Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

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After twelve hours, Li Yuan removed the Iron Ox Technique and replaced it with the Azure Cloud Talisman Brush.

Then, he spread out the golden talisman paper, dipped it in dark gold spirit ink, and began to make the Refining God Talisman.

I drew six talismans in one morning, and two of them were successful. The success rate of first-tier high-grade talismans can only be maintained at about one-third for now, which is much worse than the first-tier low-grade fireball talismans, but it is not bad for a beginner in first-tier high-grade talismans.

Li Yuan carefully packed up the finished product and left the inn.

Old Sun was already waiting at the alley entrance.

"Walk."

The two turned onto the main street from the side alley and headed towards the area where the unaffiliated monks gathered.

"My main job here is to keep an eye on the flow of people around Master He. We need to see who comes to see him, when they arrive, what they bring, and how long they stay. We report this to Wang Lu, and he can investigate on his own."

Old Sun put his hands into his sleeves and tilted his head.

"What about over there?"

"Scout the perimeter. Walk around the market and see if there's any information related to the robbery gang."

"The division of labor is clear."

Old Sun muttered something, then shrugged.

"To be honest, it's not that big of a deal that I learned a skill from Old Man He once. We met twice and exchanged a few words, and now I'm being asked to keep an eye on him."

He slapped his thigh.

"The Wang family just didn't need any more people, so they just casually shoved me into their service."

Li Yuan didn't respond.

The two walked to the area where the independent cultivators gathered and wandered around several tea stalls and other stalls for a while.

Li Yuan's ears were constantly busy.

News from Yunyang Market was far more abundant than from Qinghe Market, and the topics of conversation among cultivators were much more diverse. Most of it had nothing to do with the conflict between the Wang and Li families; the conversations revolved around various cultivation insights, market prices, which sect had recently accepted new disciples, and which spiritual vein had been discovered.

But occasionally, a few sentences related to the Tribulation Cultivator would flash by.

As we passed a stall selling ore, two untrained monks squatted down beside it and spoke in hushed tones.

"...The group of cultivators who were raiding in the south a while ago were scattered. A few of them escaped and I heard they headed north."

"Coming north? This way?"

"I don't know. Someone saw a few unfamiliar cultivators about 30 miles south of the market. They had a strong aura, and were at the late stage of Qi Refining."

Li Yuan walked past without stopping or turning to look at the two people. He heard their voices and remembered them.

Late stage of Qi Refining. Thirty miles to the south. An unfamiliar cultivator.

The characteristics match those of the bandits who raided the medicine garden.

But it might not be the same group. Cultivators come and go around Yunyang Market, and rogue cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining are not uncommon.

Li Yuan didn't think much of it, nor did he deliberately seek out the two rogue cultivators to ask them questions.

Keep going.

After wandering around for a while, Li Yuan began to pay attention to the prices in the market.

Prices in Yunyang Market differ from those in Qinghe Market, but it's not simply a matter of one being more expensive or cheaper than the other.

Elixirs and magical artifacts are relatively expensive. First-grade mid-level elixirs are nearly 20% more expensive here than in Qinghe Market, and magical artifacts are more than 30% more expensive.

However, consumables such as talisman-making materials and spirit herbs are actually cheaper. The price of blue-patterned paper is about 10% lower than in Qinghe Market, and spirit ink is also cheaper.

The price of talismans has also decreased.

Li Yuan stopped in front of a shop that specialized in buying and selling talismans.

A sign hanging at the shop entrance listed the purchase prices for various talismans. A low-grade, first-tier Fireball Talisman was bought for two spirit stones. A Cleansing Talisman was three for one yuan. An Evil-Repelling Talisman was two for one yuan.

It's nearly 30% lower than Qinghefang Market.

There are many talisman masters in Yunyang Market, and the supply of talismans is much greater than in Qinghe Market, so the price is naturally lower.

However, on the other hand, things are cheaper here. So, the difference between going back and forth isn't that significant.

Li Yuan organized all the talismans he had collected in his storage bag.

I've accumulated some stock in the herb garden and talisman hall these past few days, but haven't had a chance to sell it yet.

He walked into the acquisition shop.

The shopkeeper behind the counter was a lean man in his fifties. His eyes lit up when he saw Li Yuan carrying a large stack of talismans in.

Li Yuan sorted the talismans by type and placed them on the counter.

The shopkeeper picked up the top few fireball talismans, flipped through them, and then took out a few more to examine the quality of the spirit patterns against the light.

"The fireball talisman is of good quality."

He folded the talismans neatly, then reached out and picked up the Rejuvenation Talisman and the Vajra Talisman, flipping through them one by one.

"These two are alright too."

After counting everything, the shopkeeper tapped the abacus a few times.

"A total of sixty-seven spirit stones."

Li Yuan accepted the spirit stones without haggling.

With sixty-seven spirit stones in his pocket, he suddenly had a lot more money in his pocket.

After leaving the acquired shop, Li Yuan continued walking along the main street.

After passing several common shops selling elixirs and magical artifacts, a rather inconspicuous wooden sign hangs at the entrance of a side street ahead.

A few lines of text were written on the wooden sign.

"Introduction to the Fundamentals of Array Formation. Introduction to the Fundamentals of Alchemy. Introduction to the Fundamentals of Weapon Forging. Introduction to the Fundamentals of Talisman Formation."

Each row is followed by a price, ranging from ten to twenty spirit stones.

Li Yuan slowed his pace.

He turned into that side street.

Above the door of the innermost shop hangs a plaque with the three characters "Baiyitang" engraved on it.

Li Yuan went inside.

A young shop assistant in his early twenties was sitting behind the counter. When he saw someone come in, he stood up with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist, what would you like to learn?"

Li Yuan glanced at the items on the shelf.

The bamboo slips and booklets were sorted by category and labeled. The four directions—array formation, alchemy, weapon crafting, and talismanic arts—each occupied a row of shelves.

"What are all these?"

The shop assistant eagerly came out from behind the counter, walked to the shelf, picked up a scroll of bamboo slips, and held it up.

"These are all basic introductory learning materials. For example, this volume on the basics of array formations explains the basic principles of array formations, the classification and identification of spirit patterns, the structural characteristics of common array formations, how to determine whether an array formation is offensive or defensive, and where the array eye is usually located."

He put the bamboo slips back and picked up another one.

"The basic introduction to alchemy covers the classification and properties of herbs, how to use a furnace, and the most basic alchemy process. It doesn't teach recipes, but only how to identify herbs, how to control the fire, and how to distinguish the quality of elixirs."

He put the bamboo slips back and rubbed his hands together.

"Of course, these are just the basics. If you want to learn more advanced techniques, you'll have to join one of the factions we have later."

He pointed to a wall deep inside the shop. A wooden sign hung on the wall with a few lines of text, roughly saying that Baiyitang was backed by a medium-sized force, and that joining it would grant access to advanced learning resources and guidance.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind them.

Old Sun had somehow followed us in and stood at the door listening for a long time.

He took two steps toward Li Yuan and lowered his voice.

Don't fall for it.

He gestured towards the bamboo slips on the shelf.

"I've looked through these things. They're called basic introductory material, but they're too basic. How basic? They're just some very superficial knowledge. The one on array formations is all common sense that everyone knows, the one on alchemy doesn't even give you the simplest recipes, and the one on weapon crafting is even more superficial. You can flip through it in a couple of pages."

The man's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned.

"Fellow Daoist, your statement is somewhat biased. Although our materials are basic, their advantage lies in their systematic and comprehensive nature. The content in bookstores outside is fragmented and lacks a coherent system."

Old Sun ignored him and shrugged at Li Yuan, meaning it was up to him to decide.

Li Yuan didn't reply and walked to the row of shelves in front of the array.

On the shelf were three bamboo scrolls and two thin books, each with a different focus. The bamboo scrolls contained the principles of formations and the identification of spirit patterns, while the thin books contained diagrams of common formation structures and methods for identifying formation nodes.

Li Yuan reached out and picked up the top scroll of bamboo slips.

The moment a finger touched the surface of the bamboo slip, a panel popped out.

[Equipable item detected]

[Item Attribute Level: White]

[Note: Items not belonging to the user cannot be equipped, and detailed information cannot be viewed.]

White entries.

Li Yuan's fingers paused on the bamboo slip for a moment, his expression unchanged.

He flipped through two pages of the bamboo slip, glanced at its contents, and then closed it.

"How much is this roll?"

The waiter immediately came over.

"Basic Introduction to Array Formation, 15 Spirit Stones"

Old Sun frowned slightly behind him.

Li Yuan put the bamboo slips back on the shelf and nodded to the shop assistant.

"I'll take it. I encountered a formation when I went into the mountains with others before and suffered losses. If I learn some basics, I can at least recognize it."

Old Sun opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything and just shook his head.

Li Yuan counted out fifteen spirit stones and placed them on the counter.

The waiter quickly wrapped the bamboo slips in oiled paper and handed them over, his smile brightening again.

"Fellow Daoist has good eyesight. Although the basics of array formations are simple, they are very practical. Cultivators often encounter array formations when traveling outside, and knowing a little is always better than knowing nothing at all."

Li Yuan put the bamboo slips into his storage bag, nodded to Old Sun, and turned to leave the shop.

Old Sun followed behind, muttering something under his breath.

"Fifteen spirit stones for a volume of common knowledge? You're really generous."

Li Yuan did not turn around.

"It will be easier to deal with if we encounter a formation."

Old Sun snorted and said nothing more.

The two walked back to the main street along the side street and then parted ways.

Old Sun continued to wait by Alchemist He's side, while Li Yuan planned to continue strolling around the market.