Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

As the blinding white light gradually dissipated, the deafening thunder echoed through the mountains, and the sky continued to shower down the ethereal rain that had evaporated and then condensed.

The calamity clouds began to slowly dissipate, and a ray of sunlight struggled to pierce through the remaining gloom, illuminating the area.

The once beautiful mountain peaks now appear as if a layer has been cleaved away by a giant axe of the gods, leaving the summit a charred mess with wisps of smoke rising from it.

The three Core Formation cultivators who were protecting the Dharma immediately transformed into streaks of light and rushed over.

Moments later, the news spread like ripples through the crowd, carrying with it sighs and a chill:

Senior Brother Zhao's "Golden Core" was shattered by the heavenly lightning, his Dao foundation was completely destroyed, his spiritual body was destroyed, and his soul was severely injured, leaving him barely clinging to life.

What's more troublesome is that the injuries caused by heavenly lightning contain "heavenly might," rendering ordinary healing pills and spells completely ineffective.

Unless there is a special spiritual object of the third rank or above, or a Nascent Soul True Monarch willing to remove the heavenly wrath... even if he is saved, he will be a cripple with no possibility of cultivation.

His master, the Fiery Sun Immortal, silently picked up his dying disciple, and finally let out a long sigh before turning into a streak of fire and departing in sorrow.

They did not choose to risk everything to fight for that slim hope of recovery.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, the various emotions they had brought with them had mostly transformed into awe and contemplation of the future.

On the path of cultivation, one step leads to heaven, the next to hell—it's cruel beyond words.

Lin Zhao retrieved the Azure Scale and returned to Thousand Autumn Peak with his senior brother.

The devastating scene of the heavenly tribulation and the tragic end of Senior Brother Zhao left a deep imprint on his heart.

----

Time flows on, and the fourth year is drawing to a close.

Lin Zhao tried to refine some second-tier magic artifacts to earn some contribution points to subsidize his increasingly depleted cultivation resources.

However, within the Cloud Sea Azure Sea Sect, there are simply too many cultivators proficient in all the arts of immortal cultivation, making the competition astonishingly fierce.

Although the magical artifacts he crafted were of excellent quality, after deducting the cost of materials, the contribution points he earned were meager, barely enough to break even.

In the forum connected by the sect token, he even saw many fellow disciples complaining that they lost money in refining weapons and pills, treating it as just practice.

This left Lin Zhao somewhat helpless, and he gave up the idea of ​​using this method to quickly accumulate resources.

Just as he was carefully sifting through the sect mission list, considering which overseas mission with both risks and rewards to accept, the sect token at his waist suddenly emitted a unique vibration.

Upon probing with divine sense, a concise message appeared:

[Sect Leader: Inner Disciple Lin Zhao]

Effective immediately, all personal matters are suspended.

[Mandatory Mission Issued: Proceed to the Tier 3 Important Site, Zhenhai Cliff, to perform duties for a term of one year]

[Specific responsibilities and contact persons will be explained to you in person by the local officer upon arrival.]

[Report within three months. Severe punishment for disobedience.]

Mandatory mission! Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat. Mandatory missions from the sect were different from optional missions; they had the highest priority, could not be refused, and the consequences of disobeying were extremely serious.

He dared not delay and immediately went to the summit to see his master.

Upon hearing Lin Zhao's report, a faint smile flickered across Master Qianqiu's usually impassive face.

"Zhenhai Cliff... a mission from the Enforcement Hall." The master's voice was calm. "Go, it's nothing serious. It seems that your performance in the sect over the years, especially after ten years of seeking enlightenment and returning to the sect, has been highly regarded by the sect."

Lin Zhao's doubts deepened: "Master, I have no experience with the tasks of the Enforcement Hall."

"Experience is gained through practice."

Master Qianqiu gave him a deep look. "This mission is less of an assignment and more of an observation and assessment mission. Just go with peace of mind, keep to your duties, and do your job well. If anyone is truly unreasonable and tries to cause trouble..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "When the time comes to use the Luo Yu Blade that I gave you, don't hesitate."

After leaving his master's cave, Lin Zhao felt somewhat relieved, but his doubts remained.

He happened to run into his fifth senior brother, so he asked him again.

Upon hearing that it was the "Hall of Enforcement," the fifth senior brother immediately revealed an expression of realization mixed with a hint of envy: "So that's where it is! Junior brother, you've struck it lucky! Master once served as the deputy head of the Hall of Enforcement. Although he has been retired for many years, his connections are still there."

This task is most likely a "bonus task" arranged for you by the Enforcement Hall out of respect for your master.

Although Zhenhai Cliff is a Tier 3 stronghold, it is not a front-line battlefield. Its main functions are monitoring, patrolling, handling internal affairs, and maintaining order in the surrounding waters. It is not very dangerous, but it offers considerable opportunities...

Oh no, I mean sect contribution points. They're quite generous, and you can also accumulate law enforcement experience. Many people are desperate to get a spot!

Seeing Lin Zhao's still cautious demeanor, his fifth senior brother patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, Master said it's nothing. If you really encounter trouble you can't handle, don't forget you have powerful backers."

Pack your bags and get ready to go. A year has passed in the blink of an eye.

After bidding farewell to his fifth senior brother, Lin Zhao returned to his cave.

Looking at the sect token in his hand, and then touching the "Luo Yu Blade" jade tablet in his storage bag, which was bestowed by his master and contained the power of Core Formation, he...

The unease that came from the mandatory task gradually gave way to a calm anticipation.

Whether it's a welfare task or an observation and assessment, it's all part of the job.

Since the path ahead is already set, let's go to "Zhenhai Cliff" and take a look.

He quickly packed his belongings, set the cave's array to a permanently closed state, and took one last look at the churning sea of ​​clouds and the majestic mountains in the distance outside the window.

The following day, a streak of azure light rose from Qianqiu Peak, swept across the many spiritual mountains, and sped toward the sect's third-tier stronghold, "Zhenhai Cliff," outside the mountain gate.

----

Lin Zhao piloted the Azure Scale, flying alone on the route to Zhenhai Cliff.

In the eastern part of Yunzhou, the further east you go, the denser the moisture in the air becomes, and the sky becomes exceptionally high and blue.

Below, the landscape has changed from continuous mountain ranges to gentle hills and scattered coastal plains.

After ten days of flying, they encountered a small caravan along the way.

They traveled together on a slightly old, low-grade second-tier spirit boat, about thirty feet long. There were no Foundation Establishment cultivators on board, only a few dozen Qi Refining cultivators, whose expressions showed some fatigue and caution from the long journey.

With a thought, Lin Zhao slowed down the speed of the Azure Scale and rode alongside it, intending to travel together and inquire about the local customs and culture of Zhenhai Cliff.

When the caravan members saw the sleek, elegant, and radiant second-tier high-grade spirit boat approaching them, and that there was only one person on board, they were immediately filled with trepidation.

Anyone capable of piloting such a spirit boat alone must undoubtedly be a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and certainly not an ordinary one.

The caravan manager dared not delay and immediately dispatched a well-dressed, pretty young female cultivator to the side of the Azure Scale in a small boat, respectfully requesting to board and speak with the caravan.

The woman who boarded the ship was Su Qing, the daughter of the Chamber of Commerce elder. She had the cultivation level of the eighth level of Qi Refining and was poised and elegant.