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

"I see." Shui Qingli nodded, seemingly believing but not quite, but she didn't ask any further questions. "I came to find you because I have another important matter to discuss."

The clan chief just announced that a grand alchemy gathering will be held on Three Immortal Islands in twenty years.

After the grand event, there will be an auction where some resources for those aiming to become True Immortals will be offered.

If you wish to go, the clan can make arrangements for you.

Qin Shou's eyes flickered slightly: "Oh? What kind of resources do you have?"

"The First-Grade Immortal Pill: Nine-Aperture Immortal Pill; The First-Grade Immortal Pill: Nine-Soul Immortal Pill."

Shui Qingli slowly said, "The former can provide you with a large amount of immortal spiritual power, while the latter can help your divine soul transform into an immortal soul. Both are highly sought-after items for pseudo-immortals."

Qin Shou's heart skipped a beat.

He currently possesses the Nine-Aperture Immortal Spirit Flower, and if he were to acquire the Nine-Soul Immortal Pill as well, his chances of breaking through to the True Immortal realm would increase significantly.

He didn't show much on his face, just nodded: "Thank you for letting me know, I will prepare."

Shui Qingli did not get up.

She paused for a moment, as if just remembering something, and said:

"There's one more thing. During your absence, the clan moved your Daoist partner and children to a courtyard in the eastern part of the inner residence, saying that it's more spacious there and it would be easier for the clan to arrange for someone to take care of them."

I'll take you there to see it.

Qin Shou smiled, but his heart turned cold.

He didn't stay at the Shui family's house for nothing all these years.

It sounds nice to say they're changing houses, but really it's about keeping their partner and children under their control.

He had barely stepped out the door when the Shui family moved around, clearly trying to remind him.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, senior," he said.

Shui Qingli led Qin Shou through two corridors to a secluded courtyard.

The courtyard is indeed larger than before, with three sections in the front and back, and two green-leaved trees planted in the middle.

Shui Yingyue was reading to several children under a tree when she saw him come in. She was taken aback at first, but then quickly went to greet him.

Shui Rou followed behind, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Shuiyao peeked out from the inner room, saw it was him, snorted softly, and then shrank back inside.

"Is everything alright?" Qin Shou asked.

"It's all good." Shui Yingyue's voice was soft, but her eyes were slightly red. "It's just that the location has suddenly changed, and the children are a little shy."

"You'll get used to it." Shui Qingli stood to the side, her smile unchanged. "Qin Gongshang, please speak with your family first. I'll go back and report. Summon me anytime if you need anything."

Qin Shou nodded and watched her walk away before gesturing for the others to go inside.

Several new servants had joined the courtyard, but he didn't dare ask too many questions. He only instructed Shui Rou to open the restrictions before lowering his voice and saying:

"Have they restricted your movement these days?"

Shui Rou shook her head: "No. It's just that they changed the courtyard, saying the original place needed to be renovated."

He could still go anywhere in the clan on ordinary days, but there were now two more guards standing at the gates.

Shuiyao pouted: "Isn't it because you're afraid you'll run away and use us as hostages?"

"Yao'er." Shui Yingyue gently tugged at her.

"Is it wrong to say it anyway!" Shuiyao glared at Shuiyingyue.

Qin Shou waved his hand: "What she said isn't entirely wrong. Please sit down."

The group took their seats.

Qin Shou called the children over and looked at them one by one.

Qin Shuang now looks like a young girl, with a calm and serene expression.

When Qin An and Qin Lie stood together, one looked like Shui Rou and the other like Shui Yao.

The youngest, Qin Yan, was holding a wooden bird and peeking from behind his older brother.

Qin Shou asked a few questions about her cultivation level and gave her a few gentle instructions before letting Shui Yingyue take the child away first.

Once only the three Daoist partners remained in the room, he said:

"Do you know if there are any True Immortals or Profound Immortals in this Five Cang Immortal City who are secretly acquiring resources of unknown origin?"

Shuiyao's eyes lit up immediately: "Husband, are you going to sell something?"

"I want to exchange some useless items for some immortal crystals."

Qin Shou didn't say much.

Shuiyao immediately said, "I know a place."

The black market in the east of the city is jointly controlled by five families. Inside, there is a Wanxiang Pavilion that specializes in collecting elixirs, materials, and broken artifacts of unknown origin.

As long as the items aren't conspicuous, they're from somewhere else.

"How secret can it be?" Qin Shou asked.

"The shopkeeper never asks about the seller's identity, he only checks the goods and gives a price. The payment is settled in the form of immortal crystals in person," Shuiyao said. "My grandfather sent someone there a few times before."

Qin Shou nodded: "I'll go take a look in a couple of days."

"If any of you have recently experienced a weakening of your cultivation, I brought back some pills with me when I left, so I'll share them with you."

As he spoke, he took out about ten jade bottles from his sleeve.

Some of the bottles are level 7, some are level 8, and the top two are level 9.

Shui Yingyue looked on with envy: "So many, how many immortal crystals are they worth?"

"No matter how much it's worth, it's not as good as you improving your cultivation."

Qin Shou pushed the medicine in front of the three people, "We'll divide it up as needed later."

The Immortal City may not be peaceful lately, so try to stay home as much as possible. If you must go out, go in groups.

All three women nodded in agreement.

In the middle of the night, Qin Shou entered Zhenyuan Immortal Mansion.

Shen Liuli had just coaxed Qin Jiuqing to sleep and was sitting under the lamp examining the jade slips and stone boxes she had brought back from the secret realm one by one.

Seeing him come in, she looked up and asked, "How is it outside?"

"The Shui family moved the Daoist couple and their child to another place and also added guards."

Qin Shou sat down opposite him. "There are no restrictions on movement for now, but I was told that this immortal city is not a place one can come and go as they please."

"I expected this to happen."

Shen Liuli handed over the jade slip in her hand, "I sorted these things out again tonight."

This is the complete version of the "Compendium of the Myriad Beasts Immortal Lords," covering everything from True Immortals to Taiyi Immortals. It's far more complete than the incomplete version I gave you before.

Qin Shou took it and first scanned it with his divine sense, but the more he looked, the slower he became.

This technique is completely different from the Nine Yuan Spirit Control True Scripture.

Back in the Spirit Realm, the Nine Yuan Spirit Control Scripture was the foundation of his entire cultivation, but it was ultimately a cultivation method from the lower realm, and many aspects of it seemed awkward when he entered the Immortal Realm.

This "Compendium of the Immortal Lords of Ten Thousand Beasts" not only continues the art of beast taming, but also delves deeper into the connection between immortal apertures and laws.

Cultivators can temporarily superimpose the laws they comprehend from their natal beasts onto themselves; the more beasts they control, the thicker the superposition.

If all five natal beasts exert their power simultaneously, the Qin Beast's combat strength can increase even further.

"This cultivation technique seems to be tailor-made for beast-taming cultivators who possess multiple laws."

Qin Shou put down the jade slip, his eyes gleaming. "Moreover, as you cultivate further, you can even use your beast-taming ability to break through and benefit your master. It's more suitable than my original method."

"You have five natal beasts, all of which have reached the ninth level of perfection, making it a perfect time to switch your cultivation path," Shen Liuli said. "If you can help them also advance to the True Immortal realm in the future, you will reap even greater benefits."

Qin Shou nodded and picked up another jade slip.

This piece, with its dark blue color and several cracks on the surface, was brought out by Shen Liuli from the wooden frame.

After he immersed his divine sense into it, he discovered that it contained a method for constructing a "Gathering Immortal Spirit Pool".

The diagrams are more complete than those on the stone tablet, clearly describing every step from site selection, foundation laying, array arrangement to filling materials.

The pools are divided into three grades. The lowest grade only requires three types of base materials and can supply one person with the power to transform immortal spiritual energy.

The medium-sized pool can accommodate five people at the same time.

The superior ones can be used repeatedly, constantly drawing spiritual energy from the earth's veins to replenish them.

The more Qin Shou looked at it, the more his heart fluttered.

"How many immortal crystals would it take to build a medium-sized pool?" he asked.

"At least tens of thousands."

Shen Liuli had obviously already calculated it: "If you want to build the kind that can be used repeatedly, even tens of thousands of dollars won't be enough."

The most expensive materials are the three types of base materials: Xuan Yuan Kong Jing, Di Mai Xian Sui, and Jiu Tong Ling Rang.

The first two types can be obtained by trying your luck in shops in some major immortal cities, but the Nine-Aperture Spirit Soil is the most troublesome; even with money, it's not guaranteed you can buy it.