Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

At night, Lin Zhao stepped into an elegant building. Inside was a third-tier array, the property of a Core Formation array master.

The building occupies a considerable area and is built along the river, with more than ten waterside pavilions and rooms scattered over the flowing water.

The covered bridges are connected, and every few steps a glass lamp is suspended, with a fist-sized fluorite inside, emitting a soft moon-white halo.

Lin Zhao walked easily to the room on the far left.

Pushing open the door, Lan Jingchi was already there.

He was still dressed in a light blue robe, with a gentle demeanor. When he saw Lin Zhao enter, he nodded and raised his hand to activate the room's protective barrier.

A layer of pale golden light membrane floated on the surrounding walls, isolating them from all outside sounds and prying eyes.

Lin Zhao sat down opposite him.

This was the fourth time the two had met here.

Half a year ago, when Lin Zhao first arrived in the Immortal City, he sought out Lan Jingchi and asked for detailed information on Core Formation True Persons and a list of third-tier spiritual items.

Lan Jingchi naturally refused on the spot without even changing his expression—information about third-tier True Persons and spiritual objects is extremely valuable, some of which are even priceless. How could he give it away so easily, even if Lin Zhao is a disciple of the Yunhai Cangming Sect, he couldn't do it without paying a price!

Lin Zhao then backed down, saying that he only needed basic information and that it did not involve core secrets.

Lan Jingchi still hesitated. Basic data is still data; taking it out would incur favors and cost a lot of spirit stones.

Lin Zhao is only a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator after all. Is it worth it for him to make this sacrifice?

A month ago, when Lin Zhao was trying to persuade him, she said the following words as her last words:

"Fellow Daoist Lan, the Chamber of Commerce is the Chamber of Commerce, and you are you. You are a core member of the Chamber of Commerce, but not the only member."

The merchant guild will only provide the resources needed to reach the Core Formation stage to cultivators who are most likely to do so. Do you consider yourself to be that most likely person?

Lan Jingchi didn't respond at the time, but Lin Zhao could tell from his eyes that he had taken it to heart.

"Even with my current cultivation level and background, I need to prepare for Core Formation. Don't you need to?"

The words he had once said to Lin Zhao, in turn, swayed him.

That's why Lan Jingchi took the initiative to ask Lin Zhao out today.

After Lin Zhao sat down, he didn't rush to speak. He poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then looked up at Lan Jingchi.

"What's your decision, Fellow Daoist Lan?"

Lan Jingchi didn't speak, but took out a jade slip from his storage bag, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

The jade slip is milky white all over, with fine water ripple patterns on its surface.

Lin Zhao picked it up and probed it with his spiritual power—inside was a very well-organized intelligence report.

The Tongming Domain has twenty-six sects with Core Formation cultivators in charge. Information includes each sect's address, approximate cultivation techniques, the name and age of the current Core Formation cultivator, their general combat strength, the number of Foundation Establishment disciples, and their main industries…

There is also some information about the Immortal City lineage, including the power structure and scope of the inner city, as well as the marriage relationships between several Core Formation families.

There are even brief introductions to more than a dozen dynasties.

Lin Zhao had previously obtained two pieces of information through Tianyun Market and the sect, but Tianyun Market was far away, and the sect's jurisdiction was too large, so neither was as detailed as this information.

Lin Zhao stared for the entire time it takes for an incense stick to burn, without saying a word.

Lan Jingchi couldn't help but ask, "Have you figured out anything?"

Lin Zhao put down the jade slip and rubbed his temples: "I just got it, I need to study it."

He paused, then asked, "Why isn't there any information on those two?"

Lan Jingchi couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He knew who Lin Zhao was asking about—the lineage of the True Lord Tongming and the True Lord Taixu of the Void Heaven Pavilion.

"Who are those two?" Lan Jingchi leaned back in his chair. "If I could get detailed information on Nascent Soul True Monarchs, would I still be here drinking tea with you?"

Lin Zhao laughed: "There must be some rumors, right?"

Lan Jingchi glanced at him, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly spoke.

"The Tongming lineage has been passed down for more than 6,000 years. The first True Lord came from another continent, but no one knows exactly which continent.

This generation is already the fourth generation of Nascent Soul cultivators—do you know what that means?

Lin Zhao nodded: "That means they definitely have the resources to maintain the Nascent Soul inheritance."

"That's right." Lan Jingchi put down his teacup. "This True Monarch Tongming has been at the Nascent Soul stage for less than a thousand years. According to the lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator, he is in his prime. His cave dwelling is not in the Immortal City—"

He pointed down.

"In the river, at the deepest part of the great river, there is a fourth-tier immortal palace, which is said to be a fourth-tier magic treasure left behind by the first True Lord. It is completely submerged at the bottom of the water, and only direct descendants of the Core Formation True Person can enter it."

The True Lord lived inside year-round to cultivate, only occasionally venturing out for some fresh air.

Sometimes he would hold banquets, inviting the prodigies of various families to attend—though these banquets were really just for them to show their faces and let him see if there were any promising juniors in this generation. Occasionally, if he was in a good mood, he would bestow upon them third-tier spiritual items.

Lin Zhao's eyes flickered slightly: "How often is this held?"

"It could be a few decades, or even a few centuries," Lan Jingchi shrugged. "It depends on my mood. Anyway, the last time was... I'm calculating, it's been almost two hundred years since the last one."

Lin Zhao silently noted it down, then asked, "What about the one from the Void Heaven Pavilion?"

Lan Jingchi's expression became subtle.

"The True Lord Taixu, who came to the Tongming Domain seventeen hundred years ago, was also from another continent."

"Does the True Lord of Enlightenment not care?"

"The previous generation of Tongming Zhenjun couldn't control it." Lan Jingchi lowered his voice, even though he knew that the restriction isolated everything. "Legend has it that Taixu Zhenjun had a great supernatural power, with extremely strong teleportation ability."

The previous generation of True Lords fought him, but they couldn't hold him back at all. They couldn't hit him, and they couldn't catch him. In the end, they could only pretend that he didn't exist.

Lin Zhao seemed to be deep in thought.

In the great battle a thousand years ago in the Cloud and Mist Mountains, the Heavenly Capital Beasts almost wiped out all the major sects.

The previous generation of Tongming Zhenjun was invited to subdue the demon, but he almost died at the hands of the Tiandu Demon Beast. In the Tongming Domain, he was suppressed by Taixu Zhenjun. It seems that the previous generation of Tongming Zhenjun was not very strong in the Nascent Soul stage.

But he would not underestimate the Tongming lineage.

The Nascent Soul faction, passed down through four generations, who knows what hidden tricks they have up their sleeves?

"The True Lord Taixu often goes out," Lan Jingchi continued, "traveling to various regions and having connections with many Nascent Soul True Lords."

He was able to gain a foothold in the Tongming Domain because of this connection, but he has a big problem—”

He held up two fingers.

"He is over two thousand years old."

Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat.

The lifespan of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator is two thousand years, with a maximum of three thousand years, but very few can live to two thousand five hundred years.

Fourth-tier resources in Yunzhou are extremely precious and are basically monopolized by the Yunhai Cangming Sect. Perhaps only within the sect can a Nascent Soul True Monarch of three thousand years be born.

The lifespan of the True Lord Taixu exceeded two thousand years, which means that he could pass away at any time.

"He is in the early stage of Nascent Soul," Lan Jingchi said, "not a mid- or late-stage Grand Master. No one can guarantee how long he can live. The key is that he has no successor."

"Has no successor been groomed?"