Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Qingwu Zhenjun is indeed good to the mortals under his rule, but Lin Zhao is not from here.

What if True Monarch Qingwu says there's no such thing? What can Lin Zhao do? He can't just slink back to the sect in disgrace.

Or they might spout a bunch of threats, only to get slapped to death right here.

Of course, Lin Zhao estimated that this possibility was very low.

Qingwu Zhenjun was able to spend two thousand years building an oasis, so he must be a patient person. It's unlikely that he would directly take action against him.

But we must be wary.

The first lesson he learned after becoming a secret disciple was...

Once they reach the Nascent Soul level, rules may not be able to restrain them; they are the ones who can set the rules.

After listening to the information for a while, Lin Zhao realized that something was wrong.

According to the crowd, Qingwu Zhenjun seemed to be nearing the end of his life and was about to pass away.

The positions of market lord, the right to allocate spiritual veins, and the distribution of Qingwu spiritual liquid have reportedly been contested several times.

As for Qingwu Zhenjun himself, he has not made a public appearance in the past ten years, and even his close disciples cannot see him. It seems that Qingwu Zhenjun is truly dying.

Lin Zhao, however, thought it was a bit of absurd.

As a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and also of the Wood element, coupled with the establishment of a Daoist temple to nourish himself, True Monarch Qingwu is guaranteed a lifespan of at least 2,500 years.

Based on the timeline, they have at least two or three hundred years left to live, or even longer.

Moreover, after Lin Zhao entered Qingwu Prefecture, he did not find any signs of decline in the strength of this Taoist temple.

All signs indicate that Qingwu Zhenjun is not only not exhausted, but is actually in very good condition.

Well, another fisherman.

But it's probably not about hooking up with Lin Zhao.

They were either cultivators from outside or disciples of the sect.

Lin Zhao estimated it to be the latter.

His disciples seized the opportunity to fight for his inheritance as his lifespan was nearing its end, revealing their true natures and methods.

The information Lin Zhao later heard confirmed this judgment.

The disciples of Qingwu Zhenjun are divided into two factions.

One faction is led by the eldest disciple Yang Si, who is at the peak of the Core Formation stage. He has followed Qingwu Zhenjun the longest and has the deepest seniority. Most of the enshrined elders have gathered under his command.

Another faction was led by Zhou Yichu, the fifth disciple, who was in the late stage of Core Formation and had the deep trust of True Monarch Qingwu. Those cultivators who were unwilling to submit to Yang Si all came under his command.

Before Lin Zhao could finish listening, someone came knocking on her door.

Two people arrived.

The man was Zhou Yichu, with a handsome face, but his brows betrayed an barely suppressed anxiety.

The woman's name is Li Peilan. She is in the early stage of Core Formation and claims to be a descendant of Qingwu Zhenjun, as well as his ninth disciple. The two are Daoist partners.

Lin Zhao's mind raced, and he roughly understood why Zhou Yichu was able to contend with Yang Si, who was at the peak of the Core Formation stage.

He is not just one person; he also represents the descendants of Qingwu Zhenjun.

Li Peilan's identity naturally gave her some special advantages.

After they sat down, Zhou Yichu didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose.

The owner of the Core Formation workshop in the nearby market town had an accident while traveling some time ago and was ambushed and killed.

Recently, the two factions have fought several times over the position of the head of the workshop, and the conflict has become quite fierce.

Zhou Yichu said through gritted teeth that, according to the investigation, the shop owner was ambushed and killed by a group of ordinary bandits.

Lin Zhao almost burst out laughing.

He remembered an old joke.

Although you are a Dou Di, your horse is not as fast as mine, so you can't kill me.

So, was that Core Formation cultivator's horse not fast enough?

Zhou Yichu naturally knew how absurd this was, and his face turned ashen: "What bandits could intercept and kill a Core Formation cultivator! It's clearly Yang Si colluding with outside cultivators to pull this off!"

Lin Zhao remained noncommittal.

The two sides fought several matches for the position of head of the workshop, with each side winning and losing.

In the end, it was decided to use a tournament to determine who would become the leader of the brothel.

Both sides are now recruiting manpower to prepare for a showdown.

Zhou Yichu made a promise: if Lin Zhao is willing to fight for him, the reward will be a piece of third-grade high-quality Qingwu wood, regardless of whether he wins or loses.

Lin Zhao didn't pay much attention to the details of the promise.

He was thinking about another problem.

Did True Lord Qingwu know of his arrival? Did he know that he was from the Yunhai Cangming Sect?

As the master of a Daoist temple, Lin Zhao did not underestimate Qingwu Zhenjun in the slightest.

What does a dojo mean?

This means that, theoretically, nothing that happens on this land can escape the perception of the dojo master.

The fact that Zhou Yichu and Li Peilan came to see him now, was it on the orders of Qingwu Zhenjun?

He was a complete stranger to these two people, but as soon as they met, they opened up to each other and revealed all their internal conflicts.

Inviting an unknown outsider to a duel and offering a third-grade high-quality spirit wood—that's quite a move.

Either Zhou Yichu was desperate and sought any treatment, or someone instructed him to do so.

Lin Zhao prefers the latter.

Just as he was testing Qingwu Zhenjun's attitude, Qingwu Zhenjun was also testing his identity and his purpose for coming here.

That actually makes things easier.

The fact that Qingwu Zhenjun did not directly drive him away or ignore him shows that this Zhenjun is not the kind of person who is arrogant and domineering.

Then we can talk about retrieving the fourth-tier spiritual item.

Lin Zhao followed Zhou Yichu and Li Peilan into the core area of ​​Qingwu Prefecture.

Under the green oak tree.

The Qingwu tree is now two thousand feet tall.

The trunk resembles a mountain peak, and the bark is bluish-green with a jade-like luster.

The tree canopy blocked out the sun, and the branches and leaves piled up in dozens of layers, with the leaves at the top gleaming with a faint golden light.

With the help of the dojo's power, the roots of the Qingwu tree have expanded to hundreds of miles, with thick roots arching out of the ground to form natural low walls and buildings.

Courtyards, meditation rooms, and alchemy rooms were built in the gaps between the roots. Cultivators walked among the roots as if living in a living city.

The Qingwu Tree itself is a natural fourth-order restriction.

The spirit tree, the spirit vein, and the dojo are integrated into a complete fourth-order defensive barrier.

Lin Zhao estimated that even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would have a headache dealing with this two-thousand-foot-tall giant tree.

Lin Zhao was given accommodation.

The dwelling is located halfway up a huge root, a quiet room formed by a natural depression in the root.

He also met other Core Formation cultivators here.

Including that "senior brother" Master Yang.

Yang Sixiu was at the peak of the Core Formation stage. He was tall, handsome, and polite, seemingly respectful to everyone.

He even took the initiative to exchange a few pleasantries with Lin Zhao, speaking in a gentle tone, as if he didn't care at all that Lin Zhao had been dragged into the competition by Zhou Yichu.

But when Yang Si's gaze swept over Lin Zhao's mid-stage Core Formation cultivation,

Lin Zhao caught a fleeting glimpse of contempt in the depths of the other person's eyes. The contempt vanished in an instant, and then the other person continued to exchange pleasantries with a smile.

Clearly, he didn't take Lin Zhao's mid-stage Core Formation cultivation seriously.

The neighbor is a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation, True Person Tingtao.

The man squatted under the tree roots, wailing with a pessimistic expression.

He was also brought in by Zhou Yichu to help out—in the best-of-three arena for the position of head of the sect.

The current situation for Zhou Yichu doesn't look too optimistic.