Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The Azure Scale streaked across the sky and entered the familiar sea of ​​clouds above Tianyun Market.

The market town below remained bustling, and the blood-red storm that swept across the Jinsha River thousands of miles away did not disturb the peace of this place in the slightest.

This detached detachment stirred a subtle ripple in Lin Zhao's heart, who had just returned from Jinsha Market.

He went straight to Chu Fengge's villa, which was located in the center of the sea of ​​clouds and was shrouded in mist all year round.

The scene in the courtyard is exactly the same as it was a year ago.

On that huge blue stone, Chu Fengge was still dressed in a simple blue robe, with his long hair loose, leaning against the wall, slowly drinking from a vermilion wine gourd.

Sitting opposite him was Wu Mingxuan, whose aura was even more profound and heavy than before, indicating that he had successfully broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Junior Brother Lin! You're finally back!"

Upon seeing him, Wu Mingxuan's eyes lit up. He put down his teacup and exclaimed, "Please sit down! I heard about what happened at Jinsha after I came out of seclusion, but it's a pity I missed such a grand event! Tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"

Lin Zhao didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down on the stone bench, took a gourd of wine that Wu Mingxuan tossed to him, and took a swig.

The warm liquor seemed to have a calming effect, slightly diluting the bloody smell in my memory.

He briefly recounted his journey to Jinsha, from investigating the beast tide, the turmoil in the market, the decisive battle with the dragon, to the final arrival of the Core Formation cultivator and Chu Fengge's intervention.

The narration was calm, yet it left Wu Mingxuan breathless at times and amazed at others.

Finally, Lin Zhao looked at Chu Fengge, who was still calmly drinking, and asked the question that had been lingering in his mind: "Senior Brother Chu, what was the result of your battle with that Core Formation cultivator from the Thousand Radiance Sect?"

Chu Fengge shook his wine gourd, a lazy smile tugging at the corner of his mouth: "The result? There's no result."

"That old fox Mu Yuanling is very cunning. He didn't even use his magic weapons, just a few supernatural abilities to test my strength from a distance. Seeing that he couldn't defeat me, he stopped. Let's call it a draw."

"Having achieved Foundation Establishment perfection, he single-handedly confronted a Core Formation cultivator head-on without defeat..."

Wu Mingxuan clicked his tongue in amazement, his eyes filled with admiration. "Senior Brother's strength is among the top in the sect's current generation of Foundation Establishment prodigies. It's a pity that if Senior Brother could form his core within a hundred years, he might have a chance to become a true disciple."

"There's nothing to regret." Chu Fengge waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the depths of the sea of ​​clouds. His tone was calm, yet it carried a sense of clarity that came with experience. "If I hadn't honed my skills in the Cloud and Mist Mountains for these decades, I might not have achieved my current level of cultivation. Gains and losses are predetermined."

To become a true disciple of the Yunhai Cangming Sect, there are two strict rules.

Alternatively, one could form a golden core within the age of one hundred, and it would be a top-grade golden core. This would be considered a gift from heaven, and one could directly become a true disciple.

Alternatively, one must fulfill either of these conditions by completing the True Inheritance Trial to prove their talent.

True disciples of a sect have a hundred years to receive instruction and training from the Lord of the Dao Inquiry Hall, True Monarch Qingyuan.

Otherwise, even so-called Nascent Soul disciples, like Qin Tianjun, who is not among the true disciples of the sect, will only be nominal Nascent Soul disciples if they successfully form their core in the future.

For a Nascent Soul True Monarch with a lifespan of several thousand years, there is no value in passing on their true teachings and cultivating them.

Sects have powerful training systems, with over 100,000 Foundation Establishment cultivators. Disciples are practically worthless; only Core Formation cultivators hold a certain status within the sect.

If a Foundation Establishment disciple dies in the outside world, the sect will investigate, but in the end, it will only be a Foundation Establishment task for the sect.

Wu Mingxuan's expression shifted, and he tentatively asked, "Senior Brother's sudden intervention in the Golden Sands' affairs, could it be... that you are about to complete your high-grade Golden Core?"

Chu Fengge glanced at him, nodded slightly, and did not hide anything: "Yes. I have made some progress over the years, and by chance, I have comprehended the prototype of a great divine power and am about 30% confident of achieving a high-grade golden core."

"Since the Thousand Glory Sect's influence has become too great, stirring up trouble, I seized the opportunity and used Mu Yuanling as a test of my supernatural powers."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhao suddenly understood.

It turns out that the upheaval that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of cultivators and affected millions of mortals was, in this senior brother's eyes, nothing more than a "test move" on his path to immortality.

The calamity of the dragon was the cause, but the one who truly stirred up the storm was this promising young dragon about to emerge from its cocoon.

For those lost lives and broken families, they are nothing more than dust motes caught in the crossfire on a chessboard.

The world never revolves around any one person; it's cruel, yet true.

He didn't feel much resentment.

Even if Chu Fengge doesn't take action, and even if he doesn't go to Jinsha Market, Wanheng Market and Qianhuang Sect will still launch this dragon turmoil, and not a drop of blood will be spared.

I just happened to be caught in the vortex.

"Mingxuan," Chu Fengge suddenly spoke, looking at Wu Mingxuan, "If I leave, are you interested in taking over the position of guardian of Tianyun Market?"

Wu Mingxuan paused, his relaxed expression vanishing. After a moment of silence, he said solemnly, "This matter... requires your consideration, Junior Brother."

"Whatever you want." Chu Fengge didn't insist. He stood up, dusted off non-existent dust, and said, "Let's go. I'll show you the foundation of Tianyun Market, which is also the greatest opportunity for the guardians."

He led the two into a seemingly ordinary quiet room deep within the courtyard.

With a flick of his sleeve, the stone slabs on the ground silently slid open, revealing a downward staircase, from which a pure and ancient aura of wood spirit faintly emanated.

After passing through several powerful barriers shrouded in spiritual light, a portal that was neither gold nor jade, and covered with mysterious cloud patterns, appeared before them.

"Keep your mind focused," Chu Fengge instructed before pushing open the door and entering.

Lin Zhao and Wu Mingxuan followed closely behind, only to find that the scene before them suddenly changed, and a rich spiritual energy rushed towards them, which was several times purer than the spiritual veins of Tianyun Market outside!

Suddenly, a vast, secluded realm stretched before them! The sky was a soft, bluish-white, devoid of sun and moon, yet bathed in a soft, clear light.

What's most breathtaking is that as far as the eye can see, everything is lush and green! Tens of thousands of apricot trees, each with a unique shape, grow and are distributed according to some mysterious pattern. The vast majority of them have green trunks and leaves that shimmer with spiritual light, all of them being first-tier spiritual wood.

There are also about eight hundred trees with warm, silvery-white trunks, exuding a powerful spiritual aura; they are second-tier spiritual materials!

At the very center of the secret realm, twelve towering trees, each a hundred feet tall and seemingly cast entirely in pure gold, stand majestically, their canopies like canopies, scattering golden shards of light.

Centered around these twelve golden apricot trees, the spiritual energy within a radius of several miles is so dense that it is almost impossible to disperse, reaching the level of a third-tier spiritual land, and its grade is not low!

"This is the 'Heavenly Cloud Secret Realm,' the Heavenly Cloud Market, or rather, the sect's most important asset located here."

Chu Fengge's voice echoed in the empty secret realm, "These apricot trees are all under the jurisdiction of the sect's 'Qiankun Hall,' with a spirit-gathering array below connecting to the spiritual veins and drawing the clear light of the secret realm above."

Every hundred years, all apricot trees will experience a collective cycle of flourishing and decay, where the essence of all trees converges and a fourth-order spiritual object is born at the core.

At that time, a steward from the Qiankun Palace will come to collect it.