Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

In the morning, Li Yuan took out the herbal talisman-making method given to him by Captain Wang from his storage bag, unfolded it, and spread it on the table.

The contents on the animal hide are divided into two parts.

The first part explains the principle.

The stems and leaves of the spiritual herb contain a large amount of plant fiber, which itself carries a faint spiritual power.

The medicinal herbs are chopped, mashed, and soaked in a special medicinal liquid. The fibers soften and rearrange under the influence of the liquid, and are eventually pressed into thin sheets. These sheets are then dried to become herbal talismans.

Compared to ordinary animal hide talisman paper, herbal talisman paper has better spiritual conductivity, especially talisman paper made from wood-attribute spiritual herbs, which will have a much higher success rate when drawing wood-type talismans.

The second half describes the specific production process.

The first step is harvesting. Select a first-grade low-quality spiritual herb, taking only the stems and large leaves, discarding the roots and tender shoots.

The second step is to chop and soak the herbs. Cut the herbs into pieces the size of a fingernail and soak them in clean water for half an hour to remove the surface dirt and impurities.

The third step is soaking in the medicinal solution. The fragments are then removed and soaked in a pre-prepared setting solution for two hours. The formula for the setting solution is very simple: a mixture of the juices of two common herbs, all of which can be found in herb gardens.

The fourth step is to pound and flatten the pulp. After soaking, remove the fragments and pound them into a paste in a stone mortar. Pour the paste onto a flat stone slab and flatten it with another stone slab, controlling the thickness to be about the same as two sheets of blue-textured paper stacked together.

Step 5: Air dry. Place the flattened sheet in a well-ventilated area to air dry naturally, which should take about a day.

The process is not complicated and not difficult.

Li Yuan rolled up the animal hide and put it away before leaving the stone house.

The outer garden of the herb garden was planted with a large number of first-grade low-level spiritual herbs, of various varieties. Li Yuan walked around the stone railing, picked out a few green spiritual herbs with thick stems and large leaves, broke them off three inches above the root, and took the stems and large leaves.

When the stem of the Qingling grass is broken, a few drops of pale green sap ooze out. It is slightly sticky and has a faint grassy smell.

Li Yuan picked a few more plants and made a small bundle.

Then I went to another herb garden and found the two herbs needed to prepare the setting solution, and picked a handful of each.

Back in the open space in front of the stone house, I used a stone mortar and pestle to pound the two herbs to extract their juice. I then mixed it with water, and the medicinal liquid was ready. It was light brown in color and had a slightly bitter smell.

Just as I was about to start chopping the Green Spirit Grass, I heard footsteps behind me.

Manager Wang walked down the slope with a document in his hand. He paused for a moment when he saw Li Yuan squatting on the ground fiddling with herbs.

"What are you doing?"

"Try making herbal talismans."

Manager Wang grunted in response, said nothing more about the matter, and walked up to Li Yuan and stood in front of him.

"The herb I gave you has been approved."

He handed over the document in his hand. The document bore the seal of the Talisman Hall and approved the use of Talisman Hall contributions to offset the receipt of one Solidifying Grass, deducting the corresponding contribution points.

"Come with me to pick them."

The two walked up the slope and went around to the inside of the fence.

The herb was still in the same spot. Its stems were emerald green, and the silvery down on the edges of its leaves shimmered in the sunlight.

Manager Wang bent down to check everything, and after confirming that everything was normal, he nodded to Li Yuan.

"Pull it out. Pull it out by the roots, but don't break the roots."

Li Yuan squatted down and gripped the soil at the roots of the Gu Yuan Grass with both hands. A semi-transparent system panel appeared, but Li Yuan ignored it.

A slight amount of spiritual energy seeped out, loosening the soil around the roots. Then it was slowly lifted upwards.

The roots were pulled out of the soil little by little, the slender roots were intact, and a few grains of wet mud were still hanging on the root tips.

The entire plant was uprooted.

Li Yuan gently shook off the soil from the Guyuan Grass, wrapped it in a piece of oiled paper, and put it into his storage bag.

Manager Wang watched as he carefully put away the herbs, then turned and called down the slope.

"Come here, everyone, let's have a meeting."

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone in the stone houses throughout the herb garden heard it.

The cultivator surnamed Zhou emerged from the stone house on the west side, while the cultivator surnamed Feng stood up from beside the stove. The alchemist on the slope also poked his head out, hesitated for a moment, and then came down.

There are two other people.

I had never met Li Yuan before.

Two cultivators walked quickly from the hillside north of the herb garden, their bodies covered in withered leaves and mud, as if they had just emerged from the forest.

The one in front was about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, of medium build and slightly thin, with a dark complexion, bright eyes, and an aura at the fifth level of Qi Refining. The one behind was a little older, in his early thirties, with broad shoulders, and walked with a steady gait, his footsteps making almost no sound on the gravel.

Sixth level of Qi Refining.

Li Yuan glanced at the person behind him.

It wasn't his cultivation level that mattered, but the way he walked. His weight was evenly distributed with each step, his knees slightly bent, as if he were always ready to exert force or change direction. The muscle lines of his forearms were faintly visible under his sleeves, unlike cultivators who relied solely on spiritual energy.

It's like he's practiced a body-refining technique.

The two walked to the open space and bowed to Steward Wang.

"Manager Wang."

Manager Wang nodded to the two of them and then explained something to the others.

"These two are scouts from the herb garden. Like you, they are responsible for guarding the area, but on a rotating basis. They usually patrol and explore the outer perimeter, which is different from us who are stationed here."

He then gestured with his chin toward Li Yuan.

"This is Li Yuan, a talisman maker sent by the Talisman Hall. He doesn't need to go out to investigate; he can stay here and make talismans."

After exchanging greetings, the younger scout took out a marked animal hide from his pocket and laid it on the stone surface next to the stove.

"We have intelligence."

He pointed to a location on the animal hide map with his finger.

"We found traces of activity in a valley about seven or eight miles northwest of the herb garden. There were footprints and residual spiritual energy. The traces were no more than two days old, so someone must have been stationed there recently."

He drew a circle around that location.

"The area is quite large, extending about two or three miles in depth. We didn't dare to go too deep; we only looked around the perimeter and confirmed that there were traces of at least three to five people's activities."

Manager Wang squatted down and looked at the map.

"Someone from the Li family?"

"Not sure." The young cultivator shook his head. "I didn't see the Li family's insignia, but this location isn't far from the herb garden, and the previous groups of harassing cultivators came from the northwest, so the direction matches."

The investigator who had practiced body-refining techniques had been silent until now, when he spoke in a low voice.

"This might be the hideout of the group that harassed us before."

The open space was quiet for two breaths.

Manager Wang straightened up and glanced around at everyone.

"Should we make a move tonight?"

The cultivator surnamed Zhou was the first to speak, his tone crisp and decisive.

"Go out. It's too passive to keep being probed at the door every day. Now that we have a place to stay, it wouldn't be right not to check it out."

The cultivator surnamed Feng hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"It's not a solution to keep getting harassed like this. If we can find their hideout, at least we can stir things up and let them know that they're not the only ones bothering us."

The young scout monk added a sentence.

"The area is a bit large, but as long as we conceal our presence and approach, we can first get a clear picture of the situation on the outer perimeter before deciding whether to engage in combat."

Manager Wang's gaze shifted to Li Yuan.

"Can you make a few concealment talismans?"

Any number is fine.

Li Yuan paused, then said another sentence.

"I also have a concealing jade pendant, which can be used with the medicine to make a concealing liquid. Applying it to the body provides a longer-lasting concealing effect than applying a concealing talisman."

"But it requires specific herbs, I don't know if they are available here."

Manager Wang's eyes lit up.

"Alright, alright, just tell me what herbs you need."

He said "good" three times and slapped his thigh with his hand.

"Then it's settled. Li Yuan will stay to make the Concealing Breath Talisman and Concealing Breath Elixir, and the rest of you who are able will go with us tonight. Two people will be enough to guard the herb garden."

He turned to look at the alchemist and the cultivator surnamed Feng.

"You two stay."

The alchemist breathed a sigh of relief, and the cultivator surnamed Feng nodded.

After the meeting, Li Yuan returned to the stone house.

The door closed, and the work of making herbal talismans was put aside for the moment. The Breath-Concealing Talisman and the Breath-Concealing Elixir were what was urgently needed tonight.

He took out a gray concealing talisman and dark silver spirit ink from his storage bag and spread them on the table.

The Azure Cloud Brush dipped itself in dark silver spirit ink and began to write.

The concealed breath pattern begins with a heavy stroke and ends lightly, with spiritual energy gathering from the outside in. He had practiced this reverse flow of spiritual energy many times, and although he wasn't very proficient yet, his success rate had been steadily increasing since he first got the hang of it.

After making the Breath-Concealing Talisman, the next step is the Breath-Concealing Elixir. The necessary herbs were delivered by Steward Wang during the talisman-making process.

Li Yuan pulled out the jade pendant that concealed his breath from deep inside his storage bag.

Chop the herbs and place them in a small porcelain bowl, then pour in spiritual energy to encourage the juice to seep out. Next, place the concealing jade pendant in the bowl, using spiritual energy to guide the remaining concealing spiritual energy on the pendant into the medicinal liquid.

The color of the liquid gradually darkened, changing from light brown to dark gray, and a very faint gray mist appeared on the surface.

Concealing Breath Elixir.

Li Yuan divided the medicine into several small porcelain bottles and sealed the bottle openings.

Applying it to the body can conceal one's aura for about two hours, and its effect lasts longer than that of a breath-concealing talisman, but it will be gone once it's used up.

After preparing everything, Li Yuan placed the concealing talisman and spiritual liquid on the table, to be distributed that evening.

Then he took out the Guyuan Grass wrapped in oil paper from his storage bag.

The oil paper was unwrapped, and the *Gynostemma pentaphyllum* lay intact in my palm. Its stems were emerald green, and the silvery downy hairs along the edges of its leaves shimmered in the indoor light. Its roots were slender, still clinging to a few grains of soil.

It's mine now.

The moment my fingertip touched the stem of the Nourishing Grass, the control panel popped up.

[Equipable item detected: Strengthening Grass (Complete)]

[Entry Preview: Everlasting Qi and Blood (Green) - The state of Qi and blood does not decline with decreasing lifespan]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Unblock all meridians in the body, and simultaneously enable Qi and blood to circulate throughout all meridians in the body]

[Current equipment slot (5/5), replace current equipment?]

Green entries.

Qi and blood will be permanently strengthened.

Li Yuan read the information on the panel twice.

Green entries.

Qi and blood will be permanently strengthened.

Li Yuan read the information on the panel twice.

The only effect is that the state of one's Qi and blood does not decline as lifespan decreases.

A cultivator's vital energy begins to decline around the age of forty. The higher the cultivation level, the later the decline begins, but it will eventually happen. By the age of one hundred, one's vital energy is less than half of what it was at its peak.

After his Qi and Blood became permanently abundant, his upper limit of Qi and Blood increased by 30%, and the growth rate also increased by 10%. However, no matter how abundant his Qi and Blood are, if they naturally decline with age, all that accumulation will eventually shrink.

This entry simply removes the word "recession" from the definition of recession itself.

The effect is extremely powerful, but the effect is long-term, and the difference is not noticeable in a short period of time.

There are two conditions for permanentization.

The first step is to unblock the meridians throughout the body.

After mastering the Minor Meridian Guiding Technique, all the meridians in the body have been opened. This condition should already be met.

The second aspect is to enable the Qi and blood to form a complete circulation throughout the body's meridians.

Li Yuan frowned.

The circulation of Qi and blood throughout the body.

He knew that spiritual energy had a cycle, and when the cultivation technique was activated, the spiritual energy would start from the dantian, travel through the meridians of the whole body, and then return to the dantian. This was one cycle.

But what is the circulation of Qi and blood throughout the body?

The pathways of Qi and Blood are different from those of Spiritual Energy. Spiritual Energy travels through the meridians, while Qi and Blood travel through the meridians, as well as the blood vessels and fascia. The five forms of the Nourishing Vital Energy Technique allow Qi and Blood to circulate along specific routes, but this is not a complete circulation throughout all the meridians; it only follows a few paths prescribed by the technique.

The presence of Qi and blood throughout all meridians means that Qi and blood, like spiritual energy, should circulate throughout every main meridian, branch meridian, and micro-meridian of the body, forming a complete cycle.

Li Yuan remained silent for a few moments.

He had never heard of qi and blood circulating like spiritual energy. Qi and blood have their own pathways, and spiritual energy has its own. Although they both travel through the same channels in the meridians, their methods of operation are completely different.

Li Yuan rewrapped the Gu Yuan Grass in oil paper and put it deep inside his storage bag.

I can't install it yet. My equipment inventory is full, and I still don't understand the second condition for permanentization.

Leave it for now.

It wasn't dark outside the window yet; there were still a few hours before the night's attack.

Li Yuan walked to the table, sat down, spread out the talisman paper, and continued drawing fireball talismans.

The Azure Cloud Brush dipped in spiritual ink and began to write.

The six spiritual patterns were completed in one go.