Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Over the next few days, Lin Zhao kept thinking about the Zi Xuan Dynasty.

In the past six months, he has summarized three ways to acquire Tier 3 resources: the grand auction in the Immortal City, the banquet in the Nascent Soul Immortal Mansion, and the Core Formation True Person in the Dynasty.

The grand auction of a century requires top-grade spirit stones, which he lacks; the immortal mansion banquet requires invitations, and he doesn't even know when it will be held; only the third path, seemingly dangerous, might offer an opportunity.

The question is, what would a Core Formation cultivator with little lifespan do if they knew they were about to die?

Lin Zhao recalled a joke from her past life—an old and frail quasi-emperor who came with an ultimate imperial weapon, are you afraid?

The current situation is that a Core Formation cultivator who is nearing the end of his life has arrived, wielding a third-tier magic weapon. He's gone mad, dragging people down with him, and even those in the mid-stage of Core Formation have to run away.

Before he could make up his mind, a message came through a communication talisman.

Cui Jun's voice came through: "Let's drink, the usual place, something good is coming."

When Lin Zhao arrived, there were already two people sitting in the private room.

Cui Jun was lounging in his chair, cracking sunflower seeds.

The person next to him was also a disciple of the Yunhai Cangming Sect, and a native of the Immortal City who had reached the Core Formation stage. Zhou Yuan was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

"Come, come, have a seat," Cui Jun invited. "I have something good to share today."

Lin Zhao sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.

Cui Jun took out a jade slip from his bosom and slammed it on the table.

"Are you interested in the cave dwelling left behind by a Nascent Soul cultivator after their passing?"

Lin Zhao looked at him with an expression as if he were an idiot.

Cui Jun was displeased: "Hey, what's with that look?"

"It's nothing," Lin Zhao picked up his teacup. "It's just that I think it's common knowledge that people still believe in cave treasures these days. Treasures are just a way to scam people, isn't it?"

"Let me finish speaking first." Cui Jun pushed the jade slip over. "I've checked this Core Formation cultivator; he's real. He was a rogue cultivator from three hundred years ago, surnamed Gu, nicknamed Gu the Hermit. He was in the early stages of Core Formation, had no background, and then disappeared."

Recently, someone discovered his cave dwelling in the Misty Swamp, and also found five tokens that can open the cave.

Lin Zhao picked up the jade slip and probed it with his spiritual power.

Inside is the biography of that ancient hermit, which is indeed accurate.

He started as a rogue cultivator and amassed his fortune through his weapon-refining skills, but later disappeared during an exploration.

The cave is located deep within the Misty Swamp, and its entrance is sealed by an array, requiring a token to enter.

One token allows three people to enter, so five tokens allow fifteen people to enter.

"There might be a third-tier spiritual item inside."

Cui Jun said, "It could also be a trap."

But I checked, and Gu Sanren had a good reputation when he was alive. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would set traps to harm others. Moreover, there is an inscription he left himself outside his cave.

The cave is probably real, but whether there's anything else inside is hard to say.

Lin Zhao put down the jade slip: "You believe me?"

"Let's believe 30%, but that cave might contain third-tier spiritual treasures, so we have to take a gamble. Of course, we must be prepared for the worst."

Cui Jun cracked sunflower seeds and said, "Time is the most powerful weapon in the world. Judging from the timeline, Gu Sanren must have passed away."

Even if it were a trap, at most we'd be fighting against Foundation Establishment cultivators. The three of us from our sect could go in together.

"Just twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they're well-prepared. What are we afraid of? We can just treat it as a training mission."

Lin Zhao pondered.

Cui Jun is right.

Fifteen Foundation Establishment cultivators were engaged in a chaotic battle. With Lin Zhao's current strength, he was truly not afraid of ordinary peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Moreover, all three of them are elites of their sects, each possessing the means to form the Core Formation stage. If they are fully prepared before entering, even if it is a trap, it may not be able to harm them.

Lin Zhao thought for a moment: "I'll think about it."

"Alright, we'll depart in ten days." Cui Jun stood up. "If you've made up your mind, don't reply to this message. Just go straight outside the city."

Lin Zhao nodded, stood up, and took her leave.

Stepping out of the teahouse, a night breeze swept over me.

Lin Zhao stood by the river, staring blankly at the water.

Before the matter of the Zixuan Dynasty could be resolved, the matter of the Core Formation Cave arose again.

The former is dangerous, the latter is unknown.

But at least the latter had Cui Jun and the others with them, all of whom were cultivators from sects, so they had some confidence.

The longer one cultivates immortality, the more one understands how vast and ancient the cultivation world is, and how difficult it is to cross levels, as all high-level resources are monopolized.

He made up his mind about whether to go or not. If he didn't even dare to compete with other Foundation Establishment cultivators, how could he talk about fighting against Core Formation cultivators in the future?

He stood there for a long time, until the night wind chilled his face, before turning around and walking back.

Ten days later, in the Misty Marsh.

---

Ten days later.

Lin Zhao casually gave the Sky Patrol Guard a pretext to ask for half a month's leave.

No one asked any questions—the job of the Sky Patrol Guard was relatively free to come and go, the auction had just ended, and there wasn't much going on in the Immortal City.

A thousand miles from the immortal city,

He landed in a pre-arranged, unnamed grove of trees.

With no one around, Lin Zhao took out a strange, pitch-black mask from his storage bag. It was the three-legged toad statue, a trophy he had obtained during the Dragon Rebellion.

Over the past few years, he has spent a lot of time refining the mask using his own refining techniques, turning it into a black magical artifact mask.

The mask was placed on my face, and a cold sensation spread instantly.

A chilling aura seeped into his skin from the mask, traveled along his body, and finally formed a thin layer of gray mist on the outside, perfectly concealing his original magical aura.

Lin Zhao then took out two black banners from his storage bag.

The banner was pitch black, with ghostly faces struggling and twisting within it, and eerie dark red runes embroidered along its edges.

It is a second-tier, low-grade magic weapon, obtained from Liu Yifeng.

He poured his spiritual power into the banners, and they moved without wind, releasing billowing black energy that instantly dimmed the surrounding light by 30%.

A chilling wind howled, and the temperature plummeted.

Lin Zhao stood still, his black robe fluttering, only a pair of indifferent eyes visible beneath his mask.

If someone were to pass by at this moment, they would never associate him with a sect disciple—he is a standard Tribulation Cultivator.

-----

An hour later, Cui Jun and Zhou Yuan landed one after the other.

As soon as Cui Jun appeared, Lin Zhao couldn't help but take another look—this guy was really going all out today, with seven or eight second-tier magic artifacts hanging on his hands, all of them shimmering with spiritual light.

That's somewhat similar to Xu Chuan.

He walks with a jingling sound, as if afraid others won't know he's rich.

"What are you looking at?" Cui Jun rolled his eyes. "I can't beat you, so I'll just knock you out with a magic weapon."

Lin Zhao ignored him.

Zhou Yuan was much more low-key. His face had been altered using some secret technique, making him look twenty years older and extremely ordinary.

He nodded to Lin Zhao, his gaze sweeping over the two black banners without even lifting his eyelids.

Cui Jun circled Lin Zhao twice, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Not bad, Junior Brother Lin. If I didn't know who you were, I would be the first to run away."

"Why are you running?" Lin Zhao's voice came from behind the mask.

"I'm afraid you'll kill someone and steal their goods." Cui Jun said earnestly.

Ha ha!

What Lin Zhao didn't mention was that he also had two more powerful magical artifacts in his storage bag.

Obtained from Wan Heling, a second-tier superior-grade magic artifact, the Three Absolute Demon Drum, second-tier superior-grade.

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner is also a second-tier high-grade item.

If all of this were revealed, not only would cultivators believe it, but even demonic cultivators would be convinced.