“Tell me about the mid-stage of Qi Condensation,” Wu Yuan pressed, his thirst for knowledge insatiable.

He couldn’t care less about maintaining the aloof dignity of a Rat King. In his mind, reputation was worthless compared to tangible strength.

I am nothing but a low-tier rat at the early stage of Qi Condensation, he thought, stripping away all pretense. What is there to be proud of? The Heavens are high and the Earth is wide, but Cultivation is the only absolute truth!

The Old Beaver explained patiently, “Great King, inside the Storage Bag is a jade slip. It contains a comprehensive guide to Demon cultivation, passed down from the East Sea Dragon Palace. It is a priceless treasure. If you study it carefully, you will benefit endlessly.”

Wu Yuan’s heart leaped with secret delight. This Old Beaver is a walking treasure trove.

Seeing Wu Yuan excitedly examining the Storage Bag, the Old Beaver continued, his tone turning solemn. “My entire clan wishes to receive your bloodline and join the Spirit Gathering Rat race. From this day forth, the Bibo River Beaver clan will serve you as our Master for generations.”

Wu Yuan did not agree immediately.

He knew this was a monumental decision. He needed to digest the new knowledge from the jade slip before committing to expanding his direct lineage further.

Feigning difficulty, he furrowed his brow and lied, “My bloodline technique is extremely taxing. I can only use it once every so often. I cannot cast it again so soon; we will have to wait.”

The Old Beaver didn’t doubt him for a second. It made sense that such a heaven-defying secret technique would come with heavy restrictions.

Still, the elder hesitated. After a moment of internal struggle, he gritted his teeth, spat out a wooden token, and presented it to Wu Yuan with both hands.

“This is my Beast Controlling Token,” the beaver said, his voice trembling slightly. “My true name is inscribed upon it. Originally, it was the Magical Artifact the Dragon Palace used to enslave me, but I stole it when I fled. Now, I offer it to you as proof of my absolute loyalty.”

Wu Yuan accepted the token, surprised. He ran his thumb over the characters carved into the wood: Bibo.

He was genuinely moved. This old beaver is practically selling himself into slavery just to ensure I don’t abandon his people.

Wu Yuan decided to give the anxious elder some peace of mind.

“In the future, dig a proper settlement for your kin. If you need water, channel it from the Cold Pool,” Wu Yuan commanded gently. “For now, focus on renovating this mine and managing the rat subordinates. My priority is cultivation; I will leave the mining and farming logistics to you.”

Hearing this, the Old Beaver’s spirits soared. He puffed out his chest, patting it with confidence.

“Great King, rest assured! I learned the art of Cave Architecture at the Dragon Palace. I will build a residence worthy of your status!”

With that, he gathered a string of little beavers and bustled off, radiating energy and purpose.

Watching the beaver’s retreating figure, Wu Yuan couldn’t help but sigh. “I’ll take as much of this ‘rodent talent’ as I can get.”

It was a good arrangement. The Old Beaver felt secure, and Wu Yuan gained a knowledgeable manager.

He comes from a major power and has seen the world. His experience will be invaluable for my cultivation path.

Thoughts of capable subordinates made Wu Yuan’s mind drift to his original trio: One Ear, Old Black, and Gray Skin.

Those three rat demons had been the pillars of his early operation. They were handy tools.

Old Black, in particular, was a mixed bag. The brute’s loyalty tended to waver at critical moments, but his work ethic was undeniable. When tasked with expanding the colony, Old Black had worked himself to the bone.

If those three are smart enough to listen to advice, their chances of survival are decent, Wu Yuan mused. Unless their luck is abysmal and they ran into a Great Demon… but that’s out of my hands.

The 20-odd expendable rats I sent out are likely dead by now. Without capable hands, everything is inconvenient. Reorganizing the miners and training farmers takes time I don’t want to spend.

Do I really have to micromanage these trivialities? How am I supposed to immerse myself in cultivation?

Wu Yuan looked at the crudely repaired mining tunnels and sighed.

He shook off the distraction and settled down to meditate.

However, he had barely entered a meditative state when a fierce quarrel erupted from the tunnel entrance. The sharp, jarring noise echoed through the silent underground cavern.

“Let me go! I am the Boss’s most loyal enforcer! You old geezer, how dare you block me from seeing the Boss!”

“Are you tired of living?!”

“Believe it or not, I’ll have the Boss throw you into Snake Valley to feed the vipers!”

The voice was unmistakably familiar. It was Old Black.

“Boss! It’s me, Old Black! Save me!”

The scream was desperate, cracking with panic.

Wu Yuan opened his eyes, annoyed. He stopped his circulation and looked down the tunnel.

There, Bibo was controlling a sphere of swirling bluish-green water, trapping Old Black inside a suspended liquid prison.

Old Black was paddling frantically, his limbs flailing weakly against the current. Only his snout breached the surface, gasping for air. He looked like a drowned rat—literally. His sleek black fur was matted against his skin, and his eyes bulged with a mix of terror and rage.

If he hadn’t screamed his name in time, Bibo would have likely drowned him on the spot.

“Bibo, release him,” Wu Yuan’s voice echoed through the tunnel. “He is not an enemy.”

The water sphere dissolved instantly, dropping Old Black onto the hard stone floor with a wet splat.

Bibo glared at the heaving, coughing rat, his whiskers twitching with indignation.

“Great King, this brute charged into the tunnel making a racket! You were in deep meditation. What if he disturbed your focus?” Bibo scolded, his tone sharp. “Cultivation requires absolute silence! One slip could have caused Qi Deviation! Such reckless disregard for your safety deserves a severe Penalty! If we don’t discipline him now, he’ll turn the world upside down!”

Old Black, catching his breath, exploded with indignation. He jumped up, pointing a trembling claw at Bibo’s nose.

“Boss! I’ve been wronged!” Old Black wailed. “I just missed you so much! I was overcome with emotion! I didn’t mean to make trouble!”

“I’ve been out there risking life and death, dodging predators, hiding in shadows! I finally found news of you and rushed back… and then this unreasonable old thing tries to drown me!”

Wu Yuan looked at Old Black. The rat was in a sorry state.

Deep gashes crisscrossed his body, some so severe that white bone was visible beneath the torn flesh. Fresh blood seeped from the wounds, the flow exacerbated by the water pressure of Bibo’s spell. The metallic scent of blood instantly filled the tunnel.

Wu Yuan knew the brute had suffered immensely. That kind of punishment would keep him honest for a while.

“Go tend to your wounds,” Wu Yuan said calmly. “I will overlook your rudeness this one time. But let this be a warning—do not let it happen again. If you act so recklessly in the future, do not blame me for being impolite.”

As he watched Old Black limp away into the shadows of the cave, Wu Yuan recalled the look of pure, unadulterated greed in the rat’s eyes when it had first seen the Heavenly Essence.

Old Black… he isn’t as loyal as One Ear.

I can’t trust him deeply. I’ll let him manage the brute labor of the rat swarm, but I must keep him away from core secrets.