I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

In the ensuing closed-door meeting, Yan Shuming and his confidants racked their brains, trying to secure the greatest possible benefit for their side given that Burning Bone City's intervention was a foregone conclusion.

However, after much discussion, everyone was dismayed to find that the initiative was no longer in their hands.

Ultimately, all the plans depend on the attitude of Burning Bone City and the framework they set.

A sense of powerlessness permeated the council chamber.

The turning point came after the envoy from Burning Bone City officially arrived.

Looking at the garrison token of Tingfeng Pass and listening to the introduction by the special envoy who called himself Fang Chen, many of Yan Shuming's doubts were finally cleared up.

It turns out that this secret realm has appeared before!

The City of Burning Bones was already aware of its existence and had it documented.

It was last turned on thirty years ago.

However, its opening cycle is irregular, and the location of the entrance seems to shift slightly with spatial fluctuations. Last time, it was located deeper in the Fulong Mountains, a place rarely visited by people, so few people knew about it.

This is the fundamental reason why Burning Bone City was able to react so quickly and send a special envoy immediately.

They had a backup plan and had been monitoring its reopening.

Having figured this out, Yan Shuming felt a mix of emotions, but also a sense of relief.

Special Envoy Fang Chen appeared quite young, dressed in a blue standard armor, with a handsome face and a gentle smile that always graced his lips.

He explained calmly, "Lord Yan, the reappearance of this secret realm falls within the jurisdiction of Chuyang City."

However, the development is a far-reaching matter, not just a matter for one city or one place, but also related to the stability of the defense line.

Therefore, the tedious tasks of specific exploration, maintaining order, and coordinating local forces will require the strong support of City Lord Yan and all colleagues in Chuyang City.

These words were polite yet measured, especially the phrase "relying on," which, to Yan Shuming, was like a shot in the arm.

This means that they were not completely excluded from the circle of interests.

On the contrary, by virtue of their advantageous location and the support of others, they may become important executors of specific plans, and there is definitely room for maneuver in this.

Yan Shuming's spirits lifted, and a warm and respectful smile instantly spread across his face, his tone tinged with barely suppressed excitement:

"Envoy Fang, you are too kind! It is an honor for the people of Chuyang City to share the burden of Burning Bone City and to do our part to ensure the stability of the Burning Bone Pass defense line. It is also our duty!"

"Whatever the special envoy commands, Chuyang City will do its utmost to comply and will not dare to be negligent in its cooperation!"

His respect was largely directed at the other person's use of the character "方" (fang).

In the eastern part of the Southern Region, the Fang family is the true ruler.

Even the Divine Puppet Sect, from which he came, was merely an affiliated force under the Fang family.

Judging from the generational characters in his name, Fang Chen in front of us may not be a core member of the Fang family, but rather a member of a branch family.

Even so, the surname "Fang" itself was enough to make him, the city lord who had been ostracized and exiled to the remote borderlands, treat the situation with utmost care and respect.

Thinking of his own situation, Yan Shuming felt even more emotional.

The position of Lord of Chuyang City sounds prestigious, but it's actually a hot potato.

With scarce resources and surrounded by monsters, successful development was almost impossible, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were exiled here by the sect.

Once a massive beast tide engulfs the land, as the city lord, he has a duty to defend the territory. There is no escape, and he must fight to the death.

If the city falls, what awaits him is not a successful retirement, but severe accountability from the Divine Puppet Sect and the Fang family.

In contrast, although Fang Chen was serving at the border, he had powerful connections, and his future and stability were far beyond what I could compare to.

Now that this opportunity from the secret realm has fallen into his lap, he must seize it firmly. Even if he can only squeeze out a little benefit from it, it will be far better than struggling to make ends meet in this barren land.

Next, Yan Shuming focused intently and had an in-depth and detailed exchange with Fang Chen.

Both sides discussed the stability prediction of the entrance to the secret realm, the known characteristics of the internal environment, the potential risks in historical records, and most importantly, the restrictions on cultivation level.

It has been confirmed that this secret realm has cultivation level restrictions, allowing only cultivators below the Golden Core stage to enter. Once someone above the Golden Core stage enters, it will disrupt the stability of the secret realm.

After some discussion, both parties initially agreed on a framework for profit sharing.

Burning Bone City takes the lion's share of the profits and has the final say;

As the main co-organizer, Chuyang City will host this exploration of the secret realm and will receive a fixed percentage of the profits, as well as practical management authority such as maintaining order around the entrance of the secret realm and verifying the qualifications of local cultivators.

To put it bluntly, Burning Bone Pass takes the profits, while Chuyang City works for them and only gets a small share of the secret realm's revenue.

With the general agreement reached, Yan Shuming felt somewhat relieved, and his tense nerves relaxed a little.

He immediately showed his hospitality and warmly invited Fang Chen to the most famous "Yingxianju" in Chuyang City, where he hosted a lavish banquet to welcome him.

During the meal, Yan Shuming spoke wittily and was extremely considerate, laying a very harmonious foundation for the relationship between the two parties and establishing a good personal connection for future cooperation.

After everything was over, he personally escorted the slightly tipsy Fang Chen to his lodging at the inn.

Yan Shuming dragged his slightly tired but energetic body back to the city lord's mansion.

Without the slightest delay, he immediately ordered the bell to be rung for an emergency meeting, summoning the core team back to the brightly lit meeting hall.

The atmosphere in the hall was completely different from before; it was less oppressive and more exciting.

Yan Shuming sat upright in the main seat, his expression serious as he surveyed the crowd, his deep yet clear voice setting the tone:

"I'm sure you've all heard about the specifics."

The special envoy from Burning Bone City has reached a preliminary agreement with us on the terms of the agreement, and our side will take the lead in the specific affairs of this exploration of the secret realm.

Now, we need everyone to pool their wisdom and efforts to figure out how to maximize our interests within this framework!

As Yan Shuming's personal disciple and deputy city lord, Zhang Mo reacted the fastest.

With a shrewd glint in his eyes, he spoke first:

"City Lord, now that it has been confirmed that this secret realm is only open to cultivators below the Golden Core stage, and there are a large number of independent cultivators and family members in the city who are at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, and who are eager for opportunities."

Why don't we produce a batch of Secret Realm Tokens, set quotas, and award them to the highest bidder, or supplement them with quest contribution points? This alone would generate an astonishing income!

Li, the manager of the Spirit Vein and Resources Management Office, stroked his goatee and squinted as he added, "Vice City Lord Zhang's plan is brilliant."

However, I believe that we could add some more measures to win over both interests and people's hearts.

It might be wise to first contact those foundation-building families that have been entrenched in this area for many years and privately offer them a small number of free or highly discounted spots.

This act serves two purposes: firstly, it demonstrates our favor and binds them more tightly to our cause, making them easier to manage in the future;

Secondly, they can be used to first highlight the value of the secret realm and the rarity of the spots. Then, most of the spots can be released through a public auction.

In this way, local bullies can be appeased and their base stabilized, while the competitive desires of independent cultivators and small families can be maximized, driving the price of tokens to exorbitant levels. Furthermore, the process is open and 'fair,' leaving no room for complaint.

Upon hearing this, everyone present nodded in agreement, their faces showing approval.

This plan not only takes into account maximizing economic benefits, but also considers political appeal and balance.

In fact, those sitting in this council hall were either Yan Shuming's trusted confidants or the management officials who were later placed in.

One by one, they didn't really have much confidence in the long-term vision of "building Chuyang City into a prosperous and stable frontier town".

Anyone with a bit of background can see that Chuyang City's "expansion" is essentially a preliminary test by the Fang family, using the Divine Puppet Sect to probe the demon forces of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains.

How long can this city last? Thirty years? Fifty years?

Perhaps it will be wiped out when the next medium-sized beast tide comes!

If the Fang family and the Divine Puppet Sect are truly determined to vigorously develop this area and establish a stable rule.

The elite border troops of Tingfeng Pass, along with their well-developed defense system, should have been moved here long ago.

How did things come to this?

Burning Bone Pass did not deploy a single soldier; the situation was maintained entirely by these administrators and the temporarily recruited rogue cultivators.

Therefore, the most pressing thought in the hearts of everyone present was to seize every possible opportunity to gain sufficient practical benefits for themselves while serving in this turbulent and uncertain border town.

Of course, if we can take this opportunity to strengthen the connections between local families and enhance the potential strength of the city's defenses in order to cope with any crisis that may come at any time, that would also be a good thing.

After listening, Yan Shuming pondered for a moment, tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest a few times, and finally nodded in approval:

"This proposal is very appropriate, taking into account both interests and public sentiment. Zhang Mo, this matter will be entrusted to you in full charge."

Immediately, in the name of the City Lord's Mansion, draft a document inviting the leaders of those Foundation Establishment families with strong foundations to come to the mansion in three days to discuss the details of cooperation in exploring the secret realm.

Be sincere and clearly explain the stakes and the benefits they can gain.

"Yes, Lord City Lord, I obey!" Zhang Mo clasped his hands in acceptance of the order and was about to turn around to carry it out when he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask for instructions:

"By the way, City Lord. Is the Beast Taming Lin family, which has only risen to prominence in the last few years, also on the invitation list?"

"The Beast Taming Lin family?" Upon hearing this, Yan Shuming frowned slightly, revealing a hint of doubt.

He was indeed unfamiliar with this name.

Since Chuyang City had largely stabilized, he had delegated most of the mundane affairs to his subordinates and had been in seclusion for a long time to study alchemy.

If the tax exemption period for the newly developed land hadn't recently ended and taxes could have been collected, he might still be in seclusion.

Zhang Mo quickly explained, "Reporting to the City Lord, the Lin family is a Foundation Establishment family that settled and rose to prominence in the Shattered Star Lake area about five years ago."

He paused for a moment and then continued, "Currently, the only person in the clan who is openly a Foundation Establishment cultivator is the clan leader, Lin Che."

However, like the Zhou family, they are skilled in beast taming, and it is said that they have already tamed several Foundation Establishment stage spirit beasts under their command.

Furthermore, they successfully subdued the troublesome armored crocodile turtles in Shattered Star Lake, thus elevating their strength to the level of Foundation Establishment families.

Another family that made its living by taming beasts?

Yan Shuming's lips curled into a slightly amused smile.

Chuyang City already has the Zhou family, who are skilled in beast taming, and now another Lin family has emerged. This is getting more and more interesting.

However, having another Foundation Establishment faction here is ultimately not a bad thing for the city's defenses.

"Hmm..." He thought for a moment, then waved his hand, his tone somewhat casual.

"Invite them. One more Lin family won't make a difference. It's a good opportunity for me, the city lord, to see this newly rising beast-taming Lin family for myself."

"Yes! I understand!" Zhang Mo then accepted the order and left.

Inside the council chamber, discussions about how to conduct the token auction, how to divide the profits, and how to deal with various possible situations reignited.