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

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, another two and a half years have passed.

in fact.

A year ago, Zhou Yuan had already finished refining all two hundred portions of medicinal herbs.

Success rate?

With the full support of his equipment and his ever-improving skills, it is still an astonishing 100%!

Two hundred batches of elixirs, all successfully produced.

Every single grain is of the highest quality!

As was customary, he secretly kept 40%, which was 80 batches.

A total of 960 pills were made, and the remaining 120 batches were prepared for submission.

The reason he didn't immediately leave the pass to deliver the goods was because he didn't want his alchemy speed to appear too monstrous.

Two hundred batches were completed in a year and a half?

If this gets out, it won't be something that can be explained by a "genius," and it will likely attract unpredictable scrutiny.

It would seem more reasonable to "close the door" for another year.

Finally, after two and a half years of seclusion, Zhou Yuan felt the time was right and decided to emerge from seclusion.

The stone door to the cave slowly opened.

Zhou Yuan walked out with a perfectly measured look of fatigue on his face.

Ouyang Gong seemed to have been waiting outside the cave for a long time, his face full of anticipation.

"Master Zhou! You've worked hard!"

Ouyang Gong strode forward.

Zhou Yuan handed over the prepared storage bag: "I have not failed you."

Ouyang Gong accepted it.

The divine sense eagerly probed in.

When he saw the neatly arranged 120 jade bottles inside, a smile bloomed on his face like a chrysanthemum!

"One hundred and twenty batches! A full one hundred and twenty batches were a success!"

Ouyang Gong's voice was filled with excitement, "Two hundred sets of materials, one hundred and twenty batches successfully produced! A 60% success rate! Master Zhou, you are truly a lucky star for our Six-in-One Palace!"

This success rate once again confirms Zhou Yuan's terrifyingly high level of "stable 60%".

The last trace of doubt in Ouyang Gong's heart caused by his long period of seclusion completely vanished, leaving only full of admiration and ecstasy. The value of this batch of pills was enough to elevate his status in the headquarters to another level!

He carefully put away the storage bag, then took out a jade box with exquisite carvings from his bosom and presented it with both hands.

"Master Zhou, this is one of the Dust-Clearing Pills you ordered earlier. Also..."

Ouyang Gong's smile widened: "The higher-ups of the Merchant Alliance, upon learning that Alchemist Zhou was about to go into seclusion to form his core, specially ordered that he be rewarded with a Dust-Clearing Pill!"

This is to express our gratitude for the alchemist's outstanding contributions over the years, and to wish the alchemist a swift success in achieving the Golden Elixir!

Two Dust-Reducing Pills!

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred, and he took the jade box.

Upon opening it, two pills, each the size of a longan, with a warm, jade-like color, emitting a faint fragrance, and with a hazy, shimmering light on their surface, lay quietly in the brocade.

It is the ultimate treasure for Core Formation—the Dust-Subduing Pill!

The "generous gift" from the Six-Linked Palace truly reflects their intention to win them over.

"Many thanks to the Merchant Alliance for their kindness, and many thanks to Brother Ouyang for his efforts." Zhou Yuan closed the jade box and expressed his sincere gratitude.

"Master Zhou, you're too kind! You deserve it all."

Ouyang Gong cupped his hands and solemnly said, "Ouyang is here to wish Master Zhou a successful seclusion and the attainment of the Golden Core!"

"When the alchemist emerges from seclusion after completing his work, our Six-Hall Palace will surely prepare a grand feast to celebrate!"

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Ouyang Gong took his leave with great joy.

Back in the cave.

The weariness on Zhou Yuan's face vanished, replaced by a calm contemplation.

He sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion in the quiet room and carefully put away the two Dust-Reducing Pills.

The three common auxiliary spiritual items needed for Core Formation—Heavenly Fire Liquid, Snow Spirit Water, and Dust-Subduing Pill—are now prepared in double quantities.

In the equipment slots, the Golden Elixir provides a slight bonus to the chance of forming a Golden Elixir.

The cave dwelling has excellent spiritual veins and abundant resources.

Everything seemed to be ready.

However, Zhou Yuan knew in his heart that for someone with his pseudo-spiritual root aptitude, the path to Core Formation was still fraught with difficulties, and his success rate was far from comparable to that of geniuses with celestial or unusual spiritual roots.

After much deliberation.

He made a decision.

"It seems I still have to take that step... dissipate my cultivation and start over! I'll cultivate the 'Three Revolutions Rejuvenating Technique' that comes with the 'Azure Origin Sword Manual'!"

The Three Revolutions Rejuvenation Technique is a unique skill recorded in the "Azure Origin Sword Manual".

When a cultivator is at the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

One can actively dissipate all their magical power and start cultivating the Azure Origin Sword Technique from scratch.

However, it is not a simple rebuilding. Instead, during the rebuilding process, the newly cultivated magical power and true essence are compressed and purified to the extreme, making its purity and total amount far exceed those of the same level.

This process involves dispersing energy, rebuilding, and compressing.

After three cycles, one can cultivate back to the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage. At this time, the mana in the cultivator's dantian is extremely pure, the total amount is enormous, and the foundation is incredibly solid.

The success rate of forming the Golden Core will increase significantly, and it can even be said to be a natural outcome.

Zhou Yuan had no intention of dissipating his power three times.

That would take too long and involve too many variables, so his plan is to only dissipate his cultivation and start over once!

even so.

It can also increase the purity of his magic power several times, and significantly "expand" the total amount of his true essence.

This not only increases the chance of him forming a core, but also makes his magical power far surpass that of others of the same level, resulting in a qualitative change in his explosive power.

"After recovering from a loss of cultivation, an ordinary person might need thirty or forty years to regain their strength. I have a large number of pills to help me, my cave is full of spiritual energy, and I also have equipment slots to help me improve..."

"This timeframe might be compressed to within ten years!" Zhou Yuan murmured to himself.

Core formation.

It is a major obstacle on the path to immortality.

To increase that glimmer of hope for success, we dedicated ten years to laying a solid foundation.

Absolutely worth it!

Without further hesitation, he began to calm his mind and regulate his breathing.

Preparing for the upcoming dispersal of internal energy.

……

Everything is ready.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged in the center of the quiet room.

He did not directly unleash a violent burst of energy, as that would have too great an impact on his meridians and dantian, and could easily leave hidden dangers.

He chose a more cautious and slower approach.

He closed his eyes and looked inward at himself.

Within the dantian and dantian, the liquid true essence is like a deep lake, calm and vast, a symbol of the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

He began to circulate the secret technique of dispersing internal energy recorded in the "Azure Origin Sword Manual." Instead of releasing it all at once, he guided the pure true energy out of his dantian like a gentle stream, slowly dispersing it through his meridians to his limbs and bones. Then, through the pores of his body, it transformed into the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth, quietly returning to the air in his cave.

This process is extremely slow and requires a great deal of patience and self-control.

Zhou Yuan was like the most meticulous craftsman, careful and cautious, afraid of damaging the very foundation of the meridians.

He even took several pills to nourish his meridians to ensure that nothing went wrong.

The feeling of losing energy is not pleasant.

Along with the loss of strength comes a sense of emptiness and weakness from within, as if the very essence of life is slowly being drawn away.

Half a month passed quietly.

When the last trace of true essence belonging to the late Foundation Establishment stage was dissipated, Zhou Yuan's aura suddenly dropped, settling steadily at the early Foundation Establishment level.

He slowly opened his eyes, his face slightly pale, but his gaze remained clear and sharp, showing no signs of damage to his foundation.

"Finally finished..."

Zhou Yuan let out a long sigh, feeling the sudden decrease in his magical power. Although he felt empty, he also felt a strange sense of "lightness".

It's as if a heavy burden has been lifted, making room for an even more solid leap forward next time.

He didn't rush to start rebuilding, but instead spent several days carefully examining all his meridians and dantian to confirm that there were no hidden injuries and that his condition was at its best.

Then, with a slight thought, he made important adjustments to the equipment slot configuration.

The items that aided in alchemy were temporarily removed and replaced with treasures most beneficial to cultivation and solidifying one's foundation.

Finally, the equipment slots were set to:

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

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

[Equipment Slot 3: Golden Page (Qingyuan Sword Manual General Outline)] (Effect: Greatly increases the speed of comprehension and cultivation efficiency of the "Qingyuan Sword Manual" and the "Three Revolutions Rejuvenation Technique"!)

[Equipment Slot 4: Remnant of Heaven-Mending Pill] (Effect: Slightly improves spiritual root aptitude and increases the speed of absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth.)

[Equipment Slot 5: Remnant of Heaven-Mending Pill] (Effects stack.)

Except for the Golden Elixir in equipment slot 2, which cannot be replaced due to special reasons, every item in the other four slots provides a huge boost to the current "dissipation and reconstruction"!

The Spirit Eye Spring provides near-limitless endurance and a superior environment; the golden pages allow him to understand the core techniques to their very essence.

The remaining two portions of the Heaven-Mending Pill continuously improved the biggest weakness—the pseudo-spiritual root—allowing cultivation speed to far exceed that of the past!

With everything prepared, Zhou Yuan no longer hesitated. He took out a Spirit Essence Pill and swallowed it. The pill melted instantly in his mouth, transforming into a pure and gentle torrent of medicinal power that flowed into his parched meridians.

He suppressed all distractions and abandoned external interference, and began to fully circulate the basic techniques of the "Azure Origin Sword Manual," while incorporating the unique secret technique of the "Three Revolutions Replenishing Yuan Technique."

This reconstruction is completely different from the initial foundation building.

With the full support of his equipment, his understanding of the cultivation technique was thorough, and his operation of each cycle was precise and efficient.

After dispersing one's energy, the meridians and dantian, which are like blank sheets of paper, are more likely to receive the pure magical power that has been compressed and purified to the extreme through the "Three Revolutions Rejuvenation Technique".

Initial progress was extremely rapid, with almost no apparent bottlenecks. The magical power flowed like a trickle in a new, wider, and more resilient riverbed, surging, converging, compressing, and then surging again...

Zhou Yuan completely entered a state of focused and arduous cultivation.

He severed all contact with the outside world, transforming into Zhou Tian as the most loyal guardian, silently cultivating while also keeping watch over the inside and outside of the cave.

Time passed unnoticed within the cave.

Zhou Yuan's only perception was the growth and refinement of the magical power within his body.

Whenever he felt the absorption of spiritual energy in his body slow down and his cultivation efficiency decline, he would casually take out a Spirit Essence Pill and swallow it, using the power of the pill to once again promote his cultivation progress.

Day after day, year after year.

The Essence Pills were quickly consumed, and the rich spiritual energy within the cave was continuously absorbed.

Zhou Yuan's aura, like a dormant bamboo shoot in spring, slowly and steadily climbed upwards in silence.

Early stage of Foundation Establishment... Middle stage of Foundation Establishment... Late stage of Foundation Establishment...

With the accumulation of massive resources and multiple miraculous enhancements, the journey that would have taken decades or even longer has been greatly shortened.

Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye.

……

On this day, several figures appeared in the sky above Yuqi Peak, a rare occurrence.

Five cultivators, riding their magical artifacts, hovered in mid-air outside Zhou Yuan's cave. Their expressions varied, but all of them carried a hint of anxiety between their brows.

These five people consist of four men and one woman.

The four men were none other than the managers of the various branches of the Six Linked Hall on Kuixing Island, including Ouyang Gong, the manager of Yuhuanju, who had the closest relationship with Zhou Yuan.

The woman appeared to be around thirty years old, with a beautiful face, wearing a pale yellow dress. Her temperament was gentle yet capable, and her cultivation had reached the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

The five people looked down at the Jade Peak, which was completely sealed, with all restrictions lifted and no movement in its cave, and their worries grew deeper.

"Seven years have passed... Master Zhou has been in seclusion attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage, and he has yet to emerge, without even the slightest sign of progress."

Cao Lu, the manager of Baishuilou, broke the silence first with a furrowed brow.

He had previously traded magical artifacts with Zhou Yuan, and later Zhou Yuan became an alchemist, which indirectly brought him a lot of business, so he naturally cared about him.