Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

a few days later.

Above the collapsed giant crater in the Misty Marsh, two figures rode on the clouds.

The leader was an old man in a gray robe with a thin face and a glint of light in his eyes. His aura was perfectly integrated, and he was clearly a Core Formation cultivator.

Following behind him was Cui Jun.

The two landed at the edge of the giant pit. Cui Jun looked at the huge pit in front of him, which was more than several miles in diameter, and his expression changed slightly.

"this……"

Before he left, this place was a rocky mountain.

Now, the rocky hill is gone, leaving only a deep pit.

Cui Jun acted very quickly, managing to shorten the time from half a month to five days, but he was still too late.

Judging from the situation here, this happened several days ago. It's clear that someone took action immediately after they left.

The gray-robed old man—the Core Formation ancestor of the Cui family—stood with his hands behind his back, his divine sense sweeping over the entire ruins.

After a moment, he slowly spoke: "There was no trace of Core Formation level aura left. The person who made the move used their own power."

Cui Jun's heart skipped a beat.

He knew perfectly well what this meant.

A third-tier formation, without any Core Formation techniques, yet the person forcibly broke through it and took the item with only Foundation Establishment cultivation—that person's methods were even stronger than he had imagined.

He seemed to see a figure before his eyes, none other than Lin Zhao. Could he say that he truly deserved to be called a prodigy of the sect?

"But that person?" The old ancestor glanced at him.

Cui Jun remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and said nothing.

The old ancestor didn't press further, but simply smiled faintly: "Before we came, you said that besides Zhou Yuan, there was another person on this trip. The fact that he was able to take the treasure so quickly is due to that person's skill. This is not your fault, so you don't need to worry about it."

He paused, then looked at Cui Jun: "You are a core member of the Cui family, and you know how to act appropriately. You can handle this matter yourself."

Cui Jun bowed: "Yes, Ancestor."

The ancestor nodded, waved his sleeve, and the two transformed into two long rainbows, disappearing into the horizon.

At the edge of the giant pit, only the wind blowing through the ruins, carrying a few wisps of smoke.

----

A few days later, Lin Zhao went to the Sky Patrol Guard as usual.

As he entered the duty room, he felt a gaze upon him.

Cui Jun sat in the corner, holding a cup of spiritual tea, looking at him with a half-smile.

That gaze held scrutiny, curiosity, and even a hint of...respect?

Lin Zhao remained expressionless, walked over, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Senior Brother Cui."

Cui Jun nodded, but didn't speak immediately. He just looked him up and down a few times.

After a moment, he suddenly chuckled softly, "Junior Brother Lin is amazing."

After Cui Jun returned, he checked the exact time Lin Zhao had returned before and basically confirmed that it was Lin Zhao who made the move; Zhou Yuan didn't have that ability.

Lin Zhao's eyes flickered slightly, but a perfectly timed look of bewilderment appeared on his face: "What did you say, Senior Brother?"

Cui Jun stared into his eyes for a few moments, then smiled and waved his hand, "It's nothing. Sit down, there's no mission today."

He didn't press further, and Lin Zhao didn't offer any explanation.

But both of them knew the truth.

Each person relies on their own abilities, and the loser must accept the consequences. Lin Zhao's ability to take it is a testament to her skill.

In the days that followed, Cui Jun's attitude towards Lin Zhao became noticeably warmer.

When carrying out missions together, I will take the initiative to explain the background of the various forces in the Immortal City to him, and also introduce some of the power relationships in the Immortal City to him.

Lin Zhao accepted all comers and, with the help of the Cui family, gained a deeper understanding of the various forces within the Zi Xuan Dynasty.

The Cui family's roots are in Tongming Immortal City; their businesses, connections, and interests are all located in this giant city.

If one wishes to rule a dynasty, the farther one is from the Immortal City, the more detached one becomes from its foundation.

The Cui family will not covet the territory of a dynasty—at least not at this stage.

Lin Zhao silently memorized this information.

-------

Time flies, and the one-year mission is over.

Lin Zhao handed the token representing the identity of the Sky Patrol Guard to Cui Jun.

"Have you thought it through?" Cui Jun took the jade token, and Lin Zhao shook her head: "I still have some things to do."

Cui Jun waved his hand and didn't ask any further questions.

He patted Lin Zhao on the shoulder, his tone becoming more sincere: "Whatever you want to do, remember to find me for a drink when you come to Immortal City in the future."

Lin Zhao clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Definitely."

As Lin Zhao walked out of the gate of the camp, he looked back, took a deep breath, and then disappeared through the gate.

He was waiting for someone.

three days later.

In the small courtyard where Lin Zhao was temporarily staying, a ray of light descended from the sky, landed in his palm, and transformed into a communication talisman.

He probed with his divine sense, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

A moment later, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

A figure strode in and said, "Lin Zhao! This place is really hard to find!"

Lin Zhao looked up and saw that the newcomer had short hair, with jet-black roots and dark red tips like flames burning, which complemented his dark red fitted outfit.

The sleeves were rolled up high, revealing smooth and powerful lines in the forearms.

His handsome features remained unchanged, but his brows now held a more mature sharpness, and his eyes shone as if they held two balls of thunder and fire.

It was Yan Chiheng.

Lin Zhao put down her teacup and said irritably, "Can't you knock before you come in?"

"What are you knocking for? We're like family." Yan Chiheng sat opposite him. "Tsk, this Tongming Immortal City isn't all that great. It's not as comfortable as my Qinglan Immortal City."

Lin Zhao glanced at him: "So you still got kicked out?"

Yan Chiheng froze, then turned his face away somewhat guiltily: "What do you mean by 'rushed'... I said I came out to relax on my own!"

Lin Zhao was too lazy to expose him.

He had heard about this guy's exploits long ago—he broke through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, married the eldest daughter of a Core Formation family, and had twins; he should have been a winner in life.

As a result, he clashed with the woman's family and beat up dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators one by one! He really did fight, which angered his partner to the point that they almost got a divorce.

This trip was partly at Lin Zhao's invitation, and partly to avoid the limelight.

"Where are the things?" Lin Zhao reached out.

Yan Chiheng took out a jade slip and a palm-sized bronze token from his pocket and slapped them on the table: "Here, the Yunhai Hall of the sect appoints you as the second-tier garrison commander of the Cangyun Mountain of the Zixuan Dynasty. Fang Yue personally handled this, so it can't be wrong."

Lin Zhao picked up the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense. Inside were detailed appointment documents and information about the location of the post.

He then picked up the token, which had the words "Yunhai Cangming Sect - Guardian" engraved on the front and a picture of Cangyun Mountain on the back.

"It's not easy, is it?" Lin Zhao said.

Yan Chiheng became serious for once: "It took a lot of effort. The sect has 100,000 Foundation Establishment cultivators, and there are more than 500 second-tier settlements. Which one of them isn't being watched closely?"

Although this Cangyun Mountain outpost is only an ordinary second-tier outpost, and the garrison commander is only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, his father is at the mid-Core Formation stage and has protected him for decades.

"If he hadn't acted unethically, we really wouldn't have been able to take it down."

Lin Zhao nodded.

If they want to acquire resources and advance within the sect, they must take control of the situation.

In the Zixuan Dynasty, there will inevitably be a vacuum period within twenty years due to the passing of a Core Formation True Person. If you want to interfere, you must do so with a legitimate reason.

Entering rashly would be seen as an attack by a group of external forces.

However, if they become one of the Zixuan Dynasty's own people, it will be internal strife, which will give them much more room to maneuver.