I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

The half-month period passed in the blink of an eye.

The day the secret realm opens has finally arrived.

With news of the secret realm's appearance already circulating, the area around Chuyang City is much more bustling than usual.

The wandering cultivators from all directions flocked to the restaurant, making "Baiweizhai" in the city even more prosperous than usual, with every seat filled and the place bustling with noise.

At this moment, the wide Yunzhou Ferry in the eastern district of Chuyang City was packed with people and bustling with noise.

The cultivators from Chuyang City were mixed together with the rogue cultivators who came from Burning Bone City and even further afield. They were all different and their auras were mixed.

They either whispered among themselves in small groups, sat alone with their eyes closed to rest, or talked excitedly. The air was filled with a mixture of excitement, tension, anticipation, and greed.

Everyone wanted to find out as much as possible about "Valley of Soldiers" at this final moment and make more preparations.

The entrance to the secret realm is located in the plains below the cliff at the southern end of the Silent Forest. It is not close and requires traversing the dangerous Silent Forest.

For Foundation Establishment cultivators, this journey is nothing short of a death trap, but for the vast majority of Qi Refining cultivators, it is a perilous one.

In response, the Chuyang City authorities finally did something "practical".

All cultivators holding a valid "Secret Realm Token" can ride a specially made spirit wood ferry for free, escorted by Foundation Establishment cultivators dispatched by the City Lord's Mansion, directly to the safe area near the entrance of the Secret Realm.

At this moment, several massive spirit wood ferries, their hulls engraved with protective array patterns, are quietly moored at the dock, waiting for cultivators to board.

Because the City Lord's Mansion had previously intended to encourage close cooperation among local families, the teams of several Foundation Establishment families agreed to gather here and set off together.

Each family sent out many of their elite members, led by elders of the clan.

The Zhou, Zhao, Li, Sun, and even Chen families, their groups varied in size, ranging from seven or eight people to more than ten.

They were gathered together at this moment, with the elder in charge looking serious, giving them final instructions on precautions after entering the secret realm, the rendezvous signal, and how to deal with danger.

Whispers and admonitions filled the air, creating a somber atmosphere.

There was only one place that seemed particularly deserted: the location of the Lin family's residence.

Lin Che stood alone.

He wore a simple blue robe, his aura restrained. He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the noisy crowd and the huge ferry in the distance. His expression was calm and undisturbed, a stark contrast to the clamor of the surrounding family groups.

In the Zhou family's group, the portly Zhou Wanhai had just finished instructing several late-stage Qi Refining experts in the clan when he looked up and caught sight of the lone Lin Che.

A cold, mocking smile crept onto his lips.

As expected, the Lin family was still shallow in foundation. Knowing that they could not win the competition, they simply gave up and sent only the clan leader to fill the position and go through the motions.

That's so petty.

However, thinking of his family's recent plans against the Lin family, Zhou Wanhai's sarcastic expression quickly turned into an almost eager and warm smile.

He straightened his robes, strode to Lin Che's side, and spoke in a loud voice, tinged with feigned concern:

"Oh dear, Brother Lin! Why... are you alone? Where are the other outstanding members of the Lin family?"

He looked around in feigned surprise: "This secret realm is dangerous, and one person is outnumbered! Why not just join our Zhou family's team?"

We're all from the same family in Chuyang City, so it's only right that we look out for each other! Don't worry, if you find anything, out of respect for you, Brother Lin, our Zhou family will definitely give you an extra share. We won't let you make a wasted trip!

Lin Che listened to these utterly hypocritical words.

He sighed inwardly, thinking that the Zhou family really did come from a theatrical troupe, with each member possessing superb acting skills.

He remained outwardly calm, but instead, following the other person's words, a hint of sorrow and helplessness appeared on his face at just the right moment, and he let out a long sigh:

"Alas, Brother Zhou, you are unaware of this. My Lin family is a small and humble family with a weak foundation. We don't have many cultivators who are worthy of mention."

I didn't have high hopes for this secret realm, but since the City Lord's Mansion invited me, it would be impolite not to come. So I came alone, just to go through the motions, so I can explain myself when I get back.

He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and looked around warily to make sure no one was paying attention before leaning closer to Zhou Wanhai, lowering his voice, and asking mysteriously:

"By the way, Brother Zhou, have you ever heard of a special token on the market that allows the officials in charge of checking the exits of secret realms to 'do them a favor'?"

Zhou Wanhai's fake smile froze instantly, his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, and his gaze toward Lin Che immediately became serious and sharp.

This matter has indeed been circulating within the small circles of these families. It is said that there are ways to obtain "special tokens" that can circumvent strict investigations, but it is difficult to distinguish between genuine and fake ones, and the price is outrageously high.

The Zhou family had made inquiries from various sources, but they had not been able to obtain a single piece.

"Brother Lin, do you mean... you have that thing?" Zhou Wanhai's voice lowered unconsciously, tinged with urgency.

Lin Che gave a knowing look and reached into his clothes.

He took out the "special token" that Wang Miaoxue had sold him, which had an antique design and slightly different edge patterns. He quickly waved it in his sleeve and then put it away.

"Alas, to be honest, Brother Zhou," Lin Che's face showed even more helplessness, tinged with a hint of self-deprecation:

"Look, I'm the only one from my Lin family. I didn't really expect to find any great opportunities in the secret realm."

This token is probably of little use to me now. Keeping it is pointless; throwing it away seems a waste, considering it cost a fortune…”

When Zhou Wanhai heard the words "unusable" and "a pity to throw it away," his eyes almost lit up, but then he heard Lin Che preparing to throw it away, and his heart suddenly became anxious.

The Lin family didn't care much about the secret realm, but this token had a huge impact on the Zhou family's gains from this trip!

"No! Brother Lin, please don't throw it!" Zhou Wanhai quickly grabbed Lin Che's arm.

"What is the relationship between our two families? How can such a valuable item be discarded so easily? If you truly have no use for it, why not transfer it to your foolish brother?"

He paused, realizing Lin Che's true purpose, and immediately added, "Or, Brother Lin, you name your price, and my Zhou family will buy it!"

Lin Che's face showed hesitation and struggle, as if he was seriously considering it: "Brother Zhou, it's not that I'm unwilling to give it to you directly."

But... what if, I mean what if, I get incredibly lucky in the secret realm and actually find something?

Without this token to conceal it, wouldn't half of the treasure we've already acquired be given away for nothing, or even forcibly acquired? This... sigh, this is a difficult situation.

Seeing that Lin Che's attitude had softened, and that he was only concerned about his own potential "unexpected gains," Zhou Wanhai felt much more at ease and immediately held up five fingers:

"Five thousand! Brother Lin, I'll offer five thousand low-grade spirit stones for this token! Even if you do gain something, five thousand spirit stones should be enough to make up for some of your losses, right?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Che's expression immediately turned speechless, and he turned around as if to leave.

Zhou Wanhai wasn't about to let him leave, and quickly grabbed him again: "Hey, Brother Lin, wait! The price is negotiable! Tell me, how much would you be willing to part with it?"

Lin Che turned around, his face full of helplessness, and said in a low voice, "Brother Zhou, the price you've set for this game is really putting me in a difficult position."

To be honest, I went through a lot of connections and spent a full 20,000 low-grade spirit stones to get this token.

Your five thousand isn't even enough to cover your initial investment. Never mind, I'll go ask Fellow Daoists Li and Sun; perhaps they need it more."

"Twenty thousand?!" Zhou Wanhai's lips twitched violently; this number far exceeded his expectations.

But then I thought about it again. The family had invested a lot in this trip to the secret realm, sending out several Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining elites, equipped with the best pills and talismans.

If we can "save" 50% of our gains during export inspections, even if it's just keeping one or two more key spiritual items, the value of that is far greater than 20,000 spirit stones!

The family will absolutely not object to this investment.

Besides, we can always find a way to earn this money back from the Lin family in the future!

In a flash, Zhou Wanhai made up his mind.

His face immediately contorted with extreme pain, and he gritted his teeth as if making a tremendous decision: "Fine! Twenty thousand it is! Brother Lin, the Zhou family will take this token!"

As he spoke, he took out a storage bag without hesitation and stuffed it into Lin Che's hand, while staring longingly at Lin Che's cuff.

Lin Che weighed the storage bag in his hand, scanned it with his divine sense, and confirmed the quantity was correct. Only then did a smile appear on his face.

He took out the special token and solemnly handed it to Zhou Wanhai: "Brother Zhou, you're so straightforward! I wish you a fruitful trip!"

With the token in hand, Zhou Wanhai felt a great weight lifted from his heart. He no longer bothered with any more pleasantries with Lin Che, and gave a perfunctory bow, saying, "Thank you for your kind words, Brother Lin!"

He couldn't wait to turn around and hurriedly returned to his own group, where he quickly and quietly discussed with several core members of the clan, clearly wanting to readjust the strategy for carrying supplies and the subsequent profit sharing.

Lin Che watched Zhou Wanhai's slightly hurried back, and a faint, meaningful smile slowly curved his lips.

The cost was 5,000, and it was resold for 20,000, resulting in a net profit of 15,000.

This business, which requires no initial investment, yields surprisingly high profits.

He possessed the Azure Profound Realm, and anything he obtained from it could be directly sent into it without needing to go through the exit check.

That "special token" was useless to him to begin with, and the fact that it sold for this price was a complete surprise.

Not only that, of the three free tokens issued by the City Lord's Mansion, he kept one for himself, and quietly sold the other two when the news was at its peak and the price was at its highest, making another profit.

Before even entering the secret realm, the Lin family had already made a windfall.

Of course, Lin Che's trip was not solely for the resources within the secret realm.

He had other plans in mind.

Lin Che has no shortage of spirit stones, but the Lin family urgently needs military merits.

Liu Qingxue is about to complete her foundation building.

Although she was exceptionally talented, Lin Che knew that the foundation he had built through the Nine Refined Golden Body was the very reason he was able to break through to the next level using the Beast Taming Technique.

This path is too risky for others, especially for Liu Qingxue, whose physical training is not as good as hers.

A single "Foundation Building Pill" is the most reliable guarantee with the highest chance of success.

Meanwhile, the official treasury of Chuyang City has a channel for exchanging battle merits for Foundation Establishment Pills!

Over the years, Liu Qingxue has been busy with the Lin family's internal and external affairs, managing defense and intelligence surveillance, leaving her with almost no time for anything else, let alone time to take on official missions and accumulate military merits.

The lack of her Foundation Establishment Pill was always on Lin Che's mind.

When Lin Che recruited the siblings, he promised to do his best to provide them with Foundation Establishment resources.

He had seen and remembered all the effort Liu Qingxue had put into the Lin family over the years.

During this trip to the secret realm, he not only intends to inscribe more environmental rules for the Azure Profound Secret Realm, but also to investigate the goals of the Rebellious Fate Demon Palace.

He also harbored the idea of ​​taking the opportunity to acquire a batch of high-level spiritual items, exchange them for enough battle merits, and then use them to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills for Liu Qingxue.

Lin Che placed great importance on his promises.

Lin Che is by no means a person who makes empty promises.

He would treat Liu Qingxue this way, and he would treat the loyal and increasingly capable Liu Yunzhou, and even other meritorious clansmen in the future, in the same way.

...

In the distance, the spiritwood ferry emitted a deep hum, and the array lights up in sequence, ready to set sail.

The bustling crowd began to flow orderly toward the boarding bridge.

Lin Che pulled himself out of his thoughts and straightened his robes.

He has arrived at the Mysterious Valley of Burial Soldiers.