Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The group left the villa and headed straight for the core area. The Jinsha Market was still brightly lit at night.

The commercial and military zones, in particular, were bustling with people, even busier than during the day.

The "good place" Zhou Xun mentioned is the Baiwei Lingshan Restaurant in the core area, which has branches in all seventeen wards. It is said to have been established by the Qianhuang Sect.

Downstairs, most of the people were Qi Refining cultivators, sitting in groups of three or five, talking and laughing loudly, creating a lively atmosphere.

Zhou Xun was clearly a regular customer, and the innkeeper personally led him to a private room on the sixth floor.

Pushing open the window, one can see the Jinsha River in the distance glowing dimly in the night, and the river breeze carrying moisture and a faint smell of blood blows in.

"The Crimson Flame Wings here are exceptional, and the key is that they're cheap—the front lines have no shortage of monster materials."

Zhou Xun, familiar with the place, ordered a table full of dishes and several jars of strong liquor.

Once the food and wine were served, the five people sat down around the table.

Besides Zhou Xun, the other three were also Foundation Establishment cultivators, two men and one woman.

One of them was a lean man named Hou Shang, who was in the early stages of Foundation Establishment and was the leader of a large demon-hunting team in the market.

Another one, with a simple and honest face and a sturdy build, is named Shi Xuan. He is in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, specializes in earth magic, and is often responsible for maintaining fortress formations.

The woman's name was Liu Qingyan. She was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and was a rare sound cultivator. Her jade flute could disturb people's minds and suppress demonic beasts on a large scale.

After a few drinks, he started talking non-stop.

"Junior Brother Lin, since you're new here, let me first tell you about the situation in Jinsha Market."

Zhou Xun tore off a piece of roasted tendon that smelled charred, and said while chewing, "Let's talk about people first. There are at least a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators here, whether they are permanent or transient."

However, most of them are in the early stages of Foundation Establishment. There are five of us in the late stages of Foundation Establishment, plus two at the peak of Foundation Establishment—the sect leader Zhu Yi, and Bai Zhi Fairy from the Hundred Herbs Sect.

"The power can be roughly divided into three parts."

Hou Shang interjected, speaking rapidly, like pouring out beans, "The first group is the Jinsha Army, which is owned by the market itself. There are about 10,000 of them. They are all experts in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining. They are disciplined and mainly responsible for guarding the defensive fortifications and conducting daily patrols."

The second group consists of support cultivators sent from various markets, numbering approximately three thousand. They are mostly elites at the late or even perfect stage of Qi Refining, specializing in tackling tough challenges and dealing with commander-level Qi Refining level ten demonic beasts.

The third group is the most diverse—hundreds of demon-hunting teams of varying sizes, ranging in size from dozens to hundreds of members, with high mobility, filling in wherever there is a shortage.

Shi Xuanweng added in a low voice, "The market itself also maintains fifteen large demon-hunting teams. The most famous are the Seven Kills, Broken Army, and Greedy Wolf teams, while the remaining twelve are more ordinary."

Liu Qingyan chuckled softly, her voice gentle: "Don't forget those 100,000 mortal soldiers. Although they have no spiritual roots, they cultivate the body-refining techniques of the army, supplemented by 'talismanic artifacts,' and fight in formation. Even ordinary first-tier demonic beasts might not be able to defeat them."

Normally, they are responsible for logistics, transportation, and battlefield cleanup; of course, they must also step in when the situation is urgent.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun patted his chest, a hint of pride in his voice: "I am highly regarded by all of you fellow Daoists, and I serve as the commander and instructor of these 100,000 mortal soldiers."

Lin Zhao subconsciously replied, "The chief instructor of the Imperial Guards."

Zhou Xun was taken aback: "Imperial Guards? What Imperial Guards? The border defense army of the Great Yun Dynasty is called the 'Zhenyue Army,' but we don't have that name in our market."

Lin Zhao chuckled and said, "It was just a casual remark, please don't take offense, senior brother."

Everyone laughed, taking it as just a funny story from a newcomer.

The topic then shifted to the Foundation Establishment cultivator circle. Zhou Xun's expression became more serious: "In theory, all Foundation Establishment cultivators are under the jurisdiction of the 'Golden Sand Palace'."

The hall issues missions, which we can accept or not. You don't need to worry too much about ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, but there are a few you should keep in mind.

He counted on his fingers: "Two at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and you definitely need to meet the Sect Master Zhu Yi."

The other is Fairy Baizhi of the Hundred Herbs Sect, who is in charge of all logistics, treating the wounded, and preparing elixirs. She is also one of the five hall masters of the Hundred Herbs Sect, holding a transcendent position, and her words carry more weight than those of Master Zhu.

"There are five late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Cai Kuo from the Thousand Radiance Sect has a high-grade second-tier spirit boat. In a real fight, he's no less capable than an ordinary peak Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Xue Ya of the Black Fiend Pavilion is unpredictable and not to be trifled with.

Elder Mu of the Hundred Herbs Sect, though a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, was not skilled in combat. However, he was a second-tier high-grade alchemist, and everyone respected him.

"And then there's me, Zhou Xun." As he spoke of himself, Zhou Xun deliberately puffed out his chest, eliciting another round of laughter from the crowd.

"The last one," Hou Shang said in a low voice, "the captain of the 'Shadow Chasing Demon Hunting Team,' which ranks first among hundreds of demon hunting teams."

This team was formed to hunt second-tier monsters in exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills. The team members have changed time and again, but the captain has never changed.

Officially a rogue cultivator, but there are rumors... he might be connected to the 'Ghost Cry Market'.

Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat.

Ghost Cry Market is a pawn secretly supported and dealt with by the three major sects in the gray and black areas.

If Captain Zhuying really comes from there, then this strongest rogue cultivator demon-hunting team is probably a pawn in the three major sects' indirect control of the power of the rogue cultivators in Jinsha.

After a satisfying meal, it was already late at night.

Zhou Xun handed the jade slip containing the contact information for each faction to Lin Zhao, saying, "Junior Brother Lin, I'll take you to see the sect leader tomorrow."

The next day, Lin Zhao met the lord Zhu Yi in the main hall of Jinsha Palace, introduced by Zhou Xun.

This person was dressed in a black battle armor, with dragon patterns embossed on the surface.

His face was resolute, his skin a bronze hue from years of wind and sun, and his eyes sharp as an eagle's. He concealed the oppressive aura of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator extremely well.

"Lin Zhao? From Tianyun Market, he must be someone capable." Zhu Yi's voice was deep and unpretentious.

"Wolf Fang Fortress is in dire straits right now. Over ten thousand demonic beasts have gathered, and the defending forces have already suffered 30% casualties. Lin Zhao, you will take a team to escort reinforcements there and, while you're at it, familiarize yourself with the situation on the front lines."

-----

Half an hour later, Lin Zhao, along with a group of a hundred cultivators and over a thousand ordinary soldiers, set off from the east gate of the market along the mountain road towards Wolf Fang Fortress, which was dozens of miles away.

These ordinary soldiers caught his eye. Each of them wore heavy, dark gold armor, probably weighing over fifty pounds, yet they all moved with steady, swift steps and exhaled deeply.

Roughly estimated, an ordinary soldier's arm probably has a strength of four or five hundred catties, while those who look like captains or commanders have a strength of over a thousand catties, and their combat power is no less than that of a cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining.

The spears in their hands, the swords at their waists, and the crossbows on their backs were all engraved with fine dark gold runes, faintly emanating spiritual energy—these were "talismanic artifacts".

Although it is not as agile and changeable as a real magic weapon, it is sharp and sturdy.

The downside is that it needs to be nurtured regularly with spirit stones or a specific formation; otherwise, the runes will become dull and it will be no different from ordinary iron.

Each fortress is equipped with a small "talisman nurturing array," which is slowly nurtured with broken spirit stones in normal times, and can be urgently infused with spirit stones in wartime to quickly restore the power of the talisman.

They formed teams of ten, and their powerful strength, combined with their magical artifacts, allowed them to even kill monsters at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

As for the later stages of Qi Refining, it's impossible to achieve that, because the protective aura of demonic beasts in the later stages can block most attacks.