Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Dingling Zhenren needed to replenish the goods before returning to Yunzhou.

Tianhao was heading to Longyuan Immortal City, and Fairy Muqing was by his side. She was much more talkative than before, unlike when she was on the ship.

The monk Puhui was going to Sanyuan Immortal City to inquire about the whereabouts of his senior brother, whose last clue after his disappearance was near Sanyuan Immortal City.

"A message has been sent."

"Take care of yourself."

"I'm gone."

Lin Zhao stood on the dock, watching Tian Haohe's figure disappear into the distance.

The Spirit Master has returned to the ship and is directing the acquisition of local specialties.

Lin Zhao turned and flew towards the western sea, transforming into a streak of azure light.

He was not traveling with anyone.

---

Lin Zhao changed her identity on the way.

Flying Swallow Taoist

His hair had turned mostly white with spiritual power, and his face had also been altered, making him look like he was in his early forties with the cultivation level of the early Core Formation stage. His robes had been changed into gray-white monastic robes.

He seemed like an old cultivator who had been around for hundreds of years and was still stuck in the early stages of Core Formation.

He traveled westward, crossing tens of thousands of miles of sea.

Islands appeared on the sea.

He chose a medium-sized island.

Red Fire Island.

It spans over two hundred li in size.

The island is rich in red fire ore, which is dark red and can be used for crafting weapons.

There are several Core Formation level forces on the island, which check and balance each other, and there are no Nascent Soul level beings.

This was perfect for Lin Zhao—no one would question his background, and no one could threaten him.

Lin Zhao, posing as Flying Swallow Immortal, rented a villa from the Ye family, a local Core Formation power.

The villa is situated on a low hill on the south side of the island.

The mountain wasn't very high, but it was connected to a third-grade low-level spiritual vein at its base, with a spiritual energy concentration several times higher than that of the sea, making it perfect for rest and recuperation.

Five hundred miles east of Chihuo Island lies a cluster of scattered small islands and reefs.

This sea area is very special, with a dense, specially made seaweed growing all the way from the sea surface to the surface.

Nourished by this type of seaweed, a yellow jade crystal grass grows on the island. It is of little use to cultivators, but is a top delicacy in the eyes of demonic beasts.

Over time, this vast sea area became a battlefield where cultivators and demonic beasts fought year-round, and the locals named it the Blood Crystal Islands.

Lin Zhao rested for a few days,

They then set off for the Blood Crystal Islands.

There are a great many monsters here, with first and second-tier monsters everywhere, and every now and then a third-tier monster will lead the charge and start a beast tide.

The archipelago is home to hundreds of large and small demon-hunting teams year-round, with tens of thousands of cultivators each guarding a specific area, without interfering with each other.

The scene was chaotic yet orderly, reminding Lin Zhao of his early experiences hunting demons in Qingfeng Market.

With Lin Zhao's strength, there is naturally no need for him to join the demon-hunting team.

However, he planned to first understand the situation and rules of hunting demons in the Endless Demon Sea, and did not use all his strength.

He fought at the level of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator.

His only weapon in battle was the Flying Swallow Sword Seal.

This third-grade low-level magic weapon is not a true sword cultivator's magic weapon; it is merely a magic weapon that simulates the way of the sword.

After being infused with spiritual power, the sword seal will automatically convert the spiritual power into sword energy, which will be controlled and output through internal restrictions.

Lin Zhao can use it to conjure sword energy of various attributes, but it is ultimately just a simulation of swordsmanship, and its power is much weaker than that of a true swordsman.

However, Lin Zhao was not after power.

The main purpose of Qinglian's clone coming here is to hone her sword intent and overcome the tribulation of inner demons.

He plans to start all over again from the basics of sword cultivation.

His sword intent was essentially comprehended through his powerful talent; though he was called a sword cultivator, he was more like a magic cultivator.

Lin Zhao plans to start comprehending sword energy anew.

When facing different monsters, switch between sword energies of different attributes to defeat them in a targeted manner.

Half a month passed in a flash, and Lin Zhao hunted down countless demonic beasts.

He then returned to Crimson Fire Island to rest for half a month, repeatedly practicing various sword energies in the villa, pondering the combination of different attributes, and trying to comprehend the Five Elements Sword Intent step by step.

Half a year passed quickly. Even though he deliberately held back and never unleashed his full power, Lin Zhao still killed countless demonic beasts, including two third-tier demon kings.

The first one was a Black Water Tortoise, with an incredibly hard shell. When the Flying Swallow Sword Qi struck it, it could only leave a faint white mark.

Lin Zhao could only bombard the same spot repeatedly, slowly wearing through the tortoise shell.

As the Xuan Turtle lay dying, it spewed out a vast expanse of Xuan Water Poisonous Mist. He condensed the Five Elements Sword Wheel, barely managing to block all of the poisonous mist.

The other end is a one-horned black-scaled python, whose single horn on its head can release a binding spiritual light, making it extremely difficult to deal with.

The two fought for a full six hours, chasing each other from the surface of the sea to the deep sea, and then fighting their way up to deserted islands and reefs. Finally, countless sword energies entered through the snake's mouth and completely pierced through its body, finally killing it.

Now he truly understood just how difficult it was for an ordinary Core Formation cultivator to defeat a third-tier demonic beast.

He carefully collected the two demonic beast corpses, and Lin Zhao transformed into a streak of azure light, returning to his own courtyard.

The outer perimeter of the villa was protected by a second-tier top-grade mountain-protecting array. A white light barrier shielded the area from the howling sea winds, but this array was practically useless against Core Formation cultivators.

If someone deliberately attacks, a single strike can shatter the array barrier.

The Ye family specially arranged for people to manage the villa year-round. The leader was an elder who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, who led five or six members of the Qi Refining Clan. They were responsible for cleaning the courtyard, handling miscellaneous tasks, and running errands and delivering messages.

As soon as Lin Zhao's escape light landed on the mountain, several people came to greet him.

The Foundation Establishment elder bowed respectfully, his movements practiced, clearly not the first time he had served a Core Formation cultivator.

Lin Zhao nodded and went directly into the villa.

Several young Qi Refining disciples remained outside the courtyard, heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound.

After Lin Zhao's figure disappeared behind the stone gate, one of them spoke in a low voice.

"Master Feiyan has hunted another third-tier demon beast this time."

How did you know?

"The stench of blood on his body hasn't dissipated yet; that aura isn't something a first or second-tier cultivator could leave behind."

"Keep quiet."

The Foundation Establishment elder glanced back at them, his gaze not intense, but the young disciples immediately shut their mouths.

Once they were outside the array's range, the old man said in a low voice, "Let's not discuss matters concerning Core Formation cultivators."

Flying Swallow Immortal's origins are unknown, but he is able to hunt down third-tier demonic beasts on his own, making him a powerful figure even among Core Formation Immortals.

Although our Ye family has two Core Formation cultivators, we don't want to offend someone like that for no reason. Ordinary rogue cultivators don't have it so easy to rent a cave dwelling with a third-tier spiritual vein. You all better keep your mouths shut."

The young disciples nodded repeatedly.

Inside the villa, Lin Zhao sat cross-legged on the stone bed.

The Flying Swallow Sword Seal hovered in front of him, with spiritual patterns flowing on it. Sword energies separated from the seal and slowly swirled around him.

The five elements of sword energy wove together to form a river of sword energy around him, each sword energy having a different trajectory, some as fast as lightning, others as slow as a swimming fish.

But he quickly withdrew his sword aura.

He realized that he might have taken a wrong turn.

Sword energy is the initial symbol of a cultivator entering the path of swordsmanship.

He has already formed his core and comprehended sword intent, so practicing sword qi from scratch would not be very effective.