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

Chapter 3 Equipment Slot Upgrade! Effects Stack!

Night fell, and the courtyard was quiet.

Zhou Yuan closed the courtyard gate and set up a simple security barrier before emptying all the spirit stones from his storage bag onto the stone table.

slam-la-

The crisp sound of the impact was particularly pleasant in the quiet night.

A small pile of crystals, each imbued with a faint spiritual energy, shone with a soft glow, illuminating Zhou Yuan's serene face.

Eighty-three low-grade spirit stones.

After deducting the forty spirit stones spent on purchasing the medicinal herbs, the net profit from this trip was forty-three spirit stones.

This is making money faster than he used to work hard for a year.

Zhou Yuan caressed a spirit stone with his fingertips, feeling the pure spiritual energy within it.

One hundred spirit stones.

The threshold for unlocking a second equipment slot.

Based on today's earnings, he should be able to upgrade his equipment slots in at most two months.

This thought dispelled the last trace of weariness accumulated from several days of continuous alchemy, and a burning passion ignited deep within his eyes.

The next morning, as dawn broke.

Zhou Yuan reappeared at the herbal medicine shop in the market.

Without the slightest hesitation, he exchanged most of his spirit stones for medicinal herbs to refine Qi-boosting pills.

As for the materials used to refine the Qi-replenishing pill, he didn't even glance at them again.

The profit margin of a mid-grade first-tier Qi-boosting pill far exceeds that of a Qi-replenishing pill.

Naturally, he would devote all his energy to refining Qi-boosting pills.

Back in the courtyard, the wooden door was tightly shut.

A simple security cordon, illuminated by a faint light, completely isolated the courtyard from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Inside the quiet room, the crackling of the furnace fire and the aroma of the elixirs once again intertwined, becoming the sole main melody in this small space.

Sun rises and sets, cold comes and heat goes.

Two months passed quietly in the monotonous and tedious alchemy.

Fangshi, an area where unemployed repairmen set up stalls.

As soon as Zhou Yuan set up his stall in the old spot, he attracted many independent cultivators to come and buy Qi-boosting pills.

"Brother Zhou, give me two bottles of Qi-boosting pills."

"I'll have one too!"

Compared to those shops, Zhou Yuan's pills are significantly cheaper and more suitable for these independent cultivators who don't have much wealth.

An urgent voice came from the crowd.

"Brother Zhou!"

A figure quickly squeezed through; it was none other than a refined middle-aged cultivator in the late Qi Refining stage, a regular customer who had been patronizing Zhou Yuan's business for the past two months.

He skipped the pleasantries and stared intently at the storage bag at Zhou Yuan's waist.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, five bottles of Qi-Boosting Pills!"

The middle-aged cultivator's voice was low, yet it carried an undeniable urgency, as if he feared that if he delayed speaking for even a second, the item would be gone.

Zhou Yuan raised his hand and bowed slightly, a hint of apology on his face.

"You've come at an inopportune time, senior. There are only three bottles left today."

"Only three bottles?"

The middle-aged cultivator could not hide his disappointment, and his brows furrowed tightly.

He sighed, his voice full of regret.

"Fine, three bottles it is. Fellow Daoist Zhou, next time, please reserve a few more for me, price is no object!"

"I'll definitely do it next time."

Zhou Yuan accepted the spirit stones and responded politely.

Li Yu watched the whole scene from the side, opened her mouth, but in the end, her desire to start a conversation turned into a bitter sigh.

"Brother Zhou, your business is booming. Every time you set up your stall, the pills seem to have legs and disappear in less than half a day. It seems that your alchemy skills have improved again in the past two months."

"It was just a lucky breakthrough."

Zhou Yuan's response was as calm as ever.

Only he himself knew how amazing the results of his two months of intensive training in seclusion were.

The success rate of Qi-boosting pills has steadily increased from a mere 30% initially to 50%, and in good conditions, it can even reach 60%.

This success rate in pill production is unmatched in the entire market, except for the formal alchemists employed in the pill pavilions.

It's of superior quality and priced 10% lower than Danyao Pavilion.

His pills had long been highly sought after by independent cultivators in the area, and they were always snapped up whenever he set up his stall.

Zhou Yuanli packed up his stall and, without lingering in the market, hurried back to his small courtyard.

boom.

The courtyard gate was slammed shut.

Before he could even catch his breath, he impatiently dumped everything out of his storage bag.

Ding ding ding!

A sound far clearer and more melodious than before rang out, and on the stone table, a small mountain made of spirit stones shone brightly.

One hundred and thirty-seven!

This is all the money he has now.

This amount of wealth would be a huge sum for any Qi Refining stage cultivator, making them a relatively well-off individual with some assets.

Zhou Yuan's gaze fell on the pile of spirit stones, his eyes brighter than ever before.

He reached out and carefully counted out one hundred low-grade spirit stones, then solemnly placed them in a separate pile in front of him.

Everything is ready.

His breath hitched slightly, and he focused his mind on the light blue screen, issuing a command to it.

"upgrade."

hum-

A faint, almost imperceptible tremor.

The hundred spirit stones on the stone table silently transformed into pure light spots right before Zhou Yuan's eyes, instantly disappearing into nothingness.

Become!

Zhou Yuan immediately focused his mind and stared intently at the pale blue light screen.

Name: Zhou Yuan

Age: 24

[Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 8]

[Technique: Fiery Cloud Technique (Eighth Level)]

[Spells: Fireball (Minor Success), Wind Control (Minor Success), Heavenly Eye (Minor Success)...]

[Alchemy: Tier 1]

[Equipment 1: "Insights into Alchemy"]

[Equipment 2: None]

[One thousand low-grade spirit stones can upgrade equipment slots]

The second equipment slot has appeared!

Zhou Yuan suppressed the surging joy in his chest and had a thought.

A flash of light appeared in the storage bag, and the half-person-tall crimson gold alchemy furnace suddenly appeared in front of him.

The moment his palm touched the cold metal body of the alchemy furnace, that familiar mechanical sound suddenly resounded in his mind.

"Crimson Gold Furnace detected. Equip?"

"equipment!"

Zhou Yuan thought to himself.

hum!

The heavy, crimson furnace before them vanished into thin air.

Zhou Yuan closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on the attribute panel.

The second equipment slot now displays brand new text.

He read on, word by word, his heart pounding faster and harder.

【Equipment 1: Alchemy Jade Slip (Tier 1, High Grade)】

[Effect 1: Improved alchemy talent.]

[Effect 2: Increases the success rate of refining Tier 1 pills by 30%.]

[Note: This is a record of a lifetime's learning and insights from an alchemist, preserving all the alchemist's hard work.]

【Equipment 2: Crimson Gold Furnace (Tier 1, Superior)】

[Effect 1: Increases the success rate of refining Tier 1 pills by 20%.]

[Effect 2: Improved alchemy talent.]

[Effect 3: Improved Refining Talent.]

[Note: This is a pill furnace meticulously crafted by a weapon refiner. After passing through several hands, it was handled by three different alchemists and has been opened more than 3,700 times. The furnace body contains a faint trace of the Dao of alchemy and the Dao of weapon crafting.]