Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao asked Lin You to explain the details of the beast tide in detail.

That was a true battlefield of life and death, extremely dangerous. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not be able to save their life if they were caught in it.

He did this to discourage these younger people from taking any risks.

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this, and at the same time, they felt a sincere admiration for Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao—no wonder these two were so outstanding among Qi Refining cultivators; it turned out that all their skills were earned by fighting their way through the beast tides.

Meanwhile, Ye Xiaoxiao moved closer to Luo Yu, and the two whispered to each other.

In a corner, Luo Yu whispered to Ye Xiaoxiao, "You guys... are really amazing."

Ye Xiaoxiao didn't speak, but simply hummed softly, her eyebrows curving upwards and a smile appearing on her face.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy when Lin Zhao picked up his wine glass, breaking the silence: "Come on, let's drink."

Everyone raised their glasses, and the topic returned to the present.

Zhong Zhenyue spoke about the recent situation in the Yunxia Mountains, saying that the beast tides were becoming more and more frequent, and all the major markets were reinforcing their defenses.

Even after Yue Shan was pulled away by Yan Chiheng, his voice still occasionally came from the other side, making everyone laugh.

Lan Jingchi spoke casually to Lin Zhao about some business matters, but Lin Zhao understood the meaning behind his words—the recent unrest in Tongming Domain was mainly due to the newly emerged Nascent Soul True Monarch in Loulan.

The two exchanged a glance but didn't say anything further.

Some things are best left unsaid.

Lin Zhao poured Lan Jingchi a glass of wine and toasted him.

After a few rounds of drinks, Lin Zhao leaned back in his chair, listening to everyone chatting, feeling a rare moment of relaxation.

He recalled the message he had received a couple of days ago.

According to the latest news from Senior Brother Wu Mingxuan, who is far away in Tianyun Market, Lin Zhao's parents have successfully established their foundations.

Although it was only a low-grade Dao Foundation, it was already quite an achievement. He knew his parents' talents well, and he had sent back a lot of resources over the years, but he had already failed once before.

This success was largely thanks to Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao leaving them their Foundation Establishment Pills, and also thanks to Senior Brother Mingxuan for taking care of them all these years.

In recent years, Senior Brother Mingxuan's cultivation has successfully broken through to the peak of Foundation Establishment and he has begun to prepare for Core Formation.

There's also Chu Fengge, the senior brother who took care of them back then. He successfully formed his Golden Core a few years ago, and it's a high-grade Golden Core. I heard he's preparing for the task of becoming a true disciple, so his chances are pretty good.

Lin Zhao raised his wine glass and gestured towards the southeast—the direction of the Yunxia Mountains—raising it in the distance.

He took a sip and put the cup down.

The lights in the courtyard flickered, reflecting on everyone's faces.

Yan Chiheng brought Yue Shan back, and Yue Shan, his face red and neck thick, was still shouting.

Lan Jingchi was chatting and laughing with Zhou Jun, while Zhong Zhenyue listened from the side, nodding occasionally.

The younger generation gathered together, chatting away.

Lin You sat in the corner, quietly drinking tea.

It's unclear how long this excitement will last.

A Nascent Soul True Monarch has emerged in Loulan, but the news hasn't spread yet.

Some of the people present today have their roots in Tongming Immortal City, while others do not.

But no matter where you are, strength is the only true measure of success.

He picked up his glass and took another sip.

We'll talk about the future later.

-----

A few days later, everyone had almost finished with their tasks.

Lin Zhao stood at the entrance of the villa, watching people arrive and leave one after another.

Yan Chiheng first returned to Qinglan Immortal City to settle his Daoist partner and child before returning to Cangyun Mountain with Lin Zhao.

Zhong Zhenyue and Yueshan will not return to the Yunxia Mountain Range so soon.

Lan Jingchi and Zhou Jun were local strongmen in the Immortal City. They stopped at the city gate, bowed, and said goodbye, promising to come and bother them again when they had time.

Finally, Lin Zhao and Yan Chiheng, along with Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao, and the team of nine spirit boats, arrived.

Yan Lie didn't return until the very last day, bringing Luo Yu and He An with him.

Lin Zhao glanced at Luo Yu but didn't say anything.

In just a few days, Luo Yu broke through from the ninth level of Qi Refining to the tenth level.

His breathing was still a little unsteady, but his demeanor was definitely different.

Five years ago he was just an ordinary person, but now he has reached the tenth level of Qi Refining.

Yan Lie stood behind Luo Yu, a smile on his face, but there was something indescribable in his eyes—both excitement and nervousness.

Lin Zhao saw all of this but said nothing.

The Yan family is a family of alchemists with a history of hundreds of years. Yan Lie is betting everything on Luo Yu, so he will naturally nurture him at all costs.

During the past few months at the Yan family, Luo Yu was able to break through, which means Yan Lie must have poured a lot of resources into him.

As for how much benefit Yan Lie obtained from the family through Luo Yu, this "genius," that's a matter between them.

Lin Zhao didn't care.

"Let's go." Lin Zhao turned around and stepped onto the Azure Scale.

Nine spirit boats lined up one after another, leaving Tongming Immortal City and flying towards Cangyun Mountain.

The Azure Scales led the way, followed by Yan Chiheng's mid-grade second-tier spirit boat, then Yan Lie's, Luo Yu's, and He An's—five second-tier flying boats bringing up the rear.

As the fleet crossed the Tongming River, the river widened and the mountains on both banks gradually rose and fell.

In the direction of the Immortal City, the colossal city spanning hundreds of miles grew smaller and smaller until it finally became a blurry gray dot on the horizon.

Lin Zhao stood at the bow of the ship, her robes fluttering in the wind.

He looked at the continuous mountain range in front of him, pondering what to do next.

The resources for cultivation are almost exhausted.

According to the normal pace, he should return to his sect, prepare for seclusion, cultivate all the way to the peak of Foundation Establishment, and then prepare to form the Core.

But the task of guarding Cangyun Mountain is not over yet.

It's a ten-year term, and he's only been in office for less than seven years.

I originally planned to stay here for twenty years, but the gains over the years have far exceeded my expectations, so ten years should be enough.

However, the mission will not be officially completed for more than three years.

He doesn't plan to leave early.

The garrison duty is not like the Sky Patrol Guard duty, which can be resigned at any time.

There are time limits, assessments, and responsibilities.

He had heard from his master that the sect had a good reputation for the tasks he had undertaken over the years, and he didn't want to lower the sect's reputation by quitting prematurely.

Besides, if he goes back to the sect now, what if the sect assigns him a mandatory mission?

Based on his understanding of sects over the years, the probability of such a thing happening is not high.

But it's better to be safe than sorry.

He's assigned a garrison duty, so he won't be given any other tasks for the time being.

This is a rule of the sect.

Moreover, he now has all kinds of cultivation resources at his disposal, so it doesn't matter where he cultivates.

Although the second-tier spiritual vein of Cangyun Mountain is not as good as the cave dwelling of the sect's Qianqiu Peak, it is enough for the time being, and his cultivation progress will not be slow.

There are also Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao.

With his current authority, he could grant them the status of a sect's nominal disciple, but that would just be a title.

They could barely enter the sect's spiritual retreat for cultivation. The sect's interior was filled with various formations for tens of thousands of miles, making it impossible to use teleportation arrays, and they couldn't go anywhere else at all.

Before they officially entered the sect, the sect's resources and conveniences were irrelevant to them.

Instead of taking them back now, it would be better to let them be taught and trained again in Cangyun Mountain.