Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

At this moment, the cultivator surnamed Lan was talking quietly with several other cultivators, his attitude friendly and without the airs often associated with Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Senior Lan, Brother Xu," Lin Zhao stepped forward to greet them.

"Young friend Lin has arrived, very good." The cultivator surnamed Lan nodded with a smile.

His gaze lingered on Lin Zhao for a moment. "Everyone's here. Let's board the boat."

"The journey is long, and there are rules on the spirit ship, which will be explained to you later."

The group followed the cultivator surnamed Lan and stepped onto the spiritual light staircase.

Upon entering the interior of the spirit boat, the first thing that catches the eye is an extremely spacious main hall. The dome hangs high, and the interior is elegantly furnished yet practical, with many quiet rooms and tea tables scattered throughout.

Many cultivators have been active here, and occasionally one can even sense energy fluctuations belonging to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Lin Zhao secretly estimated that there were probably nearly a thousand cultivators on board this third-tier spirit boat!

Most of them were dressed in uniform clothing with wave patterns embroidered on their chests, suggesting they were members of the Bihai Chamber of Commerce.

The remaining hundred or so people wore various styles of clothing.

Clearly, like them, they came from various markets and towns in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, taking advantage of this opportunity on the third-tier spirit boat.

Cultivators who travel to the southern world of cultivation to seek opportunities or join various factions.

The cultivator surnamed Lan led the group of cultivators to a relatively quiet area on one side of the main hall, briefly explained some precautions and the location of each person's room, and then left.

Xu Chuan immediately became lively, pulling Lin Zhao aside to introduce him to the other cultivators who were traveling with him. They were all young cultivators from the affiliated forces of Tianyun Market who had qualified for the assessment.

Everyone exchanged greetings, and the atmosphere was fairly harmonious. After all, they might be fellow disciples in the future, so there was no harm in making friends in advance.

Just as Lin Zhao was talking with them, his gaze inadvertently swept across the other side of the main hall, and his eyes suddenly stopped.

There, a somewhat familiar figure appeared.

It's her again, Su Qianxue from Qingfeng Market.

She was still wearing a pristine white dress.

Her long, black hair cascaded down her back, loosely held up by a single white jade hairpin, with a few strands gently falling beside her cheeks.

She wore no extra accessories, yet possessed an otherworldly air about her.

She seemed to have just settled in as well. When her gaze swept across the crowd and met Lin Zhao's eyes, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

She hesitated slightly, but still walked towards Lin Zhao. Along her path, many cultivators turned to look.

"Fellow Daoist Lin Zhao?" Su Qianxue stopped a few steps in front of Lin Zhao, her voice clear and melodious. "I didn't expect to meet you here. You... are also heading to the Southern World to cultivate?"

Lin Zhao composed himself, cupped his hands, and said, "Fairy Su, how have you been?"

Indeed, Lin was introduced by a Foundation Establishment cultivator in Tianyun Market and intended to travel south to try joining a sect for cultivation.

He did not specify which sect he belonged to because it was too rushed, and he knew very little about the legendary Nascent Soul forces, not even their names.

The surprise in Su Qianxue's eyes deepened, then turned into a hint of understanding and a faint sense of complexity.

She nodded slightly: "I see. It seems that Fellow Daoist Lin has many fortunate encounters, even gaining the favor of a Foundation Establishment senior in Tianyun Market."

She paused for a moment, then said frankly, "On this trip, I also intend to go to the 'Southern Li Dynasty' to try to become a disciple of the 'Mysterious Dust Valley' within its borders. If we can both successfully enter the sect, we will be fellow countrymen in this region, and we can visit each other more often, junior brother."

She proactively suggested the possibility of a future joint meeting with Xi Jinping.

Lin Zhao's heart stirred. Nanli Kingdom, Xuanchen Valley... these were all pieces of information that he had previously had difficulty accessing in the Yunxia Mountains.

Su Qianxue was clearly unwilling to be bound by the internal strife between Qingfeng Market and the Liu family; her gaze was set on a more distant world.

"Your High Ambition is admirable; you are not confined to one place." Lin Zhao said sincerely.

He recalled the situation in Qingfeng Market and couldn't help but ask, "But... what will happen to Qingfeng Market after you leave, Fairy...?"

Su Qianxue has always been the leading figure of the Fangzhu faction in opposing the Liu family. If she leaves, won't the Liu family become the only dominant family?

Su Qianxue naturally understood his unspoken meaning.

A fleeting, almost mocking, cold smile flashed across her cool, jade-like face.

Like a snow lotus trembling slightly in the cold wind: "Within the market, the Liu family is busy scheming and plotting, hoping that after the lifespan of the market lord, Master Qingming, ends, they will have a chance to seize the position and turn Qingfeng Market into the Liu family's private property."

She paused, looked at Lin Zhao, and said with a hint of indifference in her eyes, "Unfortunately, they miscalculated from beginning to end."

She didn't elaborate further, as if it were just a trivial speck of dust.

The two exchanged a few more words, mostly about what Su Qianxue had heard about the Yunxia Mountains from her father, Master Feiyu, who had traveled extensively.

She didn't know much about the cultivation world in the south, after all, it was another realm.

The two then politely parted ways and returned to their respective companions.

After all, men and women are different, and on this unfamiliar spirit ship, each person has their own social circle that they need to maintain.

After Lin Zhao left.

Su Qianxue did not leave immediately; she stood alone in front of a heavy, sparkling crystal window.

But the gaze seemed to lose focus, piercing through the crystal window.

Her thoughts had already drifted back to the distant yet familiar Qingfeng Market.

"The Liu family..." he murmured silently to himself, a hint of cold pity in his voice.

How could they know that the sect leader, Master Qingming, was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who was indifferent to current affairs and obsessed with herbs and trees?

He primarily cultivates wood-attribute techniques, and his body is imbued with pure wood-attribute spiritual power.

It had long been connected to the green maple forest in the market town, which had weathered hundreds of years of wind and rain, by a shared destiny and a vital connection.

With the help of a secret technique, he can nourish his own Dao foundation and prolong his life by drawing on the vigorous vitality of the ancient forest. His lifespan is far beyond that of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Her father, Venerable Feiyu, once revealed a secret to her during a family reunion:

In his early years, when Master Qingming was traveling, he had the opportunity to obtain an extremely precious second-tier longevity pill!

First-tier longevity pills are suitable for Qi refining and can extend life by ten years; second-tier foundation building pills can extend life by thirty years; and third-tier core formation pills can extend life by fifty to one hundred years.

Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot use third-tier longevity pills beyond their level, as they cannot withstand the powerful medicinal effects.

Due to the limitations of heaven and earth, three hundred years is the maximum lifespan for Foundation Establishment cultivators; they cannot extend their lifespan further without breaking through their cultivation level.

With Qingming Shangren's late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, coupled with the characteristics of a wood-attribute cultivator, the assistance of the Azure Maple Ancient Forest, and the effects of that second-tier longevity pill...

His true lifespan has long exceeded the 240-year lifespan of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, and is steadily approaching the legendary 300-year limit of the Foundation Establishment stage!

Three hundred years old! How could those Foundation Establishment elders of the Liu family, obsessed with power, possibly imagine that?

The brothel owner, whom they thought had "little days left," actually had such a long life ahead of him?

Their waiting was destined to be a long and futile dream.