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

Chapter 126 Junior Brother Han, are you that afraid of me?

This isn't a joke, it's a recommendation for the treasure book "In Yellow Maple Valley, I Have an Equipment Slot!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Ouyang Gong grasped at this as if it were a lifeline, "It must be so! Only Senior Fake Infant has such methods!"

Although the Infant Carp Beast is strong, it probably won't last long against a Pseudo-Infant cultivator!

The three of them quickly agreed on their story, settling on the explanation that "the Infant Carp Beast was accidentally discovered and intercepted by a mysterious fake Infant cultivator" as the explanation for their report to their superiors.

Seven more days passed.

On this day, a sound of something breaking through the air suddenly came from above the Six-Connecting Hall Square on Tiandu Street!

Two dazzling beams of light, one golden and one yellow, ignored the no-fly zone restrictions of Kui Xing City.

It descended with overwhelming force, startling the nearby cultivators who all turned away and gave way.

The light faded, revealing two old men.

One had a pale golden complexion and sharp, eagle-like eyes; the other was a burly man with a face full of scars, exuding an imposing aura without anger. The spiritual pressure emanating from both of them was clearly that of the early stage of Core Formation!

"Your subordinate greets Elder Miao! Elder Gu!"

Having already received the news, Ouyang Gong, Feng Sanniang, Zhou Yuan, and the other five managers of the Six-Hall Palace, who were waiting outside Yu Huan Residence, immediately bowed and paid their respects with utmost deference.

The visitors were two guest elders sent by headquarters to handle the matter of the infant carp beast!

Elders Miao and Gu had grim expressions. They snorted coldly and swept their eyes across the crowd like lightning. Without saying a word, they walked straight into Yu Huan Residence and entered a secret room that had been prepared in advance.

Zhou Yuan and the others dared not delay and quickly followed him inside, standing respectfully with their hands at their sides.

"snort!"

Elder Miao slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, his voice icy, "Tell me, what happened? Making us two come all this way for nothing is a small matter, but losing the Infant Carp Beast that even the Palace Master is concerned about, how many heads do you have to chop off?!"

Elder Gu glared at the crowd in a deep voice: "Or is it that one of you has betrayed us, sold the information to another faction, and let someone else reap the benefits?"

The air in the sealed room seemed to freeze, and the pressure increased sharply. Several Foundation Establishment stage shopkeepers had sweat on their foreheads, and their calves felt weak.

"Your subordinates would never dare!" the crowd responded in unison, their voices filled with fear.

Feng Sanniang took a deep breath, braced herself, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Elder Miao, Elder Gu, please inform me. According to my analysis, this matter was probably not caused by an internal leak, but most likely by a mysterious, passing-by fake infant senior who accidentally discovered and killed it."

"Fake Infant Monk?"

Elders Miao and Gu frowned simultaneously, their faces filled with suspicion. "When did a fake Nascent Soul cultivator appear in the waters near Kui Xing Island? Why have we never heard of him before?"

The number of fake infant cultivators in the Chaotic Star Sea is small, and most of them are renowned.

Indeed, there has never been any record of such a person staying in the offshore area of Kuixing Island for an extended period.

"Elder, this is absolutely true!"

Feng Sanniang said with certainty, "Fellow Daoist Mao, the esteemed disciple of Island Master Tantai of Weixing Island, can testify! A few days ago, I personally heard him say that several years ago, his master, Island Master Tantai, had encountered a senior who appeared to be a fake infant protecting a junior in the waters near Weixing Island as he formed his core!"

That senior's divine sense was vast; even Island Master Tantai dared not approach and hastily retreated.

She clearly stated the story she had previously discussed with Ouyang Gong and Zhou Yuan, combined with the "testimony" of the monk surnamed Mao.

Elders Miao and Gu exchanged a glance, their suspicion lessening slightly, but they were not entirely convinced.

I hope what you're saying is true.

Elder Miao said in a deep voice, his tone softening slightly, "We will verify this matter ourselves."

After saying that, the two left the secret room without saying anything more, seemingly intending to go to Tail Star Island to seek confirmation from the "Island Master Tantai" in person.

A few days later, Elders Miao and Gu returned to Yuhuan Residence. Their expressions were much more relaxed than when they left, presumably because they had received "confirmation" from Zhan Taijing and basically accepted the claim that the Infant Carp Beast was intercepted by the "mysterious fake infant senior who was passing by".

Although the mission failed, it was not due to a lack of combat skills, so the responsibility was much less.

The two summoned Zhou Yuan and the others again, their gazes lingering on Zhou Yuan for a moment.

"You are Zhou Yuan?" Elder Miao asked, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"It is indeed your subordinate," Zhou Yuan replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Um."

Elder Miao sized him up a few times. "You've made quite a name for yourself on Kui Xing Island these past few years. I've heard your alchemy skills are superb; even the Core Formation stage alchemist elder at headquarters has heard of you, saying you have extraordinary potential."

"Elder, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise. I have only been doing my best to serve the palace."

Zhou Yuan said modestly.

"No need to be overly modest."

Elder Gu interjected, waving his hand to take out several jade boxes and jade slips, placing them on the table. "Here are some medicinal materials and formulas for Core Formation stage pills, needed for the mission in the hall."

Having heard of your exceptional skills, these are entrusted to you for crafting. You must be diligent and not disappoint the expectations of the palace.

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept over the jade boxes. The medicinal herbs inside were full of spiritual energy and were all precious items, with a total value of no less than 100,000 spirit stones.

However, when these two people started assigning tasks, they didn't mention any reward or profit sharing, clearly intending for him to serve the elder "for free" or at most give him some symbolic reward.

If it were an ordinary alchemist, even if he was dissatisfied with the "instructions" of a Core Formation elder, he probably wouldn't dare to say anything.

But Zhou Yuan remained unmoved.

With a 100% success rate, he could easily keep several finished products; he was just worried that the palace wasn't assigning enough alchemy tasks.

Ultimately, the majority of the profits from these medicinal herbs would still go to him.

"Thank you for your high regard, elders! I will do my utmost to ensure the mission is completed!"

Zhou Yuan looked flattered and readily agreed, carefully putting away the medicinal herbs and prescription.

"We will stay here for about a year, awaiting further instructions from the palace. Once the elixir is refined, send it over promptly."

Elder Miao gave a brief instruction and then waved his hand, signaling that Zhou Yuan could leave.

After leaving Yu Huan Residence, Zhou Yuan had another matter on his mind.

Many days have passed, and Han Li has not reappeared at Yu Huan Residence.

It seems that this junior brother Han is as cautious as ever, and perhaps he had the idea of avoiding him after hearing the name "Master Zhou Dan".

"Fine, if he won't come looking for me, I'll go looking for him. Twenty years have passed, it's time to see this old friend from the south."

Zhou Yuan made up his mind.

Now that he possesses the "Wooden Dragon Token" bestowed by the Wood Dragon Immortal, it is much more convenient for him to act on Kui Xing Island.

He quickly found a Foundation Establishment deacon in charge of registering and managing cultivators' cave dwellings on the island. After a brief inquiry, he confirmed that there was indeed a cultivator named "Li Feiyu" who had registered a cave dwelling on Xiaohuan Island, an offshoot of Kuixing Island.

"He still chose Xiao Huan Island."

Zhou Yuan's lips curled up slightly; this was consistent with the original work.

Without further delay, he left Kuixing City and flew southeast in a beam of light.

After flying about three hundred miles, a small island covering several dozen miles with relatively thin spiritual energy appeared on the sea surface; this was Xiaohuan Island.

Zhou Yuan flew straight to the hillside on the island where the spiritual energy was relatively concentrated, and sure enough, there was a cave dwelling there.

The cave dwelling was equipped with basic protective barriers, but these barriers were practically useless to Zhou Yuan in his current state.

He arrived at the entrance of one of the cave dwellings, and his powerful divine sense quietly seeped in like flowing water.

The cave was empty. Simple furniture such as tables, chairs, and beds were still there, but all personal belongings and traces of cultivation had been cleaned up, leaving no valuable clues, as if no one had ever lived there for a long time.

"Gone?" Zhou Yuan frowned slightly, then relaxed, shaking his head and chuckling, "This Junior Brother Han is really overly cautious. Is he really that afraid of meeting me?"

The sea breeze blowing across Xiaohuan Island brings a salty, damp scent.

Zhou Yuan stood in front of the empty cave, glanced at the undulating sea in the distance, and knew that Han Li must have already fled far away, and no one knew where he had hidden in the Chaotic Star Sea.

He didn't linger, turned around and transformed into a streak of light, returning to Kui Xing Island.

Meanwhile, on a desolate island thousands of miles away from Kui Xing Island...

A figure landed on the island.

This person has an ordinary appearance.

It was Han Li.

When he first learned from Yu Huan Ju on Tiandu Street that Zhou Yuan was the official alchemist of Yu Huan Ju, he hesitated for a long time.

Ultimately, the decision to leave was made.

Although the Dust-Clearing Pill was good, he still didn't really want to meet with that Senior Brother Zhou.

Although he has now recovered from his previous failure and has a solid foundation, and is a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator like Zhou Yuan, he is still wary of him.

In particular, Zhou Yuan seems to be doing quite well on Kui Xing Island, with powerful backers behind him.

"Zhou Yuan is strong, but if I can form my core, the gap will naturally disappear. At that time, perhaps I can go and catch up with that Senior Brother Zhou!"

Han Li murmured to himself.

His eyes seemed to hold expectation.

He had already made up his mind to use the Core Formation spiritual items he had previously purchased and collected to attempt to form his Core.