Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

At the same time, Lin Zhao also realized that the Su Qianxue that the outside world spoke of was completely different from the real her. However, he got used to it, because the Lin family's public image and the true situation were also different.

Or rather, the true power of a force lies in the fact that the personalities, relationships, and inner workings of its members are hidden and unknown to the public.

Su Qianxue smiled slightly: "I was also quite surprised. It's been several years, and Junior Brother Lin Zhao's cultivation has truly progressed by leaps and bounds, it's astonishing. This four-colored sword dragon is incredibly powerful; it must be a new opportunity you've obtained, Junior Brother?"

Her tone carried just the right amount of curiosity and admiration, expressing interest without being overly inquisitive.

Lin Zhao smiled slightly and downplayed the issue, saying, "I've only gained a little something, and I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Senior Sister. Compared to Senior Sister's methods of soaring through the heavens and easily acquiring resources, my method of fighting to the death seems rather clumsy."

Lin Zhao readily acknowledged this relationship, as the Lin family inevitably maintained connections with the head of the Qingfeng Market. This superficial brother-sister relationship wouldn't harm the Lin family.

Lin Zhao was also sensing her cultivation level at the same time: Qi Refining Level 10. What incredible talent! She had broken through from Qi Refining Level 9 to Qi Refining Level 10 in just a few years. Lin Zhao knew from the clan leader that it usually took ten years to break through from Qi Refining Level 9 to Qi Refining Level 10.

His gaze swept across the cultivators still swooping down to snatch the corpses of demonic beasts in the sky, his expression suggestive. He was actually testing her intentions.

Su Qianxue was incredibly intelligent and immediately understood the meaning behind his words: "Although the insect swarm is dangerous, if it can be used properly, it can actually be a golden opportunity to acquire resources."

These demonic beasts usually hide in various treacherous places, making them difficult to hunt. Now, forced out and weakened by the insect swarm, it's the perfect time for us cultivators to strike. In fact, we should "thank" the person who guided the insect swarm.

She answered Lin Zhao's question first, then said, "The beast tide in this area is almost over. I came here today just to remind you, Junior Brother, and also to make friends with someone as outstanding as Junior Brother Lin."

Lin Zhao also felt the pressure from the insect swarm decreasing and nodded. He had achieved his goal of testing the sword. The Four Elements Sword Dragon had been tested in actual combat, and its power and control had been improved. His understanding of the "Celestial Sword Dao" had also deepened.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister. It is my great honor to have met you today." Lin Zhao cupped his hands to Su Qianxue again. "Junior Brother still needs to reunite with his teammates. When you have time in the future, Junior Brother will invite Senior Sister to a meal at Baiwei Lingshan Restaurant. I will take my leave now."

Su Qianxue gave him a deep look, but in the end she just smiled and said, "Until we meet again, Junior Brother Lin. I look forward to seeing you in the market." After saying that, her snow-white wings unfolded again, turning into a white light, and she swiftly flew towards the other side of the insect swarm.

Lin Zhao watched her leave, then turned around and rejoined the Po Jun squad.

Gao Yuan looked at him, not asking Su Qianxue's question: "How was the harvest?"

Lin Zhao felt the increasingly smooth and controlled spiritual energy within his body and his newfound understanding of swordsmanship, a slight smile playing on his lips: "A very fruitful experience. Captain, we don't have much time left; the insect swarm will be over soon."

In the following time, Lin Zhao and his team raced against time. Lin Zhao was now directly searching for the elite Black Spotted Insects and some Insect Kings in the insect swarm.

Although they aren't of much value, a lot of mosquitoes are still meat, and the insect population is rapidly decreasing.

More and more demon-hunting teams appeared before everyone, until Liu Yuan of the Golden Feather Demon-Hunting Team also appeared, and everyone realized that the beast tide had ended.

Over the next three days, thousands of cultivators began to surround the demonic beast from all directions. The brilliance of various magical artifacts and spells, like festive fireworks, devoured and annihilated the remaining swarm of insects one by one.

The strength that had previously needed to be reserved was now unleashed without reservation, resulting in an astonishing efficiency in reaping the insect swarm.

On a high ground on the outskirts, Liu Yuan, the leader of the Liu family, stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the mountain wind.

His gaze swept across the battlefield like a hawk's, finally settling precisely on a young figure in the distance—Lin Zhao.

Looking at Lin Zhao who had dispelled the Four Elements Sword Dragon, a chilling killing intent uncontrollably arose from the depths of Liu Yuan's heart.

The Lin family has been making headlines lately! First, they hunted down three second-tier demonic beasts, and then the Lin family patriarch, Lin Shanhe, successfully established his foundation.

Furthermore, after observation by several Foundation Establishment masters, it was determined that he had built a mid-grade Dao foundation!

This means that the Lin family is very likely to produce a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator in the future, which will seriously shake the Liu family's position in the market.

Now, this kid named Lin Zhao, whose cultivation level is only the eighth level of Qi Refining, has already shown such amazing combat power. If this kid is not eliminated, the Lin family will probably have another Foundation Establishment cultivator in the future.

But he quickly withdrew his killing intent. He couldn't make a move now; the rule against fighting during the beast tide was no joke.

That was a rule established by humanity over thousands of years, and especially under the watchful eyes of many, he didn't want to challenge it. He could only wait for another opportunity.

Lin Zhao's divine sense was incredibly powerful and sharp. Although Liu Yuan's killing intent was only revealed for a moment, it was like an ice needle slicing through the darkness.

He turned his head sharply, his gaze piercing through the chaotic crowd, and met Liu Yuan's deep and cold eyes on the high ground.

Although Liu Yuan had instantly composed himself and reverted to his aloof demeanor, Lin Zhao was certain that what he had just sensed was not an illusion.

"Liu Yuan, peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining..." Lin Zhao murmured to himself, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Lin Zhao was not afraid of Liu Yuan in a one-on-one situation, but he commanded a large number of Golden Feather Demon Hunting Team members. After the Lin family joined forces with Po Jun, he knew all too well how terrifying an old-brand demon hunting team could be.

Lin Zhao understood that it was time for him to leave.

That evening, Lin Zhao took the initiative to tell the team members that he wanted to leave.

Around the campfire, the expressions on everyone's faces showed little surprise, but rather understanding and gratitude.

Lin Zhao played a crucial role in this demon hunt, contributing about 70% of the effort. The others were mainly responsible for cleaning up the aftermath and gathering the demon beast resources, which severely hampered Lin Zhao's performance. Everyone understood that Lin Zhao's departure was inevitable.

With Lin Zhao's help, Gao Yuan's team initially estimated that each member would receive nearly a thousand spirit stones. This was all thanks to Lin Zhao, as the demon beast resources still needed to be converted into cash. The team pooled together over a thousand spirit stones for Lin Zhao. Gao Yuan had originally discussed giving Lin Zhao an extra thousand spirit stones, but Lin Zhao refused.

Following the principle of splitting the spirit stones equally among the team, Lin Zhao, who had no shortage of spirit stones, also wanted to give Li Hao and Wu Laodao a chance to advance to the late stage of Qi Refining.

His demon-hunting career with the Po Jun Demon-Hunting Team has come to an end. But his training has only just begun. He needs to find even stronger opponents to hone his swordsmanship.

At dawn the next day, before the sky was even light, Lin Zhao quietly left the camp without alerting anyone. With a few leaps and bounds, he disappeared like a ghost into the deeper and denser primeval forest of the Yunxia Mountains.

A year is but a fleeting moment in the long life of a cultivator. After entering the Cloud and Mist Mountain Range, Lin Zhao never sent any more messages.