Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

His divine sense, which was close to the seventh level of Qi Refining, skillfully guided the surrounding spiritual energy, leading it to circulate time and time again, and forming a spiritual energy halo around it.

Although I was unable to re-enter that mysterious state of "unity of heaven and man,"

But he began to consciously simulate that state of mind merging with the surrounding spiritual energy.

He had a premonition that as long as he persisted in understanding this state, he would eventually be able to control it.

The spiritual energy circulates again and again, but the initial bottleneck remains unmoved.

Lin Zhao was not discouraged. He continued to circulate his cultivation technique, drawing spiritual energy into his body continuously.

As time passed, it was as if a thin veil was suddenly lifted from the sea of ​​consciousness.

An unprecedented sense of clarity swept over him, and the barrier of his divine consciousness burst open, allowing him to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining in one fell swoop!

In the early stages of spiritual development, the control over spiritual power underwent a qualitative change.

The previously somewhat erratic spiritual energy, under the stronger control of this divine sense, instantly became as responsive as an extension of its own limb.

It quickly coalesced into a more refined and concentrated force.

"break!"

The moment the thought arose, that solid barrier opened in response.

In an instant, spiritual energy surged throughout his body like a tide, flowing joyfully through his wider meridians.

The surrounding spiritual energy was drawn in and surged wildly into his body, continuously consolidating the realm he had just broken through.

Once everything had calmed down, Lin Zhao opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a profound and radiant light.

He gently clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him far exceeding what he had experienced before, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.

The gains this time far exceeded expectations. My cultivation level successfully reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, and my divine sense unexpectedly broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining in one fell swoop.

With a slight thought, his powerful divine sense spread out silently like a tide, instantly covering an area of ​​a hundred meters.

The entire Lin family talisman shop, from the front hall to the back courtyard, was within his perception.

The store was set up with an array, so his divine sense could only circulate in areas that were not specially protected.

Behind the counter in the front hall, Zhao Ziming was resting his chin on one hand, while the other hand was unconsciously drawing the intricate patterns of the [Vajra Talisman] on an ordinary piece of paper, his face showing obvious weariness and persistence.

Lin Zhao's lips twitched slightly as she recalled the year of hands-on teaching.

Witnessing his countless failures yet unwavering perseverance, I sighed inwardly and decided to withdraw my attention.

However, just as he was about to withdraw his divine sense,

"Ring ring!!!"

The calming bell in the courtyard suddenly shook violently without warning, emitting a series of sharp, piercing sounds that were far more intense than usual!

Immediately afterwards, the protective array of the entire shop was fully activated!

"Buzz!"

Pale blue spiritual light burst forth from the ground, walls, and beams.

Like awakened vines, they rapidly intertwined in the void, forming a dense net of light.

The array patterns on the wall, which were usually hidden, lit up one by one, emitting a dazzling golden light. The runes flowed and the oppressive aura permeated the air.

In the heart of the backyard, the high-grade first-tier array plate emitted a deep hum, spewing out a dense, almost tangible spiritual mist.

The entire Lin family's shop was firmly enveloped within the light, its shimmering glow making it as solid as a rock.

A "thud" came from the front hall, clearly Zhao Ziming was startled by the sudden change and jumped up, dropping his talisman brush to the ground.

Lin Zhao's heart tightened suddenly, and she instantly understood.

It was his newly broken through to the late-stage Qi Refining level divine sense, which he couldn't yet control, that triggered the highest level of the formation's protective mechanism!

He hurriedly took out his identity token, attempting to deactivate the formation, but found the token flickering faintly.

The user's permissions only allow them to activate restrictions within their own room; they have no effect on the main store area.

Outside the window, the pale blue array light flowed endlessly like ripples on water, casting an ever-changing interplay of light and shadow in the room.

Lin Zhao rubbed his temples helplessly; it seemed things had gotten a bit out of hand.

Half an hour later, Lin's father hurriedly returned to the shop.

He held the main token and cast several spells outside the door before the layers of spiritual light gradually dissipated.

Then activate the formation.

"What happened?" Lin's father strode into Lin Zhao's room, his brows furrowed.

"The protective array only fully activates when it senses fluctuations in divine sense or spiritual energy at the late-stage Qi Refining level. Zi Mo said there were no outsiders present at the time. What did you do?"

Lin Zhao awkwardly rubbed his nose: "I just broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining with my divine sense, and I accidentally triggered the formation when I released it."

Lin's father stood there stunned for a long time before finally saying, "You, say it again?"

After Lin Zhao repeated it, Lin's father stood there for a long time before slowly exhaling.

"No wonder your grandfather said back then that you might have the potential to reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

He looked at his son again with a complex expression, his eyes filled with disbelief and indescribable pride, which ultimately culminated in a gasp of amazement.

"Now that your spiritual sense has broken through to the later stage, the cultivation bottleneck of the late stage of Qi Refining is no longer a difficult hurdle for you."

Lin's father walked to the window, looked at the courtyard outside which had returned to calm, and continued his analysis, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible excitement:

"You're only sixteen years old. Given the progress you're showing, if you had sufficient resources to support you..."

Breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining before the age of twenty is not a pipe dream. If everything goes smoothly, reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining before the age of forty is also quite possible.

He turned around, his gaze intense, as if he saw the hope for the family's future.

"In this way, you will have a full twenty years to prepare for foundation building without any distractions!"

The best age for Foundation Establishment is within sixty years.

Once one is over sixty, one's vital energy and blood begin to decline, and the hope of success diminishes day by day.

At this point, Lin's father's voice carried an emotion that had been suppressed for too long: "Our Lin family has been without the protection of a Foundation Establishment cultivator for seventy years. If you can take that step..."

He didn't say anything more, but the father and son exchanged glances and both understood the heavy weight of the conversation.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only faint, indistinct sounds coming from outside the window, filtered by the array.

Lin Zhao pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head, his expression unusually calm and composed: "Father, the late stage of Qi Refining is still too far away."

My cultivation level has only broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, and my foundation still needs to be honed.

Moreover, having consumed too many Gathering Yuan Pills over the past year, I have clearly felt that the pills' effects are weakening.

Drug resistance has developed in my body. My cultivation speed will likely slow down in the future.

"If I can reliably break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining within the next three years, I will be completely satisfied."

He paused, then continued his calm analysis, his gaze unusually clear for a teenager: "Moreover, the later the cultivation level, the time required for each further advancement increases exponentially."

According to my estimate, it will probably take five years to go from the sixth to the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Furthermore, if I can overcome the major bottleneck in the later stages of Qi Refining, and reach the threshold of the late stage of Qi Refining before I turn thirty...

I felt fortunate. The road ahead must be walked step by step.