Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "There are only three reasons."

First, the dynasty monopolized resources, so cultivators couldn't get resources and had to go there. It was a no-man's-land where nobody cared what you did.

Secondly, the three dynasties needed a buffer zone; if everything were truly cleaned up, the three bordering regions would lead to even more friction. Thirdly—

He paused, then looked at Lan Jingchi: "Some dirty work always has to be done by someone, and those tribulation cultivators are ready-made black gloves."

"As long as you know it perfectly well."

Lin Zhao did not respond.

Lan Jingchi continued, "If you can open up the trade route to Dingfeng Plain and develop trade between the three kingdoms, then your Cangyun Mountain will be a vital strategic location."

All passing caravans will need to resupply, rest, and trade with you. They'll come to you on their own, without you having to ask.

Lin Zhao remained silent.

He stared at the puddle of water on the table, tapping his fingers absently.

Lan Jingchi assumed he was weighing the pros and cons, so he didn't urge him and slowly drank his tea.

After a long while, Lin Zhao suddenly spoke.

"What if I don't take the trade routes?" Lin Zhao looked at him, his tone so calm it betrayed no emotion. "What if I simply take over Dingfeng Plain completely?"

Lan Jingchi's hand trembled, and the water in the teacup almost spilled.

He stared at Lin Zhao as if he were looking at a madman.

"There are hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators there," he said, emphasizing each word.

Lin Zhao nodded: "I know."

Instead, he asked, "Among those hundreds, are there any Foundation Establishment cultivators who have reached the peak? Or those who are close to the Core Formation threshold?"

Lan Jingchi was stunned for a moment, then frowned and thought for a moment: "...I haven't heard of any. People at that level are all pursuing the Great Dao of Core Formation, they wouldn't stay in Dingfeng Plain as Tribulation Cultivators."

If such a thing existed, it would have been recruited by the three great dynasties long ago.

Moreover, Dingfeng Plain doesn't have much spiritual energy; those who truly aspire to go far on the path of cultivation wouldn't stay there.

"That's it." Lin Zhao leaned back in his chair. "What use is a large number of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

Lin Zhao's Four Elements and Five Mountains Law Domain is least afraid of quantity. Once the Law Domain is activated, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators can hardly even get close.

With Yan Chiheng and the other joining forces, as long as they act quickly enough, dealing with over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators is not an unsolvable problem.

As long as Lin Zhao controls the trade routes of Dingfeng Plain and relies on the market in Cangyun Mountain, his problem of cultivation resources will be largely solved.

There's another layer to consider. He's been plotting to acquire a third-tier spiritual artifact, which will inevitably be dangerous, and he'll need a batch of cannon fodder.

Those Foundation Establishment cultivators in Dingfeng Plain are just right.

He wouldn't care how many people died.

It's a bit of a problem. How do you control those people? It's easy to recruit them, but difficult to get them to obey.

Lin Zhao secretly considered that he still needed to ask Fang Yue in the Law Enforcement Hall.

Those people from the Enforcement Hall have dealt with more cultivators than I have ever seen.

The loot should contain some means of controlling people—such as restrictions, poison pills, magical artifacts, talismans, etc.

Lan Jingchi opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that he didn't know where to begin.

One hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, ordinary cultivators?

If someone else had said that, he would have burst out laughing on the spot.

Foundation Establishment cultivators are a vital force wherever they are placed.

But the calm tone in which Lin Zhao said this made him unable to laugh.

Lan Jingchi suddenly realized that he might have underestimated Lin Zhao's strength and ambition.

He remained silent for a long time before finally saying slowly, "If you really want to take action, you must be quick. The people in Dingfeng Plain are involved in too many complicated and deep-rooted matters."

If this drags on, some members of the three dynasties, not wanting to see anything go wrong, might intervene.

Lin Zhao nodded: "Understood."

"And another thing," Lan Jingchi lowered his voice, "if you really take them down, don't think about killing them all. Some of those people from Dingfeng Plain can be used."

You're short-handed, they're short of livelihood; recruit as many as you can.

Lin Zhao gave him a meaningful look, wondering to himself if the Bihai Chamber of Commerce might also have a group of people like this.

Lan Jingchi smiled and said, "In business, you have to deal with all sorts of people. Some principles apply everywhere."

Lin Zhao didn't speak, picked up the teacup, and slowly finished drinking it.

The next morning, the third-tier spirit ship of the Azure Sea Chamber of Commerce slowly rose into the air.

Lan Jingchi stood at the bow of the ship, looking down at the increasingly smaller market below.

Lin Zhao was standing in front of the garrison headquarters, his hands behind his back, looking up at the spirit boat.

Their gazes met for a fleeting moment in the air, though they were miles apart.

But in Lan Jingchi's mind, that sentence kept echoing—

"What if we just take Dingfeng Plains?"

He suddenly smiled and looked out at the surging sea of ​​clouds.

This trip to Cangyun Mountain was definitely worthwhile.

----

One day several months later

A light rain was falling on Cangyun Mountain. Inside the garrison headquarters, Lin Zhao and Yan Chiheng were discussing how to modify the Spirit Gathering Pool.

He suddenly sensed a fluctuation at the edge of the market array—a Foundation Establishment cultivator had triggered the outermost array restriction, but then stopped in place.

Lin Zhao released his divine sense to scan the area.

A man who looked to be in his thirties stood outside the mountain gate, his clothes half-wet, his hair disheveled, and his eyes fixed on the light screen of the mountain-protecting array.

"Let him in," Lin Zhao transmitted his voice to the monk on duty.

A moment later, the man was brought into the hall.

He looked up at Lin Zhao, his gaze vacant, his lips moving as if he had rehearsed it many times—

"Young man, I will help you establish your foundation; in return, you will help me deal with the Shen family."

Lin Zhao: "..."

The hall was quiet for a few moments.

Yan Chiheng chuckled beside him, then quickly suppressed it.

Lin Zhao looked down at himself, then at Yan Lie, and said expressionlessly, "Do you think I'm a Qi Refining cultivator?"

Yan Lie was stunned for a moment before he took a serious look at Lin Zhao. He was in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, and his aura was hidden and unyielding, like an abyss.

He then glanced at Yan Chiheng beside him, who was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and possessed an equally powerful aura.

Yan Lie remained silent for the full time it takes for half an incense stick to burn.

Then he slowly straightened up, straightened his crooked clothes, took a step back, and bowed deeply:

"Yan Lie greets the garrison commander."

Lin Zhao watched his actions—perfect manners, the kind of etiquette only a noble family could teach.

"Looks like he's not completely insane yet," Lin Zhao said calmly. "Sit down."

-----

The next few days

Yan Lie moved into a quiet room on the west side of the garrison, next to a pill-refining room.

Lin Zhao showed him the formula for the Hundred Beasts Foundation Building Pill and the accompanying secret techniques—and Yan Lie spent three whole days looking at it.

Three days later, he found Lin Zhao with dark circles under his eyes, and his first words were:

"Who made this prescription?"

"I."

Yan Lie opened his mouth, about to say something, but then swallowed it back, finally managing to stammer out, "Something's not right."

Lin Zhao wasn't angry: "Speak."

Yan Lie took a deep breath and pulled out a stack of papers from his pocket—covered with all sorts of annotations.

Some places were marked with an X, some places had the medicinal ingredient ratios relisted, and some places were marked with "The spiritual energy conversion rate here is insufficient, so it can be supplemented with a hundred-year-old Qingling Grass to neutralize it".