Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

"We'll have to face this sooner or later."

Lin Zhao's voice was calm.

After nine years of arduous cultivation, especially the last three years when he consumed a large amount of second-grade high-quality pills and resources, he was still a flesh and blood body with his own limits.

He needs external help to solve this problem.

The power of lightning is the best choice.

It can not only alleviate the hidden dangers of absorbing cultivation resources during tempering, but also increase lightning resistance.

When I undergo the tribulation to form my core in the future, I may be able to rely on what I have accumulated today to weaken the heavenly lightning—thus increasing my chances of successfully forming my core.

Yan Chiheng looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed.

"Okay, as long as you know what's going on. I'll stay here and keep watch. We'll stop when we can't hold on any longer."

Lin Zhao nodded.

He walked to the edge of the pool and sat down cross-legged.

With a thought, the Nine Luminaries Thunder Pool slowly rose and hovered a foot above his head.

Purple lightning liquid gushed out of the pool, transforming into a thundercloud about ten feet in diameter.

The thunderclouds churned and surged, with countless tiny bolts of lightning flashing within them, emitting a hissing sound.

Lin Zhao took a deep breath.

A thin bolt of lightning struck him on the shoulder from the thundercloud.

"hiss--"

Lin Zhao's body trembled, and she clenched her teeth.

That force penetrated my body, running wildly along my meridians, causing numbness and pain wherever it went, like countless fine needles pricking me at the same time.

His muscles twitched uncontrollably, and even the flow of spiritual energy paused for a moment.

But he held back.

The lightning continued to strike. One bolt, two bolts, three bolts…

Each dish was a step better than the last.

Lin Zhao's body began to tremble violently, veins bulged on his forehead, and the sweat that had just appeared was evaporated by the lightning, turning into a light mist.

Yan Chiheng stood to the side, watching him intently, ready to make a move at any moment.

One hour later.

Lin Zhao finally couldn't hold on any longer. With a thought, the thunderclouds stopped striking.

The Nine Luminaries Thunder Pool slowly descended, and the spiritual liquid in the pool turned into fine mist, enveloping him.

A cool sensation instantly flooded his body. The tiny wounds torn by the lightning healed rapidly under the nourishment of the spiritual liquid.

The meridians that had been disrupted by the lightning were restored to calm under the soothing influence of spiritual energy.

Lin Zhao opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

There was a faint smell of burnt air in his breath.

"The power of thunder and lightning is indeed well-deserved," he said softly.

In the past, he always used spiritual artifacts to block lightning, never directly with his physical body.

Today's experience has shown me how insignificant human strength is in the face of the power of heaven and earth.

Yan Chiheng walked over and grinned, "Now you understand? Although I have a lightning spiritual root, I've suffered a lot in order to control the power of lightning."

Lin Zhao glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Yan Chiheng patted his shoulder: "Take it slow. Tempering your body with lightning isn't something that can be done in a day or two; you have to proceed step by step. It's already quite good that you were able to last for an hour the first time."

Lin Zhao nodded.

He stood up and looked at the pool of lightning liquid.

The thunderclouds have dissipated, and the Thunder Pool has returned to calm.

The purple dragon shadow swam in the pool, and as if sensing his gaze, it raised its head and gently wagged its tail at him.

Lin Zhao's lips curled up slightly.

"Come again next time," he said.

---

For the next year, Lin Zhao's life became extremely regular.

In his spare time, he secluded himself to study weapon crafting techniques.

With the blessing of the Heavenly State, the second-tier superior-grade weapon-refining level is gradually advancing towards the top grade.

Various materials slowly transformed into various magical artifacts in his hands.

Every ten days, he would go deep into the mine to be tempered by lightning.

From the initial one hour, to two hours, to three hours.

From being able to withstand even the smallest lightning bolts, to being able to withstand lightning as big as a thumb.

His physical body grew stronger with each tearing and repair, and the Five Sacred Mountains Spiritual Body became more resilient with each lightning strike.

As for the affairs of the market, Lin Zhao rarely inquired about them anymore.

Old He was in charge of daily management and spirit boat refining, while Yan Chiheng kept an eye on the guards of the robber cultivator caravan.

Even the deal with Su Qianxue was entirely entrusted to the two of them.

This allowed Su Qianxue to earn a lot of spirit stones that year, but it also brought her some... trouble.

For example, the person in front of us.

"Fellow Daoist Su, have some tea."

Yan Chiheng smiled and pushed a cup of spiritual tea towards her, his gaze sweeping over her face before casually looking away.

Su Qianxue took the teacup, her expression remaining unchanged.

This is the third time this month.

This fellow Daoist Yan would always invite her for a cup of tea and a chat whenever they handed over materials.

The conversation ranged from cultivation experiences to observations in the marketplace, from the situation at Dingfeng Plain to Lin Zhao's daily life—this last topic appeared most frequently.

"Is Lin Zhao still in seclusion?" Yan Chiheng asked.

"It should be." Su Qianxue took a sip of tea. "I've been dealing with Old He lately, so I haven't seen him."

"Oh—" Yan Chiheng drawled, "So Junior Sister Su and him... are they really from the same hometown?"

Su Qianxue looked up at him.

The word "gossip" was clearly written in this fellow Daoist Yan's eyes.

"We're from the same hometown." She put down her teacup. "We've met a few times in the Yunxia Mountains and Qingfeng Market."

Yan Chiheng nodded, then asked, "And you...?"

"Fellow Daoist Yan," Su Qianxue interrupted him, her tone calm, "Junior Brother Lin and I are just old acquaintances; we haven't seen each other many times over the years."

Yan Chiheng was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "That's right, that's right, I was just asking casually."

Su Qianxue picked up her teacup, covering a hint of helplessness at the corner of her mouth.

This fellow Daoist Yan probably thinks that Lin Zhao and she are developing a relationship as Daoist partners.

ridiculous.

Although Su Qianxue might occasionally take advantage of others, she never indulges in unrealistic dreams.

People like Lin Zhao...

She lowered her eyes, and deep within her consciousness, a phantom ice mirror glowed faintly.

That was her innate magic – Ice Heart Mirror.

As a child, she could only vaguely sense some of the emotional fluctuations of outsiders.

Later, this talent fully awakened, transforming into an ice mirror that could reflect the true nature of others' personalities.

For each person she faces, a specific object will appear in the mirror, representing that person's essential attributes.

Yan Chiheng is a thunder hammer.

The purple hammer, powerful and violent, yet with a touch of wildness—just like the person himself.

Mr. He is a round ball.

Dusty and smooth-skinned, untouched by trouble, and forever unyielding—a cunning and worldly old fox.

And Lin Zhao...

Su Qianxue recalled the moment two years ago in Tongming Immortal City when she used the Ice Heart Mirror to reflect his image.

At that time, she had just heard about the Immortal City Auction and went to him to ask for details. She secretly urged him to find out about this fellow villager's background.

The Ice Heart Mirror lights up.

The mirror reflects a Dharma wheel.

The Dharma wheel slowly rotated, its body composed of countless tiny runes.

Each rune was constantly being created and destroyed, its light flowing like a nebula, vast, majestic, and unfathomable.

She glanced at it only once, and her sea of ​​consciousness began to tremble; cracks appeared on the surface of the ice mirror.

Just as the ice mirror was about to collapse, she "saw" a pair of eyes opening in the deepest part of the Falun.

Those eyes were cold and indifferent, high above, as if the heavens were looking down upon all living beings.

There was no joy or anger, no sorrow or happiness, only pure... reason.

Those eyes only glanced in her direction.

The ice mirror solidified instantly, the cracks disappeared, and her sea of ​​consciousness returned to calm.