Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Master Qianqiu remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand and waved, sending more than ten magical treasures flying out of his storage ring and hovering in mid-air.

Flying swords, bells, tripods, flags, seals, and pearls—all sorts of precious lights shone brightly in mid-air.

These are the finest treasures accumulated by Master Qianqiu over hundreds of years, including two top-grade third-tier magic weapons.

He Yuan reached out and took five items: one high-grade cyan banner of the third rank, two mid-grade banners, and two low-grade banners. Although the two low-grade banners were low-grade, they both had special uses.

Master Qianqiu produced an IOU and said solemnly, "Thirty years. To be returned."

He Yuan took it and signed it without even looking at it.

Everyone knows that whether or not he returns the treasures is not important to Master Qianqiu; these magical artifacts are essentially given to him directly.

Thirty years is a deadline. If the mission cannot be completed, return alive within thirty years.

I heard that all the disciples of Qianqiu Peak have returned, and one person has also rushed back—Qianqiu Zhenren's daughter. Her purpose in returning is the same as before: to ask for help. The expedition launched by the Yan family with dozens of Core Formation cultivators has not gone very smoothly.

Household matters were difficult to handle, so everyone dispersed.

Fifth Senior Brother left with him, and as they departed, the sounds of arguing could still be heard coming from the cave.

Later, Lin Zhao heard that they had parted on bad terms again, but when she left, she took three magical treasures with her.

Lin Zhao shook his head; after all, Master Qianqiu was not truly heartless.

A few days later, everyone got together several more times.

The eldest brother is leaving; he has accepted a mission and cannot stay any longer.

The third senior brother was also leaving to return to the family. Before leaving, he stood at the entrance of the cave and kowtowed three times to Master Qianqiu.

Master Qianqiu looked at him for a long time and said, "Go." The third senior brother turned and left as a streak of gray light.

Fifth Senior Brother stood beside Lin Zhao, watching the gray light disappear into the horizon.

"He probably won't come back. Third Senior Brother is not young anymore. His foundation was damaged when he failed to break through to the Core Formation stage. He had to start all over again, which shortened his lifespan. He knows this himself. He wants to pave the way for the family while he is still alive."

Lin Zhao didn't reply. In the cultivation world, separation and death are common, but sometimes it's still hard to get used to.

Lin Zhao began to attend to his own affairs. He had 180,000 sect contribution points.

The 120,000 was accumulated from before, 30,000 was the reward for the garrison mission, and the remaining 30,000 was gray income obtained by issuing missions to myself through garrison authority.

He took these contribution points to the Qiankun Palace. He spent three days using up almost all of his 180,000 contribution points.

Five different kinds of pills were used, three of which were used for cultivation.

Five bottles of Tier 3 Gathering Gold Pills, used to accelerate spiritual energy compression during the peak of Foundation Establishment.

Three bottles of the Third-Order Hundred Meridians Condensing Essence Pill are used to temper the body.

There is also a bottle of Tier 3 Spirit-Strengthening Pill to restore consciousness.

Two types are used for transcending tribulations.

Three Thunder Essence Protective Pills can protect the body when the Heavenly Tribulation strikes.

One pill of the Resurrection Pill, taken during a tribulation, can sustain life.

The steward placed the bottles of pills one by one on the jade table.

The Gathering Gold Pill is pale gold, the Hundred Meridians Condensing Essence Liquid is cyan, and the Spirit-Solidifying Pill is pure white.

The Thunder Essence Protecting Pulse Pill is dark purple with a layer of extremely fine thunder patterns on its surface, while the Rejuvenating Pill is blood red, an abnormally bright red, emitting a faint halo.

Lin Zhao put all the pills into his storage bag. Of his 180,000 contribution points, he only had a few thousand left. All the preparations before forming his core were now complete.

But he still has some contribution points to earn. He can get 200,000 contribution points by completing the sixth level of the Sect Cloud Tower.

That place contains the projections of the most outstanding talents from various sects throughout history; they are all ruthless individuals who possess at least one of the following abilities: magic domain, supernatural power, or magical treasure.

There are even those who possess all three methods—the kind of peerless geniuses who can directly confront or even kill a Core Formation cultivator.

But who isn't? Lin Zhao has killed more than one Core Formation cultivator.

He tested his opponent twice to gauge their strength, and succeeded on the third attempt, earning 200,000 contribution points.

Several months later, the sect's initiation ceremony was held as scheduled.

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators arrived from all over the world and gathered at the foot of the sect's Wanzhangyun Gate, including Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao.

They broke through the divine barrier, greatly increasing their strength. With the various magical artifacts given to them by Lin Zhao, they overcame all obstacles without much trouble.

Ultimately, only ten thousand people were selected to become outer disciples. After entering the sect, they then demonstrated their strength to the fullest on the bluestone plaza in front of the main hall.

Lin Zhao also arrived, and together with the other Core Formation cultivators from the sect, they quietly watched the competition below.

On the plaza, Lin You's sword energy was sharp and fierce, cleaving through his opponent's defensive armor with a single strike.

Ye Xiaoxiao's Fire Array unfolded, with seven magical artifacts rotating endlessly, trapping her opponent in a sea of ​​fire.

Lin Zhao looked at them with a gratified expression. Over the next ten years, they would be taught by the Dao Asking Hall to renew themselves and rebuild their foundations.

Then came the hellish instruction of hundreds of courses, Foundation Building, and two major exams—only then could one graduate and officially become an inner disciple of the sect.

The last thing Lin Zhao did before going into seclusion was to divide the 200,000 contribution points into two parts and transfer them to them.

He gave 100,000 to Lin You and 100,000 to Ye Xiaoxiao; this was the last thing he could do.

If Lin Zhao hadn't acquired so many Core Formation resources before, these contribution points would have been used to replenish his resources for Core Formation. But now that his Core Formation preparations are complete, he no longer needs to spend resource points.

Not everyone is like that. Lin Zhao was able to gather the Core Formation resources so quickly, even though his friends, despite their exceptional talent, were still only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao's natural talent is still a level below, but fortunately, with the help of the sect, they have the opportunity to rebuild their foundation and increase or change their talents.

Both advanced Foundation Establishment and Acquired Spiritual Body require massive amounts of resources, and this contribution point will allow them to go further.

-----

Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Zhao is already sixty-five years old. His cultivation level is still in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, but he is not far from the peak of Foundation Establishment.

He emerged from seclusion again for two reasons: firstly, his cultivation had come to an end and he needed to rest; secondly, Xu Chuan, Yan Chiheng, Fang Yue, and others had returned to their sect one after another, and it was rare for old acquaintances to gather together, so they arranged to have a small get-together.

Furthermore, it seems that something big has happened in the sect recently. All the outstanding disciples among the Foundation Establishment disciples have returned to the sect, and the sect forum is buzzing with discussion, as if a pot has been boiled over.

It should be understood that for a dominant power that controls a million-mile territory in Yunzhou, there are not many things that can be considered "major events".

Lin Zhao slowly walked out of his secluded cave and stood on the platform of Qianqiu Peak.

In the distance, the sea of ​​clouds surged, the setting sun cast its glow, and the sky was ablaze with golden-red light, creating a magnificent spectacle.

He took a deep breath and started walking down the mountain.

When they arrived at the agreed-upon location, Xu Chuan and Yan Chiheng were already waiting there.

It was still by the Lingdi Lake, but this time it was at Yan Chiheng's villa.

Unlike the others, there were several rows of carefully tended potted plants in the courtyard, and several wind chimes hung under the eaves, tinkling softly in the breeze.

Lin Zhao saw this and understood—people with Daoist partners do indeed have a more down-to-earth atmosphere in their residences.

The group gathered in the waterside pavilion as usual.

Yan Chiheng sat in the pavilion drinking tea, looking unchanged. His cultivation had reached the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and he was not far from the late stage.

He saw Lin Zhao and smiled, "Lin Zhao, you're so slow."

"I just came out of seclusion." Lin Zhao sat down on the stone bench and poured himself a cup of tea.