Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

There's more than just Po Jun as an outside helper; otherwise, the three demon hunts wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

A sly smile appeared on his grandfather's face as he said, "Old Zhao, Lin Zhao isn't a child anymore. You didn't see it, but during this demon hunt, his powerful 'Four Elements Return to One' sword strike almost scared the other old guys to death."

"At the seventh level of Qi Refining, he unleashed destructive power nearly equivalent to that of a tenth-level Qi Refining cultivator. Such talent is probably unmatched even by the true prodigies of major sects."

His tone turned serious again, "However, a sword that is too rigid will easily break. Jade that is not carved will not become a useful object."

Giving him more pressure and tempering his character will only benefit his future path, preventing him from becoming arrogant because of his talent.

He paused, his eyes becoming complex and unreadable: "As for the clan leader, it's hard to say whether he has condensed a mid-grade Dao foundation, but he should have a 60-70% chance of successfully establishing a foundation with a low-grade Dao foundation."

Down the mountain, inside Lin Zhao's cave.

After taking the Transcendent Realm Pill, the immense medicinal power exploded within his body.

A miniature, constantly rotating vortex of spiritual energy formed in his dantian.

This vortex was incredibly mysterious, like an insatiable glutton that generated a powerful suction force, frantically devouring and refining his spiritual energy and even the medicinal power of the pills he had taken at a speed more than ten times the normal rate!

Lin Zhao looked inward at the constantly spinning vortex, feeling both surprised and helpless.

"The effect is indeed miraculous, but the consumption..." He looked at the pills he had stored up and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

This is equivalent to using massive resources to achieve a rapid increase in cultivation level.

Although by relying on this method, one might be able to forcefully break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining in three months with all one's might, the cultivation obtained in that way would inevitably be superficial, and an unstable foundation is a major taboo in cultivation.

After a moment's hesitation, Lin Zhao made a decision: "We can't rush things."

He decided to supplement with only a small amount of pills, mainly relying on his own absorption of the spiritual energy of the cave to keep the vortex running steadily, solidify his foundation, and strive to achieve a breakthrough in about a year.

Being impatient for quick results is not the right way.

After calming down, he repeatedly considered his grandfather's words and discovered a crucial detail he had previously overlooked—the blue-eyed ape.

They had clearly been injured before the Lin family's team arrived!

The only cultivator capable of injuring a second-tier demon beast is a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Then the Lin family just happened to appear at this time and took advantage of it. How can there be so many coincidences in this world?

"It seems that this is likely a move that the family had already planned long ago."

Lin Zhao suddenly understood, "What my grandfather told me was probably only three parts truth and seven parts falsehood."

These words are likely meant to test and temper me, and also to warn me against arrogance and impetuosity, urging me not to lose my way because of temporary success.

Having figured this out, the pressure on his heart eased considerably, and he even felt a greater sense of admiration for his family's scheming.

It's just unknown which Foundation Establishment cultivator was "sucked out" by the family.

Meanwhile, in Qingfeng Market, inside the quiet room of the Qin family patriarch.

The Qin family patriarch, who had just suppressed his internal injuries, was listening to the family steward report that the Lin family had recently hunted down three second-tier demonic beasts, greatly boosting their prestige.

His face turned ashen instantly, his chest heaved with blood and qi, and he nearly vomited blood.

That's right, that unlucky Foundation Establishment cultivator who was "taken advantage of" by the Lin family is him!

Back when he had just entered the Foundation Establishment stage and founded the Qin family, the Foundation Establishment ancestor of the Lin family was still alive. He had consulted the Lin family ancestor about second-order formations, so he owed the Lin family a favor.

This time, the Lin family offered over a thousand spirit stones, asking him to help severely injure the Azure-Eyed Ape, stating that they wanted to obtain its demon core in exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill from the shop owner.

After much deliberation, he agreed to help. Firstly, to repay a past favor; secondly, because the spirit stones were indeed tempting; and thirdly, because he also had some interest in the demon core of the green-eyed ape.

Who knew that the green-eyed ape possessed extraordinary talent, with extremely strong wood-attribute regenerative abilities? He fought it fiercely for a long time, severely injuring it, but also expending considerable energy himself.

Later, the green-eyed ape actually used its innate magic to instantly heal his injuries, which had taken a lot of effort to treat. In its great display of power, he was injured without realizing it and had no choice but to retreat to the market to heal.

He originally thought that the Lin family's team was of limited strength and would probably return empty-handed, so everyone was even.

Unexpectedly, the Lin family was actually able to turn the foundation he laid into tangible results!

"What a Lin family! What a mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!" The Qin family patriarch gritted his teeth, feeling extremely frustrated.

But he has no choice but to swallow this loss now.

The strength and decisiveness displayed by the Lin family this time made him wary.

If Lin Shanhe, the patriarch of the Lin family, truly succeeds in establishing his foundation through this opportunity, coupled with the legacy left by the Lin family...

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger. "Forget it, there's plenty of time. We'll talk about it later."

He immediately sealed off the quiet room, out of sight, out of mind.

For the next few months, the Lin family was shrouded in a tense atmosphere, outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense, as everyone awaited the final result of the patriarch's Foundation Establishment.

Lin Zhao sometimes secluded herself for cultivation, and sometimes came out to engage in activities.

He witnessed several elderly members of his clan pass away one after another after returning from hunting demons, due to excessive depletion of their vital energy.

They were all over a hundred years old, and they participated in this demon-hunting battle with the determination to burn their last bit of strength for their families.

In the final moments of their lives, these clan elders all summoned Lin Zhao without prior arrangement.

Their eyes were clouded yet full of wisdom. They imparted their life experience, their plans for the family (including the use of the Qin family patriarch and others to scheme), and their judgments on the future situation without reservation.

They frankly admitted that they felt Lin Zhao was one of the family's future hopes, possessing the potential to lay a solid foundation.

Through his final conversations with these clan elders, Lin Zhao was completely certain that...

My grandfather's "alarmist" words were indeed mostly meant to encourage and temper him, to prevent him from becoming arrogant and unruly after achieving early success.

At this moment, Lin Zhao no longer held any grudges. Watching the elders who had dedicated their lives to the family pass away peacefully,

Feeling the responsibility and expectations they passed down, a strong sense of belonging and mission welled up in his heart.

In a sense, my grandfather did succeed.

Lin Zhao stopped paying attention to other things and began to focus on improving his own cultivation.

However, the real test was coming soon.

Late that night, a powerful pressure suddenly descended upon Qingxi Mountain.

In the sky, a masked cultivator dressed in black stood with his hands behind his back, his spiritual power surging like the sea. He was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

"Young Lin, open the formation. I have something to ask you." The masked cultivator's voice boomed like thunder, echoing through the mountains.