Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The gray-robed Nascent Soul cultivator hovered in mid-air, coldly watching Lin Zhao.

This silence lasted for several breaths.

The gray-robed man raised his hand, and a special restriction condensed at his fingertips.

The restriction was dark gray, shaped like a thin snake, covered with twisted runes, and its mouth was wide open, inside which was a slowly rotating black mist.

The gray-robed man's voice was completely flat: "Plant this Shadow Binding Curse into your consciousness, join us, and we'll spare your life."

Lin Zhao took a deep breath.

He had heard of the Shadow Curse.

Once planted in the sea of ​​consciousness, the restriction will entwine around the soul, and the caster can destroy the soul of the cursed person with a single thought.

Once this thing is planted, there is almost no chance of getting rid of it.

Even though he was just an avatar, who knows if the restriction would spread along the connection between the avatar and the main body?

Of course, he estimated it was unlikely.

The Heavenly Heart Dharma Wheel on the main body is of such a high level that even the Nascent Soul Heavenly Demon can be exempted.

Even if the Azure Lotus clone is truly controlled by the Shadow Entangling Heart Curse, the main body should be unharmed.

Even so, it's absolutely unacceptable for the clone to be controlled by someone else.

The only option is to try to maneuver and then find an opportunity to use a fourth-tier magic weapon to escape.

Lin Zhao remained expressionless, his words calm yet carrying just the right amount of respect:

"If a senior wants a junior to join, the junior should at least know what kind of force they are joining."

The gray-robed man said arrogantly, "You don't need to know. You're not qualified to bargain with me."

Lin Zhao took a deep breath, raised his hand to remove the black robe, and then took off the mask, revealing a young and handsome face.

At the same time, the demonic aura emanating from him dissipated.

Instead, he was dressed in green, and a sword intent soared into the sky.

The sword intent collided with the barrier, the cyan sword intent and the gray barrier clashing together, causing ripples to spread across the barrier.

That extremely sharp sword intent clearly revealed Lin Zhao's identity as a sword cultivator.

The man in the gray robe was somewhat surprised.

He had initially thought this person was a demonic cultivator because of his sinister aura.

I didn't expect him to be a sword cultivator, and with such powerful sword intent that ordinary Core Formation sword cultivators couldn't achieve that.

Lin Zhao raised his head, his face revealing the stubbornness unique to sword cultivators.

"As you can see, senior, I am a sword cultivator, dedicated to the path of the sword, unyielding and unyielding."

He paused for a moment.

"Moreover, I also have a title outside, the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal, and I have even made it onto the Popularity Ranking."

"I would never join those wicked and heretical organizations."

The man in the gray robe did not speak.

He sneered inwardly.

Sword cultivators, unyielding and unbreakable? Nonsense.

Sword cultivators are the ones who die the most among cultivators.

Only the dead are the good sword cultivators.

Most of the sword cultivators who didn't die had little to do with Ning Zhe Buqu—

When it's time to run, run faster than anyone else; when it's time to bow your head, bow it faster than anyone else.

Moreover, this kid was full of demonic energy before, so what kind of good person could he be?

But he understood the meaning behind Lin Zhao's words.

I will not join any shady or unorthodox organizations—as long as it's not shady or unorthodox, I can join.

As long as it's not on the surface, it's fine.

This was an attempt to give him a way out; as long as he could give a plausible reason, there was room for discussion.

The purpose of releasing the popularity rankings is to inflate prices.

The sword cultivators on the leaderboard are the bargaining chips.

The meaning is clear: I am not an ordinary Core Formation cultivator; I have a reputation and strength.

If you want me to join, you have to offer conditions commensurate with my status.

The gray-robed man repeated these words to himself several times.

Simply put, it boils down to three words—

You'll have to pay more.

The man in the gray robe decided to finish the formalities.

The reason is simple: those cultivators who make it onto the Ranking List are the best among Core Formation cultivators. Such individuals have a good chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage in the future.

Although the probability is actually very low, it's not impossible.

Even though he was a Nascent Soul cultivator, he didn't have any Core Formation cultivators at the Wind and Cloud Ranking level under his command.

The Azure Lotus Sword Immortal before him was indeed worth his effort to win over.

As for whether Lin Zhao lied to him, that's easy to investigate.

The names on the popularity charts are all public information.

I wouldn't lie to him.

Moreover, judging from his sword intent just now, he is indeed a powerful sword cultivator.

If the sword cultivator were to forcibly plant the Shadow Binding Curse and then, in a moment of madness, self-destruct, it would be a terrible outcome.

Many of the sword cultivators who survived were cowardly and afraid of death, while many others were truly unyielding and would rather die than surrender.

The gray-robed man's voice became much more amiable:

"So it's the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal. I've long admired your name. With the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal joining us, our organization is truly honored."

Lin Zhao muttered to himself.

That's a lie.

He's only been on the list of influential figures for a few years, while Nascent Soul True Monarchs often measure time in centuries.

The popularity rankings are only looked at once every ten or even a hundred years, so how could there be such a thing as someone who has long admired you?

He didn't even show his face, and the other party referred to the power behind him as an "organization," clearly just trying to fob them off.

The gray-robed man promised many benefits—a fourth-tier cultivation technique, a Nascent Soul pill, and a fourth-tier magic weapon.

Judging from his tone, it seemed like once you joined, you'd have everything.

The only curse that cannot be escaped is the Curse of the Haunted Heart.

Lin Zhao bargained for a while, and then put forward a condition:

"This junior needs to test his skills against the senior. Sword cultivators only recognize strength. If the senior can defeat this junior, this junior will accept the Shadow Binding Heart Curse."

He paused, then added, "If you, senior, cannot defeat me, then your organization is not worth joining."

The man in the gray robe glanced at him.

A contest?

A Core Formation cultivator wants to compete against a Nascent Soul cultivator?

He was about to scoff, but then he thought about it again and realized that sword cultivators did indeed have this bad habit.

To bow down without a fight is worse than killing them.

Give them a way out, let them accept their defeat wholeheartedly, and it will be easier to handle.

Ultimately, both parties reached an agreement.

But not here.

The gray-robed man withdrew the restrictive barrier.

The two men made too much noise when they attacked, which would easily reveal that the ruins were a trap.

The gray-robed man had Lin Zhao follow him, and they flew north for two thousand miles.

Lin Zhao behaved himself the whole way, following at a distance without making any unnecessary movements.

The man in the gray robe nodded in satisfaction.

On the way, he was worried that Lin Zhao might be planning to escape, so that he could use his Nascent Soul abilities to forcefully subdue him.

In retrospect, he seems to be a sensible person.

Lin Zhao followed behind him, also making plans.

He observed the entire route.

One thing has finally been confirmed.

At such close range, the other side was completely unaware of the fourth-tier magic weapon on his body.

This gray-robed man is probably not a Nascent Soul cultivator, but rather a Dharma body.

The spiritual strength and perception of the Dharmakaya are far inferior to those of the physical body.

The avatar of a Nascent Soul cultivator only barely reaches the level of a Nascent Soul cultivator; it lacks the terrifying power of the original body.

Then there's still a chance.

The biggest problem with the other party is the arrogance of a Nascent Soul cultivator towards a Core Formation cultivator.

Lin Zhao was no stranger to this kind of arrogance, just like he was to those at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

He wouldn't take a challenge from someone at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage too seriously.

The difference between each level of cultivators is enormous, and it becomes more pronounced at higher levels.