Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

As they spoke, the familiar facade of the Pavilion of Rare Treasures came into view. Upon entering, the faint spiritual light and mixed aura emanating from various strange objects assaulted their senses.

Behind the counter, a chubby figure was buried in a pile of things—none other than Fatty Chen. He looked even more "prosperous" than a year ago.

Seeing this, Cheng Jin laughed loudly, "Fatty! Look who's here!"

Fatty Chen looked up at the sound, "Oh! Brother Lin! What a rare guest!"

He enthusiastically walked around the counter, his jade pendants jingling: "It's been over a year since I last saw you. I heard you went back to your sect—no, back to your family to cultivate in seclusion? Good heavens, I can't even see through your cultivation level anymore!"

After Cheng Jin and others joined the demon-hunting team, the original small group was reduced to Lin Zhao and Fatty Chen, who often hung out in the market and the two were quite familiar with each other.

Seeing that they had finished their pleasantries, Cheng Jin interjected, "Fatty, we can catch up later. First, give me that 'Spirit Detection Plate' the team needs; the boss is waiting to use it."

Upon hearing this, Fatty Chen slapped his shiny forehead: "Look at my memory! I was so caught up in my excitement. The thing is sealed inside, come with me."

"Brother Lin, feel free to look around. If you find anything you like, I'll give you the best price!" With that, he led Cheng Jin to the back room.

After the two left, Lin Zhao strolled around the small Qizhen Pavilion.

Unlike ordinary shops, the items here were indeed strange and unusual. Lin Zhao's gaze slowly swept over the area and suddenly stopped in front of a crystal dome in the corner.

Inside the cover was an ancient mirror about the size of a palm. The mirror was silver, with mysterious cloud patterns engraved on the edges. The surface of the mirror was not smooth, but rather like flowing mercury, with a faint, eerie light flowing through it.

The label next to it reads: "First-tier superior magic artifact [Mind-Stabilizing Mirror]". Its function is twofold: firstly, after refinement, it automatically forms a layer of spiritual barrier to resist a certain degree of spiritual attack.

Secondly, when activated automatically, the mirror can emit a silver light, which locks onto the target through divine sense, causing a brief freeze-in effect.

Lin Zhao's mind stirred slightly. He had many trump cards up his sleeve. Whether it was the Four Elements Pearl or the Splitting Light and Shadow Talisman, although they were extremely powerful, they all required a certain amount of time to activate.

In a battle between masters, things can change in an instant, and this [Stabilizing Mirror] can just make up for his shortcomings in controlling and defending his divine sense.

Moreover, the effectiveness of such magical artifacts largely depends on the strength of the user's spiritual sense. His spiritual sense has now reached the peak of the seventh level of Qi Refining, so he can fully unleash the power of this mirror to the extreme, or even exceed it.

Just as he was pondering, Cheng Jin and Fatty Chen came out from the back room. Cheng Jin had a compass-shaped magic artifact engraved with intricate array patterns in his hand.

Lin Zhao pointed to the ancient mirror: "Fatty, how much does this mirror cost?"

Fatty Chen narrowed his small eyes and chuckled, "Brother Lin, you have a good eye! The method for crafting this [Mind-Stabilizing Mirror] is almost lost, and its functions are unique. For most people, it would cost at least four hundred low-grade spirit stones. But we're old friends, so three hundred and fifty spirit stones is fine, take it!"

Normally, a high-grade magic weapon costs between one hundred and three hundred spirit stones. This special magic weapon is naturally more expensive than ordinary magic weapons, so the price that Fatty Chen gave is indeed very fair.

Lin Zhao readily paid the spirit stones and put the [Mind-Stabilizing Mirror], which was cool to the touch and brought a sense of clarity to his mind upon contact with it, into his pocket.

Leaving the Qizhen Pavilion and walking towards the Po Jun camp, Lin Zhao asked Cheng Jin, "Brother Cheng, was what we just retrieved a 'Probing Disc'? Such magical artifacts seem quite rare."

Cheng Jin nodded and patted the compass in his hand: "That's right, this was custom-made by the team at a high price. It can detect spiritual energy fluctuations and life force within a radius of one mile, and is used to track specific targets or avoid dangerous areas. It is a powerful tool in the wilderness."

Only someone like Fatty Chen, with his extensive connections, could get his hands on these obscure yet useful items.

Lin Zhao understood, and felt even more confident and expectant about joining the Po Jun Demon Hunting Team.

Lin Zhao followed Cheng Jin, walking through the orderly streets of the inner ward, and gradually heading towards the outer area of ​​the market.

The atmosphere changed abruptly as soon as one stepped into the outer area. In addition to the vast and bustling area of ​​stalls, what caught the eye even more was the cluster of buildings scattered in different styles in the distance.

Before, Lin Zhao rarely went to places outside the market area.

Hundreds of building clusters of varying sizes and styles are scattered around the perimeter of Qingfeng Mountain.

The entire outer market is brimming with wild vitality and a force to be reckoned with.

Cheng Jin was clearly very familiar with the place. He led Lin Zhao through a maze of turns, avoiding several areas that exuded a dangerous aura, and finally arrived at a building surrounded by tall stone walls.

This garrison is completely different in style from other places; it is more like a strict military camp.

The dark gray stone wall is engraved with runes for reinforcement and warning, and faintly flows with an earthy yellow spiritual light.

Two watchtowers, each three zhang tall, stood at the entrance. At the top of the towers stood cultivators clad in spirit armor, their eyes sharp and focused. They held long halberds and their auras were refined, clearly indicating that they were all experts at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

A large black banner fluttered in the air above the encampment. Embroidered on the banner was a sharp, menacing character, "破" (break), in gold thread. The banner itself was a magical artifact, radiating a faint aura of power and dispelling the chaotic spiritual energy around it.

"We've arrived. This is our Po Jun's base." Cheng Jin said with a hint of pride as he walked towards the gate first.

The guard clearly recognized him, nodding slightly before letting him pass, though his gaze lingered on Lin Zhao for a moment, scrutinizing him.

Stepping inside the camp, the scene becomes even more apparent. The grounds are spacious, paved with compacted earth, with various training equipment placed along the edges, such as heavy meteorite iron chains, giant monuments for testing strength, and a formation of stakes for practicing movement techniques.

Many team members were training, their shouts, the clanging of weapons, and the explosions of spells filling the air. The air was thick with the mixed smells of sweat, dust, and a faint stench of blood, along with a chilling aura unique to the battlefield, accumulated over the years.

My grandfather had previously said that Po Jun had connections with the military, and that was true.

Cheng Jin led Lin Zhao directly to the largest stone hall in the center of the camp, where a plaque with the words "Military Affairs Hall" hung above the entrance. The hall was simply furnished, and a middle-aged cultivator with a stern face and a cultivation level of about the seventh level of Qi Refining sat behind a desk, processing documents.

"Deacon Zhao, this is Lin Zhao, whom Boss Gao mentioned before. He's here to join the team today," Cheng Jin said as he stepped forward.

Deacon Zhao raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over Lin Zhao before formally handing him a dark gold metal token and a thin booklet: "Lin Zhao? Hmm, Captain Gao gave instructions. This is your identity token; you can refine it with a drop of blood. The booklet contains the rules, codes, exchangeable items, and important information about the garrison, etc."

Lin Zhao took the nameplate; it was cold and heavy to the touch, engraved with complex array patterns and the character "破" (break). He forced out a drop of blood as instructed, and the token instantly absorbed the blood, emitting a faint red light to establish a mental connection with him. Then, the light subsided, and it became a seemingly ordinary metal token.

He solemnly tied the nameplate around his waist, and at that moment, he officially became a member of the Po Jun Demon Hunting Team.