Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Yan Chiheng remained silent for a long time.

Then he grinned and patted Lin Zhao's shoulder hard: "Not bad, Lin Zhao, you've thought ahead enough."

Leave this to me. Thunder magic is my specialty, and I'll figure out how to build this Thunder Gathering Pool.

Lin Zhao smiled slightly: "That's exactly what I've been waiting for."

Yan Chiheng suddenly realized something and stared at him suspiciously: "I mean... you didn't bring me here just for this, did you?"

Lin Zhao nodded naturally: "Otherwise what? What else can you do besides fighting?"

Speechless

Yan Chiheng said he was speechless, but he knew exactly what was going on in his mind.

The matter of gathering thunder in the magic treasure pool, ostensibly to ask him for advice, is actually a gift to him—being able to personally participate in the modification of a thunder-type magic treasure would bring him immeasurable benefits in the future.

At the very least, he can't escape a lightning-based divine power.

He recalled that Fang Yue had mentioned before that Lin Zhao had already completed his supernatural powers.

Supernatural powers, legal domains, and magical treasures.

These three things are standard equipment for a Core Formation True Person.

Mastering even one of these skills during the Foundation Establishment stage is enough to be considered a prodigy.

Lin Zhao already possessed two, the Law Domain and the Divine Power, and now a third-tier magic treasure has appeared.

Once he has fully integrated all these things and formed his own system, his combat power will truly reach the threshold of Core Formation.

Yan Chiheng began to study the Spirit Gathering Pool.

He squatted by the pool, reaching out to lightly touch the pool wall, tiny arcs of lightning dancing on his fingertips as he explored the internal array structure inch by inch.

Lin Zhao stood aside, watching his back, and without saying anything more, turned and left the mine.

----

Lin Zhao left the back mountain and returned to the garrison headquarters.

Instead of immediately dealing with official business, he stood by the window, looking at the distant sky.

He was waiting for someone, for an opportunity that would truly revitalize the Cangyun Mountain market.

As the saying goes, "every profession has its own secrets," and while Lin Zhao himself grew up in Qingfengfang and understood basic accounting and market trends, he was still quite adept at business.

But when it comes to running a local market, he really has no experience. However, he knows one thing: if you don't understand something, just find someone who does.

We should be arriving at Blue Thorn Pond soon.

Lan Jingchi is a core member of the Bihai Chamber of Commerce, and cooperating with him would be beneficial to the market.

The caravans of the Azure Sea Merchant Guild also make a trip to the Purple Profound Dynasty every year, but they usually head straight for the royal city—they only visit second-tier markets like Cangyun Mountain occasionally.

Cangyun Mountain is not Tianyun Market. Tianyun Market should normally be a Tier 3 important location, with a Core Formation Realm cultivator in charge. However, due to some special reasons, it is stuck at Tier 2.

-----

a few days later.

The sky above Cangyun Mountain Market suddenly darkened.

The cultivators in the market all looked up and gasped – a giant ship, a full 150 feet long, was slowly descending from the clouds.

Tier 3 Spirit Boat

The logo of the Bihai Chamber of Commerce gleamed on the ship's side.

Lin Zhao, along with a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators from the market, was already waiting at the market entrance.

He watched the giant ship slowly descend, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Lan Jingchi truly lives up to his word.

The spirit boat came to a stop, the hatch opened, and a tall, slender figure stepped out first.

Lan Jingchi remained as refined as ever, dressed in a blue robe with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

He was followed by dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators and hundreds of Qi Refining stage chamber of commerce deacons, who filed out one after another.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, I've kept you waiting." Lan Jingchi said with a fist and palm salute.

Lin Zhao returned the greeting: "Fellow Daoist Lan is too kind. It is an honor for Cangyun Mountain to have the third-tier spirit boat of the Bihai Chamber of Commerce make this trip in person."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lan Jingchi glanced at the market and nodded slightly: "The location is good. Although it's a bit remote, it's backed by a spirit mine and has someone like you guarding it. The market has great potential."

Lin Zhao smiled and said, "Then it depends on whether Fellow Daoist Lan is willing to give us a chance."

Lan Jingchi smiled slightly, said nothing more, and waved his hand to signal the merchant guild team behind him to begin their operation.

For the next seven days, the market in Cangyun Mountain was as lively as during the Lunar New Year.

The Azure Sea Chamber of Commerce's spirit ship brought a massive amount of goods—elixirs, magical artifacts, talismans, array plates, spiritual materials... everything imaginable.

When the news spread, not only did the independent cultivators in the market go on a buying spree, but many Foundation Establishment cultivators from other markets within thousands of miles also made a special trip to buy the goods.

Taking advantage of the situation, Lin Zhao held a large-scale auction.

The spiritual materials in the market's inventory... one by one, the items were put on the stage, attracting round after round of bidding.

Over the course of seven days, the market's transaction volume skyrocketed several times over, and those merchants who had initially been observing were now green with envy.

The auction ended on the evening of the seventh day.

Lin Zhao hosted a banquet for Lan Jingchi at the garrison headquarters.

The banquet was simple: a few plates of spiritual fruit, a pot of spiritual wine, and the two of them sat facing each other and talked.

Lan Jingchi looked at Lin Zhao and said, "The prosperity here can only last for a while."

His tone was calm, but Lin Zhao understood—it was the truth, and also a reminder to Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao nodded, took out two jade slips from his bosom, and pushed them in front of him.

"Take a look at this."

Lan Jingchi picked up the first one and probed it with his divine sense.

A moment later, his eyelid twitched.

The Li Huo series consists of five second-tier magical artifacts and seven first-tier magical artifacts, forming a complete set of inherited magical artifacts covering attack, defense, and support.

This thing would be considered a core inheritance in any Core Formation sect.

He had been doing business with the Bihai Chamber of Commerce for many years and had seen many magical artifacts, but such a complete set of inherited magical artifacts was truly rare.

"You brought this out too?" Lan Jingchi looked up at him. "How much can you refine, and how much do you plan to sell it for?"

Lin Zhao had already thought it through: "I can refine any first-tier magic weapon as long as I have the materials. Second-tier ones will need to be custom-made, and the price will be negotiable."

Of my five second-tier magical artifacts, the Three-Flame Fan, the Crimson Sun Mirror, and the Bright Jade Lamp are top-quality artifacts; I have no shortage of customers.

He paused, then pointed to the last two lines of the jade slip: "As for the Crimson Sun Spirit Boat and the Crimson Flame Demon Blade—they're the grand finale, and ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators can't afford them, which is truly unfair... If cultivators are willing to spend a lot of money, it's not that I can't forge them."

Lan Jingchi asked doubtfully, "You can refine them? One of these two is a top-grade second-tier magic weapon."

Lin Zhao did not answer directly: "We'll talk about it when there are clients."

Lan Jingchi didn't ask any further questions. He put down the first jade slip and picked up the second one.

The moment his divine sense probed in, his eyes changed.

"Hundred Beasts Foundation Building Pill"... pill formula and secret technique.

Made primarily from the demon cores of second-tier demon beasts and refined using various secret techniques, it allows one to establish a low-grade Dao foundation.

The price is that one is prone to becoming beastly, and there is a risk of being devoured by bestiality a hundred years from now.

Lan Jingchi remained silent for a long time.

He certainly knew the weight of this thing.

The genuine formula and materials for Foundation Establishment Pills are generally tacitly blocked by major forces, and cannot be bought on the market at all.

To establish a foundation, one either needs to spend several times the amount of spirit stones, or join a powerful force and risk one's life, or resort to various unorthodox methods; in any case, each has its own pitfalls.