Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The night was as dark as ink. Deep in the Yunxia Mountains, a campfire crackled softly, dispelling some of the chill and darkness.

Lin Zhao was sitting cross-legged under a huge ancient tree that would require several people to encircle. The light from the campfire illuminated his handsome face.

The four precious orbs slowly spiraled around the ancient tree, while a faint spiritual light descended, forming a simple barrier that covered an area of ​​fifty meters in radius.

This was a setup he had painstakingly created based on Wu Laodao's [Illusionary Concealing Breath Array] and his own understanding of spiritual power; it could only conceal a portion of his aura and spiritual power.

He hadn't specifically studied formations, so he could only defend against low-level demonic beasts with low intelligence who acted purely on instinct.

He had already entered the state of "unity of heaven and man" brought about by the "Taihe Yangyuan Gong".

Since creating the "Celestial Sword Path", this mysterious state has become no longer unfamiliar to them, but rather a normal part of their cultivation.

He has already explored most of the mysteries of the unity of heaven and man, and then integrated them into his Dharma Domain. Except for the slightly limited coverage area...

With his improved control over spiritual energy and increased cultivation speed, he is already close to achieving the state of oneness with heaven and earth.

In this state of oneness with nature, his divine consciousness covered every inch of land and every fallen leaf within a radius of three hundred meters. Within this range, all movement and stillness were clearly reflected in his mind.

But this is his limit. To improve further, he needs to break through to the fourth level of the "Taihe Yangyuan Gong," but he still hasn't found the opportunity to do so.

Several hours passed in silence. Lin Zhao slowly opened her eyes, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, and she sighed softly.

However, just as his mind returned fully from deep cultivation and his gaze unconsciously swept over the leaping campfire, his body suddenly froze, and his blood seemed to freeze in that instant!

There was someone else standing by the campfire, without anyone noticing!

The man also sat on the ground, his posture relaxed, as if he had been sitting there for a long time. His back was to Lin Zhao, so his face could not be seen; only his back was visible, and he was dressed in a white, elegant robe.

What made Lin Zhao's scalp tingle even more was that the man was holding a tree branch with a large piece of monster meat skewered on it, slowly roasting it over the campfire that Lin Zhao had lit.

As the oil dripped into the fire, it sizzled softly, and an enticing aroma of meat filled the air.

A bone-chilling cold instantly shot from Lin Zhao's tailbone to the top of his head, almost making him jump in fright!

How is that possible?!

He had been in a state of "unity with heaven and man"! His divine sense covered a distance of three hundred meters, and his perception was extremely sharp!

Let alone a living person, even an ant crawling by or a leaf falling cannot escape his perception!

But now, this person has appeared beside him silently, sitting by the campfire, roasting meat... as if he had always been there.

This means that either the opponent possesses a concealment technique far beyond his imagination, or their strength and realm completely overwhelm him, rendering his divine sense useless in front of them.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator! And definitely not an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Cold sweat instantly soaked Lin Zhao's back. He forcibly suppressed the shock and fear in his heart, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately stood up.

He bowed deeply to the retreating figure, performing a solemn salute, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible dryness:

"This junior was unaware of your arrival, senior. I apologize for not greeting you properly."

The mysterious Foundation Establishment cultivator waved his hand casually, his gaze fixed on the campfire, and said in a calm tone, "It's rare to see a soul in this desolate wilderness. I hope you don't mind if I borrow your campfire, young friend?"

Lin Zhao thought to himself, "What a joke! Would a Foundation Establishment cultivator lack a campfire?"

However, he dared not show it on his face and quickly bowed, replying, "Senior, you flatter me. It is an honor for me to have you here, and I have no reason to mind."

He carefully stepped forward, took the skewer of meat, and skillfully flipped and grilled it.

He respectfully handed over the roasted meat, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. In the instant it came close, he dared not use his divine sense, but only glanced at it quickly out of the corner of his eye.

The person was dressed in white, of extraordinary quality, and under the glow of the campfire, a soft, ethereal light seemed to flow from them.

What is most eye-catching is the strange cloud pattern embroidered on the white robe.

The cloud patterns were not static; they flowed and rolled slowly over his clothes, carrying an indescribable Daoist charm and mystery, as if containing some profound legal principles.

"People from Tianyun Market!" Lin Zhao's heart trembled, and he immediately lowered his head, his posture becoming even more respectful than before.

He remembered his grandfather mentioning that the most distinctive feature of the core members of Tianyun Market was this unique and mysterious cloud pattern that seemed to have a life of its own, and once seen, it was hard to forget.

He had originally thought that if the Foundation Establishment cultivator had ill intentions, he could use the jade talisman bestowed by the clan leader to block an attack and see if he could find a chance to escape. But now he could only helplessly suppress that thought.

The number one ranked force in Tianyun Market is suspected to be a power under the command of a Nascent Soul cultivator. The more one cultivates, the more one understands the strength of such a force.

The mysterious cultivator glanced down at the cloud patterns flowing on his robes, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. He understood: "He recognizes these cloud patterns, so he's not some rogue cultivator without any background. That makes things much easier."

He slowly finished eating the meat Lin Zhao had grilled, then wiped his hands.

Only then did he raise his eyes to look at Lin Zhao properly, and said calmly, "I didn't eat your barbecue for nothing. I just noticed that you seem to have encountered a bottleneck in your cultivation on the 'Divine Barrier' path? Tell me what the problem is."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhao's eyes filled with surprise and confusion. He quickly and respectfully asked, "May I ask, senior, what is the 'Divine Pass'?"

"There are three stages in Foundation Establishment," the mysterious cultivator said calmly. "The Qi stage involves the accumulation, compression, and liquefaction of spiritual energy, and the process of opening up the dantian and spiritual lake. You have already begun your cultivation, so you can be considered to have entered the first stage."

"The Divine Gate, that state of 'unity of heaven and man' you just experienced was part of cultivating the Divine Gate. The Divine Gate is the process of tempering one's divine consciousness, refining one's will, and communicating with heaven and earth. As for the Physical Gate..."

He paused briefly, "That's the last thing to consider. We'll talk about it after you've cleared the first two levels."

He didn't say anything more, but directly pointed out a few subtle stagnations in Lin Zhao's use of divine sense, and casually gave two tips on the secrets of condensing and projecting divine sense.

Although it was just a few words, they enlightened Lin Zhao, and many things that were previously unclear suddenly became much clearer.

After speaking, the mysterious cultivator stood up and, without making any visible movement, his figure slowly faded away as if blending into the night, eventually disappearing completely from the edge of the campfire's light, as if he had never existed.

Lin Zhao stood there, stunned, utterly bewildered. "They...left already?"

A Foundation Establishment expert, seemingly from Tianyun Market, appeared out of nowhere, ate some barbecue, gave a few pointers, and then drifted away.

The experience was too bizarre. He dared not think about it further, and immediately gathered all his belongings as quickly as possible, extinguishing the campfire without hesitation.

They quickly disappeared into the darkness of the dense forest, far away from this place of trouble.