Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

He pointed to the twelve golden apricot trees: "These trees are now connected to the origin of the secret realm. As long as the secret realm is not destroyed, they will be revitalized in a few years, and the cycle will repeat every hundred years."

The sect's foundation is far beyond what outsiders can imagine.

The sect also possesses thirty-six Heavenly Generals and seventy-two Earthly Fiends secret realms, all similar to these, but even more mysterious, continuously giving birth to various high-level spiritual objects.

Wu Mingxuan and Lin Zhao were deeply moved. This was only the tip of the iceberg of the overlord sect. They had transformed the world and turned the secret realm into a resource-producing area, which was almost legendary.

"The benefits of becoming a guardian are: every ten years, you can receive one golden apricot as a reward; three golden apricots are equivalent to a complete third-tier spiritual item."

Chu Fengge looked at the most intense golden light in the very center of the secret realm, "But more importantly, you can personally witness the entire process of the birth of a fourth-order spiritual creature."

This is of great benefit to understanding the creation of heaven and earth, consolidating one's foundation, and even condensing the elixir of immortality.

I won't need it now, but forty years from now will be the next century.

He glanced at the two of them: "Mingxuan, you should weigh the options yourself. Junior Brother Lin, if you can reach the late Foundation Establishment stage within forty years, you can also give it a shot."

Chu Fengge's decision to lead the two of them into the secret realm was certainly not a spur-of-the-moment thing.

Lin Zhao later had a private chat with Wu Mingxuan and finally figured out the whole story – all three of them belonged to the Wuyai lineage of the sect.

To be precise, their master, Master Qianqiu, the couple from Feixue Peak, and even Chu Fengge's master, all belonged to the lineage of the sect Wuyai Zhenjun.

How can the guardians of Tianyun Market be appointed arbitrarily?

According to the sect's rules, the appointment should be made by the Cloud Sea Hall, which is in charge of the sect's affairs, and even a Core Formation cultivator would find it difficult to influence the process.

Only a Nascent Soul True Monarch can influence or even decide on the selection of a person.

Even the sect leader and true lord must give sufficient respect to the opinions of the Wuyai lineage.

Lin Zhao had only recently entered the sect and did not know much about these intricate factional origins, while Chu Fengge had been honing his skills in the Foundation Establishment stage for over a hundred years and knew the intricacies of it all.

What the three major sects of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range feared was not only Chu Fengge himself, but also the Boundless Lineage behind him.

Regardless of the truth behind the events of the Heavenly Capital Spirit Sect a thousand years ago, the final result was that their lineage occupied the spiritual land of Heavenly Spirit Mountain and has continued to this day.

Once you understand this point, many things will become clear.

This is also the source of Chu Fengge's confidence in openly sharing the secrets of the secret realm and intending to arrange a successor between Wu Mingxuan and Lin Zhao.

------

They lingered in the secret realm for several more days, and Chu Fengge gave a general introduction to the other resources and core formations of the secret realm.

During the conversation, he did not deny that this secret realm was the legacy of the "Tiandu Yuling Sect". However, the deeper secrets had been sealed by the sect, which seemed to involve the sect's Nascent Soul level competition. Lin Zhao wisely did not delve into it further.

Lin Zhao remembered something and took out the dark blue dragon egg and the eerie black three-legged toad statue.

Chu Fengge took it and examined it briefly before saying, "This toad statue is a second-tier demonic artifact. It can gather and transform blood and soul resentment. If you know some demonic techniques, you might be able to use it when you need to disguise yourself and conceal your aura."

As for this dragon egg…” He frowned slightly, “It is deficient in essence, inherently weak, and deeply corrupted by evil magic. Even if it hatches, it will be a mindless demonic dragon that only knows how to kill. Its growth limit is only the late Foundation Establishment stage.”

Having said that, he activated the power of the secret realm's array, and a pure golden beam of light descended, enveloping the dragon egg. A faint hissing and struggling came from within the eggshell, as wisps of black and red energy were forcibly expelled and purified.

A moment later, the golden light dissipated, and the eggshell seemed to have a purer luster, but the savage aura deeply rooted in its origin was still faintly present.

"I have dispelled the control methods of Wanheng Market, but its demonic nature is too deep to be eradicated. You can deal with it yourself." Chu Fengge returned the two items.

Lin Zhao silently put it away.

In the days that followed, he learned from Senior Brother Chu that the Thousand Glory Sect was a relatively fair sect in its early years, leading the sect and the market against the demon beast camp and indeed making countless contributions.

However, in the last two hundred years, the atmosphere has become increasingly arrogant. The third-order dragon that was painstakingly cultivated was not used to guard the sect, but was prepared to be refined into a special third-order magic weapon.

The Thousand Glory Sect has not had a new Core Formation cultivator for nearly two hundred years. That magic weapon was specifically for the sect to produce a Core Formation cultivator. That resolute determination, regardless of the cost, is chilling.

Perhaps in their eyes, the essence of that dragon is a third-tier spiritual object that can help people explore the path to Core Formation.

------

Meanwhile, deep within the Thousand Glory Sect, in a cave dwelling filled with spiritual energy yet exuding a oppressive atmosphere.

The Core Formation Realm cultivator Mu Yuanling sat facing the Cai family patriarch, his face as calm as still water.

Below, the sect leader of the Thousand Glory Sect was bowing as he reported on the gains and losses of the "Dragon Incident," speaking slowly but with heavy words.

Cai Kuo knelt on the ground, his head bowed deeply.

The Cai family patriarch grew impatient and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, enough of these trivial matters. Go."

The sect leader's lips moved slightly, but he ultimately swallowed his words.

He wanted to say that if Cai Kuo hadn't pushed Zhu Yi and Jinsha Market to the brink, it wouldn't have attracted Chu Fengge's intervention from Tianyun Market, leading to the sect's complete failure.

But he knew that it would be useless to say these words. Cai Kuo was a direct descendant of the Cai family, and the Qianhuang Sect of today was no longer the relatively just sect it was hundreds of years ago.

Since the several Core Formation Ancestors each supported their own families, the real core resources and advancement channels have been almost monopolized by the major families, and his position as sect leader has long been a mere formality.

This is precisely the root cause of the sect's increasingly arrogant atmosphere over the past two hundred years, yet the lack of new Core Formation cultivators.

Otherwise, why would one risk everything and do something as rebellious as "walking the dragon"?

After the sect leader withdrew, a brief silence fell over the cave. The murmuring of the spiritual spring added to the tranquility.

"Is Chu Fengge really that difficult to deal with? Even you are not entirely confident?" The Cai family patriarch spoke slowly, his voice low.

Mu Yuanling tapped the armrest of the jade throne lightly with his fingertips, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes: "He displayed three supernatural abilities when he fought me, which is not to be feared. The key is... he has actually mastered the prototype of a 'great supernatural ability'."

Supernatural powers and great supernatural powers, though differing by only one word, are worlds apart.

If I were to fight him to the death, my chances of winning would be no more than fifty percent. If I were to be careless, I might be in danger of losing my life.

Moreover, the legendary "Heretical Sword Pill" from Tianyun Market has yet to be found. If Chu Fengge were to take it out, its power would be immeasurable.

What Mu Yuanling didn't say was that no one in his Mu family generation had any hope of forming a core yet. The dragon was a scheme by the Cai family, and he wasn't that foolish to gamble his own path for the Cai family's sake.

The Cai family patriarch remained silent. Every word Mu Yuanling said made sense, and he couldn't find any fault with it.

This incident occurred because Cai Kuo had an elder brother who was preparing to achieve the highest rank.

His scheme to seize the resources of Jinsha was to use the resources of the market as leverage to steal his elder brother's opportunity to form his core.

Mu Yuanling's figure faded away as she left the cave.