Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Cola Novels: turn the page and you're in another world.

Li Yuan left the herb garden early in the morning and headed along the mountain road towards the He family's main residence.

The main residence of the He family was more lively than the herb garden. People were coming and going in the courtyard surrounded by stone walls, but most of them were in a hurry and their expressions were not very relaxed.

The council chamber was located at the far end of the courtyard, a spacious stone house with two old chairs placed at the entrance.

He Qing was already waiting inside.

He sat behind the table, with a map of animal hides covered in markings in front of him, several red dots marked with mineral powder.

Seeing Li Yuan enter, He Qing looked up and pushed the map aside.

"How's the herb garden doing these days?"

"It's nothing serious. A few low-level Tier 1 soldiers came by sporadically, but the guards handled them themselves."

He Qing nodded.

"I had my men thoroughly investigate the monster we captured. They searched it inside and out, but we found nothing unusual."

He tapped his finger twice on the table.

"It's not just our family. Several small families in the surrounding area are experiencing similar situations. The monsters are coming more frequently than before, but there aren't many each time, and we can't find any trace of human involvement in the investigation."

He Qing was interrupted by footsteps outside the door as she spoke.

A cultivator from the He family strode to the door, cupped his hands, and said, "Manager He, we have guests visiting outside. They say they are from the Chen family."

He Qing paused for a moment, then stood up.

"Please come in."

Before long, a familiar figure walked into the council hall.

Elder Chen.

His hair and beard were all white, his face was thin, and he had a short stubble on his chin, just like he looked at the trade fair. Only the look in his eyes was a bit more somber than when they last met.

Behind him followed a young man at the fourth level of Qi Refining, carrying a storage bag on his back.

After entering the room, Elder Chen's gaze swept around the room. He nodded when he saw He Qing. When he saw Li Yuan, his eyebrows twitched.

"Fellow Daoist Li is here as well."

"Perfect." Li Yuan stood up from the chair next to him.

He turned around, took out a stack of talismans from his storage bag, and placed them on the table.

"Here's what I've accumulated these past few days. Please check it."

Forty-six Fireball Talismans.

Elder Chen didn't stand on ceremony. He reached out and picked up the top few fireball talismans, flipped through them, and then pulled out a few more to examine the spirit patterns against the light.

"It's better than last time."

He folded the talismans neatly and beckoned to the young man behind him.

The young man took out a roll of animal hide and a pile of spirit stones from his storage bag and placed them on the table.

"It was agreed upon before." Elder Chen pointed to the rolled-up animal hide and spirit stones with his finger.

Li Yuan first put away the spirit stones, then picked up the animal hide and unfolded it.

The writing on the animal hide was neat, and the arrangement of the spiritual patterns was clearly drawn. The three characters at the top were "Vajra Talisman".

Tier 1 Battle Talisman. After use, it greatly enhances the user's strength and defense, lasting approximately 15 minutes.

Li Yuan scanned the entire recipe from beginning to end, then rolled it up and put it away.

Elder Chen looked at him and spoke about the second matter.

"Also, can you make a Rejuvenation Talisman?"

"How many?"

"Ten more each time."

The old man from the Chen clan spoke in a calm and unhurried tone.

"Things aren't peaceful where I am either. Monsters come to cause trouble every now and then, and since my family members have low cultivation levels, it's common for them to get injured. Rejuvenation talismans are even more sought after than fireball talismans where we're from."

Li Yuan thought about it.

I'm still a beginner at using the Rejuvenation Talisman, and my success rate isn't very high yet, but the spiritual energy here in the herb garden is abundant, so I have time to practice.

"Can."

Elder Chen nodded, not dwelling on the topic any further.

He turned to look at He Qing and changed the subject.

"Manager He, the main reason I've come here is to discuss the formation with the He family."

He Qing sat back down behind the table.

"Elder Chen, please speak."

Elder Chen leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped together on his knees.

"The Chen family has a large territory and scattered manpower. I need to protect the entire family; I can't possibly run all the way here."

He glanced at the animal skin map in front of He Qing.

"The He family understands formations. If they can set up a few warning or defensive formations at our key locations, it will at least buy us some time to react."

He Qing pondered for a moment.

"Setting up the formation is not difficult, but the formation materials and spirit stones consumed are considerable."

"And... about the payment."

"I'll provide that," Elder Chen replied readily. "The Chen family will provide the materials and spirit stones; the He family will only provide the personnel and skills."

The two began discussing the details, but Li Yuan stopped listening.

He took the spirit stones he had settled with Elder Chen regarding the Vajra Talisman making method, nodded to He Qing, and turned to leave the council hall.

In the afternoon, a cultivator from the He family came to the herb garden.

"Fellow Daoist Li, the traveling merchant has arrived; he's in the front courtyard."

Li Yuan put away the talisman brush on the table and followed.

In the open space in front of the He family's house, several people were unloading goods.

The leader was a lean man in his forties with a sharp face, quick-witted eyes, and a smile playing on his lips; he exuded shrewdness. Behind him were two young men arranging goods on coarse cloth on the ground.

Their cultivation levels were not high; the leader was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and the two henchmen were only at the second level.

The goods on the coarse cloth were extremely varied. There was blue-patterned paper, spirit ink, cinnabar, various mineral powders, several bundles of herbs, a dozen or so bottles of elixirs in porcelain jars, two and a half old magic tools, a pile of scattered ore, and several rolls of animal hides of unknown origin.

Li Yuan walked closer and squatted down to examine the goods.

The quality of the blue-patterned paper was decent, slightly inferior to that from Wu Ji's talisman shop, but better than what the independent cultivators were selling at the trade fair. There were two types of spirit ink: one lighter in color and cheaper, and the other, with a deep black color and fine texture, almost twice as expensive.

"How much is this batch of blue-textured paper?"

The lean traveling merchant immediately approached.

"Fellow Daoist has a keen eye. This batch of paper was obtained from a small workshop in the north. It is 20% thicker than the paper commonly found on the market, and it absorbs ink more evenly. Fifty sheets per bundle, six spirit stones."

Li Yuan picked up a piece of paper and flipped through it. It was indeed thicker than ordinary paper, with denser fibers.

"Two bundles. Lingmo wants the good one."

"Okay."

The traveling merchant quickly sorted the goods and then eagerly pointed to the pile of pills next to him.

"Does fellow Daoist need any more pills? We have Muscle Relaxing Pills, Qi Gathering Pills, and Meridian Opening Pills."

Li Yuan glanced at the porcelain vases.

Do you have any wood-type pills?

The traveling merchant paused for a moment, then looked through the goods in front of him.

"Wood-type... Yes, there are three Wood Nourishing Pills. One pill costs two and a half spirit stones."

He pulled a small porcelain bottle from the corner, uncorked it, and showed it to Li Yuan.

The three dark green pills had a faint medicinal scent, similar to the two I bought at the last trade fair.

"I'll take them all."

The traveling merchant handed over the porcelain bottle and then began to sell other things.

Li Yuan was not in a hurry to leave.

His gaze swept over the pile of porcelain vases and then suddenly stopped.

In the corner, there was a bottle separated from the others. The bottle was covered in dust, and the stopper was sealed with two layers of wax, making it look like it hadn't been touched for a while.

What caught Li Yuan's attention was not the bottle, but a very faint scent emanating from the gap in the bottle stopper.

It was bitter, with a heavy, oppressive feeling.

A malevolent aura.

Li Yuan reached out and picked up the bottle.

The bottle is small and feels slightly cool to the touch. After removing the wax seal and taking a sniff, the menacing scent immediately became clear.

Isn't this Old Sun's Killing Essence Pill?

"What is this thing?"

The traveling merchant tilted his head and glanced at it, looking a little embarrassed.

"The Killing Essence Pill".

He rubbed his hands together.

"I got the goods from an old man. That old man is quite skilled at alchemy. He has a kind of pill called the Demon-Breaking Pill, which sells very well. Many rogue cultivators buy it to help them break through. I figured his other pills should also sell well, so I bought a batch of Demon-Essence Pills."

The traveling vendor shrugged.

"As a result, it didn't sell at all. This stuff is full of malevolent energy; what ordinary cultivator would dare to put it in their mouth? It's no wonder they'd get into trouble if they ate it. Not a single one was sold."

Li Yuan uncorked the bottle and glanced inside.

There were about a dozen dark gray pills, with a faint gray sheen on their surface, completely different from the warm luster of ordinary pills.

He put the cork back in.

"How much?"

The traveling merchant's eyes lit up.

"You want them? That's wonderful! Twelve of them, that'll be twenty spirit stones for you, is that alright?"

"OK."

Li Yuan put the bottle into his storage bag.

The traveling merchant happily accepted the spirit stones and continued to hawk his wares, inviting the rest of the He family to come and see the goods.

Li Yuan carried the things back to the herb garden.

After closing the door of the stone house, Li Yuan sat down at the table.

First, arrange the materials for making talismans. Stack two bundles of blue-patterned paper on the corner of the table, place the spirit ink next to it, and keep the cinnabar and mineral powder separate.

Then remove all the wood-nourishing pills.

Li Yuan then removed the Soul-Illuminating Mirror, took out the previously prepared Rejuvenation Talisman from his storage bag, and equipped it.

A warm sensation spread from my chest to my limbs.

It wasn't spiritual power, nor was it qi and blood; it was a more subtle change—like a long-dormant function in the body being awakened.

After experiencing it for a while, Li Yuan took out the first Wood Nourishing Pill and put it in his mouth.

A gentle wood-elemental spiritual energy spread from his abdomen, unlike the intense energy of the Qi and Blood Pill, but rather like spring water seeping into the soil, slowly nourishing his meridians and internal organs.

The progress of the permanent resurgence of life has also increased slightly.

After cultivating for half an hour, Li Yuan took a second Wood Nourishing Pill.

……

As the last one fell into the mouth, the panel surfaced.

The conditions for permanent "Resurgence of Vitality (White)" have been met.

Is it permanent?

Li Yuan had a sudden thought.

Yes.

[Permanentization successful]

【The resurgence of life (white) has become a permanent entry】

[Equipment consumed]

The Rejuvenation Talisman transformed into a pale green light between his fingers and entered his body.

Li Yuan clenched his fist, then relaxed it, and the warm, gentle feeling intensified.

Then Li Yuan spread out the talisman paper and picked up the talisman brush.

It's still early outside the window, enough time to draw a few talismans.

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