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

Arriving at the residence that Miaoyin Sect had rented in Tianxing City, Zhou Yuan slowed his pace.

The courtyard gate still consists of two vermilion wooden doors, with an inconspicuous plaque hanging above the doorway, bearing only the four small characters "Miaoyin Bieyuan" (妙音别院), so understated that it almost blends into the bustling atmosphere of the market.

Two female disciples of the Miaoyin Sect, dressed in plain white dresses, stood at the entrance, each holding a sword. They were both at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, with delicate features and upright postures.

Upon seeing Zhou Yuan, they immediately bowed respectfully, their attitude extremely courteous: "Greetings, Elder Zhou!"

According to the rules of the Miaoyin Sect, all disciples must memorize the portraits of every guest elder in the sect, so as not to offend important people in the future.

Zhou Yuan's portrait had been hanging in the gate for more than ten years, so the two disciples on duty naturally recognized him at a glance.

"Is the sect leader here?" Zhou Yuan asked directly.

"Reporting to the elder, the sect leader is not currently in Tianxing City; he has gone out to handle a business matter."

One of the female disciples replied respectfully, "However, Left Envoy Zhuo is currently handling matters in the courtyard. Would the Elder like to see her?"

Left Envoy Zhuo? Zhuo Ruting?

Zhou Yuan remembered this name.

According to the original description, this woman's temperament seemed very similar to Nangong Wan's, causing Han Li to be momentarily stunned when he first saw her.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Yuan nodded: "Take me to see her."

"Yes, Elder, please follow me."

The female disciple led Zhou Yuan through the courtyard and around a screen wall.

We arrived at the main hall deep inside the courtyard.

In the hall, a woman sat upright in the main seat, holding a jade slip in her hands.

It seems like they are looking up something.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up and her eyes met Zhou Yuan's.

The woman was wearing a light green dress, which was well-tailored and accentuated her shapely figure.

Her appearance was also extremely outstanding—her eyebrows slanted upwards, her phoenix eyes were long and slender, her nose was high and straight, her thin lips were slightly pursed, and her beautiful eyes contained a hint of sharp murderous intent.

It's obvious at a glance that she's the kind of woman who has long held a high position, used to giving orders and wielding power.

But for men, this kind of aloof and sharp temperament actually arouses a desire to conquer.

She is Zhuo Ruting, the Left Envoy of the Miaoyin Sect.

"Greetings, Elder Zhou."

Zhuo Ruting put down the jade slip, stood up and bowed, her posture respectful yet measured.

Even though she was the Left Envoy of the sect, her cultivation level was only at the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Naturally, they dared not act arrogantly in front of Zhou Yuan, a guest elder in the Core Formation stage.

"Elder Zhou, what brings you here today? Is there something you wish to ask?" She looked up at Zhou Yuan, her tone softening.

Zhou Yuan took his seat in the hall and, without beating around the bush, asked directly:

"Left Envoy Zhuo, do you know if the sect has recently received any information about spirit bamboo that is over a thousand years old? Or anything related to that?"

"Spirit Bamboo?" Zhuo Ruting was slightly taken aback, then shook her head. "As far as I know, the sect has not collected any such items yet. If the elder needs Spirit Bamboo, I can have someone keep an eye out, and if there is any news, I will immediately inform the elder."

"Okay." Zhou Yuan nodded, then added, "I need to collect some spirit bamboo, the older the better, the variety doesn't matter. If you have any news, be sure to let me know immediately."

He paused, looked directly at Zhuo Ruting, and his tone became more serious:

"No matter the price, I'm willing to buy it at 30% above the market price."

Priced 30% higher than the market price – this is an incredibly favorable offer.

Zhuo Ruting's heart stirred slightly, but her face remained calm. She simply nodded solemnly, "Elder Zhou, rest assured, Ruting has remembered. If there is any news about the Spirit Bamboo, I will report to you immediately."

Zhou Yuan did not linger any longer.

He came here in advance to prepare for any eventuality and to give prior notice.

As for whether we'll happen to be there when Lei Zhu appears that day, that depends on fate.

After leaving Miaoyin Courtyard, Zhou Yuan once again stepped into the crowds of the market.

This experience of acquiring medicinal herbs made him realize one thing clearly:

It's almost impossible to buy a level 7 demon core in a short period of time.

Resources of this caliber are extremely rare.

Large-scale markets may only be seen once every ten or twenty years.

Moreover, once it appears, it will be immediately fought over by various forces, and there will be no time for him to bid slowly.

Most transactions take place privately—through introductions from acquaintances, barter, and personal favors.

But outsiders have no idea how to access these channels.

As the master of Kui Xing Island, Master Mu Long had cultivated his influence for many years and had extensive connections. Yet, it still took him a hundred years to acquire the medicinal materials for both the Bi Ling Dan and the Tian Yuan Dan.

Author Luan Xinghai Han Paopao presents "In Huangfeng Valley, I Have an Equipment Slot!" on Cola Novels.

Zhou Yuanchu had only been in Tianxing City for a little over ten years, so he naturally couldn't compare to him in this respect.

"It seems I still need to go to the outer sea to hunt demons," Zhou Yuan murmured to himself.

Money isn't everything; at least for now, buying a level seven demon core is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Rather than waiting idly for an opportunity.

It's better to take the initiative.

Over the next few days, Zhou Yuan ran around the market in Tianxing City.

He made a special trip to several large bookstores and bought a large number of maps of the outer sea, maps of the distribution of monster islands, as well as classics and jade slips that recorded the habits and habitats of various common monsters in the outer sea.

Although these materials are not top secret, they are essential for cultivators preparing to go to sea to hunt demons.

Having collected enough information, he turned and headed towards the center of the market.

We arrived at the magnificent seven-story pavilion – Fengle Alliance.

Zhou Yuan came here with only one purpose: to purchase a defensive magic weapon.

Let me take stock of my possessions—in terms of offense, I have the Green Radiance Sword in hand. This is a magic weapon that I seized from a Core Formation cultivator of the Spirit Control Sect. Although it is not top-tier, it is still quite handy to use after years of refinement.

In terms of magical abilities, he has mastered the two powerful intermediate-to-high-level spells, "Golden Dragon Scissors Killing Technique" and "Heavenly Fire Technique," to perfection, and their power is considerable.

However, in terms of defense, it is almost non-existent.

Relying solely on that mid-level defensive spell, the Undying Golden Body Shield, is definitely not enough to ensure safety.

He still doesn't have a decent defensive magic weapon, let alone any ancient treasures.

In the face of a powerful enemy, relying solely on protective spells and improvisation is undoubtedly a major weakness in the treacherous and unpredictable outer seas.

He had long envisioned his natal magic weapon—it would require spiritual bamboo materials, especially top-grade spiritual bamboo like Thunder Bamboo, to refine a natal magic weapon that best suited him.

But this matter cannot be rushed.

The only option is to purchase a suitable defensive magic item to solve the immediate problem.

Upon entering Fengle Alliance, a manager immediately came forward to greet them.

Zhou Yuan didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I'm here to buy defensive magic items. If there are any ancient treasures, that would be even better."

The advantage of ancient treasures is that they do not require a long period of refinement and can exert considerable power as soon as they are obtained, making them most suitable for situations like his where he urgently needs to improve his combat power.

Upon hearing this, the manager immediately led Zhou Yuan to a private room on the second floor: "Please wait a moment, senior. I will go and fetch the manager right away."

Shortly after, the door to the private room was pushed open.

The newcomer was plump, with a smiling face and eyes narrowed into slits, exuding the shrewdness typical of a businessman.

It was Li Pao, the Fengle Alliance elder stationed in Tianxing City, whom Zhou Yuan had met briefly at the auction.

"Huh? Fellow Daoist Zhou?"

Upon seeing Zhou Yuan, Li Pao's smile widened, and his eyes almost narrowed into slits.

Of course he remembered this generous person—who had once spent 170,000 spirit stones for a single high-grade spirit stone.

Who would forget such a major client?

"Fellow Daoist Li, I've come to buy a defensive magic weapon. If you have an ancient one, that would be even better, as it would save me the time of refining it."

Zhou Yuan got straight to the point.

Upon hearing this, Li Pao's smile widened, and he clapped his hands, saying, "Haha, what a coincidence! Fellow Daoist Zhou has arrived just in time!"

As he spoke, he invited Zhou Yuan to sit down and personally poured him a cup of spiritual tea before beginning his explanation:

"Ten years ago, there was a rogue cultivator on Fufeng Island named Mu Qiu who pawned an ancient treasure at our Fengle Alliance. At the time, he urgently needed spirit stones to buy medicinal herbs for alchemy, so he temporarily pawned the item here, promising to redeem it later. Who knew..."

Li Pao sighed, "A year ago, we received definite news that this Fellow Daoist Mu Qiu had met with misfortune while hunting demons in the outer sea and had perished. According to the rules, if the pledged property is not redeemed by the due date, it will be disposed of by our Fengle Alliance."

"Oh? What kind of ancient treasure is it?"

Zhou Yuan immediately became interested.

Li Pao didn't keep anyone in suspense and took out an exquisite jade box from his storage bag.

Open it gently.

Inside the jade box lay a small, white shield, as smooth as a mirror, about the size of a palm, its surface shimmering and radiating a faint spiritual light.

The shield surface is as smooth as a mirror, with faint, intricate cloud patterns visible, making it clear at a glance that it is no ordinary item.

"This treasure is called the 'White Jade Mirror'."

Li Pao explained, "Although it's called a mirror, it's actually a shield. Just inject some magic power to activate it, and it will automatically generate a defensive shield to protect the whole body. According to Fellow Daoist Mu Qiu, this shield has extremely strong defensive power and is difficult for cultivators of the same level to break through. He once used this treasure to withstand the siege of three early Core Formation cultivators and finally escaped unscathed."