Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The moment the talisman was formed, the pale golden runes intertwined like thousands of sword blades, faintly radiating a chillingly sharp aura.

Lin Zhao was almost exhausted, but then she saw her uncle quickly step forward, carefully pick up the hard-won talisman, and examine it for a moment.

Lin Zhao's face was pale, and he was a little unsteady on his feet. He had consumed too much of his magical power, time, and energy in the past two weeks.

The uncle turned to Lin Zhao and smiled, "Lin Zhao, you did well, very well."

Lin Zhao asked her uncle, "Uncle, is this talisman very important to the family?" Her uncle looked slightly surprised: "Why do you ask?"

Lin Zhao began to analyze, "The [Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman] is extremely difficult to refine. Even my grandfather, who has studied the Dao of Talismans for decades, could hardly guarantee success."

Ordinary talisman paper is useless for this kind of high-quality talisman; special talisman paper must be used.

Although my father was only a mid-grade first-tier talisman master, he could immediately produce specially made talisman paper materials.

It's clear that the family desperately needed this talisman, to the point that they had to constantly try and rely on luck.

The eldest uncle and Lin's father exchanged a glance, and finally nodded, saying, "This talisman is very important to the family."

"If you can draw one for the family every three days, then the family will cover all the resources for your future cultivation up to the late stage of Qi Refining."

"I object," Lin's father immediately objected, "The [Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman] is a high-grade talisman."

Unlike low-level talismans, once a low-level talisman is successfully drawn, with further practice, it is virtually impossible to fail.

However, Zhao'er only succeeded with this talisman today by sheer luck; there's no guarantee that she'll succeed every time in the future.

His cultivation level was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. Each refining process required a large amount of spiritual energy and divine sense, and it also took time to recover his spiritual energy.

If I have to draw one every three days, where will I find the time to practice?

"Why not change it to one talisman every seven days? And once his cultivation level improves, his talisman-making efficiency will naturally increase, which would be more beneficial to the family, wouldn't it?"

After some discussion, it was finally decided that each ticket would be issued every five days.

After his uncle left, Lin's father called Lin Zhao to his side and solemnly said, "Zhao'er, you must remember, all the arts of cultivation are techniques for protecting the Dao."

Cultivation is the foundation of one's existence. You certainly have talent in the art of talismans, but you must not neglect your cultivation because of it, putting the cart before the horse.

Lin Zhao nodded solemnly: "Your child understands."

Several days later, far away in the Lin family's ancestral home.

Lin Zhao's grandfather held the Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman, wondering, "Could this be the will of Heaven? Is Heaven destined to prosper our Lin family?"

In the following months, Lin Zhao had a sufficient supply of pills, coupled with the assistance of that first-grade high-level cultivation room.

He could clearly feel the spiritual energy surging and flowing through his meridians, and his cultivation level was steadily improving at a speed visible to the naked eye.

However, cultivation is not always smooth sailing. Perhaps it was because his previous breakthroughs were too rapid, or perhaps the Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman had consumed too much of his mental energy.

He encountered considerable obstacles in his cultivation.

After using the elixir, the flow of spiritual energy in certain meridians always felt sluggish and obstructed, like a stream encountering a hidden reef.

"Haste makes waste." Lin Zhao remembered her father's teachings and remained calm.

He then switched to the "Taihe Yangyuan Gong" to gently cleanse those stagnant areas with his spiritual energy.

This process was slow and tedious, but he could feel that with each rotation, his meridians became stronger and more unobstructed.

The Five Elements Rhyme Spirit Technique and the Great Harmony Nourishing Yuan Technique circulate and communicate repeatedly. Although there are obstacles, the cultivation is still progressing steadily.

However, the process of drawing the Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman encountered trouble, and it failed three times in a row.

Either the flow of spiritual energy was slightly insufficient, or the fluctuation of mental state caused the sword energy to go out of control.

Each failure not only consumed precious materials but also dealt a heavy blow to his spiritual consciousness.

Lin Zhao only now realized the difference between high-level and low-level talismans. If a low-level talisman is successfully drawn, the success rate will be very high.

Even if a high-level talisman is successfully drawn, the success rate afterward is not high. High-level talismans are very expensive, and there aren't that many talisman papers for you to practice with.

"Your heart is not pure enough." On this day, Lin's father suddenly spoke while watching him make talismans.

Lin Zhao was stunned. "From what you said before, you entered the Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman because of your killing intent towards Liu Yifeng..."

However, it can only be used as a beginner's guide. When actually drawing talismans, what you need is not murderous intent.

Lin's father shook his head and said, "It is a state of mind that cuts off everything and breaks through all laws."

Imagine that what you are holding in your hand is not a talisman brush, but a sharp sword that can open the heavens and the earth.

If you continue to rely on killing intent to create your sword, then you are controlled by it. You should be the one who wields this sword.

Lin Zhao seemed to understand something. When he picked up his pen again, he no longer thought about Liu Yifeng, nor about the humiliation at the auction, but instead immersed himself in understanding the "sword".

As the pen touched the ground, spiritual energy surged forth. This time, he seemed to transform into a drawn sword, each stroke carrying the determination to sever everything.

As the last stroke was made, golden light flowed across the talisman paper, and the sharp sword energy caused the protective array of the entire talisman-making room to tremble slightly.

Success! Since then, Lin Zhao's success rate in drawing the [Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman] has steadily increased.

It gradually increased from the initial 20% to 40%.

Each success gave him a new understanding of the way of the sword.

However, the fourth level was already the limit of his ability. Drawing high-grade talismans required far too much spiritual power, and he had to exert all his strength each time.

Even with the help of that precious magical artifact, his cultivation level was still too low. Although he drew quite well many times, he failed because he didn't have enough spiritual power.

Lin Zhao gained a deeper understanding of what her father had said: "Cultivation is the foundation of one's character."

On this day, when he handed the newly made Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman to Uncle Zhao, who came to collect it, Uncle Zhao examined it carefully and showed a look of surprise:

"The quality of this talisman is in no way inferior to the talismans drawn by your grandfather. Your progress in the art of talismans is truly astonishing."

Lin Zhao smiled slightly, saying nothing more. Only he knew how much effort he had put in to make progress over the past few months.

After seeing Uncle Zhao off, he returned to the courtyard and felt the increasingly abundant spiritual energy within his body.

After months of arduous training, the fifth level of Qi Refining has been thoroughly consolidated, and the divine sense has become increasingly refined through repeated consumption and recovery.

He looked up toward the center of the town, his gaze seemingly piercing through the buildings and landing on that turbulent place.

In the past few months, although he has kept a low profile, he has been able to piece together the changing situation outside the market from his uncle's outings and his father's increasingly solemn expression.

Liu Yifeng's "Liuyun Chamber of Commerce" is gaining momentum. With the resources it has accumulated at auctions, it has become a rising star in the market and has recruited many experts.

The caravan has grown to include as many as three hundred people, but the waters are getting increasingly murky.

Among those newly joined cultivators, how many were truly loyal and how many were spies planted by various forces? Even Liu Yifeng himself probably didn't know.