Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The micro-control spirit technique has progressed rapidly in the past few days.

The foundation is there. The precision of spiritual power control achieved through minor mastery of talisman-making techniques, and the long-term refinement of the fingertip spiritual power distribution in refining divine talismans, are all readily available foundations.

Li Yuan had already been doing the precise control required by micro-controlling spirit techniques during the talisman-making process, but he hadn't systematically summarized it into a spell system.

Now that there is a clear framework for spells, previously scattered experiences can be quickly integrated.

The panel jumped.

[Spell: Micro-management of Spirits - Proficient (0/400)]

The independent allocation of spiritual energy among the ten fingers has become an instinctive reaction. When drawing spiritual patterns, the error in the thickness of the lines is kept to an extremely low level, and the leakage of spiritual energy when converging spiritual patterns has almost disappeared.

Fu Tang's life was much freer than that of the patrol team and the guard team.

There are no fixed patrol routes or shift schedules. As long as the talisman-making tasks are completed on time, the remaining time is left to the individual's discretion. The supervisor occasionally comes to check on the progress, takes a look, and leaves without asking any further questions.

That morning, Li Yuan finished his talisman-making task ahead of schedule, put down his brush, and left the talisman hall.

Qinghe Market is located northwest of Futang, about a half-hour walk away. My supply of Sha Yuan Pills is almost gone, so I'll take this opportunity to see if there's anything useful in the market.

Li Yuan walked northwest along the mountain path. The path was flanked by mixed trees, whose canopies filtered the sunlight into scattered patches.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Li Yuan stopped.

Thirty feet ahead, a wave of spiritual energy was pressing down from the bushes.

Tier 1, Medium Grade.

The bushes moved.

A grayish-brown monster emerged from the bushes.

It was not large in size, with a shoulder height of about Li Yuan's waist. Its limbs were thick and strong, and a row of dark gray bristles on its back extended from its neck to the base of its tail.

The mouth protrudes forward, and two canine teeth protrude from the lower jaw with slightly yellow tips.

Gray-maned Badger. Mid-grade Tier 1, with thick hide and high defense among monsters of the same level.

The grey badger stared at Li Yuan, letting out a low growl. Its mane stood on end from its neck down, and its limbs bent as if it were pouncing.

Li Yuan did not move.

The grey-maned badger pounced.

It's not fast.

Li Yuan sidestepped, then clenched his right fist and slammed it into the gray badger's ribs. Spiritual energy enveloped his fist as he blasted it in.

The grey badger was sent flying, rolling twice on the ground before crashing into a tree trunk and coming to a stop.

He didn't die. The grey mane badger's skin and flesh are indeed tough. This punch pierced through the tough outer mane, but only two ribs were broken, and his internal organs were not fatally damaged.

The grey mane badger struggled to its feet, its hind legs weak, whimpering as it tried to shrink into the bushes.

Li Yuan walked over, stepped on its back, and pressed his spiritual energy down from under his foot. The gray badger's limbs instantly... He lay on the ground, unable to move.

He was still alive, but his breath was weak and his chest was heaving rapidly.

Li Yuan crouched down, drew a short knife from his waist, and placed the tip of the knife against the left side of the gray badger's chest.

A knife pierced through.

The grey mane badger's body twitched suddenly.

The heart was still beating. Dark red blood gushed from the wound, a deeper color and thicker consistency than blood from ordinary wounds, carrying a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy.

Heart's blood.

Li Yuan took out a small porcelain bottle from his storage bag and held it to the spot below the knife wound to catch the flowing blood. The bottle was more than half full when his heart stopped beating completely, and the blood stopped flowing.

Li Yuan drew his short knife, wiped it on the badger's stiff mane, and then put it back at his waist.

Then disassemble its various materials and put them all into a storage bag.

He stood up and drank the blood from his heart. He reached into his storage bag and took out a blood-replenishing talisman.

The panel pops up. Unequip the Azure Cloud Brush and equip the Healing Talisman.

[The conditions for permanentizing Blood Qi Return (White) have been met. Would you like to proceed with permanentization?]

Yes.

[Permanentization successful]

The phrase "Blood Qi Returns (White)" has become a permanent entry.

[Equipment consumed]

A warm, flowing sensation filled my body. The flow of qi and blood in my meridians was slightly faster than before, as if an undercurrent was propelling the blood forward.

Li Yuan stretched his wrists and continued on his way.

After walking for another half an hour, the gray walls of Qinghefang Market came into view.

The wall is higher than it was a few months ago, and people have already moved into the newly built row of stone houses on the south side.

The cultivator guarding the east gate nodded after seeing the talisman token on Li Yuan's waist and let him pass.

We entered the market.

There are many more people on the main street than before, and the desolate feeling of reduced foot traffic a few months ago is no longer visible.

The stalls occupied most of both sides of the main street, and there were many unfamiliar faces among the cultivators coming and going, dressed in different ways, clearly not all of them were from the Wang family.

Li Yuan walked past the tea stall without stopping.

Continuing along the main street, when we reached the corner of East Street, a familiar figure emerged from a side alley.

Sun Liang.

She still had that thin frame, and her complexion was better than the last time I saw her; it was no longer a pale, bluish color, but it wasn't exactly rosy either.

Sun Liang also saw Li Yuan, paused for a moment, and walked over.

What are you doing here?

"I came out of the talisman hall and came here for a stroll."

Li Yuan glanced at the token at his waist. "You're back on patrol?"

"Yes, it's a rotation. Things have been quiet at the mine lately, so the foreman asked me to come back and make a trip."

The two walked to a secluded stone platform by the roadside and stood there talking.

"How's the mine?"

"There are fewer monsters now." Sun Liang rubbed his chin.

"There are far fewer than before. Before, monsters would rush towards the mine every few days, sometimes two or three groups a day. In the last half month, only four or five have come in total, and they are all first-tier low-grade monsters."

He paused for a moment.

"After devouring those families, the demonic beasts suddenly quieted down, as if they had planned it all along. I don't know why."

Li Yuan hummed in agreement.

The two chatted for a few more minutes about the daily life at the mine, then Sun Liang said he had to go to the management office to report and left first.

Li Yuan continued walking through the market.

I walked from East Street to West Street, then back to the southern section of the main street. The items on the stalls were similar to before: spiritual herbs, ores, elixirs, and magical artifact parts, but the prices were 20-30% higher than in Yunyang Market.

When Li Yuan reached the southern end of the main street, a used bookstore in a corner caught his attention.

The stall displayed about a dozen cultivation manuals and spell bamboo slips, most of which were basic introductory cultivation techniques, priced from two or three to more than ten spirit stones.

Li Yuan's gaze swept across the stall and stopped on a thin booklet on the far right.

The cover is made of cowhide with slightly curled edges and three words written on it.

Jade Elephant Skill.

Priced at five spirit stones.

Li Yuan glanced at it for two breaths.

I saw this booklet at the market before, but I couldn't afford it back then.

Li Yuan squatted down and picked up the booklet. When his fingers touched the cover, the panel flicked.

grey.

"This one, five yuan?"

The stall owner was an elderly, gray-haired hermit who was dozing against the wall. Hearing the sound, he opened one eye and glanced at the stall.

Five pieces.

Li Yuan counted out five spirit stones from his storage bag and placed them on the cloth, then put the Jade Elephant Technique into his storage bag.

The old rogue cultivator gathered the spirit stones into his sleeve and closed his eyes again.

Li Yuan stood up, walked along the main street towards the east gate, exited the market, and returned to the talisman hall along the original route.