Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

All seven Tier 2 resource points were now in their possession.

As agreed, the Lin family only took one spiritual vein and one mining site, with the remainder distributed according to battle merits.

The team that achieved the greatest merit was the "Iron-Blooded Demon Hunting Group"—several large demon hunting teams were temporarily merged into one with more than a thousand members, and they ultimately captured the second-tier mid-grade spiritual vein on Luoxia Peak.

The sword cultivators of the second branch of the Lin family contributed a lot. Sword cultivators are always on the front line of demon hunting and have always maintained contact with those large demon hunting teams.

They actually own half of this spiritual vein. If they can completely integrate and absorb these people in the future, Qi Refining cultivators will probably become the largest branch of the Lin family.

Who says sword cultivators are all about recklessness? It's a pity that their spiritual veins are partially damaged; they won't recover in less than a hundred years.

Lin Zhao glanced at the clan leader again, but the clan leader seemed not to notice Lin Zhao's gaze. The clan's affairs were also very complicated...

The first lineage is theoretically the strongest, but Lin Shanhe is still the clan leader, so he can't favor this lineage too much. The Grand Elder, however, has not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

The second lineage, the sword cultivator lineage, has risen to prominence, but it's hard to say whether they can completely subdue and integrate the demon-hunting teams. Even if they can, it will be at least a hundred years from now.

When the spiritual vein is repaired, the market will need resources, and the family will naturally contribute. The Lin family will then obtain a second second-tier high-grade spiritual vein. However, since the family has contributed, the right to use the spiritual vein will naturally need to be shared among the other branches of the family.

If it cannot be integrated and is occupied by outsiders, the clan leader might punish the spiritual vein severely, preventing it from ever advancing.

The third branch, headed by the eldest uncle, had an early marriage alliance with the Qin family and had been trying to win over the people from the former Hidden Mist Market. Their strengths lay in connections, business, and intelligence.

The fourth lineage, the sect lineage, is almost independent of the Lin family. In fact, Lin Yuanfeng was the first Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Lin family. Unfortunately, he only established a low-grade Dao Foundation and could not compete with the patriarch for the family's leadership. However, if the Black Fiend Pavilion plans to intervene in Shaoyang Market in the future, it is hard to say which side they will stand on.

The fifth lineage, the one with the shallowest foundation, has only a few members, but it is the strongest lineage because Lin Zhao hardly needs to rely on the family. On the contrary, the family needs Lin Zhao very much and is someone they must win over.

In recent years, in order to take control of the market and quickly increase its strength, the Lin family has recruited too many people. They need to win over each faction and maintain a certain balance with each faction.

-----

The night the dust settled, the Lin family hosted a simple celebration banquet.

A huge bonfire was lit in the center of the camp, and the aroma of roasted meat mixed with the smell of wine wafted through the air.

The monks chatted and laughed loudly, boasting about their daytime exploits, while others silently drank by the firelight, longing for their companions who would never return.

Lin Zhao sat alone on a low slope on the outskirts of the camp, gazing at the silent Sunset Peak in the distance.

Lin Shanhe walked over at some point and sat down next to him.

The clan chief remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What do you think of that golden roc today?"

"A descendant of a third-tier royal family, with exceptional talent, and further protected by the Core Formation technique." Lin Zhao said calmly, "It retreated today not out of fear, but because it felt it wasn't worth it. If the demonic beasts hadn't been defeated, it might have truly made its move."

"It's talking about 'Thundercloud Cliff'..."

"The territory of a Core Formation Demon." Lin Zhao looked into the depths of the mountains. "We can't go there yet."

The two stopped talking and simply sat side by side, watching the campfire flicker and the stars gradually rise.

The clan chief continued, "Don't leave during this time. There might be something I need your help with."

Lin Zhao was puzzled, but the clan leader didn't say much and just patted him on the shoulder.

The war is over.

But the era belonging to the Lin family has only just begun.

-----

In the months following the end of the land reclamation war,

Clan Chief Lin Shanhe was extremely busy. He had to distribute the spoils, care for the wounded, assign people to take over the newly captured resource points, reinforce the market's defenses, and redefine the rules for the trade routes leading to other markets…

People came and went in the council hall of the neighborhood chief.

Lin Zhao went into seclusion five days after the war ended.

Once the stone door to the cultivation cave was closed, it was shut out from the noise outside.

This seclusion lasted for three months.

When I left the pass again, the market had changed completely.

New shops opened one after another, and caravans from various markets came and went at the city gates. Most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had come to help in the battle had left, and the markets returned to their proper order.

Lin Zhao had just finished drinking half a cup of tea in the courtyard when the clan leader's communication talisman arrived.

The clan chief Lin Shanhe's voice rang out directly beside him, brief and concise: "East of the market, a thousand miles away, lies the Valley of Miasma."

Lin Zhao raised an eyebrow, put down his teacup. What was this old fox up to by making him stay?

He arrived outside the Valley of Miasma.

This place is not within the designated area for reclamation, but it is not far away, only a hundred miles, which is not far for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The valley entrance is hidden between two barren, gray-black mountains, like a crack in the earth.

Grayish-white mist slowly flows through the valley, and even standing outside the valley, one can smell the faint odor of decay.

Lin Shanhe was already waiting at the valley entrance, his hands behind his back, looking into the valley, lost in thought.

"Clan Chief." Lin Zhao landed.

Lin Shanhe turned around, his face expressionless, and simply nodded: "Let's go inside and talk."

The two entered the valley one after the other. At first, the fog was thin, but the deeper they went, the thicker it became, and its color gradually changed from grayish-white to an ominous dark green.

After walking about ten miles, Lin Zhao's body automatically emitted a protective aura—the fog had become so thick that one could not see their own hand in front of their face, and the poison it contained had begun to erode his spiritual power.

An ordinary Qi Refining cultivator here would probably not last more than an incense stick's time.

Lin Shanhe also activated his protective aura and continued to lead the way.

They walked another five miles towards a crevice, and the fog suddenly thinned, revealing a "clean" area about a hundred feet in diameter. And in the center of this area—

Lin Zhao's pupils contracted slightly.

The rock formations in the valley gleamed with a moist, jade-like luster.

"Spirit stone mine," he said softly.

It is of second-tier quality, and judging from the purity of its spiritual energy, it is likely to be of medium grade or even higher.

Lin Shanhe finally revealed a smile: "The information found in the Yun family is about a secret mine that has been hidden for nearly a hundred years. It is one of the Yun family's assets. Unfortunately... the poisonous fog in this valley is strange, and the cost of mining is too high. They have never dared to take large-scale action."

Lin Zhao walked to the edge of the rock wall, reached out and touched it; the rock was icy cold.

If such a mine can be successfully mined, the spirit stone wealth it provides in a short period of time is equivalent to five ordinary second-tier resource points.

He suddenly understood why the clan chief had been so "generous" in allocating resources during the pioneering war.

"I called you here to check out this poisonous fog." Lin Shanhe walked to his side, gazing at the dark green fog that was slowly closing in again.

"We old guys have tried all sorts of methods, and although we can temporarily clear it out, the poisonous fog will seep out from the ground again in less than half a day."

He turned to look at Lin Zhao: "You are knowledgeable; have you ever seen a similar situation in the sect? Is there a way to cure it completely?"

Lin Zhao did not answer immediately.

He closed his eyes, and his divine sense, like invisible mercury, slowly spread out, seeping into the rock strata beneath his feet, the surrounding mist, and even the flow of every wisp of spiritual energy in the air.