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

Half a day later.

Huangfeng Valley Market, Wanbao Pavilion Hall.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, if you have this kind of business again next time, please give my Wanbao Pavilion your patronage..."

A fat middle-aged man handed a storage bag to Zhou Yuan with a big smile.

"Of course, of course!"

Zhou Yuan took the storage bag and checked it.

Three thousand spirit stones lay quietly inside.

This time, Zhou Yuan only used ordinary magic weapons and talismans that did not have any obvious sect or personal markings.

Moreover, upon arriving, Zhou Yuan immediately revealed his identity, stating that he was a disciple of Huangfeng Valley and a disciple of Ancestor Li.

When the people at Wanbaoge heard Zhou Yuan's identity, they were very polite. In addition, the goods that Zhou Yuan brought were clean, so the transaction went exceptionally smoothly.

In half a day.

Zhou Yuan then left the Wanbao Pavilion with the three thousand low-grade spirit stones he had just received.

The next day, he arrived at Miaodan Pavilion as promised.

Manager Wang was already waiting, his face beaming with an unprecedentedly warm smile, as he presented several portions of pre-packaged medicinal herbs.

Zhou Yuan scanned it with his divine sense and confirmed that it contained the complete set of auxiliary spiritual medicines needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, and he was satisfied.

He no longer cared whether the other medicinal materials used for cover were complete.

After settling the bill of one thousand spirit stones, he left the market without exchanging any pleasantries.

Back to Xuankun Mountain.

A simple wooden box and a communication talisman floated silently on the barrier outside the cave.

Zhou Yuan activated the communication talisman, and a deep male voice rang out from it:

"Junior Brother Zhou, this box contains a cultivation technique that Uncle Li instructed me to pass on to you. It may be beneficial to your cultivation after you reach the Foundation Establishment stage. I visited yesterday but found you were out, so I left this message."

"A gift from Li Huayuan..."

Zhou Yuan was slightly curious.

He opened the wooden box; inside was only one book, which appeared to be a cultivation manual…

It also bears Li Huayuan's handwritten signature!

"The first nine levels of the Qingyuan Sword Manual, Master's gift is truly 'generous'."

He naturally knew this technique.

Although it is a high-level cultivation technique that can lead directly to the late stage of Core Formation, it is widely circulated in Huangfeng Valley.

It's not a closely guarded secret.

If he wanted, he could easily buy a rubbing from the disciples within the sect for a few dozen spirit stones.

This is Li Huayuan's action.

Its symbolic meaning far outweighs its practical value.

It was like a blatant response to his offering of those sixteen centuries-old medicinal herbs.

"That's enough."

Zhou Yuan shook his head and put away the cultivation technique.

He didn't expect much in the first place.

Having this master-disciple relationship makes things much easier within the sect. Next, when we go to Yuelu Hall to rent the Earth Fire House, we will need this item.

Zhou Yuan didn't even go into the cave.

After determining the direction, he boarded his flying artifact and flew straight to the Yuelu Hall of the sect.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding the teleportation platform outside Yuelu Hall have been replaced by two others.

Zhou Yuan directly presented the Qingyuan Sword Manual book engraved with Li Huayuan's name. After the two men verified it, they exchanged a glance, their attitude immediately becoming polite, and they readily activated the teleportation array.

A flash of white light, and Zhou Yuan's figure reappeared in the familiar, enormous blue rock hall.

He walked with practiced ease toward the passage marked with the character "Dan". At the end of the passage, in the small house, the guard had been replaced by an ugly man with a rugged face and an aura that had reached the thirteenth level of Qi Refining.

"Does the person who came have any identification?"

The ugly man asked routinely.

"My name is Zhou Yuan, a disciple under Grandmaster Li."

Zhou Yuan revealed his identity once again.

Upon hearing this, the ugly man forced a smile, and his tone softened considerably:

"So you're a disciple of Grandmaster Li. Junior Brother Zhou, are you looking to rent the Earth Fire House for alchemy?"

"That's right, please arrange a good fire-themed room for this senior brother." Zhou Yuan nodded.

"No problem."

The ugly man took out a purple token, waved it in the open space behind him, and the ground silently slid open. (From "In Yellow Maple Valley, I Have an Equipment Slot!" - Stunning writing, gripping plot!)

A passageway made of solid blocks of dark tungsten stone was revealed, leading underground.

"There are thirty-six underground fire rooms in the main hall below, with rooms eighteen and nineteen being the best."

Currently, the Fire House at number eighteen is vacant, but it's also the most expensive place to rent...

"The 18th."

Zhou Yuan answered without hesitation.

He then took out one hundred spirit stones as a deposit.

The ugly man took the spirit stone, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected his junior brother to be so generous.

He said no more.

He handed Zhou Yuan a white jade tablet that controlled the stone gate and carefully explained how to use it.

"Thank you, senior brother!"

Zhou Yuan took the jade token and entered the hall, then walked into the No. 18 Earth Fire House. The stone door closed silently behind him, completely isolating him from the outside world.

The interior furnishings were simple.

There was a futon, four gourds hanging on the four walls, and a round stone platform about ten feet wide in the center.

On the outer side of the round mound, eight lifelike, fiery red dragon heads are slightly raised, facing the center above.

The purity and vigor of the fire energy here far surpasses that of the alchemy room provided by the Myriad Pills Pavilion.

Furthermore, it offers absolute privacy.

Once the stone door is closed, even a Core Formation cultivator would find it difficult to open it from the outside.

This is the perfect place for secluded alchemy.

Zhou Yuan did not rush to start the furnace.

The Foundation Establishment Pill is far more difficult to refine than the Golden Source Pill.

The slightest error could render all previous efforts futile, a problem that has baffled countless alchemists.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on the futon, his mind calm. Light shimmered in his equipment inventory as the four mid-tier spirit stones that provided surging mana were temporarily removed. In their place was:

Three Foundation Building Pills.

And the yellowed jade slip containing the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill that Zhou Yuan had previously exchanged from the Yuelu Palace.

With these enhancements, every detail of the Foundation Establishment Pill formula and every annotation of the predecessors' insights in Zhou Yuan's mind became incredibly clear and thorough.

He did not start immediately, but began to mentally rehearse the entire alchemy process.

I was completely absorbed in simulating all the possible scenarios and how to deal with them.

Time flows silently by.

……

one year later.

Inside the house, the once-steady fire slowly died down.

Zhou Yuan sat quietly in meditation, but his aura surged and expanded violently like the tide.

The magical power within his meridians, which was originally in a gaseous state, is now undergoing a tremendous transformation under the compression and guidance of some mysterious force.

"Buzz—"

A faint tremor, audible only to himself, resounded from the depths of his dantian.

In an instant, the surging river of magical power suddenly solidified, then transformed into a more refined and spiritual liquid true essence.

Foundation Establishment Stage, accomplished!

Zhou Yuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a sharp, inner light, his divine brilliance flowing.

A sense of clarity and power, brought about by a leap in life level, permeated my entire body.

His lifespan increased to two hundred years, and from then on, the paths of immortals and mortals diverged, and the Great Dao became a prospect!

However, because he had taken several Foundation Building Pills at once, the medicinal power was immense, and his body was now exceptionally full and surging with medicinal power.

However, the "Fire Cloud Technique" he mainly cultivated was only a basic technique and could no longer effectively guide and circulate the true essence that had been greatly improved in both quality and quantity.

Without hesitation, he picked up the "Qingyuan Sword Manual" he had obtained from Li Huayuan and began to study it once more.

With the hidden support from the equipment slots, he quickly grasped the essence of the first four levels of this high-level cultivation technique, which was known for its difficult cultivation.

For the next two months, Zhou Yuan stayed at home, focusing on refining the "Azure Origin Sword Manual".

The transition process, which was originally expected to take several years or even longer, was expedited by the assistance of the equipment slots and the remaining medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill within his body.

It went as smoothly as water flowing into a channel.

Zhou Yuan has cultivated the Azure Origin Sword Technique to the fourth level in two months, and his true essence is surging within his body.

The fourth level of the Azure Origin Sword Technique corresponds to the early Foundation Establishment stage!