I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Time flies, and January has passed in the blink of an eye. Finally, it's time for the Pearl White Jade Chicken and the Green-headed Duck to be ready for market.

Both kinds of birds, after careful breeding, are full of energy and have shiny, clean feathers.

The pearl-white jade chicken is pure white, like clusters of moving clouds, with a rosy comb and bright, piercing eyes.

The Common Baer is more robust, with its blue head feathers gleaming metallically in the sunlight. It has thick webbed feet and moves gracefully in the water.

Lin Che carefully calculated the cultivation costs.

The cost of a single Pearl White Jade Chicken is approximately eighteen low-grade spirit stones, including the cost of the chicks, labor, and feed.

The retail price of a whole chicken is between 25 and 30 spirit stones, and an unfertilized egg costs half a spirit stone. A hen can lay two eggs a week.

The cost of the Azure Wave Green-headed Duck is slightly higher, requiring approximately thirty-four spirit stones, while its selling price can reach forty-five to fifty-five spirit stones.

According to statistics, each spirit bird can generate a profit of about ten low-grade spirit stones, and this batch is expected to bring the Lin family a revenue of 1,600 spirit stones.

Once feed becomes completely self-sufficient, costs can be reduced by nearly half.

Lin Che was quite satisfied with the accelerated breeding method recorded in the Beast Taming Inheritance, as it shortened the breeding cycle by a whole month compared to the usual breeding cycle.

After activating the formation to put them into an illusion and ensuring they wouldn't struggle or resist, fifty of each were taken and put into the spirit beast bag.

He planned to personally travel to Chuyang City to explore ways to find a stable market for the large-scale production of edible spirit beasts by his family in the future.

The sword light pierced the sky, and Lin Che quickly arrived at the eastern district of Chuyang City.

As a commercial district, this place remains bustling with people and noise. All kinds of signs and flags flutter in the wind, and the sounds of hawking, bargaining, and the cries of mythical beasts fill the air, just like the prosperous scene before.

With a clear goal in mind, he headed straight for the rather grand "Yingxianju" restaurant that he remembered visiting.

The restaurant is three stories high, with upturned eaves, carved beams and painted rafters. The facade is constructed of precious warm-fragrant wood, exuding a faint and pleasant aroma.

A huge plaque with golden characters hangs under the eaves, its strokes flowing like dragons and snakes, exuding extraordinary charm.

Two Qi Refining stage female cultivators, dressed in elegant matching dresses, stood at the entrance as greeters. They were beautiful, well-trained, and wore perfectly sweet smiles as they respectfully welcomed and saw off the guests.

As Lin Che slowly approached, the two keenly sensed his restrained Foundation Establishment stage spiritual pressure, and a deeper sense of awe and fervor flashed in their eyes.

The almond-eyed female cultivator on the left immediately stepped forward, gave a graceful bow, and said in a clear and melodious voice, "Senior's presence is an honor! May I ask how many people are in your party? Would you prefer the liveliness of the main hall or the quieter private room on the second floor?"

"One person, a private room will suffice," Lin Che said calmly.

"Alright, senior, please follow me." The female cultivator stepped aside and led the way, gracefully guiding Lin Che to a private room on the second floor called "Pine Breeze".

The interior is elegantly furnished, with bright and clean windows. Landscape paintings with a profound artistic conception hang on the walls, and calming sandalwood incense burns in the corner, isolating the noise downstairs.

Shortly after I sat down, a young shop assistant with a clean short-sleeved shirt and a bright look knocked on the door and entered.

Presenting a jade slip menu brimming with spiritual energy with both hands, he respectfully said, "Greetings, Senior. This is our menu, offering all kinds of spiritual dishes and wines, guaranteed to satisfy you! What would you like to have today?"

Lin Che took the menu, his divine sense scanning the shimmering list of dishes and lifelike illusory images. He casually asked, "Your restaurant has a rich variety of dishes. Where do you source these spirit beast meats?"

The shop assistant didn't think much of it and answered frankly, "Replying to senior, most of the meat in our shop comes from the Zhou family of Beast Tamers."

You've probably heard of the Zhou family; the ingredients they provide are top-notch in terms of freshness and spiritual energy content—absolutely no problem.

"It really is the Zhou family." Lin Che understood.

He casually ordered a few signature dishes and a pot of "Biquan Brew," closed the menu, and got to the point: "Um, also, I'd like to meet your manager; I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with him."

"This..." The shop assistant looked slightly embarrassed.

Lin Che directly stated his identity: "My name is Lin Che, and I am the head of the Lin family of Shattered Star Lake. Please inform them of my presence."

Upon hearing this, the shop assistant's expression immediately became even more respectful: "So it's Senior Lin! My apologies for not recognizing you! Please wait a moment, I'll go and fetch the manager right away!"

Before long, the dishes were served one after another, filling the air with their aroma.

Finally, the one who carried in the pot of spiritual wine was a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a brocade robe, slightly plump, and with an air of wealth and nobility. He was none other than Wan Dafu, the owner of Yingxianju.

His face was beaming with a warm smile. As soon as he entered, he cupped his hands in a respectful bow, his tone perfectly humble: "Senior Lin, your presence is an honor to our humble establishment! I am Wan Dafu, the unworthy manager of Yingxianju, and I apologize for not being able to greet you properly!"

"Mr. Wan, you're too kind. Please have a seat. Let's eat and chat." Lin Che also stood up with a smile to greet him, his attitude very friendly.

After they were seated and exchanged a few pleasantries, Lin Che put down his chopsticks and got to the point: "Boss Wan, I wonder if your restaurant currently has any shortages of spirit beast meat?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Dafu's smile remained unchanged, but a knowing glint flashed in his eyes.

He stood up and personally filled Lin Che's wine glass, then sighed with a troubled expression: "Senior, do you want to find a market for the spirit beasts bred by the Lin family?"

"Alas, my esteemed senior, it's not that I'm unwilling, but our shop's daily meat requirements are already fixed and saturated. It's simply that... the will is there, but the capacity is insufficient."

Although the words were tactful, the refusal was clear.

Lin Che naturally understood that the other party would not change suppliers without a reason.

After a moment's hesitation, he took out a spirited, lustrous white pearl jade chicken from his spirit beast pouch and placed it in an empty space to the side.

"Manager Wan is an expert. Why don't you take a look and see how the Pearl Jade Chicken bred by my Lin family compares to the one supplied by the Zhou family?"

Wan Dafu's gaze fell on the spirit chicken, and a genuine look of surprise and admiration flashed across his eyes.

With his years of experience running a restaurant, he could naturally tell that the spirit chicken in front of him was full of vitality, well-proportioned, and full of spiritual energy. Its quality was indeed superior to the chickens that the Zhou family usually supplied.

However, the bright light quickly disappeared, and his smooth smile returned to his face. He cupped his hands and said, "Good! Senior Lin's family is indeed a master of beast taming. The cultivation of this spirit bird is top-notch!"

However... alas, the shop is small and limited in size, and the daily consumption is only so much, so it really can't absorb more supplies.

"Perhaps you could ask other companies?"

Lin Che's eyes narrowed slightly, and he added, "Even if my Lin family is willing to supply goods at a lower price than the Zhou family, Manager Wan, you still won't consider it?"

Wan Dafu's smile froze for a moment, then turned into a deeper helplessness. He waved his hands repeatedly, "Senior, this...this really puts me in a difficult position."

We run a small business, focusing on stability. The usage is really fixed; there's no way to increase it further.

After being explicitly rejected twice in a row, Lin Che finally understood that this was no longer a matter of quality or price.

The other party is determined not to purchase the spirit beasts produced by the Lin family.

He understood, but he wasn't angry or embarrassed. He just let out a slow breath, thinking that if one place didn't work out, he could just try another.

Without saying another word, they quietly finished their meal, paid the bill, and left.

He then visited several sizable restaurants and inns that provided spiritual meals in Chuyang City, but the results were the same: none of them were willing to accept the Lin family's goods.

At this point, Lin Che was certain that the Zhou family had completely blocked the sales channels for his family's spirit beast meat.

Is the Zhou family preparing to suppress my Lin family?

However, he was still puzzled as to why these restaurants were so consistent and resolute in their attitude.

Is it a questioning of the Lin family's strength, or a concern that the Lin family's supply cannot be stable in the long term?

Upon returning to Shattered Star Lake, Lin Che immediately instructed Liu Qingxue to investigate the reasons behind it.

……

A few days later, Liu Qingxue brought back the investigation results, which pointed to a link that Lin Che had not thought about deeply—the Spiritual Cuisine Master.

It turns out that almost all the chefs in the restaurants and taverns of any decent size in Chuyang City are disciples of the Zhou family.

The Zhou family not only possesses the heritage of beast taming, but also has a rather remarkable system for training spiritual chefs.

As one of the many skills in the cultivation of immortality, the position of spiritual chef is not one that everyone can fulfill.

It requires precise control over the heat, a thorough understanding of the characteristics of various ingredients, and expertise in how to process them to preserve their best texture and flavor, as well as how to blend the flavors to achieve a harmonious balance.

There are intricacies to every detail.

With its mature heritage, the Zhou family has cultivated spiritual chefs whose skill level is generally higher than that of their peers who come from independent cultivation backgrounds, and they have almost monopolized the high-end spiritual food market in Chuyang City.

The core chefs of the restaurants that still exist today are all trained by the Zhou family.

By controlling the "flavor" that determines the fate of the restaurant, the Zhou family can naturally maintain a firm grip on the spirit beast meat procurement market in Chuyang City.

Inside the council chamber, the candlelight flickered.

Lin Che sat upright in the main seat, his knuckles unconsciously tapping the armrest. His expression was calm, but his eyes were filled with turbulent thoughts.

After listening to Liu Qingxue's report, he remained silent for a long time, unable to find a breakthrough.

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the Liu siblings and Su Wanwan below him. His voice was steady yet encouraging: "Speak up, what are your thoughts on the current situation? Whether they are mature or not, feel free to speak."

Liu Qingxue frowned, a rare look of distress appearing on her usually cool face, clearly at a loss for what to do.

Sitting next to her, Liu Yunzhou glanced at his sister, then looked at the patriarch, suddenly stood up, and said loudly, "Patriarch! If they don't want it, we can set up a stall and sell it ourselves! We'll be able to sell some! I'll go out and set up a stall tomorrow."

This simple suggestion made Lin Che shake his head slightly, his tone gentle but with a hint of disapproval: "The spirit is commendable, but retail is not a long-term solution. It will be difficult to absorb the large-scale production in the future. It's just a temporary fix, not a fundamental solution. Please sit down."

Just then, the outer warning array covering the territory showed a faint fluctuation as if it had been activated.

Lin Che gestured for Liu Qingxue to go and check.

A moment later, Liu Qingxue reported that it was Wang Yanchi, the head of the Wang family, who had come to visit.

"Please let him in," Lin Che instructed.

When Wang Yanchi's slightly reserved yet resolute figure appeared at the entrance of the council hall.

A thought suddenly flashed through Lin Che's mind, as if a bolt of lightning had struck him.