Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Grandfather finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse: "There has never been a solo effort to reclaim wasteland."

He turned around and placed his hand on the railing. "Qingfeng, Guiyun, and those other families have a fairly solid relationship with us in the past. Jinsha Market... we should prepare some gifts."

The Hundred Herbs Sect has always avoided such matters, but if they could grant priority in harvesting spiritual herbs, they might be able to persuade a few cultivators skilled in healing and detoxification to cooperate.

"The most difficult one is the Thousand Glory Sect," Clan Chief Lin Shanhe added, his gaze turning northeast to where the Thousand Glory Sect's mountain gate was located. "It would be kind of them not to sabotage us behind our backs, and asking for help... would be difficult."

The two exchanged a glance and both saw the seriousness in each other's eyes.

Reclaiming wasteland is not a dinner party; it's an action fraught with danger.

Which of those seven Tier 2 resource points isn't infested with monsters, rife with miasma, or even possibly protected by natural barriers?

With the meager wealth accumulated by the Lin family, it would be impossible to even make a sound if they were to invest it all.

Grandfather suddenly chuckled very softly, with a hint of self-deprecation: "I used to envy the Yun family for owning a whole neighborhood and enjoying such glory. Now that it's our turn to sit in this chair... we realize it's too hot to handle."

Lin Shanhe did not laugh.

He looked down at the array base that was being repaired by the cultivators.

How did the Yun family fall? Wasn't it just years of internal strife that gradually weakened them, allowing these "hungry wolves" to seize the opportunity and swarm them?

"Half a year." He repeated it again, this time as if he were talking to himself, "Recruiting people, training formations, making magical artifacts, stockpiling pills, building connections... and we also have to guard against someone stabbing us in the back while we're pioneering the land."

A sudden commotion arose from below the tower.

The two looked down and saw a group of cultivators who had just cleared some intact materials from the ruins, arguing heatedly over a few usable resources.

The Lin family steward in charge of coordination was frantically trying to mediate, his voice carrying through the twilight, sounding distant and fragmented.

After looking at it for a while, the grandfather suddenly said, "We need to establish rules, clear and specific rules, such as how to deploy troops during wartime, how to record battle achievements, and how to distribute spoils—these must be written down now so that everyone can see them."

Lin Shanhe hummed in agreement, took one last look at the remaining light that had completely disappeared into the sky, and then turned to walk down.

"Let's go back," he said. "Take the headaches one at a time."

The two figures, one in front of the other, were gradually swallowed up by the lights of the market as they came on.

When they returned to Yunhai Villa in Tianyun City, Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao had already received the news and were waiting under the green-patterned jade tree in the courtyard.

Upon seeing Lin Zhao, both of their eyes lit up.

"Uncle!" Lin You ran over. Now eleven years old, she had grown quite a bit taller. After more than two years of cultivation, she had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining and was showing signs of breaking through to the fifth level.

Lin Zhao had previously given them some Purple Qi Pills, which were specialty pills from Tianyun Market. They were more effective than ordinary pills and contained fewer impurities, so they wouldn't have much impact on their future cultivation.

Ye Xiaoxiao followed behind, her cultivation at the peak of the seventh level of Qi Refining solid and profound. Compared to the rogue cultivator she was three years ago, she had a more composed demeanor.

Lin Zhao briefly explained the situation at Shaoyang Market, and the two listened with great excitement.

The Lin family is powerful, giving them more support when they are out in the world.

"You'll all be going to help with the land reclamation next year," Lin Zhao said.

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded: "Disciple understands." In the past few years, she has made great progress in the art of talismans and magic under Lin Zhao's careful guidance, and she is no longer the ignorant person she once was.

Lin You was even more eager to try. Although she was young, all her magical artifacts were personally crafted by Lin Zhao. During the initial exploration, her cultivation level was able to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, which even ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivators might not be able to easily defeat.

They also possessed a complete set of fire-removing magical artifacts that Lin Zhao had refined over the years.

Lin You possesses four first-tier high-grade magic weapons: the Crimson Fire Sword, the Crimson Fire Wheel, the Fire Feather Robe, and the Crimson Flame Bow.

Ye Xiaoxiao possesses two first-tier high-grade magic weapons, the Crimson Fire Blade and the Crimson Sun Pearl, as well as a first-tier supreme-grade magic weapon, the Li Huo Cauldron.

The Fire Cauldron is a first-tier top-grade magic artifact, the core of the entire Fire Magic Artifact set. It can control the power of the other six magic artifacts and set up a Fire Magic Array covering a radius of one mile—integrating offense, defense, and trapping enemies.

Ye Xiaoxiao's cultivation level is high, so she's in her hands.

Foundation building and Qi refining are insurmountable barriers.

This set of magical artifacts allows the user to exert the power of the Foundation Establishment stage during the Qi Refining stage, which is simply a subversion of the common sense of ordinary cultivators.

But precisely because of this, this set of magical artifacts demands an extremely high level of control over the user's magical power, spiritual sense, and mental state.

With their current cultivation levels, even if the two of them joined forces to activate a set, the power of the formation would only be at the tenth level of Qi Refining—and at most it could only last for the duration of an incense stick.

Even so, there are only a handful of cultivators in the Lin family who have reached the tenth level of Qi Refining.

Even a small fragment left behind by a Foundation Establishment cultivator can be of endless benefit to a Qi Refining cultivator.

This set of magical artifacts was actually a waste for the two of them, but Lin Zhao still let them use it.

Lin Zhao knew very well that training a powerful cultivator was more cost-effective than training ten ordinary cultivators.

After reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining, each further advancement requires a great deal of effort and time. Breaking through from the ninth to the tenth level is a hurdle, and the three stages of Foundation Establishment are an insurmountable barrier.

Resources, mindset, and opportunity are all indispensable.

His mentorship of Lin You was partly due to familial ties, but also stemmed from a selfish desire to provide a safety net for their lineage.

Who among those who cultivate immortality doesn't have some selfish desires?

For the next six months, Lin Zhao spent most of his time in the weapon-refining room.

The earth fire roared, turning the stone chamber a crimson red. The Fire Cauldron hung above the fire eye, its surface swirling with runes, absorbing pure spiritual energy.

Lin Zhao's fingers moved in a series of hand seals, and ingredients were thrown into the cauldron, where they were decomposed, fused, and shaped under the guidance of his divine sense.

The Crimson Fire Blade possesses an inner sharpness, the Fire Feather Robe has lifelike patterns, and the Crimson Sun Pearl shines brightly... One set of Fire-Departing Magical Artifacts gradually takes shape.

The most difficult thing to refine is the Fire Cauldron, which is the core of the formation.

It is a first-tier top-grade magic weapon, and it has already touched the threshold of the second tier.

When the cauldron was completed, patterns of fire appeared on its body, faintly resonating with the earth's fire. Heat waves surged in the room, and spiritual light rushed to the top.

In half a year, he forged a total of 227 Fire-type magical artifacts. Among them, the top-grade Fire-Burning Cauldron of the first tier, plus the one in Ye Xiaoxiao's hand, made a total of five.

Five complete fire-refining magical artifacts, if driven by enough Qi-refining cultivators working together, are equivalent to five early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Even if the two of them couldn't unleash their full power, it still far surpassed ordinary formations.

However, the Lin family could only find a handful of Qi Refining cultivators who could fully master a set of Fire-Breaking Magic Artifacts.

Ye Xiaoxiao and Lin You practiced day and night, and with Lin Zhao's personal guidance, they could barely set up the Li Huo Formation even when they joined forces.

But Lin Zhao still made them continue practicing—some things are for the future, and even so, this formation is still a powerful trump card that can be used in the early stages of development.

In the spring of the fourth year, Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao were taken back to Qingxi Mountain by their grandfather, father, and mother.

My father and mother also said they wanted to participate in the land reclamation. My father said, "Such a grand scene as land reclamation is something you may not see a second time in your life." His words were filled with a long-lost passion.

The real reason is that the Lin family has readjusted its family structure, dividing the family into five branches. Lin Zhao has her own page in the family tree, so Lin Zhao's parents naturally need to come out and preside over the ceremony.