Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Within Qingxi Mountain, all members of the Lin family felt a chill in their hearts. The First Elder's expression was grave, yet he remained composed.

He leaped forward and spoke through the array: "Senior, please forgive me, but my Lin family is currently in seclusion and cannot receive you."

The masked cultivator scoffed, "You think this formation can stop me?"

He pointed his fingers like a sword, and several streaks of gray spiritual light appeared out of thin air, striking the array's light barrier fiercely. The light barrier fluctuated violently, but it never shattered.

Even more surprisingly, the area that was struck suddenly rippled with blue light, which slowly absorbed and neutralized the power of the lightning.

The Lin family's protective formation: the Azure Wood Mystic Light Formation.

"Huh?" The masked cultivator let out a soft exclamation, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He could sense that the Lin family's clan-protecting formation not only possessed astonishing defensive power but also contained a kind of inexhaustible vitality. Forcibly breaking the formation would likely come at a considerable cost.

Just as he hesitated, the formation suddenly changed. On the hazy blue light screen, five colors of light—black, blue, red, white, and yellow—suddenly appeared. As the five colors swirled, a chilling aura spread out.

It is the [Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Array].

"The five elements cycle endlessly, creating a complex array," the masked cultivator's pupils constricted slightly, "truly excellent techniques and a fine array!"

He gave Qingxi Mountain a deep look, then finally let out a cold snort and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing from sight.

Inside the mountain, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"This cultivator, whose origins are unknown, is wearing a mask, and his magical aura is so well concealed that his background is impossible to discern," a member of the clan said with lingering fear.

The First Elder gazed in the direction where the Foundation Establishment cultivator had departed and said in a deep voice, "Today is just the beginning. As long as the clan leader doesn't return, this trouble will not stop."

Sure enough, in the days that followed, several more Foundation Establishment cultivators came. Some paid their respects openly, while others probed the area secretly, but none of them, like the first one, directly stormed the mountain with ill intentions.

Without exception, they only observed the formation from the outside and did not venture deep into its core.

Information that the Lin family had used an array to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator seventy years ago suddenly spread, and they all ultimately chose to retreat in the face of the Lin family's protective array.

This array, incorporating second-tier spirit wood, displayed power far exceeding that of ordinary second-tier arrays. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators were unwilling to attempt to break it.

Time flies, and a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Throughout the year, the outside world's spying on Qingxi Mountain never ceased, but the Lin family within the mountain remained unusually calm. Under the pressure of Foundation Establishment cultivators, everyone was immersed in cultivation, and the family also allocated considerable resources to its members to improve their strength.

Lin Zhao's cultivation has successfully reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. The vortex formed by the Transformation Pill in his dantian has dissipated. Although Lin Zhao had tried his best to avoid it, the increase in cultivation was inevitably somewhat superficial.

The difficulty of improving one's cultivation level in the late stage of Qi Refining is incomparable to that in the early stages. Normally, even with the help of pills, it would take him five years to break through, but he broke through in just one year. Lin Zhao's cultivation speed is too fast.

His divine sense also successfully reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, capable of covering a radius of three hundred meters. However, Lin Zhao felt that he had encountered a bottleneck and could not increase it any further.

Unfortunately, the Celestial Sword Dao did not improve, and the Dharma Domain could only cover a radius of 100 meters. Lin Zhao guessed that he might need to break through to the fourth level of the Taihe Nourishing Yuan Technique to make a breakthrough.

Improving one's cultivation level doesn't significantly improve one's swordsmanship; one still needs to comprehend it on their own.

On this day, a strange fluctuation suddenly came from outside Qingxi Mountain.

At first, it was very faint, like a spring breeze brushing across a lake. But soon, the fluctuation grew stronger and stronger, eventually transforming into a powerful aura that began to resonate with the formation in Qingxi Mountain.

"This is..." All the Lin family members stopped what they were doing and looked out of the mountains in unison.

The protective array emitted a dazzling light and automatically opened a gap, allowing a figure to slowly enter the Lin family.

The clan chief returned, still wearing that simple blue robe, with that resolute face.

But the aura emanating from Lin Shanhe at this moment was completely different from that of a year ago. It was a leap in the origin of life.

With each step he took, the spiritual energy of the entire Qingxi Mountain trembled.

"I, Lin Shanhe, today establish my foundation."

The calm sound echoed throughout the entire mountain range and reached the ears of all the observers outside the mountains.

After a brief silence, Qingxi Mountain and its surroundings erupted in excitement!

Inside the mountains, the tribespeople cheered excitedly. Outside, the gazes of various factions were complex and varied.

One after another, communication talismans shot into the sky, spreading this shocking news in all directions.

From then on, Qingfeng Market gained another Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The Lin family finally realized their long-cherished wish of seventy years and truly joined the ranks of Foundation Establishment forces.

At the foot of Qingxi Mountain, beside the plaza, stood a grand hall, usually closed, but now its doors were wide open, and the faint, melodious sounds of bells and chimes could be heard emanating from it. Outside the mountain gate, spiritual light flickered, and various forces arrived in an endless stream.

They had all come to congratulate Lin Shanhe on his successful foundation building and promotion to "Shanhe Shangren" (a title for a high-ranking official in the Shanhe family). Congratulations, greetings, and the recitation of gift lists filled the air.

However, amidst this commotion, Lin Zhao's figure never appeared in the main hall. He began to live a secluded life, rarely venturing out except for necessary cultivation, keeping such a low profile that it was as if he didn't exist in the Lin family.

The clansmen were also instructed not to mention his name. The Lin family had already made enough of a splash by hunting demons and now that they had reached the Foundation Establishment stage; the bigger the tree, the more the wind would blow against it.

A month later, a transmission talisman carrying the pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator quietly entered Lin Zhao's cave.

"Come to my cave."

The voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power. Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat. He straightened his robes and rose to head towards the highest point of Qingxi Mountain.

This was his first time stepping into this cave dwelling belonging to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The cave dwelling was not as magnificent as he had imagined; instead, it was simple and natural, with stone tables and benches. The rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth was almost tangible, and he could feel his cultivation subtly increasing with every breath.

"Second-tier spiritual vein," Lin Zhao thought to himself. "The rumors circulating outside that Qingxi Mountain was a quasi-second-tier spiritual vein have now been misled by the Lin family."

Lin Shanhe did not sit in the main seat, but stood in front of a stone wall covered with moss, his hands behind his back, his aura as deep as the sea, a world apart from a month ago.

"Clan Chief." Lin Zhao bowed respectfully.

Lin Shanhe turned around, his gaze sharp as lightning, landing on Lin Zhao as if it could pierce through his skin and see directly into his dantian. He examined him carefully for a moment, a hint of undisguised amazement flashing in his eyes before he frowned slightly.

"Eighth level of Qi Refining. If I remember correctly, you're only twenty years old this year. Your talent truly far exceeds what your grandfather and I expected." Lin Shanhe's tone was approving, but then his tone changed, becoming somewhat stern. "That's precisely why I need to ask that old man, your grandfather, for more information."

Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head, remaining silent.

"He actually made you take the Transcendent Realm Pill!" Lin Shanhe's tone turned serious. "Although this pill can help people break through a realm quickly, it's tantamount to forcing growth!"

While it may seem to increase cultivation speed, the absorbed spiritual energy is impure and will have significant negative effects on your future cultivation, leaving your magical power weak and unstable. Doesn't he know this is like drinking poison to quench thirst?