Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The next morning, several people gathered on the outskirts.

Wang De stood at the front of the line and whispered a few words to Wang Lu beside him.

The group left the outskirts of Yunyang Market and onto the official road, heading towards Qinghe Market.

Wang De slowed his pace and walked to Li Yuan's side.

The two walked side by side for a while before Wang De spoke first.

"With your cultivation speed and the accumulation you've made over this period, you're almost at the threshold of the seventh level of Qi Refining."

Li Yuan remained silent.

Wang De didn't press further and continued speaking.

"The seventh level of Qi Refining is the starting point for the later stages, and this hurdle is not easy to overcome."

He lowered his voice.

You have two paths to choose from.

"The first condition is to use your contribution to auction off a Breakthrough Pill within the Wang family. Breakthrough Pills aren't something you can just buy whenever you want; only a few are released for internal auctions each year, making the competition fierce. Moreover, once you take this path, regardless of whether you ultimately use the pill or not, the term of your contract with the Wang family will be extended."

He held up one finger.

"It will probably take three to five years. The exact time depends on the quality of the pills and your contribution."

"The second one." He held up another finger.

"Break through on your own. After breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining, you can negotiate with the Wang family to shorten the contract period."

Li Yuan looked at him.

How do we negotiate?

"Two possibilities," Wang De said calmly.

"If you do nothing, the remaining years will be served according to the original contract. No more, no less. But if you are willing to take on a task, the remaining years can be shortened upon completion."

He paused for a moment.

"The missions are assigned by the Wang family and are generally not too difficult. The specific mission will be assigned after you truly break through to the later stages. People with different cultivation levels and specialties will receive different missions."

Li Yuan remained silent for a few moments.

"Contribute a Breakthrough Pill to the auction to extend the contract. Break through on your own and accept a mission to shorten the contract."

Wang De nodded.

"That's pretty much it. The first one is safer, but comes at a high price. The second one depends on your own abilities."

He glanced at Li Yuan.

"With your current resources, the second path is not impossible."

Li Yuan hummed in agreement.

Wang De didn't say anything more and quickened his pace to walk back to the front of the group.

The procession traveled along the official road for three days.

On the evening of the third day, the walls of Qinghefang Market came into view.

The gray stone walls cast long shadows in the setting sun, and two monks stood guard at each of the east and west entrances. The market town had expanded again compared to a few months ago, with a new row of stone houses built on the south side and the surrounding walls extending further outwards.

The group dispersed at the entrance of the market. Wang De led a few people toward the management office, while the rest went their separate ways.

Li Yuan went directly to the Talisman Hall.

The courtyard of the Talisman Hall was unchanged from when he left. The courtyard, with its gray bricks and black tiles, was filled with the scent of spirit ink and cinnabar. Several talisman makers were busy in a side room, and nodded when they saw Li Yuan enter.

Li Yuan went to the steward.

The steward was a monk in his forties with a square face, sitting behind a table piled high with bamboo slips.

"You're back." The steward pulled out a document and handed it over.

"This is your reward for your mission in Yunyang Market. Your contribution points and spirit stones are all included. Please check it yourself."

Li Yuan took the document and glanced at it. The amounts of contribution points and spirit stones were clearly listed.

The steward then pulled out another document from the table.

"There's one more thing. Before you left, you were a Class C Talisman Maker." He pushed the document towards me. "Now I've been promoted to Class B."

Li Yuan took the documents.

The document clearly states: "A Class B Talisman Maker who has achieved a minor mastery of talisman-making skills and has mastered the method of making first-tier high-grade talismans will be automatically promoted."

A description of the compensation for a Class B Talisman Maker was attached at the end.

Li Yuan read through each item one by one.

Article 1: You can receive one free talisman-making method of rank 1 or below each month.

Article 2: The contribution percentage obtained from talisman-making tasks will be increased by 20% from the standard percentage for Grade C.

Article 3: The overdraft limit for contributions has been reduced by 50% from the limit for Category C.

Li Yuan's gaze lingered on the third item for a moment.

The amount of contribution that can be overdrawn has actually decreased.

The manager seemed to sense his confusion and offered an explanation.

"Second-tier talisman makers can take on more tasks and earn more money, so their overdraft limits are naturally reduced. The higher-ups mean that at this level, one should no longer rely on overdrafts to make ends meet."

Li Yuan carefully put the documents away.

Where can I claim the free monthly Dharma teachings?

"First floor of the Sutra Repository".

The manager pulled a wooden plaque from a drawer and handed it to him. "Take this. You can choose one subject at the beginning of each month. You haven't used your quota for this month yet, so you can go now."

Li Yuan accepted the wooden plaque and left the manager's room.

They went directly to the scripture repository of the talisman hall.

The layout of the first floor of the library was not much different from when I last visited. Wooden shelves stretched from the ground to the ceiling, and bamboo slips and booklets were arranged in sections according to their rank.

Li Yuan walked to the first-tier mid-grade area.

There were noticeably fewer bamboo slips on the shelves in this area, and each scroll had a wooden label next to it indicating its name and a brief description.

Li Yuan looked at the shelves one scroll at a time.

Barrier-breaking talisman.

Spirit Shield Charm.

Spirit Gathering Array Talisman.

Li Yuan stopped in front of the last volume.

Barrier-breaking talisman.

Spirit Shield Charm.

Spirit Gathering Array Talisman.

Li Yuan stopped in front of the last volume.

The wooden sign next to it reads: Spirit Gathering Array Talisman, First-Tier, Mid-Grade. It is quite difficult to create, involving knowledge of both talisman and array principles. Its function is to gather surrounding spiritual energy, creating a small-scale spirit-gathering effect, which can assist in cultivation.

Spirit Gathering Array Talisman.

The paths of talismans and arrays intersect.

Li Yuan took the bamboo scroll down from the shelf and weighed it in his hand. The bamboo strips were yellowish, and the sinew rope was tightly woven; it was almost twice as heavy as a typical first-grade low-level talisman-making method.

Li Yuan pondered for a moment, then picked up the Spirit Gathering Array Talisman and went to the management office to register.

The manager made a note in the register and took the wooden sign back.

"That's fine. Come back at the beginning of next month."

Li Yuan put the bamboo slips into his storage bag and left the Sutra Repository.

Back in the Futang residential area, he pushed open the door to his stone house.

The room had been empty for several months, and a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the table. Li Yuan used his cleaning technique, and the dust dispersed, leaving the table and bed clean again.

He organized the items in the storage bag. He put the talisman-making materials in the side cabinet, arranged the pill bottles on the corner of the table, and stacked the bamboo slips and booklets together.

He placed the bamboo slip containing the spirit-gathering array talisman separately in the center of the table.