirclement. After escaping by chance, she unexpectedly discovered this peculiar Azure Mystic Beast under an ancient tree.

Although Liu Yunzhou's account was brief, Lin Che could imagine the danger involved.

His sister must be quite capable and courageous to venture deep into the Silent Forest.

"Senior," the boy stopped and solemnly handed the cage containing the Azure Profound Spirit Beast to Lin Che with both hands.

Tears welled in his eyes, but his tone was unusually resolute: "I'll give you this spirit beast! I only ask that you save my sister! If you agree, my life, Liu Yunzhou's life, will belong to you from this day forward, and I will serve you at your beck and call without question!"

This unwavering sincerity in sacrificing everything to save his loved ones touched even Lin Che, who was accustomed to the treachery and fratricide within the Demonic Sect.

He looked into the boy's eyes, which were filled with pleading and determination, sighed softly, and reached out to take the cage.

"Don't worry, I really like this spirit beast." His tone was gentle yet firm: "Lead the way, let's go see your sister."

Liu Yunzhou's face instantly lit up with the joy of escaping a desperate situation. He nodded vigorously and led Lin Che quickly toward the inn where they were staying.

Pushing open the slightly mottled wooden door of the guest room, a strong, overwhelming smell of herbs mixed with a faint stench of blood hit you, almost masking the room's otherwise cool and austere atmosphere.

Liu Qingxue lay quietly on the hard bed against the wall, covered with a thin yellow quilt. Even so, one could still see how thin and frail her body was.

Her face, which should have been serene and beautiful, was now devoid of any color, as pale as a sheet of rice paper soaked by rain and on the verge of collapse.

A few strands of her long, dark hair, soaked with sweat, clung weakly to her smooth forehead and cheeks, adding to her fragility.

Her breathing was weak and long, and with each inhale, her delicate eyebrows would furrow slightly as the wound was aggravated, and an unbearable dull pain came from her chest.

The most shocking sight was the thick bandage wrapped around her from her right shoulder down to below her collarbone, with faint traces of dark red blood seeping out—the gruesome wounds left by the Shadowmoon Wolf's claws.

Hearing the door open, Liu Qingxue slowly opened her heavy eyelids.

When she saw a cultivator with a profound aura and an unfamiliar face following behind her younger brother, a barely perceptible hint of vigilance and worry flashed in her originally cold eyes.

"Yunzhou...who is this?" Her voice was weak and hoarse, barely audible due to her serious injuries.

Liu Yunzhou hurried to the bedside, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement, and carefully supported his sister's shoulders:

"Sister! I've met a benefactor! This is the senior I mentioned to you in Burning Bone City! He definitely has a way to save you!"

Lin Che nodded slightly to Liu Qingxue as a greeting.

Immediately, his divine sense spread out like mercury, gently and delicately enveloping Liu Qingxue to examine her injuries.

A moment later, Lin Che's brows furrowed slightly.

Noticing this subtle change in his expression, Liu Yunzhou's heart leaped into his throat, and his voice trembled:

"S-senpai, is my sister's injury... very serious?"

Lin Che withdrew his divine sense, nodded slowly, and said in a solemn tone:

"Your sister's meridians are severely damaged, but this is ultimately an external injury, and there are always elixirs that can slowly heal it. The trouble is..." He paused, looking at Liu Qingxue's pale face, "her soul has also suffered considerable shock and trauma."

Based on the description of the "Shadow Moon Wolf" in the inherited memories, Lin Che immediately judged that Liu Qingxue had been hit by the Shadow Moon Wolf's innate divine ability, "Wolf Howl Impact," a technique that specifically damages the soul of cultivators.

"Sigh," he sighed softly, "Healing physical injuries is not difficult, but repairing a damaged soul... is not so easy."

The soul of a cultivator is of utmost importance. Once damaged, it can cause restlessness, difficulty in entering a meditative state, lethargy, and a significant decrease in control over spells.

In severe cases, one's cultivation level becomes unstable, spiritual energy goes berserk, or even one's path to enlightenment is severed.

Liu Qingxue and her brother were both cultivators, so they naturally understood the dangers involved.

The color drained from Liu Yunzhou's face instantly. He knelt down in front of Lin Che with a thud, his hands gripping Lin Che's clothes tightly as if grasping at a last straw.

"Please, senior, think of a way! Whatever it takes, no matter how difficult, I'm willing to do it! Please, save my sister!"

Seeing her younger brother kneeling and begging so humbly for her sake, Liu Qingxue's already pale face turned even whiter.

She bit her bloodless lower lip tightly, her chest heaving violently, a feeling of indescribable bitterness and helplessness welling up inside her.

She was unwilling, and absolutely could not bear, for her younger brother to sacrifice himself for her.

"Cough cough..." She forced herself to sit up slightly, enduring the metallic taste in her throat and the excruciating pain in her body.

Though her voice was weak, it carried an undeniable resolve: "Yunzhou...you go out first. Let me...speak with the senior alone."

"Sister!" Liu Yunzhou looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with confusion and worry, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.

"Get out!" Liu Qingxue emphasized, though weak, the authority of an older sister remained.

Seeing the undeniable resolve in her sister's eyes, Liu Yunzhou's lips moved, but in the end, with reddened eyes, she slowly left the room, turning back every few steps, and gently closed the door behind her.