Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

At the same time, the clear sky above Qingfeng Market suddenly darkened, and a chilling pressure enveloped the surrounding area.

All the cultivators in the market, regardless of their cultivation level, felt a sudden panic and shortness of breath, and all looked in horror towards the center of the market.

This silent standoff lasted for nearly half a day.

When the sunlight returned, the strange phenomena above the market dissipated, and the formation returned to calm, Lin Zhao was no longer at the stone table.

Master Qingming gazed at the nearly shattered chessboard, remained silent for a moment, then picked up a white piece and gently placed it on the center point.

With a soft "crack," the already cracked chessboard finally collapsed completely, turning into dozens of pieces of rubble scattered all over the ground.

"Tell me, does this kid know you're here?" Master Qingming suddenly spoke, his tone complex.

"Isn't that obvious?" A voice, tinged with a hint of laziness and helplessness, rang out from inside the wooden cabin.

A middle-aged cultivator dressed in white, with a handsome appearance and a free and easy demeanor, walked out of the door. He was one of the three mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators from Qingfeng Market.

"Master Feiyu"

He unceremoniously sat down in the spot where Lin Zhao had just been and began clearing the pebbles from the table. "I told you long ago, don't do such despicable things. See, now someone's come knocking on our door!"

"Traitor!" Master Qingming's eyes widened. "If it weren't for preparing resources for your breakthrough to the late Foundation Establishment stage, would I have allowed those two alliances to plunder like this?"

Once they've grown fat enough, there will naturally be a reason to 'rectify' the situation, making the return of spirit stone resources perfectly legitimate!

The Azure Talisman Alliance and the Hundred Refinements Society were, from the very beginning, a scheme secretly orchestrated by Master Qingming to accumulate resources for his disciples.

He originally intended to nurture the alliance for another two years, waiting until the alliance had amassed more wealth and public resentment had deepened before striking to "harvest" it, thus gaining both resources and fame.

Unexpectedly, Lin Zhao appeared out of nowhere, disrupting his plans.

It seems the Lin family is untouchable; only the Liu family remains, from whom we can still extract some profit.

And this rebellious disciple, once he breaks through to the late Foundation Establishment stage, will also be kicked out again, so he won't be an eyesore in the market.

Master Feiyu was unaware that his master was planning to kick him out of the market. He simply shook his head and did not refute Master Qingming's words.

He initially disagreed with the plan, feeling it was too insidious and likely to backfire.

But his master insisted on doing so, and it was for his sake to break through his cultivation level, so he had no grounds to object. He could only make a bet with his master to "give him just one push."

Unexpectedly, human greed, once the floodgates were opened, caused the situation to spiral out of control, resulting in the chaotic mess it is today.

As for Core Formation resources, Qingfeng Market alone is far from enough; the combined resources of the ten lower markets would be about the same.

-----

Meanwhile, Lin Zhao had returned to Qizhen Pavilion.

Upon receiving the news, several members of the Lin family responsible for market affairs rushed over.

Among them were Lin Zhao's cousin Lin Xuan, and Zhao Ziming, who became her Daoist partner.

When the two saw Lin Zhao, their expressions showed both joy and a hint of trepidation.

Lin Zhao simply nodded to them, his gaze sweeping calmly over Lin Xuan, without offering any congratulations or pleasantries.

The Lin family has reached this point, and those who made or carried out these decisions bear some responsibility.

He took Lin You's small hand and said calmly to the Lin family leaders, "Let's go back to Qingxi Mountain."

He turned around, took out a cyan jade talisman, and handed it to Ye Xiaoxiao, who was standing beside him.

"I need a disciple on a voluntary basis. I'll give you three months to consider it. I'll come back then."

Then, he said to Fatty Chen and Li Hao, "If you have any important business, you can come to Qingxi Mountain to find me."

Having said that, he said no more and led the Lin family out of the inner workshop and out of Qingfeng Market.

They summoned the second-tier Flowing Cloud Flying Boat, and everyone boarded. The flying boat transformed into a streak of light, speeding towards Qingxi Mountain.

On the airship, Lin Zhao was resting with her eyes closed.

After hesitating for a long time, Lin Xuan couldn't help but want to step forward and say something.

But then Lin Zhao suddenly opened her eyes and looked at her calmly: "Cousin, are you in charge of the Azure Talisman Alliance?"

Lin Xuan's heart tightened, and he quickly replied, "I am one of the seven managers of the Azure Talisman Alliance, responsible for the purchase and distribution of some talisman materials."

Lin Zhao hummed in agreement, then closed her eyes again without saying anything more.

That bland response, however, made Lin Xuan feel an invisible pressure.

She felt that her cousin, who had returned from the Foundation Establishment stage, had become incredibly unfamiliar and imposing.

Kobayashi Yu seemed to sense her unease, and quietly came over and tugged at her hand.

Lin Zhao was at the bow of the ship, seemingly calm, but his half-day silent confrontation with Qingming Shangren had greatly depleted his spiritual energy. Although his spiritual energy was comparable to that of the late Foundation Establishment stage, it still consumed nearly 70%.

The gains from this trip are clear: if he hadn't returned to intervene, the Lin family would have become the targets of Master Qingming's "harvesting" within five years at most, and their fate would have been unpredictable.

He had to return to his clan as soon as possible and find out the details from the clan leader, Lin Shanhe.

What have they been thinking all these years?! Have they really gotten senile?

-----

As the airship flew over a hilly area, Lin Zhao suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

He sensed that about five miles ahead, a hidden but somewhat malicious early-stage Foundation Establishment divine sense was using a special magical artifact to firmly lock onto their flying boat.

"Ha, there really are people who aren't afraid of death."

Lin Zhao sneered inwardly; the other party clearly hadn't expected his spiritual strength to far exceed that of the early Foundation Establishment stage.

He maneuvered the airship to quickly descend and landed smoothly in a forest clearing.

He turned to the group of people on the boat who looked surprised and uncertain, and said, "Stay here and activate the protective formation. I'll be right back."

Before the words were even finished, the figure in the green robe had already darted out of the flying boat like a wisp of smoke and disappeared into the dense jungle.

The spy reacted extremely quickly. The instant Lin Zhao gave chase, it transformed into a dim gray light and fled in a direction far from the market, clearly demonstrating its experience.

"Quick reaction." Lin Zhao snorted coldly, and a delicate blue lotus magic artifact flew out from his sleeve.

The lotus flower spun rapidly, and its seventy-two leaves suddenly detached, transforming into seventy-two streaks of azure light that flew behind Lin Zhao. As if possessing a life of their own, they intertwined and combined, instantly forming a pair of magnificent "Azure Lotus Sword Wings" with sharp light flowing along their edges.

With a gentle flap of its wings, the sword emitted a melodious yet chilling sword cry.

In the center, a long sword, as white as jade and entwined with lotus patterns, fell into Lin Zhao's hands.

It was the Azure Lotus Sword, a second-tier magic weapon. The lotus flower just now was the Azure Lotus Sword's nurturing form.

The Azure Lotus Sword Wings flapped again, and Lin Zhao transformed into a streak of azure light that was difficult to detect with the naked eye, tearing through the air and chasing after the enemy at a speed far exceeding that of gray light.

Ten miles is not a long distance for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

In a sparsely wooded hilly area, Lin Zhao finally intercepted the enemy.

He was an old man with a full head of withered white hair, a face covered with deep wrinkles and a dark aura. His body was surrounded by a mixed and impure Foundation Establishment spiritual pressure, which faintly carried a bloody and decaying smell.

Despite the drastic change in appearance, cultivators still rely more on their spiritual souls and magical auras to recognize each other.

Lin Zhao's gaze sharpened as he recognized the other party—Liu Yifeng.

What kind of charisma did Liu Yifeng possess in my memory?

He was a charming and charismatic figure at the auction, with striking eyebrows and bright eyes, and an upright posture. He was admired by countless female cultivators in Qingfeng Market.

The person before him was hunched over, sinister, and decaying, like a living corpse crawling out of a grave.

More than ten years have passed, and his cultivation level has been forcibly raised from the ninth level of Qi Refining to the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

However, the magical power was unstable and restless, and the aura of the Dao foundation was even more chaotic and weak, exuding an eerie feeling—a typical demonic "foundation-stealing technique".