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

"It's time..." Zhou Yuan looked at his avatar, having already made up his mind.

He plans to have his avatar attempt to form a Core (Demon Core) first!

He took out the Core Formation materials he had prepared beforehand from his storage bag: a portion of Heavenly Fire Liquid, a portion of Snow Spirit Water, and a Dust-Subduing Pill, and carefully placed them in front of his avatar.

Then, he took out the five Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills, each a different color and exuding a murderous aura.

"Go, find a secluded, deserted island far from Kui Xing Island, and try to condense the Demon Core. Regardless of success or failure, your own safety is paramount."

Zhou Yuan issued instructions to his avatar through mental connection, and transmitted the specific location information and key points for condensing the evil pill.

Zhou Tian, ​​now transformed, opened his eyes, a flash of blood-red light appearing briefly before his indifference returned.

He silently put away all the spiritual items and nodded slightly to Zhou Yuan's true form.

Zhou Yuan left the cave first, and sure enough, the two Qi Refining cultivators from the Six-Hall Sect who were in charge of "looking after" him were still guarding the vicinity.

"I'm going to Tiandu Street."

Zhou Yuan said to them.

"Yes! We will escort Master Zhou!" the two replied hastily.

Zhou Yuan nodded, summoned the Divine Wind Boat, and flew towards Tiandu Street with the two of them.

His departure naturally diverted the attention of the two monitors.

Shortly after Zhou Yuan left, at the exit of the Jade Peak cave, Zhou Tian, ​​transformed into an invisible shadow, silently slipped out.

After determining its direction, it transformed into an inconspicuous streak of blood-red light and sped off into the vast ocean, far from Kuixing Island.

……

Zhou Yuan arrived smoothly at Yu Huan Residence on Tiandu Street.

Ouyang Gong had already received the news and was waiting for him inside the shop.

Zhou Yuan took out the remaining thirty batches of pills that had not been delivered last time and handed them to Ouyang Gong.

Ouyang Gong confirmed the count was correct, his smile widening. He then asked with concern, "Master Zhou, what about True Person Mulong...?"

"Thanks to Manager Ouyang, everything went smoothly. The Jade Spirit Pill was successfully refined, and True Immortal Mulong was very pleased." Zhou Yuan replied with a smile, and then took out the dark gold "Mulong Token" and waved it in front of Ouyang Gong. "The True Immortal also bestowed this token upon me."

"Wooden Dragon Token!"

Ouyang Gong's pupils contracted slightly, his smile remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil.

The Master Mulong actually bestowed the tokens that represented his identity?

This is not just simple appreciation; it's practically a semi-public recruitment and protection!

It seems that Master Mulong values ​​Zhou Yuan far more than he anticipated.

An alarm bell rang in his mind.

Although the Six-Hall Palace is powerful, in the small territory of Kui Xing Island, Master Mu Long is the local strongman and a mid-stage Core Formation expert, so his influence should not be underestimated.

If Master Mulong is determined to poach Zhou Yuan, or make Zhou Yuan serve only the Island Lord's Mansion, it will be a heavy blow to the business of the Six-Linked Palace on Kui Xing Island, especially Yu Huan Residence.

"It seems that headquarters needs to take more forceful measures to win over Alchemist Zhou as soon as possible. The current revenue sharing and cave dwellings probably won't be enough..."

Ouyang Gong thought to himself, but his smile became even more enthusiastic:

"Master Mulong truly has a discerning eye, valuing Alchemist Zhou! This is an incredibly fortunate event!"

Zhou Yuan took in Ouyang Gong's changing expression and understood what was going on, but didn't point it out. He simply asked, "Manager Ouyang, are there any new alchemy tasks coming up in the hall recently? I don't have any other urgent matters for the time being, so I can take on some."

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Gong's spirits lifted, and he quickly replied, "Yes! Yes! Of course! It's wonderful that Master Zhou is willing to take on the task!"

He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice, saying with a hint of mystery, "To be honest, Alchemist Zhou, I'm preparing to apply to headquarters to allocate a batch of... medicinal herbs for refining the Dust-Clearing Pill. I wonder if Alchemist Zhou is interested in this?"

In fact, allocating the ingredients for the Dust-Reducing Pill is not an easy task. It also requires coordination and approval from headquarters. Ouyang Gong's proposal at this moment is more to demonstrate the "sincerity" and "ability" of the Six-Linked Palace and to stabilize Zhou Yuan.

Sure enough, Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up when he heard the words "Dust-Subduing Pill".

He had been eagerly anticipating the recipe for the Dust-Clearing Pill and the opportunity to refine it!

"Dust-Clearing Pill? I've wanted to try refining it for a long time! If I could get your support, I would be more than happy to do so!" Zhou Yuan's face showed just the right amount of surprise and anticipation.

Seeing Zhou Yuan's interest, Ouyang Gong felt somewhat relieved and smiled, "However, the application and allocation will take some time, at the earliest one or two months, and at the latest three or four months. During this time, Master Zhou doesn't need to rush back to his Jade Peak cave for arduous cultivation. He might as well take a good rest in Kui Xing City, balancing work and rest. If you take a fancy to any item, or need any service, just let us know, and Yu Huan Ju will do its best to arrange it."

He wanted to keep Zhou Yuan in his sight as much as possible, while using generous offers to deepen their relationship.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Yuan nodded in agreement: "Very well. Then I'll trouble Manager Ouyang."

After exchanging the pills and chatting for a few more minutes, Zhou Yuan took his leave of Yu Huan Residence, saying he wanted to stroll around Tian Du Street by himself.

Ouyang Gong intended to send someone to accompany him, but Zhou Yuan politely declined.

……

An hour later, Zhou Yuan strolled along a relatively secluded street in Tiandu Street, looking with great interest at the various shops and vendors on both sides.

Just then, a melodious voice came from ahead, accompanied by a faint fragrance of perfume.

Two men and two women walked towards them, a total of four people.

The two men were of ordinary appearance, with cultivation levels around the ninth or tenth level of Qi Refining, and their clothing was also ordinary. However, the two women accompanying them were exceptionally beautiful, each with their own unique charm.

The two women were dressed extremely boldly and revealingly. Their simple clothes barely covered their bodies, revealing large areas of their snow-white arms and smooth, slender calves. They were not even wearing shoes or socks, and their bare, jade-like feet stepped on the clean stone pavement without any sign of disdain for the roughness. Instead, it added a strange allure to their appearance.

What's even more eye-catching is that on each of the two women's fair wrists and smooth foreheads, there are three exquisite gold rings, one large and two small.

The rings, inscribed with intricate runes and shimmering with a faint spiritual light, swayed gently with their graceful steps, adding a touch of wildness and mystery to their charming faces and fiery figures.

The four were clearly independent cultivators; their auras were mixed and their foundations were not solid.

"Junior sister, the things on Tiandu Street are good, but they're too expensive!" The short, round-faced, petite and sweet-looking woman pouted and complained to her companion, her voice carrying a hint of coquettishness.

The woman she called her junior sister was even more stunningly beautiful.

Her skin was as white as snow, so delicate it seemed to break at a touch; her features were exquisitely beautiful, especially her captivating peach blossom eyes, which exuded charm with every glance.

The tight-fitting clothes perfectly accentuated her graceful curves, especially her chest. With a slender waist and long, straight legs, she was a stunning beauty capable of causing utter destruction.

Hearing this, she sighed softly, her voice sweet and alluring: "Yes, senior sister."

"The spirit stones we have combined are only enough to buy two or three bottles of the most common Qi Condensation Pills, enough for only one or two years of cultivation. Our cultivation progress is just too slow..."

Her tone carried a sense of helplessness and a longing for resources, an emotion that was extremely common among the lower-level independent cultivators.

The round-faced senior sister rolled her eyes, lowered her voice, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously:

"If only some Foundation Establishment stage senior would take a liking to us! Then we wouldn't have to worry about cultivation resources..."

These words sounded somewhat frivolous, even bordering on vulgar.

But it is a true reflection of many helpless, mediocre female cultivators who yearn for immortality.

Lacking any special skills or powerful backgrounds, relying on strong individuals is almost the fastest, but also the most desperate, way for them to obtain cultivation resources.

Their looks became their most important asset.

Upon hearing this, the beautiful junior sister blushed slightly but did not utter a word in rebuttal.

His gaze unconsciously swept across the street, as if searching for something.

Suddenly, her beautiful eyes lit up. She gently tugged at her senior sister's sleeve and whispered, "Senior sister, look over there! That Foundation Establishment senior... he's so young, and quite good-looking too..."

Following her gaze, the round-faced senior sister saw a young male cultist in a blue robe, with a dignified appearance and a composed demeanor, standing with his hands behind his back, seemingly observing the text on the shop sign next to him.

This person was none other than Zhou Yuan, who was just strolling around!

The round-faced senior sister scrutinized him carefully for a few moments, her eyes gleaming with admiration: "Yes! What a young Foundation Establishment senior! Whether he's taken a youth-preserving elixir or cultivated a youth-preserving technique..."

In short, he's much more pleasing to the eye than those Foundation Establishment seniors who look like middle-aged men or even old men!

The two exchanged a glance, seemingly mustered their courage, straightened their already simple clothes, and swayed their hips as they walked gracefully toward Zhou Yuan.

As they approached Zhou Yuan, the scent, a mixture of cosmetics and body fragrance, became even stronger.

The round-faced senior sister spoke first, her voice sickeningly sweet: "Senior, is this your first time visiting Tiandu Street? If so, and you're unfamiliar with the area, would my sister and I be happy to guide you around this bustling place and introduce you to some great spots..."

The beautiful junior sister lowered her head slightly, revealing her long, fair neck, her eyes darting around as she secretly sized up Zhou Yuan.

She had a shy, hesitant look on her face, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Zhou Yuan had already noticed them approaching, and now his gaze calmly swept over the two women.

It must be said that these two women are indeed quite attractive, especially the junior sister, whose beauty is exceptional and whose charm is innate.

It has a great attraction for ordinary men.

But Zhou Yuan's Dao heart was firm, his divine sense was strong, and he had been tempered through trials. How could he be tempted by beauty?

Back in Huangfeng Valley, when faced with a naturally alluring and seductive woman like Dong Xuan'er, he only glanced at her a couple of times before withdrawing his attention and remaining unmoved.

Although the two women in front of me are quite beautiful, they are not as good-looking as Dong Xuan'er.

This could not shake Zhou Yuan's resolve.

He was about to speak when he politely declined in a flat tone.

Not far behind, a woman's voice, tinged with coldness and displeasure, rang out first:

"This is Master Zhou of the Sixth Hall. How dare you two unknown juniors presume to associate with and disturb him?"

Zhou Yuan heard the sound and turned around to look.

A woman dressed in a pale yellow dress, possessing a gentle yet capable demeanor, was seen. She strode over, her pretty face frosty, her gaze sweeping over the two female disciples with a hint of warning.

It was Feng Sanniang, the steward of the Six-Linked Hall.