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

Half an incense stick later, the terrifying black clouds, lightning, and the enormous vortex of spiritual energy in the sky receded like the tide.

Sunlight once again bathed the desolate sea, as if the earth-shattering phenomenon just moments before had been nothing but an illusion.

During this time, a dozen or so cultivators were attracted by the strange phenomenon and stopped to watch from a distance. Some of the bolder ones even approached within ten miles.

But in the end, no one dared to truly step into the core area of ​​the deserted island and interfere with the unknown powerhouse's core formation process.

Inside the simple cave dwelling.

Zhou Yuan slowly opened his eyes, which had been closed for a long time.

In an instant, two beams of light, seemingly tangible, flashed by, and the air inside the cave seemed to freeze for a moment.

Even though he was usually calm and composed, he couldn't suppress the immense joy that welled up inside him at this moment!

Years of arduous practice, overcoming numerous obstacles, the loneliness of rebuilding one's skills after setbacks, and the hardship of accumulating resources...

Finally, at this moment, the elixir is complete!

From this moment on, he took a crucial step in his cultivation journey!

From then on, he was no longer a Foundation Establishment cultivator who could be manipulated by others, but truly stepped into the middle class of the cultivation world—a Core Formation True Person!

His lifespan has suddenly increased to five hundred years, and the path to immortality has suddenly become clear!

After a brief moment of ecstasy, Zhou Yuan quickly regained his composure.

Core formation is just the beginning, far from the end.

With a slight thought, his divine sense, several times stronger, surged outwards in all directions from him like a silent tide!

Within a radius of seventy miles, the fish and shrimp swimming beneath the sea, the flight paths of birds in the sky, the subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy on the distant deserted island, and even the whispers and tense expressions of the observing cultivators further away... everything was clearly reflected in his sea of ​​consciousness, down to the smallest detail!

After forming the Golden Core, a cultivator's spiritual sense will undergo a qualitative leap.

Zhou Yuan had already cultivated the Great Evolution Technique to the third level, and he also had the Soul Extinction Secret Technique to temper his divine sense, making his divine sense strength far exceed that of other cultivators of the same level.

This time, the Core Formation was successful.

Divine senses surged several times over!

With his current cultivation level at the early stage of Core Formation, the refinement and coverage of his divine sense have already surpassed that of ordinary late-stage Core Formation cultivators, and even faintly touched the threshold of the divine sense of early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators!

At this moment, he could clearly "see" that about ten miles away, a dozen cultivators were hovering in the sky, pointing and gesturing toward the deserted island, their expressions filled with awe.

There was also curiosity, and a touch of envy.

"The reason I chose this place for seclusion was because it's deserted for miles around. Even if the Core Formation phenomenon attracts attention, it will take time for them to arrive. Furthermore, the array I set up is difficult for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators to break in a short time, giving me enough time to complete the final stabilization."

Zhou Yuan understood.

He hesitated for a moment, then changed his voice, making it hoarse and weathered.

At the same time, a powerful spiritual fluctuation, far exceeding the level of an early-stage Core Formation cultivator and containing a warning connotation, was mixed into the voice and indifferently sent towards the dozen or so cultivators:

Anyone who remains here within ten breaths shall die.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a cold iron awl, piercing the minds of those dozen or so cultivators! The hidden pressure of divine sense caused the face of the most powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator to turn deathly pale instantly, and his soul trembled violently!

"It's a Core Formation senior!"

"Hurry up!"

"I've disturbed your meditation, senior. I'll take my leave now!"

Amidst panicked shouts, more than a dozen figures, like a flock of startled birds, hastily steered their magical artifacts and scattered in all directions, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye, never daring to look back.

Zhou Yuan withdrew his divine sense.

His face remained expressionless.

"It's time to go back."

He stood up, used his magic to shake the clothes on his body, which were somewhat filthy from the formation of his golden core, into powder, and put on a loose and simple black robe, covering most of his face with a hood.

Then, he waved his hand to retrieve all the array flags and array plates that had been set up inside and outside the stone cave.

Having done all this, he determined his direction, harnessed an inconspicuous streak of light, and flew towards another small island 1,500 miles to the southeast.

That place was the retreat chosen by his incarnation, Zhou Tian.

Originally, Zhou Yuan planned to bring his avatar back to his side to protect him during his Core Formation.

However, his incarnation was already at a critical moment in the process of breaking through the "Evil Core" and could not afford to be distracted.

Zhou Yuan then abandoned the idea.

He chose to form his core alone.

Unexpectedly, thanks to his solid foundation and extensive preparations, the process of forming his core was exceptionally smooth, and he succeeded in just two years.

On the contrary, he entered the Core Formation realm earlier than his avatar who had previously gone into seclusion to attempt the Core Formation.

I wonder how things are going with the avatar...

As Zhou Yuan flew away, he sensed the mental connection between himself and his avatar.

The connection remains strong, but the avatar seems to be in a deep meditative state.

It has a weak sensitivity to external stimuli.

Soon after, he arrived near the small island where he had gone into seclusion.

This island is slightly larger than the deserted island where he previously secluded himself, and has more vegetation, but it is still remote and has little spiritual energy. The cave he chose is located in a secluded mountain valley on the island.

Zhou Yuan did not enter directly, but instead found a reef nearby, set up a simple concealment barrier, and sat down cross-legged.

This is a crucial moment for the avatar; his sudden intrusion might cause disruption.

At the same time, he also had some concerns.

The strange phenomena produced by the transformation into a Core Formation (Evil Core) will also affect a hundred miles away.

Although this place is remote, it is still a bit more "lively" than the deserted island he had carefully chosen.

What if it attracts malicious people...

His concerns did not last long.

Just five days later, the weather over this small island changed dramatically!

A scene similar to that of Zhou Yuan when he formed his core was repeated: dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the spiritual energy within a radius of over a hundred miles was as if it were being seized by an invisible hand, rushing wildly towards the mountain valley to form a slightly smaller but equally astonishing vortex of spiritual energy!

The avatar has also begun to form its core!

"It's done!" Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up with a smile as he watched quietly.

At the same time, more than a hundred miles away from the island where Zhou Yuan was located, a streak of light with extremely high speed and a strong aura rushed through the sky!

This person did not use any obvious magical artifacts, but instead relied on his own magical power to fly away directly.

His aura had clearly reached the mid-stage of Core Formation!

"Another Core Formation celestial phenomenon? Strange! In just a few days, two newly promoted Core Formation cultivators have appeared in this sea area? Could it be that some extraordinary treasure has appeared, or some unexpected event has occurred?"

The cultivator in the escaping light had obviously also noticed the strange phenomenon here. After a brief pause, he changed direction and flew straight towards the island, his voice filled with doubt and a hint of inquiry.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, this person had arrived within fifty miles of the small island.

Zhou Yuan's divine sense had already locked onto it firmly.

This person was very fast, and soon arrived in the sky ten miles away from the island.

And its speed did not decrease at all.

There's no intention to stop.

We're getting closer.

Zhou Yuan was able to see the person's face clearly.

This is a middle-aged man wearing a blue robe, with an ordinary face but rather sharp eyes.

He hovered in the sky five miles away from the island, his gaze fixed on the violent vortex of spiritual energy and the strange phenomena in the sky above the island with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

His divine sense also cautiously swept across the surrounding sea area.

Zhou Yuan frowned slightly.

Unexpectedly, transforming into a Core Formation cultivator actually brought trouble.

Judging from this person's behavior, he doesn't seem to be some kind of rogue cultivator.

Moreover, his mid-stage Core Formation cultivation level posed a significant threat to his unsuspecting avatar who was in the process of Core Formation.

This person may have come to investigate because they found the continuous occurrence of the Core Formation phenomenon strange. They may not have any direct malice, but it is hard to guarantee that they will not have any other intentions.

Seeing that the middle-aged cultivator in blue robes seemed to intend to get closer and investigate more carefully, Zhou Yuan no longer hesitated.

He changed his voice again, making it even more aged and majestic. At the same time, he unleashed his powerful divine sense, comparable to the late-stage Core Formation realm, like a tangible pressure, and swept it over the blue-robed cultivator. His icy voice exploded directly in the cultivator's sea of ​​consciousness:

"If you don't leave now, you'll die!"

Just four simple words.

Yet it contained an undeniable killing intent and a terrifying impact on the divine sense!

The middle-aged cultivator in the blue robe trembled violently, his body stiffened abruptly, and his face instantly showed surprise and uncertainty, his eyes filled with deep fear!

This divine sense... is so condensed, so vast, and possesses terrifying penetrating power!

Absolutely far beyond the mid-stage of Core Formation!

They are at least late-stage Core Formation experts, or even... experts at the Nascent Soul stage!

"Fellow Daoist, please calm down!"

The blue-robed cultivator quickly composed himself, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture toward the direction where Zhou Yuan was hiding, and said in a clearly respectful voice: "I am Zhan Taijing, the island lord of the nearby 'Tail Star Island,' which belongs to the outer island sequence of the Star Palace."

I was merely passing through this area when I noticed something unusual and, out of curiosity, wanted to make some connections. I had absolutely no intention of offending anyone! Please forgive any inconvenience caused!

He hurriedly revealed his identity, both to show that he was not a rogue cultivator without any background and to make the other party think twice.

Zhou Yuan remained hidden behind the reef, neither confirming nor denying Zhan Taijing's explanation, but the terrifying divine pressure enveloping him intensified.

Zhan Taijing's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and she was inwardly groaning.

I thought I was just checking out the situation of a newly promoted Core Formation cultivator, and maybe even befriending or recruiting him. I never expected to run into such a tough opponent.

This has attracted the attention of an old monster who is suspected to be in the late stage of Core Formation or even a fake infant!

Such a being is someone that even some island lords on the inner islands of the Star Palace might not be willing to offend easily, let alone a minor outer island lord like him.

"Since you are not pleased, fellow Daoist... I will take my leave now! I will not disturb your peace and quiet!"

Zhan Taijing dared not linger any longer. She bowed deeply once more, then transformed into a streak of blue light and sped off in the direction she had come from, her speed several times faster than before.

Only after Zhan Taijing's aura completely disappeared beyond the range of his divine sense did Zhou Yuan withdraw his divine sense pressure and continue to protect his avatar.