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

Seven equipment slots!

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged, gazing at the extra square in the light screen.

An overwhelming surge of excitement welled up within me.

With each additional slot in his equipment inventory, his cultivation speed, mana regeneration speed, comprehension of various spells and supernatural abilities, and probability of breaking through bottlenecks will all see significant improvements.

Each additional square increases your chances of success.

Now that everything is ready, we can prepare for the formation of the infant!

However, the location for forming the Nascent Soul must not be Biling Island.

The Nascent Soul formation phenomenon is no small matter. Even cultivators or demonic beasts with high cultivation levels can sense it from thousands or even tens of thousands of miles away.

This is the outer sea, teeming with monsters.

If the Nascent Soul phenomenon occurs and attracts a transformed demon beast, the secret of Biling Island may be exposed.

Moreover, if a human were to form a Nascent Soul, the transformed demon beasts would not hesitate to destroy it—every additional Nascent Soul a human has poses an additional threat to the demon race.

How could they possibly let such a golden opportunity slip by?

The most important thing to avoid is to prevent disturbance during the formation of the infant.

If they were surrounded and attacked by monsters at a critical moment, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, it is necessary to go to the Inland Sea to perform the fetal formation.

The Inner Sea is a place where human cultivators live. Even if other Nascent Soul cultivators sense the movement of forming their Nascent Souls, they will not easily offend them.

Since they didn't know if there were any protectors, few people would act rashly.

Zhou Yuan opened his eyes, opened the stone door of the meditation room, and came to the main hall of the cave.

Yuan Yao, Yan Li, Ouyang Qing, and Zhou Tian (incarnation) are all present.

Upon seeing him emerge from the pass, the women quickly surrounded him.

"Stop," Zhou Yuan said. "We need to go to the Inner Sea."

"To the Inner Sea?" Yuan Yao paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

Although she and Yanli could endure long periods of arduous training, they also occasionally longed to see the outside world.

Moreover, they never questioned Zhou Yuan's decisions.

Ouyang Qing's eyes lit up.

She had been away from home and her father for a long time. Her father, Ouyang Gongshou, was nearing the end of his life. If she could go back to visit him, she would be more than happy to do so.

Zhou Tian nodded silently, needing no further explanation.

Zhou Yuan walked to the center of the cave and raised his hand to make a gesture—

The Spirit Eye Spring, which was rooted in this place, transformed into a clear stream, which he took into his palm and re-equipped into his first equipment slot.

When forming the Nascent Soul, a high-quality spiritual vein is required.

The Fountain of Spiritual Eyes can provide such an environment.

With everything packed up, the group boarded the Divine Wind Boat and left Biling Island.

……

Two months later.

Five figures appeared in the simple stone house in the center of Silver Shark Island.

Without delay, Zhou Yuan led everyone directly back to Tianxing City.

Stepping out of the Starry Sky Palace, Zhou Yuan intended to leave the city directly, but Ouyang Qing cautiously spoke up:

"Master...I...I want to go see my father."

She lowered her head, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Even after being away for so long, my father's voice and smile often appear in my mind.

He doesn't have much time left to live, and as his daughter, I can't be by his side to fulfill my filial duties...

Seeing her cautious demeanor, Zhou Yuan's heart softened, and he nodded.

"I'll go with you to see Brother Ouyang."

On one hand, it's about saying goodbye to old friends; on the other hand—it concerns the secret of Biling Island.

He didn't doubt Ouyang Qing; it was just his personality.

The spirit stone mine on Biling Island is of paramount importance and must not be exposed.

When Ouyang Qing reminisces with her father, if there is any telepathic communication, it cannot be hidden from him.

I'll feel more at ease if I go and keep an eye on things.

The group arrived at the headquarters of the Six-Hall Hall in the first-level market of Tianxing City.

Today, the Six Linked Halls have long since moved their headquarters here, occupying a vast area with magnificent buildings, making it much more impressive than before.

Ouyang Gong was handling affairs in the palace when he saw Zhou Yuan and his daughter, and was overjoyed.

"Brother Zhou! Qing'er!"

He strode forward, his gaze falling on his daughter, his eyes filled with love and joy.

Ouyang Qing rushed over and hugged her father tightly.

"father……"

Zhou Yuan stood aside, watching the father and daughter reminisce.

Ouyang Qing held her father's hand, spoke intimately about everyday matters, her eyes filled with tears, but she held them back.

Ouyang Gong gently patted his daughter's hand, his face full of smiles, a smile that contained a hint of reluctance and a hint of relief.

Zhou Yuan watched quietly, without disturbing him.

His divine sense covered the surroundings, and no movement could escape his perception.

After catching up for a long time, the book lovers were all in the discussion area, chatting about the charm of Xianxia novels. Ouyang Qing finally reluctantly let go of her father's hand.

Ouyang Gong turned to Zhou Yuan, his expression becoming serious:

"Brother Zhou, the Palace Master told me the other day that if I see you again, I must tell her that she wants to see you alone."

Zhou Yuan was slightly taken aback, then shook his head.

"No need. I have important matters to attend to. Let's talk again another time when we have the chance."

He knew in his heart that the Snow Night Palace Master had probably already guessed that he was the one who saved her back then.

The Six Linked Palaces of the Snow Night Palace Master have close ties with the Star Palace. At this crucial moment before Nascent Soul formation, it's best to minimize contact with her.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Ouyang Gong didn't say much, but just sighed.

"Brother Zhou, then... take care."

Zhou Yuan nodded and led everyone away from the Six-Linked Palace.

……

More than two months later.

……

More than two months later.

Inner Star Sea, in the northwestern sea area.

Following the nautical chart, Zhou Yuan led everyone on a flight until they finally arrived at an island called "Luotian Island".

This island spans thousands of miles and is rich in spiritual energy. There is a medium-sized sect on the island—the Golden Sun Sect.

The sect leader is a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, and there are three other Core Formation elders in the sect.

Zhou Yuan chose this island because there were no major sects or Nascent Soul cultivators within a radius of tens of thousands of miles.

The spiritual veins of Jinyang Gate are even better than those of Qingyun Mountain on Kuixing Island back then.

He couldn't use the spiritual veins of those major sects to form his nascent soul; he could only choose a place with a better spiritual vein from an ordinary sect.

The group quietly landed on the island.

Without alerting anyone, Zhou Yuan concealed his presence and arrived deep within the Jin Yang Mountain spiritual vein, which was occupied by the Jin Yang Sect.

In a secluded valley, he used his magic to carve out a simple cave dwelling.

"Zhou Lang, why did we come to Luo Tian Island?" Yuan Yao and Yan Li finally asked the question that had been on their minds.

Zhou Yuan looked at them and slowly said:

"Because I need to borrow the spiritual veins of Jinyang Mountain to form my Nascent Soul."

"Nascent Soul Formation?!"

The two women stared at him in disbelief.

Nascent Soul Formation—that's a realm that countless Core Formation cultivators dream of but can never attain! Zhou Lang has actually reached this stage?

"Zhou Lang, since you've made your decision, you must be well-prepared..." Yuan Yao took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart.

"Um."

Zhou Yuan nodded. "I've brought you all here so you can protect me."

He took out the equipment for the mysterious killing formation and began to set it up.

Several illusion arrays and several defensive arrays are indispensable.

The incredibly powerful and mysterious killing formation is of paramount importance—its power varies greatly depending on whether it is activated by someone or not.

This is also why Zhou Yuan asked Yuan Yao and Yan Li to come along.

At the crucial moment of his Nascent Soul formation, they need to control the formation to resist all possible interference.

After setting up the formation, Zhou Yuan took out the Spirit Eye Spring and placed it in the quiet room, connecting it to the earth's veins.

The already abundant spiritual vein experienced a surge in spiritual energy under the blessing of the Spirit Eye Spring.

Next, Zhou Yuan spent another month studying the pill formula and refining a batch of Mind-Enlightening Pills.

This pill can calm the mind and soothe the spirit. Although it is not as powerful as the legendary Soul-Stabilizing Pill in resisting inner demons, it is better than nothing.

Every bit of preparation might just be the one thing that's most needed.

It's better to be prepared.

After doing all this, Zhou Yuan left the cave alone and came to a secluded mountain peak with beautiful scenery nearby.

He sat down quietly, cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

In my mind, my past life experiences unfolded slowly like a scroll.

He was a transmigrator, and his memories of his previous life were almost completely severed.

The helplessness of being a rogue cultivator in Huangfeng Valley Market, the excitement of successfully refining pills for the first time, the trepidation at the beginning of his transmigration, the ecstasy of forming his core, the thrill of life-and-death battles, the tenderness with Yuan Yao Yanli, and that night with Zi Ling...

As the memories became clearer, Zhou Yuan's expression shifted between joy and anger.

Unpredictable.

Three days later.

His expression finally calmed down, as still as a deep well.

He stopped thinking about anything and quietly comprehended the way of heaven and earth.

Feel that mysterious, unseen presence.

Another month has passed.

When Zhou Yuan returned to his cave, his body, mind, and magical power were all at their peak.

In particular, the tempering of one's mindset has reached a new level.

He looked at Yuan Yao and Yan Li, and said solemnly:

"No matter what happens, don't bother me."

He then entered the meditation room, the stone door slowly closed, and the restriction fell.