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

"It's time to go out."

Zhou Yuan stood up, feeling the completely different power within his body, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He used the jade tablet to open the stone door that had been closed for more than a year.

Outside the door, the ugly deacon was pacing anxiously. Sensing the stone door open, he turned around and subconsciously said:

"Junior Brother Zhou, you've finally come out... Wait, you... you've actually reached Foundation Establishment?!"

His face instantly contorted with astonishment, then he quickly changed his tune, bowing respectfully:

"This disciple greets Senior Uncle Zhou!"

Zhou Yuan nodded slightly, not surprised.

Within Yellow Maple Valley, cultivation level determines seniority; Foundation Establishment cultivators are naturally one generation ahead of Qi Refining disciples.

Only direct descendants or blood relatives of a Core Formation Ancestor will be treated differently.

After leaving Yuelu Hall.

Zhou Yuan flew on his magical artifact, transforming into a streak of azure light, heading straight for Xuankun Mountain.

According to the sect rules, once you successfully establish your foundation, you can find a beautiful place in the Taiyue Mountains to open your own cave dwelling, without having to live with other Qi Refining disciples.

As soon as he landed in front of his original cave dwelling on Xuankun Mountain, several Qi Refining disciples who were talking nearby were immediately alerted.

Upon recognizing Zhou Yuan and sensing the spiritual pressure emanating from him, which was vastly different from before, the group was initially taken aback. They then hurriedly stepped forward and bowed in unison, saying, "Disciples greet Martial Uncle Zhou!"

Zhou Yuan hummed in agreement, his heart unmoved.

This reverence stems from power and status.

He had experienced life and death.

It was earned through painstaking cultivation.

He quickly packed up some personal belongings in the cave, removed the array, and then, without lingering, turned and flew towards the sect's council hall.

In front of the council hall.

"Uncle-Master, is there anything I can help you with?"

Although the two Qi Refining disciples on duty did not recognize Zhou Yuan, they could clearly sense the spiritual pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator and dared not be negligent, so they bowed respectfully.

"I want to see the sect leader!" Zhou Yuan said.

"The sect leader is inside, please come in, Uncle-Master!"

Inside the main hall, Sect Leader Zhong Lingdao was handling affairs when he looked up and saw Zhou Yuan. His eyes lit up immediately.

He vividly remembered the scene outside the Crimson Forbidden Land. This disciple, who had been taken in by Uncle Li and contributed thirty-two spiritual herbs, had now successfully established his foundation!

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Zhou, on successfully establishing your foundation! You've advanced another level on your path to enlightenment!"

Zhong Lingdao stood up, smiling broadly as he cupped his hands in greeting.

Although he was the sect leader, in reality he was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator who knew he had no hope of forming his core.

He naturally didn't put on any airs when facing the disciple of Master Li, a Core Formation cultivator.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Sect Leader. I've come here specifically to register for Foundation Establishment."

Zhou Yuan returned the courtesy.

"That's how it should be, junior brother, please wait a moment."

Zhong Lingdao turned and went into the inner room. A moment later, he returned carrying a white jade tablet.

In front of Zhou Yuan, he solemnly added the two characters "Zhou Yuan" to the end of the jade register with a gold-lacquered pen.

After the registration was completed, Zhong Lingdao took out three mid-grade spirit stones and five small flags shrouded in a thin white mist from his storage bag and handed them to Zhou Yuan: "This is a customary reward for newly promoted Foundation Establishment disciples. The three mid-grade spirit stones are a one-time gift, and you can receive one more every year thereafter. You will not need to take on any miscellaneous duties."

These five cryptic flags can be used to set up the simplest small illusion array. After opening up the cave, they can prevent mortals and wild beasts from intruding...

"Thank you, Senior Brother Sect Leader!"

Zhou Yuan accepted these gifts but did not linger.

The small illusion array was of limited power, better than nothing. He had already planned that when he opened his cave dwelling in the future, he would definitely go to the market in Yuanwu Kingdom to purchase a few real, good arrays.

After leaving the council hall, he flew straight to the Qilin Pavilion in the southwest of the sect.

The verdant hill where Qilin Pavilion is located is called Qishou Mountain, and Zhou Yuan just landed on the welcoming platform.

A low-ranking female disciple of about sixteen or seventeen years old quickly stepped forward, her eyes filled with anticipation: "Senior Uncle, are you here to rent a spirit beast?"

"Hmm. Are there any dual-eyed mice available right now? I need to rent one for about a few days!"

Zhou Yuan asked.

"Yes, yes, yes! This disciple will go and fetch it right away!"

The female disciple was delighted upon hearing this.

Before long, she returned carrying a small beast the size of a fist, resembling a ground squirrel, with strangely glowing eyes: "This is the Twin-Pupil Rat. It can be rented for one low-grade spirit stone per day."

"When you need it, simply release it and let it search for itself. It is by nature fond of burrowing into places with dense spiritual energy. After you're done, leave it alone, and it will return to the pavilion on its own."

Zhou Yuan paid with spirit stones and accepted the chirping, mid-level level one spirit beast.

This beast has mediocre combat power, but its heterochromatic eyes can easily see through obstacles such as mist, water, and trees, making it an excellent helper in finding the "spiritual eye" place where spiritual veins converge.

With the Twin-Eyed Rat in tow, Zhou Yuan left the mountain gate and flew towards the outermost region of the northwestern Taiyue Mountains, following the direction he had planned in his mind.

According to his vague memories from his previous life and clues from the original work, this area needs to meet three conditions: it is located on the outermost northwestern edge of the Taiyue Mountains; it is 100 li to the north of the Yuanwu Kingdom; and it is 200 li to the west of the border between the Jianzhou of the Yue Kingdom and the smallest state, "Xizhou".

This was a remote and desolate mountain range, rarely visited by humans. Zhou Yuan landed on the ground and took out the prepared earth pear fruit to feed the double-eyed rat.

The little guy swallowed it in a few bites and seemed much happier.

Zhou Yuan placed it on the ground and said softly, "Go, help me find the place with the best spiritual energy in these mountains."

The two-eyed mouse twitched its nose, its pupils gleaming slightly. After a brief moment of recognition, it darted into the forest.

Zhou Yuan followed behind at a leisurely pace, riding his weapon.

In the first few days, the Twin-Eyed Mouse found several mountain hollows or small peaks with decent spiritual energy.

Zhou Yuan was not satisfied with the results after examining them, so he continued to command the spirit beasts to search.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, they arrived at the foot of an inconspicuous mountain peak that was about 100 feet high.

Upon reaching the mountainside, the two-eyed rat suddenly became extremely excited, chirping urgently and increasing its speed dramatically as it darted into a crack in the mountain wall, half-hidden by vines.

Zhou Yuan's spirits lifted, and he waved his hand to summon his flying sword. A flash of blue light appeared, widening the crack to about ten feet wide, and he slipped inside.

Beyond the crack was a narrow natural passageway. After walking for about ten feet, the view suddenly opened up before you.

This was a natural cave about ten feet in size. Although it wasn't spacious, a pure and rich spiritual energy from heaven and earth, far surpassing that of the outside world, rushed towards Zhou Yuan, making him feel instantly comfortable.

In the center of the cave, a small puddle, only a few feet in diameter, was bubbling with clear spring water, and a faint milky white mist was rising from the surface of the water.

The two-eyed rat was comfortably soaking in the spring water, swimming back and forth.

"The Fountain of Spiritual Eyes...it really is here!" Zhou Yuan's eyes shone with surprise.

The distribution of spiritual energy in heaven and earth is uneven, and in places where it is abundant, spiritual veins will form over the years.

Within a spiritual vein, the core point where spiritual energy is most densely concentrated is called the "spiritual eye".

Most spiritual eyes are formless and intangible, but this spring is a "spiritual eye spring" formed by the super-rich spiritual energy of the spiritual eye here over a long period of time. It is a spiritual treasure of heaven and earth that is countless times more precious than ordinary spiritual eyes!

With the nourishment of this spiritual spring, cultivation here can be at least 10-20% more efficient, making it an invaluable treasure for someone in the Foundation Establishment stage.

"This is the true location of my cave dwelling, Zhou Yuan."

He looked around this small space, his heart filled with anticipation.

The path to immortality is long, and a stable and efficient foundation for cultivation is of paramount importance.

This Spirit Eye Spring will be an important starting point for his future struggle for the Great Dao.

The latest chapter is now available! Book lovers, hurry back!