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

"Some ancient pill formulas with demon-transforming cores as the main ingredient."

Zhou Yuan frankly stated his demands, looking calmly at the Lord of Xueye Palace.

"A demon-transforming core..."

Xueye paused for a moment, then nodded. "This kind of pill formula is indeed rarely developed in the cultivation world today. However, I remember that the hall has two ancient pill formulas that have been passed down from ancient times, which should meet your requirements."

She barely hesitated before turning around to get to work.

In the side hall, only Zhou Yuan and Ling Yuling remained.

The atmosphere was rather subtle.

The two were meeting for the first time and were unfamiliar with each other.

Zhou Yuan picked up his teacup and slowly sipped the spiritual tea, his gaze falling on the window as if admiring the bustling scene of the market.

Ling Yuling sat opposite him, her phoenix eyes sweeping over him for a moment before she finally broke the silence.

"Master Zhou, may I ask how old you are?"

Her voice was clear and melodious, yet carried a hint of languor, making it impossible to tell whether it was casual small talk or a deliberate probing.

"He must be almost two hundred years old."

Zhou Yuan responded casually, his gaze still fixed on the view outside the window.

Ling Yuling raised an eyebrow slightly.

A rogue cultivator, not even two hundred years old, yet possessing the cultivation level of the mid-stage Core Formation realm, along with unparalleled alchemy skills—this person's aptitude and opportunities are quite remarkable.

"Sister Xue said that the decision to move the Six-Linked Palace headquarters to Tianxing City was suggested by Alchemist Zhou?"

She spoke again, her phoenix eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan, "Did Alchemist Zhou know something beforehand that led him to suggest Palace Master Xue relocate to the Six Linked Palaces?"

Zhou Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked at the androgynous, stunningly beautiful face opposite him.

This woman is testing me.

It seems that Xueye told her a lot about himself.

"I am just a rogue cultivator, how would I know anything about the situation?"

Zhou Yuan smiled faintly, "I was just saying it casually that day, I didn't expect Palace Master Xueye to take it seriously."

"Even though it was just a casual remark, it indirectly saved Sister Xue and the Sixth Prince."

Ling Yuling sighed, a strange light flashing in her eyes, "In recent years, many mid-sized forces in the Star Sea, similar to the Six Linked Palaces, have experienced changes. The leaders of each force have been betrayed by their subordinates..."

She paused, her tone becoming meaningful: "Behind these changes in power, there is probably a much larger conspiracy."

"Maybe." Zhou Yuan nodded, without offering any further opinion.

He knew this was the work of the Reverse Star Alliance, and that the Star Palace was now finding it difficult to maintain its position as the overlord of the Star Sea.

But he didn't want to get involved in these things.

Ling Yuling looked at his nonchalant demeanor and felt somewhat speechless.

This guy is such an idiot!

She wanted to hear his analysis of the current situation in Xinghai, but he only replied with "Maybe".

The two sat at the table in silence.

Ling Yuling rested her chin on her hand, looking bored, her gaze shifting back and forth between Zhou Yuan and her.

This person is good-looking and has a calm demeanor, but he is a bit too dull.

Why would Sister Xue care about him so much?

……

They returned shortly afterward on a snowy night.

She held several ancient jade slips in her hand and handed them to Zhou Yuan, smiling as she said, "Master Zhou, these are the two ancient pill formulas, along with some related alchemy insights. Please take a look and see if they are suitable for you."

Zhou Yuan took it, scanned it briefly with his divine sense, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"Thank you, Palace Master Xueye. These pill formulas are quite valuable; I wonder how many spirit stones they require?"

"I don't want any payment." Xueye shook her head, looking at him with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Ling Yuling, who was standing to the side, showed a hint of surprise in her eyes.

No payment?

If those two ancient pill formulas were sold, they could fetch at least ten thousand spirit stones.

When did Sister Xue become so generous?

What is it about Zhou Yuan that makes Xue Jie treat him this way?

"How can this be allowed?"

Zhou Yuan frowned slightly. "I can't accept something for nothing. I'll just buy it at the price."

"Master Zhou, please don't refuse." Xue Ye waved her hand, then suddenly changed the subject, "How about this, in a while, you'll accompany me to explore an ancient cultivator's ruins. Consider it part of the payment in advance, how about it?"

"Ancient cultivator ruins?" Zhou Yuan became interested.

That's right.

Xueye took out two white beads from her bosom and held them in her palm. "A few years ago, someone in the palace collected these two beads. I didn't pay much attention to them at the time, but later I discovered them by chance..."

She infused one of the beads with magic, and the bead immediately emitted a dazzling white light!

Within the white light, faint shadowy images of mountains and rivers appeared, revealing what turned out to be a tattered map.

She poured magic into another bead, and the same white light appeared, along with the same phantom map, perfectly complementing the map in the first bead!

Zhou Yuan took the two beads and probed them with his divine sense, carefully examining the complete map.

The location marked on the map is an extremely remote sea area.

And a thought flashed through his mind in an instant—

"Could this place... be the ancient cultivator's cave where the Xuan Gu Shangren was sealed in the original story?"

He nodded to himself, thinking that it was most likely that place.

"Master Zhou, I discovered the location of this site a few days ago."

Xueye continued, "However, that place is shrouded in a great formation. My understanding of formations is rather superficial, so I tried once but failed."

She paused, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes: "If Third Sister were still here, breaking these formations would naturally be no problem. It's a pity..."

Third Sister, Feng Third Sister.

Zhou Yuan was silent for a moment.

"Speaking of which, Third Sister died for me..." Xueye's voice lowered, her eyes filled with guilt and sorrow.

What's past is past.

Zhou Yuan looked at her, his tone calm yet warm, "Since Third Sister is willing to die for you, she probably won't regret it."

Xueye looked up and gazed into his deep eyes, a warm feeling welling up in her heart.

"Third Sister once said, Master Zhou, you are not only unparalleled in alchemy, but also have a deep understanding of the art of combat."

She composed herself, her eyes filled with anticipation, and said, "That's why I wanted to invite you to come along."

Her invitation was actually motivated by personal motives.

Because she had already guessed that the mysterious expert who saved her life last time was none other than the alchemist Zhou in front of her.

Her feelings for him had long since gone beyond mere gratitude.

That day, in the midst of despair, the figure that suddenly appeared, and the composure with which he swiftly slew the rebels, were already deeply imprinted in her heart.

The purpose of inviting him to explore the ancient cultivator's ruins was twofold: firstly, to allow him to demonstrate his strength, and secondly... to foster a closer relationship through their time alone.

Looking at the expectant light in her eyes, Zhou Yuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay. I'll go with you."

His quick agreement was certainly not because of the beauty of the snowy night.

The ancient cultivator's cave dwelling is sealed with the Xuan Gu Shangren.

This person was a prominent figure in the Chaotic Star Sea hundreds of years ago, controlling Xuan Yin Island (now Ji Yin Island), and his cultivation reached the Nascent Soul stage.

However, after being seriously injured, he was framed by his two disciples, Ji Yin and Ji Xuan, and sealed in this ancient cultivation site.

Master Xuan Gu possesses the most complete version of the Xuan Yin Scripture.

The "Yin Demon Slash" described therein is extremely suitable for Zhou Yuan to cultivate.

Moreover, the method of refining external avatars that he used back then originated from the Xuan Yin Scripture.

"Very good!"

A look of surprise flashed in Xueye's eyes, and she quickly turned to Ling Yuling beside her, "Sister Ling, will you come with us?"

Ling Yuling raised an eyebrow, glanced at Xue Ye, then at Zhou Yuan, and nodded lazily.

"I... fine."

As the young master of the Star Palace, she has no worries about cultivation resources, various ancient treasures, or inheritance.

I agreed to go entirely because of our friendship on that snowy night; I figured it would be a good experience.

……

Three days later.

Three streaks of light pierced the sky, leaving Tianxing City behind and speeding northwest.

Zhou Yuan kept his aura suppressed at the mid-stage of Core Formation, riding his escape light at a leisurely pace alongside the two women.

Dressed in white, she moved with a light and agile grace in the snowy night, occasionally glancing at Zhou Yuan with a subtle, almost imperceptible smile in her eyes.

Ling Yuling, dressed in a white star palace robe, her black hair flying in the wind, her androgynous beauty shone even brighter in the sunlight.

She moved with incredible speed, glancing back at the two behind her every now and then, muttering to herself:

Xuejie kept looking at Zhou Yuan the whole way? It seems she has someone she likes!

Two months later.

The three streaks of light stopped above a small island.

The island is only a few hundred miles in circumference, barren and devoid of any vegetation; as far as the eye can see, there is only desolate yellow earth and gravel.

Han Paopao from Luanxinghai presents "In Huangfeng Valley, I Have an Equipment Slot!", exclusively published by Cola Novels!