Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Without even glancing at it, Master Feiyu slowly rose into the air until he hovered above the Liu family's ancestral land.

Behind it, a pair of enormous white wings of light unfurled in the night sky, their white radiance creating an eerie and cruel contrast with the crimson below.

His eyes were devoid of any emotion, only utter silence.

Since they are already enemies, we cannot hold back. To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to ourselves.

The Liu family's house has been cleaned up.

------

Lin Zhao and Master Feiyu met in the market. After exchanging information about Liu Xingyuan's execution and the Liu family's elimination, they parted ways. Both had confirmed each other's strength.

Lin Zhao did not leave directly, but turned into the market and came to the street in his memory.

The "Lin's Talisman Shop" that once held so many memories no longer exists.

Instead, a magnificent three-story pavilion was erected.

In the midst of this storm that swept through the entire neighborhood, it remained unscathed, not even a single tile fell—this in itself was the clearest signal that the Lin family was safe and sound.

Outside the pavilion, several figures belonging to the market enforcement team were patrolling, clearly protecting the people inside.

When Lin Zhao's figure appeared at the street corner, those figures retreated silently like a tide.

Pushing open the exquisite door, you'll find the shop elegantly furnished, with a dazzling array of talismans.

In the hall, Kobayashi Yu was sitting quietly on a high stool, swinging her legs and curiously looking around.

Beside her stood a quiet young woman in an apricot-colored dress—Ye Xiaoxiao.

She was brought by Li Hao as agreed.

"Senior Lin." Ye Xiaoxiao greeted Lin Zhao respectfully, her eyes filled with anticipation and a hint of nervousness.

Lin Zhao nodded to her, his gaze sweeping across the store before finally settling on Lin You.

The little girl's eyes lit up when she saw him. She jumped off the stool, ran over, and grabbed the hem of his clothes.

Lin Zhao had already made up his mind about accepting Ye Xiaoxiao as a disciple, based firstly on their brief encounter during their time teaching each other years ago.

Secondly, Lin You is almost nine years old. After I brought her back to Tianyun Market, it would be more appropriate for her to have a careful and reliable woman to take care of her daily life and cultivation.

Thirdly, and more deeply, he hoped that Lin You could step outside the family's perspective and see a wider world.

Ye Xiaoxiao is resilient and has excellent talent in talismanic arts. He has also verified her experiences over the years through Master Qingming, and she is a good candidate for cultivation.

With the family turmoil temporarily subsided, the planning for Hidden Mist Market will require at least several years to be in place.

Lin Zhao decided to return to Tianyun Market first to reflect on and digest the experiences and gains of this period.

Before leaving, he made a point of meeting with Li Hao and Fatty Chen.

Without much formality, he simply offered his insights and directions regarding the problems they encountered in their spiritual practice.

Finally, he said, "If you encounter any truly intractable trouble in the future, you can come to Tianyun Market to find me."

This sentence was the greatest support he could leave for his two old friends in Qingfeng Market.

The path to immortality is long, and this parting may not be the last.

Li Hao and Fatty Chen both nodded emphatically, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

Riding the cloud-piercing boat, carrying Ye Xiaoxiao and Lin You, Lin Zhao once again traversed the vast sea of ​​clouds.

When the Tianyun Market, suspended atop Tianling Mountain, surrounded by a sea of ​​clouds and displaying ever-changing scenery, came into view, even Lin Zhao, who had seen it more than once, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

Ye Xiaoxiao and Lin You, who were seeing such a magnificent fairyland for the first time, were so shocked that they were speechless. Their eyes were completely filled with the magnificent pavilions, the flowing light, and the vast sea of ​​clouds.

Upon arrival, Lin Zhao first led the two to pay their respects to Senior Brother Wu Mingxuan and Senior Brother Chu Fengge, the guardian, to familiarize themselves with them and make things easier in the future.

According to sect custom, in addition to their exclusive courtyards above the sea of ​​clouds, sect disciples stationed in the area will also be allocated a second-tier low-grade cave dwelling in the core area of ​​Tianyun Market below, for rest and to house their attendants and relatives.

Whether you use it or not, you will receive the same treatment.

Lin Zhao then settled Ye Xiaoxiao and Lin You in this second-tier cave dwelling located in the market.

The cave dwelling is fully functional, with its own stable spirit-gathering array and protective array, and the concentration of spiritual energy far exceeds that of ordinary areas in the market.

As for the basic supplies for daily use, the market management organization "Tianyun Pavilion" is responsible for allocating them—this is the proper way for sects to establish such residences to serve their disciples.

After everything was arranged, Lin Zhao finally returned to his own No. 7 villa above the sea of ​​clouds and began his cultivation.

-----

The days above the sea of ​​clouds are tranquil and focused, and time quietly slips away.

Inside the quiet room, Lin Zhao sat cross-legged on a blue futon, with a thin spiritual mist slowly swirling and circulating around him.

He was practicing the "Five Spirits Returning to the Void True Technique". This technique is divided into ten levels, with the first three levels corresponding to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Upon introspection, the Guixu Furnace in the dantian shone even brighter, with strands of pure Guixu power flowing within, constantly purifying and compressing the dantian's magical power.

At this rate, once the ten-year garrison period is over, the first level should be perfected, at which point the cultivation level will be stable at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Besides his daily cultivation, he spent the last three months sorting out the many gains he had made since establishing his foundation.

Liu Xingyuan, the head of the Liu family, possessed a total of six magical artifacts, but unfortunately, he shattered four of them.

In the end, they only obtained two magical artifacts: a crimson flame longsword and a second-tier flying boat.

He had already sent these two items back to Qingxi Mountain and given them to his grandfather, who had just established his foundation and needed a second-tier magic weapon to consolidate his strength.

The two demon banners obtained from Liu Yifeng need to be handled carefully. They are good for concealing one's identity. As for the precious second-tier puppet, he sent it back to Rift Bear Lake to strengthen the protection of his parents and brothers.

Today, Rift Bear Lake is openly protected by a top-tier first-order Xuanwu Formation, while secretly harboring a puppet comparable to the early Foundation Establishment stage. Furthermore, Father possesses a second-order talisman left behind by Father, which seals the "Spell-Breaking Nether Needle"...

With such a configuration, if an ordinary Foundation Establishment stage cultivator dared to attack, they would likely face certain death, which was enough to put his mind at ease.

When discussing second-tier talismans, Lin Zhao also had his own focus.

When Foundation Establishment cultivators fight, the distance is often several miles. If talismans have to travel several miles to attack, it will be too slow and the effect will be greatly reduced.

The second-tier talisman path thus diverged, and he chose a more practical type—sealing the spells he possessed into specially made talismans in advance.

The "Dharma-Breaking Needle" left for parents is of this kind.

However, the power of the Void contained in this needle is too domineering, making it extremely difficult to refine, and he has very few left in his possession.

At the same time, he did not give up the second-tier weapon-refining techniques he had mastered in the sect.

Over the years, he has accumulated a considerable amount of fire-attribute spiritual materials, but has not had the time to deal with them.

At this moment, his mind was immersed in the section on the matching magical artifacts in the "True Technique of Departing Fire".

This lineage is extremely complete.

Not only does it include third-tier magic treasures, but it also comes with detailed crafting instructions for a total of twelve matching magic artifacts, ranging from first to second tier!