Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao looked around.

The sect disciples began cleaning up the battlefield, collecting the belongings of their fellow disciples, and searching for valuable spoils of war.

Tens of thousands of disciples came, but now nearly two thousand Qi Refining disciples have been lost, and more than three hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators have perished! This does not even include those who are seriously injured and whose path to cultivation has been severed.

Of the nearly 100,000 ordinary people, servants, craftsmen, and their families who originally lived in the valley, only a few thousand were still breathing, and most of them were injured with empty eyes.

Death is just a set of cold numbers.

More than ten miles above Crimson Fire Valley, a third-tier spirit boat, with its streamlined body, concealed runes, and resembling a giant jade leaf, floated silently in the clouds.

The formation on the boat perfectly concealed its existence.

Master Mingjing stood with his hands behind his back, his face ashen and somewhat unpleasant.

Behind him stood four other Core Formation stage disciples, as well as hundreds of Foundation Establishment stage instructors.

For the second major test, the sect stipulated that their responsibility was only to prevent Core Formation cultivators from escaping... As for the mortals within the valley,

They can't do anything.

This is a ten-thousand-year tradition of the sect, designed to let its disciples personally experience the survival of the fittest in the world of cultivation.

Behind this "tradition" lies a philosophical divide within the sect that has persisted for tens of thousands of years.

One school of thought believes that cultivators have a responsibility to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, protect the mortal world, and guide civilization. Cultivators come from mortals, so how can they be regarded as mere weeds?

The other faction believes in the absolute "survival of the fittest," arguing that resources are limited and that mortals, apart from providing potential spiritual roots and bloodlines, are of no benefit to cultivating immortality and are not worth the effort and resources to spare. They believe that life, death, fortune, and misfortune are all determined by fate.

Even if he, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, had different ideas, he was powerless to shake the sect's will.

Perhaps, only by reaching the Nascent Soul stage, or even higher, can one attempt to change something.

The waters of the Cloud Sea Cangming Sect are too deep.

The commotion in the valley did not subside after the war ended; instead, it turned into another kind of frenzy—the plunder of resources.

Various colored lights flickered among the ruins, indicating that the disciples were searching for resources.

A hint of greed seemed to have crept into the air.

Lin Zhao ignored all of this and, with a few leaps, headed towards the depths the woman had indicated.

He only hoped that the cave was well hidden and hadn't been wiped out by the aftershocks of the battle.

Before long, he arrived at a relatively intact cliff face.

The location is remote, and there is a layer of light red light curtain, which is a second-tier mid-grade protective formation. It is intact, so it seems that it has luckily avoided the core battlefield.

Lin Zhao did not rashly launch a strong attack with the Azure Lotus Sword.

Breaking the restriction is one thing, breaking the formation is another. Forcibly breaking the formation can easily damage the structure of the cave and the things inside.

With a thought, the Yin-Yang Rings on his middle fingers once again emitted a faint black and white light.

An invisible force field of Yin and Yang spread out from its center, slowly touching the pale red light curtain.

Like water seeping into sand, it subtly disrupts the nodes of the formation.

The runes on the light screen flickered and emitted a slight "buzzing" sound, indicating that the protective effect was being weakened.

About half an incense stick later, the first layer of light curtain broke silently, like a bubble.

However, a layer of crimson-gold light shield was revealed inside!

"Oh? There's another layer?" Lin Zhao raised an eyebrow. "It seems this late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator holds a high position in Crimson Fire Valley."

He was about to activate the Yin-Yang Ring to continue breaking through the second layer of the formation when he heard the sound of air being torn apart and a cacophony of voices behind him.

More than ten people landed, led by five Foundation Establishment cultivators from a sect, followed by some Qi Refining disciples.

The leader was a young man with thick eyebrows and red hair, wearing a fiery red robe. His face carried the arrogance typical of scions of noble families. He was Yan Ning, the most outstanding member of the Yan family in this generation within the sect.

Behind him followed a Foundation Establishment cultivator with an unsteady aura; judging from his attire, he was a prisoner of Crimson Fire Valley.

The prisoner was shoved forward, pointed to the cave in front of Lin Zhao, and hurriedly flattered Yan Ning, saying, "This is it! This is the cave of Senior Brother Xu, a true disciple of the sect. There must be good things inside!"

After speaking, he glanced at Lin Zhao with a slightly provocative look, clearly believing that five Foundation Establishment cultivators were enough to intimidate this lone cultivator.

However, he clearly didn't understand that there are differences between different Foundation Establishment stages.

Yan Ning frowned immediately upon seeing Lin Zhao.

He recognized Lin Zhao, who was ranked seventeenth in the Cloud Tower, far above him at forty-sixth.

He was carefully considering his words, deciding whether to negotiate or...

Lin Zhao had lost her patience.

He was already in a bad mood, and arguing with these people was a complete waste of time.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Clang!"

The Azure Lotus Sword rang out with a clear, melodious sound. In the next instant, Lin Zhao pointed his fingers like a sword and slashed through the air towards the prisoner!

A condensed azure sword light, seemingly tearing through the air, shot out at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye!

In addition to the sword intent, the sword light was also enhanced by Lin Zhao's innate magic of the Azure Lotus Dao Foundation!

This sword strike was swift, ruthless, and precise.

The attack has already reached the threshold of the late Foundation Establishment stage!

"Pfft!"

The prisoners of Crimson Fire Valley didn't even have time to react; their protective aura was as fragile as paper.

The person was cleaved in two by the cyan sword light! Before the blood and internal organs could even splatter, they were shredded into a bloody mist by the remaining sword energy.

Instant death!

Yan Ning and the people behind him were then startled awake and hurriedly summoned their magical artifacts, which flashed with spiritual light as if facing a formidable enemy.

Their faces turned deathly pale, their previous arrogance completely gone.

Lin Zhao's Azure Lotus Sword was already sheathed, as if she were merely brushing away a speck of dust.

He didn't even glance at the pool of blood; his gaze fell on Yan Ning's face, his voice calm and unwavering:

"That's not the case now."

This phrase corresponds to the prisoner's comment about "Brother Xu's cave."

The meaning is clear: the cave is now mine, and I killed the people there.

Yan Ning's Adam's apple bobbed.

Sword Intent!

Lin Zhao had actually comprehended the sword intent! Moreover, the power displayed by that sword strike just now far exceeded his expectations.

Even if the five of them combined, they might not be a match for this person. It's not worth making a deadly enemy of such a ruthless person for a cave whose situation is unknown.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear and humiliation in his heart, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lin Zhao, and forced an ugly smile.

"Senior Brother Lin, you have a good strategy. Since you arrived first, this place should rightfully belong to you. We will take our leave."

Having said that, he dared not linger any longer and immediately led his equally trembling companions away in haste towards the other locations provided by the prisoners, their backs showing a hint of panic.

Lin Zhao appeared to be completely unguarded as he continued to face the cave, but in reality, his divine sense, comparable to that of the late Foundation Establishment stage, was subtly enveloping the surroundings.

Every move Yan Ning and the others made was under his divine sense.

Aside from a monster like Qin Tianjun, he wasn't really confident. He might not be able to beat the other geniuses of his generation, but defeating him would be no easy task.

Yan Ning is not worthy of making him back down.

He composed himself and continued to decipher the second layer of the formation.