Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao watched the whole thing quietly, her heart filled with turbulent emotions.

He witnessed the power and helplessness of Core Formation cultivators, the ruthless methods of sects, and the limits that individual calculations and struggles could reach in the face of absolute power and a system.

Half a month later, as the turmoil subsided, Lin Zhao went to the cliff to hand over all the tasks.

The sect's mandatory mission was supposed to award 10,000 contribution points, but I only received 8,000.

According to Fang Yue's later message, the dismissed supervisor was in a bad mood before leaving and manipulated the task evaluation, attributing part of the responsibility to "poor cooperation from subordinates".

Lin Zhao shook his head. No wonder this person ended up like that.

If one acts improperly, fails to manage subordinates effectively, and has no one to genuinely serve in times of crisis, failure is inevitable.

He secretly made a note of this matter; some grudges, once formed, are simply formed.

In conclusion, Lin Zhao earned over 20,000 sect contribution points from this trip to Zhenhai Cliff, including the mandatory missions and other tasks completed during the trip.

Recalling what Master had said about the "welfare mission," it was indeed true.

He took almost no risks; the matter of the spiritual water was like snatching chestnuts from a fire, but he handled it with great care.

It took only a little over half a year, but the results far exceeded those of ordinary tasks.

Unfortunately, such a good opportunity involving the formation of the Golden Core stage and the power struggles of various parties is rare and hard to come by.

With everything settled, Lin Zhao lingered, piloting the Azure Scale, transforming into a streak of azure light, and departed from the sea, speeding towards the Cloud Sea Azure Sea Sect's mountain gate.

It's time to return to the mountain, digest what I've learned on this trip, and prepare for the breakthrough to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

-------

After passing through several layers of restrictions, Lin Zhao once again stepped into the cave at the summit of Qianqiu Peak.

On the cloud bed, Master Qianqiu Zhenren was still dressed in a black feather robe, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.

Lin Zhao bowed respectfully, and then recounted the background and consequences of the trip to Zhenhai Cliff, including the execution of the mission, the power struggles among various parties, and the cooperation with Fang Yue.

And the story of how he risked his life to obtain nine drops of Azure Essence Water was told in its entirety.

Master Qianqiu listened quietly until Lin Zhao finished speaking, then slowly opened his eyes.

Those eyes were calm and still, yet they seemed to see right through people's hearts.

"That idiot in the Enforcement Hall was ambitious but incompetent; he deserved this fate." He was utterly blunt in his assessment of the former head. "Canglang... at least he has some decisiveness, knows when to advance and retreat, and understands what to choose and what to discard." His comment was brief, yet incisive.

Only when he heard that Lin Zhao and the other person had actually snatched the food from the mouth of a Core Formation cultivator did a very faint smile appear on his lips.

"good."

After a moment of silence, he looked at Lin Zhao: "Those nine drops of spiritual water, if used for cultivation, supplemented by other resources, will be more than enough to help you break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment within ten years."

The tone shifted abruptly, "But there is another method—using these nine drops of spiritual water as a guide, find a third-tier spiritual vein, and nurture it with secret techniques. It might be possible to cultivate a complete third-tier spiritual object, 'Azure Jade Spiritual Water,' which will become a great aid when you form your core in the future. The choice is yours."

Lin Zhao bowed almost without hesitation and said, "This disciple is willing to stay in the future to cultivate third-tier spiritual creatures."

"Oh? Don't you want to think about it again?" A glint of light flashed in Qianqiu Zhenren's eyes.

"The resources I have obtained on this trip are enough to sustain me for some time. When I reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment, I can still seek other opportunities. However, third-tier spiritual items that can help me form my core are extremely rare and once lost, they will not come again. I dare not waste such precious resources."

Lin Zhao's tone was sincere and firm, "I humbly request Master to bestow upon me the secret technique of nurturing."

Upon hearing this, Master Qianqiu's faint light faded, transforming into a clear, contented smile. "Good."

He did not take out the jade slip, but instead waved his sleeve, and a warm white light flew towards Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao reached out and caught it, feeling a weight in her palm, the touch both icy and subtly warm.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a palm-sized, simple-looking round plate.

The plate was neither gold nor jade, but seemed to be interwoven with countless fine natural cloud patterns and water ripples. The central depression was shaped like a lotus platform. What was even more astonishing was the powerful yet restrained spiritual energy contained within it—this was clearly a third-tier magic weapon!

"Master, this..." Lin Zhao was somewhat bewildered.

"The secret technique is complicated and time-consuming. This treasure is called the [Spirit-Gathering Lotus Plate], an auxiliary magic weapon I obtained in my early years, which is just right for your use."

Master Qianqiu spoke in a calm tone, as if he were talking about an ordinary object, "Place this plate at the node of the spiritual vein, and then place the nine drops of spiritual water in the concave part of the lotus platform."

The rest will be handled by the magic weapon itself, which will draw upon the spiritual energy of the veins to slowly nourish and condense the essence; you won't need to exert any effort.

With my Thousand Autumns Peak, a third-grade superior spiritual vein, as the core, and aided by the effects of this basin, no other resources are needed. In approximately thirty years, a complete third-grade spiritual water can be obtained.

Lin Zhao was shocked and quickly declined, "Master, a third-tier magic weapon is extremely precious, this disciple would never dare to..."

"Take what's given to you," Master Qianqiu interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Since you've already begun planning to form your core, this little bit of support from your master is nothing."

As he spoke, he pointed his finger again, and a fist-sized crystal, with liquid golden flames seemingly flowing inside, appeared in the air and slowly floated towards Lin Zhao.

"I haven't helped you with your cultivation all these years. Here is a third-tier spiritual item, the [Blazing Sun Crystal]. Take it with you."

Holding the cool blue lotus plate and the warm, comforting blazing sun crystal, Lin Zhao was momentarily at a loss.

Tier 3 magic treasures! Tier 3 spiritual objects! Treasures that ordinary Core Formation cultivators desperately seek but cannot obtain, yet the master casually bestowed two upon them!

"Don't act like a child." Master Qianqiu looked at him and softened his tone slightly. "These things are of little use to me now. If you can use them to go further, that would be best."

Lin Zhao recalled what his fifth senior brother had said: although their master didn't talk much, he was actually very kind to people, especially his disciples.

He took a deep breath, calmed his turbulent emotions, and solemnly bowed: "Disciple thanks Master for his generous gift!"

He understood that this was not just a reward, but also an expectation.

My master has only accepted me as his disciple for the past hundred years. I was chosen because my choice when I reported to him was in line with his wishes, which is why I have this opportunity.

If I had chosen the path of seeking quick success and instant benefits back then, things would probably have been very different.

Given Master Qianqiu's status, whether or not to give it is merely a matter of a single thought, and who outsiders would dare to say anything?

"Keep it safe." Master Qianqiu waved his hand, his expression turning solemn. "With your talent, the Core Formation stage shouldn't be too difficult for you. Your goal should be the Nascent Soul path, and to achieve the Nascent Soul, it's best to first become a high-grade Golden Core."

If you aspire to a high-grade Golden Core, you must know that this path is arduous. You are cultivating the Five Elements path, and you will need at least five third-tier spiritual objects of different attributes when forming your core.

"You now have two: Azure Jade Spirit Water and Blazing Sun Crystal. The remaining three require you to find them yourself. Ultimately, the path of cultivation must be walked step by step by yourself."

For some reason, he suddenly fell silent at this point.

After a long while, he waved his hand, a hint of weariness in his voice: "Go."