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

【Equipment Slot 1: Miniature Spirit Eye Spring】(Effect: Continuously restores mana, increases the speed of absorbing external spiritual energy, and increases the concentration of spiritual energy in the surrounding environment.)

【Equipment Slot 2: Golden Core (Early Stage of Core Formation)】(Effect: Slightly increases the success rate of Core Formation and increases the cultivation speed during the Core Formation stage.)

[Equipment Slot 3: Mid-Tier Spirit Stone] (Effect: Slightly increases mana regeneration speed)

[Equipment Slot 4: Mid-Tier Spirit Stone]

Equipment Slot 5: (Currently Empty)

"The equipment slots have now been upgraded to five slots..."

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on a futon in the quiet room of the inn, closing his eyes and concentrating.

As I observed the five neatly arranged equipment slots emitting a faint blue glow, my thoughts raced.

He began to carefully plan his future cultivation path.

Now, he has successfully broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, greatly increasing his strength, and has gained a certain degree of self-protection on Kui Xing Island in the Chaotic Star Sea.

But the Foundation Establishment stage is not the end. The next crucial hurdle—Core Formation—is like a towering mountain standing in his way, requiring him to prepare in advance and strive to climb it.

For someone with his pseudo-spiritual root aptitude, the difficulty of forming a core is far greater than that of cultivators with celestial or heterogeneous spiritual roots.

Even if one could equip the remaining Heaven-Mending Pill to improve their aptitude, it would still not be a safe bet.

The risks of failing to form the core are ranging from severe damage to one's vital energy and obstruction of one's cultivation path to regression in cultivation, and even endangering one's life.

The appearance and upgrading of the equipment slots gave him another way to increase his chances of winning!

Five equipment slots are equivalent to five powerful "buff auras" that can be continuously activated.

If you can use a few of these slots to equip items that directly assist in Core Formation, you can undoubtedly raise the success rate of Core Formation to another level!

Currently, the two treasures, [Equipment Slot 1: Miniature Spirit Eye Spring] and [Equipment Slot 2: Golden Elixir], are almost always fixed equipment and cannot be disassembled or replaced at will.

The Spirit Eye Spring provides near-limitless endurance and a superior cultivation environment, serving as a fundamental guarantee for daily cultivation and combat. Once he finds a suitable cave dwelling, perhaps he can retrieve it and place it in the core of his cave dwelling…

And that golden elixir is of paramount importance! Its effect of "slightly increasing the success rate of core formation" is currently the most direct help known for core formation.

Furthermore, once this item is removed from the equipment slot, its spiritual energy will quickly dissipate and dissipate, making it impossible to preserve for long periods; it must be kept equipped at all times.

So, the remaining three slots—[Equipment Slot 3], [Equipment Slot 4], and the newly opened and currently empty [Equipment Slot 5]—can be used to equip other types of "Core Formation Spiritual Items"!

In the cultivation world, the spiritual items that are generally recognized as having an auxiliary effect on Core Formation are mainly Heavenly Fire Liquid, Snow Spirit Water, and Dust-Reducing Pill.

If one can collect two or three of them, and combine them with one's own cultivation techniques and preparations, the chances of forming a golden core will greatly increase.

"A Core Formation spiritual artifact...it's time to start preparing!"

Zhou Yuan made up his mind.

The Chaotic Star Sea is rich in resources. These Core Formation spiritual items, which are hard to find in the Yue Kingdom, may be able to be bought with spirit stones in the commercial system here!

The next morning, as dawn was breaking.

Zhou Yuan will remain at the inn disguised as Zhou Tian, ​​while he himself will head to the central square of Tiandu Street.

He did not go to Baishuilou again.

Instead, they entered another shop in the Six-Linked Palace—Yu Huan Ju, which specializes in selling elixirs.

The store style of Yuhuanju is quite different from that of Baishuilou. The overall color scheme is elegant, mainly in shades of jade green. The air is filled with a faint, unique aroma that is a blend of hundreds of medicinal fragrances, which is refreshing and pleasant.

The shelves were mostly filled with jade bottles and boxes with sealing talismans, as well as a few jade slips containing recipes for elixirs.

Clearly, this place mainly deals in elixirs, elixir formulas, and related medicinal herbs.

Zhou Yuan's late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level was quite conspicuous in the store.

A pretty female shop assistant, who was at the late stage of Qi Refining, sensed his presence and immediately put down what she was doing. She quickly approached him with a respectful and sweet smile on her face: "Senior, what kind of pills would you like to see? Our shop has all kinds of pills to enhance cultivation, heal injuries, detoxify, and break through bottlenecks."

"I need Heavenly Fire Liquid and Snow Spirit Water. If you have Dust-Clearing Pills, that would be even better."

Zhou Yuan didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his needs.

These three are all spiritual items recognized by the cultivation world of the Chaotic Star Sea as having a clear auxiliary effect on Core Formation.

Heavenly Fire Liquid and Snow Spirit Water are used to temper magical power and harmonize Yin and Yang.

This lays the foundation for the nascent form of the Golden Elixir.

The Dust-Clearing Pill can cleanse the mind and slightly increase the success rate of Core Formation.

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in the female shop assistant's eyes.

This senior immediately mentioned Core Formation spiritual items, and it seemed she wasn't just asking casually. Not daring to be negligent, she quickly replied, "Senior, please wait a moment. We might have Heavenly Fire Liquid and Snow Spirit Water in stock, but the Dust-Clearing Pill is far too precious and rare; the manager must decide. Please come with me to the side hall for tea, and I will go fetch the manager immediately."

Zhou Yuan nodded and, led by the female shop assistant, arrived at an elegantly decorated side room.

Soon, a middle-aged cultivator wearing a blue Taoist robe, with a thin face, three long wisps of beard, and a cultivation level of mid-Foundation Establishment, walked in with a smile.

"My name is Ouyang Gong, and I am the manager of this shop. I heard that you wish to purchase a Core Formation spiritual item?"

Ouyang Gong bowed in greeting, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Yuan as he silently assessed the situation.

This fellow Daoist Zhou has a calm and focused aura and a solid foundation; however, he still needs some time to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment.

"Exactly."

Zhou Yuan returned the greeting and got straight to the point: "I need Heavenly Fire Liquid and Snow Spirit Water, preferably enough for two people."

"Two portions?"

Ouyang Gong was slightly taken aback, but then understood.

It is common practice for cultivators to prepare spiritual items for the formation of their core, either as a precaution or for the benefit of their loved ones.

He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, please wait a moment."

He turned and left the side hall, returning a moment later with two jade boxes of similar size, one blue and one red.

He placed the jade box on the tea table in front of Zhou Yuan and opened the ice-blue jade box first.

As soon as the box was opened, an extremely pure and chilling aura, seemingly capable of freezing the soul, rushed out!

Inside the box was about half a bowl of clear, water-like liquid. The liquid was crystal clear, without a trace of impurity, and a faint white mist swirled around its surface. It was the "Snow Spirit Water" used to temper magical power and harmonize the yang fire within the body!

Then he opened the crimson jade box.

Instantly, a scorching and oppressive aura, completely opposite to the Snow Spirit Water, spread out!

Inside the box was a ball of viscous liquid about the size of a fist, bright red like fire, seemingly burning and flowing on its own, radiating astonishing heat. It was the "Heavenly Fire Liquid" used to temper magical power and harmonize the coldness within the body!

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, please take a look. The Snow Spirit Water and Heavenly Fire Liquid in this box are plentiful and of excellent purity, enough for two people to form their cores."

Ouyang Gong pointed to the two jade boxes and introduced them.

Zhou Yuan carefully examined the area with his divine sense, confirmed it was correct, and nodded: "Not bad. How many spirit stones?"

Ouyang Gong stroked his beard and smiled: "These two spiritual items total six thousand low-grade spirit stones."

Six thousand spirit stones!

The price is not cheap, but considering that it is the quantity of two Core Formation spiritual items and of excellent quality, it is still within Zhou Yuan's affordability.

Without hesitation, he took out six thousand low-grade spirit stones from his storage bag and paid the amount.

Ouyang Gong accepted the spirit stones with a smile and pushed the two jade boxes in front of Zhou Yuan.

After the transaction was completed, Zhou Yuan did not immediately put away the jade box, but spoke again: "Manager Ouyang, about the Dust-Clearing Pill I mentioned before..."

Ouyang Gong's smile faded slightly, revealing a hint of embarrassment: "Fellow Daoist Zhou, to be honest, while Heavenly Fire Liquid and Snow Spirit Water are precious, our shop can still maintain a stable supply. However, this Dust-Clearing Pill... is a priceless treasure! The main and auxiliary ingredients for refining this pill are extremely rare, and the success rate is very low. Every Dust-Clearing Pill that appears will cause a fierce competition among many late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and even pseudo-Core Formation cultivators."

He paused, observed Zhou Yuan's expression, and continued:

"If Fellow Daoist Zhou truly needs it, our shop can arrange to procure it for you, but the price... will be at least nine thousand spirit stones per piece!"