Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

When talking about sect contribution points, Lin Zhao recalled the various special Foundation Establishment techniques he had seen when exchanging them, which numbered in the tens of thousands.

The shock of that moment gave him a deeper understanding of the sect's foundation—

With the sect's special methods and resources, let alone 100,000 Foundation Establishment cultivators, if needed, hundreds of thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators could be forcibly created.

The sect's secret history vaguely records that every few thousand to tens of thousands of years, the sect would launch a great expedition, summoning cultivators from all sects and immortal cities in Yunzhou.

At the same time, countless resources will be poured out, and millions of Foundation Establishment cultivators, tens of thousands of Core Formation cultivators, and hundreds of Nascent Soul cultivators will gather in the "Cloud Sea Immortal City," a floating immortal city, to form an allied army to launch an expedition to other continents...

It is rumored that the outcome of each great expedition is directly related to the succession of the supreme Divine Lord.

In comparison, the hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators who perished in the Grand Examination were but a drop in the ocean for the sect.

As for whether cultivators from immortal cities or sects will hinder the expedition, that's not the case.

Because by then all the immortal cities in Yunzhou will be taken over by the sects, there will be no cultivators from other sects, and no more rogue cultivators...?

After handing over the Foundation Establishment-related items to his parents and instructing them to focus on their cultivation, Lin Zhao let the two elders leave first.

Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao were left alone in the room, and the atmosphere was immediately filled with a strong sense of reluctance.

Lin You's eyes were slightly red, while Ye Xiaoxiao lowered her head and pursed her lips, her fingers clenched so tightly they turned white.

Lin Zhao remained silent for a moment before speaking, "A cultivator's life is filled with unpredictable gatherings and separations. Lin You, take good care of Grandpa and Grandma. If I gain anything while I'm away, I will find a way to send the Foundation Establishment Pill back. But..."

His tone was slightly somber, "The path to immortality is perilous. If I perish along the way, you will have to rely on yourselves for your future cultivation."

These words were like cold water, causing both of their delicate bodies to tremble.

Lin Zhao then looked at Ye Xiaoxiao, his gaze complex: "Xiaoxiao, let's sever our master-disciple relationship for now."

"Master!" Ye Xiaoxiao looked up abruptly and exclaimed urgently, "A teacher for even a day—"

"Let me finish," Lin Zhao interrupted, raising his hand, but his tone was not stern. "I am merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator and have no formal qualification to accept disciples."

"Back then, I took you in for two reasons: first, because of your resilient character and pitiful circumstances; and second, because I wanted someone to keep Lin You company and look after each other."

He gazed at Ye Xiaoxiao's reddened eyes, "If one day I am fortunate enough to reach the Core Formation stage, I will accept you as my formal disciple and renew this master-disciple bond. If not..." The three understood the unfinished words he left unsaid.

Ye Xiaoxiao stopped arguing, but took two steps back, straightened her clothes, and solemnly and slowly kowtowed three times to Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao did not back down, but accepted it calmly.

Just like when she set up her stall in Qingfeng Market back then, the girl made that fateful bow.

As she stood up, Lin Zhao waved his sleeve, and two objects radiating spiritual light appeared on the stone table.

One piece was a magnificent wing armor with a flowing crimson-gold hue, exquisitely crafted with smooth lines, and connected to the back by three pairs of jade wings as thin as cicada wings, yet revealing intricate runes.

As the spiritual light pulsed, a scorching aura emanated from it.

"This is the 'Crimson Sun Wings,' a top-grade first-tier magical artifact, drawing upon some principles from my Four Elements Sword Wings and Four Elements Yinglong spells."

Lin Zhao pointed to the Crimson Sun Wings, "There are three pairs of wings, each with its own use: one pair mainly gathers and guides spiritual energy to accelerate its recovery; one pair assists in flying, making it agile and swift; and the last pair can be separated from the body to release various flame spells. You are not a sword cultivator, so you cannot use sword wings. These wings may be more suitable for you."

The other item is a small, exquisite tower, only a foot tall, with five stories, that looks as if it were cast in pure gold.

Each level of the tower is engraved with incredibly fine sword-shaped runes, and a golden light condenses at the top of the tower, exuding a strange aura that is both calm and subtly sharp.

"This is the 'Crimson Sun Sword Tower,' a top-grade magical artifact that combines suppression, defense, and support. It is especially adept at calming the mind and aiding in the comprehension of swordsmanship."

Lin Zhao looked at Lin You, a barely perceptible hint of approval in his eyes.

Over the past few years, this girl has shed much of her carefree nature, even managing to grasp the basics of swordsmanship, developing sword energy, and her temperament has become much calmer.

This tower should be helpful to your sword cultivation; if the opportunity is right, it might even help you touch... the sword intent. However, that might have to wait until you've reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

Deeper thoughts raced through his mind.

This Crimson Sun Sword Tower is actually a simplified version of the divine power he conceived, the Divine Soul Sword Tower.

The inspiration for that supernatural power came from the life-or-death moment when his soul was taken over by a Core Formation demon cultivator in the secret realm.

In that desperate situation, he instinctively used all his spiritual power to construct a Four Elements Sword Tower, which withstood the demonic soul's attack and ultimately defeated it in the battle of the souls.

After establishing his foundation, he gradually realized that this path was blocked—the Four Elements Sword Tower spell was ultimately based on the material world, a four-element structure of earth, water, fire, and wind.

It is difficult to bear the path of pure divine soul, nor does it have the potential to become a supernatural power.

Only after he comprehended his own sword intent did he have the true concept and direction for the Divine Soul Sword Tower.

The Divine Soul Sword Tower he envisioned had nine levels. If he could cultivate it, he might be able to truly resist the power of the "Heavenly Forest Zhao" transformation from the depths of his sea of ​​consciousness and completely control his innate divine abilities.

The Crimson Sun Sword Tower before him was merely its form, containing a trace of sword intent. It was given to Lin You as both a protective artifact and a token of expectation.

If Lin Youruo could use this tower to glimpse a trace of sword intent during the Qi Refining stage, he might have a real chance to open the gates of the Cloud Sea Cangming Sect, but Lin Zhao knew that this hope was slim.

Looking back at my "configuration" when I first entered the sect: the Heavenly Sword Path, the ability to control nearly ten thousand streams of magic power, the early breakthrough of the "Divine Barrier", and combat power comparable to Foundation Establishment... Even so, I was only ranked outside the top thousand among the tens of thousands of fellow disciples back then.

Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao are now far behind him.

The most crucial hurdle in Foundation Building lies in the "Divine Barrier"—the qualitative transformation of the soul during the Qi Refining stage.

Most disciples of the sect only managed to break through this barrier with the help of the sect's secret techniques and resources.

Those who ultimately only reach the lower-grade Dao Foundation stage are often stuck at this point, and can only gamble on the sliver of opportunity for a breakthrough during the Foundation Establishment stage when their life is sublimated.

Once one breaks through the Divine Barrier, a mid-grade Dao Foundation can generally be established.

As for the highest quality, it requires the simultaneous advancement of Qi, Shen, and Ti, achieving harmony and seamless integration.

Looking at combat power, Ye Xiaoxiao is currently at the ninth level of Qi Refining. Even with the support of the complete Li Huo Grand Array, she can only currently control two thousand strands of magic power. Even if she breaks through to the tenth level of Qi Refining in the future, it is estimated that she will only be able to control four or five thousand strands, which is only equivalent to Lin Zhao's level when he was at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Lin You, despite her talent in swordsmanship, still faces formidable challenges in accumulating magical power and overcoming the barriers to spiritual growth.

Lin Zhao handed the Crimson Sun Sword Tower to Lin You, and pushed the Crimson Sun Wings toward Ye Xiaoxiao.

"These two top-grade magic artifacts are no weaker than a complete set of fire-refining magic artifacts. Moreover, they complement the fire-refining magic artifacts you possess. If you can master their integration, once your cultivation reaches the tenth level of Qi Refining, they may be able to unleash considerable power."