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

(Sorry I'm late... I'm so sorry)

Zhou Yuan accepted the jade slip.

He probed into it with his divine sense, his face remaining expressionless, but inwardly he was secretly astonished.

This jade slip clearly records ten magical arts and profound secret techniques of the Star Palace.

Each one is quite precious.

Some are offensive techniques, some are life-saving methods, some are escape techniques, some are secret techniques... there are many kinds, you could say they have everything.

He raised his head and looked at Ling Yuling.

A faint smile graced that androgynous, exquisitely beautiful face, and a mischievous glint shone in her phoenix eyes.

It was as if they were waiting to see his surprised expression.

Zhou Yuan hesitated for a moment, then spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Ling, this jade slip is far too precious... I'll just buy it with spirit stones."

After saying that, he took out a fist-sized, emerald-green spirit stone that emitted a soft glow from his storage bag and held it in his palm.

"I wonder if this high-grade spirit stone can be exchanged for Fellow Daoist Ling's jade slip?"

Ling Yuling was slightly taken aback.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

High-grade spirit stones?

This Zhou Yuan actually managed to produce high-grade spirit stones?

She originally thought this person was just a rogue cultivator, and that his wealth should be limited.

Unexpectedly, he not only did not covet my gift, but also offered such a rare item in exchange.

Ordinary cultivators would probably be overjoyed to see high-grade spirit stones.

But Ling Yuling is the young master of the Star Palace and has seen too many good things. In her eyes, high-grade spirit stones are nothing special.

Just as she was about to speak, Xueye, who was standing to the side, quietly gave her a wink.

The meaning in his eyes was clear—Zhou Yuan was not someone who would gain an advantage.

She wanted to give him a level seven demon core, but Zhou Yuan refused. In the end, she spent 100,000 low-grade spirit stones to buy it.

Ling Yuling understood immediately and nodded without refusing.

"Alright then. Since Fellow Daoist Zhou insists, Yu Ling will accept it."

She reached out and took the high-grade spirit stone, putting it into her pocket.

At the same time, he held Zhou Yuan in even higher regard.

This person is principled, incorruptible, and a worthwhile person to befriend.

Little did they know, Zhou Yuan was secretly laughing to himself.

For him, who owned a high-grade spirit stone, a single high-grade spirit stone was as insignificant as eating a meal.

But the ten magical spells and supernatural abilities contained in that jade slip were what he truly craved.

In short, everyone was happy.

……

After exiting the underground cave, the three stood on a desolate earthen hill.

Zhou Yuan looked at the two women and said:

"Gentlemen, I won't be returning to Tianxing City. I still have some matters to attend to."

Xueye nodded without asking any further questions. She knew that Zhou Yuan acted with discretion.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, take care."

She spoke softly, her gentle eyes lingering on his face for a moment, carrying a hint of reluctance and a hint of expectation.

Ling Yuling also cupped her hands in greeting: "Fellow Daoist Zhou, until we meet again."

Zhou Yuan nodded, then transformed into a streak of light and sped off in the opposite direction, quickly disappearing into the vast sea and sky.

On a snowy night, she gazed in the direction he had left, remaining motionless for a long time.

"Sister Xue, everyone's gone."

Ling Yuling chuckled mischievously.

Xueye's cheeks flushed slightly as she looked away and said softly, "Let's go. There's been some unrest in Xinghai lately. I'll escort you back to Tianxing City first."

The two of them transformed into streaks of light and left the deserted island.

……

One day after Zhou Yuan left the island.

A sinister black fog flew rapidly from afar and landed on the island.

The black mist lingered near the cave entrance for a moment before dissipating, revealing a middle-aged man with pale skin, devoid of any color in his body.

This person had a sinister face, sharp eyes, and exuded a suffocatingly cold aura.

Update released! Book lovers, go read Cola Novels!

He glanced at the completely destroyed array and the spirit-sealing pillar that had been pushed aside, his eyebrows immediately shot up, and his eyes flashed with boundless rage!

Immediately, he flashed and disappeared into the cave.

A moment later—

"ah--!!!"

A long, furious roar came from underground, shaking the ground and sending pebbles raining down!

Then, the middle-aged man, enveloped in a cloud of black light, burst out of the cave and soared into the sky!

He hovered high in the air, his face showing anxiety, looking left and right as if searching for something.

Suddenly, he spun around, and dozens of black rays shot out from him, transforming into giant black birds that flew rapidly in all directions!

Those black birds were incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, they thoroughly searched the surrounding area within a hundred miles.

However, when all the giant birds flew back, they still found nothing.

The middle-aged man's expression was extremely unpleasant, so gloomy it was almost as if water was dripping from it.

He looked up at the sky, but did nothing else for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a series of cold laughs.

The laughter was chilling and sinister, filled with resentment and murderous intent.

"Old monster, even if you manage to escape from here, so what? You are no longer the Xuan Gu Demon Ancestor you once were..."

He muttered to himself, his voice low and ghostly.

"I am no longer a mere Core Formation stage disciple under your tutelage. Even if I have to search every inch of the Chaotic Star Sea, I will find you sooner or later!"

After saying this, he no longer hesitated, took to the air, transformed back into a large cloud of black mist, and sped away into the distance.

……

Zhou Yuan, of course, was unaware of what had happened on the island.

At this moment, he is sitting cross-legged above an extremely remote deserted island.

Before them floated the jade slip made from the skeleton of the Xuan Gu Shangren.

He has already begun practicing the Yin Demon Slaying Secret Technique recorded within.

This technique is similar to the "Blood Spirit Drill"—both involve cultivating a portion of the body's essence into a unique entity with immense power.

When engaging in combat, it is unleashed all at once, becoming invincible.

The power of "Yin Demon Slash" increases with the cultivator's cultivation level, the amount of essence condensed, and the length of time spent cultivating.

Legend has it that if one refines it to the highest level, one can even tear through space and shatter the void!

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged in the void, his eyes slightly closed, his magical power flowing slowly around him.

Following the method in the jade slip, he compressed and refined the pure true essence in his dantian little by little, turning it into tiny sharp cones, which he nurtured in his meridians.

This process is extremely slow and delicate, requiring complete concentration; the slightest carelessness could damage the meridians.

However, with the equipment slots, Zhou Yuan's true essence recovery speed is astonishingly fast, almost inexhaustible.

In just one month, he condensed five Yin Demon Slash spikes within his body!

Each one was compressed with nearly a hundred times the amount of true essence, radiating a sharp and fierce aura!

After completing the Yin Demon Slash training.

Zhou Yuan then began to study another relatively simple secret technique in the Xuan Yin Scripture, the Transformation Technique.

Once mastered, this technique allows one to freely alter their appearance and physique, making them extremely difficult to detect.

Zhou Yuan mastered it in just a few days.

With a thought, his face began to distort and change, and after a moment, he transformed into the appearance of a middle-aged man with a long beard.

With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a calm and composed demeanor, he was completely different from his original appearance.

Unless a late-stage Nascent Soul expert observes closely, no clues will be discerned.

After doing all this, Zhou Yuan took out the jade slip that Ling Yuling had given him.

As his divine sense probed in, information about the ten spells, supernatural powers, and secret techniques appeared one by one in his mind.

His attention quickly fell on one of the life-saving secret techniques called "The Great Art of Calamity Transformation".

This technique allows one to cultivate a part of a limb into a substitute puppet beforehand.

When an irresistible attack suddenly strikes, one can use a thought to have that part of the body bear the calamity in one's place.

It is especially effective against curses and other evil spells.