Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao sat cross-legged in front of the weapon-refining furnace, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the Divine Soul Sword Tower released a faint golden light, and then a point of golden light shone from the top of the tower.

The golden light spread rapidly, like a golden sun descending upon the sea of ​​consciousness.

Celestial State activated.

In an instant, the whole world slowed down. The trajectory of the leaping subterranean fire became clearly visible, and the temperature distribution of every wisp of flame and the frequency of every fluctuation of spiritual energy were presented in consciousness.

Lin Zhao opened his eyes, a faint golden light flashing deep within his pupils.

With a raised hand, the materials entered the refining furnace.

The first item is a second-tier top-grade Crimson Flame Iron Essence. The iron essence slowly softens in the flames, impurities are gradually peeled away, and it emits a faint "hissing" sound.

Lin Zhao's divine sense transformed into hundreds of fine threads, simultaneously controlling the changes in every part of the iron essence's internal structure—such precise multi-threaded control would take an ordinary weapon refiner at least several months to complete.

But at this moment, Lin Zhao's sea of ​​consciousness was as clear as a mirror, and his divine sense flowed like water.

One day, two days, three days...

There is no day or night in the Earth Fire Chamber, only the increasingly solidified dark golden light above the refining furnace.

On the fifth day, Lin Zhao began to inscribe the runes.

This is the most dangerous stage.

Tens of thousands of runes need to be imprinted into the blade to create the "Crimson Flame Domain".

Lin Zhao condensed a sword intent at his fingertips, using the intent as a brush and fire as ink to inscribe runes on the blade.

With each stroke, the blade vibrates and emits a low hum.

"town."

Lin Zhao uttered a single word.

The Four Elements and Five Sacred Mountains Dharma Domain unfolded silently, with five illusory mountain shadows pressing down on the blade.

The power emanating from the Five Sacred Mountains spirits forcefully suppressed the demonic blade's agitation.

The runes continue.

The third thousand, the fifth thousand, the eighth thousand...

When the last rune landed, the entire sword suddenly fell silent.

That stillness was not deathly silence, but the silence before a storm.

Lin Zhao's pupils contracted slightly, and his domain instantly closed, transforming into five illusory mountain shadows that surrounded the refining furnace.

next moment--

The sound of blades clashing!

A dark golden blade of light shot into the sky from the refining furnace, carrying an intense heat that could burn everything, and crashed hard into the barrier of the magic domain.

"boom!"

The area trembled, and dust fell from the rock walls.

Lin Zhao grunted, formed a hand seal, and the illusory image of the Five Sacred Mountains suddenly sank down, pressing the blade light firmly within one zhang above the refining furnace.

The blade flashed relentlessly, charging forward with ferocious force. Each impact felt like someone slamming a red-hot iron hammer into the sea of ​​consciousness.

Lin Zhao's eyes remained calm—he was waiting, waiting for the initial frenzy of the blade's gleam to dissipate.

A quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour...

The blade's light gradually subsided, eventually retracting obediently into its blade.

Lin Zhao then reached out and picked up the newly formed Crimson Flame Demon Blade.

The blade is about four feet long and is entirely dark gold. Fine, magical patterns flow along the edge, pulsating slightly like blood vessels.

The hilt of the knife is carved into a ferocious demon head, with the eye sockets inlaid with Fiery Sun Jade, which is currently burning with dark red flames.

What's most terrifying is the faint, crimson-gold aura surrounding the blade—that's the power that naturally overflows when the magic weapon is in operation; even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would have their soul burned if they got close.

Lin Zhao gripped the knife and casually swung it.

"laugh--"

A dark golden blade of light pierced the rock wall, leaving a scorched crack three zhang deep.

No lava flowed at the edge of the crack because all the energy had been absorbed by the blade's edge—this was precisely the terrifying aspect of the Crimson Flame Demon Blade.

While slashing, it can also absorb energy and life essence, increasing the magic weapon's potential.

He closed his eyes and probed the blade with his divine sense.

Slash, Crimson Flame, Undying, Domination, Bloodlust—five characteristics, layered upon each other.

In particular, "Blood Fiend" can devour the life essence of opponents and upgrade the grade of magic weapons.

If you kill enough, you can even upgrade your magic weapon.

"It really is the Demon Blade."

Lin Zhao opened her eyes and said softly.

If Lin Zhao hadn't been a sword cultivator who had already grasped the essence of swordsmanship, he would have wanted to keep it for himself.

He put the knife into his storage bag, got up and left the fire chamber.

The moment the stone door was pushed open, the guard outside the underground fire chamber subconsciously took a half step back—not because of Lin Zhao, but because of the lingering demonic aura emanating from him, which created an extremely oppressive atmosphere.

Lin Zhao didn't pay any attention and walked straight towards the garrison headquarters.

Old Mr. He was already waiting in his study.

"The Crimson Sun Spirit Boat is almost finished after a year. Its flight is stable and the defensive formations have been debugged."

Old He handed over a list, "As you instructed, we conducted three test flights around the market area this month, making quite a commotion. We saw everything we needed to see."

Lin Zhao took the list, glanced at it, and nodded: "We can release the information now. Has anyone from the Heavenly Fire Dynasty been active in this area recently?"

"What a coincidence." Old He smiled like an old fox. "There really is one. A member of the royal family of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty named Zhu Yan, at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, cultivates fire-attribute techniques."

"That makes things easier." Lin Zhao pondered for a moment. "The spirit boat can be sold, but the price should be 20% higher than the market price. The key point is..."

He paused, then took the dark gold demonic sword from his storage bag and placed it on the table.

The moment the blade touched the tabletop, a wisp of smoke rose from the wooden desk.

Old He's eyelids twitched, and he subconsciously took a step back.

"This is……"

"Crimson Flame Demon Blade." Lin Zhao said calmly, "It's a second-tier top-grade magic weapon with five major characteristics. It can open the Crimson Flame Domain, and it can grow after killing and devouring living beings. It has the potential to become a magic treasure."

Old He stared at the knife for a long time before taking a deep breath: "Governor, are you... really going to sell it?"

"Not for sale." Lin Zhao shook his head. "In exchange for third-tier refining materials. Any one of these three—Glazed Jade Marrow, Bright Light Profound Gold, and seven kinds of third-tier Spirit Feathers—can be exchanged for an equivalent amount of high-grade spirit stones, and we can discuss it."

Old He frowned: "Third-tier materials... Zhu Yan probably can't make that decision."

"The point is to get him to go back and report." Lin Zhao put the knife back into his storage bag. "You just need to 'casually' reveal two things:

First, I specialize in swordsmanship, so I can't use this sword;

Secondly, I plan to take it out during the grand auction in Tongming Immortal City every century and exchange it for third-tier resources.

Old He's eyes lit up: "The garrison commander is... forcing them to make a move ahead of schedule? If those people from the Heavenly Fire Dynasty knew that this sword had the potential to be a magic weapon, they probably wouldn't have waited for the big auction."

Especially for young people like Zhu Yan, eager to make a name for themselves, once he returned and reported back, the higher-ups of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty would be restless—”

"That's to be expected." Lin Zhao stood up and walked to the window. "They couldn't sit still, which is why they brought third-tier materials. It saves us the trouble of going to the auction."

Old He cupped his hands in greeting: "I understand. I'll make the arrangements right away."

He turned to leave, but Lin Zhao suddenly called out to him.

"Old He."

"Does the garrison commander have any further instructions?"

Lin Zhao was silent for a moment, then said softly, "When Zhu Yan comes again, let him stay in the market for a few more days. Just say... I'm in seclusion."

Old He was taken aback, then smiled: "The garrison commander is about to break through?"

Lin Zhao did not answer, but simply looked out the window.