Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

He noticed that the "Tea House" sign had also appeared in the outer area, on a three-story building.

Lin Zhao's heart stirred slightly. He led Lin You inside and asked for a private room by the window on the third floor.

The window faces the busiest street market area below, offering an excellent view.

They ordered two kinds of pastries and a pot of "Refreshing Tea." Lin Zhao told Lin You to eat slowly, and then picked up a cup of tea for herself.

Leaning against the window, he quietly enveloped the area below with his divine sense, gathering useful information.

As expected, there was information about the Lin and Liu families.

"...That patriarch of the Lin family is truly tough! Six years ago, just twenty miles west of the market, he withstood an attack from the Liu family patriarch, who was at the mid-Foundation stage, despite only being at the early Foundation Establishment stage."

"Indeed, I heard that Patriarch Lin built a mid-grade Dao foundation, plus the Lin family's ancestral magic weapon... Tsk, the Liu family has really bitten off more than they can chew this time."

"The Foundation Establishment and Breaking Army cultivators from the Qin family are no pushovers either; they've got the other two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Liu family completely wrapped around their little finger. Isn't there another one from the Liu family? Where is he?"

"Hey, that guy? He was injured years ago and his lifespan is almost over. I heard he has trouble even going out now. The Liu family is just bluffing. If they really fight, he'll probably fall apart on the spot!"

The Lin family has a history of over three hundred years, and both generations of ancestors were not ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The first ancestor goes without saying; he was a rogue cultivator who built the Lin family from scratch with a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation level.

He built a mid-grade Dao foundation, and his cultivation level could not advance any further.

But his combat power is formidable. The few second-tier magic weapons, second-tier flying boats, core cultivation techniques, and most importantly, spiritual veins that the Lin family treasures are all things he fought for.

Lin Zhao was able to join the Yunhai Cangming Sect so smoothly later on because of the favor left by his ancestor.

Unfortunately, this patriarch passed away at the young age of 150. He died young.

The second-generation ancestor had ordinary aptitude, a low-grade Dao Foundation, and his cultivation was stuck at the early stage of Foundation Establishment for life.

He spent most of his life holed up in Qingxi Mountain and almost never went out. When outsiders talked about him, they called him "Lin the Turtle" and laughed at him for only knowing how to hide his head and guard his ancestral land.

And so, he steadily protected the Lin family for nearly two hundred years.

Since combat wasn't his forte, he forged his own path, fusing talismans and formations to create the art of talisman arrays. He was truly a genius.

His final move in his later years was to find a way to integrate his family lineage into the Black Fiend Pavilion, one of the three major sects.

Later, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from this lineage actually emerged.

It was this Foundation Establishment cultivator who secretly protected the family and helped the clan leader, Lin Shanhe, to eventually achieve Foundation Establishment.

Without the efforts of two generations of clan leaders, the Lin family would never have risen to prominence, nor would there have been a stable environment for Lin Zhao to grow up in.

"The Liu family has also been having a run of bad luck. I heard that Liu Yuan, the most promising Foundation Establishment cultivator in their family, died mysteriously outside ten years ago, and even his body couldn't be found. If he were still alive, the next generation of the Liu family would have something to look forward to, and the situation wouldn't be so dire..."

Lin Zhao picked up the teacup, took a sip, and found the tea to be slightly astringent with a sweet aftertaste.

I didn't expect him to be involved. Of course, Liu Yuan remembered me.

Inside the secret realm, he was wielding two top-grade first-tier magic artifacts when Lin Zhao forcibly shattered them with the Four Elements Sword Dragon, and then killed him.

The fragments of the shield are still in Lin Zhao's storage bag and have not been repaired.

Unexpectedly, the enemy I killed back then has influenced the current power structure ten years later.

The discussion below continued, with most expressing surprise at the Lin family's unexpected strength and the Liu family's outward strength masking inner weakness.

The Lin and Liu families have been locked in fierce battles for years, dividing the market into two major camps.

Both sides recruited several neutral Foundation Establishment cultivators to join them, respectively raising the banners of "Azure Talisman Alliance" and "Hundred Refinements Society". One almost monopolized the talisman business in the market, while the other firmly controlled the weapon refining industry.

Lin Zhao listened quietly, the light and shadow from outside the window flickering on his face.

Qingfeng Market seemed even more "lively" than he had expected.

As they were talking, a small commotion suddenly broke out in the street vendor area downstairs.

Lin You tugged at Lin Zhao's sleeve and whispered, "Uncle, look, those in charge are here."

Lin Zhao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of seven or eight people dressed in uniform light blue outfits with small talisman patterns embroidered on their chests, swaggering between the stalls.

The leading man, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, was arrogant and was the patrol officer under the "Azure Talisman Alliance".

Wherever they went, the previously bustling noise subsided, and many stall owners showed expressions of both annoyance and fear.

Lin Zhao watched coldly.

He wanted to see what this alliance was all about.

The group walked up to a stall that specialized in selling low-level talismans. The stall owner, an old cultivator with gray hair, handed them a wooden plaque with a smile.

The head steward took it and snorted, "Old Hu, shouldn't you hand over the 30% 'offering' for this month's talisman fees?"

"Yes, yes, it's all ready." Old Hu hurriedly brought out a small cloth bag.

The manager weighed it in his hand before reluctantly nodding, then pointed to the talismans on the stall and said:

"The quality remains the same, but next month, you'll have to raise the price of these talismans." Old Hu nodded obsequiously, bowing even lower.

Lin Zhao understood. This "talisman license" was a permit issued by the alliance that allowed the sale of talismans.

Furthermore, all holders of the talisman are required to pay at least 20% to 30% of their monthly sales revenue as "offerings".

Even more domineeringly, the alliance strictly forbids any private instruction in talisman-making techniques. Even the most basic first-tier low-grade talismans can only be learned at the lecture hall run by the neutral Master Mo Chen in the market.

The Lin family's actions were clearly intended to bind the second-tier talisman master, Mo Chen Shangren. The Liu family's "Hundred Refinements Society" used the same methods in weapon forging.

Lin Zhao's expression gradually darkened.

Monopolizing resources is not uncommon in the cultivation world. But daring to completely sever even the most basic cultivation traditions...

The Lin and Liu families are not worthy of such treatment. Even the three major Core Formation sects would not dare to do such a thing, as they would also leave some resources to pass on to lower-level cultivators.

Even if the Lin family had truly taken control of Qingfeng Market, they would inevitably face betrayal and destruction sooner or later, even if they did.

Chieftain...is he really getting senile?

For immediate gain and to fight against the Liu family, they would even do something like this?

The manager walked from house to house, his attitude arrogant and his words full of threats.

The market's enforcement team stood not far away, but they all kept their eyes down, seemingly oblivious to everything.

Clearly, the rules of these two alliances have, to some extent, replaced the rules of the marketplace.

Lin Zhao once said that the Lin family was a fierce tiger, and now it seems that this fierce tiger has indeed devoured quite a few people.

Just as Lin Zhao's gaze turned cold, his divine sense spotted a familiar person in the crowd.

Ye Xiaoxiao.

More than ten years ago, when he was still practicing Qi cultivation in the Po Jun Demon Hunting Team, he had the opportunity to guide her in basic talisman making for half a month.

At that time, she was a little girl about the same age as Lin You.

Now in her early twenties, she still prefers apricot-colored clothes and quietly tends to a small talisman stall.

Cultivation level... Qi Refining Level 6.