I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Just as Zhou Yuan and Han Li were chatting, the giant ship slowly sailed into an exceptionally wide and bustling port amidst a muffled tremor and cheers from the people on board.

On both sides of the port are sturdy breakwaters that stretch into the distance, with towering lighthouses standing on them.

The dock piers are arranged neatly like the ribs of a giant beast, with countless ships moored among them. Countless workers are busy moving between the ships and the water, and the shouts, chants, and the sound of the waves intertwine to create a boiling ocean symphony.

"Three immortal masters, we have arrived at the port of Kui Xing Island. According to the island's rules, all cultivators who arrive on the island for the first time must register at the port management office and obtain a temporary identity token to avoid being mistaken for malicious intruders. Please follow me."

Master Gu spoke respectfully to Zhou Yuan and the other two.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan and the other two were able to communicate simply in the local language, although they had heavy accents, their meaning was clear.

Zhou Yuan nodded, and together with Han Li and his avatar Zhou Tian, ​​they followed Gu Dongjia off the giant ship and onto the land of Kui Xing Island.

Upon stepping onto the dock, what they saw immediately gave them a tremendous shock.

In terms of both the size of the dock and the number and volume of the ships moored, it far surpasses any so-called "major port" in the southern region.

As far as the eye could see, there were as many as six or seven giant sea monster tractors, like the "Sea Whale," which were over thirty feet long, docked in succession!

As for the smaller cargo ships, passenger ships, and fishing boats, which are still a dozen or twenty feet long and of various shapes, they are even more numerous, stretching as far as the eye can see, probably numbering in the thousands!

The dock was bustling with people: laborers carrying goods, vendors hawking their wares, hurried travelers, and guards maintaining order... creating an extremely busy and vibrant scene.

The air was filled with the smells of fish, sweat, spices, and the salty, damp scent unique to the ocean.

With a slight sweep of his divine sense, Zhou Yuan sensed dozens of cultivators of varying strengths in several watchtowers and duty posts around the port, most of whom were in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining.

These monks were clearly responsible for maintaining order and security at the port.

Zhou Yuan was only slightly intrigued by the vast and orderly port scene, and did not pay much attention to it.

Led by Gu Dongjia, they walked through the bustling crowd and arrived at a relatively secluded stone house on the edge of the harbor.

The stone house was small and unadorned. A plain wooden sign hung at the entrance, with several curved runes written on it in a special kind of cinnabar, which seemed to mean "Port Management Office".

Zhou Yuan did not deliberately conceal his aura. Although he did not release his full spiritual pressure as a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, his profound and refined presence was enough to make cultivators of the same level wary.

He was the first to push open the door and enter.

The stone house was furnished very simply, with only a badly worn wooden table, a half-worn chair, and an old man with a sallow face who was resting with his eyes closed.

Zhou Yuangang stepped into the house.

The withered old man's eyelids twitched slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.

When his gaze fell upon Zhou Yuan and he sensed the undisguised spiritual pressure of the late Foundation Establishment stage, his previously somewhat drowsy and lazy eyes instantly became clear and sharp.

He stood up, a polite yet cautious smile on his face, and cupped his hands in greeting:

"I am Yang Tian, ​​and I serve as the port guard on this island. May I ask how you two fellow Daoists are addressed?"

His gaze swept over Han Li (mid-Foundation Establishment stage) and Zhou Tian, ​​who followed behind Zhou Yuan, his aura obscure but with faint fluctuations of spiritual energy.

"Zhou Yuan." Zhou Yuan's words were concise and to the point.

"Han Li".

Han Li also gave his name.

In this completely unfamiliar chaotic star sea, no one knows their past, so there is no need to use any aliases.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Zhou and Fellow Daoist Han. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Deacon Yangtian was quite polite.

If it were just an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, he probably wouldn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

However, the fact that both were at the Foundation Establishment stage, especially one of them who was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, was enough for him to treat them as equals.

He took out two palm-sized, warm and white jade tablets from under the table, and using his fingers as brushes, he used his magic to quickly engrave the names "Zhou Yuan" and "Han Li" on the jade tablets.

After the engraving was completed, he handed the jade tablets to Zhou Yuan and Han Li respectively.

"Fellow Daoists, this is a temporary identity token. Please keep it safe. You must carry it with you at all times while on the island. If you lose it, please come here to reissue it. Of course, if you decide to settle on this island in the future, this temporary token will be taken back and replaced with a permanent residence token."

Deacon Yangtian explained the rules in detail, his tone calm.

He paused, his gaze returning to the avatar Zhou Tian, ​​a barely perceptible hint of inquiry flashing in his eyes: "As for the one behind Fellow Daoist Zhou… judging from his aura, he seems to be a refined corpse? Refined corpses naturally don't need identity tokens. However… from my observation, he seems slightly different from ordinary refined corpses, actually emitting a faint spiritual energy, which is truly strange. Could it be that Fellow Daoist cultivates some kind of new secret technique for refining corpses?"

He indeed mistook Zhou Tian's incarnation for some kind of special corpse-refining technique.

He indeed mistook Zhou Tian's incarnation for some kind of special corpse-refining technique.

This is understandable, as Qu Hun was originally a corpse refiner, and now that he has become Zhou Tian's incarnation, his cultivation level is still very low, and his corpse energy has not yet completely dissipated.

It's not surprising that people recognized his identity.

Zhou Yuan didn't explain, but simply gave a light "hmm," took the jade token, and casually put it away.

Seeing this, Yang Tian didn't ask any more questions.

Cultivators all have secrets, especially those concerning cultivation techniques and secret arts; it is a great taboo to inquire about them rashly.

After completing the formalities, Zhou Yuan and the other two turned and left the stone house.

Watching the three figures disappear into the distance, Deacon Yangtian's smile gradually faded, his brows furrowed, and he muttered to himself, "This corpse refinement... is truly strange. It's clearly an inanimate object, yet its corpse aura is condensed and doesn't dissipate, while a subtle flow of spiritual energy lingers, and life force is hidden within..."

Could it be some rare, self-cultivating, advanced technique for living corpses? This Fellow Daoist Zhou is no ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator…”

He shook his head, sat back down in his chair, and fell into deep thought.

Outside the stone house, Master Gu, who had been waiting respectfully, looked at Zhou Yuan and the other two with awe on his face.

He clearly saw the attitude that Deacon Yangtian had towards Zhou Yuan.

Even Master Yang, who was in charge of receiving visiting cultivators on the island and was himself a Foundation Establishment expert, was so polite. How could he dare to bring up the matter of "hiring" again?

The last glimmer of hope in his heart was shattered, and he could only sigh inwardly.

Knowing that a celestial master of this caliber was far beyond what the Gu family could recruit.

……

After leaving the port area, Zhou Yuan and Han Li walked side by side for a while.

"Senior Brother Zhou, now that we have successfully arrived at Kui Xing Island and obtained temporary identities, I think... we should each go our own way and familiarize ourselves with the environment here first."

Han Li stopped and said to Zhou Yuan, "I am naturally cautious and suspicious, and I am used to being alone. Now that I have come to a new environment, I want to explore freely, and at the same time, I want to avoid getting too close to Zhou Yuan and exposing my secrets."

Zhou Yuan had anticipated this, and nodded upon hearing it: "Very well. This place seems quite prosperous, and there should be plenty of cultivation resources. Junior Brother Han can explore on his own first."

After saying that, the two parted ways.

Watching Han Li merge into the crowd and disappear around the street corner, Zhou Yuan withdrew his gaze, and with his avatar Zhou Tian, ​​summoned the Divine Wind Boat once more.

He had already obtained a rough map of Kuixing Island from Gu Dongjia while he was on the "Sea Whale".

Kui Xing Island is quite vast, with dozens of ordinary cities and towns scattered across it, but the most central and prosperous is undoubtedly Kui Xing City, located in the central area of ​​the island!

It was not only the commercial and political center for mortals, but also the main place for cultivators on the island to conduct activities and trade.

Piloting the Divine Wind Boat, Zhou Yuan and his avatar sped towards the center of the island.

After flying for about an hour, the outline of a majestic, undulating mountain range began to appear on the distant horizon.

As the distance closed, three majestic mountain peaks, towering into the clouds like giant pillars supporting the sky, came into clear view.

The three mountain peaks are arranged in a "品" shape, each one majestic and imposing, shrouded in clouds and mist, with a faint spiritual light flowing over their bodies, clearly indicating that they are no ordinary mountains.

Zhou Yuan understood.

Knowing the original plot well, he naturally knew that these three giant peaks were the core of the spiritual veins of Kui Xing Island—Tianzhu Peak, Tianxiao Peak, and Tianmen Peak!

Beneath these three main peaks lies a spiritual vein of good quality.

Besides these three super peaks with the most abundant spiritual energy, there are hundreds of mountains, caves, and valleys of varying sizes around them, all more or less imbued with the energy of spiritual veins, making them suitable for cultivators to open their own caves for cultivation.

According to the records, Tianzhu Peak, Tianxiao Peak, and Tianmen Peak are respectively occupied by the three island masters of Kuixing Island: Island Master Mulong Zhenren (mid-stage Core Formation), Deputy Island Master Yuan Jun Zhenren (early-stage Core Formation), and Deputy Island Master Kanqin Zhenren (early-stage Core Formation). On the entire Kuixing Island, these are the only three Core Formation stage experts.

The thirty-six peaks, second only to the three main peaks and ranking among the top in spiritual energy concentration, became the object of contention among Foundation Establishment cultivators on the island.

Kui Xing Island has a rule that a "Spiritual Land Challenge" will be held every ten years.

Any Foundation Establishment cultivator who considers themselves strong enough can challenge the current peak masters of these thirty-six mountains.

The winner will take possession of the mountain and enjoy the right to use the sacred land of the mountain for ten years.

The masters of these mountains are mostly cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Foundation Establishment.

With Zhou Yuan's current strength, he is almost invincible within the Foundation Establishment stage. If he wants to compete for one, it shouldn't be difficult.

However, being new to the island, he had not yet fully grasped the situation in the Chaotic Star Sea or the rules of Kui Xing Island, and he had other plans in mind. He did not intend to settle on the island permanently or compete for the spiritual land.

The Divine Wind Boat was extremely fast, flying over five or six sizable mortal cities along the way. Finally, a colossal object surrounded by tall and thick city walls appeared ahead!

The city wall stretches as far as the eye can see, reaching a height of over ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), and is entirely constructed of massive bluish-gray rocks.

Banners fluttered on the city walls, and armored soldiers could be vaguely seen patrolling.

Countless pavilions and palaces with their spires protruding from the city walls, wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, and faint sounds of people drifting through the air—a grand, prosperous, and vibrant atmosphere pervades the city.

Countless pavilions and palaces with their spires protruding from the city walls, wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, and faint sounds of people drifting through the air—a grand, prosperous, and vibrant atmosphere pervades the city.

Although he had never been there before, based on the map markings and the city's imposing presence, Zhou Yuan was certain that this was the core of Kui Xing Island—Kui Xing City!

Just as he was steering the Divine Wind Boat, preparing to fly close to the city gate, he suddenly felt the Divine Wind Boat beneath his feet sink abruptly!

It was as if a thousand-pound burden had been placed on it instantly, causing its flight speed to drop sharply and making it sluggish and difficult.

No-fly zone!

Zhou Yuan understood instantly.

Important cities like Kuixing City must have a powerful anti-air formation covering the entire city to prevent cultivators from flying freely within the city, in order to maintain order and security.

With his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, if he forcibly activated his magic power, he could continue flying despite the restrictions, it would just consume more magic power.

Moreover, with the enhancement from his equipment slots, his mana regeneration speed is extremely fast, almost negligible.

However, as a newcomer, there's really no need to be so high-profile, lest you attract attention.