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

Half a day later, the Qin Beast Cave welcomed another group of uninvited guests.

Three disciples dressed in black, close-fitting uniforms from the Enforcement Hall stood outside the door.

The leader had a serious expression; his cultivation had reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining.

With an iron ruler hanging from his waist, his aura was sharp and fierce.

They presented their law enforcement tokens.

They requested Qin Shou's cooperation in investigating the disappearance of inner disciple Zhou Feng.

Qin Shou was already prepared and calmly led the group into the cave.

He followed the story he had prepared beforehand.

The account recounts the events of that day: "They searched for treasure together, encountered a powerful horde of monsters, Zhou Feng tragically perished while protecting Zhou Feng, and Zhou Feng himself narrowly escaped."

He repeated it clearly, though with a slightly somber tone.

His words appropriately expressed gratitude to Zhou Feng and remorse for failing to bring back his remains.

The details focus on describing the ferocity of the monsters and the perilous environment.

It avoided all aspects that could potentially reveal its true combat capabilities.

The leading enforcement disciple listened attentively.

They would occasionally interrupt to ask questions about the location of the encounter, the type of monster, the details of the battle, and Zhou Feng's final fate.

The Qin beast answered fluently.

All the answers closely followed the proper response of an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator when faced with unexpected danger.

He attributed his escape to his decisive use of numerous talismans and the desperate rearguard action of his spirit beasts.

After listening, the enforcement disciple carefully examined the jade talisman recording of Qin Beast's identity.

And several minor injuries that he deliberately preserved on his body,

After pondering for a moment, no obvious flaws were found.

Finally, he wrote a few words on the jade slip and said to Qin Shou:

"We are aware of the situation."

My condolences, Junior Brother Qin. The Fengxiao Mountains are treacherous; fellow disciples are going out to train together.

Casualties are inevitable.

This matter was recorded in the law enforcement meeting.

Any further leads related to Zhou Feng must be reported immediately.

"Disciple understands," Qin Shou replied respectfully.

Watching the disciples of the law enforcement leave,

Qin Shou's heart was not greatly disturbed.

As he expected, Zhou Feng did not have a strong background within the sect.

In the eyes of the Enforcement Hall, their disappearance was...

It is just one of many incidents involving the deaths of inner disciples that occur every year.

Unless there is evidence pointing to infighting among fellow disciples or involving higher-level interests.

Usually, only records are kept for filing, and no excessive resources are invested in in-depth investigation.

In this world, strength and background ultimately prevail.

With the turmoil temporarily subsided, Qin Shou devoted more of his attention to cultivation and the raising of spirit beasts.

Inside the treasure gourd space, the two newly acquired Crimson Flame Fox cubs had shed their downy fur.

It has grown considerably in size and is entirely fiery red.

The wisp of dark hair on his forehead became more and more noticeable, and his movements showed agility and nimbleness.

The blue orbs still responded to their potential with three flashes.

Based on the information faintly transmitted by the light sphere

If this type of Crimson Flame Fox can successfully advance three times,

The final form may be a four-tailed fire fox.

Not only did fire-type supernatural abilities greatly increase,

It is even more likely that a trace of the Celestial Fox bloodline will awaken.

Possessing the power to charm and bewitch, her potential is quite promising.

Qin Beast takes Yellow Sprout Pills daily to improve his cultivation.

At the same time, he generously dissolved the Spirit-Feeding Pills into the Spirit Spring.

In conjunction with a large quantity of high-quality monster meat purchased from hunting teams,

Distribute them to the beasts under his command.

He himself often ate with his three natal beasts.

Through the profound connection of the *Sanyuan Yuling Zhenjing*,

Sharing the pure essence of flesh and blood and spiritual power within food,

To further deepen our bond and promote mutual growth.

Over the next two months, Qin Shou secretly visited the Beast Market twice more.

Each time, they rent a second-tier cave dwelling with restrictions.

The first time, he brought a glass kite.

A simple spirit-gathering array was set up in the cave.

Supplemented with the essence of several second-tier wood-attribute spiritual herbs that had been prepared beforehand,

This will help them overcome their bottlenecks.

Amidst the clear chirping of the wooden kite, it burst forth with vitality and successfully stepped into the early stage of the second tier!

The second one was a golden-thread python.

Using a metal-attribute demon core and several kinds of metallic and spiritual materials as a guide...

To stimulate the trace of golden-armored dragon bloodline within its body

Although the process was slightly more difficult than with the wooden kite, it was ultimately successful in advancing to the second tier!

The successive breakthroughs of the two natal beasts brought abundant spiritual energy in return.

In addition to Qin Beast's own arduous cultivation,

And the energy of the blue sphere was used once during this period.

His cultivation level soared like a flying shuttle, breaking through all obstacles along the way.

He steadily stepped into the ninth level of Qi Refining!

The ninth level of Qi Refining, also known as the Ascending Realm, is only one step away from the tenth level of perfection.

At this moment, the three-colored spiritual energy vortex within his dantian became increasingly solid and powerful.

They are interconnected and transformed in a harmonious and fulfilling way.

With just a little more polishing and settling,

Then you can try to break through that crucial foundation-building stage.

"Very good, the foundation is solid; now we just need to wait for the right opportunity."

At the same time... fulfilling the promise made to Zhao Ming.

Qin Shou turned his gaze outside the cave, for the inner sect competition was fast approaching.

He entered the Treasure Gourd space and began making final preparations for the competition.

Inside the space, rows of golden-brown, crispy roasted monster meat...

And bowls of boiled, colorful scrambled eggs were already prepared.

These were all fresh materials he purchased from the hunting team.

It is carefully cooked with its own alchemical fire, preserving its spiritual energy and essence to the greatest extent.

"Dinner is ready."

Qin Shou's mind stirred.

The spirit beasts that were cultivating or playing in various parts of the space immediately gathered around excitedly.

The Mystic Ice Fox gracefully tore into the hind leg meat of the Frosthorn Deer, which contained an icy aura;

Chongshui Luan prefers a type of green-scaled fish with firm flesh and rich water spirit, and swallows it whole, bones and all.

Silver-horned water pythons and jade pythons, among others, have a particular fondness for the leg bones of demonic beasts containing marrow, which they bite with a crunching sound.

The glass kite and the golden python were also pecking at the essence of the corresponding spiritual herbs mixed with minced meat.

The newly joined winged tiger and red flame fox cubs were initially a little shy.

But they were quickly drawn in by the aroma of the food and joined the frenzy to grab it.

The Qin beasts specially prepared minced meat and specially made animal milk that were easier to digest and had a gentle, spiritual quality for them.

With ample high-nutrient food and occasional feeding of supplemental pills,

With the spatial time flow increased a hundredfold, these two litters of cubs grew at an astonishing rate.

In a short period of time, they broke through one after another, both reaching the first level of perfection!

Although he is young and his body has not yet fully developed,

But the aura had solidified, and the silver fur on the tiger cub's forehead became even more noticeable.

A faint glow flickered on the deep scar on the fox cub's forehead.

In comparison, the progress of the second-tier spirit beasts was much slower.

For each advancement of a second-tier demon beast, the required spiritual energy and resources far exceed those of a first-tier beast.

Besides Chong Shui Luan successfully breaking through to the mid-stage of the second tier,

The Mystic Ice Spirit Fox, Silver Horned Water Python, Glazed Wood Kite, and Golden Thread Python are all still at the second tier level, only their auras are more profound.

"Resources... we still lack high-level resources."

Qin Shou pondered to himself.

It will be easier to find second-tier resources once he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, for now, a first-tier perfect combat power is sufficient to cope with the competition.

On this day, Zhao Ming arrived as scheduled, his face showing a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

A few days ago, Qin Shou asked him to collect information from the recent Inner Sect Competitions.

Information on common combat strength configurations for disciples ranked 50th to 100th.