After a fierce battle with a mysterious force, the cultivation world experienced a brief period of calm, but like the sea after a storm, though seemingly calm, undercurrents were surging beneath. In the Spirit Ruins Market, people were busy repairing the wounds of war. On the streets, craftsmen were hammering and rebuilding buildings damaged in battle; in the pharmacies, apothecaries were working day and night to concoct various healing pills to meet the needs of injured cultivators.

Lin Yang met frequently with the leaders of various sects to discuss the future development and defense plans of the cultivation world. At one important meeting, Lin Yang said with a solemn expression, "Although we defeated the mysterious force this time, it is undeniable that the cultivation world suffered huge losses. The words of the leader of the mysterious force before his death should make us vigilant. Perhaps there are other hidden forces coveting us in the shadows."

The sect leader of Qingyun Sect nodded in agreement: "Young Master Lin is absolutely right. We must strengthen the overall defense of the cultivation world. We must not only improve our own strength, but also establish a more comprehensive early warning mechanism to prevent similar crises from happening again."

The Palace Master of Zixiao Palace chimed in, "That's right, cooperation between sects also needs to be further deepened. We can hold regular exchange activities to share cultivation experiences and magic weapon crafting techniques, and jointly improve the overall level of the cultivation world."

After a heated discussion, everyone decided to establish a "Cultivation Alliance Headquarters" in the Lingxu Market, serving as the core hub for communication and cooperation among various sects. This location will gather intelligence from all sides, formulate unified defense strategies, and organize various cultivation exchange activities.

While establishing the alliance headquarters, each sect also began to vigorously cultivate its young disciples. The Spirit Sword Sect set up a special training camp, where senior sword cultivators personally guided young sword cultivators, teaching them more refined sword techniques and sword formation coordination skills. Su Ran, as the main instructor of the training camp, led the young sword cultivators in rigorous training on the training ground every day. "Only when the sword intent is in your heart can you achieve oneness with the sword. Look, this is how you strike the sword; only then can speed and power be perfectly combined," Su Ran explained while demonstrating. The young sword cultivators watched intently, eagerly imitating him, striving to master the essence.

The Qingyun Sect launched the "Qingyun Inquiry" lecture series, inviting elders and senior disciples to explain profound magical theories and cultivation insights to younger disciples. "The casting of spells requires not only powerful spiritual energy but also a deep understanding of the laws of heaven and earth. Take this 'Qingyun Vastness Spell,' for example; you must carefully feel the flow of Qingyun power to unleash its full potential," an elder said during the lecture. The young disciples listened with great interest, frequently asking questions and actively interacting with the lecturers.

Not to be outdone, Zixiao Palace held a workshop on the "Way of Talismans," teaching its disciples various techniques for making and applying talismans. "When making talismans, the infusion of spiritual energy must be even, and the inscription of the runes must be precise. Even the slightest error can render the talisman ineffective," the talisman master earnestly instructed his disciples at the workshop. The disciples studied with rapt attention, carefully attempting to make talismans, hoping to achieve something significant in this field.

However, while the cultivation world strives for recovery and development, some discordant voices begin to emerge. Some smaller sects believe that in the battle against the mysterious forces, the major sects have taken the lead, gaining more resources and prestige, while the smaller sects, despite contributing significantly, have not received corresponding rewards. This discontent gradually spreads among the smaller sects, and some even begin to secretly plot to change this "unfair" situation.

In a secluded valley, the leaders of several minor sects met in secret. "We can't go on like this. Every time there's danger, we small sects rush to the front, but the big sects reap all the benefits. This time, we must show them what we're capable of!" a sect leader dressed in a gray robe said angrily.

“That’s right, but what should we do? The major sects are powerful, and if we act rashly, we might not be able to defeat them,” another short sect leader said with some worry.

At this moment, a black-robed sect leader who had been silent all along slowly spoke: "We can unite and secretly accumulate strength. At the same time, we can seek other like-minded sects to join us. When the time is right, we can then make our demands to the major sects. If they do not agree, we will..." A sinister glint flashed in the black-robed sect leader's eyes, and he did not finish his sentence, but everyone else understood his meaning.

Thus, these minor sects began to form secret alliances. On the surface, they continued to participate in the affairs of the Immortal Cultivation Alliance, pretending to be nonchalant, while secretly recruiting disciples, strengthening their cultivation, hoarding resources, and waiting for the right opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Linghe Chamber of Commerce's intelligence agents noticed something unusual. They discovered that interactions between some smaller sects had suddenly become more frequent and their actions were being handled with great secrecy. The agents quickly reported this information to Lin Yang.

Upon learning this, Lin Yang's heart tightened: "It seems that there are unstable factors within the cultivation world. What is the purpose of these small sects' unusual movements? We must find out the truth as soon as possible to avoid triggering a greater crisis."

Lin Yang immediately summoned the leaders of various sects and informed them of the intelligence. Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became extremely grave. "If these small sects harbor ill intentions, they could bring new turmoil to the cultivation world. We cannot stand idly by," said an elder of the Spirit Sword Sect, frowning.

“But we don’t know their specific plans yet, so we can’t act rashly. Let’s send more intelligence personnel to investigate in depth and find out their intentions and strength first,” the Qingyun Sect Master suggested.

Lin Yang nodded in agreement: "Alright, let's do as the sect leader says. At the same time, we must strengthen our own defenses just in case. After each sect returns, we must closely monitor the movements of our disciples to prevent them from being used by those with ulterior motives."

A new crisis seems to be quietly approaching. Can the cultivation world maintain stability amidst this turbulent situation? How will Lin Yang and the various sects deal with the unusual activities of these smaller sects? The future of the cultivation world is once again full of uncertainties, and everyone is caught up in this complex situation.

In the days that followed, the Linghe Chamber of Commerce's intelligence agents moved like ghosts through every corner, infiltrating the territories of smaller sects, making contact with informants, and gathering various clues. Finally, they obtained some crucial intelligence.

It turns out that after forming an alliance, these smaller sects called themselves the "Equal Alliance." They planned to publicly demand the redistribution of resources and power-sharing from the major sects at the "Cultivation Alliance Conference" a month later. If the major sects did not agree, they intended to use force to coerce them, even at the cost of breaking ties with the major sects.

Upon learning this news, Lin Yang immediately convened another meeting with the leaders of various sects to discuss countermeasures. "They're planning to launch an attack at the Immortal Cultivation Alliance Conference a month from now. We must be fully prepared," Lin Yang said.

The head of Wanbaoge stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "Since they want to coerce us with force, we cannot show weakness. Wanbaoge will expedite the research and development of a batch of powerful defensive and offensive magic weapons within this month and distribute them to various sects to enhance our strength."

The elders of the Spirit Sword Sect also stated: "The Spirit Sword Sect will strengthen the training of sword cultivators, especially the practice of sword formations. If a conflict does occur, we are confident that we can protect the stability of the Immortal Cultivation Alliance."

The sect leader of Qingyun Sect suggested, "Perhaps we can try to resolve the issue through peaceful negotiations first. Before the conference, we can proactively communicate with the smaller sects of the 'Equality Alliance' to understand their demands, try to meet the reasonable ones, and avoid escalating the conflict."

The group engaged in a heated discussion and ultimately decided to adopt a two-pronged approach. On one hand, several highly respected figures, including the Sect Master of Qingyun Sect and the Palace Master of Zixiao Palace, would communicate with the smaller sects of the "Equal Alliance." On the other hand, each sect would actively prepare and enhance its strength in case the negotiations broke down.

The Sect Master of Qingyun Sect and the Palace Master of Zixiao Palace, along with others, arrived at the meeting place agreed upon by the "Alliance of Equality." In a secluded valley, the two sides sat facing each other. "Esteemed Sect Masters," the Sect Master of Qingyun Sect began, "we have come here hoping to resolve this peacefully and avoid unnecessary conflict."

"Hmph, a peaceful resolution? Your big sects are always so high and mighty, have you ever really considered the interests of our small sects?" the gray-robed sect leader said with a cold snort.

The Palace Master of Zixiao Palace smiled and said, "We understand your dissatisfaction. The cultivation world is a whole, and the development of every sect is crucial. We are willing to listen to your demands and discuss solutions together."

The black-robed sect leader said coldly, "Our demands are simple: resource allocation must be more equitable, and major sects cannot monopolize the benefits. Moreover, we smaller sects should have more say in the decisions of the Immortal Cultivation Alliance."

The sect leader of Qingyun Sect nodded and said, "We can discuss the issues of resource allocation and the right to speak at the Immortal Cultivation Alliance Conference and formulate a reasonable plan. However, I hope that everyone will refrain from taking any extreme actions so as not to disrupt the peace of the Immortal Cultivation World."

"How can we trust you? What if you just give us a perfunctory answer?" a sect leader questioned.

The Palace Master of Zixiao Palace said, "We guarantee with the honor of our sect that we will take everyone's demands seriously. Moreover, the stability of the Immortal Cultivation Alliance is in everyone's common interest, and we will not allow the conflict to escalate."

After a series of difficult negotiations, the smaller sects of the "Equal Alliance" temporarily agreed to wait for the results of the discussions at the Immortal Cultivation Alliance Conference and temporarily abandoned their plan to use force to coerce the enemy.