Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

But Lin Zhao's next words made his smile freeze instantly.

"However," Lin Zhao said, word by word, "if the Lin family wants to take over Hidden Mist Market, Senior Brother Mingxuan and I can find a way to help the Lin family secure the position of market owner."

However, there is one condition that the Lin family cannot avoid—they must lead a "pioneer war."

"The reclamation war?!" Lin Shanhe exclaimed, abruptly standing up from his seat, his face drained of color.

"Do you know what that means? It means paying with human lives! Fighting monsters for territory, even if the entire Lin family were to be wiped out, it wouldn't be enough!"

The air inside the cave seemed to suddenly become heavy, and the clan leader's rapid breathing could be clearly heard.

Just like how the demon beast faction drives various low-level demon beasts to launch beast tides every year to deplete the power of human cultivators.

The human race was not to be outdone, and every now and then they would launch pioneering wars to seize various spiritual veins and resource points from the demon beasts.

Lin Zhao did not avoid his gaze, her voice calm: "Clan leader, you should know better than anyone else."

The second-tier spiritual vein of the Lin family's Qingxi Mountain, and the hundreds of acres of spiritual fields at the foot of the mountain, were obtained by the first ancestor leading his clan in the pioneering war.

Most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators in Qingfeng Market are dependent on the market itself. How many of them, like our Lin and Liu families, possess completely independent second-tier spiritual vein ancestral lands?

He paused, then continued, "Why is the Liu family stronger than us? Besides their ancestral land, they have two resource points that can produce second-tier spiritual materials, as well as sixteen first-tier resource points! This is something they've earned with their blood and sweat over generations! How could our Lin family possibly catch up without taking risks?"

In addition to the second-tier spiritual vein at their ancestral home, the Lin family also has seven first-tier resource points.

The hundred acres of spiritual fields at the foot of the mountain are a product of this, and Rift Bear Lake is also a newly discovered resource point.

Lin Shanhe paced back and forth, his steps heavy. How could he not understand this principle?

But the meaning behind the words "reclamation war" weighed heavily on his heart.

"What I mean is not to let the Lin family plunge headlong into the monster horde right now."

Lin Zhao softened his tone, "Our goal is to reclaim the resource points that Hidden Mist City has lost over the years."

Those areas already had existing formations and were relatively familiar with the terrain, making it much less risky than venturing into unknown territory. However… casualties would likely still be unavoidable.

The clan chief stopped, turned his back to Lin Zhao, and remained silent for a long time.

His voice was a little hoarse: "Even if we only reclaim the old territory... how much blood will the Lin family have to shed?"

"When you want resources, there's always a price to pay." Lin Zhao's voice also lowered. "If we succeed, the Lin family will have a true foundation. Now that we have a third-tier cultivation technique inheritance, with resources to keep up in the future, it's not impossible for us to even produce a Core Formation cultivator."

Another long silence followed.

Finally, the clan chief turned around, his face regaining its composure. "This matter concerns the fate of the entire clan; I need to discuss it with the elders and clan members."

"Okay," Lin Zhao nodded. "However, there's no need to bother Grandfather for now."

The clan chief was taken aback.

"I brought back some Foundation Establishment resources this time," Lin Zhao explained. "My grandfather is preparing to break through to Foundation Establishment soon."

"Really?!" A startled light flashed in Lin Shanhe's eyes, then it was quickly replaced by worry. "Your grandfather is so old... can he manage?"

"Grandfather was able to advance to the second level in the Dao of Talismans during the Qi Refining stage, which shows that his talent in spiritual sense is not bad. Back then, you were able to establish your foundation so smoothly because you advanced to the second level of array master during the Qi Refining stage."

Lin Zhao said with certainty, "I will personally protect him. I have at least a 60% chance of him establishing a foundation. It's just that his age limits him. Otherwise, he would have a sliver of hope for a mid-grade foundation. Right now, he can only establish a low-grade foundation."

Lin Zhao already understood that the two types of people with the highest chance of advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage were those who broke through the Divine Barrier during the Qi Refining stage, and those who accumulated knowledge and skills and broke through to the second-tier profession ahead of time. Although they did not break through the Divine Barrier, their control over spiritual power was not much worse than those who broke through the Divine Barrier.

Even those ordinary cultivators who possess Foundation Establishment Pills are gambling with their lives.

"Sixty percent... sixty percent is enough!" The clan leader rubbed his hands excitedly. "If we can add another Foundation Establishment cultivator, our chances of success in planning the Hidden Mist Market will be much greater!"

His eyes darted around, and his thoughts immediately became active. "If we could have a few... no, if the family could produce another Foundation Establishment cultivator, especially a sword cultivator with sharp offensive skills, then our chances of conquering the wilderness would be even greater! The Second Elder's lineage is made up of sword cultivators..."

Lin Zhao rubbed his temples helplessly: "Stop. I'll figure out a way to get the Foundation Establishment Pill, but the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Material will have to be handled by the Second Elder himself."

"I have those two second-tier demon cores, but they're probably not enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill. If the family has any resources they can exchange, they can give them to me as well."

Mentioning the Second Elder, Lin Zhao's tone lowered: "What happened to the Second Elder...?"

The excitement on the clan leader's face faded, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Less than two years after you went to the sect, he forcibly attempted to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage... and failed. Although he barely managed to save his life, he lingered for a few years before finally passing away."

The cave was completely silent.

Lin Zhao closed her eyes. Although she had expected it, she still felt a tightness in her chest when she heard the news.

For ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, advancing directly to Foundation Establishment is not so easy. Even with the Second Elder's family's inherited secret techniques as a reference, the probability of advancing to Foundation Establishment is less than 10%.

Each advanced secret technique was created by our ancestors at the cost of countless lives.

Therefore, there are few cultivators at the tenth level of Qi Refining in the outside world, and the secret techniques are all in the hands of Foundation Establishment forces, and they will not be easily spread.

The Yunhai Cangming Sect is an exception. The sect will occasionally pass on some cultivation techniques and secret arts. Even so, only three levels of the Yunling Nine Revolutions Secret Art passed down by the Lin family have been preserved.

Lin Zhao guessed that the cultivation inheritance was deliberately cut off in the last six levels, just like the Lin family's monopoly on talisman inheritance, because they didn't want too many Foundation Establishment cultivators to appear.

"This is his path." The clan chief sighed with respect. "The path of sword cultivators is unyielding; one must either pierce the heavens with a single sword strike or perish halfway through."

Before his death, he created the Blood Fiend Sword Technique, a secret technique for advancing to the tenth level of Qi Refining. Take a look when you have time; if it can produce a Foundation Establishment cultivator from this lineage, it will fulfill his wish.

Ordinary cultivators begin preparing for Foundation Establishment once they break through to the tenth level of Qi Refining. As for the eleventh and twelfth levels of Qi Refining, these are beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

"I'll find a way," Lin Zhao said solemnly. "I still owe him a favor."

Suppressing his sadness, Lin Zhao returned to the main topic: "We must wrap things up with the Qingfu Alliance as soon as possible in the next few months."

The clan chief, upon hearing this, became somewhat anxious: "Didn't we agree to wait until the Hidden Mist Market matter..."

"Hidden Mist Market cannot be taken over in a few months; it requires planning and long-term strategy."

Lin Zhao interrupted him, "The Azure Talisman Alliance has become a burden on the Lin family now, except for collecting spirit stones."

Not only has it consumed a lot of our energy, but I've also heard that the Qingfu Alliance has already extended its reach into Po Jun's supply lines?

Lin Shanhe's expression changed slightly, and he touched his nose somewhat awkwardly, clearly aware of the matter.

"Most importantly," Lin Zhao said sharply, "Master Qingming won't give us that much time. If we don't start cleaning up, he'll make his move first."

"The Lin family won't get a single spirit stone by then; I don't have the ability to snatch food from their mouths."

Lin Zhao waited a few moments, and seeing that the clan leader did not speak, he continued, "Three months later, it will be the annual auction in the market, where cultivators from all sides will gather."

"Master Qingming and I have already reached an agreement that we will deal with the Hundred Refinements Society and the Azure Talisman Alliance at that time."

He looked at the clan leader and said, "In the next three months, you should quietly transfer all the personnel and resources that are needed in the Lin family and the Qingfu Alliance away from here."

The assets that can't be taken away, and those evil-doing cultivators within the alliance... let the market handle them. This is also a way to give the market the explanation and compensation for the cultivators who have suffered losses over the years.

Lin Shanhe let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and finally made a decision: "So be it, it seems this is the only way. It's just that without the Qingfu Alliance as a source of income, what about the Qin family and Po Jun..."

"Let's have an open and honest talk," Lin Zhao interjected. "Let's invite that uncle from the Black Fiend Pavilion as well. Spirit stones are tempting, but a cultivator's strength is the only true measure. Let's put the Hidden Mist Market on the table and lay out the risks and plans."

Lin Shanhe gave Lin Zhao a deep look, and he sensed a strong sense of confidence in her words.

This prodigy, who had been away from home for ten years, had already gained the confidence and means to subdue other Foundation Establishment cultivators.