I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

As the morning light shone down, it gilded the towering, dark gray walls of Burning Bone City with a pale gold hue, quietly dispelling the chill left by the long night.

Compared to the steel fortress built purely for war dozens of miles away, this city exudes a more rugged character, a tenacious vitality that has struggled out of the environment of fighting demons.

The city wall is tall and thick. In addition to the defensive array patterns that shimmer with light from the reinforcements over the years, the wall is also covered with the local "iron wire vine".

This low-level spiritual plant has extremely strong vitality and can take root on barren rock walls. At this moment, it is blooming with tiny purple flowers.

The small flower emits a faint spicy aroma, which is said to effectively dispel the slight miasma permeating the surrounding mountains and forests, and it is planted everywhere in the city.

Above the massive city gate, the two ancient characters "焚骨" (burning bones) are deeply engraved, their edges worn smooth by the passage of time.

The city gate was bustling with traffic, yet orderly.

Among those entering the city were demon hunters and cultivators, covered in dust and still reeking of the blood of demonic beasts, but there were also many caravans laden with supplies such as spirit grains, medicinal herbs, and ores.

Some monks, dressed in uniform dark red robes with the Fang family emblem embroidered on their chests, had sharp eyes like hawks, constantly scanning the crowd. Occasionally they would stop vehicles for a closer inspection, but most of the time they would just wave them on.

The air was filled with dust, the smell of monster blood, the aroma of freshly baked bread, and the rhythmic clanging of hammering coming from a blacksmith's shop in the distance.

Lin Che concealed his aura and blended into the crowd without making a sound, slowly entering the city.

The city streets weren't particularly clean, but they were wide enough, straight in all directions, and very well-planned.

At a glance, there are at least a thousand shops lining both sides of the main street.

Among them, shops specializing in selling elixirs, talismans, and magical artifacts have eye-catching signs, and there are countless shops that process and sell all kinds of monster materials.

All the major merchant guilds with a reputation within the Fang family's sphere of influence in the Southern Region have branches here.

The number of restaurants and inns was also astonishing.

However, the most eye-catching feature is the huge square in the city center.

Following the flow of people, Lin Che slowly walked to this spot.

There are no statues of monks displaying their martial prowess here, only a huge jade wall, several meters high and radiant with light, standing majestically.

Beneath the jade disc, a diverse group of cultivators gathered, each either observing or discussing the contents of the jade disc.

On the jade disc, text messages, shimmering with spiritual light, continuously updated:

"Purchase of complete Stone-skinned Mountain Demon pelts, starting at thirty spirit stones."

"Recruit temporary guards for Chuyang City. Departure is tomorrow."

"Danxia Pavilion is a long-term buyer of edelweiss; price negotiable."

At this moment, a dark-skinned, muscular man stepped forward, took out a uniquely shaped token, and waved it at the jade wall. The mission message on it, "Recruiting temporary guards, heading to Chuyang City, departing tomorrow," instantly disappeared.

"Oh?" This novel scene made Lin Che raise his eyebrows slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

Just as he was observing intently, a boy who had been looking around on the periphery of the crowd suddenly lit up and quickly approached.

The boy was about fifteen or sixteen years old, thin but agile, wearing a faded coarse cloth short jacket. His cultivation level was around the fourth level of Qi Refining, and his handsome face had the cleverness commonly seen in the streets.

"Senior, is this your first time visiting our Burning Bone City?" the young man asked, looking up at the city with just the right amount of respect, without being obsequious.

The sound interrupted Lin Che's thoughts. He subconsciously took a half step back, his gaze calmly falling on the boy, quickly sizing him up.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone carrying just the right amount of doubt: "What? What advice do you have?"

Seeing that Lin Che did not directly dismiss him, the young man knew that something was going to happen. His smile widened, and he quickly waved his hand to explain, "Senior, please don't misunderstand. I have no ill intentions!"

I was born and raised in this Burning Bone City. I wouldn't say I know everything about the city's affairs, rules, and ways of doing things, but I'm definitely very familiar with them!

For just five low-grade spirit stones, I can tell you anything you want to know about Burning Bone City, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied!

Upon hearing this, Lin Che subtly scanned his surroundings.

Sure enough, they found several other people of similar age and dress to the boy, who were looking around for their target.

Seeing that someone had already gotten there first, he turned away dejectedly to the other cultivators who seemed to be newcomers.

Seeing this, Lin Che's doubts lessened slightly.

He casually took out five spirit stones from his storage bag and tossed them over: "Alright, then tell me what's going on with this jade disc."

"Alright! Thank you, senior!" The young man hurriedly caught the spirit stone, his face beaming with joy. He immediately got into character and began to explain fluently, "Senior, you've hit the nail on the head! This jade disc is the core of our Burning Bone City..."

Through the boy's narration, Lin Che quickly understood the purpose of the jade disc; it was for issuing missions for Burning Bone City.

Burning Bone Pass, being the front line directly facing demonic beasts, is a treacherous environment and definitely not a place for ordinary cultivators to live for long.

Therefore, the Fang family established Burning Bone City here, aiming to provide logistical support and a place for rest for the cultivators on the front lines.

To attract and motivate independent cultivators, the Fang family specifically established a merit system here.

Any cultivator can register at the City Lord's Mansion and obtain an exclusive identity token.

By accepting and completing the tasks posted on the jade tablet, one can accumulate battle merits.

These battle merits can be directly exchanged for various cultivation resources at official institutions such as the "Spiritual Object Pavilion" and "Cultivation Technique Pavilion" within the city.

The young man paused, then continued, "A small portion of the tasks on the jade disc were issued by the City Lord's Mansion of Burning Bone City."

Most of them come from various chambers of commerce, shops, and even some individual practitioners.

However, they also require battle merits to issue missions, and these merits are one of the rewards for those who accept the missions.

"And also, senior," the boy lowered his voice and pointed to the ground beneath his feet, "there is a third-order spiritual vein beneath our Burning Bone City!"

However, the spiritual energy was gathered together by the array and used to build various cultivation caves.

These cave dwellings can also be rented using battle merits, and the price is much more cost-effective than using spirit stones directly!

"I see." Lin Che nodded slightly, then changed the subject: "So, what do you know about that newly developed area?"

Upon hearing this, the talkative young man showed a clear look of surprise and some worry that Lin Che couldn't quite understand.

But only for a moment, and she immediately came to her senses, her tone carrying a hint of dissuasion: "You mean that place in Chuyang City? Senior, you...you don't really want to go there to expand your family, do you? To be honest, that place is a huge pitfall!"

Lin Che frowned slightly: "What do you mean by that?"

He originally thought that the new territory presented both opportunities and risks.

The existing spiritual veins in the Southern Region are already owned, making it extremely difficult for anyone to gain a foothold. This new land might be an opportunity.

Judging from the boy's tone, the truth seemed to be more complicated than it appeared.

Seeing that Lin Che was interested, the young man began to speak freely: "Senior, think about it, Chuyang City is, after all, outside the pass!"

The monsters could launch a counterattack and take it back at any time; the risk is too great!

Moreover, although the area being explored is the Wan Yao Mountain Range, it is actually only the easternmost edge and corner, and the resources are not as abundant as imagined.

The only Tier 3 resource is the 'Bloodthorn Vine' that grows in the Bloodthorn Forest, but that's the main target of the Xuankui Sect's expansion, and it's been locked in for a long time, so no one else has a chance.

What's left are just some scattered second-tier resources. To risk the destruction of your entire family to settle down there for such a small amount—do you think that's a huge trap?

He took a breath and continued, "That's why those Golden Core forces are completely uninterested in that place, and even many Foundation Establishment families are unwilling to go."

Those rushing there now are mostly rootless, independent cultivators, Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining experts, who have left their sects for various reasons and are hoping to take a gamble and try their luck.

Upon hearing this, Lin Che suddenly understood.

He understood why the Xuankui Sect had widely distributed "heroic invitations" in all the markets within its territory, inviting rogue cultivators to go.

This is purely because they don't want to invest a lot of resources in construction and defense, and want independent cultivators to bear the risks and costs of expansion themselves.

They can simply sit back and reap the benefits, collect the necessary Tier 3 Bloodthorn Vines, and levy taxes on the families that eventually establish themselves there—a business with virtually no upfront costs.

However, even so, it is not entirely without a chance.

Lin Che thought to himself, deciding to go and investigate personally. If things didn't work out, it wouldn't be difficult to back down.

The most important thing right now is to complete the foundation building.

"I understand. I'm just going to take a look. The area outside the pass is vast. What difference does it make where I go to gain experience?" Lin Che said calmly.

He then asked, "By the way, if I want to cultivate in a spirit vein cave within the city, can I use spirit stones directly?"

"Sure, senior, but it's not really worth it." The boy scratched his head.

"For example, a first-grade high-level spiritual vein cave dwelling would cost three hundred low-grade spiritual stones per month to rent with spirit stones."

However, if you use battle merits, you only need thirty points to exchange for the same usage time.

Honestly, directly absorbing the spiritual energy from spirit stones is more cost-effective than renting a cave dwelling with spirit stones.

Lin Che nodded.

Along the way, he also learned about the prices of renting cave dwellings in various places. The rent for a first-grade high-quality spiritual vein for a month is roughly between 120 and 160 spirit stones.

The price in Burning Bone City has doubled, clearly to encourage cultivators to actively participate in missions and earn battle merits.

However, since he is attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he needs an absolutely stable and abundant spiritual energy environment, so spending more spirit stones is worthwhile.

"Let's go, take me to rent a cave dwelling."

"No problem, please follow me, senior!"

The young man, familiar with the area, quickly led Lin Che to a heavily guarded building in the west of the city, which was the official cave leasing management office.

The young man was clearly acquainted with one of the managers inside, and greeted him loudly with a smile before even entering the room: "Brother Wang! Busy? I brought a senior to rent the spiritual vein cave dwelling."

The steward, known as "Brother Wang," was a cultivator who looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in the Fang family's standard robes, and whose cultivation level was around the ninth level of Qi Refining.

He looked up at the sound, saw the boy, and a helpless yet familiar smile appeared on his face: "Little Liu, is that you, kid? Here to pick up more work again?"

He then turned his gaze to Lin Che, his expression immediately becoming more serious. He cupped his hands in a respectful bow: "This fellow Daoist is quite unfamiliar. May I ask your name? What grade of spiritual vein cave dwelling do you require? For how long do you intend to rent it?"

Lin Che returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his voice steady: "Fellow Daoist Wang, you are too kind. My surname is Cheng. I would like to rent a second-tier cave dwelling for seven days, payable in spirit stones."

Upon hearing this, Manager Wang's eyes flashed with surprise, and he couldn't help but scrutinize Lin Che more closely.

Although the other person's appearance was unremarkable, he had a tall and upright figure, exuding an aura of profound and majestic presence. His spiritual power was hidden and not released, and his blood and qi were as vigorous as a furnace, indicating that his essence, qi and spirit had reached the perfect state of Qi Refining.

His face immediately showed a look of realization and a hint of admiration. He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, you have a profound foundation! Your blood and qi are flowing like a rainbow, your spirit is complete and your energy is abundant. You're about to go into seclusion to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage! Congratulations!"

As he spoke, he took out a jade slip, activated it with spiritual power, and displayed a list of available cave dwellings: "Second-tier cave dwellings, rented with spirit stones, are priced as follows:"

Basic type, located at a second-tier low-grade spiritual vein node, 180 spirit stones per week;

Standard type, spiritual energy concentration can reach mid-grade second tier, 270 spirit stones per week;

There's also a deluxe version, which exclusively possesses the spiritual energy of a second-tier superior spiritual vein, offering the best cultivation results, but requires 480 spirit stones per week. You see…”

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Che said directly, "I'll choose the deluxe version."

This matter concerns the very foundation of our path, and there is no room for stinginess.

"Good! Fellow Daoist, you're so straightforward!" Manager Wang's smile widened, and he quickly completed the rental procedures for Lin Che.

After collecting the spirit stones, he handed Lin Che a cave dwelling token engraved with complex array patterns and personally led him to the corresponding cave dwelling.

We arrived at a secluded cave on a mountainside, with its stone gate tightly closed.

Steward Wang stopped and solemnly bowed to Lin Che again: "The formation within the cave is activated, and the spiritual energy is abundant and stable. I wish Fellow Daoist Cheng a successful seclusion, a resounding success, and the laying of a solid foundation for your Great Dao!"

Several people would emerge here to establish their foundation every now and then, so he was used to it. But this fellow Daoist Cheng's profound foundation was truly rare, and he was likely to be able to establish his foundation. So he simply lowered his stance and said a few kind words.

"Thank you for your kind words, Fellow Daoist." Lin Che nodded slightly.

After Steward Wang left, Lin Che held the token and waved it at the stone gate.

The stone door slid open silently, revealing a simple yet fully equipped interior space.

He stepped inside, and the stone door slowly closed behind him.

He manipulated the token again, activating the protective and soundproof arrays outside the cave to their fullest extent, setting them to "Do Not Disturb in Seclusion" mode.

In an instant, all the noise from the outside world was completely shut out.

Inside the cave, the extremely pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth was almost solidified, flowing slowly and refreshing the mind and body.

Lin Che took a deep breath of the abundant spiritual energy, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He sat cross-legged on the central futon, holding his breath and focusing his mind, beginning to adjust his state.

Foundation building begins today!