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

Chapter 335 The person with the greatest potential to advance to the Nascent Soul stage in a thousand years! A replica of the Spirit Treasure Ping Shan Seal!

Zhou Yuan spent most of the day strolling around the southern market district, carefully browsing through several of the larger shops.

He was quite generous, and whenever he came across rare minerals that were hard to find in Tiannan, medicinal herbs that were old enough, or talismans of excellent quality, he would purchase them as appropriate.

After walking around, one of the storage bags was much fuller.

Although they were unable to find top-tier core materials such as dazzling crystals and five-element jade directly, the harvest was still quite substantial.

As for materials from monsters, he didn't buy a single one.

Over the years, he has slain countless demonic beasts, accumulating various demonic beast hides and bones in the Chaotic Star Sea.

Inner alchemy.

They are piled up like mountains, and there is absolutely no shortage.

Just as Zhou Yuan felt it was about time and was preparing to leave the market to find a place to stay and wait for the Heavenly Treasures Festival in six months, a middle-aged cultivator dressed in brocade robes, whose aura was at the mid-stage of Core Formation, quickly walked up to him and respectfully bowed: "Senior, please wait!"

"This junior is a retainer of the Ye family of the Great Jin royal family. I have come on the orders of my family's Grand Elder to invite you to the capital for a chat. The Grand Elder has already prepared tea in the palace and is waiting for your arrival."

"The Ye family?"

Zhou Yuan paused, raising an eyebrow slightly.

He had naturally heard of the Ye family, the royal family of the Great Jin Dynasty.

This is an ancient cultivation family with an extremely long history, bearing the name of royalty, a neutral behemoth.

Within the small territory of Jinjing, it wields considerable influence and appeal.

But in reality, he was just a tool created by both the righteous and the demonic paths.

The Ye family is restricted in every way!

Over the years, no one in the Ye family has ever broken through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. It's not that no one is capable of breaking through, but rather that neither the righteous nor the demonic paths allow it.

Once it is discovered that the Ye family has such a genius, both the righteous and demonic sects will send powerful figures to secretly eliminate that so-called genius.

The Ye family was aware of this matter, but due to the disparity in strength, they dared not speak out in anger!

Zhou Yuan's mind raced with thoughts.

According to the original story as he knew it, the Ye family at this time seemed to be secretly plotting a major event with deep implications.

However, that's the Ye family's own business and has nothing to do with him.

He didn't want to get involved either.

But then he thought again, the Ye family, as a local power in the Great Jin Dynasty, had many informants and deep resources. They might have information on some rare materials that were hard to find outside, or they might even have what he needed directly.

Instead of wandering around aimlessly like a headless fly, it's better to use the Ye family's connections to inquire about it.

"Lead the way." Zhou Yuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Under the guidance of the Ye family's retainer, Zhou Yuan left the southern market town and headed north into the heavily guarded imperial city area.

After passing through several palace gates, we arrived at a magnificent yet elegant hall. The hall doors were already open, and a middle-aged man dressed in a moon-white scholar's robe, with a gentle and refined demeanor, stood smiling on the steps of the hall, welcoming us from afar with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou's presence brings great honor to our humble palace! I am Ye Tianshi, and I have long admired your reputation. Today, I finally meet you, and you are indeed a man of exceptional talent and outstanding qualities!" Elder Ye Tianshi of the Ye family said with a beaming smile and an extremely polite tone, even with a hint of deliberate enthusiasm to make friends.

Zhou Yuan glanced at Ye Tianshi and confirmed that his cultivation was at the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage, with a solid foundation and harmonious aura. He was clearly only one step away from the late stage.

He returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his expression calm: "Fellow Daoist Ye, you flatter me. I am but a wandering cultivator, roaming the world, and do not deserve such high praise."

The two exchanged pleasantries as they entered the main hall and took their seats as host and guest. Maids served them spiritual tea infused with spiritual energy and rare spiritual fruits.

Ye Tianshi didn't rush into discussing official business. Instead, he chatted casually with Zhou Yuan, covering topics such as the customs and traditions of the Great Jin Dynasty, anecdotes from the cultivation world, and Zhou Yuan's experiences along the way. His witty remarks and extensive knowledge quickly brought them closer.

At the same time, Zhou Yuan also keenly noticed that during the conversation, the eldest elder of the Ye family would occasionally glance at him, with a sense of scrutiny and evaluation.

Clearly, during the day or so that he was browsing the market, the Ye family had mobilized a vast intelligence network to investigate his actions since arriving in the Great Jin Dynasty.

He stormed into the Mingjian Sect, subdued them with his swordsmanship, and in return obtained the Iron Horn Rhinoceros Spirit Horn.

They infiltrated Yueyang Palace, made a deal with Granny Sun, and obtained the Haoyang Bird Feather.

For a power of the Ye family's caliber, investigating these events would not be difficult.

But what truly shocked Ye Tianshi was the deeper information that the Ye family had obtained through some extremely secretive channels—the blood feud between Zhou Yuan and the Yinluo Sect, and—Zhou Yuan's true identity and age!

He had confirmed that Zhou Yuan, who claimed to be a "rogue cultivator from overseas," was actually the sect leader of a sect called "Ascension Sect" from Tiannan!

What he found even more unbelievable was that the information circulating within the Yinluo Sect, which had been verified by multiple sources, indicated that this Sect Master Zhou Yuan was not even three hundred years old yet!

A late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who is less than three hundred years old!

What does this mean?!

The two unparalleled geniuses recognized by the cultivation world of the Great Jin Dynasty as having the best chance of reaching the Nascent Soul Realm in nearly a thousand years are Yi Xitian, one of the four great rogue cultivators, and Biyue Zen Master of the Pure Fire Sect of Buddhism. It is said that the former took more than 500 years to advance to the late Nascent Soul stage, while the latter is hailed as a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius, and it also took more than 400 years!

Zhou Yuan, however, was not even three hundred years old!

This means that his talent is a level higher than that of Zen Master Biyue!

He's an absolute prodigy, one in ten thousand years!

Such a person, as long as he doesn't die prematurely, will most likely reach the Nascent Soul realm in the future!

Make friends!

We must befriend them at all costs!

We must never make them our enemy!

This was the first thought that came to Ye Tianshi's mind after seeing Zhou Yuan's intelligence summary.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou is too kind. With your cultivation and talent, you are likely to become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future. My meager cultivation is nothing compared to yours." Ye Tianshi's tone became even more enthusiastic, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible respect.

He spoke with Zhou Yuan for a while longer, but did not say anything about recruiting him.

He knew that someone as proud and talented as Zhou Yuan was no ordinary person and would never be content to be subordinate to others.

Any attempt to solicit or recruit will only provoke resentment in the other party.

He changed the subject casually, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, you must be traveling through the Great Jin Dynasty to collect some rare materials, right? It's quite a coincidence that my Ye family spent over a hundred years and used countless resources to collect many rare materials. Not long ago, we finally succeeded in refining a treasure."

"Oh? What kind of treasure?" Zhou Yuan asked, following his words.

Ye Tianshi smiled slightly, and with a flick of his hand, a small seal, about the size of a palm, square and dark blue-black in color, seemingly cast from a single piece of meteorite iron, with an ancient character "镇" (zhen, meaning "suppress") engraved on its base, appeared in his palm. The moment the seal appeared, it emanated a calm and powerful aura, seemingly capable of suppressing mountains and rivers!

"This seal is named the Ping Shan Seal!" Ye Tianshi held the small seal, his tone tinged with pride. "It is the culmination of the efforts of several generations of array masters and weapon-refining grandmasters of my Ye family, crafted in imitation of the ancient Tongtian Lingbao, the Palm Heaven Seal! I have personally tested it; once fully activated, this seal truly possesses the power to flatten mountains and split the earth! Although it only possesses one-tenth to one-twelfth of the Palm Heaven Seal's power at its peak, as rumored, it is more than enough to deal with ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators! If the holder's cultivation is sufficient, and they are willing to damage the treasure's essence, they can even unleash three-tenths of the Palm Heaven Seal's power! Of course, that would be a Pyrrhic victory, and I would not attempt it lightly."

Zhou Yuan's gaze fell on the Ping Shan Seal, and after carefully scanning it with his divine sense, he nodded in approval.

The craftsmanship of this small seal is indeed extremely exquisite, and the materials used are all precious. The spiritual energy it emits is calm and powerful. It is indeed a rare imitation spiritual treasure, and its power is probably no less than some top-level ancient treasures.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, are you showing this treasure to me because you intend to sell it to me?" Zhou Yuan looked at Ye Tianshi with a half-smile.

He didn't really have much interest in the Ping Shan Seal.

This treasure is indeed valuable, but it is, after all, just a replica, and there are bound to be many people eyeing it. He doesn't want to become the target of everyone's hatred for such a treasure.

More importantly, his biggest goal on this trip was to gather the materials and forge a simplified version of the "Seven Flames Fan," a replica of the Tongtian Lingbao (a magical artifact)—the "Three Flames Fan"!

Based on the materials and heritage he possesses, the power of the Three Flames Fan will definitely far surpass that of the Flat Mountain Seal!

Upon hearing this, Ye Tianshi shook his head and said with a wry smile, "If Fellow Daoist Zhou wants it, I am naturally happy to part with it. However—alas, to be honest, the news of the successful forging of the Ping Shan Seal has somehow leaked out. Now, many powerful cultivators from both the righteous and demonic paths have their eyes on this treasure and are putting pressure on my Ye family through various channels, wanting to purchase it."

"Although my Ye family is royalty, it is difficult to offend so many forces at the same time. Therefore, I have decided to publicly auction this treasure at a clandestine auction six months from now, after the auction in Jinjing! If Fellow Daoist Zhou is interested, you are welcome to attend. I believe that with your financial resources, it should not be difficult for you to acquire this treasure through fair competition."

His words explained why private transactions were not allowed, and also subtly revealed his understanding of Zhou Yuan's financial resources.

Clearly, the Ye family had already learned of Zhou Yuan's extraordinary deeds along the way.

"The Hidden Trade Fair —"

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred.

He had previously learned from the jade slip given to him by the female cultivator Liu Xu that, in addition to the Tianzhen Grand Gathering in the open, there were also some more secretive underground trading fairs in Jinjing, with higher thresholds and only open to Nascent Soul cultivators.

These kinds of trade fairs often feature some shady, high-quality items.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, rest assured, I, Zhou, will definitely go and witness that secret trading event."

Zhou Yuan nodded in agreement.

"Then I will await Fellow Daoist Zhou's arrival at the trade fair," Ye Tianshi said with a smile.

Next, Zhou Yuan asked Ye Tianshi about the whereabouts of several other rare refining materials he needed.

Ye Tianshi pondered for a moment, then said, "The materials that Fellow Daoist Zhou requires are indeed rare treasures. My Ye family's treasury does not possess them. However—"

He paused, as if recalling something. "I remember, decades ago, my Ye family obtained a piece of flowing crystal from an ancient ruin." This object had no fixed shape, resembling flowing crystal, and was extremely peculiar. According to ancient records, magical artifacts crafted from this object possessed the miraculous ability to deflect magical attacks! Although this might not be what you urgently need, fellow Daoist, it might be helpful for crafting defensive components for your puppets?"

"Mixed crystal?!"

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes!

He naturally knew this object; it was an extremely rare and wondrous item in the world.

If it can be integrated into the puppet's defensive core, it can indeed greatly enhance the puppet's resistance to magic attacks, and even achieve a certain degree of magic reflection!

This is such a pleasant surprise!

"Fellow Daoist Ye, are you willing to sell this item? Zhou Yuan is willing to buy it at a high price!"

Zhou Yuan immediately said.

"If Fellow Daoist Zhou needs it, then take it. There's no need to talk about buying it; that's too formal."

Ye Tianshi laughed heartily, appearing quite forthright, and immediately ordered his servants to retrieve the flowing crystal from the treasury.

Before long, a strange crystal, about the size of a fist, completely transparent, seemingly formed from countless liquid crystals, with colorful halos slowly flowing inside, was presented to Zhou Yuan.

It's crystal!

Zhou Yuan took the crystal, carefully sensed it, and confirmed that it was indeed the same product, and of excellent quality.

He was overjoyed, but he was unwilling to take such a big advantage from the Ye family for nothing.

He flipped his hand and took out a seventh-level demon beast inner core radiating a rich demonic aura, along with five high-grade spirit stones, and handed them to Ye Tianshi: "Fellow Daoist Ye, this item is far too precious for me to take for free. Consider these as payment for the purchase of the Flowing Crystal. I hope you will accept them."

Seeing Zhou Yuan's resolute attitude, Ye Tianshi stopped refusing and accepted the gift with a smile.

A level-seven demon core plus five high-grade spirit stones is worth as much as the market price of that flowing crystal. Zhou Yuan's actions are both an expression of gratitude and a gesture of goodwill towards the Ye family.

Ye Tianshi was naturally pleased to see it happen.

After the transaction was completed, Zhou Yuan spoke with Ye Tianshi for a while longer before taking his leave.

Before leaving, Ye Tianshi suddenly called him back, his expression becoming more serious, and transmitted his voice, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, I have a word of advice for you. Although you have been acting in Jinjing with a high profile lately, you still need to be more careful."

"As far as I know, the Yinluo Sect has been using all its resources to search for your whereabouts. The feud between them will likely not end easily. Especially in Jinjing, a place teeming with all sorts of people, you must be on your guard."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan paused, then turned back to Ye Tianshi, revealing a calm yet confident smile. He replied telepathically, "Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Ye. However, if the Yinluo Sect is sensible enough to hide quietly, that's fine. But if they are stubborn and insist on causing trouble for me—then I wouldn't mind eliminating one of the Ten Great Demonic Sects of the Great Jin Dynasty!"

After saying that, he didn't linger and strode away from the imperial city.

Ye Tianshi stood at the entrance of the palace, watching Zhou Yuan's departing figure, and pondered his words, "Let the Ten Great Demonic Sects of the Great Jin Dynasty be one less." A huge wave of emotions surged in his heart.

"This person has an incredibly strong sense of self-confidence."

Ye Tianshi murmured to himself, his eyes filled with shock and anticipation.

"A late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator under three hundred years old is indeed extraordinary. It seems the world is about to change!"