Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Homeward Journey

The bluestone path was slippery, and there was a slight creaking sound when you stepped on it.

Lin Zhao walked alone.

The stone slabs underfoot have been worn smooth and rounded by centuries of wind and rain, their surface patterns now blurred and indistinct.

Dark green moss grew in the cracks of the stone slabs, and the morning dew had not yet evaporated, making them soft and slippery to walk on.

Qingfengfang City, nestled against the Yunxia Mountains, has stood here for over six hundred years.

Deep within the mountains, countless demonic beasts roam. A small tide occurs every ten years, and a large tide every hundred years, each time a time when cultivators are buried. The outer perimeter is controlled by three major sects, which have established seventeen fortresses resembling the Qingfeng Market, serving as both resource points and the front line against the beast tides.

Walking across this bluestone pavement is like passing through an invisible barrier.

Suddenly, everything became clear.

The street was paved with white jade slabs, only wide enough for three or four carriages to pass side by side. Shops on both sides were arranged at varying heights, with flying eaves and brackets, and carved window frames. The aroma of medicine wafted from the alchemy shop, the flickering light of fire in the utensil shop, and the faint scent of cinnabar from the talisman shop.

There weren't many pedestrians, but many of them had a faint glow emanating from them—either from the spiritual patterns on their robes or the magical artifacts they wore, which they made no attempt to conceal. This was completely different from the drab grayness of the outer area.

This is already the inner quarters.

A second-order magic array secretly protects the area, making it difficult for ordinary demonic beasts to invade.

Deep within the market town, a green mountain peak is perpetually shrouded in mist and clouds; that is the abode of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The second-tier grand formation, centered on Qingfeng Mountain, covers an area of ​​dozens of miles and has withstood multiple beast tides to this day.

Lin Zhao walked slowly, reflecting on what she had seen and heard that day.

I thought I could get the three Spirit-Attracting Herbs for ninety Spirit Shards, but in the end it cost me one hundred.

The stall owner had likely practiced auxiliary techniques like "Heavenly Eye Technique," allowing him to see through the true nature of the robe he was wearing—even though it was the simplest one issued by his family, only a low-grade first-tier robe, its market price was still over ten spirit stones.

He doesn't wear any special clothing when he goes to the outer neighborhood, because there are law enforcement teams patrolling there, so his safety is guaranteed.

The reason why Old Man Yin didn't dare to actually make a move was not because he was afraid of the young man, but because of the law enforcement team composed of cultivators at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

The enforcement team, just like the official demon-hunting team, requires members to be at the seventh level of Qi Refining to be eligible to join.

If you're targeted, even a Qi Refining Level 7 isn't enough.

Recently, there have been frequent thefts in the outer neighborhood, so he put on his ceremonial robes just in case.

After all, life is only once.

Having been reborn into this world, he had not obtained any special advantages, so how could he dare to joke about his life?

That's right, Lin Zhao was a time traveler from a modern world devoid of spiritual energy. She had lived a life of mediocrity for nearly thirty years, ultimately dying under the wheels of a car.

Upon waking, he found himself in a world of immortal cultivation where one could command wind and rain, move mountains and overturn seas, and even achieve immortality.

However, those earth-shattering supernatural powers and endless lifespans have nothing to do with him, a mere Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator.

The only thing to be thankful for was that he was joined by a family of cultivators, which saved him from falling to the very bottom of the cultivation world.

At the very least, the family will provide basic cultivation techniques, magical artifacts, protective robes, and residency in the inner quarters.

Even cultivators like Gao Yuan, who are at the sixth level of Qi Refining, can only live in the outer quarters.

Although Old Man Yin was qualified to apply for the inner workshop, he was already old and had a bad reputation, making it even more difficult for him to be approved.

Finally, Lin Zhao sensed something unusual during Gao Yuan's conversation with the thin young man, which is why he promptly withdrew.

As for how Gao Yuan will handle it—that's not his concern.

Gao Yuan was born in the Dayun Dynasty. He served in the army, killed demons, wandered the world as a chivalrous knight, and even founded a small sect.

In the world of martial arts, he would be considered a grandmaster. Only in the realm of cultivation, where the power level is even higher, would he temporarily feign compliance with such figures.

Lin Zhao had seen that skinny young man before. His cultivation level was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, but it was achieved by simply piling on pills, and his foundation was weak.

If it were in the wilderness outside the market, Gao Yuan would have hundreds of ways to make it disappear silently.

The crowds gradually thinned out.

Lin Zhao stopped in front of a shop. Above the door hung an old-fashioned wooden plaque with a dark brown background and some of the gold lettering peeled off—"Lin Family Talismans".

The shop has a large storefront, but the dark brown wooden frame looks old, with fine cracks at the corners.

Father Lin Tianhui sat alone on an old bamboo chair by the door. He was thin and wore a blue long gown. His temples were gray.

He stared blankly at the end of the street, his gaze unfocused.

"Father."

Lin Tianhui was slightly taken aback, as if he had been pulled back from a distant place.

He turned his head and saw that it was Lin Zhao. The wrinkles on his face relaxed slightly, and he simply nodded: "You're back."

His voice was dry and hoarse.

Lin Zhao stepped into the shop. The small bronze bell hanging above the door—the "Tranquil Bell"—produced a clear and melodious "ding-a-ling." The invisible sound waves swept over, calming the mind.

The store was spacious, with rows of dark red shelves wiped spotless, reflecting the faint light from outside. However, the talismans on the shelves were sparse, and many spaces were empty, making the store, which should have been bustling, appear somewhat deserted and empty.

Lin Zhao sighed inwardly. This shop was an asset acquired more than a hundred years ago when the Lin family's Foundation Establishment Ancestor was still alive.

I heard that back then the shelves were full and sparkling with light, unlike now, where not even half the space is filled.

He walked through the quiet shop front, pushed open the door to the back hall, and suddenly a spacious courtyard paved with bluestone opened up before him.

There is an ancient well covered with moss in the courtyard, and there are two rows of rooms on each side, totaling more than ten rooms.

Directly opposite is the center of the courtyard, where the core node of the first-grade high-level array of the shops is located, and it is also the most important location for the training room.

In the corner of the east wall, several clumps of green bamboo grow quietly, their emerald leaves exuding a faint, fresh scent of grass and trees.

Beyond this grove of green bamboo lies a hidden paradise.

A plot of land, about ten meters square, had been carefully cultivated; the soil was dark brown and faintly glowed.

It was Lin Zhao who transformed the waterless pond into the "pseudo-spirit field".

More than ten spiritual herbs have been planted in the field. Although they cannot accelerate growth, they are enough to maintain the spiritual energy and prevent them from withering.

Lin Zhao took out the three newly purchased Spirit-Guiding Grasses, and with a slight movement of his fingertips, a wisp of gentle wood-type magic power guided the grasses like a silk thread, carefully planting them into the soil.

Then, his expression hardened, and he quickly formed hand seals in front of his chest, channeling his magical power, and uttered a low shout: "Gathering Yuan Technique, Condense!"

In an instant, the air above the spirit field distorted slightly. A thin layer of spiritual rain, shimmering with a pale blue light, gathered together.

The raindrops fell gently, precisely irrigating the newly planted spirit-guiding grass.

Lin Zhao's face was slightly pale, and sweat beaded on his forehead. His magical power was weak at the early stages of Qi Refining, and he couldn't use these spells more than a few times. He stopped and regulated his breathing, sensing that thirty percent of his spiritual energy had been depleted.

On the pseudo-spirit field, the leaves of the newly planted spirit-guiding grass unfurled slightly, and the dim spiritual light seemed to solidify a little.