Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Li Hao continued, "Pharmacist Chen has returned to the Hundred Herbs Sect. I heard that she went on a mission with the sect's main force and encountered a beast tide. The entire team of fifty people was wiped out."

Lin Zhao slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his gaze sweeping over Li Hao, Fatty Chen, and Ye Xiaoxiao's slender figure in the distance.

He said softly, "It seems there really aren't many familiar faces left in the market."

Just then, Lin Zhao's expression shifted, as if he sensed something, and he looked up at the core area of ​​the market.

He withdrew his gaze and said to Li Hao and Fatty Chen, "I'm going out for a bit. Lin You is my niece, so I'd appreciate it if you could show her around the inner quarters and let her see what it's like. I'll be right back."

He didn't specify where he was going, but Li Hao and Fatty Chen exchanged a glance, both seeing the same understanding in each other's eyes—

Given that Lin Zhao was so serious, and considering they were in Qingfeng Market and had just talked about that person, the answer was obvious.

Lin Zhao was not worried about Lin You's safety.

Unless that Master Qingming really wants to completely break ties with him, no one dares to touch the people he brought.

Lin Zhao went there at this moment because the other party had already noticed his arrival and had even been observing them.

A cultivator who can cultivate the Dao of Array to the second-tier upper level and set up such a large array must have an extremely keen perception ability within the array.

Since the other party had already noticed and had not shown any hostility, and had sent a message to pay a visit, Lin Zhao naturally went.

He also wanted to see for himself what kind of person this master of Qingfeng Market was.

Stepping into the heart of the market, the bustling sounds vanish instantly, replaced by a profound silence.

The array in front automatically parted to the sides, revealing a misty passage that could only accommodate one person at a time.

Lin Zhao walked steadily forward, and at the end of the passage was a seemingly ordinary bamboo and wooden house.

The wooden house was small, but it blended seamlessly into the entire market's formation, as if it were the very core "eye" of the formation.

Under the eaves, a scholar with a gaunt face, who looked to be about sixty years old but had smooth, wrinkle-free skin and wore a simple blue robe, sat alone at a stone table, deep in thought as he looked at the chessboard.

This person is none other than the master of Qingfeng Market, Master Qingming.

Lin Zhao pondered for a moment, then walked to the stone table and sat down calmly on the stone bench.

On the chessboard, black and white pieces are scattered, clearly indicating that Master Qingming's chess skills are quite high.

Lin Zhao only had a superficial understanding of Go. Although the sect offered Go courses, he only received the minimum score.

But he wasn't there to play chess in the first place.

Without even looking at the board, he reached out and cleared away all the pieces in the lower right corner, then picked up a black piece.

With a crisp "thud," it landed there—a completely unreasonable starting move.

Master Qingming raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and his gaze lingered for a moment on the cloud patterns on Lin Zhao's blue robe.

As the head of a market town in the Cloud and Mist Mountains, he was well aware that the cloud pattern represented a colossal entity.

Although Lin Zhao was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, the level of threat he posed was comparable to that of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Of course, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was nothing to him, but...

He sighed almost imperceptibly. The most annoying thing about playing chess is when someone doesn't follow the rules, but this person opposite him has the right to do so.

Even if a prodigy from the Cloud Sea Cangming Sect is only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, the troubles they bring far outweigh their cultivation level.

He didn't touch the scrambled pieces, but simply picked up a white piece and gently placed it opposite the black one. His voice was calm yet carried an undeniable power: "The Lin family has gone too far these past years and needs to pay the price."

Lin Zhao did not deny it.

At close range, he could clearly sense the immense, boundless magical power emanating from the old man opposite him, as well as the power that subtly resonated with the grand formation of the entire Qingfeng Market.

He possesses peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, a mid-grade Dao Foundation, and is very likely to have some kind of wood-attribute spiritual body.

They have at least another hundred years to live.

With this level of cultivation and mastery of formations, he would probably be able to exchange a few blows with a true Core Formation cultivator in the marketplace!

A normal late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator is comparable to ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, and a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator is comparable to twenty, especially with the aid of formations.

Without more than fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators, the market's formation cannot be shaken at all.

Moreover, the other party may also possess a spiritual body, clearly indicating that they are not an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

No wonder Qingfeng Market has remained unscathed from beast tides all these years.

The Lin and Liu families dared to fight right under the noses of such figures; ignorance is bliss.

But Lin Zhao also saw his weakness: the ancient maple forest in the market was closely related to his life force.

That's the advantage of the courses offered by the sect; you learn a little bit about everything.

He picked up another black piece, pressed it down gently, and crushed the white piece that Master Qingming had placed into dust, sending jade powder onto the chessboard.

"Without your support, could the Azure Talisman Alliance and the Hundred Refinements Society have stood up?" Lin Zhao's voice was equally calm, yet sharp and confrontational.

A fierce glint flashed in Qingming Shangren's eyes, and a terrifying pressure belonging to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage descended with a roar! It was as if the entire Qingfeng Mountain was collapsing towards Lin Zhao.

The stone table trembled slightly, and the chess pieces on the board began to jump.

Lin Zhao remained completely still, not even the hem of her clothes fluttered.

Suddenly, the seemingly simple Yin-Yang rings on his fingers began to glow with two faint lights, one black and one white.

Like ripples flowing around him, the terrifying pressure, as imposing as a mountain, vanished without a trace, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

He continued to stare at the chessboard, as if it held some profound mystery.

Master Qingming's pupils contracted slightly as he gave the Yin-Yang Ring a deep look before slowly withdrawing his aura.

He said nothing more, picked up eight white pieces, and precisely placed them around Lin Zhao's second black piece, completely trapping it.

As the last stone fell, it crushed the first black stone, representing the Lin family's "entry," into dust.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: "The fate of the Lin family rests on his decision."

Lin Zhao remained expressionless, picked up the third black piece, and this time, he placed it directly in the center of the board—the center point—and crushed more than ten nearby pieces upon landing.

"I won't allow it"

Master Qingming's eyes turned cold. He also picked up a white piece and, with even greater force, pressed it down on the black piece that Lin Zhao had just placed at the center of the board with a "bang," causing cracks to appear on the entire board.

"I am the master of the marketplace."

Lin Zhao made no further moves.

He raised his right hand, his palm hovering three inches above the chessboard, and then gently pressed down.

Without any grand display, the entire stone chessboard, centered on his palm, was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks and emitted a creaking sound as if it were about to collapse completely.

"I have the power to overturn the chessboard and destroy the entire market."

The next moment, Lin Zhao's eyes narrowed, and a Core Formation level aura was activated, transforming into a phantom of a Luo Yu Blade that seemed both real and illusory, with pale golden feather patterns flowing throughout. It soared into the sky above his head and hovered three zhang above the wooden house.

Although the blade's shadow was faint, it exuded a sharp, all-slicing aura, causing the surrounding air to emit a subtle tearing sound.

It was the Luo Yu Blade, a life-saving technique bestowed upon Lin Zhao by Master Qianqiu.

Master Qingming raised his hand and gestured downwards almost simultaneously.

The entire array of Qingfeng Market suddenly trembled, condensing above the wooden house into a solid, imposing green mountain phantom that slowly pressed down on the Luo Yu sword shadow.

The sword shadow and the mountain shadow did not actually collide, but in the center where their auras clashed, the space seemed to distort slightly, emitting a low hum.