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

That's all.

Li Pao channeled a wisp of magical power into the white jade mirror.

The small shield trembled slightly, then emitted a soft white light, instantly forming a semi-transparent, crystal-like defensive shield between the two.

Zhou Yuan probed with his divine sense, sensing the strength of the defensive shield—it was indeed not weak.

As long as the magic power is sufficient, this treasure is not afraid even when facing a fierce attack from a late-stage Core Formation cultivator.

"This item is indeed quite good."

Zhou Yuan nodded.

"When Fellow Daoist Mu Qiu mortgaged it back then, it was valued at 140,000 spirit stones."

Li Pao squinted, a beaming smile on his face. "Fellow Daoist Zhou is a straightforward person, so I won't ask for much—160,000 spirit stones, this treasure is yours."

160,000 spirit stones.

Zhou Yuan deliberately frowned and did not respond immediately.

With his wealth, he could easily come up with 160,000.

But he understood the principle of not flaunting one's wealth.

If you agree too readily, you'll be taken advantage of and cause endless trouble later on.

Seeing this, Li Pao assumed that Zhou Yuan thought it was too expensive, so he quickly added, "In that case, I will make the decision to reduce the price by another five thousand spirit stones for Fellow Daoist Zhou, as a way of making friends."

"I only hope that if there is an opportunity in the future, Fellow Daoist Zhou could help me refine a batch of pills, what do you say?"

He knew Zhou Yuan was a master alchemist with exceptional skills. A favor from a master alchemist was worth far more than five thousand spirit stones.

"Okay!" Zhou Yuan readily agreed, a look of satisfaction on his face.

He handed over the spirit stones and took the White Jade Mirror. From this moment on, this ancient treasure belonged to him.

After leaving Fengle Alliance, Zhou Yuan returned to Wuya Cave.

In the days that followed, he stayed indoors, locking himself in his quiet room to carefully study the materials he had bought from the market.

The distribution of the monster islands, the habits of the monsters, the sea areas where they appear, the dangerous seasons, and the best times to hunt them...

He repeatedly perused, marked, and deduced from the books and jade slips.

Two weeks later, he finally made a discovery.

"Ink-belly Island".

Zhou Yuan's gaze fell on that inconspicuous mark on the map.

This island is located on the edge of the outer sea, hundreds of thousands of miles away from Tianxing City, and is a famous island of monsters.

It is said that there are many monsters in the waters outside the island and in the surrounding waters, and cultivators often go there in teams to hunt them.

Most importantly, according to historical records, a level-seven demon beast, the Jade Spirit Python, was once hunted in the waters near Ink Belly Island.

The main ingredient needed to refine the Heavenly Origin Pill—the Ink-Scaled Beast—has also been found around this island.

"This is it."

Zhou Yuan closed the map, having already made up his mind.

He told Yuan Yao and Yan Li about his decision to go to sea to hunt demons.

"Brother Zhou, I've already reached the Core Formation stage, let's go together. It'll be better for two people to look after each other than for you to venture into dangerous territory alone," Yuan Yao said immediately, her eyes full of concern.

Zhou Yuan shook his head, his tone gentle yet firm: "No. My target for this voyage is a level seven demon beast. You've just formed your core, and your cultivation level isn't fully stable yet. Going there wouldn't be of much help; it would only distract me."

Your staying in the cave and focusing on consolidating your cultivation is the greatest support you can give me.

He took out the jade tablet that controlled the restrictions of the Boundless Cave Master from his bosom and handed it to Yuan Yao:

"Take this. The safety of the cave is now in your hands."

Yuan Yao took the jade token, knowing that anything she said would be useless, so she could only nod and repeatedly warn, "Brother Zhou, be careful in everything. If there is any danger, do not force yourself; preserving your life is the most important thing."

Don't worry.

Zhou Yuan left behind another batch of pills suitable for early-stage Core Formation cultivators to improve their magical power for Yuan Yao's cultivation before leaving the cave.

He went directly to the fiftieth level of the holy mountain.

Here stands a magnificent white marble palace, with a huge plaque several meters long hanging above its entrance.

Three large characters written in gold powder—

Starry Sky Palace.

This is the teleportation hub set up by the Star Palace.

Through the teleportation array inside the hall, cultivators can instantly reach the distant monster island in the outer sea, greatly reducing the time and risks of long journeys.

Of course, the cost is not cheap—each teleportation requires a fee of 700 low-grade spirit stones, and the teleportation array can only carry a maximum of seven people at a time.

Zhou Yuan stepped into the main hall, walked through a short corridor, and suddenly the view opened up before him.

A spacious hall, over twenty feet long and wide, came into view.

Inside the hall, two Star Palace cultivators dressed in white stood guard.

Their auras were deep and composed; they were all at the Core Formation stage!

On the other side, six cultivators were talking to one of the white-robed Star Palace cultivators, seemingly going through the teleportation process.

Zhou Yuan scanned the group briefly with his divine sense—two of the six were Core Formation stage cultivators, while the remaining four were in the mid-to-late Foundation Establishment stage.

As soon as Zhou Yuan walked in, everyone's eyes turned to him.

The two white-robed cultivators from the Star Palace remained calm, as if they were used to this.

However, the other five cultivators (except for one Core Formation cultivator) had a hint of joy in their eyes—another person had arrived, and perhaps they could teleport together and split the cost.

"Is this fellow Daoist also going to the Demon Beast Island?" Among the six, a woman in her thirties suddenly smiled and took the initiative to greet Zhou Yuan, "Why don't you teleport with us? The cost will be split equally among everyone, and each person only needs to pay one hundred spirit stones, which is much cheaper than teleporting alone."

Zhou Yuan understood their scheme perfectly well.

The teleportation array can teleport a maximum of seven people at a time, with a fixed cost of seven hundred spirit stones.

The more people there are, the cheaper it is to split the cost. These six people must have been put together temporarily, and they are waiting for a seventh person to come and make up the numbers.

However, Zhou Yuan merely glanced at them indifferently before looking away.

"No."

He spoke in a flat tone and walked straight toward another free Star Palace white-robed monk.

Seven hundred spirit stones? Why would Zhou Yuan care about that? He was even less willing to teleport with a group of strangers, which would only add more uncertainty.

"I want to go to Inkbelly Island."

Zhou Yuan spoke to the white-robed Star Palace cultivator.

The other party nodded and handed over a teleportation list. Zhou Yuan glanced at it, confirmed it was correct, and then directly paid seven hundred spirit stones.

The white-robed cultivator accepted the spirit stones, then took out a pale gold talisman from his robes and handed it to Zhou Yuan: "This is a teleportation talisman. Please keep it safe. Attach this talisman to your body when activating the teleportation array!"

The teleportation talisman functions similarly to the "Great Teleportation Token" that Zhou Yuan obtained back then.

They are all used to protect cultivators from damage during spatial teleportation.

The difference is that the Great Teleportation Token is a rare treasure that can be used without restriction, while this teleportation talisman is said to be made only by the Star Palace and is effective only once.

Zhou Yuan took the teleportation talisman and stood in front of the teleportation array marked "Ink Belly Island".

The white-robed Star Palace cultivator activated the formation, and a low, buzzing sound rang out.

The runes around the teleportation array lit up one by one, emitting a dazzling spiritual light.

"Activate the teleportation rune."

Zhou Yuan followed instructions and affixed the teleportation talisman to his chest. The talisman instantly transformed into a light golden shield, enveloping his entire body.

The next moment, a burst of white light engulfed his figure completely.

Inside the teleportation array, only the gradually dissipating spiritual light and the empty ground remained.

The six cultivators looked at each other, and some of them couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh.

"Seven hundred spirit stones... and just one person teleported away? What a waste!"

"They're a Core Formation cultivator, wealthy and powerful. Why would they care about such a small amount of spirit stones?"

"Sigh, what a pity, we still have to wait for one more person..."

Amid the discussions.

Zhou Yuan's figure had already traveled tens of thousands of miles, embarking on his journey to Ink Belly Island.