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

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On this day, fluctuations were felt from the protective barrier outside the cave.

Zhou Yuan scanned the area with his divine sense and realized that Ouyang Gong had come in person.

They opened the cave and welcomed Ouyang Gong inside.

With a smile, Ouyang Gong took out a specially made storage bag and solemnly handed it to Zhou Yuan.

"Brother Zhou, I have not failed you! These are the approved formulas for three types of Core Formation stage pills from headquarters, along with five sets of materials for each type!"

Ouyang Gong explained, "These three pills are the 'Yellow Jade Pill,' the 'Azure Tide Pill,' and the 'Mysterious Fire Pill,' all of which are mainstream pills suitable for cultivators in the early and mid-stages of the Core Formation realm to improve their magical power."

The demand is huge in the Inner Star Sea. The cost of each set of materials is not low, approaching 20,000 spirit stones.

Zhou Yuan took the storage bag and scanned it briefly with his divine sense. Inside, fifteen materials were neatly categorized, meticulously sealed, and brimming with spiritual energy.

The value of this batch of materials alone is close to 300,000 spirit stones! The Six-Linked Palace's spending this time is truly extravagant.

"Headquarters has high hopes for you, Brother Zhou."

Ouyang Gong smiled, then changed the subject, asking tentatively, "Furthermore, headquarters has sent another message... They hope that Brother Zhou will consider taking a position at the headquarters' Pill Hall on the Inner Twelve Star Islands. That's the bustling heart of the Chaotic Star Sea, with wider channels and higher profits for selling Core Formation stage pills. Moreover, you'll have access to more high-level cultivators and resources, which would greatly benefit your development and network expansion. What do you think, Brother Zhou?"

Heading to the headquarters of the Inner Twelve Star Islands?

Zhou Yuan immediately shook his head.

While the inner island is indeed prosperous, it is also more complex and rife with intricate power struggles, making cultivators at the Core Formation stage far less outstanding than those on the outer island.

He had just formed his core and his strength still needed to be consolidated. He had not yet broken through to the fourth level of the Great Evolution Technique, so seeking stability was the best course of action at the moment.

He didn't want to rashly step into that deep water until he had cultivated the Great Evolution Technique to the fourth level, made further breakthroughs in his divine sense, and mastered more powerful techniques.

"Let's discuss this matter later."

Zhou Yuan's face showed a thoughtful expression. "I have just come into contact with the pill formulas for the Core Formation stage, and I still need time to study and practice them."

Besides, Kui Xing Island is a peaceful place, and Brother Ouyang, you're currently here, so our cooperation has been quite smooth. A sudden change of environment might affect my alchemy practice. I can consider it again once my skills are more refined and my foundation is more solid.”

Ouyang Gong understood Zhou Yuan's polite refusal and didn't press the matter. Instead, finding Zhou Yuan reliable and steady, he smiled and said, "Brother Zhou, your consideration is indeed thorough. Then I will reply to headquarters accordingly. Brother, you can focus on your alchemy studies here. Just ask if you need anything!"

After seeing Ouyang Gong off, Zhou Yuan returned to the alchemy room.

Instead of rushing to take action, he first took out the three jade slips that recorded the new elixir formulas, copied them one by one, and then equipped the originals to the available equipment slots. With the blessing of their "ancient charm", he began to study them with all his might.

The complexity of elixirs for the Core Formation stage is far greater than that for the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, based on the terrifying increase in comprehension in the equipment slot and his previous experience in refining the Azure Spirit Pill, Zhou Yuan's mastery speed was still astonishingly fast.

In just three months, Zhou Yuan not only thoroughly understood the three new pill formulas, but also completed the refining of all fifteen ingredients in one go!

The result was astonishing: of the fifteen batches of pills, all fifteen were successful, with not a single failure.

Moreover, the majority of successful elixirs were of superior quality!

Zhou Yuan naturally exercised his "right of interception" once again. He withheld six batches of finished products (two batches of Yellow Jade Pills, two batches of Azure Tide Pills, and two batches of Profound Fire Pills), and carefully stored the remaining nine batches of pills, preparing to hand them over.

For the next two years, Zhou Yuan did not immediately leave the pass to deliver the goods.

While using his private stash of Core Formation pills to slowly improve his cultivation and stabilize his early Core Formation stage, he also focused his main energy on cultivating the newly acquired spells.

Switch the equipment slots to the configuration best suited for spell training, and with multiple comprehension buffs:

He has cultivated the intermediate-to-high-level spell "Heavenly Fire Technique" to perfection!

The Golden Dragon Scissors Technique also progressed rapidly and reached perfection!

The two dragons intertwined, and the golden scissors swept across the sky, swift as thunder, targeting a single point with extremely strong penetrating power.

He can now skillfully unleash both powerful attack spells within half a breath, with seamless transitions, making them important tools in his combat.

"That's about it." Feeling the increasingly refined magical power within his body and the confidence brought by the two perfected spells, Zhou Yuan decided to go out for a trip.

He returned to Yuhuan Residence on Tiandu Street with a storage bag containing nine batches of Core Formation stage pills.

After examining the pills, Ouyang Gong's face showed a surprise that was hard to describe:

"Nine batches! Nine batches successful! Brother Zhou, your alchemy skills are truly... miraculous, impeccable!"

The news that pills for Core Formation stage could achieve a 60% success rate and be of such high quality would cause a sensation when it reached headquarters.

After the handover was completed, Ouyang Gong took out new materials: "Brother Zhou, these are twenty sets of materials (a mixture of three kinds of pills) newly allocated by headquarters. Please keep them safe."

He then invited Zhou Yuan into the inner chamber, his expression becoming somewhat serious.

"Brother Zhou, there is one more thing I need to discuss with you."

Ouyang Gong lowered his voice and said, "Recently, an exploration team from our Six-Linked Palace discovered traces of a rare Level 6 demonic beast in a secluded sea area nearby."

"A level six demonic beast?" Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow, revealing appropriate surprise.

It is important to know that the Chaotic Star Sea is divided into the Inner and Outer Star Seas. The Inner Star Sea is naturally the sea area that humans have explored and inhabited for a long time.

The alien sea is still overrun by monsters.

In the Inner Star Sea, high-level demonic beasts have been almost completely wiped out, and level six demonic beasts are extremely rare.

At this moment, the door to the secret room was gently pushed open, and Feng San Niang, dressed in a pale yellow dress, walked in.

She first smiled sweetly at Zhou Yuan: "Brother Zhou, I heard Manager Ouyang address you that way before, so I took the liberty of doing so. I hope you don't mind?"

His eyes conveyed a sense of closeness.

"Third Sister is too kind. How could I mind?" Zhou Yuan replied gently.

Feng Sanniang's smile deepened, then she said seriously, "Brother Zhou, what we discovered this time is not an ordinary level six demonic beast, but an Infant Carp Beast!"

"An infant carp beast?!"

A level six Infant Carp Beast is basically comparable to a late-stage Core Formation cultivator in terms of combat power.

Its innate supernatural power is Water-based Divine Thunder, a powerful killing move with both water and thunder attributes.

Zhou Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and his face showed a perfectly timed expression of surprise.

But a much bigger wave of turmoil was stirring within me.

It wasn't because the Infant Carp Beast itself was particularly powerful, but rather because the name of this monster instantly triggered some memories deep within his mind.

In the original story, the Six-Linked Palace organized a hunt for a Level 6 Infant Carp Beast, inviting five Pseudo-Core cultivators, including Han Li, to set up the "Six Escapes Water Wave Array," with two guest elders at the early Core Formation stage overseeing the operation.

Although they finally succeeded in killing the Infant Carp Beast, at the last moment, Wu Chou, the young master of Ji Yin Island, suddenly appeared and tried to seize the monster materials while the two elders were greatly weakened.

This forced the two elders to reveal their identities as members of the Reverse Star Alliance in a moment of desperation.

At that time, the Reverse Star Alliance was still in the stage of secret alliance formation. If it were made public, it would inevitably attract the suppression of the Star Palace, so it could not be leaked.

In order to silence them, the Six-Linked Palace and Wu Chou joined forces to kill all the low-level cultivators involved in the demon hunt, including Han Li!

At this moment, in the quiet room, Feng Sanniang saw Zhou Yuan's solemn expression and assumed he was wary of the Infant Carp Beast's strength, so she explained:

"Brother Zhou, rest assured, the headquarters attaches great importance to this and has already dispatched two guest elders at the early stage of Core Formation to oversee the demon hunt."

However, to deal with this beast, the "Six Escapes Water Wave Array" must be set up to bind and weaken it. This array requires at least six Pseudo-Core Formation cultivators to operate together to unleash its full power.

As she spoke, a hint of anticipation and excitement appeared on her face: "I am not very talented, but my cultivation has reached the False Core stage, so I can be one of the main cultivators."

"Brother Zhou, although you are a pill refiner, your cultivation is profound, and you have already reached the Pseudo-Core stage, making you an excellent candidate. With the two of us joining, and four more reliable Pseudo-Core cultivators recruited from outside, we can prepare to hunt down that Infant Carp Beast."

She seemed to have already begun to envision the scene of fighting alongside Zhou Yuan and presiding over the great formation.

However, at this moment, Zhou Yuan's brows were deeply furrowed, and his mind was racing.