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

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"Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Li Huayuan got straight to the point, his tone crisp and decisive, his eyes fixed intently on Zhou Yuan.

Without hesitation, Zhou Yuan bowed and said, "This disciple desires a superior cultivation technique!"

This answer seemed to have been exactly what Li Huayuan had expected.

He didn't show any surprise upon hearing this. Instead, he turned his head and smiled at Wei Ran beside him, his eyes filled with a hint of smugness.

It was as if it were saying: See? I wasn't wrong, was I? What we really wanted was the cultivation technique!

Seeing this, she returned a gentle smile, her gaze towards Zhou Yuan softening even more.

"Hmm, if you want the cultivation technique, you first need to see which path suits your spiritual root attribute."

Li Huayuan's expression turned serious, and he beckoned to Zhou Yuan, saying, "Come here, let your master examine your spiritual roots and cultivation foundation."

Without hesitation, Zhou Yuan took two steps forward and extended his arm.

Li Huayuan placed three fingers on Zhou Yuan's wrist pulse point, and a gentle yet pure magical power slowly probed into Zhou Yuan's body, traveling along the meridians to carefully examine him.

A moment later, a barely perceptible look of surprise flashed in Li Huayuan's eyes.

Upon this investigation, he immediately noticed that the liquid true essence within Zhou Yuan's dantian was thick and solid, far surpassing that of ordinary cultivators who had just established their foundation.

He has clearly reached the peak of the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and is only one step away from the middle stage!

"To have made such progress in cultivation in less than three years since the Foundation Establishment stage..."

Li Huayuan was secretly amazed.

Such a cultivation speed would be considered quite good progress for ordinary cultivators with dual spiritual roots or even some cultivators with heterogeneous spiritual roots, not to mention...

He frowned almost imperceptibly.

As the exploration deepened.

Zhou Yuan's spiritual root aptitude was also clearly presented in his perception—four types of spiritual roots.

It is what is commonly known in the cultivation world as a pseudo-spiritual root!

"What a pity..."

Li Huayuan sighed inwardly and shook his head. If Zhou Yuan had three or two spiritual roots, with such temperament and cultivation progress, he would definitely regard him as a promising talent and cultivate him vigorously.

However, it is precisely the pseudo-spiritual root that is the most difficult to achieve. Even with some opportunities, Foundation Establishment is probably the limit, and the hope of forming the Core in this lifetime is slim.

Zhou Yuan took in all the changes in Li Huayuan's expression, but remained calm and composed.

He was glad that he had suppressed his efforts and hadn't rushed to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Otherwise, going from the initial Foundation Establishment stage to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage in less than three years would be too astonishing for someone with a pseudo-spiritual root.

This will inevitably attract in-depth investigation and suspicion from Li Huayuan and even the sect's higher-ups, which would be a huge problem.

"Pseudo-spiritual root..."

Li Huayuan withdrew his hand, murmured something to himself, and looked at Zhou Yuan with a more complicated expression. The appreciation he had felt earlier because of Zhou Yuan's cultivation speed had turned into a faint regret.

"Master,"

Zhou Yuan spoke at the opportune moment, his tone frank, "This disciple knows that his aptitude is low and the path to immortality is difficult. But having embarked on the path of immortality, he is unwilling to give up easily. He does not seek to go very far, but only wishes to walk steadily within his capabilities."

"Therefore, I wish to select a top-tier cultivation technique that suits me and has great potential to solidify my foundation and gradually advance."

These words both pointed out his own shortcomings and expressed his desire to pursue the Tao.

The sense of proportion was just right.

Upon hearing this, Li Huayuan's expression softened slightly. He pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Since you've made up your mind, then so be it. Come with me!"

After saying that, Li Huayuan got up and walked to one side of the hall. Zhou Yuan quickly followed.

The two arrived at what appeared to be an ordinary blue stone door. Li Huayuan raised his hand and made a hand seal, sending several beams of spiritual light into the void surrounding the stone door.

Instantly, ripples spread through the air like water, and a pale golden light screen appeared, from which an entrance opened.

"This is where I keep my cultivation manuals; there are some good inheritances here."

Li Huayuan stepped in first, saying, "Come in and take a look for yourself. Choose whatever you like, and that's it. Remember, you can only choose one item."

"Yes, thank you, Master!"

Zhou Yuan responded respectfully.

He then stepped into the stone chamber.

The stone chamber was not large, about three zhang square. The four walls were made of thick bluestone, inlaid with soft moonstone.

Inside, there were only seven or eight rustic wooden shelves scattered about, with fifty or sixty items displayed sparsely on them.

Some were ancient books with yellowed paper, some were jade slips of various colors, and there were also a few uniquely shaped bone fragments and leather scrolls.

The air was filled with a faint scent of ink and an ancient, spiritual atmosphere.

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept quickly across the entire stone chamber, finally settling on a corner of a wooden shelf at the back—where a palm-sized, somewhat strange golden page lay quietly!

This was precisely his primary objective for this trip—the golden page containing the complete "Azure Origin Sword Manual" and even the "Three Revolutions Replenishing Origin Technique"!

However, he did not immediately head towards the gold page, but instead suppressed his emotions.

Like a disciple carefully selecting a cultivation method, he began to examine the other items meticulously.

He first walked to the nearest wooden shelf, picked up a cyan jade slip, placed it on his forehead, and probed it with his divine sense.

After a moment, he put it down and picked up an ancient book made of animal hide next to him to read.

He observed very carefully, sometimes nodding, sometimes frowning, as if he were seriously comparing and weighing the options.

Among them are indeed several excellent top-tier martial arts techniques, with considerable power and unique characteristics.

If he were truly an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, he would probably find it difficult to make a decision.

Finally, he casually strolled over to the wooden shelf where the golden pages were placed.

He first picked up a white jade slip next to the gold page and examined it for a moment before picking it up as if he had just noticed the gold page.

The gold leaf feels slightly heavy in the hand; its texture is neither gold nor silk, and it has a peculiar feel.

It contains a common technique called "Condensing Essence Technique," and its supernatural power is also an extremely ordinary auxiliary technique called "Gathering Spirit Technique," which can only speed up the gathering of spiritual energy during cultivation.

Zhou Yuan looked puzzled and thoughtful, examining the document for a long time.

Finally, Zhou Yuan seemed to have made up his mind: "Master, I have made my choice."

Zhou Yuan presented the gold page with both hands, "I'll choose this one."

Upon hearing this, Li Huayuan opened his slightly closed eyes and was slightly taken aback when he saw the golden pages in Zhou Yuan's hand.

But in the end, he didn't say anything more.

"Very well, since it's your own choice, then so be it. This item is yours."

Li Huayuan took the gold leaf, casually wiped away the few marks he had left on it in his early years, and handed it back to Zhou Yuan.

"Thank you, Master!" Zhou Yuanzhen carefully put away the gold page.

Li Huayuan waved his hand to close the restrictions on the stone chamber and led Zhou Yuan back to the main hall.

Over the next few hours, Li Huayuan, unusually, took the time to give Zhou Yuan some guidance on his cultivation as a teacher.

After all, he was a highly skilled cultivator and an experienced person. His insights were incisive and greatly benefited Zhou Yuan. Some minor obstacles he encountered in his cultivation became clear after Zhou Yuan's guidance.

However, when it came to the cultivation of magic, Li Huayuan's views differed greatly from Zhou Yuan's.

"Zhou Yuan, I know that you had already perfected the Golden Sword Technique when you were still in the Qi Refining stage..."

Li Huayuan stroked his beard and said earnestly, "Before you established your foundation, you spent a lot of time mastering basic spells. While it seemed like you were formidable in combat, it was actually putting the cart before the horse—unwise!"

He shook his head slightly: "Even if you delve deeper into a basic spell and cultivate it to perfection, its power limit is fixed, and its effect on battles after Foundation Establishment is limited."

Instead of wasting time on that, it's better to focus on improving your cultivation and refining your true essence. You should know that after Foundation Establishment, your true essence undergoes a qualitative change, making it incredibly easy to learn and master basic spells—far less arduous than during the Qi Refining stage.

Zhou Yuan disagreed.

Li Huayuan was quite talented, so how could he possibly understand the hardships of a rogue cultivator like him who had no background and inferior spiritual roots?

If he hadn't mastered the Golden Sword Technique to the point of instantaneous execution, how could he have repeatedly turned the tide and killed powerful enemies in desperate situations like the Blood Forbidden Land?

Without those resources, he wouldn't even have a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, let alone be where he is today.

However, he naturally wouldn't reveal these thoughts. Zhou Yuan showed a look of understanding and followed Li Huayuan's words, asking, "Master's teachings are correct. Then, in Master's opinion, what kind of magic should one cultivate after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Seeing Zhou Yuan's humble request for guidance, Li Huayuan's expression softened slightly. He stroked his beard and said, "Foundation Establishment cultivators have abundant true essence and refined divine sense, so they should naturally learn more powerful and versatile intermediate spells! Intermediate spells are fundamentally different from elementary spells, and their power is incomparable."

He seemed to have gotten into the conversation, and gave an example: "Take your proficient Golden Sword Technique, for instance. It's a high-level, low-level metal-attribute spell. Reaching its peak and simultaneously releasing twelve golden swords is indeed no easy feat. But do you know that the mid-level, mid-grade metal-attribute spell 'Thousand Blades Technique,' even at just the minor completion stage, can condense hundreds of sword lights?"

The sword light was overwhelming, its sharpness surpassing that of the golden sword several times over! Your twelve golden swords would be instantly engulfed and shattered before a hundred sword lights, utterly powerless to resist!

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred.

Intermediate spell: Thousand Blades?

He vaguely remembered the name.

The next moment, Zhou Yuan appropriately revealed a look of surprise and longing on his face:

"A mid-level spell with such power? I wonder if this disciple might have the opportunity to learn it?"

Li Huayuan glanced at Zhou Yuan and pondered, "Cultivating intermediate-level spells is not easy. It requires a high level of control over true essence and strength of divine sense, and it takes a very long time to cultivate. Your spiritual root aptitude..."

Oh well, never mind.

He changed the subject, seemingly realizing he had been too blunt, and seeing Zhou Yuan's respectful attitude, he said, "Since you have some knowledge of magic, learning another powerful spell for protection wouldn't be a bad idea..."

After saying that, he reached into his storage bag at his waist and took out a thread-bound book with yellowed but well-preserved paper. The cover had the three characters "Thousand Blade Technique" written in ancient seal script.

"This is the 'Thousand Blade Technique' manual, which contains cultivation methods, diagrams of spiritual energy circulation, and some of my insights."

Li Huayuan handed the book to Zhou Yuan, saying, "Since you're interested, take it. I hope you'll study it carefully and not waste this magic."

Zhou Yuan quickly accepted the teachings with both hands, saying gratefully, "Thank you, Master, for bestowing this method upon me! I will certainly remember your teachings..."

You have to fight for your own interests.

Zhou Yuan originally planned to seek a powerful intermediate-level spell in addition to his cultivation techniques.

Unexpectedly, Li Huayuan brought it up on his own initiative this time, which saved him a lot of trouble.

Zhou Yuan originally planned to seek a powerful intermediate-level spell in addition to his cultivation techniques.

Unexpectedly, Li Huayuan brought it up on his own initiative this time, which saved him a lot of trouble.

Next, Zhou Yuan asked Li Huayuan some questions about cultivation details. After staying for about three hours, he tactfully took his leave.

Yu Kun escorted Zhou Yuan all the way to the outside of the waterfall's water curtain, warmly urging Zhou Yuan to come often when he had time and to visit his fellow disciples more often.