Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao went in and patted her head.

"Congratulations."

Lin You squinted her eyes and said happily, "It was Sister Xiaoxiao who let me."

Ye Xiaoxiao immediately retorted, "Who gave you a break? It's because I can't beat you."

Lin Zhao smiled but didn't reply. Instead, she said to everyone, "Please sit down, don't stand."

The courtyard became lively again.

Lin Zhao raised her glass and toasted Zhou Jun and Lan Jingchi.

After a few rounds of drinks, he leaned back in his chair, gazing at the lights in the courtyard and listening to the laughter and chatter of the crowd.

He took another sip of wine, his eyes calm.

After the auction ends, after the Foundation Establishment competition concludes, after that person obtains the spiritual item and leaves the Immortal City—

He slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao.

The two were huddled together when Luo Yu joined them. The three of them, heads close together, chattered away.

Lin Zhao smiled and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

Let's celebrate tonight first.

Other things are not urgent.

He possesses the third-tier offensive magic weapon, the Golden Phoenix Bow, the Five Sacred Mountains Domain, the Nine Luminaries Thunder Pool, and a mysterious connection with precise positioning within a hundred miles—

Where would a demonic cultivator who has fallen and is still recovering from a serious injury run to?

-----

Hunting down a Core Formation cultivator, even one who is still recovering from serious injuries, is playing with fire.

Lin Zhao didn't mention it to anyone.

Lin You vaguely sensed that her uncle was busy with something.

A few days before the finals, she wanted to ask Lin Zhao for advice on a few details of the match—she wanted him to help her make some decisions.

Every time he knocked on the door, either no one answered, or Lin Zhao inside would say, "Think about it yourself."

The voice was calm, but through the door, Lin You could hear something beneath it.

She stopped bothering them.

She has already received the two Foundation Establishment Pills promised by the Bihai Chamber of Commerce, plus the one she won in the regional finals, so she now has three in her hands.

Enough for her and Ye Xiaoxiao to each have one.

He planned to leave the last one for his father, Lin Tai, even though his father also had a Foundation Establishment Pill.

However, she was unsure whether she could successfully establish her foundation on the first try, so she wanted to keep one as a backup.

Then came the grand final, a contest between the strongest players from the inner city division.

On the day of the finals, she played six games, winning three and losing three, ultimately ranking twenty-sixth.

Lin Zhao did not come to see her.

She stood by the arena in the inner city, looking at the huge crowd below, but couldn't find that familiar figure.

I felt a little disappointed, but it was only fleeting.

Her uncle has his own things to do. She understands.

---

The Foundation Building competition began three days after the finals.

An area within the inner city was cleared out. The arena, which spans a mile in radius, will not be affected by the battles outside once the formation is activated.

There were more than two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators participating in the competition, most of whom were in the late or peak stages of Foundation Establishment.

Some of them are geniuses who applied on their own or were recommended by various powerful organizations.

The young man in fine clothes stood in the crowd; he had a handsome face and a gentle demeanor.

He was dressed in a white robe, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist. As he stood there, he naturally attracted attention.

He held three second-tier top-grade magic artifacts in his hands—a sword, a shield, and a seal.

The sword is named Azure Frost; where its light passes, fine frost condenses in the air. The shield is named Mysterious Iron; when unfolded, it moves like a mountain. The seal is named Falling Star; when it strikes, it falls like a meteor.

The three top-grade magical artifacts were used in turn, their swords flashing fiercely, their shields like mountains, and their seals striking like thunder, crushing all in their path and defeating seven people in a row.

No one knew that deep inside his storage ring lay two third-tier magic treasures.

A strange, pitch-black ghost hand, covered with twisted runes;

A bone shield the size of a palm was made from the skull of a Core Formation cultivator.

Once activated, his aura leaks out, and even a Core Formation cultivator might not be able to see through his disguise.

But what if it alarms a Nascent Soul cultivator—

He dared not gamble.

After each match, he would quietly leave the stage, never saying much to anyone.

The faction he had joined sent a Core Formation cultivator to oversee the event. After watching him perform two matches, the cultivator nodded in satisfaction and said, "This young man has potential."

He bowed his head in thanks, a cold glint flashing beneath his lowered eyelashes.

Is it promising?

Wait until Laozi recovers his Core Formation cultivation.

The foundation-building competition lasted for a month.

More than ten Core Formation cultivators take turns to come and see it every day, but none of the truly top-tier ones—those veteran Core Formation cultivators who are stationed in their respective areas—have shown up.

They disdain wasting time on such battles among junior Foundation Establishment cultivators.

No one saw through his disguise.

The secret techniques of the Xuan Yin Sect are indeed reliable.

On the final day, he won three consecutive matches, making it into the top three.

On the award stage, he accepted the third-tier wood-attribute spiritual item—a fist-sized green wood heart, entirely emerald green.

Holding it in your hand, you can feel the immense vitality it contains.

He lowered his head, a slight smile playing on his lips.

It became.

---

He was unaware that someone was watching him.

Lin Zhao only attended one match the day before he was about to enter the finals.

His opponent in that match was a sword cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage. His sword energy wove into a net, making it difficult for the opponent to breathe.

The young man in fine clothes was having some difficulty fighting. He used both his Azure Frost Sword and Black Iron Shield, fighting and retreating at the same time, his feet moving with some kind of mysterious footwork, each step landing on an opening in the sword net.

Finally, seizing the moment when his opponent's old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated, he smashed down with the Falling Star Seal, sending the man and his sword crashing into the arena, creating a crater more than ten feet deep.

Lin Zhao stood in the crowd at a distance, watched for a while, and then turned and left.

He doesn't need to see much.

Once we confirm that person made it into the top three and have his magic weapons and third-tier spiritual items in hand, that's enough.

After that, Lin Zhao did not go to the competition venue again.

He was practicing and adjusting his state in the secluded courtyard.

Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao thought he finally had some free time, so they came over to ask him for advice on cultivation, and he patiently gave them guidance.

Ye Xiaoxiao asked him about the secrets of the Fire Separation Formation, and he explained it to her for half an hour, even demonstrating it to her personally.

When Lin You asked about sword intent, he said, "You're still young, first master the sword energy," which made Lin You stomp her feet in anger.

Everything seemed normal.

----

With just over a month to go, the grand auction of the century is about to begin, and more than a million cultivators have already flocked to the Immortal City.

Xuan Yinzi quietly left late one night.

He dared not attend the auction.

The Core Formation cultivators couldn't see through his disguise, but what if a Nascent Soul True Monarch showed up?

What if that Nascent Soul cultivator, having nothing better to do, scans all the cultivators present with his divine sense?

With a sweep of his divine sense, the Nascent Soul could see everything within a radius of hundreds of miles. His little disguise was as good as being naked in front of the Nascent Soul.

He can't afford to gamble.

Once you've got the magical item, run!

He changed into a drab gray robe and concealed his aura to that of the early Foundation Establishment stage, blending into the crowd leaving the city.

Walking north along the Tongming River for half an hour, the population gradually thinned out.

He glanced back at the direction of the Immortal City, where the city walls were brightly lit. He then looked away, and with a burst of spiritual light, flew northwards, skimming the river.

Lin Zhao left the villa half an hour after he left the city.

He told Lin You that he was going out to take care of some business and would be back in a few days.

Lin You nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

But as he turned around, he suddenly called out to him, "Uncle."

Lin Zhao turned around.

Lin You opened her mouth, but in the end only said, "Come back soon."

Lin Zhao hummed in agreement, walked out of the courtyard, passed through the city gate of the Immortal City, and then, with a flash of inspiration, disappeared into the night sky.