Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Zhu Yan swung his sword and slashed.

The blade struck down with a deafening roar, cleaving a massive fissure hundreds of feet deep into the earth. The rocks at the edge of the crack instantly melted into scalding magma, hissing and crackling.

He swung his sword again, and countless dark red flames poured down like a torrential rain, sweeping across an area of ​​several miles. The flames landed on the ground, burning relentlessly until the earth was scorched.

With a casual gesture, Zhu Yan caused the flames to surge back and re-condense on the blade, as if they had never dissipated.

With a slight thought, the blade suddenly emitted a strange fluctuation.

The blood from the wounds of the demonic beasts that had been prepared beforehand was forcibly drawn in, turning into a cloud of blood mist that surged into the blade.

The Crimson Flame Demon Blade trembled slightly, its aura subtly rising.

Within the flash of the blade, countless crimson runes slowly emerged, each exuding a ferocious killing intent. Wherever the blade passed, even the air was stained crimson.

Zhu Yan sheathed his sword and remained silent for a long time.

"A good knife," he said, his voice a little hoarse.

The Crimson Flame Demon Blade truly lives up to its name as a demon blade.

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.

If a Foundation Establishment cultivator uses it as their natal magic weapon and advances to Core Formation, it will directly become a third-tier magic weapon.

Zhu Yan sheathed his sword, looked at Lin Zhao, and said earnestly, "Guardian Lin, I will do my best to persuade the higher-ups when I get back. I will handle the matter of the third-tier weapon-refining materials."

Lin Zhao nodded.

He knew that there was hope for the deal to buy the knife, at least for now.

---

Back at the garrison headquarters, Lin Zhao sat in the quiet room and began to think about something.

My natal magic weapon.

Core Formation cultivators all possess their own natal magic treasure. Some of these treasures were nurtured using second-tier top-grade magic artifacts during the Foundation Establishment stage, and they undergo a transformation together when advancing to Core Formation.

Some are specially refined after the core has been formed; it depends on the specific circumstances.

Lin Zhao hadn't thought much about this issue before.

At that time, we were still far from reaching the Core Formation stage.

But now, he has reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

It's time to consider it.

Several options flashed through his mind.

The first is the two magical treasures that come with the cultivation technique.

The Seals of the Five Emperors.

He used this forbidden technique many times. Its attack power is domineering. When combined with the Law Domain, it can enable a Foundation Establishment cultivator to fight against a Core Formation cultivator.

If it is refined into a natal magic weapon, it can be activated quickly, and its power will only be stronger.

The Ruins Furnace.

This magical artifact is geared towards cultivation. Once refined, it can boost cultivation speed to a terrifying level—provided there are resources, one can cultivate from the early stage of Core Formation to the peak in a hundred years.

Then you can consider sterilization.

Of course, those who are not afraid of death can try to directly form a Nascent Soul.

Lin Zhao's lips twitched.

He recalled the records in "The True Secret of the Five Spirits Returning to the Void".

This technique is extremely difficult to master, and it is very easy to go astray and suffer from demonic possession during the cultivation process.

The Foundation Establishment stage requires a strong physique, and he has no problem with the Five Sacred Mountains Spirit Body.

The Core Formation stage requires strong control over one's divine sense—he was quite confident about that.

But the most terrifying thing is that, according to the sect's records, not to mention the difficulty of forming a Nascent Soul, just consider the seven Nascent Soul True Monarchs who formed their Nascent Souls using this technique—

Not one of them lived to a ripe old age.

They all died and their souls vanished after the Nascent Soul stage.

The Nascent Soul stage is a huge watershed.

If he can solve this problem, he will not only have a chance to reach the Nascent Soul stage, but may even have a glimmer of hope to become a Deity.

If it can't be solved...

Lin Zhao took a deep breath.

Too far.

He shook his head, suppressing those thoughts.

There's still time to deal with the matter of one's natal magic weapon.

He has several alternative plans in hand.

The third is the Azure Lotus Sword.

He is a sword cultivator, and his sword intent is already formed, so it is only natural for him to follow the path of the sword.

There are plenty of materials for the Azure Lotus series in the sect. Although it takes a lot of contribution points to exchange for them, it is at least a way.

There are examples of senior members in the sect who have cultivated the Azure Lotus Sword to the fourth-tier magic weapon level.

Moreover, his Dao Foundation is a superior-grade Azure Lotus Dao Foundation, which is naturally compatible with the Azure Lotus Sword.

The problem is that the Azure Lotus Sword requires sect contribution points.

Those things are hard to earn, and it's also very difficult to find the materials for upgrading the Azure Lotus Sword in the outside world.

The fourth is the Divine Soul Sword Tower.

He mastered this supernatural ability in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and has been continuously improving his divine sense over the years.

If one were to use the Divine Soul Sword Tower as a template to become their natal magic weapon, specializing in spiritual attacks—then that would be recognized as one of the strongest professions in the cultivation world, even more awe-inspiring and feared than sword cultivators.

The power of divine sense can kill without a trace. It is impossible to defend against, and impossible to block.

But this road is also the most difficult to travel.

The path of the soul is fraught with risks, whether it's attacking or cultivating. A slight mistake can damage one's sea of ​​consciousness, leading to anything from mental breakdown to complete idiocy.

The fifth is the Five Sacred Mountains' magical treasures, which work in conjunction with the Five Sacred Mountains' spiritual bodies.

With the Five Sacred Mountains as its core, the Dharma Domain as its foundation, and the Four Spirits Formation as its basis, once the Natal Magic Treasure is completed, it is equivalent to a walking formation.

Seven spiritual bodies emerged simultaneously, and the Five Sacred Mountains revolved endlessly—among cultivators of the same level, few could rival them.

This path follows the path of array cultivation, using spiritual bodies, Dharma domains, and spiritual forms to replace array plates, array bases, and array flags.

Lin Zhao relied on formations to directly repel a Core Formation cultivator.

Lin Zhao sat in the quiet room, his brows furrowed.

I want everything.

But none of them really felt right.

I'm so conflicted.

He rubbed his temples and sighed.

Forget it.

Reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment will take at least another ten years, and preparations for Core Formation will also take time. There will be other opportunities to think about it later.

If all else fails, we can consider it again after we reach the Core Formation stage.

The situation is relatively stable now, so let's focus on improving our cultivation first.

---

Lin Zhao then remembered something else.

The grand auction of Tongming Immortal City, marking its centennial, is just over a year away.

That's a once-in-a-century event. It's said that dozens or even hundreds of third-tier spiritual items appear at each auction.

Elixirs, materials, magical artifacts, and cultivation techniques—everything is available.

Lin Zhao's current net worth is comparable to that of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator.

With the resources in Princess Blood Phoenix's storage ring, the Blood Phoenix Bow, and the wealth accumulated over the years, exchanging them for one or two third-tier spiritual items shouldn't be a problem.

The resources needed before forming the core have been mostly prepared.

He began to make plans.

Prepare plenty of high-grade spirit stones, as many items at the auction only require high-grade spirit stones.

I asked Mr. He to keep an eye out for it these days, but unfortunately there isn't a suitable channel, and I'm afraid he won't be able to get much money from it outside.

The only way to exchange them will be to return to the sect.

There is also the third-tier magic weapon, the Blood Phoenix Bow.

Should we keep this magic weapon for ourselves, or sell it to exchange for resources?

Lin Zhao had witnessed the power of the Blood Phoenix Bow.

With it in hand, Princess Blood Phoenix could directly confront him when he was fully wielding his magic domain.

Its power is undeniable.

However, this is a magical artifact that has undergone a blood sacrifice, and the blood and evil energy on it are too strong.

We need to deal with this first.

Lin Zhao flipped his hand, and the Blood Phoenix Bow appeared in his palm.

It was a huge longbow, its entire body gilded, with blood-red patterns and ancient runes carved on its arms.

The entire bow was wreathed in crimson phoenix flames, and within the flames, the phantom of the phoenix could be faintly seen flapping its wings.

Lin Zhao closed his eyes and probed with his divine sense.

The next moment, he frowned.

The blood and malevolent energy within the bow was too strong.