Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao's eyes darkened slightly at the thought of her cousin, Lin Xuan.

Her status in the chamber of commerce rose steadily, and she gradually moved from the periphery into the inner circle.

This is certainly what she wants, but being in the center of such a vortex, the outcome is uncertain.

"It's almost here," Lin Zhao murmured to herself, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the window frame. "This battle for supremacy is about to begin."

He could sense that beneath the calm surface of the market, various forces were secretly vying for power, like the stillness before a storm.

When he mastered the art of drawing Gengjin sword qi talismans, he already had the qualifications to influence this battlefield.

That day, the eldest uncle summoned Lin Zhao.

"Zhao'er," her uncle said solemnly, "if we can ensure the family's supply, how many more [Gengjin Sword Qi Talismans] can you draw within three months?"

Lin Zhao pondered for a moment before cautiously replying, "If I were to go all out, I could theoretically draw twenty sheets."

However, with my current level of cultivation, I cannot sustain this effort for long.

To be on the safe side, fifteen sheets should be fine.

He paused, then added, "If the share allocated to the family could be reduced slightly..."

"No way," the eldest uncle interrupted decisively. "Not a single talisman is missing from what the family needs."

Zhao'er, you must understand that the reason we are qualified to participate in this game is because the entire Lin family stands behind us.

Without the support of our family, we wouldn't even be qualified to sit at the table.

He looked at Lin Zhao, his tone grave: "I'm entrusting this matter to you."

As Lin Zhao left the room, she encountered Zhao Ziming, who had been waiting for her, in the corridor.

"It's about to begin, isn't it?" Zhao Ziming asked in a low voice.

His face betrayed his worry. "Liu Yifeng is riding high right now; even I hear rumors about him in the shop. Will Sister Xuan be able to come back? Can she not go?"

Lin Zhao stopped and looked at the green bamboo in the corner. Her gaze seemed to pierce through time.

"Do you remember what Xuan-jie was like when you were little? You were bullied by Lin Feng from the Second Elder's lineage."

Back then, she was our leader. To get justice for you, she led us back without hesitation. After winning, she even led us to steal the spirit rice from the Grand Elder's place during the victory celebration.

Lin Zhao's voice carried a long-lost warmth, "Back then, she was unrestrained, spirited, and dared to take responsibility. That was the real her."

Instead of the obsequious follower who fawned over Miss Qiao.

He turned and looked towards the market, his voice gradually becoming lower, "Since Sister Xuan wants to go crazy, then we'll go crazy with her this once."

They would do anything, even if it meant being like a moth drawn to a flame.

Besides, who told you we're moths? The Lin family are tigers, and tigers are ready to devour people.

Zhao Ziming stared blankly at his cousin, who had suddenly become so sharp and eloquent, as if he were truly getting to know him for the first time.

The usually quiet and unassuming boy was now like a sharp sword slowly being drawn from its sheath.

Zhao Ziming said seriously, "What can I do now?"

Lin Zhao said, "I haven't had time to manage the shop lately, so I'm leaving it to you. I think when Sister Xuan comes back, she'll want to see you first."

For the next three months, Lin Zhao almost completely secluded himself at his workbench in the cultivation room. Apart from necessary breathing exercises, he spent all his time drawing, and even temporarily put aside his daily cultivation.

Initially, progress was relatively smooth, but as time went on, the dual depletion of his spiritual energy and mental power caused his condition to decline. In the later stages, each stroke of the pen became extremely difficult, and his success rate began to drop significantly.

When Lin Zhao finally pushed open the door to the training room, his face was as pale as paper, his steps were unsteady, and he almost tripped on the ground.

Zhao Ziming, who had been waiting outside, rushed forward to support him. "Are you still able to hold on? Your uncle is waiting for you in the front hall."

Lin Zhao managed to steady himself, took a few deep breaths, and slowly walked towards the front hall. Seeing him like this, his uncle's eyes flashed with guilt: "Zhao'er, you've had a hard time."

"Your nephew is incompetent," Lin Zhao said in a hoarse voice, "I've only completed seventeen [Gengjin Sword Qi Talismans] in three months. I don't know if that's enough."

"That's enough."

The uncle quickly took the jade box containing the talismans and carefully put it away. "With these, we'll have a better chance of success in our next plan."

He looked at Lin Zhao and said gently, "Also, I'll borrow that yellow pearl from you for now. I'll return it to you when I get back."

Lin Zhao immediately took out the yellow pearl from her bosom. "Uncle, you flatter me. You lent it to me, so there's no question of returning it."

The uncle took the yellow pearl, patted Lin Zhao on the shoulder, and turned to leave the shop without saying a word.

Lin Zhao and Zhao Ziming watched their uncle leave from the shop entrance.

Lin Zhao said, "Go back. Trust your elders."

As the sun sets, the sky is ablaze with crimson clouds, and a large caravan slowly moves forward through the dust and smoke along the winding mountain road.

Near the caravan, there were cultivators whose spiritual light seemed to flow, and they were closely guarding the central hundred wagons that were engraved with protective runes and shrouded in a faint halo.

The wheels rolled over the dust, yet felt as light as a feather; only the hooves of the spirit beast pulling the cart stirred up subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy.

Qi Refining stage cultivators have weak magical power; only late-stage cultivators can fly briefly.

Moreover, there are so many goods, and no storage bag is big enough to hold them all.

In the center of the group, Lin Xuan, dressed in a neat blue robe, rode a rather magnificent "Azure Scale Horse," his posture upright, with the magic weapon Azure Edge Sword hanging at his waist.

The weariness from her journey couldn't hide the spirited air in her brows or the fatigue in her eyes.

The year or so she spent away from home completely changed her demeanor.

This is the largest merchant guild ever to travel to Jinsha Market. The goods brought back from Jinsha Market are worth at least five thousand spirit stones.

If they can successfully reach Qingfeng Market, it will be enough to elevate the Chamber of Commerce's strength to a new level.

However, the carriages were filled with ordinary goods; the truly important items were all in the hands of the cultivators.

Clearly, there was no chance of bringing it back to the market, so Lin Xuan gripped the magic weapon, the Azure Edge Sword, tightly in his hand.

"Sister Xuan, we'll be back in the market in seven more days," a girl in green rode up beside her, her voice filled with barely concealed joy.

Lin Xuan frowned slightly: "Qingluo, pass down the order: the closer we get to this part of the journey, the less we can afford to relax."

The girl's name was Lin Qingluo, a rogue cultivator whom Lin Xuan had met in the caravan. Because they shared the same surname, Lin Xuan often took care of her.

Later, the girl stayed by his side and even changed her clothes to cyan, just like Lin Xuan.

The Liuyun Chamber of Commerce went all out this time, with a team of over three hundred people, almost including most of the young cultivators in Qingfeng Market.

More than a hundred trucks were divided into ten teams, resembling a giant python winding its way across the ground.

Lin Xuan's team, the seventh, was located in the middle section and had a captain, a rogue cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining.

There are two other vice-captains. Besides Lin Xuan, the other is Zhao Kun, who has the cultivation level of Qi Refining Level 6.

Zhao Kun was cheerful and quickly became friends with the caravan members, but Lin Xuan sensed something unusual about him.

Over the years, she had been influenced by Qiao Yanran and had seen too many scions of prominent families.

Zhao Kun may seem unconventional, but his words and actions always reveal the discipline and orderliness unique to scions of a prominent family.