Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao stopped controlling the sword dragon and slowly nodded to Gao Yuan. Gao Yuan understood, and they quickly gathered the belongings of the dead demon beasts.

After releasing its powerful sword energy, the Four Elements Sword Dragon shrank in size and its color faded slightly. It began to absorb nearby spiritual energy to recover.

This is another characteristic of the Four Elements Sword Dragon: aside from the initial release of the sword dragon's magic power, Lin Zhao's subsequent magic power consumption is not significant, as it can automatically absorb spiritual energy from its surroundings.

The nearby swarms of insects began to gather again, but their offensive was forcefully contained and scattered before the indestructible blade of the Quadruple Stegosaurus. The black torrent seemed to crash into a reef, constantly being pulverized and worn away.

Lin Zhao stood on the ground covered with insect corpses, surrounded by spiritual light, controlling the sword dragon, his clothes fluttering.

In everyone's eyes, his figure seemed to merge with the four-elemental sword dragon that exuded a destructive aura, radiating a terrifyingly powerful aura.

In the distance, some cultivators searching for demonic beasts also noticed the conspicuous, rampaging four-colored sword dragon and cast shocked, awe-inspiring, and even fearful glances at it.

"Who is that? What is that dragon?" Some cultivators in the distance began to observe the Four Elements Sword Dragon and Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao was too young, and many people did not recognize him.

"Is that the kid from the Lin family's shop?" Someone who knew Lin Zhao murmured in disbelief. "As expected of a family capable of Foundation Establishment, their strength and foundation are unfathomable."

"Such terrifying swordsmanship... Is the Lin family about to produce another Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

"Even if most of the hundreds of Wind Howling Wolves are eaten by the insect swarm, what's left are all valuable items, easily worth hundreds of spirit stones." Some people were envious, but no one dared to make a move.

Although they were in the wilderness, any cultivator who dared to attack humans during the beast tide would be wanted by all seventeen markets once discovered—a privilege not afforded to cultivators who had undergone the Tribulation Cultivation.

Those cultivators with only mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation, like Li Hao and Wu Laodao before them, dared not venture deep inside. They could only operate in the outer areas affected by the insect swarm, picking up some monster remains that were ignored by the insect swarm or of low value, and getting a share of the spoils.

For the next period of time, Lin Zhao's team followed the insect swarm, while the insect tide continued to sweep away dozens of beast groups. The insect tide also lost or disappeared more than half of its insect swarm, and at the same time, more and more cultivators began to ride above the insect tide.

On this day, Lin Zhao also controlled the Four Elements Sword Dragon, charging and fighting his way through the boundless black swarm of insects, invincible in all directions.

Where the Stegosaurus passed, swathes of black-spotted insects turned to dust, tearing open brief vacuum zones in the surging black tide.

With valuable demonic beasts becoming increasingly rare, Lin Zhao no longer waits for his prey to be killed by the insect swarm. Instead, once he finds prey, he automatically commands the Four Elements Sword Dragon to kill it and collect materials. At the same time, he is also honing his swordsmanship.

Amidst the chaos of the battlefield, a white figure flew by, drawing considerable attention.

She was a woman dressed in a snow-white long dress, her black hair loosely tied up with only an elegant white jade hairpin. She had no extra accessories, yet she exuded a cool and noble aura.

Her figure was graceful, her eyebrows and eyes exquisitely beautiful, her skin as white as snow, and her temperament aloof and otherworldly.

Behind her stretched a pair of pure white, first-tier top-grade magical wings, the edges of which shimmered with a faint spiritual light, making her flight more elegant and swift than others.

It was Su Qianxue, whom Lin Zhao had seen once at Master Mo Chen's lecture on talismanic arts. She wielded a top-grade silver-white magic sword, dancing gracefully like an ice and snow sprite on a battlefield filled with bloodshed and slaughter.

It always manages to pinpoint the most valuable prey, effortlessly capturing it before the swarm can close in, its movements fluid and graceful, exuding a pleasing and composed charm.

"The eldest daughter of the Su family has arrived as well. It seems the insect swarm is not far from ending." Gao Yuan sighed, and Lin Zhao couldn't help but look at Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan explained, "Su Qianxue's Tianfeng Demon Hunting Team is on the other side of the beast tide. She crossed the beast tide directly, which means there aren't many prey left on that side. The cultivators on that side are coming this way, so the insect tide isn't very valuable anymore."

After collecting materials from a fallen "Ironclad Rhinoceros", she flapped her wings and gracefully flew over the battlefield, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over the conspicuous area below that had been cleared by the four-colored Stegosaurus.

When she saw the young man in blue robes standing in front of the Po Jun squad, surrounded by spiritual light, intently controlling the incredibly powerful sword dragon, a hint of undisguised surprise flashed in her cool eyes.

"Lin Zhao?" Su Qianxue's red lips parted slightly as she murmured to herself, a hint of disbelief in her voice. "In just a few years, he has already cultivated to such a level?"

Su Qianxue didn't know Lin Zhao at first, but the Lin family was the only Foundation Establishment family to emerge in Qingfeng City in the past ten years. Moreover, they achieved Foundation Establishment by hunting down three second-tier demonic beasts without the help of other Foundation Establishment cultivators. This was a very legendary feat.

For this reason, Su Qianxue specifically looked up information on the Lin family members and discovered that she had seen "Master Mochen" at a talisman lecture a few years ago. In essence, the talisman lecture was planned by her, and she had records of the cultivation backgrounds of all the participants.

A few years ago, Lin Zhao at the Talisman Dao lecture was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. But now, in just a few years, the young man below has already become a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining!

What's even more shocking is that the sword dragon he controlled, formed from runes condensed from the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, exuded a power that even made her, a cultivator who had already reached the tenth level of Qi Refining, feel somewhat alarmed.

"It seems that the Lin family has produced a hidden dragon this time..." Su Qianxue's beautiful eyes sparkled with a strange light, and many thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.

She originally just wanted to collect more resources during this beast tide, but she didn't expect to encounter an unexpected "old friend," and this "old friend's" growth rate far exceeded her expectations.

Her mind raced, and with a gentle flap of her snow-white wings, she changed direction, drifting down towards the location of the Po Jun Squad like a light snowflake.

At this moment, Lin Zhao also stopped the Four Elements Sword Dragon because his divine sense and spiritual power were being depleted from continuously controlling it, so he stopped the Four Elements Sword Dragon to recover his spiritual power.

"Junior Brother Lin Zhao, how have you been?" A clear and pleasant voice rang out from not far away.

Lin Zhao turned his head and saw Su Qianxue fold her wings and land lightly not far away. Her snow-white dress stood out against the dark red and black bloody background.

"Fairy Su?" Lin Zhao was quite surprised, cupping his hands in greeting. "I didn't expect to meet you here, but I'm not sure where this 'junior brother' title comes from."

Su Qianxue's gaze, however, seemed to casually sweep over the Four Elements Sword Dragon that was slowly returning to his side: "Four years ago, my junior brother and I spent a whole day listening to 'Master Mo Chen' explain the Dao of Talismans at the Talisman Dao Lecture. How can you not consider me your junior brother?"

Lin Zhao was stunned. This kind of public lecture was only for the audience to count on the day of the lecture. After they left, the relationship was basically over. She didn't expect her to bring it up, which completely overturned her previous public image. Lin Zhao thought to herself.