Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao's thoughts stirred again, and the four dragons let out a silent hiss, their forms changing once more. Spiritual energy began to transform into sword energy, and the dragons slowly shed their dragon forms, their heads becoming the sword's edge, their bodies solidifying into the sword's spine, and their tails retracting into the sword's tip.

After an unknown amount of time, four ancient-looking magic swords floated in the air.

Each sword shimmered with a different colored aura. Unlike ordinary flying swords, these four swords had straight spines, and their blades tapered evenly from wide to narrow, with eight facets refracting a powerful sharpness.

The Eight-Sided Han Sword is an ancient sword from Lin Zhao's past life memories. The previous Youlong Sword was already powerful enough, but the current Four-Element Magic Sword is even more terrifying.

It was merely suspended there, yet streaks of sword energy spontaneously cut through the air, leaving fine sword marks on the ground.

If I had encountered the Crimson Flame Tiger before, I would have been certain death if I had encountered the Four Elements Sword now. All that protective aura and iron-like toughness would have been as thin as paper and utterly vulnerable under the Four Elements Sword.

With a slight movement of his consciousness, four swords rose up in response, weaving and traversing within the cramped training room. The sword light intertwined into a net, yet remained entirely contained within the small training room, with no energy leaking out.

After practicing for a long time, he sighed softly, "There is still a limit." His tone carried a hint of relief.

His "Dharma Domain" only covers a range of 100 meters. Within this range, spiritual energy is at his fingertips, but beyond this range, the perception becomes blurry. This is the first limitation of the "Celestial Sword Path".

He raised his hand and gestured, and the water and fire magic swords entered him instantly. He wielded these two magic swords with effortless ease, as if they were extensions of his own limbs.

But when he tried to wield the wind and earth swords, the situation was quite different. The movements were somewhat sluggish, far less fluid and smooth than the water and fire swords.

When the four elemental beads first transformed into a dragon, the difference was not obvious, but now that they have transformed into a magic sword, the difference in control has become apparent.

"I ultimately lack both wind and earth elemental roots," Lin Zhao shook his head slightly. This was the second question.

After comprehending the Celestial Sword Dao, his strength improved by an astonishingly rapid pace. With a cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining, he possessed combat power comparable to that of the ninth level of Qi Refining. This leapfrog progress sometimes even made him feel somewhat unreal.

Discovering that even this Celestial Sword Dao has limitations has actually brought him some peace of mind. He wonders if reaching the fourth level of the Taihe Yangyuan Gong will solve this problem. For now, he can only practice more.

Finally, he split his divine sense into four, transforming into four illusory figures, each wielding a sword. In an instant, sword energy crisscrossed the cultivation room as the four figures unleashed different sword techniques, attacking and clashing with each other. The sounds of clashing energy were incessant, and the four-colored sword light illuminated the entire space, making it flicker between light and shadow. Only someone whose divine sense had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining could achieve this.

For the next two weeks, Lin Zhao focused on honing his ability to control the magic sword.

Meanwhile, more and more information about the beast tide is appearing in the market, which has led to a significant increase in the price of talismans.

Late one night, Uncle Lin Tianze suddenly returned to the shop in secret. The shop's formation was not activated, and even Zhao Ziming was unaware of his return. He called Lin Zhao and walked out of the market.

As night deepened, the figures in the market faded into the distance. Lin Tianze led Lin Zhao along secluded paths, their figures appearing like ghosts in the moonlight. Only after walking ten miles and confirming that no one was around did Lin Tianze take out a flag-like magical artifact and gently wave it. A pale gray spiritual light enveloped the two of them, blending them into the surrounding night.

"Stay close." Lin Tianze shouted in a low voice, and two Hundred Mile Swiftness Talismans turned into streams of light and disappeared into his legs.

Lin Zhao felt a sudden lightness around him, and with each step he covered several feet. He followed silently.

Lin Zhao had long suspected that the Lin family was preparing something secret. As for what it was, he had a vague idea, but since his elders didn't say anything, Lin Zhao didn't ask. Now that Lin Zhao had broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining, he was finally able to access the Lin family's core secrets.

Lin Zhao's uncle led him towards the Yunxia Mountains, but instead of taking the Wind Spirit Valley, they ventured deeper into the mountains along a small path. Deep within the dense forest, towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and occasionally, the low growls of demonic beasts could be heard. Lin Tianze was extremely familiar with this path and always managed to avoid dangerous areas in advance.

At dawn on the sixth day, they arrived at a deep pool. The water was as black as ink, and the air was chilling. Lin Tianze dived into the water without hesitation, with Lin Zhao following closely behind. After diving a hundred meters, a hidden cave entrance appeared on the rock wall.

The cave passages twisted and turned, with luminous moss occasionally visible on the stone walls, casting a faint green glow. During his day's journey, Lin Tianze stopped several times, his hands flashing with incantations as he dispelled the protective spells that were almost fused with the rock. With each spell dispelled, it vanished as specks of spiritual light.

On the seventh day, the passage suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious place.

Lin Zhao couldn't help but gasp.

This is an underground cave. More than thirty cultivators are sitting cross-legged inside. They all belong to the Lin family, and each of them exudes a powerful aura. They are all late-stage Qi Refining cultivators! The Lin family has always claimed to the outside world that they only have 17 late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, but it turns out that they actually have more than 30.

Lin Zhao immediately spotted his grandfather sitting in the center, along with several elderly men with white hair and beards beside him. These clan elders all had withered faces, yet their eyes were sharp as lightning, and they exuded a powerful aura.

They are centenarian elders of the Lin family, who have long since stopped concerning themselves with current affairs. Although Qi Refining cultivators have two cycles of sixty years and a lifespan of 120 years, they cannot easily take action after a hundred years. Once they do, they will consume their life essence and shorten their lifespan. Even the elders have been mobilized, which means that the Lin family has gone all out and is willing to pay any price.

At this moment, an elder dressed in gray slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Lin Zhao as if it were a physical object. He nodded slightly to Lin Zhao's grandfather: "Your grandson is quite good. He has such cultivation at such a young age. Given time, he will surely achieve great things."

After the clan elder closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing again,

Lin Zhao asked in a low voice, "Grandfather, who is this?"

"He was the former patriarch of my Lin family, the fifth cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining. He hasn't appeared for many years." The grandfather's tone was solemn. "Today, my Lin family is here with all its strength. We can only succeed; failure is not an option."

He lowered his voice and asked, "Grandfather, what are we doing here?"

The grandfather slowly said, "Preparing for the clan leader's foundation building."

Although Lin Zhao was prepared, she was still taken aback and quickly asked, "How can I establish my foundation without Foundation Establishment Pills?"

"There are only three ways to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills." Grandfather raised a finger and said solemnly, "The first way is through the Seven Market Auction Houses. Every once in a while, the seven major markets will release some Foundation Establishment Pills for auction. At that time, forces from all sides will gather, and the bidding for the opportunity to establish a foundation often turns into a life-or-death struggle after leaving the market, with blood flowing like rivers every time."

The grandfather then raised his second finger, his gaze sharpening: "The second path is to submit to a Foundation Establishment power. Offer up the family's heritage, sign a harsh contract, and from then on be subject to their control, with the family becoming a vassal."