Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Su Qianxue rolled her eyes at him.

That glance carried a hint of reproach, a hint of helplessness, and a hint of...

She picked up the wine jug beside her, poured herself a cup, and said solemnly to Lin Zhao, "Thank you for the reminder, Junior Brother."

After saying that, she drank it all in one gulp, put down her glass, and said, "I'll remember this favor."

Lin Zhao waved her hand without saying anything.

Su Qianxue poured herself another glass of wine and sipped it slowly.

A faint blush gradually rose to her face—probably because she hadn't drunk alcohol for years, and the effects of the alcohol were rising rather quickly.

Her originally cool and aloof face now had a touch of rosy blush, adding a touch of glamour.

Lin Zhao looked away, pretending not to see.

Su Qianxue herself didn't realize it; she was just staring blankly out the window, her eyes somewhat vacant.

She was planning what to do next—how to protect herself in the potential chaos.

She decided to put in the effort but not actually do anything for the upcoming tasks, figuring out how to stay in the Cangyun Mountain market without going out, and how to deal with Zhang Yuan and his group.

Earning spirit stones is an exception!

Lin Zhao didn't disturb her and continued eating her food.

After half a round of drinks...

Su Qianxue withdrew her gaze and looked at Lin Zhao.

"Junior brother just said he had two things to ask. The first one is finished, what's the second one?"

She paused, a slight smile playing on her lips. "It can't really be as simple as just inviting my senior sister to dinner, can it?"

Lin Zhao put down his chopsticks, took out a jade slip from his storage bag, and placed it on the table.

"Take a look at this first."

Su Qianxue picked up the jade slip and probed it with her spiritual power.

A moment later, she raised her eyebrows slightly.

"More than ten kinds of second-tier superior and second-tier top-grade refining materials..."

She looked up at Lin Zhao, her eyes filled with surprise, "Crimson Sun Jade Essence, Fire Pattern Copper Mother, Separated Fire Black Iron... Junior Brother, you've really gone all out."

Lin Zhao picked up her teacup but remained silent.

Su Qianxue continued reading, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Most of these materials are fire-attribute. Crimson Sun Jade Essence is a second-tier high-grade material, suitable for crafting fire-attribute magical artifacts."

"This thing isn't particularly precious in the Heavenly Fire Dynasty, but in Zi Xuan and Nan Li..." She paused, "it's definitely a rare find."

Lin Zhao nodded: "Most of the cultivators in the Heavenly Fire Dynasty practice fire-attribute techniques, so they rarely let this material out of the country. It is monopolized by the Zhu family, a royal family that has reached the Core Formation stage."

"By using ordinary commercial channels, I can only obtain common Tier 2 materials; these rare items are beyond my reach."

Su Qianxue put down the jade slip and looked at him.

"So, Junior Brother wants me to trade through Xuan Chen Valley?"

Lin Zhao did not deny it.

"Xuanchen Valley and the Tianhuo Dynasty have a long history of trade relations, and you are stronger and in a dominant position. You should have quite a lot of this material on hand."

He paused for a moment, then said, "There aren't many cultivators in Xuanchen Valley who practice fire attribute cultivation. These materials are just sitting in the warehouse anyway, so we might as well take them out and exchange them for something useful."

Su Qianxue didn't reply, her gaze returning to the jade slip.

She read through the lines one by one, and the more she read, the more something seemed off.

"Junior brother, you need to tell me what this batch of materials is intended for."

Lin Zhao took out another jade slip from his storage bag and placed it on the table.

"For weapon forging."

Su Qianxue took it and probed it with her spiritual energy.

This is a jade slip introducing five second-tier magical artifacts: the Three-Flame Fan, the Crimson Sun Mirror, the Bright Jade Lamp, the Crimson Sun Spirit Boat, and the Crimson Flame Demon Blade.

Lin Zhao pointed to the first three items: "These three—the Three-Flame Fan, the Crimson Sun Mirror, and the Bright Jade Lamp—are top-quality magical artifacts among second-tier items, possessing considerable power. But unfortunately…"

"What's a pity?"

"Unfortunately, the Heavenly Fire Dynasty possesses similar magical artifacts."

Lin Zhao said calmly, "I tried selling them, but the results were so-so, and I didn't earn much spirit stone."

He said to the last two lines.

"The key points are here—the Crimson Sun Spirit Boat and the Crimson Flame Demon Blade."

Su Qianxue looked closely, her pupils contracting slightly.

The Crimson Sun Spirit Boat is a second-tier high-grade spirit boat, with attack and defense comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The Crimson Flame Demon Blade is a second-tier top-grade magic weapon. When fully activated, it can transform into hundreds of flame demon blades. Even after the blades are destroyed, the flames remain, and it can even turn a ten-mile radius into a Crimson Flame Domain—it already possesses some of the powerful characteristics of a "Core Formation Domain".

She looked up at Lin Zhao.

"You're trying to use these two items to attract the attention of the Heavenly Fire Sect?"

Lin Zhao smiled.

"Senior sister is indeed intelligent."

He pointed to the information on the Crimson Sun Spirit Boat: "I checked, and the spirit boats used by the Heavenly Fire Sect are only of the second-tier mid-grade."

They don't have a second-tier high-grade spirit boat. If they could forge this one, wouldn't they be tempted?

Su Qianxue nodded.

Lin Zhao then pointed to the Crimson Flame Demon Blade: "As for this, it's the real grand finale."

A second-tier top-grade magic artifact, comparable to a quasi-magic weapon. Trading it for some second-tier materials? That's a huge loss.

He paused, lowering his voice slightly.

"My goal is to first use the Crimson Sun Spirit Boat to exchange for a batch of second-tier rare materials, and then use those materials to forge the Crimson Flame Demon Blade."

Once the demonic blade is finished, I'll use it to exchange for... third-tier weapon-refining materials.

Su Qianxue gasped.

Tier 3 crafting materials.

Although that thing is not as precious as a third-tier spiritual item, it is not something that can be exchanged for an ordinary second-tier magic weapon.

Only magical artifacts of the Crimson Flame Demon Blade's caliber could possibly tempt someone.

"What do you need the Tier 3 materials for?" she asked.

Lin Zhao picked up her teacup, took a sip, and did not answer.

At this moment, the Zi Xuan Dynasty was under a trap set by the Zheng family patriarch, and he dared not make a move to plot against the third-tier spiritual artifact.

The only option is to look for other opportunities to improve one's abilities.

Lin Zhao obtained the True Technique of the Departing Fire, and he also had the method for refining a third-tier magic weapon.

Those three magical treasures are,

Seven-feathered Flame Fan, Crimson Feather Robe, Crystal Jade Lamp.

If Lin Zhao collects materials and can refine them into a magic weapon in the future, that would be much better than obtaining a third-tier spiritual item.

To put it another way, if the Heavenly Fire Sect really wasn't tempted...

The grand auction for Tongming Immortal City, a once-in-a-century event, is fast approaching.

Lin Zhao put the refined Crimson Sun Spirit Boat and Crimson Flame Demon Blade on the Immortal City Auction House, and it was worth it to exchange them for some high-grade spirit stones.

That would be a bit troublesome, and the price might not be ideal.

But with Su Qianxue's intelligence, she naturally guessed that the third-tier materials were for refining third-tier magic weapons.

The value of a third-tier magic weapon is even greater than that of a third-tier spiritual item.

Lin Zhao put down his teacup and said casually, "Of course, it's still early for all of this."

The first step now is to forge the Crimson Sun Spirit Boat. This requires thousands of materials, most of which Cangyun Mountain can gather, but a few rare ones…”

He looked at Su Qianxue.

Su Qianxue smiled bitterly.

"Junior brother, you've given me a really tough problem."

She pointed to the list of materials on the jade slip: "These rare materials are so rare that even my senior brother, who is at the peak of Foundation Establishment, would find it difficult to retrieve them from the sect's treasury.

Lin Zhao nodded: "I know."

He paused, then his tone became serious: "So, I'm only discussing this deal with you."

Su Qianxue was taken aback.

"You can ask someone for help."

Lin Zhao said, "No matter who it is, as long as they can help me get the materials I need, you will receive a share of spirit stones as a reward."

I won't interfere with the specifics of how it works; I'll only observe the results.