I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Three months passed quietly, like ripples on a lake of broken stars.

Lin Che slowly finished his practice, exhaling a long breath that created a subtle vortex of spiritual energy in the quiet room.

He opened his eyes, a glint of light seemingly hidden within them, which then vanished.

"Nine hundred drops of true essence."

As his consciousness sank into his dantian, the spiritual lake began to take shape, with liquid true essence flowing slowly like fine wine, its surface shimmering.

However, Lin Che could clearly sense that this was far from the limit of what his dantian could bear; it probably wasn't even a third full.

As far as he knew, the average early Foundation Establishment cultivator's dantian typically held around a thousand drops of true essence.

In comparison, the depth of the foundation he laid during his foundation-building process is evident.

"A fourth-order spiritual vein, indeed living up to its reputation." Lin Che couldn't help but sigh again.

With the Holy Spirit Root, cultivating here is as natural and smooth as breathing, and the speed is so fast that most cultivators can only look up to it.

He can condense five drops of true essence every day simply by breathing exercises.

This does not even take into account the pure spiritual energy fed back through the spiritual contract when the two natal spirit beasts cultivate.

The two combined resulted in his daily increase in true essence reaching nearly nine drops!

What does this mean? It means he has a chance to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage within a year!

Thinking back to when I had a low-grade spiritual root, it would probably have taken me thirty years to accumulate such an amount of spiritual power!

The difference between the two is beyond measure.

Another profound aspect of the "Ten Thousand Beasts Paying Homage to the Ancestor" technique is that it does not hinder the cultivation of spirit beasts themselves.

When a spirit beast absorbs spiritual objects or the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, some of its essence inevitably dissipates. This cultivation method guides this dissipated essence into the cultivator's body through the natal spirit contract.

However, the spiritual energy in these feedbacks has its own attributes, and if the cultivator's spiritual root attributes are incompatible with them, then the benefits are minimal.

This is precisely why Lin Che carefully selected spirit beasts with compatible attributes for Su Wanwan and the other two.

He himself possesses the root of the Holy Spirit, and can accept and utilize any spiritual energy of any kind.

With a slight thought, he activated the secret realm token, and his figure appeared in his residence outside.

As dawn broke, warm dappled light streamed through the carved wooden windows, casting dappled patterns of light into the room.

Take a deep breath and push open the heavy door that smells of natural wood.

In an instant, an incredibly refreshing breeze, mixed with pure spiritual energy and the unique moisture of Shattered Star Lake, swept over me and filled my lungs.

This aura seemed to have a slight effect of cleansing the soul, which suddenly invigorated his spirit, which had become somewhat stagnant due to long-term cultivation, and made his mind clearer.

He stood under the eaves and naturally stretched his limbs.

A series of subtle yet crisp "crackling" sounds emanated from all the joints in his body.

The slight stagnation accumulated from a night of cultivation was swept away, and I felt my blood and energy flowing smoothly throughout my body.

Looking up, a neat and elegant three-courtyard siheyuan comes into view. This is the residence that he designed and built for himself.

The island in the middle of the lake was the core of the family's territory, and he couldn't trust outsiders to carry out the construction. So, in his spare time from cultivation, he studied the art of architecture and built every brick and tile according to his own wishes.

He had already demolished the original simple cave dwelling.

The courtyard is paved with dark blue-black stone slabs to form a cross-shaped path, with blooming flowers and swaying bamboo on both sides, full of vitality.

Outside the courtyard, a bluestone path extends out, with neat rows of green plants. The former wilderness scene is no longer there, and it is beginning to resemble the aura of a celestial abode.

Riding on his sword, he swept across the shimmering lake and soon arrived at his temporary cave dwelling in the northwest corner of the territory.

Checking the spirit fish that Liu Qingxue has acquired every morning has become his routine.

Three more "visitors" have joined the shallow pool in front of the cave today.

The spirit fish, nearly five feet long and covered in fine, iron-gray scales, with a head larger than its body, is particularly eye-catching.

As Lin Che scanned the system information with his divine sense, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

This is actually a Tier 1 high-grade bloodline Ironhead Fish!

This fish often inhabits turbulent rivers or deep lakes and is known for its hard skull, making it an excellent material for crafting first-grade high-quality defensive magic weapons.

Its flesh, blood, and skull are excellent tonics for the alligator snapping turtle, helping to strengthen its bones and carapace.

More importantly, of the three fish, two are male and one is female, so we can try to breed them!

Lin Che's face lit up with joy. Without disturbing Liu Qingxue who was cultivating inside the cave, he carefully took the three ironhead fish and flew to Satellite Lake No. 7 to settle them.

Today, Shattered Star Lake and its seven satellite lakes have long since shed their former desolation and present a vibrant and enchanting scene.

As the morning light spills across the wide lake, the moon lily stretches out its emerald green leaves, each as large as a millstone, with a faint silvery-white halo around the edges—the traces left after it absorbed the moonlight during the night.

Several Tier 1 low-grade bloodline Water Spirit Dragonflies perched on the leaves. Their wings, as thin as gauze, reflected iridescent light in the morning sun, and occasionally fluttered, creating tiny ripples.

Looking underwater reveals a completely different, lush world.

Each of the first-tier low-grade spiritual plants, Sword-leaf Water Candle, stands tall and upright, its long and tough leaves resembling unsheathed swords, together forming a dense underwater jungle.

In this green maze, the nearly transparent Jadeite Shrimp wave their slender legs, carefully attaching themselves to the leaves and lake rocks, and gently nibbling at the Jadeite Algae that grows on them, which resembles an emerald velvet carpet.

Not far away, a bluish-gray shadow slid silently past like a ghost.

It is a water patrol spirit fish.

It keenly spotted a snail slowly crawling at the bottom of the lake, lunged forward, and precisely bit down with its large mouth full of fine teeth. With a crisp "crack," the snail shell shattered and was swallowed whole by the spirit fish, which then enjoyed the delicious soft meat inside.

This vibrant scene is the result of Lin Che's meticulous construction of the basic aquatic cycle over the past three months, based on the ecological methods of the Beast Taming inheritance.

All the creatures inside are first-tier low-grade spirit beasts, and they all reproduce quickly.

Within this system: the well-developed root systems of Emerald Green Algae and Water Lily provide ample food sources for the bottom-dwelling Green Silk Shrimp and Mr. Snail;

These shrimp, snails, and the larvae of the water dragonfly become natural food for carnivorous fish such as the water bream.

The spirit fish that patrols the water can also be used as food to feed other spirit beasts.

The dense clusters of sword-leaved cattails not only provide excellent shelter for small fish and shrimp from predators, but also serve as an ideal breeding ground for them to reproduce.

The excrement, metabolites, and even the remains of all living things will eventually be decomposed and transformed by tiny spiritual microorganisms in the water, becoming fertile nutrients that nourish the jade algae and water lilies.

This cycle repeats itself, forming a stable and efficient closed loop.

This ingenious ecosystem has been successfully replicated by Lin Che in all the waters of the Shattered Star Lake basin, and even in the Azure Mystery Realm.

As areas specifically for breeding mandarin fish, the seven satellite lakes maintain their basic ecology while each possessing unique characteristics.

In the first and second satellite lakes, a new type of first-tier low-grade Silver Thread Spirit Stream Fish has been added, characterized by its slender body and agile swimming posture.

They shimmered with a faint silver light, like silk threads flowing through water.

Its flesh is extremely tender with very few intramuscular bones. It has a sweet taste and contains gentle water and wood elemental energy. Long-term consumption can gently nourish the internal organs and meridians of cultivators.

The scenery of Satellite Lakes 3 and 4 is even more stunning.

Under the bright morning sun, the lake surface shimmered, as if sprinkled with broken gold; upon closer inspection, they were dazzling golden fish scales.

This is the Golden Scale Crimson-Eyed Trout with a first-tier, mid-grade bloodline.

They are larger and more robust, covered with closely arranged, glossy golden scales, and have exceptionally bright, piercing red eyes.

This fish has firm, elastic flesh with evenly distributed fat, making it delicious yet not greasy, a superior choice for those seeking a superior culinary experience.

The Silver Thread Spirit Stream Fish and the Golden Scale Red-Eyed Trout are the main results that Lin Che has selected and cultivated from many wild aquatic species over the past three months.

The population is currently limited, but all of them have developed the ability to reproduce and have a balanced male-to-female ratio. Given time, they will surely grow to a considerable size and become a stable source of income for the Lin family.

Satellite Lake No. 5 focuses on shrimp farming.

Among them was a type of low-grade first-tier jade prawn, whose entire body was translucent like jade, and whose long antennae swayed gracefully as it swam in the water.

Its flesh is sweet and has a unique fruity aroma. It is also twice the size of the Green Silk Shrimp, making it suitable for cultivators to eat.

These three aquatic creatures were selected by Lin Che as top-quality products that combined breeding value with good taste.

Looking back on the selection process, besides relying on the profound knowledge inherited from the Beast Taming tradition, it was mostly due to the accumulation of experience through repeated hands-on practice.

However, this is by no means an easy job.

Most wild fish and shrimp either have a persistent earthy or strange fishy smell, or their flesh is coarse and tough. Some even have a naturally bitter taste, making each taste experience a kind of torture for the sense of taste.

After torturing himself for several days, Lin Che decisively handed over the important task of "testing the poison" to Liu Yunzhou, who was still eager to try.

At first, the young man was eager to get the job, thinking he had landed a lucrative position, and his face was full of excitement.

But a few days later, when I saw him again, every time he was faced with the new, strangely shaped fish, his young face was filled with a tragic "ready to die" attitude, and after tasting them, his eyes were empty, as if life had lost its color, and he seemed "unwilling to live".

Even now, looking back, Lin Che's lips still couldn't help but curl into a barely perceptible smile.

Strolling to the shore of Satellite Lake No. 6, the scenery is somewhat different again.

Flocks of blue-headed ducks are leisurely swimming on the clear lake surface.

They are well-proportioned with glossy feathers, especially the dark blue feathers on their heads and necks, which appear particularly shiny and eye-catching in the sunlight.

These ducks would sometimes stretch their necks and let out a loud and satisfied "quack quack";

Every now and then it would plunge into the water, and when it surfaced again, it would have caught a wriggling blue algae shrimp in its flat, yellow beak, tilt its head back and swallow it, treating it as a snack between meals.

They all looked energetic, plump, and had full plumage. Based on their current growth, they should be ready for market in about a month.

On the shore, duck sheds built of green bamboo are neatly arranged, well-ventilated and dry.

A newly recruited rogue cultivator was rolling up his sleeves and skillfully stirring a mixture of crushed spirit grains, soybean meal, chopped sword-leaf water candles, and a small amount of spirit fish in front of a huge wooden basin, preparing for the daily scheduled feeding.

To alleviate the pressure on Liu Yunzhou and Su Wanwan, Lin Che recently recruited six independent cultivators: four to assist in managing the four spirit beast gardens, and two to help take care of the spirit fields.

Liu Yunzhou is required to inspect each park daily to ensure the safety of the spirit beasts;

Su Wanwan was mainly responsible for monitoring the growth of the spiritual plants and using the Senyu Spirit Deer, which had awakened its supernatural powers, to accelerate the growth of the crops. She could spend the rest of her time cultivating on her own.

Lin Che had secretly observed the six people for several days and confirmed that they were acting steadily and without any unusual behavior.

To protect core secrets, he not only planted confidentiality runes in the minds of Liu siblings and Su Wanwan, but also in all the contracted spirit beasts in Shattered Star Lake.

He did not plant core spirit servant contracts with these six guest retainers, but he did apply confidentiality runes to prevent them from actively leaking information about the Lin family.

The original intention of the Three-Phase Spirit Control Contract was to focus more on information protection than on controlling others, even without planting a spirit servant contract.

As he was pondering this, a slight vibration came from the sound transmission stone in his bosom.

Upon taking it out, I found a message from Liu Qingxue:

"Master, we have guests arriving. Shall we lead them into the reception room?"