Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The final casualty figures are: 214 people died, more than 500 were seriously injured, and nearly 1,000 were slightly injured.

For a pioneering war involving tens of thousands of cultivators and lasting for half a year, this casualty rate is surprisingly low.

The Lin family's organization and coordination, their generous supply of pills and magical artifacts, and the support and deterrence from the Foundation Establishment cultivators played a decisive role.

But everyone knows that the real test is just beginning.

The Seven Demon Nests are the gathering places for the power of demonic beasts in this region.

Based on preliminary investigations and evidence of monster activity, each monster nest is inhabited by at least two Foundation Establishment monsters, and the terrain is treacherous, with natural miasma and naturally formed maze-like restrictions.

In the reclamation command center—a stone hall reinforced with magic—Lin Shanhe, the patriarch of the Lin family, stood in front of a huge sand table.

The terrain on the sand table is incredibly lifelike, with seven locations marked with black triangular flags.

Behind him stood a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The foundation was laid by the grandfather, Lin Feng, Shen Qianfeng, and the Qin family; this was the Lin family's own strength.

Qingsong Daoren, Madam Liu, and Sun Hanshan were invited outside helpers.

Several other Foundation Establishment cultivators, who had been sent from other markets, also stood solemnly at this moment.

"The seven demon lairs are spaced between 150 and 300 miles apart." Lin Shanhe traced lines on the sand table with his finger. "We have probed them several times over the past three months."

Each time they approach within fifty miles, a Foundation Establishment demon beast will appear from the demon's lair, but they will never stray far from the core of the lair. They are delaying, and also... gathering.

"A gathering?" Daoist Qingsong frowned. "Fellow Daoist, you mean..."

"When we were clearing the perimeter, a large number of first-tier demonic beasts fled to these seven demonic nests."

Lin Feng spoke, his voice cold and hard as iron, "Over the past few months, there are probably tens of thousands of first-tier demonic beasts gathered in each demonic lair. They are waiting for us to disperse our forces and defeat them one by one."

The atmosphere inside the tent was heavy. Twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators—it sounded like a terrifying force.

However, if they are scattered across seven battlefields, with only two or three people in each location, facing second-tier monsters that rely on the terrain and have a large number of low-level monsters to assist them, the outcome is unpredictable.

If we concentrate our forces to attack one place, the monsters in the other six places are likely to take the opportunity to swarm out and attack the rear lines or resource points.

"So if they don't come out, we won't launch a full-scale attack," Lin Shanhe said slowly. "At this point in the reclamation, we've accomplished most of our main objectives. The seven demon lairs... we can slow down a bit."

"How long will it take?" Madam Liu asked. She was dressed in white, carrying a long sword on her back, and had a cold and aloof demeanor.

Lin Shanhe's gaze swept over everyone in the tent. "Wait until we are confident that we can kill them all in one blow and completely defeat all the demonic beasts."

"Then let's wait." Sun Hanshan grinned. He was as burly as an iron tower, and his voice boomed. "Anyway, I've made quite a bit of money in the past six months. I'm not at a loss. I can afford to wait."

This attitude represents the thinking of most outsiders who have come to build their foundations; they are there to lend a hand, not to fight to the death.

Since the Lin family chose the safe option, they were naturally happy to relax.

Lin Shanhe nodded and said no more.

Some things are better left unsaid.

After the meeting, the Foundation Establishment cultivators dispersed.

Clan Chief Lin Shanhe walked out of the stone hall and leaped onto a high cliff next to the hall.

At the edge of that line of sight, seven areas shrouded in demonic clouds resembled seven scars on the earth.

He could sense that from the depths of those demonic clouds, a similarly cold gaze was looking back at him.

Second-tier Foundation Establishment demonic beasts are no less intelligent than humans; they too are weighing their options and waiting.

Will these humans who have invaded their territory be content with their existing gains and retreat, or will they be insatiable and try to seize their last remaining territory?

The clan leader was waiting for Lin Zhao to emerge from seclusion.

The pioneering battle of the first six months was just an appetizer; the real contest has only just begun.

-------

As the sun set, the various reclamation teams returned one after another to their newly built "frontline camp".

When Zhao Laosan led the "Hunter Fang" team into the camp, he was completely exhausted.

The battle in the Iron River Valley over the past three days was exceptionally fierce. The Ironback Crocodiles in the valley were in large groups, with thick skin and tough flesh. In the end, it was only by the joint efforts of three Foundation Establishment seniors who used fire-attribute magic that the horde of beasts was wiped out.

But the rewards were plentiful. Each member of the team received at least thirty battle merits. Chen Gui even found a fist-sized piece of "sinking iron concentrate," which earned him an extra fifty battle merits after being handed in, making him grin from ear to ear.

The wounded monks were carried to the medical tent, the captured materials were piled up in front of the warehouse for registration, and tired but excited conversations echoed in the camp.

Zhao Laosan squatted in front of his tent. Old Chen came over and handed him a small flask of strong liquor: "Have a sip to ward off the cold."

The two silently shared a sip. The strong liquor burned their throats, but it also eased their tense nerves somewhat.

"It's been half a year." Old Chen looked at the Lin family flag in the center of the camp and suddenly said, "I used to think the Lin family was just lucky to have produced Lin Zhao, but now it seems... it's not that simple."

Zhao Laosan nodded. In the past six months, he had personally witnessed how the Lin family united thousands of cultivators from different forces and with different intentions into a cohesive force, and how they allocated resources, assigned tasks, and handled disputes.

Not to mention the Lin family cultivators who were always at the forefront—the powerful patriarch, the murderous Lin Zhengfeng, and all sorts of powerful fire-based magical artifacts…

"From now on, the Lin family will probably really be in charge of this area around Shaoyang Market," Old Chen sighed.

Zhao Laosan didn't reply, but just took another swig of wine.

-------

Lin Zhao finished her cultivation and finally emerged from seclusion.

During his six-month seclusion, he not only cultivated but also forged a powerful second-tier magic weapon.

"Three Flame Fan"

In addition to the seven first-tier magic artifacts, the "True Technique of Departing Fire" also contains five powerful second-tier magic artifacts.

He repeatedly studied the five second-tier magical artifacts recorded, and finally selected the one that was most suitable and whose materials were relatively easy to gather.

To craft the Three Flames Fan, one needs to find the primary feathers of three second-tier fire-attribute birds.

To this end, he mobilized a considerable amount of resources from Shaoyang Market and also had the Yang family secretly gather them.

Finally, they managed to collect the tail feathers of the "Crimson Eagle," the wing feathers of the "Burning Sky Sparrow," and the crown feathers of the "Flame Falcon," as the three spirit feathers have similar attributes.

It was a feather fan about two feet long, with dark red ribs and a fan surface that shimmered with red, gold, and blue spiritual light. The patterns on each feather spontaneously emitted scorching spiritual energy.

A gentle wave of the fan releases waves of heat.

Lin Zhao reached out and grasped the fan handle, probing it with his divine sense and taking control of the fan.

This fan possesses two powerful spells:

The first spell summoned "Crimson Blaze," covering a hundred feet and possessing astonishing destructive power.

The second spell can briefly summon the "Three Bird Phantoms" to slay enemies in all directions.

Although it is a second-tier low-grade magic weapon, its power is comparable to that of a second-tier mid-grade magic weapon.

What's even more remarkable is that the Three Flames Fan is a multi-target attack magic weapon—perfect for early-game raids and battles.

He put away his feather fan, pushed open the gate to the courtyard, and received the message from the clan leader.

The letter contained only eight characters: "The demon's lair remains unmoved, yet people's hearts are in turmoil."

After reading the letter, Lin Zhao crumpled it into a ball in his palm, channeled his magic, and the ball of paper turned into wisps of green smoke and dissipated.