Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

He paused, then looked at everyone with concern: "It was later discovered that a major reason that senior lost control was that he had taken a pill that had been stored for too long and whose medicinal properties had mutated. So, everyone..."

He emphasized softly, "Never, ever take expired pills. The risks are too great. Even senior cultivators who have reached the Core Formation stage can't withstand them."

The audience: "..."

Peak Core Formation stage... expired pills... how are these two terms connected?!

But looking at Instructor Wu's gentle yet earnest eyes, no one dared to laugh, much less ask any further questions.

Finally, with the instructor's gentle and persuasive "reminder," everyone smiled in unison and applauded, ending this impressive course.

Congratulations! Congratulations!

Later, during the final lesson of "The Art of Dragon Slaying," Instructor Ding, sporting panda eyes, casually mentioned:

"The Enforcement Hall is responsible for enforcing the sect's rules and cleaning up scoundrels. But from another perspective, it's also using another method to help some old guys who are nearing the end of their lives, can't see the road ahead, and are prone to going astray... leave on time."

To prevent them from going mad and dragging even more people down with them. This is the true meaning of the Hall of Enforcement's existence.

Lin Zhao's fourth year was spent in such a quiet, peaceful, and joyful atmosphere.

It ended in those days.

His Five Sacred Mountains Spiritual Body prototype is finally complete; all that's left is to use points to buy Foundation Establishment Pills and Foundation Establishment Spiritual Items.

I've accumulated another 2,000 points in my fourth year of classes.

However, the assessment at the end of the fourth year was no longer a "small test" but a "big test" involving all disciples.

After the major exam, there are no classes in the fifth year; the disciples are free to arrange their own time.

At this moment, the number of outer disciples who have successfully established their foundations has exceeded three hundred.

Listening to Xu Chuan excitedly listing which other acquaintances had reached Foundation Establishment, Lin Zhao glanced at the Foundation Establishment aura that had just dissipated in the distance and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Over three hundred rich bastards..."

Xu Chuan, who was standing next to him with sharp ears, immediately turned his head and asked, "Lin Zhao, what exactly do you mean by 'dog tycoon' all this time?"

Lin Zhao glanced at him and said slowly, "Oh, it means praising someone for having a solid foundation, a wealthy family, and a promising future."

Xu Chuan was skeptical: "...Really? It doesn't sound like a compliment to me?"

"Of course it's a compliment," Lin Zhao said sincerely. "It's especially fitting for someone like you."

"..."

On this day, all the disciples were collectively teleported back to the Cloud Sea Immortal City that had once floated ten thousand feet in the sky.

The Mirror Immortal appeared high in the sky, still with that expressionless look.

Without uttering a word, he waved his sleeve, and four items landed in the center of the square, shimmering with spiritual light.

Immediately, the figures of the real person and all the instructors vanished like bubbles, leaving tens of thousands of disciples looking at each other in bewilderment.

When everyone gathered around to take a look, their hearts sank.

The first item was a scroll of dark gold animal hide intelligence that unfolded automatically, revealing luminous text.

Target: A newly ascended Tier 3 early-stage demonic beast, the "Overturning River Crocodile Dragon," is entrenched deep within a great river called the "Canglan River," 60,000 miles away. The intelligence is frighteningly detailed:

It had only recently broken through to the next level, and its realm was not yet stable; it was also violent and had devoured more than ten thousand ordinary people from villages and towns along the coast in the past ten years...

Someone in the crowd gasped, their voice trembling: "No, we're not going to... kill this thing, are we?"

No one responded, but the answer seemed to be right there.

Third tier—that's comparable to a Core Formation cultivator! A Core Formation cultivator can unleash a "Dharma Domain," controlling an area of ​​dozens of miles in radius.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would be easy prey if they went in; the suppression of their cultivation level is too great.

But the question is—are the tens of thousands of disciples here ordinary people?

Not to mention how many Core Formation Realm experts these disciples have behind them, or how many trump cards they've left behind.

These disciples were monsters carefully selected and created by the Zhen Shi Sheng Zong over four years with massive resources!

The lowest cultivation level is Qi Refining Level 9, and there are over a thousand people at Qi Refining Level 10 or above, with more than 300 having successfully established their foundation!

On the other side was a third-tier demon beast that had just broken through and whose realm was not yet stable.

Lin Zhao pondered: They could definitely overwhelm it with sheer numbers. But how many lives would be lost in this dying counterattack of the "Overturning River Dragon"? Could they, as disciples, afford to pay such a price?

Not everyone has the protection of a Core Formation Realm cultivator.

Everyone silently turned their attention to the remaining three items.

The second item was a palm-sized bronze ship model, yet it exuded a heavy, oppressive aura. Someone infused it with spiritual energy, and the model suddenly expanded with a "hum."

It transformed into a colossal vessel over three hundred feet long, hovering in mid-air! The hull was covered with defensive runes, the bow had a menacing ram, and traces of attack formations were faintly visible on the sides.

This third-tier spirit boat, in terms of size and aura, far surpassed the 150-zhang spirit boat Lin Zhao had seen at the Azure Sea Pavilion years ago; needless to say, the power it could unleash was even greater.

The third item is nine core array plates and three hundred and sixty-five array flags, all shimmering with light and the runes so complex that just looking at them makes you dizzy.

This is a large-scale, third-tier formation – the "Zhou Tian Xing Dou Zhen Ling Formation". When fully deployed, it can cover an area of ​​hundreds of miles, seal off the heavens and earth, and annihilate the opponent.

The fourth item was a longsword, only three feet long, entirely dark gold, and without a sheath. It lay there quietly, yet naturally exuded a chilling sword intent capable of cutting through everything. A third-tier sword magic weapon—"Golden Rainbow".

Good heavens, intelligence, spirit boats, formations, killing weapons... the sect has practically stuffed a "strategy package" into our hands.

The square erupted in a buzz of discussion.

At that moment, a calm voice broke through the noise: "Everyone, please be quiet."

It was Pei Yue. This "Mad Dragon Old Daoist" had also successfully established his foundation. Although his hair was still snow-white, his face had returned to its middle-aged appearance, his wrinkles had disappeared, his eyes shone with inner light, and his demeanor was calm and composed. His prestige seemed to have increased even more after establishing his foundation.

"Discussing here is pointless." Pei Yue's gaze swept over everyone. "Let's board the spirit boat first! Our destination is the Canglan River. We'll have time to discuss the specifics of our actions on the way."

With the top figures on the leaderboard speaking out and the current situation, everyone quickly found a pillar of support.

Tens of thousands of disciples surged into the massive third-tier spirit ship like a tidal wave.

The spirit boat had a spacious interior, and driven by the array, it transformed into a streak of azure light, tearing through the clouds and speeding towards the Canglan River.

On the way, after three days of heated debate, a rough but clearly defined plan emerged:

The first team, consisting of one thousand men, led by Pei Yue, is tasked with maneuvering a Tier 3 spirit boat to directly confront and engage the Overturning River Dragon, drawing its firepower.

The second team, led by Fairy Linglong, surrounded about 7,000 people using formations, and selected nine disciples who excelled in formations as their deputies.

They led most of their disciples to set up a large array covering a radius of a hundred miles on the outskirts of the battlefield, using the "Zhou Tian Xing Dou Zhen Ling Array" array plate and flags as its core. This restricted its movement, prevented it from mobilizing the power of the Canglan River's water veins, and gradually weakened its demonic power.