I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

"Qingyun Sword Sect, Hundred Herbs Valley, Fang Family..."

Lin Che traced the markings on the animal hide map in his hand with his fingertips, and whispered the three names, finally gaining a clear understanding of the territory he was in.

This place is called the Southern Region, which is adjacent to the vast and treacherous Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. It is the front line for the human race to resist the invasion of the demon race.

The Ten Thousand Demon Mountains are not a single mountain range, but rather consist of three main mountain ranges from west to east: the Iron Spine Mountain Range, the Fallen Soul Mountain Range, and the Crouching Dragon Mountain Range. The deeper one goes, the higher the mountains become, the denser the spiritual energy becomes, and the more powerful the demon races that inhabit them grow.

In the northern part of the Southern Region, relying on the Jade Belt River basin, the terrain is flat and the spiritual energy is stable. The human race has established prosperous cities, villages and transportation networks here, which can be called the foundation of the human race in the Southern Region.

The map clearly shows that the three major Nascent Soul cultivator forces—Qingyun Sword Sect, Baicao Valley, and Fang Family—have constructed three formidable defensive lines in the hilly area bordering the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains: Jianmen Pass on the western line, Zhenyao City on the central line, and Fengu Pass on the eastern line, forming a defensive perimeter to jointly resist the demon army.

"I am currently within the Fang family's sphere of influence, or more precisely, within the sphere of influence of the Fang family's subordinate 'Divine Puppet Sect'..." Lin Che's gaze fell on a corner of the map as he pondered to himself.

The valley where he hid was safe because it was located in a barren area with poor spiritual veins, and neither high-level cultivators nor demonic beasts would bother with it.

This area borders the territory of the Rebellious Demon Palace, and currently only three Foundation Establishment forces occupy this area.

"The danger level is lower than expected. Fortunately, the Sun family has a detailed map of the Southern Region's power structure, which has been a great help." Lin Che breathed a sigh of relief and carefully put the map away.

He decided to set off for the nearest market town—Green Bamboo Market Town.

He gently patted the beast-taming pouch at his waist, and with a flash of light, the Wind-Riding Spirit Steed gracefully appeared on the open ground.

It stands nearly seven feet tall at the shoulder, with a well-proportioned and upright physique. Its light blue fur is smooth as satin and gleams with a healthy sheen in the sunlight.

What's most amazing is its four hooves. The warm, milky-white hooves create a gentle breeze and stir up dust with each light step, as if a gentle breeze is always by its side.

The Wind-Treading Spirit Steed shook its head and snorted crisply. Its intelligent amber eyes looked gently at Lin Che, and it affectionately rubbed its head against his palm. A simple yet clear thought came through: "Master, rub against me, it's fun."

After breaking through to the second level of the "All Beasts Paying Homage to the Ancestor Technique", Lin Che was able to have deep consciousness communication with spirit beasts.

He could sense the pure joy of the Wind-Treading Spirit Steed, but its intelligence was indeed much lower than that of the Heavenly Sacred Sparrow.

This Wind-Treading Spirit Steed is the same Wind Chaser Spirit Steed that he "borrowed" two years ago. After being upgraded by the system, its bloodline has been promoted from a mid-grade first-tier to a mid-grade second-tier Wind-Treading Spirit Steed.

Lin Che didn't consider himself a freeloader, so before leaving, he left behind a bottle of second-tier pills whose value far exceeded that of the spirit steed itself.

"Let's go, Tafeng, we're going to Green Bamboo Market." Lin Che gently stroked the horse's neck, then deftly mounted it using the stirrups.

The steed understood, and with its hooves flying, it galloped steadily in the general direction.

Lin Che politely asked for directions from the cultivators he encountered along the way.

After traveling for about three days, the scenery suddenly opened up before him, and a lush bamboo forest came into view, with swaying bamboo shadows and vibrant greenery. He knew that he had arrived at Green Bamboo Market.

The market is surrounded by a large area of ​​first-tier spirit bamboo, which is lush and green and emits a faint fragrance of grass and trees. Presumably, the name of the market comes from this.

Lin Che put away his Wind-Riding Spirit Steed and skillfully used his disguise technique to make his outstandingly handsome appearance appear ordinary. In this unfamiliar place, keeping a low profile would reduce unnecessary trouble.

Stepping into the market, a lively atmosphere immediately greets you.

Shops of all kinds lined up one after another, with flags fluttering in the wind. Cultivators thronged the market, forming long queues in front of the array light screen at the entrance, entering and exiting in an orderly fashion.

The air was filled with the unique aroma of mixed herbs, elixirs, and talismans, and the sounds of conversation, bargaining, and shouts filled the air, creating a vibrant atmosphere.

"Compared to the gloomy and oppressive atmosphere of the Demonic Sect, this place is so much better..." Lin Che thought to himself, his determination to walk the righteous path strengthened, even though he hadn't yet decided where to go.

As the crowd lined up to the light screen, a market guard looked him up and sized him up: "Token."

"This is my first time here," Lin Che said, bowing slightly.

Upon hearing this, the guard didn't ask any further questions and directly took out a wooden plaque engraved with green bamboo patterns: "One low-grade spirit stone, usable five times, each stay cannot exceed one day."

Lin Che paid the spirit stones as instructed and accepted the token.

The moment he passed through the light barrier, a much purer spiritual energy surged in, invigorating him.

"The aura of a first-tier spiritual vein..." He took a deep breath, feeling the long-lost comfort.

In that nameless valley, he could only rely on absorbing spirit stones and spirit plants to improve his cultivation. Compared to directly absorbing the spiritual energy emitted from the spiritual veins, this was an extremely extravagant act.

As Lin Che strolled into the main street of the market, his eyes swept over the shops on both sides, carefully noting their layout.

After a brief observation, he headed straight to the plaza area where the independent repairmen had set up their stalls, intending to purchase what he needed there first.

The square was bustling with people, with hundreds of stalls lined up, displaying a dazzling array of goods.

The monks moved among the crowds, some pausing to examine the stalls closely, others haggling quietly with the vendors, their bustling activity revealing the vibrant energy of the marketplace.

Lin Che blended into the crowd and began carefully searching for his target.

However, the surrounding fire-attribute environment is scarce, so naturally there are few spiritual creatures as well.

After searching for most of the day, he found nothing of the high-quality fire-type materials he needed.

Just as he was feeling somewhat disappointed, a stall displaying lush green spiritual herbs caught his eye. These were the staple food of the Wind-Treading Spirit Steed, the first-tier Green Spirit Grass.

The stall owner was a young cultivator with a still somewhat immature face. As soon as Lin Che stopped, he immediately greeted him warmly, "Fellow Daoist, come and take a look! The Green Spirit Grass grown by our Lin family is definitely the best quality around here!"

"The Lin family?" Lin Che smiled inwardly; it turned out to be their own family.

He crouched down, picked up a sprig of Green Spirit Grass, felt the gentle wood elemental energy within it through his fingertips, and nodded: "How much do you want to sell it?"

"Two catties for one low-grade spirit stone! Buy twenty catties and get one catty free!" The young stall owner hurriedly quoted a price.

The price was reasonable, almost the same as the market price recorded in the Beast Taming Inheritance.

"Sure, how much stock do you have here? I'll take it all," Lin Che said directly.

The young stall owner's eyes lit up instantly; he had encountered a big customer!

"You're so generous! I brought 500 jin (250 kg) with me this time. If you want it all, I'll price it at 460 jin (230 kg)! How does that sound?"

Five hundred catties is only enough for the Wind-Treading Spirit Steed's food for three months, not much at all.

Lin Che readily took out 230 spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them over.

"make a deal."

"Alright! Please wait a moment!" The stall owner beamed and hurriedly took out all the Qingling Grass.

After the transaction was completed, he didn't forget to hand over a simple name card: "If you need anything else in the future, just contact me, and I'll definitely give you the best price!"

"No problem." Lin Che put away the Qingling Grass and the name card, and stood up with a smile.

As for whether there will be a next time, it's hard to say.

He continued wandering among the stalls, and at one stall selling wind-attribute ores, he spent fifty spirit stones to buy a few more pieces of wind-attribute ore. He ground them into powder and mixed them into the spirit steed feed, which could slowly stimulate the potential of its bloodline.

Just as he was about to leave the square and head to the large shops, the keen intuition he had cultivated over many years of demonic cultivation made his back stiffen slightly.

Two faint gazes seemed to have been fixed on him since several stalls, following him at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

"I've been targeted..." Lin Che sighed inwardly, realizing he hadn't been careful enough. His large-scale purchase of spiritual herbs had probably attracted the attention of some people.

He remained outwardly calm and continued walking, pretending to wander aimlessly, but inwardly he was already on high alert.

Having gained nothing more, Lin Che stopped lingering at the stalls and headed straight for the most impressive shop in the market—the Fengxing Merchant Guild.

This chamber of commerce has a strong background, so it should be able to meet my needs.

Behind the counter, a female cultivator dressed in an elegant long dress, with a gentle demeanor, immediately flashed a professional and sweet smile upon his entrance: "Welcome to the Fengxing Merchant Guild. What would you like, fellow Daoist?"

"Excuse me, do you have any lotus seeds of the 'Earth Vein Fire Lotus'?" Lin Che asked directly.

The female cultivator's smile remained unchanged: "Yes, fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."

She turned around and took a jade box from the shelf behind her, about to open it and examine it closely with Lin Che.

Just then, a loud, spiritually powerful shout suddenly rang out from the streets outside the market. The sound echoed repeatedly and clearly entered the merchant guild:

"Great news! A resounding victory! A piece of incredibly good news! After two hundred years, our human race's military might has been unleashed once more, advancing eight hundred miles beyond Burning Bone Pass towards the Crouching Dragon Mountains! The Divine Puppet Sect is now officially opening its newly expanded territory, sincerely inviting all cultivators from the Southeast Region to join in its development! Regardless of background, everyone is welcome to come and settle down, establish a family, and build a home! For the first fifteen years, all taxes will be waived!"

The news spread like wildfire through the market.

The guests and staff in the chamber of commerce, including Lin Che and the female cultivator, couldn't help but exchange surprised glances and all headed towards the door to watch.

The monks who were shouting were still repeating their words, and the discussions in the market were already in full swing.

Lin Che stood at the edge of the crowd, but his heart was pounding faster than usual.

A pioneering family, forming its own power? This news couldn't be more timely!

He had always been determined to break free from the demonic path, and he was also reluctant to join a sect and be controlled by others.

According to his understanding, even in righteous sects, ordinary Qi Refining disciples who work hard to complete sect tasks earn only about three hundred spirit stones a year, but the value they create can be around five hundred spirit stones. This is essentially working for the sect.

Even after becoming strong, one cannot leave the sect at will. Unless one is seriously injured or old and frail with little life left, one still needs to serve the sect.

What makes sects so attractive is their high-level cultivation techniques and advanced inheritances of various immortal arts, which are inaccessible to independent cultivators.

However, for someone who possesses a Heaven-rank cultivation technique and has a beast-taming inheritance that leads directly to the Tribulation Transcending stage, the sect is indeed not very attractive.

So, wouldn't it be wonderful to start your own business, build a cultivation family that belongs entirely to you, and use that to prove the Dao and achieve immortality?

Once the idea took hold, it grew wildly in his heart like weeds.