Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

I really won't give it to you.

It's not that I'm unwilling, it's that I can't give it—the trade was done with the dynasty's power. Now that the dynasty is gone, it's unreasonable for just anyone claiming to be a former subordinate of the dynasty to take the goods away.

But Zhu Yan is different. He was the one who negotiated this deal in the first place, so it was only right that the spirit boat be handed over to him. Moreover, he had previously helped to make contact regarding the materials for the Crimson Flame Demon Blade. Now it seems that the deal for the demon blade is off.

Sun, the weapon refiner, and the dozen or so people from the Heavenly Fire Dynasty who had previously stayed in the market, sailed away on the Crimson Sun Spirit Boat.

Lin Zhao stood by the window, watching the spirit boat rise and fly towards the Heavenly Fire Dynasty in the west.

He didn't say anything, and turned back to the quiet room.

-----

A month later.

Lin Zhao was forced to emerge from seclusion again, this time not from Elder He, but from a letter.

The letter was written by Zhu Yan, but there was one more thing inside: a brocade box, about the size of a palm. When Lin Zhao opened it, the light in the room changed.

The Mingguang Xuanjin was only a small piece the size of a fist, entirely silver-white, yet its surface shimmered with a faint golden light.

Lin Zhao placed the brocade box on the table, picked up the letter and read it again. Zhu Yan invited him to meet at a place near the border of the Zi Xuan Dynasty in Dingfeng Plain.

The letter didn't specify what they wanted to discuss, but looking at the piece of bright, dark gold on the table, Lin Zhao already knew what it was: a third-tier refining material, which was exactly the material for refining a third-tier magic robe.

This substance is extremely hard, but after special processing, it can be transformed into crimson-gold threads, combining both hardness and flexibility, making it one of the best materials for crafting defensive armor.

Magical robes are several times more valuable than offensive magical artifacts of the same tier.

The three third-tier magic treasures he possessed—the Nine Luminaries Thunder Pool, the Golden Phoenix Bow, and the Profound Yin Ghost Hand—were all obtained at great personal risk.

You can get Tier 3 materials in a single transaction now, and who knows, it might become a Tier 3 defensive magic weapon in the future. Don't miss it.

However, this amount of material is too little to make the product. The fact that Zhu Yan was able to produce it means that he has more on hand.

Lin Zhao closed the brocade box, put it into his storage bag, and then took out another item.

He'd kept the Crimson Flame Demon Blade for almost two years, originally intending to exchange it for third-tier materials with the Heavenly Fire Dynasty.

I thought the dynasty was gone and the deal was off, but now—

Lin Zhao put away his knife, stood up, and prepared to leave.

Half a day later, Lin Zhao arrived at Dingfeng Plain. The agreed place was a dense forest near the border of the Zixuan Dynasty. The forest was not large, but it was dense, with intertwined branches and leaves that completely blocked out the sky.

When Lin Zhao landed in the clearing in the woods, Zhu Yan was already waiting there. He was dressed in gray and stood under an old tree. He turned around when he heard the noise.

Lin Zhao almost didn't recognize that this was Zhu Yan.

He had a lot more white hair, graying temples, sunken eyes, prominent cheekbones, and several wrinkles on his face.

The gentle and refined man of a year ago is now like a piece of iron that has been repeatedly forged.

But Lin Zhao sensed a power from him that he hadn't felt before. The Zhu Yan of the past was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator, but now he was different—standing there, he was like a sharp blade that had been repeatedly tempered.

Even with Lin Zhao's current strength, he could vaguely sense a threat, though it was only a slight one.

Disasters are the best test of character, and it can only be said that Zhu Yan's strength and potential were greatly enhanced under the powerful crisis.