Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

After it got completely dark, everyone gathered in the open space at the bottom of the slope.

Manager Wang, the cultivator surnamed Zhou, Li Yuan, and two scout cultivators made up a total of five people. The cultivator surnamed Feng and the alchemist stayed behind to guard the medicine garden.

Li Yuan distributed the concealment talismans he had prepared that afternoon.

The Qi-Concealing Elixir was also distributed, and the aura was immediately suppressed.

The five people stood together, and their spiritual energy fluctuations were nearly 70-80% weaker than before, almost imperceptible in the night breeze.

Manager Wang tucked the ritual implement into his waistband and glanced around at the crowd.

"Let me make this clear first. This information may not be true."

He lowered his voice, making sure only those nearby could hear him.

"The previous harassment was just to wear us down. If this intelligence was deliberately leaked to lure us out, and then they take advantage of the weakened state of the herb garden to launch a counterattack, we'll be at a disadvantage."

He glanced towards the medicinal herb garden on the slope.

"Therefore, I've set the array in the medicine garden to the highest alert level. Feng Lao Er and the alchemist will stay behind, and light signal smoke as soon as the array activates. If we see the smoke outside, we'll retreat immediately and not linger in battle."

Everyone nodded.

"Let's go."

The five of them went into the woods along the hillside north of the herb garden.

The mountain forest was extremely dark at night, with the tree canopy blocking out most of the moonlight. The pebbles and fallen leaves underfoot occasionally made soft rustling sounds. The young scout monk led the way, his steps light and quick, clearly familiar with the terrain.

Manager Wang and the cultivator surnamed Zhou walked in the middle, with Li Yuan and the scout cultivator who practiced body refining techniques following behind.

The combined effects of the concealment talisman and the spiritual liquid suppressed the five people's auras to an extremely low level. Walking through the forest, they were almost indistinguishable from ordinary mortals.

After traveling for a while, the terrain in the mountains began to change. The gentle slopes turned into undulating hills, and the ravines between the hills were narrow and deep, with some places requiring one to squeeze through sideways.

The team slowed down.

The group of people ahead stopped in front of a narrow ditch, waiting for the young scout to go first and confirm that it was safe before following.

Taking advantage of this moment, Li Yuan glanced at the scouting cultivator beside him.

The man walked very steadily. His footsteps made almost no sound on the gravel, and when he encountered a ditch, he lowered his center of gravity slightly and flipped over it cleanly and swiftly.

Unlike cultivators who rely solely on spiritual power and movement techniques.

Li Yuan spoke, his voice very low.

"You've practiced body-refining techniques?"

The investigating cultivator turned and glanced at him, without denying it.

"I've practiced a bit."

"From the realm of Sage Mode?"

"Um."

Li Yuan paused for a moment, then asked the next question.

What exactly is the circulation of Qi and blood throughout the body?

The scouting cultivator paused slightly.

He spoke after a few breaths, his voice very low.

"The circulation of Qi and blood throughout the body means allowing Qi and blood to flow through the meridians like spiritual energy, completing a full cycle."

He raised his arm slightly and made a line in front of him.

"Spiritual energy circulates throughout the body, originating from the dantian, traveling along the meridians, and then returning to the dantian. The circulation of qi and blood follows the same principle, originating from the sea of ​​qi and blood, traveling along the meridians, and then returning to the sea of ​​qi and blood."

He withdrew his hand.

"The difference is that spiritual energy can naturally flow in the meridians because the meridians are originally for spiritual energy. Qi and blood are different; qi and blood have to force their way into the meridians. Ordinary cultivators' meridians only have channels for spiritual energy, while qi and blood flow through the blood vessels and fascia; the two go their own way."

"If you want Qi and blood to flow through the meridians, you have to expand the capacity of the meridians so that Qi and blood and spiritual energy can flow through them at the same time."

Li Yuan nodded.

"Can't it be done with ordinary cultivation methods?"

The investigating cultivator shook his head.

"I can't do it."

His tone was very certain.

"Ordinary martial arts training focuses on the qi and blood themselves, strengthening muscles, fascia, internal organs, and bones. As the qi and blood become stronger, strength increases, and the body becomes more rigid, but the qi and blood always follow the path of blood vessels. It does not touch the meridians."

He paused.

"To allow qi and blood to flow into the meridians, one must use the immortal body-refining techniques. The fundamental difference between immortal body-refining techniques and those of mortals lies here. The immortal path uses spiritual power to guide qi and blood into the meridians, gradually allowing the meridians to adapt to the flow of qi and blood. After cultivating to a certain level, qi and blood can circulate together with spiritual power in the major meridians, forming a complete cycle."

"What level?"

"Let's examine the cultivation technique." The investigating cultivator held up two fingers. "For most immortal body-refining techniques, achieving a high level of mastery is sufficient. Of course, the more abundant your qi and blood, and the wider your meridians, the lower the requirements. If you have enough qi and blood, even with slightly less refined techniques, you might still be able to barely complete the circulation of qi through the major meridians."

Li Yuan hummed in response but did not reply.

The circulation of the major meridians.

He noticed a key word.

This person is referring to the major meridians, including the main vessels and their major branches. They do not include the small, minute vessels.

The condition for the permanent formation of Guyuancao is described as a complete circulation throughout all meridians.

All meridians, including the micro-meridians.

This requirement is several levels higher than the general circulation of Qi and blood.

Most cultivators are already quite good at achieving the circulation of Qi and blood throughout the major meridians, which is at the level of mastering immortal body-refining techniques. However, the Qi-strengthening herb requires Qi and blood to circulate throughout every meridian in the body, leaving no micro-meridians untouched.

The difficulty has increased several times over.

Li Yuan didn't press further, quickened his pace, and caught up with the group ahead.

The scout didn't say much, and the two continued on their way in silence.

After walking for about 15 minutes, the pace of the procession slowed down.

The young scout leading the way raised his left hand, clenched his fist, and gestured to those behind him.

stop.

The five people stopped in their tracks at the same time.

The young scout crouched down, looked ahead for a few moments, then turned and whispered something.

"arrive."

Li Yuan looked over his shoulder.

Ahead lay a wide valley. Moonlight filtered through gaps in the clouds, illuminating the general outline of the valley's terrain. The mountain walls on either side were not high, with gentle slopes, and the valley floor was scattered with rocks and bushes of various sizes.

The area is vast, stretching for miles to the left and right, with no end in sight.

Li Yuan took the spirit-detecting disc out of his storage bag, infused it with spiritual power, and maximized its sensing range.

The market reaction is now clear.

A faint fluctuation of energy.

It wasn't just one or two strands, it was a whole patch.

Throughout the entire valley, extremely faint fluctuations of spiritual energy rippled slowly. The concentration was so low that it was almost imperceptible without a spirit-detecting disc. Yet, it was widely distributed, like a thin layer of mist covering the valley floor, extending from the valley entrance all the way into its depths.

It doesn't feel like the aura of a cultivator. A cultivator's spiritual energy fluctuations have a core and direction, but these fluctuations have no clear source; they seem to seep from the ground.

It doesn't resemble a demonic beast either. The spiritual energy fluctuations of demonic beasts are turbid and scattered, while these fluctuations are extremely weak but very even.

Manager Wang also sensed something was amiss. He raised the spirit-detecting disc in his hand higher and frowned.

"There are fluctuations everywhere."

He said something in a low voice and glanced down into the valley.

The young scout squatted in front and whispered his reply.

"These fluctuations weren't so obvious when we came during the day. It's possible that the concentration of spiritual energy changed at night, or that someone planted something in the valley."

The reconnaissance cultivator who practiced body-refining techniques stood to the side, his gaze sweeping back and forth across several directions at the bottom of the valley twice before he spoke in a deep voice.

"I can't tell if there are people around. The area is too large; we can't sense anything from the outside."

Manager Wang remained silent for a few moments before putting away the spirit-detecting disc.

"Investigate separately."

He pointed to the mountain walls on either side of the valley entrance.

"Work in pairs and probe along the mountain walls on both sides of the valley entrance. Don't go down to the bottom; stay on the top. Each pair should go forward for one mile and then stop. Don't take action on anything you find yet; come back and meet up later."

He looked at Li Yuan.

"You and Lao Zhao are in the same group, go to the right."

He then looked at the young exploration cultivator and the cultivator surnamed Zhou.

"You two go to the left. I'll wait at the valley entrance. If anything happens, retreat."

The cultivator surnamed Zhou nodded and walked towards the left side of the mountain wall. The young scout cultivator followed him, and the two figures quickly disappeared into the shadows of the bushes.

Manager Wang squatted down behind a large rock at the entrance of the valley, his eyes fixed on the valley floor.

Li Yuan took two steps toward the right side of the mountain wall, and the scout cultivator whom Steward Wang called Old Zhao followed silently.

The two men crept along the edge of the right-hand mountain wall toward the valley.

The ground beneath my feet was loose gravel and low shrubs, and the occasional soft rustling sound was mostly drowned out by the night wind and the chirping of insects in the distance.

The moonlight appeared and disappeared overhead, while the faint fluctuations of spiritual energy at the bottom of the valley continued to drift within the perception range of the spirit-detecting disc.

After walking about a hundred paces, Li Yuan slowed down.

He picked up the spirit-detecting disc and looked at it again.

The density of fluctuations is higher than at the valley entrance.