Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Li Hao suddenly looked up, his eyes widening instantly, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at the smiling cultivator in blue robes.

That face, having shed some of the naivety of ten years ago, now possessed more defined features and a profound, deep-seated aura, but the glint in its eyes, especially that slightly mocking smile…

"Lin...Lin Zhao?! Is it really you?!"

Li Hao cried out in disbelief, then a surge of immense joy welled up within him, "You're back! I thought you were dead... Ten years without a single word!"

He instinctively wanted to step forward, but then he suddenly remembered the other person's words "Foundation Establishment Master" and the chilling aura around him. He paused, his face showing a mixture of surprise and bewilderment, as if he wanted to clasp his hands in a salute.

Seeing this, Lin Zhao rolled her eyes in annoyance and stepped forward to slap away his outstretched hands: "Don't give me that! Putting on airs with me, are you looking down on me?"

The familiar feeling washed over Li Hao as he was patted, and seeing Lin Zhao's expression, his last bit of restraint vanished.

He laughed and scolded, "How could that be! I'm just trying to curry favor with you, a Foundation Establishment cultivator!" As he spoke, he actually made a move to lean forward and bow.

The two punched each other on the shoulder, just like they used to joke around in the team back in the day, and then they both laughed.

But as they laughed, the atmosphere gradually turned somber.

Ten years is enough time to change a lot.

The teammates from back then have scattered, and beneath the joy of reunion lies a sense of melancholy that things have changed and people are no longer the same.

Lin Zhao broke the silence: "Who from our old team is still in the market now?"

Li Hao composed himself and replied, "Only Fatty Chen is left. He's still running his rare treasures shop in the inner workshop, and business seems to be doing alright."

Lin Zhao nodded, sensing that the Tea Pavilion was attracting more and more people and attention due to the rumor that "a Foundation Establishment cultivator has arrived."

"It's too noisy here." Lin Zhao frowned and said to Li Hao and Ye Xiaoxiao and Lin You, who were watching quietly, "Let's go check on Fatty Chen."

As the four walked out, several of Li Hao's teammates stood guard at the door.

Li Hao told them to go back first.

Lin Zhao gently flicked her sleeve.

A strange fluctuation swept over the four of them.

But when Lin Zhao walked out, the people in the corridor glanced at them as if they couldn't see them. Li Hao secretly sighed that this was the method of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

They left the Tea House safely and headed towards the inner courtyard.

They arrived at the Qizhen Pavilion, where the familiar shops came into view.

The various strange objects in the shop emitted various kinds of spiritual light.

Behind the counter stood Fatty Chen.

Lin Zhao looked Chen Pangzi up and down carefully and said with a smile, "Fatty, you've lost quite a bit of weight."

Fatty Chen touched his belly, which was no longer round, and smiled wryly with a hint of pride: "There's nothing I can do. Business is tough, and the Chamber of Commerce has strict evaluations. I can't gain weight even if I want to."

But Brother Lin… no, Senior Lin, you truly are a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss, soaring to the heavens in a single bound.”

His tone was wistful, but there was not much flattery directed at Foundation Establishment cultivators.

I don't know what I've been through over the years, but now I feel mostly joy at meeting old acquaintances.

He personally led Lin Zhao and the others to the backyard.

The backyard was a hidden paradise, with a small spirit-gathering array and a small pond where several red-scaled fish leisurely swayed their tails.

The environment is quiet and peaceful, quite different from the bustling atmosphere of the shops in front.

The group sat around the stone table. Ye Xiaoxiao naturally led the somewhat reserved Lin You to the pond to look at the fish, and quietly introduced her to the habits of various fish.

Fatty Chen brewed some spiritual tea.

He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and his access to information far surpassed that of Ye Xiaoxiao.

The topic quickly shifted to the two major alliances in the market.

"Since Brother Lin has asked, I will not hide it from you."

Fatty Chen's expression turned serious. "The Azure Talisman Alliance and the Hundred Refinements Society look impressive, but they are actually drinking poison to quench their thirst."

Their rules were too harsh, and their commissions were too exorbitant. The people below couldn't survive; they either had to leave or... take desperate risks.

Most of the spirit stones earned by the market in recent years are in the hands of the two major alliances.

More than half of the spirit stones from the Qingfu Alliance ended up in the Lin family's pockets.

If things continue like this, within ten years, the market will collapse on its own, without any external enemies.

When the time comes, the first to bear the brunt of Master Qingming's wrath will be the Lin and Liu families.

Lin Zhao listened silently, her fingertips gently tracing the warm teacup.

Fatty Chen's judgment confirmed his worst-case scenario.

Facing Master Qingming, relying solely on the few second-tier formations of the Lin family's Qingxi Mountain...

In the eyes of Master Qingming, a second-tier high-grade array master, that array was probably full of loopholes.

If he truly harbored designs on the Lin family, breaking the formation would be a piece of cake.

The group didn't continue discussing this issue; instead, the topic shifted to their former teammates.

"Captain Gao Yuan and Chu Xin have finally achieved their happy ending."

Li Hao chimed in with a smile, "Captain Gao is highly favored by Senior Shen Qianshan, and his cultivation has broken through to the tenth level of Qi Refining. Chu Xin has also reached the ninth level."

The two became Daoist partners and followed Senior Shen to develop the Jinsha Market. I was left to handle the rest of the group.

There was a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

"Where is Wu Laodao?" Lin Zhao asked.

Li Hao's smile faded, and he remained silent for a moment: "Old Daoist Wu... still wanted to give it his all. He failed to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining and passed away peacefully. When he was discovered, his expression was relatively serene."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Following custom, we buried him on a sunny hillside."

Lin Zhao nodded without saying anything.

The path of cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind, and for most cultivators, there isn't even the chance to retreat.

"Cheng Jin..."

Li Hao's tone grew even more somber, "He left the team back then and returned to the Foundation Establishment Cheng family. Later, he got caught up in the family's internal strife and had his cultivation crippled."

After a month or so, the person left without a word.

In the end, it was Captain Gao and his team who found out about it, went to collect his body, and found a place to bury him.

Lin Zhao picked up the teacup, then put it down again.

When Cheng Jin left the team, things didn't go very well with everyone.

Unexpectedly, it was his former teammates who took care of his funeral arrangements.

Li Hao glanced at Ye Xiaoxiao, who was softly telling Lin You a story not far away, and his voice softened: "Xiaoxiao is the most promising girl. The two weeks you taught her back then were like opening a door for her."

Over the years, my progress in talismanic arts has been extremely rapid; I can already draw first-grade high-ranking talismans, but I dare not flaunt it.

Lin Zhao also looked over there, remembering the quiet little girl in her memory, wearing an apricot-yellow dress, with her two buns neatly styled.

The image gradually overlaps with the serene and beautiful figure of the young woman she is now.

He knew what Li Hao meant; he wanted her to have a powerful backer. Lin Zhao had indeed taught her for half a month and had been kind to her by passing on his knowledge. He had also received a bow from her back then.

"I remember, back then, those girls always liked to follow you around, and there was one who was especially talkative, Sun Ming..."

The gentleness on Li Hao's face froze instantly, turning into a dark expression. After a long pause, he finally spoke:

"Sun Ming... four years ago, he encountered a horde of mutated demonic bats and never returned. Since then, we haven't let Xiaoxiao go on missions with us."

The courtyard suddenly fell silent, and a heavy atmosphere permeated the air.