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

Zhou Yuan walked through the Tianxing Sect market, where shops lined both sides of the street and people thronged the streets.

His gaze calmly swept over the shops with signs that read "Specializing in Formations" and "Customization Prohibited," but he was secretly pondering something.

"The ultimate goal of this trip is to purchase a powerful array to protect the cave."

He slowed his pace and paused for a moment in front of a shop that specialized in selling formations.

The walls inside the shop are adorned with samples of various array plates and flags, their gleam shimmering with light.

It looks quite extraordinary.

But Zhou Yuan quickly looked away.

The Tianxing Sect is renowned for its array formations, and the secret array techniques passed down through generations are the foundation of its existence.

Although there are many shops selling array formations in the market, the truly exquisite array formations are strictly controlled from leaving the Tianxing Sect.

"After all, if we sell off a large number of the sect's core formations, wouldn't that give others the opportunity to research their weaknesses and find ways to break them?"

Zhou Yuan shook his head.

Although he needed an array to protect his cave dwelling, he didn't expect to be able to buy any truly rare and exquisite items in the Tianxing Sect's market.

"Fine, if I can't find a good one, a regular one will do..."

His demands were actually not high.

In the original story, Han Li needed an array because the little green bottle was used to accelerate the ripening of spiritual herbs and cultivate spiritual insects, and he had to be careful to prevent outsiders from spying on it.

Otherwise, the secret being leaked would be a catastrophe.

But Zhou Yuan was different.

He has the equipment slot as his biggest trump card, where all his secrets are contained, so he doesn't need to hide them as carefully as Han Li.

For him, the formation was more about preventing cultivators or demonic beasts from accidentally entering the cave and causing unnecessary trouble, rather than about strict defense.

"Triple protection, including illusion array, defensive array, and killing array, is sufficient to stop some outside cultivators."

Having made up his mind, Zhou Yuan no longer hesitated and turned to walk towards the city center.

His steps finally stopped in front of that magnificent nine-story pavilion—Stardust Pavilion.

This is a shop directly under the Tianxing Sect, so its reputation and resources are guaranteed.

While it's unlikely that any core formations will leak out, their quality is at least more reliable than those from small shops of dubious origin.

Zhou Yuan stepped into the main hall of Stardust Pavilion.

His early Foundation Establishment cultivation level granted him the qualification to enter the upper levels directly, without needing to pave the way with spirit stones as he had done before.

He went straight to the fifth floor.

There were significantly fewer cultivators here; only a handful of Foundation Establishment cultivators were inspecting the goods at various counters.

The environment is serene and elegant, and each item is displayed individually in a specially made display case, exuding a refined charm that clearly indicates they are all extraordinary products.

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept over the dazzling array of magical artifacts, pills, and materials, but he didn't linger for long.

Having survived the bloody battles in the forbidden land and seized the entire fortune of elites like Feng Yue and Duobao Nu, and having just crafted five exquisite magical artifacts from the materials of the Ink Dragon, ordinary items no longer caught his eye.

He went directly to the area where array formations and artifacts were displayed.

Behind the counter, an elderly man with a thin face and a goatee came forward. His cultivation level was around the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Fellow Daoist, are you looking to purchase an array?" The old man's smile was gentle, but his tone carried a hint of the arrogance typical of disciples of the Heavenly Star Sect.

Zhou Yuan nodded: "I need several sets of formations to protect the cave. They must include illusion formations, defensive formations, and killing formations. Their power doesn't have to be top-notch, but they must be stable and reliable."

The old man stroked his beard and pondered, "A triple-layered complex formation... such formations are not easy to create, and they are not cheap. Our establishment does have a few that meet the requirements."

He turned around and took three jade boxes from the shelf behind him, opening them one by one.

The first jade box contained a palm-sized cyan array plate, covered with densely packed silver runes, and twelve pale cyan array flags were neatly arranged beside it.

"This is the 'Fleeting Shadow Array,' a main illusion array. Once activated, it can generate layers of misty illusions within a radius of a hundred feet, which can confuse a cultivator's divine sense and five senses. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators can easily get lost in it without special methods to break the seal."

The second jade box contained a set of array plates made entirely of crimson gold and eighteen red array flags, emanating a faint aura of heat.

"This is the 'Azure Sun Array,' a primary defensive array. Once deployed, it forms an indestructible light barrier, providing additional protection against fire and metal-based attacks. When fully activated, it can withstand continuous attacks from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator for half an hour."

The array plate in the third jade box was dark blue, and there were only nine array flags, but each one was sharp and menacing, with faint sounds of wind and thunder.

"This is the 'Wind Blade Sky-Splitting Array,' a primary killing array. When the array is activated, it can condense countless sharp wind blades to attack the enemy invisibly. The wind blades are extremely fast and have strong penetrating power. If those below the mid-Foundation Establishment stage do not have strong defenses, they will find it difficult to escape being strangled after a prolonged attack."

After the old man finished his introduction, he looked at Zhou Yuan and said, "These three formations are all standard configurations commonly used by Foundation Establishment cultivators in our sect. Although they are not top-tier, they are stable, easy to set up, and consume a moderate amount of spirit stones. If you need them, you can purchase all three together. The price... a total of two thousand spirit stones."

After listening to the old man's explanation, Zhou Yuan had already made his own judgment.

Fleeting Light and Shadow Array, Azure Sun Array, Wind Blade Sky-Splitting Array—the names sound impressive, but as he expected, they are just standard arrays sold by the Heavenly Star Sect, and their power is only at a mid-level among Foundation Establishment stage arrays.

But for him, that was enough.

"Okay." Zhou Yuan didn't haggle and directly took out spirit stones to complete the transaction.

Seeing this, the old man's smile widened, and he took out another jade slip and handed it to Zhou Yuan:

"These are the setup and control techniques for three formations. Please keep them safe, fellow Daoist. If you have any questions, please feel free to come to our pavilion to inquire."

Zhou Yuan took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense to confirm that it was correct, then put the three jade boxes into his storage bag and bowed to take his leave.

After leaving Stardust Pavilion, he did not linger in the Heavenly Star Sect's market. He immediately summoned the Divine Wind Boat, transforming into a streak of white light.

They sped off towards the Yue Kingdom.

---

Several days later, Zhou Yuan returned to the edge of the Taiyue Mountains, to the cave dwelling he had simply marked with five cloaking flags.

The natural cave behind the waterfall remains hidden, with a thin white mist formed by the cryptic flags shrouding the entrance and barely concealing its presence.

Zhou Yuan removed the camouflage flag and stepped into the cave.

The cave was empty, except for a few traces left from filling in the Spirit Eye Spring. The rock walls were rough and the ground uneven, just as it had been when I left two years ago.

"It's time to set up the formation."

Zhou Yuan took out three jade boxes and began to arrange them one by one according to the incantation in the jade slip.

First is the outermost "Fleeting Glimpse Array".

He placed the palm-sized cyan array plate in the center of the cave, and then, holding twelve light cyan array flags, embedded them in the cave entrance, around the rock walls, and even on the cave ceiling, according to specific directions.

As each array flag was inserted, Zhou Yuan infused it with mana to activate the runes within. As the last flag was placed in its position, the cyan array plate trembled slightly, emitting a soft light.

"rise!"

Zhou Yuan let out a low shout, formed hand seals, and cast a spell towards the array plate.

hum-

A slight ripple spread through the air inside the cave, and an almost invisible pale blue halo emanated from the array plate, quickly enveloping the entire cave. Upon touching the rock walls, the halo silently merged into them, leaving no trace.

Zhou Yuan walked out of the cave and looked back.

The once clear cave entrance has now become blurred, the rock texture twists and changes, sometimes looking like a complete mountain wall, and sometimes like vines hanging down. The interplay of light and shadow makes it difficult to determine the true location.

"The illusion array is complete."

Zhou Yuan nodded in satisfaction, returned to the cave, and began setting up the second set of formations—the "Azure Sun Array".

The crimson-gold array plate was placed next to the Floating Light and Shadow array plate, while the eighteen red array flags were distributed in a more complex arrangement.

Some extend deep into the rock strata, while others hang suspended in mid-air, forming a three-dimensional protective network.

As all the array flags were activated, the crimson-gold array plate lit up, and a faint golden light curtain appeared and disappeared, enveloping the entire cave. Fine runes flowed on the surface of the light curtain, exuding a stable and heavy aura.

Finally, there's the "Wind Blade Sky-Splitting Array".

The arrangement of the deep blue array plate and the nine sharp array flags was the most meticulous. It took Zhou Yuan a full hour to accurately embed all the array flags into specific nodes.

The core of this killing formation lies in concealment and explosive power.

After all the array flags were activated, there were no obvious anomalies in the cave, only a faint sound of wind flowing between the rock walls.

However, Zhou Yuan could sense that as long as the formation was activated, countless invisible wind blades would instantly condense and annihilate any intruders.

After all three formations were set up, Zhou Yuan took out some low- to mid-grade spirit stones and embedded them into the energy slots of the three formation plates.

The formation requires a continuous consumption of energy to operate, and these spirit stones are enough to sustain it for several years.

If the spirit stones are exhausted in the future, they can be replaced.

"Charge!"

Zhou Yuan flicked his hands in quick succession, simultaneously casting three spells into the three array plates.

In an instant, a burst of spiritual light shone within the cave!

The pale blue halo of the Floating Light and Shadow Array, the golden light curtain of the Azure Sun Array, and the invisible wind net of the Wind Blade Sky-Splitting Array—these three arrays are perfectly superimposed and interconnected, forming a complete triple protection system.

From the inside, the cave is still clearly visible.

However, from the outside, this place is just an ordinary mountain wall. Even if a cultivator tries to scan it with their divine sense, they will be interfered with by the illusion array and find it difficult to detect anything unusual.

If someone forcibly breaks in, they will first face the illusion array to confuse them, then the defensive array to block them, and finally the killing array to erupt. This triple attack is enough to make most Foundation Establishment cultivators back down.

"With these three layers of formations protecting it, the cave dwelling is finally taking shape."

Zhou Yuan looked around and felt at ease.

Although these three formations are not top-tier in power, they excel in their comprehensiveness.

The combination of illusion, defense, and attack is sufficient to handle most situations.

More importantly, once the formation was set up, the safety of the cave was greatly improved, and he could cultivate here with peace of mind for a long time.

---

Cultivating immortality knows no time.

After the cave's formation was properly set up, Zhou Yuan began his long period of seclusion.

Two and a half years have passed in the blink of an eye.

During these two years, Zhou Yuan stayed at home and devoted all his energy to cultivation.

The cultivation technique he primarily practiced was naturally derived from Li Huayuan's "Qingyuan Sword Manual".

Zhou Yuan knew the origin of this technique perfectly well—it was created by Qing Yuanzi, a Mahayana cultivator in the Spirit Realm. Although only the first nine levels of the Foundation Establishment chapter have been passed down, its exquisite nature is far beyond that of ordinary techniques.

More importantly, the complete Qingyuan Sword Manual also contains a record of the "Three Revolutions Rejuvenation Technique," which is an unparalleled secret method to increase the chances of forming a Golden Core!

The so-called "three-stage rebirth" refers to the extreme compression of magical power and true essence during the re-cultivation process by dispersing one's cultivation power and starting anew.

After dissipating his energy three times in a row, he would then refine himself back to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, accumulating near-solid true essence in his dantian.

At this point, attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage will be much more efficient and increase the success rate significantly.

According to Qing Yuanzi's conjecture, the Golden Elixir is formed by the solidification of true essence.

Three cycles of retraining and re-cultivating one's skills are equivalent to simulating the embryonic form of the Golden Elixir in the Dantian in advance. Then, when one goes on to form the elixir, it will naturally be a natural process.

"This method... is tailor-made for pseudo-spiritual root cultivators like myself!"

Zhou Yuan understood immediately.

For a pseudo-spiritual root cultivator, establishing a foundation is already difficult, and forming a core is even more difficult than ascending to heaven.

Throughout history, countless pseudo-spiritual root cultivators have struggled to establish their foundation, only to be trapped at the bottleneck of Core Formation, exhausting their lifespans and unable to take that step forward.