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

Zhou Yuan is now rich in resources.

Providing for Yuan Yao, Yan Li, Ouyang Qing, and the other girls to cultivate was relatively easy.

He himself had even reached the False Infant Realm!

The next step is the Nascent Soul stage!

However, ordinary cultivation resources are of little use if one wants to form a Nascent Soul.

We must find something to increase the probability of Nascent Soul formation; it could be elixirs or spiritual items.

"Currently, it's estimated that it will be another fifteen or sixteen years before the Void Heaven Palace appears..."

Zhou Yuan murmured to himself.

The Void Heaven Palace is full of opportunities. Besides the Void Heaven Cauldron and the Heaven-Mending Pill, there are many other elixirs, cultivation techniques, ancient treasures, and other fortuitous encounters.

However, there is now a problem.

They had a feud with the bearded man back then.

With the opening of the Void Heaven Palace this time, it's highly likely that Barbarian Beard will also go there to search for treasures.

If we were to run into them there, and they turned against us, it would be extremely dangerous...

Zhou Yuan wasn't arrogant enough to use his fake infant cultivation to deal with the bearded man who was in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm!

"You must reach the Nascent Soul stage before going to the Void Heaven Palace..."

Zhou Yuan made up his mind.

At present, the most important thing is to achieve infantile regeneration!

If he hadn't reached the Nascent Soul stage, he hadn't planned to go to the Void Heaven Palace. Anyway, the Void Heaven Palace only appears once every three hundred years, so he would still have a chance in the future.

However, before seeking the opportunity to form a Nascent Soul, Zhou Yuan had one more thing to do.

Set up a teleportation array

In the future, the Reverse Star Alliance will emerge and declare war on the Star Palace, plunging the Star Sea into chaos.

The Star Palace's teleportation array may be out of service by then, so you need to prepare in advance.

"You can focus on your cultivation here from now on, and dig for spirit stones when you have time," Zhou Yuan said. "I will come back here regularly."

Yuan Yao and Yan Li nodded in agreement.

They knew that Zhou Yuan had his own things to do and wouldn't stay here for long.

Ouyang Qing stood obediently to the side, secretly vowing to cultivate diligently and achieve the Core Formation as soon as possible to help her master share the burden.

……

Six months later.

Zhou Yuan set up a large teleportation array next to his meditation room.

He had already purchased the materials, and it took him a full six months to set up the array, repeatedly rehearsing and debugging, before finally succeeding in building it.

This teleportation array will be connected to another teleportation array that he will set up in the inner sea in the future.

In the future, when traveling to and from Biling Island, there will be no need to spend months flying across the vast open sea.

And in these six months.

Yuan Yao, Yan Li, and Zhou Tian controlled the puppets and mined another batch of spirit stones.

Eight thousand mid-grade spirit stones, which translates to eight hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones!

Twenty more high-grade spirit stones!

Every time they mined high-grade spirit stones, the girls would be extremely excited.

Yuan Yao and Yan Li were born into humble circumstances; a hundred years ago, they were just wandering cultivators who drifted with the tide.

Even a thousand spirit stones had to be gritted and taken out.

Now, they handle so many spirit stones every day; it's like a dream.

A few months ago, seeing how excited her two teachers' wives were, Ouyang Qing was also eager to try.

Although she was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, she was born with a powerful divine sense and had also cultivated the first level of the Great Evolution Technique, making her divine sense comparable to that of the later stage.

The number of puppets they control can reach more than two hundred, and they gradually integrate into this small "mining team".

"Alright, now you can focus on your cultivation and mining here," Zhou Yuan said. "I've already set up a teleportation array. Next time you come, I'll teleport directly from the inner sea."

Although the girls were reluctant to part, they knew that Zhou Yuan had important business to attend to.

Yuan Yao stepped forward, straightened his clothes, and said softly:

"Zhou Lang, be careful in everything you do."

Yanli leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Ouyang Qing stood to the side, her eyes filled with a mixture of affection and reluctance.

Zhou Yuan patted her head and said gently, "Cultivate diligently."

Zhou Yuan then left Biling Island.

……

Two months later, Zhou Yuan returned to Tianxing City.

Instead of rushing to do other things, he went to the thirty-first floor of the Holy Mountain and arrived at the cultivator's cave called "Immaculate Cave".

The communication talisman from before still hovered above the cave's protective barrier, unnoticed by anyone.

"Still not here?"

Zhou Yuan frowned slightly, shook his head, and turned to leave.

After leaving Wugou Cave, Zhou Yuan went to another place—Jinwu Cave.

Several years ago, Fan Jingmei began preparing to form her core, but it's unclear how things are going now.

He arrived outside the cave and sent out a sound transmission talisman.

A moment later, the cave door slowly opened.

A slender figure stood at the door; it was Fan Jingmei.

Today she was dressed in a magnificent palace gown, with a flowing skirt, a gold ribbon around her waist, and her hair styled in a high bun, exuding an air of nobility.

That aura was completely different from before—it was the transcendent and confident air of a Core Formation cultivator after a complete transformation.

She has achieved the Golden Core stage.

He was no longer the humble Foundation Establishment cultivator he once was.

There was another woman standing next to her.

The woman appeared to be around sixteen years old, with a beautiful face and gentle temperament, and she also exuded the aura of the early stage of Core Formation.

"You're back."

Fan Jingmei saw Zhou Yuan outside the door, and her eyes flashed with a complex emotion. She then focused on Han Paopao from Luanxinghai, Kele Novels, and every update of "In Huangfeng Valley, I Have an Equipment Slot!"

The proud expression on her face faltered slightly, then a hint of allure appeared.

She just stood there, smiling at him.

Fairy Yuwei glanced at Fan Jingmei, then at Zhou Yuan, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.

Fan Jingmei has lived alone here all these years, and there has never been any news of her having a Taoist partner.

The man who visited today seems to have a close relationship with the other man...

"Sister Jingmei, who is this...?" Fairy Yuwei asked softly.

"Yuwei, this is my Daoist partner, Zhou Yuan," Fan Jingmei introduced with a smile.

"Zhou Lang, this is Fairy Yuwei, my newly acquainted sister, who lives nearby."

Zhou Yuan looked at Fairy Yuwei and nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist Yuwei."

"Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Fairy Yuwei bowed in return, glanced at Fan Jingmei, and said tactfully, "You two must rarely meet, so I won't disturb you any longer."

After saying that, she transformed into a streak of light and left the Golden House Cave.

After she walked away, Fan Jingmei stepped aside to make way for the cave entrance and said softly, "Come in quickly."

Zhou Yuan stepped into the cave.

The stone gate slowly closed.

It isolated them from all external sight and consciousness.

next moment--

Fan Jingmei knelt down and kowtowed deeply.

"Master, please forgive my overstepping my bounds!"

She lay prone on the ground, her elegant and luxurious palace dress spread out, making her figure even more graceful.

She didn't dare to look up, but whispered, "Yuwei was here just now, and I didn't want her to look down on me..."

Zhou Yuan looked at her, his eyes showing no anger, but rather a hint of admiration.

This woman is very smart.

Knowing when to be proud and when to bow one's head.

He stepped forward, reached out and pinched her chin, lifting her face up.

Her face was still beautiful, but her brows now held a hint of the confidence and composure that belonged to a Core Formation cultivator.

At this moment, she looked up at him, her eyes filled with a hint of trepidation, a hint of anticipation, and a hint of affection that was hard to conceal.

"You are now a Core Formation cultivator," Zhou Yuan said calmly. "From now on, you no longer need to consider yourself a servant."

A hint of surprise flashed in Fan Jingmei's eyes.

"Thank you, Master... Thank you, Brother Zhou!" She quickly corrected herself, a smile spreading across her eyes.

She then got up and thoughtfully helped him undress, poured him tea, and massaged his shoulders and back—as attentive as ever, even more so than before.

Although she had already formed her core, she always remembered who gave her everything.

Moreover, she had a vague intuition that Zhou Yuan was definitely not as simple as he appeared to be, who was only at the early stage of Core Formation.

That night was naturally filled with tenderness.

……

The clouds dispersed and the rain stopped.

Fan Jingmei lay naked beside Zhou Yuan, her soft hands gently stroking his chest.

The cave was dimly lit, with only a few luminous pearls emitting a soft glow that made her skin appear as smooth as jade and her curves exquisite.

After a long silence, she suddenly spoke:

"Zhou Lang...you are actually the mysterious person who killed Wu Chou back then, aren't you?"

Zhou Yuan turned his head to look at her, his gaze deep.

"You are very smart."

He did not deny it.

A light instantly shone in Fan Jingmei's eyes!

That mysterious person back then was rumored to be in the late stage of Core Formation, or even a pseudo-infant!

Her man is incredibly powerful!

What does this mean?

This means that Zhou Yuan is very likely to achieve the Nascent Soul cultivation level in the future!

She lay on top of him, her heart pounding, too excited to speak.

"I know you have ambitions."

Zhou Yuan said calmly, "Now that you have reached the Core Formation stage, I will sponsor you to establish a force of your own."

Fan Jingmei looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief.

To expand one's own territory?

She had considered this before.

But at that time she was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If she wanted to build up her power, the only way was to use her beauty to win over Core Formation cultivators as her backers.

That's something Zhou Yuan would absolutely not allow.

But things are different now.

She has already achieved the Golden Core stage and no longer needs to use that method.

"These spirit stones are my savings over the years. You can use them to set up a chamber of commerce." Zhou Yuan took out a total of four thousand mid-grade spirit stones from his storage bag and piled them in front of her.

The crystalline light made Fan Jingmei's eyes slightly red.

Four thousand mid-grade spirit stones, converted to low-grade spirit stones, is four hundred thousand!

After she achieved the Golden Core stage, she considered starting her own business, but she lacked the start-up capital.

And Zhou Yuan, without saying a word, gave her so much...

"Zhou Lang..."

She choked back tears and hugged him tightly.

……

The next day.

Zhou Yuan left Jinwudong.

Instead of returning to the Boundless Cave, he went straight to the Starry Sky Palace on the fiftieth floor of the Holy Mountain.

"Let's go to Qiyuan Island."

After paying the spirit stones, Zhou Yuan addressed the Star Palace cultivator and then accepted the teleportation talisman.

A flash of white light.

His figure disappeared into the teleportation array.