Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

"Let's go." He replied briefly, and together with Xu Chuan, they joined the hurried crowd and headed towards the sect's plaza.

Lin Zhao and Xu Chuan followed the flow of people back to the giant bluestone square.

They discovered that most of the outer disciples had returned here, and even those who, like Lin Zhao, didn't understand, followed suit upon seeing so many people.

On the once empty square, hundreds of arenas, each about a mile in size, had risen up. Each one was shrouded in a pale golden protective shield, with runes flowing across the shield, firmly locking the aftershocks of the battle within.

On the arena, the battle had already raged!

Once he squeezed into the crowd and saw the scene clearly, Lin Zhao was somewhat dumbfounded.

Never underestimate a young person's potential!

"This sword strike is to avenge the humiliation you inflicted upon me that day!"

"I've been wanting to get out of here for a long time, now get down!"

"Today I will show you what true swordsmanship is!"

Such melodramatic, over-the-top remarks, accompanied by a burst of brilliant inspiration,

The scene was exceptionally intense, with injuries occurring frequently. It was quite normal for cultivators using the Blood Burning Secret Technique to be injured.

"Normal my foot!"

Lin Zhao felt a sense of temporal and spatial distortion for a moment.

Is this... really a world of cultivation?

Are you sure this isn't a shonen manga?

However, Lin Zhao quickly realized that there must be a reason.

"Xu Chuan," Lin Zhao said, restraining his excited friend, and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is going on? On the very first day of the sect, you're allowing your disciples to fight like this?"

Xu Chuan then withdrew his gaze, chuckled, and quickly explained, "Today is our 'Entrance Ceremony,' held only once every ten years! It will attract countless people from the sect to watch. Do you see over there?"

His finger pointed discreetly upwards. There, shrouded in mist, were indistinct figures.

"That's the viewing platform; there are at least dozens of Golden Core cultivators there," Xu Chuan said in a low voice, unable to hide his excitement.

"Disciples of a sect are divided into outer sect Qi Refining, inner sect Foundation Building, and true disciple Core Formation; that is the sect's system."

But there is another way—to be accepted as a disciple by a Core Formation Realm expert who is observing the ceremony!

"Core disciples".

Although the sect does not recognize the status of a core disciple, one can still receive guidance and resources from a Core Formation cultivator.

This is not something an ordinary inner disciple can compare to! Every year there are quite a few people like this!

Sometimes, they might even attract the attention of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, offering the opportunity to become a Nascent Soul disciple. That would be a meteoric rise to power.

He paused, then pointed to the fearless cultivators: "The ten years of training at the Dao Inquiry Hall are a foundation-building stage with strict rules. Sect cultivators are not allowed to have contact with these disciples."

Today, this initiation ceremony is the only opportunity for me to publicly showcase myself and gain access to higher-ups!

Tell me, would you have gone for it? What's a little damage to your vital energy from the Blood Burning Secret Technique? You'll regret missing this opportunity for the rest of your life!

As for the injuries and cultivation level, they'll be gone by tomorrow. Naturally, nobody cares...

Lin Zhao's gaze swept across the bustling square once more. Those somewhat "chuunibyou" roars and that reckless ruthlessness now had a reasonable explanation.

Golden Core disciples… even Nascent Soul disciples… this was indeed a temptation that could drive any cultivator mad, and a desire quietly rose from the depths of his heart.

"How about it?" Xu Chuan nudged him with his elbow, his eyes full of encouragement. "You're stronger than me, why don't you go on stage and give it a try? What if you get noticed by some real expert..."

Lin Zhao didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes, sensing the spiritual light of the four precious pearls within his dantian. When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with a calm fighting spirit. "What are the rules of the challenge?"

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of miles away, in the Yunxia Mountains, lies Tianyun Market.

At the summit, in the white jade pavilion, Master Mingxuan stood leaning against the railing. A smile of satisfaction appeared on his face.

"Lin Zhao...not bad, he passed as expected." He muttered to himself, "The seed has been sown, how tall it grows depends on my uncle's wishes and his own destiny."

He flipped his hand and took out a more exquisite sect token—this was the token of an inner disciple of the sect.

He immersed his consciousness in the text and recorded brief information about Lin Zhao's passing the test and his relationship with the Lin family.

The token flashed with light, emitting a mysterious wave that pierced through the sea of ​​clouds and traversed a distance of no less than 300,000 miles.

Three days later, deep within the Cloud Sea Cangming Sect, at Thousand Autumn Peak.

This peak is shrouded in a thin layer of gray mist all year round, and its spiritual energy is cold yet extremely pure.

The cave at the summit was deep and secluded, where a middle-aged cultivator dressed in black feather robes sat quietly on a jade futon.

He was thin, with distinct facial features, and his eyes were as deep as an ancient well, without any ripples.

Suddenly, he seemed to sense something. The cultivator opened his eyes, took out a silver cloud-patterned token, and probed it with his divine sense.

"Tianyun Market...Lin Family...Taihe Yangyuan Gong...Lin Zhao..."

A few keywords, like pebbles thrown into an ancient well, stirred up ripples of memories that had been silent for hundreds of years.

Three hundred years ago, he was in charge of guarding Tianyun Market. At that time, his cultivation was stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and he was desperately seeking an opportunity to form his core.

The "Taihe Yangyuan Gong" was a practice he created at that time to harmonize his essence, energy, and spirit, and to assist in the formation of the elixir.

He even concealed his cultivation level and opened a small weapon-refining shop in a secluded spot in the market, both to relax and to hone his mental state.

Near the shop lived a minor cultivator in the Qi Refining stage surnamed Lin, who often came to his shop to watch him refine weapons and occasionally ask some wildly imaginative questions.

Over time, they became close friends despite their age difference. That young cultivator later became the patriarch of the Lin family. After creating his "Taihe Yangyuan Gong," he gave it to that young cultivator.

He once said to the young man, half with emotion and half with a joke, "When I have achieved the Core Formation, I will take you as my disciple and show you the true Dao!"

Later, he left the market and traveled in search of opportunities. Fifty years later, he finally succeeded in forming the Golden Core.

When he recalled the past and made some inquiries, he learned that the young man from the Lin family had already successfully established his foundation through his own efforts.

The sect's rules dictate that only Qi Refining cultivators are accepted; Foundation Establishment cultivators are not allowed to enter. A casual remark turned into a regret.

He left some resources to preserve their old friendship, and then buried this bond deep in his heart.

"Lin Zhao...a descendant of the Lin family, still practices the 'Taihe Yangyuan Gong'..."

The black-robed monk, known as "Master Qianqiu," murmured.

If he had been proud and ambitious in his younger days, single-mindedly pursuing the Great Dao, he would never have easily considered taking on a disciple because of this old connection.

But times have changed, and his path to enlightenment has become fixed. He has remained at the late stage of the Golden Core realm for many years, and his state of mind is no longer the same as it was back then.

"So be it." He sighed softly, a barely perceptible tenderness flashing in his eyes. "Since this cause and effect is preordained, then... I'll give you a chance."

However, you'll need to traverse the path to the Hall of Inquiry yourself. At least, after you've established your foundation, you can then inquire about the master-disciple relationship.

He put away the token, his gaze seemingly piercing through the cave walls, looking towards the direction of the plaza.