Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao stood by the window, gazing at the outside world.

The sea of ​​clouds was violently torn apart by the spirit boat. The scenery was the same, but the feeling was completely different from when he went to the sect ten years ago.

He was able to board this Tier 3 spirit ship thanks to Lan Jingchi's connections.

It was the same ship that set out from the Bihai Chamber of Commerce, and it returned on the same ship.

Lan Jingchi, the young cultivator with a gentle and refined demeanor, is a core member of the Azure Sea Chamber of Commerce.

After ten years of training in the sect, Lin Zhao's eyesight was far superior to what it used to be. He could tell that the other party's cultivation had reached the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, and that he had also forged a high-grade Dao Foundation.

It seems that no acquired spiritual body has been born yet, but this is already a powerful foundation that most cultivators dream of.

He was also a remarkable person, but not among the most outstanding.

When the two met again, Lan Jingchi made no attempt to hide his surprise.

Lin Zhao's foundation-building was within his expectations, but the restrained yet profound aura he exuded made a slight alarm bell ring in his heart.

His water-attribute cultivation technique made him particularly sensitive. Even though his cultivation level was slightly higher than Lin Zhao's, he still felt a faint sense of pressure in front of him.

"Junior Brother Lin, it's been ten years. You've truly impressed me."

Lan Jingchi sighed, his attitude now even more solemn than before.

"Senior Brother Lan, you flatter me. I just happened to gain something," Lin Zhao replied with a smile.

As disciples of the same hegemonic power, they shared a natural understanding and trust on this spirit ship.

The Hundred Arts Immortal Alliance was able to establish its subordinate chamber of commerce, the Azure Sea Chamber of Commerce, in Yunzhou, which naturally required some sacrifices. For example, allowing disciples of the Cloud Sea Cangming Sect to travel to and from the Cloud Mist Mountain Range on third-tier spirit boats was a tacit agreement.

Lin Zhao returned to his private room, sat cross-legged, and began to quietly take stock of his gains over the past ten years by focusing his inner consciousness.

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Ten years have passed like a dream, as if it were a lifetime ago.

When he left, he had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining cultivation, and he felt both hopeful and uncertain about the future.

When he returned, he had already successfully established his foundation and was cultivating the fourth-tier Nascent Soul technique, "The True Technique of the Five Elements Returning to the Void".

He also possessed a complete third-tier cultivation technique, "The True Art of Separating Fire."

In terms of ritual implements, they are no longer as shabby as they used to be:

Second-tier low-grade Azure Lotus Sword, Second-tier low-grade Flowing Cloud Boat, Second-tier mid-grade Four Elements Array Diagram

The second-tier superior items include the Nine Luminaries Thunder Pearl, the Yin-Yang Ring, and the Eight Desolations Ancient Seal.

He also had two top-grade first-tier magic artifacts he had brought before, the Soul-Suppressing Bell and the Azure Dragon Pattern Mask, which he planned to upgrade himself and hone his weapon-refining skills.

If the upgrade is successful, one will possess eight second-tier magic artifacts! This wealth is enough to make many late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators envious.

magical means

Two innate magical abilities: the Five Mountains Shift Technique and the Power of the Azure Lotus.

The cultivation technique is accompanied by the following spells: the Magic-Breaking Needle, the Returning to Nothingness Shield, the Five Qi Converging to the Origin Rope, and the Illusion-Breaking Sword Eye—four highly practical conventional spells.

Furthermore, there are two forbidden techniques: the Five Emperors Seal and the Return to the Void Furnace, which should not be used lightly except in life-or-death situations.

Special methods: the sword intent he comprehended, the third-tier jade talismans "Luo Yu Blade" and "Hundred Mile Teleportation Talisman" bestowed by his master, and the black hourglass he obtained from the remnant soul of the Core Formation stage.

"So even without considering forbidden techniques and one-time trump cards, I still have six magical artifacts and six commonly used spells that I can use in combination."

Lin Zhao silently assessed, "I have a good chance of defeating an ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, and I'm even confident I can kill them."

Even against a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, with the power of sword intent and the Nine Luminaries Thunder Pearl, one could put up a fight; the outcome would only be known after the battle.

Of course, it's just ordinary foundation building.

If one were to encounter someone like Senior Brother Wu Mingxuan, whose mid-Foundation Establishment stage combat power is comparable to the peak of Foundation Establishment, then...

Lin Zhao herself doesn't think she's a match for him yet.

"Perhaps, I'll be able to weigh the gap once I advance to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage," he thought calmly.

As for third-tier demonic beasts? If they were to encounter a similar perilous situation again, they should be able to escape without any problem, thanks to the Hundred-Mile Teleportation Talisman and other methods.

After taking stock, Lin Zhao felt a sense of clarity. Ten years of arduous cultivation.

He was no longer the boy who needed to look up to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

During the voyage, the spirit ship occasionally sensed the presence of demonic beasts, but most of them were low-level, and even second-level beasts were rare.

The nearly month-long voyage proceeded smoothly without any major incidents.

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Tianyunfang Market

A mountain dominated the entire field of vision.

Tianling Mountain.

The mountain range is over ten thousand feet high, its shape resembling a sleeping giant beast, shrouded in a misty, spiritual light.

The most awe-inspiring part is the summit, which is thousands of feet high.

There were no rocks, no buildings, only a rolling sea of ​​white clouds.

The clouds seemed to breathe and exhale spiritual light, and the faint pressure they emitted made even the souls of Foundation Establishment cultivators tremble slightly.

Lin Zhao stared intently at it.

Deep within the sea of ​​clouds, a massive shadow seemed to move slowly, its outline blurred and its aura ancient.

It encircles the summit like a guardian spirit, or the core of an array.

His perspective is no longer what it used to be.

With a slight sense, I understood.

The third-tier grand formation, "Cloud Sea Primordial Spirit Grand Formation".

That giant shadow in the clouds was a "cloud beast" formed by the formation, a mixture of reality and illusion.

Normally, it takes the form of clouds and mist to guard the spiritual veins. Once it encounters an enemy, it can transform into a third-tier Core Formation Cloud Beast to attack and kill the invading creature.

With such a grand scale, Tianyun Market is one of the top-tier Foundation Establishment sites among the sect's more than five hundred Foundation Establishment locations.

Tianyun Market is located in the upper part of the mountainside of Tianling Mountain.

Despite the steep terrain, the market town has sprung up. Countless platforms cantilever out, covered bridges span the canyon, and buildings are half-embedded in the mountainside, scattered like a honeycomb.

As far as the eye could see, cultivators rode various streams of light, shuttling back and forth. There was also a type of standardized green leaf-shaped flying boat that ascended and descended along a fixed route to pick up lower-level cultivators.

Orderly and prosperous.

The flying boat carrying Lin Zhao slowly docked at the outer platform.

He stepped down the gangway, his blue robe billowing in the wind. He was no longer the visitor of the past, but the returning disciple.

He didn't linger in the bustling market. After figuring out his direction, he transformed into an inconspicuous streak of azure light and flew straight towards the vast sea of ​​clouds at the mountaintop.

As we approached the edge of the sea of ​​clouds, an invisible force emanated from us.

Lin Zhao remained calm, took out the sect token, and infused it with a wisp of magic power.

The cloud patterns on the token glowed faintly, and the clouds in front of it parted automatically, revealing a passage.

When it reappeared, it was already above a sea of ​​clouds.

The summit has been cut flat and open, resembling a fairyland.

The spiritual energy was so rich that it turned into a pale white mist, which seeped into the lungs with every breath, and the magical power subtly leaped.

More than ten separate courtyards are scattered among them, some hidden by green bamboo, some with springs winding around the steps, and some shrouded in the hazy glow of the spirit-gathering array. They are far apart from each other, quiet and undisturbed.

At the edge of the platform, a pavilion made of white jade stands quietly.

Beside the pavilion grew a tree. Its trunk was like jade, with faint blue veins, and clouds swirled among its branches and leaves, sharing the same origin as the sect's jade tree.

It was the sect's second-tier spiritual plant, the Azure Jade Tree.

Wu Mingxuan stood with his hands behind his back in the pavilion, gazing at the sea of ​​clouds below. Sensing movement, he turned around.

Lin Zhao had already notified Senior Brother Wu Mingxuan via token while he was in the sect.

And indeed, the message transmitted by this token could easily travel hundreds of thousands of miles, once again making Lin Zhao realize the unfathomable depth of the sect.

Lin Zhao stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Senior Brother Wu."

A look of surprise flashed in Wu Mingxuan's eyes, which quickly turned into a smile: "You came faster than expected."