Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The Golden Sun Mirror hangs high above the water, absorbing spiritual energy from the outside world. Whenever the dragon lizard attempts to unleash powerful supernatural abilities or launch a sudden counterattack, a beam of golden light that shatters evil energy shoots down, interrupting its rhythm and causing injury.

The Sea Abyss Banner controls the entire water area, sometimes conjuring layers of water prisons to bind it, sometimes stirring up raging waves to crash against it, and sometimes condensing water blades to cut wounds.

The old man's domain of magic remained overseeing the entire situation, fiercely confronting the dragon lizard demon domain and suppressing the display of its innate divine abilities.

This third-tier monster demonstrated tenacious vitality and combat intelligence.

It nearly broke through the water several times, and even risked a blow from the Golden Sun Mirror, burning its life essence to forcibly destroy five second-tier spirit boats that were maintaining the formation.

However, the Bihai Chamber of Commerce was too well-prepared, and the formation remained unbroken, forcibly dragged back by the chains.

Lin Zhao and the cultivators from the other two foreign spirit ships were not idle during these seven days. The huge commotion of the encirclement and killing attracted several ignorant second-order demonic beasts from the vicinity.

Without the Azure Sea Chamber of Commerce needing to speak, Lin Zhao took the initiative to pilot the Azure Scale and launch an attack, coordinating with the other two spirit ships to drive away and kill the demonic beasts that tried to approach or take advantage of the situation from the outer perimeter of the battle formation.

Lin Zhao slew three second-tier demonic beasts while piloting the Azure Scale, both as a statement and to familiarize himself with the spirit ship's combat capabilities.

On the seventh day, the Purple Fiend Crystal Armor Dragon Lizard, trapped for many days, battered and bruised, and with its demonic power nearly exhausted, finally managed to break through the encirclement. However, during one such attempt, it was struck by a combined attack: the Golden Sun Mirror severely injuring its head, the main chains tightening once more, and the waters transforming into immense pressure.

It let out a final, mournful cry of despair, its massive body ceased its struggle, and slowly sank into the depths of the deep blue waters, its breath completely dissipating.

A meticulously planned, seven-day-long siege, which involved a third-tier spirit boat, a Core Formation cultivator, two powerful magic weapons, and a battle formation of thirty-six second-tier spirit boats, has finally come to an end.

Although exhausted, the cultivators of the Azure Sea Merchant Guild could not hide their excitement and began to process the dragon lizard's corpse, which was worth as much as several third-tier spiritual items, in an orderly manner.

After a day of rest, the fleet set sail again.

Perhaps because it was tainted by the residual aura of a third-tier demon beast, the subsequent journey went exceptionally smoothly, and no demon beast dared to harass it again.

When the majestic outline of Tongming City, shrouded in a faint spiritual light, appeared on the horizon, Lin Zhao knew that the time for parting had come.

He bid farewell to Lan Jingchi once again.

After a slight dizziness from the spatial shifts, Lin Zhao stepped onto the land of the Ziyang Domain via the ultra-long-distance teleportation array in Tongming City.

------

Looking out over a hundred miles, the outline of the massive immortal mountain, faintly visible above the sea of ​​clouds—the Cloud Sea Azure Sea Sect—is already in sight.

As the Azure Scale passed through the sect's cloud gate, the familiar and boundless spiritual power was even more awe-inspiring than I remembered.

Through the sect's teleportation array, the space rippled slightly, and Lin Zhao found himself inside the sect.

Before me was my former residence, which I had left ten years ago, yet which was still kept as tidy as ever by the array.

The second-tier green-patterned jade tree in the courtyard seemed to have grown taller, stretching its branches and leaves amidst the rich spiritual energy.

After a long and arduous journey, all things eventually return to stillness.

As Lin Zhao stepped into the courtyard, he felt the purer and richer spiritual energy than outside seeping into his meridians, and the fatigue from his long journey seemed to vanish instantly.

He did not rush to rest, but stood quietly for a moment, looking towards the direction of the spiritual peak where his master, True Person Qianqiu's cave was located.

Then it's time to go and pay respects to our master.

------

Thousand Autumns Peak, deep within the cave at its summit.

After passing through several layers of self-operating, spiritually radiant restrictions, Lin Zhao saw his master, Master Qianqiu, once again.

The Thousand Autumns Immortal, dressed in a simple black feather robe, remained quietly seated on the cloud bed. When he closed his eyes, his aura seemed to merge with the entire spiritual peak, profound and unfathomable.

Lin Zhao bowed respectfully, and then gave a brief report on his ten years of experience guarding the Yunxia Mountains.

Family affairs, planning for the market, pioneering wars, abnormal beast tides, infighting in the market, the battle to slay the dragon, the final intervention of the Core Formation stage, Chu Fengge's interception, and even the Lin family's secret cooperation with the Black Fiend Pavilion to cultivate the demonic dragon, were all kept secret.

As he narrated, he paid attention to his master's reaction.

When the first patriarch of the Lin family was mentioned, Master Qianqiu's closed eyelids seemed to twitch slightly, and a barely perceptible ripple appeared in the calm and deep aura around him.

This old friend, whom he had almost taken under his wing years ago, still managed to stir his emotions for a moment.

However, when Lin Zhao spoke of the dragon's escape causing the deaths and injuries of more than three million mortals downstream, his tone unconsciously became somewhat heavy, but the figure on the cloud bed remained as calm as an ancient well.

Perhaps, for a late-stage Core Formation cultivator who has lived for hundreds of years, the life and death of millions of mortals are just commonplace dust on the long road of cultivation, hardly enough to stir up much excitement.

After hearing the report, Master Qianqiu slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if containing a galaxy. His gaze fell upon Lin Zhao, and he spoke calmly, "What insights have you gained from this ten-year journey?"

Lin Zhao pondered for a moment, then uttered three words: "Forming the Core is difficult."

"Hmm." Master Qianqiu nodded slightly, his voice calm yet carrying a power that went straight to the core, "Don't think that having a superior Dao Foundation means that forming the Core is an easy path."

Throughout history, among those who have achieved the highest level of Dao Foundation Establishment, excluding those who perished along the way, lacked resolve, or were hampered by limited resources, it is already considered extremely difficult for even one out of ten at the peak of Foundation Establishment to ultimately achieve the final elixir.

The process is fraught with challenges: one's cultivation must reach perfection, without any flaws or imperfections.

One must find a suitable spiritual object or elixir for forming the Golden Core, or create one's own method for condensing the Golden Core.

Furthermore, one must overcome the "Heavenly Tribulation"—the moment the elixir is completed, Heaven and Earth are moved and send down a bolt of heavenly lightning.

I'll get through this. I swallowed a golden pill; my fate is in the hands of heaven, not heaven itself. My lifespan after forming the Golden Core is limited to eight hundred years.

If one cannot overcome this obstacle, one will die and one's spiritual cultivation will vanish, and all the arduous practices of the past hundred years will be in vain.

The Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation has three heavenly lightning bolts, while the Deity Transformation Heavenly Tribulation is said to have nine, with each step representing a new heaven.

He paused briefly before continuing, "The sect has no shortage of spiritual materials for Core Formation, but it will not give them away lightly."

The ten sect missions serve as both a test and an observation. Those who excel will be given relevant missions by the sect, providing them with the opportunity to obtain a third-tier spiritual item and form its core.

But remember, what the sect provides is often just a starting point; you'll have to fight and compete for more resources on your own.

The more than 500 second-tier outposts and 83 important sites scattered throughout Yunzhou were training grounds set up by the sect for its disciples.

"To contend with Heaven, to contend with Earth, to contend with man—the path is endless."

Speaking of Tianyun Market, Master Qianqiu's tone became slightly serious, with a hint of warning: "This place is rather special, involving the old arrangements of a mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch of the sect. The details are beyond your current reach, and you need not delve into them."

Just remember, the Nascent Soul True Monarch's power is boundless, and that is no exaggeration. Even someone like me, who is at the late stage of Core Formation, is no different from an ant in front of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Knowing too much about some things can be a path to disaster. Now that you have returned safely, you should take this opportunity to focus on your self-cultivation.

Lin Suran replied, "This disciple understands."