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

Step into Tianxing City.

A completely different atmosphere of hustle and bustle and grandeur, unlike that of Kuixing Island, swept over us.

The most obvious thing is the sky above – there is no common "anti-flight restriction" covering it. Instead, streaks of light of various colors and the light of magical artifacts can be seen freely shuttling between the high and low pavilions and the winding mountain roads, like a meteor shower streaking across the sky, bustling and orderly.

Zhou Yuan had anticipated this. As a transmigrator, he remembered that the largest city in the Chaotic Star Sea was indeed known for its "freedom." As long as one did not cause trouble, flying through the air was not prohibited, which undoubtedly facilitated the actions of high-level cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, this place is vast, let's go and take a look at the market first."

Master Mulong was clearly not a first-timer; he led the way with practiced ease, explaining, "The core trading area of ​​Tianxing City is the market located on the first floor of the Holy Mountain."

Its scale is so vast that it occupies more than half of the first floor, making it arguably the largest distribution center for cultivation resources in the Chaotic Star Sea!

Zhou Yuan nodded, his memories surfacing simultaneously.

The giant mountain where Tianxing City is located is called "Holy Mountain," and it is divided into eighty-one levels from the foot of the mountain to the top.

The first floor has the largest area and its main function is to serve as a vast market and an activity area for some low-level cultivators and even mortals.

From the second floor to the fiftieth floor, there are a large number of houses available for rent (sharing a courtyard or floor with others) and independent cave dwellings (expensive but with good privacy).

The higher the level, the richer the spiritual energy, and the rent increases exponentially.

Especially above the fiftieth floor, it's basically beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

Floors 51 to 80 are generally areas accessible only to those inside the Star Palace.

The eighty-first floor at the very top.

It is a place that only the legendary Twin Saints of the Heavenly Stars can access.

Before long, the two found themselves in the first level of the market.

Even though Zhou Yuan was somewhat prepared, he couldn't help but be secretly amazed by the scene before him.

The streets were as wide as a plaza, with rows of buildings and shops lining both sides, rising and falling, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The crowd surged and jostled, with cultivators ranging from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment everywhere, and occasionally one could even sense the aura of a Core Formation cultivator passing by.

The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and monks conversing mingled together, creating a peculiar buzzing sound full of vitality and desire.

The air was filled with a strange aroma of various materials, pills, and spiritual herbs, and the spiritual energy was much richer than outside.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, I need to visit an old friend on the thirty-sixth floor of the Holy Mountain to take care of some personal matters. You can wander around here for a bit and familiarize yourself with the surroundings."

Master Mulong stopped and said to Zhou Yuan, "One month from now, we can meet at 'Xiangyun Residence' on the east side of the market and head to the auction together."

"Alright, Fellow Daoist Mu, please make yourself at home. See you again in a month." Zhou Yuan bowed and accepted.

Master Mulong nodded, then transformed into a streak of azure light and flew straight towards the upper part of the sacred mountain, quickly disappearing into the winding path of the mountain.

Zhou Yuan withdrew his gaze and strolled alone along the bustling street.

He may seem casual, but he has a clear goal.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he stopped in front of a medium-sized shop with a clean facade and a sign that read "Miaodanfang". This shop mainly sold elixirs, which suited his needs perfectly.

Upon entering the shop, a shop assistant immediately greeted him. Sensing Zhou Yuan's restrained yet still imposing Core Formation aura, the assistant became even more respectful: "Senior, it's an honor to have you grace our humble shop with your presence. May I ask what kind of pills you wish to purchase, or perhaps..."

"I'm here to sell elixirs."

Zhou Yuan interrupted him directly, taking out two light blue jade bottles and placing them on the counter.

Inside were several Azure Tide Pills and Mysterious Fire Pills, both mainstream pills suitable for cultivators in the early stages of Core Formation to improve their magical power.

The shopkeeper was an elderly man in the late Foundation Establishment stage. Upon hearing this, he quickly stepped forward, carefully uncorked the bottle, and meticulously examined the color, aroma, and patterns of the pill. He then used his fingertips to pick up a wisp of the pill powder to sense its medicinal power.

After a moment, he raised his head with a professional smile: "Senior, these two bottles of pills are indeed of good quality, with pure medicinal power, and can be considered top-grade. However, according to our store's purchase price, we can only offer a maximum of 60,000 low-grade spirit stones."

Zhou Yuan knew that the shop's purchase price would definitely be lower than the market price. If these two bottles of pills were sold on Kui Xing Island, their value should be over 75,000 spirit stones.

However, his goal at this time was not to pursue the highest profit, but to quickly and safely realize a portion of his profits.

Tianxing City is a mixed bag, so it's not advisable to sell too many pills in one place; it's safest to sell them in a more dispersed manner. Sixty thousand spirit stones was within his expected range.

"Okay." Zhou Yuan agreed without haggling.

A hint of surprise flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes. He hadn't expected this Core Formation senior to be so easy to talk to. He quickly ordered someone to bring six boxes of mid-grade spirit stones, one hundred stones in each box, for a total of six hundred stones, worth sixty thousand low-grade spirit stones, and carefully handed them over.

Zhou Yuan put away the spirit stones, turned and left without lingering for a moment.

For the next ten days, Zhou Yuan wandered around Tianxing City's markets like a cautious traveling merchant.

He changed his disguise several times, altering his clothes and concealing his aura, and entered dozens of pill shops, material shops and even some reputable pawnshops of varying sizes and backgrounds, selling nearly half of the Core Formation stage cultivation pills he had on hand in batches.

These pills were of consistent quality, came from various sources, and he sold only small quantities each time, so they did not attract the special attention of any particular shop.

Occasionally, when the shopkeeper inquired about the source of the pills, he would only vaguely reply with phrases like "accumulated in his early years" or "commissioned by a friend." Seeing that he was a Core Formation cultivator, the shopkeepers didn't press him further.

After ten days, combined with his original savings, Zhou Yuan's total amount of spirit stones quietly climbed to 700,000 low-grade spirit stones!

This number seems astonishing.

However, in Tianxing City, a super melting pot that gathers the wealth of the Chaotic Star Sea, especially in the eyes of those large merchants who often deal in transactions involving hundreds of thousands or even millions of spirit stones, it is only at a slightly above-average level.

Moreover, Zhou Yuan sold the items in small batches, which did not cause any disturbance.

With this "cash flow," Zhou Yuan was full of confidence in bidding for the high-grade wood-attribute spirit stone.

According to his estimate, even if someone bids, the final price will hardly exceed 200,000 spirit stones, which is still within his range to handle comfortably.

"Next, we need to solve the housing problem."

With abundant spirit stones, Zhou Yuan began to consider the long term.

Since we've decided to make Tianxing City our base for the foreseeable future, we can't afford to rent the kind of "housing" where we live with others and have no privacy whatsoever.

For the sake of Yuan Yao and Yan Li, and also for his own convenience in cultivation, he needed to rent a secluded, independent cave dwelling.

Following the signs in the market, he arrived at a magnificent seven-story building located on the edge of the first floor.

The cultivators coming and going from this place were in an endless stream, with streaks of light constantly rising and falling. A huge jade plaque hung high above the lintel of the pavilion, with the ancient characters "Holy Mountain Residence Management Office" written on it.

It is the official agency of Xinggong responsible for the rental management of houses and cave dwellings on Sacred Mountain.

Zhou Yuan stepped into the hall, where the interior space was spacious and decorated in a simple yet grand style.

Soon, a middle-aged cultivator dressed in white Star Palace robes, with a cultivation level at the late Foundation Establishment stage, approached with a respectful yet assertive attitude: "Senior, are you looking to rent a place to live?"

"Yes, we need to rent a cave dwelling." Zhou Yuan said succinctly.

"A cave dwelling?"

The middle-aged cultivator glanced at Zhou Yuan briefly and reminded him, "Senior, the rent for an independent cave dwelling on the Holy Mountain is quite considerable."

"No problem, just tell me about it. The higher the floor, the better, and the location must be secluded."

Zhou Yuan's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

Seeing Zhou Yuan's composed demeanor, which suggested he wasn't penniless, the middle-aged cultivator said no more. He turned and retrieved a pale golden jade slip, briefly examining it with his divine sense, and then said:

"Senior, you've come at the right time. There are several vacant cave dwellings that meet the 'secluded' requirement on the 36th, 41st, and 47th floors. Here is a detailed description of their location, spiritual energy concentration, internal layout, and surrounding environment. Please take a look."

He handed the jade slip to Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan scanned the area with his divine sense and quickly locked onto one of the places: "How about this 'Boundless Cave' on the forty-seventh floor? What's the price?"

"Reporting to Senior, all cave dwellings and houses on the Holy Mountain have a minimum lease term of one hundred years. 'Boundless Cave' is located on the western edge of the forty-seventh level of the Holy Mountain. There are no other cave dwellings within a radius of twenty miles, making it extremely quiet. The concentration of spiritual energy is above average for the forty-seventh level. The rent is nine thousand low-grade spirit stones for one hundred years. After the one hundred-year term, priority can be given to renew the lease, and the price will be adjusted according to the regulations at that time." The middle-aged cultivator clearly quoted the price.

Nine thousand spirit stones for one hundred years!

This price is enough to deter many Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even some Core Formation cultivators with limited resources will have to think twice.

But Zhou Yuan only hesitated for a moment before nodding: "Okay, that's it."

He took out ninety mid-grade spirit stones directly from his storage bag and piled them on the jade platform next to him.

A hint of surprise flashed in the middle-aged cultivator's eyes. He hadn't expected this seemingly young Core Formation senior to be so straightforward.

His smile became even more genuine. After quickly counting the spirit stones and confirming that everything was correct, he took out a pale yellow token from the counter, engraved with intricate cloud patterns and the characters "Boundless," and presented it with both hands:

"Senior, this is the restriction token of 'Boundless Cave'. With this token, you can freely open and close all the original protective restrictions of the cave, and it also serves as proof of identity."

Please note that the token's validity period is the same as the lease period. It will automatically expire and be reclaimed after 100 years. Please keep it safe.

Zhou Yuan took the token, which felt warm and smooth to the touch. After verifying its authenticity with his divine sense, he put it away without saying anything more and turned to leave the Residence Management Office.

Having determined his direction, he rode the light of his escape, ascending upwards along the wide mountain path that spiraled upwards on the outer side of the sacred mountain.

The higher you go, the richer and purer the spiritual energy becomes, and the more sparse and exquisite the surrounding buildings become, mostly independent courtyards or cave entrances with faintly visible protective light.

Upon reaching the forty-seventh floor, following the directional guidance on the token, Zhou Yuan quickly found the "Boundless Cave" located on a small cliff face on the west side.

The cave entrance was partially hidden by vines and natural rocks, making it extremely difficult to find without the token's detection.

The surrounding area was indeed spacious, with the nearest buildings more than 20 miles away, perfectly meeting the requirement of "seclusion".

The cave dwelling has a large interior space, with multiple functional areas such as a main hall, a quiet room, an alchemy room, a spirit beast room, and a medicine garden.

Although it wasn't as well-managed and renovated as the Jade Peak Cave, its basic conditions were already excellent.

More importantly, this place is located on the forty-seventh level of the sacred mountain, and the quality of its spiritual veins is excellent.

Cultivating here is about a quarter faster than cultivating on Yuqi Peak of Kuixing Island!

Zhou Yuan was quite satisfied.

He did not fully trust the original restrictions of the Star Palace, and set up several layers of early warning and protective formations that he had made himself at key locations inside and outside the cave, nesting and combining them with the original restrictions.