Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Grandfather clapped his hands gently. The sound was not loud, but it seemed to carry a calming rhythm, pulling everyone's mind back from the shock.

"Alright, although the sect and the Seven Upper Workshops are strong, they are still far behind us." He swept his sleeve across the light screen again, and the seven dazzling points of light above slowly dimmed.

The other ten smaller points of light flickered with spiritual energy, two of which were particularly striking. "Now let's talk about the ten smaller neighborhoods that are more closely related to Qingfeng Market. You need to pay attention to two of them."

He pointed to a point of light that shimmered with a dark golden, quicksand-like luster: "First, Jinsha Market. It is undoubtedly the number one market among the ten lower markets."

On the light screen, a phantom image of a surging river rushed out, with countless golden sands shimmering in the river, yet it also carried a bloodthirsty aura. "Its foundation lies in the Golden Sand River, which originates deep within the Cloud and Mist Mountains, traverses the Cloud and Mist Mountains, and enters the heart of the Great Yun Dynasty."

It is also a quick route for monster invasions. In past years, during monster tides, many powerful monsters have sailed downstream, wreaking havoc in all directions.

To this end, the Dayun Dynasty deployed an ironclad defense line along the border of the Yunxia Mountains, consisting of twelve majestic cities, hundreds of fortresses, and millions of ordinary people, with Jinsha City downstream being one of the important hubs.

Therefore, the cultivators established the Jinsha Market in the middle of the Jinsha River, a strategic location, to block the demonic beasts. It had an extremely close relationship with the dynasty's military forces, was powerful, and had an extremely fierce style.

"Zhao'er, your friend Gao Yuan's 'Broken Army Demon Hunting Team' can also be seen as an extension of the power of Jinsha Market."

Then, his finger moved to another milky white dot that was very close to the green dot representing Qingfeng Market and had a gentle aura: "Secondly, Guiyun Market."

Guiyun Market is the closest market to Qingfeng Market, but it is relatively weak. It has been an ally of Qingfeng Market for many years, and we have always been interdependent and supportive of each other. The Lin family also maintains frequent contact with it.

The grandfather waved his hand, and the remaining light spots on the light screen flickered. "As for other markets such as Qingming Market and Suiyu Market, their strength and situation are similar to Qingfeng's, so there's not much to say."

The light curtain dissipated like smoke, and the grandfather looked intently at Lin Xuan: "Only by understanding the surrounding situation and undercurrents can you be well-informed and act with discretion when you take charge of affairs in Qingfeng Market."

Then, he turned to Lin Zhao and asked gently, "Zhao'er, what are your plans next?"

Lin Zhao stepped forward, his posture upright, his gaze clear and firm: "Grandfather, I intend to focus on improving my cultivation first. These days I have been busy drawing talismans, and my cultivation has stagnated somewhat."

Now that the Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman is complete and cultivation resources are not lacking for the time being, I want to seize the opportunity and raise my cultivation level to the sixth level of Qi Refining in one go.

His grandfather's eyes showed satisfaction, and he nodded, saying, "Not arrogant or impatient, focusing on the foundation of cultivation, very good."

He hesitated for a moment, then took out a jade slip with a warm, smooth texture and a pale blue luster, and handed it over. "This is the 'Azure Profound Sword Manual,' which my Lin family exchanged with Xiao Wen for a portion of our family's sword manual when he left a few days ago."

You were able to create a top-grade first-tier Gengjin sword qi talisman at the fifth level of Qi Refining, so you may have a talent for swordsmanship. However, the sword techniques passed down in your family are too focused on killing and are not suitable for you.

This "Azure Profound Sword Manual" might be more suited to your temperament. You might as well try to comprehend it and see if you can grasp the basics. During this time, you can stay in the family and cultivate in peace.

Lin Zhao solemnly accepted the jade slip with both hands. As his fingertips touched its warm, smooth texture, he could clearly feel the wisps of pure, ethereal sword intent contained within. His heart surged slightly, and he bowed, saying, "Thank you, Grandfather. I will definitely strive to comprehend this sword technique!"

The three then took their leave and departed the cave. They said goodbye to each other outside the door, all understanding that they were about to embark on different paths to take on their own responsibilities.

After that, Lin Zhao moved out of the family's courtyard and into a cultivation cave at the foot of Qingxi Mountain.

This cave dwelling is located at the foot of Qingxi Mountain, with a stream flowing fifty meters below, bringing abundant spiritual energy. The concentration of spiritual energy within the cave dwelling is in no way inferior to a first-grade high-level cultivation room in the market.

At the top of the cave, two precious pearls slowly swirled. One was the Earth Element Pearl, given to him by his uncle to aid in drawing talismans, radiating a thick, earthy yellow halo; the other was the Water Element Pearl, entirely azure, exuding a cool and moist aura of water spirit.

The two precious pearls, one yellow and one blue, intertwined and cycled with light, naturally forming a miniature spirit-gathering array within the cave, making the spiritual energy increasingly rich and pure.

Lin Zhao already knew that this was a complete set of magical artifacts. The Earth Elemental Pearl and Water Elemental Pearl were managed by his eldest uncle, while the Fire Elemental Pearl and Wind Elemental Pearl were in the hands of Uncle Zhao.

During this incident, my uncle borrowed the Fire and Wind Beads to form a Four Elements Formation, which displayed its power on the plains battlefield, easily killing several opponents of the same level.

Now, his uncle is giving Lin Zhao the two beads of earth and water, which is both a reward for his previous contribution of talismans and an expectation for his future.

At this moment, Lin Zhao sat cross-legged on a futon in the quiet room, holding the cyan jade slip in his hand, his mind immersed in it.

The profound mysteries of the Azure Profound Sword Manual unfolded in my mind like a scroll painting. Sword cultivators, soaring thousands of miles on their swords, slaying demons and monsters—what young man hasn't dreamed of this!

The Azure Profound Sword Manual is divided into two main parts.

The first part is the core, which is the profound method of transforming one's own spiritual power into "sword energy".

The second part is about how to fight enemies, and it consists of four sword moves: Cutting the Flow, Breaking Evil, Piercing the Sun, and Blood Killing.

"Severing the Flow" emphasizes pushing the sword energy to its limit, pursuing ultimate sharpness and speed. Once the sword is drawn, it is like splitting waves and cutting through all obstacles in front of it.

"Breaking Evil" involves more profound spiritual energy transformation techniques, which can temporarily transform sword energy into an attribute that has a special effect on yin and evil and demonic energy, and can even be used for "breaking demons". It has a bit of the shadow of magic cultivation methods, which is quite mysterious.

"Piercing the Sun" is a technique for accumulating power for a single strike. It requires highly compressing and condensing the sword energy into a single point, pursuing the ultimate destructive power of a single target. It is a powerful move that can decide the outcome with a single blow.

"Blood Kill" made Lin Zhao frown slightly. This was a life-or-death technique that consumed one's own "essence blood" to forcibly stimulate potential and enhance strength. It was somewhat similar to demonic methods and should never be used lightly except in life-or-death situations.

Lin Zhao put down the jade slip and let out a long breath, his eyes showing both excitement and a hint of solemnity.

Indeed, none of the various arts he cultivated were easily mastered. He took stock of himself: his cultivation needed improvement, his talisman skills needed refinement, his body tempering could not be stopped, and now he also needed to comprehend the way of the sword.

For a moment, I felt a sense of fulfillment and urgency, as if I had returned to a past life, busy with the hustle and bustle of making a living.

Time flies, and in the following year, Lin Zhao entered a state of single-minded asceticism.

With the aid of the Yuan-gathering array formed by the earth and water elemental beads, and with ample elixirs and his own diligent cultivation, his cultivation level began to steadily improve. Every day, besides meditating to refine his Qi, drawing talismans, and tempering his physical body, he would study the "Azure Profound Sword Manual" and attempt to condense his first wisp of sword Qi.

Before we knew it, a year had passed.

On this day, the spiritual energy within the cave suddenly surged, flowing into Lin Zhao's body like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea. His body shone with a brilliant azure light, his robes fluttered without wind, and his spiritual energy suddenly soared, before slowly calming down and becoming increasingly solid and profound.

He opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and profound, yet restrained.

Feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body and his increasingly powerful divine sense, Lin Zhao smiled slightly.

Reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining cultivation was a natural progression. His divine sense also advanced accordingly, reaching the peak of the seventh level of Qi Refining.