Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Just as Lin Zhao left, a thousand meters above, above the clouds,

The mysterious Foundation Establishment cultivator from Tianyun Market was leisurely sitting with his legs crossed, suspended in mid-air, with cloud patterns flowing around him, perfectly concealing him against the backdrop of the night sky.

He looked down at Lin Zhao, who was fleeing rapidly like a frightened bird, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"He's cautious in his actions, and his cultivation is decent." He muttered to himself, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. "Most importantly, his talent for divine sense is indeed extremely high."

He had also seen many cultivators practicing the "Divine Gate," which was very mysterious, and each person's practice showed different results.

However, it is extremely rare to cultivate to the state of "unity of heaven and man" during the Qi Refining stage. This state is both simple and difficult to achieve; it is essentially the domain of a Golden Core cultivator, although some powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators can also attain it.

"To be able to cultivate to this level on your own simply by relying on your uncle's creation of the 'Taihe Yangyuan Jue' is truly remarkable. I remember that your uncle was the guardian of Tianyun Market three hundred years ago. Could it be that the word spread back then?"

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Let's find out about his background first. If we're meant to be, we can talk about it later. We need to go to Guiyun Market now, or they might really be on the verge of collapse."

If Lin Zhao could hear him muttering to himself, he would be terrified out of his wits—his biggest secret was that the third-tier cultivation technique, "Taihe Yangyuan Jue," which had been seen through by the other party at a glance! Moreover, this technique came from Tianyun Market.

Over the next few months, Lin Zhao was like a frightened bird, wandering around several places deep in the Yunxia Mountains. He finally confirmed that the mysterious Foundation Establishment cultivator was not secretly following him, and only then did he truly breathe a sigh of relief.

After a year of rigorous training and the final terrifying interlude, he had mastered the first level of the "Three Transformations of Spiritual Energy" secret technique, and the problem of his unstable cultivation level had been resolved.

Lin Zhao's cultivation level has also successfully broken through to the mid-stage of the eighth level of Qi Refining. He has achieved his goal of this trip. He has completed his cultivation, swordsmanship, and secret techniques. Lin Zhao has decided to end this training.

A month later, Lin Zhao finally saw the familiar outline of Qingfeng Market. However, upon entering the market, he frowned deeply. The once bustling area around the market was now mostly empty, with only a dozen or so stall owners listlessly tending to their stalls.

The flow of people entering and leaving the market was much thinner, and most of them were in a hurry. The entire market had lost its former vitality and hustle and bustle.

"What's going on?" A sense of foreboding rose in Lin Zhao's heart, and he quickened his pace.

He entered the inner workshop and went straight back to his family's shop. Many shelves were empty, clearly indicating a shortage of supplies. His father was sitting behind the counter, checking the account books.

"Father, I'm back," Lin Zhao called out.

Mr. Lin looked up abruptly and, seeing his son return safely, his eyes lit up with joy. He quickly came out from behind the counter and looked Lin Zhao up and down: "Zhao'er! You're finally back!" He took Lin Zhao's hand, his voice full of concern, "You were out for so long this time, did you encounter any danger?"

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Father. I'm perfectly fine," Lin Zhao briefly recounted her experience, then asked, "Father, why is the market so deserted? What happened?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yong's joy faded, and he sighed heavily, lowering his voice: "Nothing's wrong in our market, but something big has happened in the 'Guiyun Market' next door!"

About six months ago, a medium-sized beast tide broke out there! Its scale was far greater than anything our market had ever experienced.

I've heard that over a dozen second-tier Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts have appeared, and their attack is extremely fierce! The Foundation Establishment cultivators in Guiyun Market are barely holding on with the help of their formations and are currently seeking reinforcements from all sides.

He pointed to the deserted shops: "Our Qingfeng Market and Guiyun Market have always had dealings; we're interdependent. The market owner has ordered the recruitment of many powerful demon-hunting teams, family members, and even sects to send people to support us."

With everyone gone, the market naturally became deserted. Moreover, the prices of various elixirs, talismans, and magical artifacts had risen considerably, and supplies were tight. The family had ordered stockpiling goods and had stopped sending talismans.

"A medium-sized beast tide? Second-tier Foundation Establishment demonic beasts?" Lin Zhao's gaze sharpened.

Lin's father continued, "In this beast tide, hundreds of beast groups mobilized simultaneously, and it seems that a 'commander-level' demon beast has appeared! The commander-level beast group completely surrounded Guiyun Market, causing considerable trouble for the support teams."

Commander-level! This term actually piqued Lin Zhao's interest. He had always regretted not finding a suitable opponent to test the results of his year of training.

The opponent he had been searching for for a year deep in the Yunxia Mountains had suddenly appeared in Guiyun Market!

"Father, I'm planning to go to Guiyun Market," Lin Zhao said, expressing his thoughts.

Lin Yong was shocked upon hearing this: "Zhao'er! No! That's a medium-sized beast tide, extremely dangerous! Even Foundation Establishment cultivators could perish there, it's far too dangerous!"

"Father, I understand," Lin Zhao said calmly, yet with an undeniable firmness. "I just have this plan. Battles between Foundation Establishment cultivators and demonic beasts are extremely rare. I just intend to go and take a look; I won't act rashly."

He comforted his father and then took out the protective jade talisman that the clan chief had given to Lin Zhao before he left, and showed it to Lin's father.

For the next month, Lin Zhao did not set off. He first completely relaxed, adjusted his state of mind, and carefully analyzed the gains and shortcomings of this experience.

Then, he disposed of most of the mountain of monster materials in his storage bag, which earned him a considerable amount of spirit stones, enough to support his subsequent cultivation and expenses.

During this time, he began gathering the latest news about the beast tide in Guiyun Market. Guiyun Market was weaker than Qingfeng Market, and although it was initially caught off guard,

However, with the support of several nearby markets, the battle line has temporarily stabilized. It is said that the supporting cultivators have formed several large outposts on the outer perimeter, guarded by Foundation Establishment cultivators, which in turn surround the beast horde. The two sides are locked in a stalemate, with cultivators returning from time to time bringing back accurate information.

After careful consideration, Lin Zhao felt that with his current strength, as long as he did not go deep into the main battlefield, there was little danger in operating on the periphery. Even if the battle situation was unfavorable, he could leave without much problem with his current abilities.

He replenished his supplies. Fully prepared, Lin Zhao bid farewell to his still worried father and headed towards Guiyun Market.

The journey from Qingfeng Market to Guiyun Market was not short, and it involved traversing a wilderness teeming with monsters. Lin Zhao chose not to team up with anyone and set off alone.

He activated his newly acquired "Four Elements Sword Wings" form, and as it turned out, the Four Elements Sword Wings truly lived up to its reputation as the final, ultimate form.

He covered a distance that normally takes cultivators more than a month in just ten days, and the demonic beasts along the way were easily dealt with by the sword energy of his sword wings.

Even some troublesome monsters were instantly left behind by the sword wings' powerful speed.

The sword wings allowed him to roam freely between heaven and earth. It was a novel feeling. Although he had used them before in the Cloud and Mist Mountains, the level of danger there was too high, and he could not fully unleash their power.

Of course, there are still drawbacks. With all three pairs of sword wings firing at full power, Lin Zhao's spiritual power cannot sustain it for too long.