Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

What Lin Zhao didn't say was that if they could truly control the Fire Array, the Crimson Sun Wings, and the Crimson Sun Sword Tower at will, their combined strength might even reach or surpass his combat power when he first entered the sect.

But the prerequisite is that their spiritual strength, magical control, and combat mentality can keep up.

They can't even control a complete set of fire-removing magical artifacts now, let alone combine three artifacts into one.

If he had possessed these three top-grade first-tier magic artifacts back then, he would have been confident that he could have defeated a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

The Four Elements Magic Beads of that time were said to be comparable to a top-grade first-tier magic artifact, but in essence they were four high-grade first-tier magic artifacts.

It is far inferior to a complete set of seven magical artifacts of the Fire Separation Formation. It is only because Lin Zhao is born with extraordinary talent that he can create various magical forms and unleash the terrifying power of the Four Elements Magic Beads.

However, the second-tier cloud beast that entered the sect was ultimately inferior to the Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Lin Zhao's opportunities and magical artifacts back then were far inferior to those of the two of them.

The magical artifacts have been given to them, and they also have several magic-breaking needles for self-protection. The rest is up to them to face on their own.

"Go." Lin Zhao took one last look at the two juniors who were already showing signs of becoming cultivators, then turned to look at the sea of ​​clouds outside the window. "After some time, I will set off to return to the sect."

Inside the cave, all was silent, save for the drifting clouds that carried the scent of parting.

------

The spirit boat broke through the clouds, and the gale howled and split on both sides of the bow.

The familiar outline of Tianyun Market quickly turned into a blurry dot on the horizon, eventually disappearing behind the vast mountain shadows.

This time, the scale of the operation was several times larger than when Lin Zhao came ten years ago.

Leading the way was still the colossal Tier 3 spirit ship of the Azure Sea Chamber of Commerce.

This third-tier spirit boat, over 150 feet long, with a dark golden metallic luster and interwoven silver-white array patterns and spiritual light around it, is a true spirit boat!

The ship's lines are smooth and powerful, like a mountain.

On the ship's hull, countless complex and dazzling array runes flickered and shimmered, forming a visible light golden spiritual energy shield that exuded a vast and powerful pressure.

What is remarkable is that the fleet accompanying the "Azure Sky Soaring" is unprecedented in size, with nearly forty second-tier spirit ships of various designs following closely behind.

Eighteen of them are in line with the flagship's style and are clearly the direct forces of the Bihai Chamber of Commerce.

Such a massive fleet is powerful enough to instill fear in most forces in the Cloud Mist Mountains, and it could almost sweep away all the markets except for Tianyun Market.

"What... what major event has occurred that requires such a large force to be mobilized?" Lin Zhao wondered, but did not inquire rashly.

He simply steered his second-tier superior spirit boat, the Azure Scale, steadily following behind the fleet, like a nimble blue fish.

He was currently receiving a visitor aboard his newly acquired second-tier high-grade spirit boat.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, it's been ten years, and you're even more radiant than before!" The newcomer was none other than Lan Jingchi.

He was still wearing a light blue robe, with a gentle temperament. However, his cultivation had steadily entered the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Although his aura still showed a slight fluctuation from his recent advancement, it was already solid.

Lan Jingchi is a core member of the Bihai Chamber of Commerce and a highly accomplished individual.

Lin Zhao was only half a step away from that threshold.

The two took their seats in the central hall of the Azure Scale.

Lan Jingchi looked around the cabin with great interest, especially at the smooth flow of spiritual energy at the core. He recognized that this was the mark of the Qianhuang Sect and praised, "The Qianhuang Sect is indeed unique in the art of crafting spirit boats."

A spirit boat of this caliber usually requires the coordinated efforts of several Foundation Establishment cultivators to operate smoothly, yet Fellow Daoist Lin was able to operate it alone. It seems that his spiritual sense cultivation far surpasses that of other cultivators of the same level.

Lin Zhao smiled and poured him a cup of spiritual tea: "It's just that this ship is ingeniously designed, requiring a higher level of spiritual sense. If you were to fully activate the protective or offensive formations, the spirit stones consumed would be quite painful. My wealth is really not much among Foundation Establishment cultivators, I can't afford it."

His words were half self-deprecation and half the truth.

For daily voyages, low-grade spirit stones are sufficient, but when encountering enemies or traversing dangerous terrain, it is necessary to fully activate the protective shield, and mid-grade spirit stones are the true currency.

Although he has many times more resources than he did ten years ago, he considers himself to be only of average quality among Foundation Establishment cultivators when it comes to mid-grade spirit stones and top-tier second-tier treasures.

Upon hearing this, Lan Jingchi shook his head with a wry smile: "If Fellow Daoist Lin is only considered to be of average means, then wouldn't we be considered poor?"

The conversation naturally turned to resources and trade.

Lin Zhao mentioned that he had accumulated quite a few second-tier demon cores and inquired about their market value.

He took a sip of tea, his expression turning serious. "The specialties of the Yunxia Mountains are, first and foremost, various monster materials and rare spiritual plants nurtured in various dangerous places."

The demon core is indeed very valuable, but... the Azure Sea Chamber of Commerce is in this business, so the purchase price can only be the market price.

If you want to sell it for a high price, you need to go to those immortal cities where demonic beasts are scarce and demonic cores are in high demand.

He paused, then slowly said, "Yunzhou has twenty-three immortal cities, each with a million cultivators, and the forces within them are deeply intertwined."

Although they appear to be interconnected, they are actually separated by barriers, making it extremely difficult for ordinary cultivators to trade across cities.

Even my Azure Sea Chamber of Commerce, with no fewer than ten Core Formation Real Persons supporting it, can only maintain stable exchanges between four of the Immortal Cities, and the transactions are mostly for second-tier resources.

Tier 3 treasures? Those are the exclusive possessions of top-tier forces, extremely rare in circulation, and strictly protected by local authorities.

When outsiders try to interfere, it's easy to dodge open attacks, but difficult to guard against hidden arrows.

Even something as trivial as submitting a document for review can hold you back for months or even years, and you'll be powerless to do anything about it.

Lan Jingchi's gaze fell on the sect token at Lin Zhao's waist, and he said meaningfully, "Only a disciple like Fellow Daoist Lin, who comes from the Yunhai Cangming Sect, can freely travel between the various immortal cities."

The sect token is a pass that grants priority in teleportation, and no one dares to deliberately make things difficult for them.

If anyone is foolish enough to ignore this, a simple message sent back to the sect will suffice, and the Sky Patrol Guards will come to investigate.

"Sky Patrol Guard?" Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat.

"This law enforcement agency is shared by all twenty-three immortal cities. Its members mostly come from other immortal cities and have complex backgrounds. It can be considered a 'quick knife' used by the lords of the immortal cities to check and balance the deeply entrenched local forces."

Lan Jingchi lowered his voice, "As far as I know, your sect has quite a few Foundation Establishment disciples serving in the Sky Patrol Guards in various regions. If you divide them up, each immortal city has hundreds of them... This is a force that no one can ignore."

Lin Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly.

The waters of this "Sky Patrol Guard" are probably very deep, and... he had a vague guess in his mind that this Sky Patrol Guard might not have been established by the sect.

"Brother Lan, you've come all this way today, surely not just to teach me about the rules of the Immortal City?" Lin Zhao put down his teacup and looked at the other man.