You're just a single demon beast? I have a whole army of beast tamers!

At dawn, Qin Shou pushed open the stone door of the cave.

I took a deep breath of the fresh air from Lingji Peak.

After many days of seclusion, he stabilized his cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

They had only taken a few steps when the stone door of the neighboring cave creaked open.

Luo Song emerged, carrying a bamboo rake used for cleaning the chicken coop.

"Junior Brother Qin! You've finally emerged from seclusion!"

Luo Song's eyes lit up when he saw him, but he then deliberately put on a stern face. "If you don't come out soon, I'm really going to collapse from exhaustion!"

I fed all the chickens you had!

Qin Shou quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and expressed his sincere apology and gratitude:

"Brother Luo, I am deeply grateful!"

It took some time to consolidate after this breakthrough, and I'm really sorry to have troubled you.

This is a five-colored brocade egg, and ten other strong eggs. Senior brother, please don't mind them; take them to nourish your body. It's just a small token of my appreciation.

He had prepared a small cloth bag containing spirit eggs of good quality.

Luo Song took the cloth bag; it felt heavy in his hand.

His displeasure vanished instantly, replaced by a chuckle as he patted Qin Shou on the shoulder:

"That's great, Junior Brother Qin, you're really something!"

These colorful brocade eggs are a real treat, so I won't be polite.

But don't go into seclusion so intensely next time; I'm almost out of new excuses to use against Steward Wang.

"Thank you for your trouble, senior brother."

Qin Shou laughed, and the two walked side by side toward the breeding area.

On the way, Luo Song carefully examined Qin Shou for a few moments, then nodded and said:

"Hmm, your aura has indeed become much more solid. It seems you've gained quite a bit from this seclusion."

but……"

He changed the subject, lowering his voice, "Junior Brother Qin, isn't your cultivation progress a bit... well, faster than expected?"

I remember you broke through to the fourth level not long ago, right?

As a friend, he was naturally happy for Qin Shou's progress, but this speed was indeed beyond the normal range for disciples with three spiritual roots under conditions of scarce resources.

Qin Shou felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that this was a legitimate questioning he had to face.

A hint of relief appeared on his face as he whispered:

"To be honest, senior brother, it's probably because I had accumulated enough before, plus last time... well, after picking up that second-tier ore by chance, I had a lot of energy in my heart and cultivated a bit harder."

In addition, I exchanged all the spirit stones I had saved up for first-grade high-quality Yellow Sprout Pills, took two of them, and that's how I got to the top.

"Now I'm completely broke."

Upon hearing this, Luo Song felt a mixture of realization and sympathy:

"I see... Huangya Dan is a pill taken by cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining. It's very potent, so don't mess around with it, kid."

However, it's always a good thing to make a breakthrough; we can refine it further later.

As the two were talking, they arrived at the wooden house of the steward of Lingji Peak.

Manager Wang remained standing there with his hands behind his back, his eyelids drooping, as if he were dozing off.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly raised his eyelids, his cloudy gaze falling on Qin Shou, scanning him up and down.

With that sweep, Qin Shou keenly sensed the fleeting greed and murderous intent in Steward Wang's eyes!

"Oh? Young Master Qin has emerged from seclusion?"

Manager Wang's voice was devoid of emotion, dry and monotone. "Looks like your cultivation has improved quite a bit."

It's quite remarkable that raising chickens on Lingji Peak has yielded such progress.

Qin Shou's heart tightened, but his expression remained respectful as usual, and he bowed his head slightly:

"Thanks to the steward, I was fortunate enough to gain some insights. With the help of the pills I had accumulated before, I was able to barely stabilize my cultivation. I dare not claim that I have made any progress."

"Hmm, not bad, it's good to know that you should work hard."

Manager Wang nodded noncommittally, but his gaze seemed to sweep over Qin Shou's waist and clothes. "Go, and do your job well."

"Yes," Qin Shou and Luo Song replied and quickly left.

After walking a distance, Luo Song couldn't help but lean closer to Qin Shou, his voice extremely low and filled with worry:

"Junior Brother Qin, did you feel it? That old man was acting a bit strange just now."

He seems particularly interested in your breakthrough.

Luo Song wasn't particularly perceptive, but having dealt with all sorts of people over the years, he had an instinctive intuition for malice.

Qin Shou's gaze darkened slightly, and he nodded:

"Thank you for reminding me, senior brother. I understand now."

He didn't say much, but his vigilance was already at its highest.

On the other side, Manager Wang watched Qin Shou and Luo Song's departing figures, his old eyes narrowing slightly, showing no trace of his former senility.

"Fifth level of Qi Refining? Hmph, the aura is indeed solid, but it feels... a bit too perfect?"

He muttered to himself, twirling a few sparse whiskers between his fingers, "This kid, he only reached the fourth level after seven years in the sect, but recently he's broken through one after another."

They even formed a contract with a new spirit beast… Although the excuse was to sell eggs to buy pills, even if they had pills, how easy would it be to digest them?

A thought began to grow wildly in his mind:

"What a stroke of luck! This kid must have had some incredible stroke of luck and gotten a stroke of good fortune!"

Perhaps they found some elixirs left behind by a senior, or perhaps they discovered some hidden spiritual land... otherwise, it doesn't make sense!

Thinking of his grandson, who was stuck at the sixth level of Qi Refining, Manager Wang's eyes were filled with a mixture of greed and struggle.

He has poor aptitude, possessing only five spiritual roots.

Having endured years of arduous effort to reach the seventh level of Qi Refining, he had long since severed his path to enlightenment.

All their hopes were pinned on their grandson, who was of decent ability.

However, the Breakthrough Pill is quite expensive, and his savings and manager's salary are simply not enough to raise the money in a short period of time.

"If we could capture this kid and force him to reveal his secrets, or even just seize his storage bag..."

Steward Wang's heart began to pound uncontrollably. A ruthless rage, suppressed for years, surged within him. "My life is nearing its end. What does it matter if I risk my old life for my grandson's future?!"

He took a few deep breaths.

"Don't rush, don't rush... This is a sect, we can't make a move openly."

We need to probe more, keep a close watch on him, find out his background, and find a foolproof opportunity…

In the days that followed, Qin Shou clearly felt that Steward Wang was paying more attention to him.

The old steward no longer always stayed in the cabin.

Instead, they would occasionally appear near the chicken farm he was in charge of.

He patrolled with his hands behind his back, but his gaze kept sweeping over the Qin beast, intentionally or unintentionally.

"Qin boy, how's your fox coming along? Don't let it interfere with your cultivation."

On one occasion, Steward Wang spoke up seemingly casually.

"Yes, sir, I understand. It's just a simple contract, requiring only a little food," Qin Shou replied respectfully.

"Young people, don't be too ambitious, and concentrate your resources."

Once again, Steward Wang spoke earnestly.

"The steward is right. I was just thinking that the price was right and that I might be able to switch to my natal beast in the future."

The Qin beasts were impeccable.

Even more surprisingly, Manager Wang once ran into Luo Song and subtly inquired about Qin Shou's recent situation, spending habits, and whether he had any conflicts with others.