Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

After returning to his residence, Li Yuan bolted the door, sat down on the edge of the bed, and took out the Nourishing Vitality Technique.

Upon receiving the booklet, semi-transparent text emerged:

[Equipable item detected: Nourishing Vitality Technique (Complete)]

[Entry Preview: Qi and Blood Regeneration (White) - Increases the speed of Qi and Blood recovery by 50%, and accelerates the healing speed of external and internal injuries]

[Conditions for Permanence: This technique must be cultivated to perfection, and twenty-four hours of practice must be accumulated while the Qi and blood are abundant.]

[Current equipment slot (2/2): Replace current equipment?]

Qi and blood regenerate naturally. The recovery speed of qi and blood is increased by 50%, and it can also accelerate the healing of injuries. The direction is different from the strengthening of internal organs; one can withstand the strain, while the other recovers quickly.

More importantly, the condition for the Iron Ox Skill to become permanent is that two ordinary martial arts techniques must be cultivated to perfection. The Nourishing Yuan Skill just happens to be the second one.

There are only two equipment slots. You can't use the Meridian Opening Pill. If you want to equip the Nourishing Yuan Technique, you have to unequip the Iron Ox Technique first.

However, long-term replacement is not necessary.

The biggest advantage of equipping the cultivation technique is its infusion—the entire set of techniques is directly engraved into the mind, saving a long study process. After equipping the Iron Ox Technique, I mastered it in less than an hour.

The same applies to the Yangyuan Gong (Nourishing Vitality Technique). Once you install it and receive the infusion, and practice intensively for a few hours, getting started shouldn't be difficult.

After you've mastered the basics, take it off and wait for the Iron Ox Kung Fu to cool down after twelve hours before putting it back on.

It took a whole day to complete the initial stage of the Nourishing Vitality Technique, so it was worth it no matter how you look at it.

But there's no rush right now. There's an inspection to handle this afternoon, and the replacement requires a full period of focused practice. We'll start when we get back in the evening.

……

The market was still bustling in the afternoon, even more so than a few days ago.

Li Yuan walked halfway down East Street and noticed that there were a lot more new faces on the street.

Many independent cultivators squatted by the roadside in groups of three or five, talking. Most of them had unpleasant expressions; some were covered in dust, and some still had bloodstains on their bodies that had not been cleaned up.

As Li Yuan passed by a group of independent cultivators, he overheard a few snippets of conversation.

"...The outer areas are no longer safe. Yesterday, Lao Zhou's team encountered a monster at the foot of the mountain. They couldn't even escape; only three out of the five men made it back..."

"It's not just demonic beasts. I've heard that there are also many powerful demonic beasts appearing near the outer mines, sometimes in groups. I've heard that several demon-hunting teams have already been wiped out."

"Even the demon-hunting teams can't hold out, so what are we rogue cultivators supposed to do in the mountains? Let's just stay in the market and wait until things calm down."

Li Yuan didn't stop walking, but he memorized all this information.

Monster activity in the Yuanheng Mountains has become more frequent than before.

High-level demonic beasts have begun to appear at the foot of the outer mountains, indicating that the demonic beasts deep inside are migrating outwards, pushing out the low-level demonic beasts that originally occupied the outer areas.

The chain reaction spread outwards, eventually affecting the independent cultivators and demon-hunting teams who made a living in the mountains.

When someone dies, the survivors naturally flock to the market, which explains why there have been more and more people in the market lately.

As Li Yuan continued walking and turned into the North Alley, he noticed that several more makeshift sheds had appeared on both sides of the alley. Some of them didn't even have sheds; they just spread a cloth on the ground, squatted down, and set up a stall.

The North Alley was already narrow, and now it's so crowded that even two people walking side by side is difficult.

Halfway through his patrol, Li Yuan ran into a clerk from the management office who was carrying a stack of papers and hurrying towards East Street.

"Deputy Captain Li," the clerk called out to him, handing him several sheets of paper.

"Please pass on the management office's notice."

Li Yuan took it and glanced at it.

The Wang family wants to expand the market area.

The notice was brief: "Given the recent influx of independent practitioners, the existing houses and stalls are insufficient. The Wang family has decided to build additional houses on the east and south sides of the market, and open some vacant areas to the public for independent practitioners to rent, with rent collected monthly."

When Li Yuan saw the last line, his eyebrows twitched slightly.

The open area includes vacant houses in the residential area that are being patrolled.

The area where Li Yuan lived originally had about a hundred wooden houses, but not many people lived there, and there were quite a few empty houses.

Now that a large number of people have been transferred to the guard team, there are more empty rooms available.

The Wang family plans to vacate these empty rooms and rent them out to untrained monks.

Living in or near the market area generates rent, which can be a considerable income.

Li Yuan put the notice into his sleeve and continued his patrol, distributing the notice as he went.

In the evening, Li Yuan went to the patrol team's station.

The door to the main room was open, and Wang De was sitting inside. The stack of documents on the table was even thicker than it had been a few days ago.

"Sit down and talk."

Wang De picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"It has been found out that Zhao Wu has been in the market for almost a month, constantly inquiring about the market's defenses, manpower, and routes of entry and exit."

Wang De put down his teacup and took out a piece of coarse cloth.

On this piece of coarse cloth is a hand-drawn map of the market layout, drawn in great detail, even marking the number of guards at the management office and their shift changes.

"This was left behind by Zhao Wu at his residence. Zhao Wu seemed to have sensed something and left in a hurry."

Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly, but his face remained expressionless.

"It's still unclear which organization he's working for; we haven't been able to find out yet."

The entire Qinghe Market is owned by the Wang family, who are Foundation Establishment level families. In addition, the Qinghe Market is well-defended, so purely elite cultivators would definitely not dare to cause trouble for the market.

Wang De paused here, looking at Li Yuan.

How did you notice him?

"The people who set up stalls weren't in a hurry to sell their goods. They were just sitting around watching the market guards and the entrance. Later, they even took the initiative to inquire about the number of guards."

Li Yuan replied briefly, "It's not quite normal to put them all together."

Wang De hummed in agreement and leaned back in his chair.

"With so many people coming and going in the market every day, no one usually pays attention to what a rogue cultivator is doing."

"You did a great job."

Wang De made a compliment, and then got to the point.

"The market has become increasingly crowded lately, and Zhao Wu may not be the last one."

"It took you a month to discover that he had infiltrated the area, which shows that it is very difficult to screen out this kind of person through normal patrol methods unless he deliberately exposes himself."

Wang De pushed the documents on the table aside, making a small space, and placed his hands crossed on the table.

"Keep a close eye on them during your patrols, especially the new rogue cultivators. See if there are any similar to Zhao Wu."

"Come find me first if you find anything, don't try to do it yourself."

Li Yuan responded, finding Wang De's words to be exactly what he wanted to say, and then got up to take his leave.

As we left the camp, dusk had fallen, and lanterns in the market area began to light up one after another.

Back in the cabin, Li Yuan bolted the door and stood in the empty space inside, first practicing the first four moves of the Iron Ox Kung Fu.

Qi and blood circulate in the body along fixed routes, cleansing the internal organs and limbs.

The fourth exercise, "Iron Ox Galloping," is still strenuous. My legs tremble with soreness after each session, but it's better than a few days ago, and my body is gradually adapting.

After finishing his practice, Li Yuan sat down by the bed.

It's about time.

With a thought, he dismounted from the Iron Ox Kung Fu.

[Equipment removed: Iron Ox Skill]

The "Internal Organ Enhancement (White)" entry is no longer valid.

[Note: Once the same type of equipment is removed, it can only be re-equipped after twelve hours.]

The book appeared out of thin air in my palm, and the warmth that had enveloped my internal organs deep in my abdomen dissipated.

Li Yuan put the book on Iron Ox Kung Fu aside and picked up the Nourishing Vitality Kung Fu.

equipment.

The booklet transformed into a faint light and merged into his body. In the next instant, a large amount of information flooded into his mind.

The Nourishing Vital Energy Exercise consists of five forms: Absorbing Vital Energy, Nourishing Breath, Accumulating Blood, Strengthening the Foundation, and Returning to the Origin. The breathing methods, blood and energy circulation routes, key points of the movements, and taboos for each form are all clearly imprinted in one's consciousness.

It felt exactly the same as when I first equipped the Iron Ox Kung Fu.

The key points that were vague when I was flipping through the booklet this afternoon have now become clear and thorough, as if I have studied this exercise manual countless times.

At the same time, a gentle warmth surged within my body. Unlike the feeling of strengthening internal organs, which is concentrated in the abdominal cavity, this warmth spread from the dantian and flowed slowly along the meridians and muscles, like a layer of warm water soaking my whole body.

The effect of naturally generating Qi and blood.

[Equipped: Nourishing Vitality Technique]

[Acquired entry: Qi and Blood Self-Regeneration (White) - Increases Qi and Blood recovery speed by 50%, and accelerates the healing speed of external and internal injuries]

[Nourishing Vital Energy Technique: Beginner (0/100)]

The incantation has been completed, but the physical cultivation must proceed step by step.

Without delay, Li Yuan stood up and began practicing the first form of the Nourishing Vitality Technique, following the clear instructions in his mind.