Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Fang Yue walked over from the crowd and handed Lin Zhao a storage bag: "These are the account books and inventory list for the base. The Enforcement Hall will oversee the handover. From now on, this place is yours."

Lin Zhao accepted it and said solemnly, "Thank you."

Fang Yue waved his hand: "Xu Chuan has something to do, I have to rush back. Be careful here, that guy's father is a Core Formation cultivator. Although he's in the wrong, he might cause trouble."

Lin Zhao nodded: "I understand."

After Fang Yue and his men left, the square gradually returned to calm.

The neutral cultivators dispersed, except for a few clever ones who tried to get close to him, but Yan Chiheng dismissed them with a few words.

Lin Zhao stood in front of the garrison headquarters, looking up at the three-story stone hall, at the distant Cangyun Mountains, and at the ordinary county town below the mountains. Suddenly, he had a strange feeling.

This was the first time he truly owned his own territory.

It wasn't a task he passively accepted, nor an opportunity bestowed upon him by others; rather, it was something he actively planned and seized with his own hands...

Yan Chiheng stood beside him, unusually without his usual joking expression. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Lin Zhao, do you think we look like the villains in a novel?"

"Relying on their sect's background, they drove them out of the territory they had cultivated for thirty years."

Lin Zhao turned to look at him.

Yan Chiheng scratched his head: "I was just saying it offhand."

Lin Zhao withdrew his gaze and looked into the distance: "That person embezzled the sect's spirit stones. The evidence is conclusive. In the cultivation world, the weak are subjugated and the capable are promoted. It has always been so."

I'm not acting on behalf of Heaven, nor am I bullying the weak; I simply... want to take control of my own destiny.

Yan Chiheng remained silent.

Looking at Lin Zhao's profile, he suddenly felt that this friend of many years was somewhat unfamiliar.

Lin Zhao always possessed a peculiar quality—clear-headedness, composure, and a clear sense of purpose.

Sometimes he felt that Lin Zhao wasn't a living person, and that one day he would break free from all constraints, sever all ties, and fly to higher places on his own.

Perhaps, this is what a true cultivator is like.

Yan Chiheng shook his head, no longer thinking about it.

He put his arm around Lin Zhao's shoulder and grinned, "Alright, alright, you control your destiny, I'll earn my spirit stones. My two at home have started cultivating, so I'll get more spirit stones."

"Let's go, let's go inside and check out your territory! I heard that the Cangyun Mountain spirit mine can produce high-grade spirit stones, we should try to get a share!"

Lin Zhao was being pulled towards the garrison headquarters by him, a slight smile playing on her lips.

In the distance, lights began to illuminate the market, and smoke rose from the chimneys of the ordinary county town.

-----

Ten days later.

Four figures appeared in the stone hall of the garrison headquarters.

Lin Zhao sat in the main seat, rubbing his forehead. He felt more tired in these ten days than he had been cultivating for three months.

Three people sat opposite them—an old man, a middle-aged man, and a burly man—representing the three forces in Cangyun Mountain Market.

The old man's surname was He. He was in the late stage of Foundation Establishment. His hair was white and his face was deeply lined, but his eyes were very clear.

He has stayed on Cangyun Mountain for over a hundred years, and the town has seen many different governors come and go, but he has remained as steadfast as Mount Tai. He is truly an unshakeable figure.

For the past ten days, Lin Zhao has asked him anything, and he can answer it all—the production of spirit stones in the area, the income of the market, the distribution of surrounding forces, and even which shop is related to which Foundation Establishment cultivator. He knows it all.

But Lin Zhao didn't ask any questions, and he didn't say a word more.

Such a person, if used well, can be a pillar of strength; if used poorly, can be a stumbling block.

The middle-aged man, surnamed Zhao, was in the early stages of his foundation building and was in charge of the market's commerce.

He was originally a direct descendant of a small family in the Immortal City. After the family's decline, he moved to Cangyun Mountain with a few clansmen. Over the years, he has worked hard to manage the business in the market.

His attitude towards Lin Zhao was very conservative—neither close nor offending her, reporting what needed to be reported and seeking instructions when necessary, but his eyes always held a hint of scrutiny.

Lin Zhao knew what he was thinking. Being good at fighting was one thing, but being good at managing a market was another.

The burly man's surname was Meng. Meng Yong was in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and was in charge of the security of the market area—the law enforcement team was under his command.

He was a big guy with a scar on his face, a result of fighting for his life in his younger days.

He's the easiest of the three to get along with, and I can only judge him by one thing: his ability.

Lin Zhao took office ten days ago, and on his very first day, he slapped the original garrison commander to the ground.

Meng Yong was present at the time, and from then on, he listened to everything Lin Zhao said without saying a word.

Lin Zhao lowered his hand from his forehead and looked at the three: "What's the outcome of your consideration regarding those Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

The Cangyun Mountain stronghold has existed for nearly a thousand years. Even though some sect cultivators were taken away by the original garrison, there are still more than twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators attached to it, but the number of cultivators who truly belong to the sect is not many.

The first thing Lin Zhao did upon taking office was to act decisively and swiftly – all Foundation Establishment cultivators who were attached to the garrison had to sign formal contracts with the market and become guest advisors of the market, obeying the orders of the garrison commander.

Those who are willing can stay, and those who are not can get out.

During these ten days, Lin Zhao spent his time at the garrison headquarters reviewing account books, organizing resources, and familiarizing himself with formations.

Yan Chiheng...

In the past ten days, he has defeated all the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market.

They went door-to-door to challenge them one by one.

With his mutated lightning spiritual root and spiritual body, none of the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market had ever seen such a true sect prodigy!

They were all beaten senseless.

Lin Zhao asked himself, without resorting to the law, he dared not say he could definitely defeat Yan Chiheng using only conventional means.

Before joining the sect, that guy was a rogue cultivator. Without any training, he fought his way up to the twelfth level of Qi Refining with just a sword and a spear. He's ruthless.

The old man surnamed He stroked his beard and slowly said, "Reporting to the garrison, there are a total of twenty-one Foundation Establishment cultivators. Eight of them are unwilling to sign contracts and have proposed to leave the market."

Lin Zhao didn't even frown: "Let them go."

The elderly man surnamed He paused, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Lin Zhao glanced at him: "Old He, please speak frankly."

After a moment of contemplation, the old man said, "If these eight people leave, there will only be thirteen people left in the market who have established their foundations."

Including you and Fellow Daoist Yan, there are only fifteen people. This number... will likely be insufficient to maintain the market's operation."

Lin Zhao nodded without replying, then turned to the middle-aged man surnamed Zhao: "Fellow Daoist Zhou, how is the market doing?"

The middle-aged man surnamed Zhao bowed slightly: "Transaction volume has dropped by about 30% in the past ten days. Some merchants have heard that the town has been changed and are waiting to see what happens. However, they are all elderly people, so it should recover in a while."

Lin Zhao hummed in agreement: "Maintaining the status quo is fine."

He then looked at Meng Yong.

Meng Yong grinned, took out several command flags from his pocket, and handed them over with both hands: "Governor, these are the array command flags under my command."

"You should already have what the original garrison left behind. With these three additions, you'll have a significant portion of the control over the market's grand formation."