Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

When Su Qianxue came to her senses, she looked at Lin Zhao again, and he looked as usual, as if nothing had happened.

But after that, she was never able to see any information about Lin Zhao through the Ice Heart Mirror again.

She felt that Lin Zhao had noticed her spying.

The appearance of those two pupils might be his will protecting her—and also a warning to her.

That is Lin Zhao's true nature.

Lin Zhao?

I don't know anything!

-----

After Yan Chiheng left, Su Qianxue leaned back in her chair, gazing out the window in a daze.

This trip to Cangyun Mountain was actually her own choice.

A few months ago, she heard news in the sect that Lin Zhao, the garrison commander of Cangyun Mountain, had killed nearly seventy Foundation Establishment cultivators in one battle and taken control of half of Dingfeng Plain.

She was stunned for a long time when she heard the name.

That fellow villager in Qingfengfang City—

Having come this far, with his peak mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, he killed seventy Foundation Establishment cultivators in a single battle.

Su Qianxue made a decision right then and there: to go to Cangyun Mountain with Zhou Yuanqing and the others.

It wasn't for the so-called third-tier spiritual artifact—she didn't have that much ambition for the time being.

She just wanted to... build a relationship.

I'll also earn some spirit stones along the way.

Her journey through Xuan Chen Valley over the years has not been easy.

Although she successfully became a disciple of a Core Formation Realm cultivator, her master had more than a dozen disciples, and she was not the most favored.

Resources must be earned by ourselves; every step must be carefully calculated, and every opportunity must be seized firmly.

Core Formation...

She shook her head, deciding not to think about it for the time being.

At least for now, she seized the opportunity.

In this year, just by helping Lin Zhao make connections, she earned spirit stones that were equivalent to the amount she earned from missions over the past ten years.

Moreover, because Old Man He couldn't figure out the true relationship between her and Lin Zhao, he was exceptionally generous with the payment.

Su Qianxue couldn't help but smile slightly when she thought of those spirit stones.

As for whether Lin Zhao might have other thoughts about her?

She never had such grand dreams.

People like Lin Zhao are born cultivators.

The Great Dao is his only pursuit; what are Daoist partners or emotions compared to a piece of second-tier material in his eyes?

Although Su Qianxue might occasionally take advantage of others, she never presumes to be affectionate.

If Lin Zhao knew what she was thinking, well, sorry, he had actually considered it...

While innate supernatural abilities are indeed powerful, if a single supernatural ability can determine a person's future, then what's the point of striving?

Magic and supernatural powers are ultimately just tools; what truly determines the future is human will.

Lin Zhao's true nature was indeed like this, but that doesn't mean she lacked her own emotions and will.

It was his own will that brought the supernatural power under control; otherwise, he wouldn't have created the Divine Soul Sword Tower as the first supernatural power, precisely to resist the crisis of losing himself in the Heavenly State.

From this perspective, Lin Zhao's control and understanding of his innate supernatural abilities surpasses that of Su Qianxue.

Su Qianxue did not believe that Lin Zhao had such intentions.

Even if there were… Su Qianxue shook her head, banishing the thought from her mind.

In the world of cultivation, cultivation level is everything.

Romantic relationships are a game only for geniuses with powerful backgrounds; ordinary cultivators like her have no right to consider such things.

but……

Su Qianxue picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Since both Elder He and Yan Chiheng have misunderstood, she might as well... pretend she doesn't know.

If there's a bargain, why not take advantage of it?

Senior sister takes a small advantage of junior brother, junior brother Lin Zhao shouldn't mind, right?

At worst, I can treat him to a meal as an apology when the opportunity arises.

As for face?

Su Qianxue stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the people coming and going in the market below the mountain.

How many spirit stones is face worth?

Can you help her achieve the Golden Core stage?

No.

What's the point of having it then?

She turned around and strode out.

There's another batch of materials to be handed over this afternoon; we've scheduled a time with Mr. He.

I heard there are some rare items in the next batch of goods. I need to keep a close eye on them and make sure that gossipy guy Yan Chiheng doesn't drag her out for tea again.

As for Lin Zhao...

She walked to the door and paused.

Deep within his consciousness, the illusory image of the Dharma Wheel flashed by.

She shook her head and pushed open the door to go out.

There's still a long way to go, and we need to keep earning spirit stones.

---

A year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Cangyun Mountain remains prosperous, caravans still come and go, and spirit stones still arrive.

On the surface, everything seemed normal.

But undercurrents have already begun to stir.

Perhaps Cangyun Mountain has been too low-key this year, making some people feel that they can test it.

Or perhaps someone wants to muddy the waters and drag Cangyun Mountain into it—those cultivators secretly controlled by the three great dynasties have become active again.

It started as a minor skirmish, then escalated into tailing caravans, and later into roadblocks and inspections.

In the past month, the conflict has completely erupted.

Three caravans were robbed. Although the goods were not greatly damaged, more than a dozen of the Qi Refining Guards were killed.

The treacherous cultivators grew increasingly audacious and began openly restricting trade routes through Cangyun Mountain.

Given Yan Chiheng's temperament, he naturally wouldn't indulge them.

He had deployed his thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators, all of whom had undergone thousands of tribulations, and he also transferred ten Foundation Establishment cultivators and three hundred elite Qi Refiners from the market to join the guard team.

Fangshi has developed rapidly in recent years.

More than ten cultivators have successfully established their foundations using the Hundred Beasts Foundation Establishment Pill.

They had all cultivated the Heavenly Heart Technique, so they were not affected by their bestial nature, and their combat strength was no less than that of a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Moreover, being backed by the market, they already possess various second-tier magic artifacts even after just reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, making them far wealthier than those who have just reached the Foundation Establishment stage after the Tribulation.

The moment the two sides clashed, the difference in skill was immediately apparent.

Two other people also joined in this small-scale conflict that lasted for over a month.

One is He An, who is now considered a veteran among early Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The other one is Luo Yu.

The boy who was a servant in Dingfeng Plain a few years ago is now a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

That year, with Yan Lie's full support, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

The Breakthrough Pill, a pill that is extremely difficult for ordinary rogue cultivators to refine, is something that Yan Lie, a second-tier high-grade alchemist, can easily refine.

However, cultivating too quickly also comes at a price—his divine sense is still at the sixth level of Qi Refining, unable to keep up with the growth of his cultivation.

Yan Lie specifically invited him to join the guard team this time so that he could undergo trials and make up for his shortcomings in his soul.

At this moment, on Dingfeng Plain, a desolate grassland.

The battle has just ended.

There were more than forty corpses lying on the ground, most of them were cultivators who had undergone tribulation, and there were also a few Qi Refining cultivators from the Cangyun Mountain Guard.

The air was filled with the stench of blood and the burnt smell of residual magic.

Luo Yu stood in front of a corpse, his face slightly pale.

He killed him.

A cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining, with a face full of scars, held a blood-stained longsword in his hand.

Just a stick of incense had burned, and this person was still rushing towards him, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Then there is no more.

Luo Yu was wearing a light red robe, a top-grade first-tier robe given to him by Yan Lie.