I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Inside the reception room of the Lin family's main residence at Shattered Star Lake.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, it is an honor to have you here. I have not been able to greet you properly. It is a pleasure to meet you!" Lin Che immediately stood up from the main seat upon seeing the visitor enter the hall, and greeted him with a warm smile and clasped hands.

The person who visited today was Wang Miaoxue, one of the stewards of the Spirit Vein Management Office of Chuyang City.

If you count on your fingers, the Lin family has been living in Shattered Star Lake for five years. The fifteen-year tax exemption period for the development of Chuyang City has expired, and starting this year, they will have to pay the spiritual vein rent as usual.

The other party's visit this time is most likely for this matter.

"Master Lin, you're too kind. It's me who has come uninvited and has troubled you," Wang Miaoxue replied with a gentle smile.

She walked lightly into the hall, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the furnishings and Lin Che.

Although the reception room lacked the extravagance of being adorned with gold and jade, it was meticulously designed in every aspect.

The tables and chairs crafted from spirit wood gleam with a warm luster, the layout is spacious and grand, a landscape painting of distant mountains on the wall has a profound artistic conception, and several pots of emerald green spirit plants are interspersed among them, full of vitality.

With just that one glance, Wang Miaoxue made up her mind.

The Lin family has been doing very well in recent years.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, please have a seat." Lin Che warmly invited the guest to sit down, and personally poured her a cup of misty peak green tea, which was filled with spiritual energy.

The tea soup is emerald green and clear, with a refreshing aroma.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the two talked about recent interesting events in Chuyang City, cultivation experiences, and the market prices of certain rare spiritual materials. They chatted happily in a harmonious atmosphere.

What appears to be casual conversation is actually a subtle way of building rapport and creating a warm atmosphere.

After finishing a pot of tea and deepening their conversation, Lin Che saw that the time was right and took the initiative to steer the topic back on track.

He put down the warm teacup in his hand, his smile fading slightly, revealing just the right amount of seriousness:

"Fellow Daoist Wang's personal visit today must be about the matter of the spiritual vein rent?"

Seeing that Lin Che had brought it up, Wang Miaoxue also toned down her relaxed demeanor from the casual conversation, straightened her posture, and nodded seriously:

"What Fellow Daoist Lin said is correct. Collecting rent for spiritual veins according to the register is indeed Miaoxue's duty."

She changed the subject slightly, a different kind of gleam flashing in her eyes: "However, besides this official business, there is another matter I have come here for, which may be of more interest to Fellow Daoist Lin."

She paused briefly, observing Lin Che's reaction, before continuing, "With Fellow Daoist Lin's extensive network of information, you must have heard about the recent rumors surrounding the 'secret realm' south of the Silent Forest, right?"

"The matter of the secret realm has caused quite a stir, and I have indeed done some research on it." Lin Che nodded slightly.

His gaze fell on Wang Miaoxue's face: "What, Fellow Daoist Wang, are you also interested? Want to try your luck at the opportunities in that secret realm?"

"With the emergence of secret realms, the opportunities are unpredictable. To say that one is completely unmoved would be self-deception."

Wang Miaoxue chuckled lightly, then straightened her expression: "However, my main purpose for this trip is to send out this formal invitation, a task I took on voluntarily."

As she spoke, she took out a gold-embossed invitation card sealed with sealing wax and bearing the distinctive seal of the City Lord's Mansion from her sleeve, gently placed it on the tea table between the two of them, and pushed it in front of Lin Che with her fingertips.

"The city lord has invited several major families from the Chuyang City region to the city lord's mansion to discuss exploring the secret realm. This is the invitation."

Lin Che's gaze swept over the exquisitely crafted letter, but he did not immediately reach out to pick it up and open it. Instead, he looked up at Wang Miaoxue with a calm expression, waiting for her to continue.

It's not like someone as shrewd as Wang Miaoxue would specifically take on the task of delivering a public invitation to the City Lord's Mansion.

Her personal visit must have a deeper purpose.

Seeing Lin Che's composure, Wang Miaoxue's eyes flashed with approval.

She then lowered her voice and began to recount the inside information she had gathered:

"The City Lord's Mansion has reached an agreement with Burning Bone City that this exploration of the secret realm will be jointly presided over by both parties."

"Those who wish to enter the secret realm must possess a specially made 'Secret Realm Token.' These tokens are limited in number and will either be sold publicly or exchanged for battle merits."

"The invited Foundation Establishment families," she pointed to the invitation, "will receive several free spots, which can be considered a gesture of goodwill and courtship from the City Lord's Mansion."

"However," she changed her tone, her voice even softer, "this spot to enter the secret realm doesn't come without a price. After leaving the secret realm, cultivators must hand over half of their earnings!"

If any high-level spiritual items are found, the City Lord's Mansion and Burning Bone City have the right of first refusal to purchase them, or they may be compensated in the form of battle merits.

After explaining the rules, Wang Miaoxue leaned forward slightly.

His voice was barely audible: "However, rules are rules, but people are flexible. If Fellow Daoist Lin is interested in exploring this further, perhaps I have a way to circumvent this '50% handover' clause."

Lin Che raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? I'd like to hear more."

"I can prepare an extra 'special' token for you."

Wang Miaoxue's gaze was meaningful: "When the person in charge of checking the storage bags of the cultivators in the secret realm finds out, they will treat you as 'one of their own.' With this token, the inspection process will naturally be much 'relaxed,' and some 'oversights' are inevitable."

Upon hearing this, Lin Che was slightly taken aback at first, but then he understood.

This really shows that for every policy from above, there's a countermeasure from below.

It's obvious without even thinking that this token that grants "favors" is not free; there must be some kind of transfer of benefits involved.

How many years has Chuyang City been established?

Managers from top to bottom seem to be more focused on how to use their power to gain personal benefits, while showing little interest in long-term development and consolidating the foundation.

Do they really have such a negative view of Chuyang City's future that they only want to profit while they're in power?

Lin Che sighed inwardly. Although he had anticipated this situation, since the Lin family had already settled here, he still hoped deep down that this land would gradually prosper.

Where in the Southern Regions, where various powerful forces have cultivated and intertwined their influence for many years, can one find a spiritual vein that is more comfortable and suitable for the development of emerging families?

Seeing Lin Che lost in thought, the astute Wang Miaoxue immediately guessed what he was thinking.

"Why are you so persistent, Fellow Daoist Lin?"

Her tone softened, taking on a tone of friendly advice: "The world is vast; where can't one find the path to immortality? We've met, which is fate, so let me speak frankly. You should plan a safe retreat for your family as soon as possible."

She leaned forward slightly, her voice low but clear: "This Chuyang City is definitely not a good place to settle down and make a living for a long time."

Don't blame us for focusing only on spirit stones and neglecting business.

"To put it bluntly, if the demons of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains were truly so easy to deal with, why have the three major powers of the Southern Region, who possess Nascent Soul cultivators, only ever been willing to defend their formidable passes for thousands of years, never rashly expanding forward as they are now?"

These words were naked and clear-headed, like a sharp blade, piercing through the fragile truth beneath the surface prosperity of Chuyang City.

Lin Che looked at the rare sincerity in Wang Miaoxue's eyes and nodded solemnly: "I will keep your heartfelt words in mind and make plans as soon as possible."

The Lin family's development strategy based in Chuyang City will not be easily changed.

However, since he controls the Qingxuan Secret Realm, it would not be difficult for him to escape with his core clansmen if he were truly forced to flee.

As for those external things such as guest elders, spiritual fields, and clan buildings, it is regrettable to give them up, but it is not an unbearable pain.

But to make him shrink back because of these words, to be cowardly before the battle even begins, and to avoid fighting the monsters, is certainly not in his nature.

Composing himself, Lin Che turned to look at Wang Miaoxue, and without waiting for her to give any further hints, he spoke first:

"I imagine Fellow Daoist Wang must have spent a considerable amount of money bribing officials to obtain this 'special favor' token. Just tell me how many spirit stones are needed, and the Lin family will provide them."

Although the token might be useless to him, he thought of the Lin family because Wang Miaoxue had such "connections," and he felt he needed to maintain this relationship.

If you want to continue to obtain information from this line in the future, you should not hesitate to pay the price.

"Fellow Daoist Lin is indeed straightforward!" Wang Miaoxue's smile deepened.

"Given our friendship, I could easily give you this token. However... well, to be honest, I've been spending a lot of money lately on various things. How about this, I'll give it to you at cost price, four thousand low-grade spirit stones. What do you think?"

Upon hearing the price, Lin Che's expression remained unchanged, and he unhesitatingly took out a storage bag.

"There are five thousand spirit stones here, which is the rent for this second-tier spirit vein for the Lin family this year."

He pushed the bag aside and took out another, smaller brocade pouch.

"Of the remaining five thousand spirit stones, four thousand are for tokens, and the remaining one thousand is a token of gratitude for Fellow Daoist Wang's efforts in helping the Lin family. Please do not refuse this small token of my appreciation."

Wang Miaoxue's eyes suddenly lit up, and she secretly praised it.

I knew I was right!

This fellow Daoist Lin is truly magnanimous in his dealings with others.

Those "special tokens" were the product of their collusion among mid-level officials, a scheme that was virtually risk-free and highly profitable.

She quoted a price of four thousand, leaving room for the other party to bargain. Unexpectedly, Lin Che not only agreed immediately, but also gave an extra thousand spirit stones as a "thank you gift"!

Her smile immediately became more genuine and warm, and her tone became much more intimate:

"Fellow Daoist Lin, you are too kind! I am deeply grateful for your kindness. Rest assured, I will pay close attention to any possible intelligence or clues about the secret realm, and I will inform you as soon as I obtain any definite information."

Originally, she had no intention of personally venturing into that mysterious and uncertain realm. For her, peaceful cultivation and profiting from her position were the right path.

But Lin Daoyou was so considerate, she couldn't help but feel that she should pay more attention and try to find out more valuable information for him, so as not to disappoint his kindness.

……

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

At dawn that day, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Lin Che took off on his sword, leaving Shattered Star Lake and flying towards Chuyang City.

The invitation from the City Lord's Mansion specified the time as the beginning of the Si hour (9-11 AM), but he was used to arriving a little earlier, both to show respect and to allow himself more time.

The sword light pierced through the clouds, and before long, the majestic outline of Chuyang City appeared on the horizon.

As the distance closed, several other streaks of light of different colors could be seen converging on the city gate from different directions.

Clearly, the patriarchs of the other Foundation Establishment families who received the invitation also departed at the agreed time.

Just as Lin Che landed and was preparing to walk into the city through the special passage at the East Gate entrance.

The other golden light also receded, revealing a plump and well-rounded figure, none other than Zhou Wanhong, the head of the Zhou family.

The two stepped onto the bluestone path in front of the city gate almost simultaneously, their eyes meeting unexpectedly in the air.