Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

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That morning, after handing over a new batch of talismans to He Shou, Li Yuan ran into the captain of the guard team in the courtyard.

The guards were members of the Wang family's main branch, all at the ninth level of Qi Refining. They rarely stayed at the base, spending most of their time patrolling outside or attending meetings at the Wang family headquarters. Li Yuan had only seen the guards from afar twice during his time with them.

Captain Wang had just returned from outside, wearing a dusty gray robe, and was standing in the middle of the courtyard talking to He Shou.

When Li Yuan walked over, Captain Wang glanced at him.

"So you're the talisman maker sent by the Talisman Hall?"

"Yes."

Captain Wang nodded, his gaze lingering for a moment on the talisman-shaped waist tag on Li Yuan's waist.

"I've examined your talismans; they're of good quality. He Shou mentioned you to me."

He didn't waste time on pleasantries before getting down to business.

"I heard you're looking for two top-grade Tier 1 herbs?"

Li Yuan glanced at He Shou. He Shou nodded slightly at him, clearly indicating that He Shou had brought it up on his behalf.

"right."

Captain Wang put his hands into his sleeves.

"These two items are found on the outskirts of the Yuanheng Mountains. The guards saw them in several medicinal valleys on the edge of the mountains during their patrols. They're not particularly rare, but high-grade Tier 1 items are hard to find; you have to go deeper into the mountains."

He paused.

"However, the situation in the mountains is different now than before."

"Although there are fewer monsters than before, they are more dangerous."

He gestured with his chin toward the west of the market. "The Li family not only harasses the outskirts of the market, but also bribes a group of rogue cultivators. Unlike the regular cultivators of the Li family who fight and run, these people hide in the mountains to ambush lone patrols and wandering cultivators."

"Last month, a three-person team of ours went into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs. On the way back, they were intercepted by four evil cultivators. Two of the three were killed and one was injured. All their supplies were stolen."

Captain Wang's tone wasn't harsh, but the expressions of the several guards in the courtyard changed upon hearing it.

"Besides the heretical cultivators, the Li family members themselves will also take action," Captain Wang continued. "Last time, He Shou led a team on patrol outside the mountains and encountered three Li family cultivators. Although they repelled them, they still lost some men."

After listening, Li Yuan did not respond, waiting for Captain Wang to continue.

Captain Wang looked at him.

"I can have the patrol team find those two herbs for you. They're going into the mountains anyway, so keeping an eye out for them won't take much effort."

He held up one finger.

"The condition is that you need to make more talismans. During your time with the guard, try to squeeze out some time for cultivation every day to make more talismans."

"Okay." Li Yuan replied without hesitation.

Captain Wang grunted in response, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Li Yuan returned to the stone house and continued making talismans.

Fireball talismans remain the primary source of drops. The success rate of Heart-Locking talismans is gradually increasing, with a stable yield of two to three per day.

He interspersed his talisman-making with cultivation. He alternated between using the Spirit Guiding Technique and the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique. With the dual blessing of pure spiritual power and spiritual power condensation, the spiritual power in his dantian became more and more solid with each cycle.

The process of making mid-grade spirit stones permanent is also progressing steadily.

[Pure Spiritual Power (Green) Permanentization Progress: 267/500]

Two days later.

As evening approached, He Shou pushed open the door and came in, carrying a cloth bag in his hand.

"The items have arrived."

He placed the cloth bag on the table and untied the knot.

Inside were two herbs, each wrapped in oiled paper.

Li Yuan picked up the first plant and examined it. The stem was a mix of blue and purple, and the edges of the leaves shimmered with a faint silver light. The spiritual energy fluctuations were restrained, but its grade was clear—a high-grade first-tier plant.

The second plant is a deep reddish-brown, with thick roots, slender leaves, and a pungent aroma tinged with bitterness. It is also a top-grade first-tier plant.

These are the two mutually antagonistic herbs that Old Sun mentioned.

"The patrol team found it in a medicinal valley on the east side of the mountains," He Shou said. "It's in decent condition; see if it's enough for your needs."

Li Yuan rewrapped the two herbs.

That's enough.

He Shou nodded, turned and left.

Li Yuan put the herbs into his storage bag, planning to have Old Sun refine them when he returned to the Talisman Hall next time.

That evening, Li Yuan practiced his exercises cross-legged as usual.

The Spirit Guiding Technique was activated, and spiritual energy surged into the body. The Pure Spiritual Power Element removed impurities, and the Condensation Technique compressed the spiritual energy and sank it into the dantian.

One cycle is completed, and the second cycle begins.

By the latter half of the third week, Li Yuan sensed a change.

The spiritual energy in my dantian is already saturated.

It's not that feeling of almost full, it's true saturation.

The spiritual energy filled every corner of his dantian, and any more would overflow. The pressure on the walls of his dantian reached its limit, and the spiritual energy surged within, like a pot of water about to boil.

The bottleneck of the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Li Yuan didn't rush. He first circulated his spiritual energy to make sure that every meridian and every micro-meridian was in optimal condition.

After mastering the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique, spiritual energy flows throughout the body at an extremely fast speed, filling every inch of the meridians. After achieving minor success in the Subtle Origin Guiding Meridian Technique, even the smallest meridian branches are unobstructed.

Everything is ready.

The density of the spiritual energy in the dantian suddenly increased under the compression of the Condensation Technique. The already saturated spiritual energy was further squeezed, like forcing half a full cup of water into it. The pressure on the walls of the dantian increased sharply, and a dull pain spread from the abdomen to the limbs.

The spiritual energy, in a condensed state, impacted the bottleneck on the dantian wall.

The first wave of impact.

hum.

His entire dantian trembled.

The bottleneck broke.

Spiritual energy surged from the breach into the deeper dantian space, pouring down like a flood bursting its banks. The new space was larger than the original, and the spiritual energy quickly spread out after entering, filling every corner.

At the same time, the meridians were also changing. Under the impact of spiritual energy, all the meridians in the body expanded by one line simultaneously, and the bearing capacity of the meridian walls increased accordingly. The speed of spiritual energy flow was more than 20% faster than before the breakthrough.

Li Yuan slowly finished his practice and exhaled a breath of stale air.

Seven layers of Qi Refining.

The panel appeared.

Immediately afterwards, a second notification popped up.

The conditions for making Spiritual Energy Condensation (Green) permanent have been met.

Is it permanent?

Li Yuan had a sudden thought.

Yes.

[Permanentization successful]

[Spiritual Energy Condensation (Green) has become a permanent entry]

[Equipment consumed]

The already superior condensed spiritual power of cultivators of the same level was further compressed, and the flow became even more natural and smooth.

The spiritual energy in his dantian changed once again in the next instant.

It's not a change in quantity, it's a change in quality.

The spiritual energy that surged into the new space after the breakthrough began to condense on its own. No guiding technique was needed; the spiritual energy itself was compressing towards a higher density.

The third notification popped up immediately afterward.

[The conditions for breaking through to the seventh level of Qi Refining have been met, and the fourth equipment slot has been unlocked.]

Current equipment slots: 2/4

[Conditions for unlocking the next equipment slot: Three or more green quality or higher attributes must be permanently upgraded / Cultivation level must reach Foundation Establishment]

The fourth equipment slot.

Li Yuan looked at the numbers on the panel.

2/4. The Soul-Illuminating Mirror and the mid-grade spirit stone are still hanging there; the Qi-Gathering Technique has just been used up, freeing up two slots.

The activation conditions have also changed. The next equipment slot requires three green permanent attributes or Foundation Establishment.

Currently, there are two green permanent attributes—Flame Marrow Body Condensation and Spiritual Power Condensation. One more is needed.

The affinity of the evil stone for evil energy is a green attribute, and the condition for permanentization is absorbing a high-grade first-tier evil energy. The herbs are already in hand; once Old Sun refines them, we can proceed.

Pure spiritual energy is also green, and it requires 500 cycles to become permanent. Currently, it has over 300, and it is still a little over 100 short.

Both paths lead forward.

Li Yuan put the panel away and stood up to stretch his limbs.

The body at the seventh level of Qi Refining is different from that at the sixth level. The spiritual energy is more abundant, the meridians are wider, and the speed of circulation is faster. In addition, the significant increase in spiritual energy density after the spiritual energy condensation is permanent means that the same spells are more than one level more powerful than before the breakthrough.

It was already past midnight outside the window. The guard post was so quiet that only the footsteps of a few night-duty monks could be heard.

Li Yuan sat down on the bed and closed his eyes to practice his internal energy.

Spiritual energy surged into the body from all directions, and the pure spiritual energy eliminated impurities, causing the spiritual energy to condense and sink into the dantian.

Each cycle is faster and more solid than before the breakthrough.

The latest update is now available on Cola Novels; we await your interpretation.