Seeking immortality begins with daily intelligence reports.

Li Shen is not considering marriage at the moment.

Putting aside the long road to immortality, and whether she can accompany Li Shen on his journey.

With Li Shen's current mastery of demonic techniques, it's impossible for him to find a spouse.

After all, people's hearts are hard to fathom.

Of course, Li Shen had his own reasons for choosing this courtyard.

The Foundation Establishment Secret Technique recorded in the "Mysterious Soul Refining Scripture" contains a main ingredient in the Yuanhe Pill needed for the Yuan Yin Foundation Establishment, which is called Yin Ning Flower.

It needs to be cultivated in a place with heavy yin energy in order to encourage it to bloom.

The heavy yin energy here refers to places where female cultivators gather.

If Li Niu hadn't introduced this courtyard to Li Shen, Li Shen's original plan was to go to the Sleeping Immortal Pavilion to spend some money, rent a girl, and have sex with her in her room.

Now that he has this yard, Li Shen can consider building up his relationship with his neighbors so he can find an excuse to ask them to plant seeds.

This is more convenient and safer.

But that's a story for another time; at the moment, Li Shen knew nothing about Yin Ninghua.

As for the Demon Hunting Tournament, it is still proceeding at a very tense pace.

After many Qi Refining disciples died during the last exploration of the secret realm by the three sects, the number of people leading the demon hunting team was reduced from two people per team to one person per team.

As a result, news of the complete annihilation of demon-hunting teams began to circulate in the market, causing widespread panic.

The twin fairies in charge of Li Shen's team had not notified Li Shen to go demon hunting for nearly six months since the Fog Valley incident.

Li Shen wondered if the two had encountered some misfortune in the secret realm, but soon he received news that they were both safe and sound.

And he learned that his older sister, Zhao Ying, was preparing to establish her foundation.

The most recent piece of valuable information concerns the hunting of demons.

The three sects are discussing whether to abolish the rule that demon-hunting teams must be led by Qi-refining disciples, allowing cultivators in the market to form their own teams to hunt demons and then exchange the demon beasts for contribution points.

If the new rules are implemented, it will definitely be disadvantageous to weak, independent cultivators.

Forming teams independently can lead to problems such as uneven distribution of resources and the "mantis stalks the cicada" scenario.

However, these are advantages for Li Shen.

A Soul Slave wielding the peak strength of the late stage of Tier 1 will invite anyone of the same rank who dares to rob him to sit inside the Yin Soul Banner.

As long as he doesn't form a team, there won't be any issues with uneven distribution of resources.

...

Let's return to the present.

Li Shen habitually starts drawing talismans in the morning.

With his current cultivation level of the fifth level of Qi Refining and his spiritual strength approaching the late stage of Qi Refining, he can already draw a mid-grade first-order Qi Concealing Talisman, but the success rate of drawing the talisman still needs to be improved.

At noon, he was going to have lunch at Juxianlou Restaurant.

The three neighbors jointly hosted a dinner to welcome Li Shen to their new home.

In order to gain favor, Li Shen did not refuse.

It was nearing noon.

Li Shen put down his talisman brush, put on a brand-new, custom-made blue robe, checked the room, locked the door, and left.

The houses rented in the outer city of Fangshi each had a small defensive array on the door.

It can effectively prevent theft from happening when tenants leave their homes or being disturbed by neighbors while they are practicing meditation.

The tenants are responsible for designing their own incantations to activate the formation.

Li Shen arrived at Juxianlou.

It was lunchtime, and the seats on the first floor were almost full.

Li Shen went straight upstairs to the second floor and entered a private room.

Three female neighbors of varying ages had arrived before him.

They greeted Li Shen as he entered.

Li Shen sat near the door, and from left to right, the order was:

Liu Rou, a widow with a cultivation level of five, is a spirit plant master. She is about thirty years old and usually wears her hair in a bun over her shoulders. Today, she is wearing a purple silk dress with a blooming orchid embroidered on her chest. She has a mature demeanor and her lips habitually curve into a gentle smile when she greets people.

Everyone called her Lady Liu, so Li Shen started calling her that too.

Facing him was the alchemist, Lin Xiaoxiao, who seemed to be a little younger than Li Shen. She was at the third level of Qi Refining and had a lively personality. She lived right across from Li Shen.

She was the one who initially organized this dinner party.

Finally, sitting to Li Shen's right was Su Qing, a young woman who worked at the Sleeping Immortal Pavilion. She was no more than thirty years old and had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Even though she had changed into an elegant moon-white dress, toning down her usual glamorous style, the subtle fragrance unique to her profession still lingered.

Today, her long hair was loosely tied up, with a jade hairpin inserted diagonally. Her eyes and brows showed a hint of languor, yet she possessed a unique charm.

The food and drinks were all served, mostly dishes that contained a little bit of spiritual energy and tasted delicious. Although they were not delicacies, they showed the sincerity of the three neighbors.

After Li Shen sat down, the group ate and chatted.

Lin Xiaoxiao was the most active, constantly telling Li Shen interesting stories about the market that he didn't know, and also recommending several kinds of pills she had refined. After learning that Li Shen was a talisman master, the topic turned to talisman making.

His words were full of interest in the art of talisman making.

Lady Liu spoke gently, asking Li Shen if his cultivation was going smoothly and if he was settling in well. She also offered to keep an eye out for any spiritual plants or herbs he might need.

Su Qing was the quietest, only responding briefly when Lin Xiaoxiao mentioned her, or offering a faint smile when the others made something funny.

Li Shen responded appropriately, neither overly enthusiastic nor cold.

During the meal, Li Shen seemingly casually took the opportunity to bring up the Yin Ning Flower, asking if anyone knew the whereabouts of this spiritual plant.

His gaze swept calmly over the three of them.

All three of them were thinking about it, but in the end they all shook their heads.

However, all three said they would help keep an eye out, especially Su Qing, who works at the Sleeping Fairy Pavilion. She comes into contact with all sorts of customers and naturally hears more strange and unusual stories and shady tales.

Li Shen was already prepared, smiled calmly, and raised his wine glass, saying:

"It's alright, it's normal not to know. I saw it in an ancient book, which said it was somewhat useful for cultivation, so I just asked about it casually."

That was the end of that.

Lin Xiaoxiao quickly started chattering about how difficult it was to handle the new batch of spiritual herbs she had just acquired in the alchemy room. Lady Liu chimed in with a gentle tone, while Su Qing occasionally glanced up, her gaze lingering between the cups, lost in thought.

After finishing his meal, Li Shen politely thanked his three neighbors and returned to his small house.

Life went on as usual: drawing talismans, cultivating, and waiting for useful information to surface.

Just a few days later, the system provided information about the new rules for the Demon Hunting Tournament:

The three sects have revised the rules for demon hunting, no longer requiring Qi Refining disciples to lead teams. Market cultivators can form their own teams and allocate contribution points obtained by exchanging demon beasts. The three sects are only responsible for verifying contribution points and maintaining general order.

After that, the atmosphere in the market changed abruptly.

The independent cultivators were either excited or worried, and news of them forming cliques and looking for reliable teammates was everywhere.

The descendants of those Foundation Establishment families gradually took over the dominant position.

On the side of the independent cultivators, there are two major independent cultivator forces: the Wild Wolf Gang and the Giant Tiger Gang.

Li Shen did not rush into action. He prepared and observed the situation before deciding when to go into the mountains to hunt demons.