Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The starting posture of Na Yuan Shi is somewhat similar to Tie Niu Gong, both involving adjusting the breathing rhythm and guiding the flow of Qi and blood along specific routes.

The difference lies in the direction. Iron Ox Kung Fu focuses on impacting the internal organs, with each breath feeling like hammering an anvil, leaving the abdomen sore and bloated afterward; Yangyuan Kung Fu is the opposite, with Qi and blood flowing slowly along the meridians and muscles, without rushing or colliding, like soaking in warm water.

With the complete incantation in his mind as a guide, and having already roughly grasped the framework of the first move, Li Yuan quickly got the hang of it.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the Qi and blood could complete a full cycle along the Na Yuan style. Although it was still a bit rough, it was smoother than when I first practiced the first form of the Iron Ox Kung Fu.

After practicing several times, Li Yuan did not stop and immediately moved on to the second move – Rest and Nourishment.

The breathing rhythm of the Nourishing Breathing style is slower than that of the Absorption Breathing style, and the path of Qi and blood circulation is also longer. The key is to allow Qi and blood to naturally nourish the muscles along the way as they flow back to the extremities.

Without proper instruction, just finding the right points for the flow of qi and blood in this technique would take several days. The incantation in Li Yuan's mind clearly marked each point; he simply had to follow it.

The only problem is physical strength.

The practice of Yangyuan Gong is not as intense as Tie Niu Gong, but it is more continuous. Each movement requires maintaining the circulation of Qi and blood for a relatively long time, and the consumption of physical strength is accumulated slowly.

Fortunately, the phrase "Qi and blood regenerate on their own" remained active, and the recovery speed of Qi and blood was 50% faster than usual. After completing a set of exercises and resting for a while, the fatigue subsided by more than half.

Normally, this difference in recovery speed wouldn't be significant. However, under conditions of high-intensity continuous training, a 50% improvement in recovery means a substantial reduction in rest time, thus increasing the density of training.

Li Yuan maintained a rhythm of one move after another, absorbing vital energy, nourishing his breath, and replenishing his blood. After completing the three moves, he interspersed two short breaks in between, and his physical strength was quickly restored.

An hour and a half later, Li Yuan finished his practice and let out a long breath.

[Nourishing Vital Energy Exercise: Beginner's Guide (0/200)]

Successfully mastering the Yangyuan Gong (Nourishing Vitality Exercise) took a bit longer than initially learning the Tie Niu Gong (Iron Ox Exercise), but it was still many times faster than manually studying it.

After finishing his practice, Li Yuan did not get up immediately, but quietly absorbed the energy for a moment.

The most noticeable change is that my blood and qi are more abundant than before.

It's not a matter of how much more, but rather that the way the Qi and blood flow has changed—in the past, the flow of Qi and blood in the body would weaken when it reached the extremities, and the fingers and toes would occasionally feel cold. Now, the Qi and blood still have energy when it reaches the fingertips, and the whole person feels warm from head to toe.

At the same time, I can perceive my own Qi and blood more clearly.

In the past, when practicing Qigong, I could only vaguely sense where my Qi and blood were flowing and how fast they were moving. Now, it's like I have a rough map. I can clearly see which meridians my Qi and blood are flowing in and where they weaken.

Li Yuan lay down, closed his eyes, and rested for a while before beginning to circulate the Spirit Guiding Technique.

Cultivation is the foundation.

In the morning, Li Yuan had just opened his eyes when he heard footsteps outside the wooden door.

Then came three knocks on the door, slowly and deliberately.

Most of the residents in this area are cultivators from the outer periphery of the Wang family. They are not strangers to each other, but few take the initiative to knock on each other's doors.

Li Yuan got up, unlatched the door, and opened the wooden door.

A stranger was standing outside the door.

He was in his early thirties, of medium build, with broad shoulders and tanned skin. A faint, healed, pale old scar ran across his cheekbone. He wore a slightly worn, grayish-brown short jacket with tightly tucked cuffs and a sheathed dagger at his waist.

They weren't from the patrol team, nor from the management office, and certainly not people I knew.

The other person spoke first, cupping his hands in greeting: "Excuse me, my surname is Fang, my name is Fang He, and I just moved to the room next door."

Fang He turned to the side and gestured with his chin toward the wooden house that had been empty for a long time.

Li Yuan glanced at it and saw that the room did indeed have a window open, and there was a worn-out bag placed at the door.

The management office just issued a notice saying that they would rent out the empty rooms in the residential area to individual repairmen, so it seems that they have already started moving in.

"Li Yuan." Li Yuan nodded, which was a way of greeting him.

Fang He's gaze lingered on Li Yuan's waist for a moment; having frequented the market, he naturally recognized the waist tag.

"Just moved in, came over to say hello."

Fang He's tone became a bit serious.

Li Yuan stepped aside, leaning against the doorframe, showing no intention of inviting him in, but also not turning him away completely.

"I'm from the demon-hunting team. The team ran into some trouble in the mountains and got separated, so I came to stay in the market first."

The demon-hunting team. A thought struck Li Yuan.

There are many demon-hunting teams operating on the outskirts of the Yuanheng Mountains. They range from three to five people to more than a dozen people. They specialize in hunting demonic beasts to exchange for spirit stones and materials. They are a relatively well-organized group among independent cultivators.

The news that the demon-hunting team was scattered has been circulating in the market recently, but most of it is second- or third-hand information, with a lot of embellishment.

"There's been a lot of talk about it lately, saying that a large number of monsters in the mountains are migrating out, and several monster-hunting teams have been wiped out," Li Yuan said.

Fang He scoffed and reached out to touch the old scar on his cheekbone.

"It is serious, the monsters deep inside are indeed pushing outwards, and their activity range on the outskirts is much larger than it was six months ago. But to say that there's a large-scale monster invasion or that the entire monster-hunting team has been wiped out... it hasn't reached that point yet."

Fang He paused, then lowered his voice slightly.

"Of the teams that were wiped out, two were driven by greed and recklessness after hearing that something valuable had been found near a certain mine deep inside. They plunged in and never came out. Another team got into a fight with other monster-hunting teams over territory, and after killing the monsters, the members of the team started fighting each other. Only one monster-hunting team was wiped out because the number of monsters increased and they encountered several powerful monsters."

"Teams that honestly and reliably hunt monsters in the outer areas don't suffer as much loss; in fact, some teams earn more because of the increase in monsters."

Li Yuan leaned against the door frame, not responding, but mentally comparing this information with what he had heard on the street before.

The rumors circulating among the independent cultivators outside are that the sky over the Yuanheng Mountains has collapsed, and the demon-hunting teams are dying one after another.

Fang He said the situation was serious but controllable. There was a significant difference between the two sides' accounts, but Fang He was a firsthand witness and therefore more credible.

"How did your team break up?" Li Yuan asked.

Fang He waved his hand: "Bad luck. We ran into a one-horned badger that was about to break through to the second level. That thing was molting and had a terrible temper. We didn't have enough people and couldn't beat it. The captain told everyone to scatter. One died, two were injured, and the rest went their separate ways."

When Fang He mentioned that one person had died, his tone remained calm, as if he were simply saying that the weather was nice today.

Li Yuan glanced at him again.

In the demon-hunting business, death is commonplace. Anyone who can speak in this tone is either used to it or has a hard heart.

"How long will you stay in the market?"

"We'll see." Fang He stretched his neck. "Once things calm down outside, the captain will find a few people to form a new team and go back into the mountains."

Li Yuan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Fang He didn't intend to continue the conversation. He cupped his hands in greeting, turned around, and went back to the next room.

Li Yuan watched Fang He walk into the wooden house next door and then closed the door.

After resting for most of the morning, Li Yuan tidied his clothes and went out to patrol.

Li Yuan walked along East Street towards North Alley. When he reached the middle of North Alley, a small stall set up against the corner of the wall caught his attention.

The stall was covered with a clean white cloth, and there were several small bags of grains of different colors, some green, some pale yellow, and one bag was jade white, with plump grains that emitted a faint spiritual energy.

White jade rice.

Li Yuan paused for a moment.

The last time I saw white jade rice was when I was collecting rent in Lingtian District. Uncle Wang gave me a bundle, which I later handed over. He then gave me a portion of the rice in spirit stones, which was worth one-tenth of the market price.

The system detected that White Jade Rice could be equipped, with the attribute "Five Grains Nourishing Qi," which can improve stamina recovery and health.

The stall owner was a middle-aged woman in her forties, dressed simply, with an honest face, who looked like a spiritual farmer from the spiritual field district.

Li Yuan squatted down in front of the stall, picked up the bag of white jade rice, and weighed it in his hand.

Semi-transparent text appeared before my eyes:

[Equipable item detected: White Jade Rice (requires 1 jin)]

[Entry Preview: Five Grains Nourish Qi (White) - Increases stamina recovery speed by 50% and improves Qi and Blood to a certain extent]

[Permanentization Requirements: Consume at least 10 jin of the same type of spiritual grain]

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

The advantage of spirit grains like white jade rice is that they can be stored for a long time. Unlike elixirs, spirit grains do not have a time limit. As long as they are stored properly, their quality will not decline even after a year or two.

"How much is the white jade rice?"

The middle-aged woman held up one finger: "One spirit stone per pound."

It's a bit more expensive than before. The bundle that Uncle Wang gave us when we collected rent last time was estimated to be worth about half a spirit stone per kilogram at market price, but now it's almost doubled in price.

Herbal medicine prices rose, and spiritual grains followed suit; nothing was left behind.

Li Yuan touched the spirit stone in his sleeve, thought for a moment, and then took out a spirit stone from his sleeve and handed it over.

White jade rice can be stored; it will always come in handy someday.

The middle-aged woman took the spirit stone, carefully weighed out a pound from the bag on the stall, wrapped it in oil paper, and handed it to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan put the white jade rice into his sleeve, got up and left.

By the time the rest of the patrol route was completed, the sun was already setting in the west.

Li Yuan returned to his residence, sat on the bed, and began to cultivate.

Two hours later, Li Yuan's consciousness stirred, and the panel appeared.

The cooldown period for Iron Ox Kung Fu has ended.

[Equipment removed: Nourishing Vitality Technique]

The entry for "Qi and Blood Generate Naturally (White)" is temporarily unavailable.

[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. The feeling of being soaked in warm water throughout my body subsided, and the speed at which my blood and energy recovered visibly slowed down.

Li Yuan took out the book on Iron Ox Kung Fu.

The cooldown period for this type of equipment has ended; it can be re-equipped.

equipment.

The book transformed into light and merged into his body, and the five techniques of the Iron Ox Kung Fu in his mind became clear again.

Deep within the abdominal cavity, that familiar warmth surged up again, enveloping the internal organs, supple and gentle.

The internal organs have been strengthened and are back to normal.

Current equipment slots: 2/2

[Equipped Items: Meridian Opening Pill, Iron Ox Skill]

[Acquired entries: Accelerated Qi Circulation (White), Internal Organ Enhancement (White), Spiritual Qi Filtering (White) (Permanent), Cleansing Physique (Gray) (Permanent)]

Everything was restored to its original state.

Without delay, Li Yuan first stood still in the room and practiced the first four movements of the Iron Ox Kung Fu. His blood and qi flowed through his body, cleansing his internal organs, and with the added benefit of strengthening his organs, each movement was smoother than yesterday.

After practicing the Iron Ox Kung Fu, Li Yuan practiced the first three forms of the Nourishing Vitality Kung Fu twice more, following the instructions he remembered.

Without the aid of equipment, the details of the technique became somewhat blurred, and the several blood and qi nodes in the third movement, Blood Nourishment, required repeated adjustments to find the correct ones. However, the foundation laid after the initial introduction remained, so it wasn't as confusing as when I first manually flipped through the book.

After mastering the two mortal cultivation techniques, Li Yuan sat cross-legged and began circulating the Spirit Guiding Technique.

The spiritual energy enters the body, pure and without impurities, and circulates rapidly throughout the body.

The three white entries each have their own function: filtering spiritual energy to remove impurities, accelerating the circulation of Qi throughout the body, and strengthening the internal organs to provide a solid foundation.

The spiritual energy in my dantian is abundant and full, but it is still some distance from saturation. Each cycle of energy circulation can bring about a substantial increase in spiritual energy.

Dusk fell outside the window, and only the even breathing could be heard inside the wooden house.

With a thought, the panel appeared:

[Iron Ox Kung Fu: Beginner (170/200)]

[Nourishing Vital Energy Exercise: Beginner's Guide (14/200)]

Both techniques are progressing steadily.

Li Yuan closed the panel and continued his cultivation.