Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Back at the stone house in the talisman hall, Li Yuan closed the door.

He took out the booklet of Jade Elephant Kung Fu from his storage bag and placed it on the table.

The leather cover was slightly curled at the edges, and the pages were yellowed, indicating that it had been sitting on the stall for quite some time.

Li Yuan reached out and pressed his hand on the cover.

The panel popped up.

[Equipable item detected: Jade Elephant Skill (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Jade Elephant Bearing (Gray)]

[Effect: Increases the body's maximum carrying capacity by 30%]

[Preview of conditions for permanentization: Physical strength comparable to a mid-grade first-tier demonic beast]

Grayed-out entries have a simple and direct effect.

The conditions for permanentization have also been satisfied.

With his body tempered by malevolent energy, protected by an iron membrane, protected by scales, and strengthened internal organs, coupled with the cultivation of the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique and the long-term transformation of his muscles and bones from consuming demon beast meat, Li Yuan's physical strength now far exceeds that of a mid-grade first-tier demon beast.

Li Yuan equipped it, and the next item popped up on the panel.

The conditions for the jade elephant to permanently retain its gray color have been met.

Is it permanent?

Yes.

[Permanentization successful]

The jade elephant bearing (gray) has become a permanent entry.

[Equipment consumed]

The changes don't have the same obvious impact as those related to body refinement.

It's more like a certain restriction inside the body has been quietly loosened, while the carrying capacity of bones, muscles, and meridians has been expanded.

However, since there is no load currently approaching its limit, no specific difference can be felt.

Only when one's spiritual power is fully unleashed, one's blood and qi are circulating at full capacity, or one is simultaneously subjected to multiple impacts, will this 30% capacity truly manifest itself.

Li Yuan tidied up the table and left the stone house.

I went to the general store in the market.

The recipe for the Qi-replenishing pill was bought at Yunyang Market before, and the list of materials was already in my mind.

The ingredients are Qingling grass, astragalus root, atractylodes macrocephala slices, and poria cocos powder, plus a guiding medicinal liquid. These are all basic first-grade low-level spiritual herbs, readily available in the market.

The materials were gathered together, costing less than ten spirit stones.

Li Yuan put the materials into his storage bag and returned to the Talisman Hall.

Just as he reached the entrance of the talisman hall courtyard, a person came out of the steward's room and came face to face with him.

"Li Yuan, I was just looking for you."

The steward stood at the door, holding a document in his hand.

"Come in."

Li Yuan followed him into the house.

The steward placed the documents on the table and pushed them towards him.

"New mission. You and Lao Sun, go to a shop on the outskirts of the Spirit Ruins Secret Realm."

Li Yuan glanced at the steward.

The Spirit Ruins Secret Realm. The Nascent Soul relic located two hundred miles north of Yunyang Market.

"The outer edge of the secret realm?"

"Yes." The steward sat down in the chair and placed his hands on the table.

"There is a settlement outside the entrance to the secret realm. It's where independent cultivators resupply before entering and trade after they come out. It's not very big; it's more like a small market."

He paused for a moment.

"That area is under the jurisdiction of the Yuanyang Sect. Fighting is prohibited within a 30-mile radius, just like the rules in Yunyang Market. The Yuanyang Sect specifically demarcated this area to prevent people from blocking the entrance. If rogue cultivators are intercepted and robbed as soon as they leave the secret realm, who will dare to go in? If no one goes to the secret realm, who will the Yuanyang Sect collect entrance fees from?"

Li Yuan nodded.

The manager continued.

"They're missing something over there." The steward pushed the documents over.

"Every day, rogue cultivators are dying in the secret realm, and most of those who come out alive are injured. Fireball talismans, Vajra talismans, Rejuvenation talismans, and Blood-Replenishing talismans are being produced and sold off in batches. Elixirs are even more scarce, with Qi-Replenishing Pills and Yuan-Returning Pills frequently out of stock."

He paused for a moment.

"The talismans used to be transported from the market, which took more than a day to travel, and there was a chance of encountering monsters along the way, so the cost was too high. You can make them on the spot after you get there."

"You go over there and be in charge of making talismans, while Old Sun will be in charge of refining pills. There's also a shopkeeper over there to keep watch over the shop."

The supervisor spoke in a flat tone, as if he were giving instructions for a routine task.

"There's one more thing."

The person in charge lowered their voice.

"The leader of the cultivators who robbed the herb garden before, who was at the ninth level of Qi Refining, has still not been caught. Recently, there has been news that he has headed towards the Spirit Ruins Secret Realm."

He looked at Li Yuan.

"Once you get there, keep an eye out. You don't need to do anything yourself, just remember anyone you see who seems suspicious. Uncle Qu will handle it."

Li Yuan picked up the document and read it through. The task details, timeline, and shop location were all clearly stated.

"When are you leaving?"

"Uncle Qu came back from there a few days ago and is going there again tomorrow morning, so I'll take you there."

Li Yuan put the documents away and left the steward's room.

Back in the stone house, I put away the materials for making talismans and alchemy separately, and packed the things I needed to take with me into my storage bag.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Li Yuan arrived at the entrance of the talisman hall.

Old Sun was already there, with Uncle Qu standing next to him, still with that stern and unsmiling look, a worn-out iron-sheathed longsword at his waist.

The three of them didn't say much and set off immediately.

Heading north from Futang, first return to the vicinity of Yunyangfang Market, then turn onto the mountain road to the north.

The mountain path wasn't too difficult, but the further north you went, the thinner the spiritual energy became, and the vegetation on both sides gradually changed from mixed forests to shrubs and gravel slopes. Occasionally, you could see scattered cultivators coming from the opposite direction, mostly independent cultivators who had come from the direction of the secret realm, looking tired and bearing more or less injuries.

We walked for most of the day.

As evening approached, the terrain ahead suddenly opened up.

A gentle slope unfolds between two low hills, with dozens of wooden sheds and stone houses scattered across it. There are no walls or city gates, only two stone pillars at the entrance with inscriptions that read "Outer perimeter of Lingxu, fighting is prohibited," and the seal of the Yuanyang Sect.

Behind the stone pillar was a dirt road worn into the ground, with a dozen or so stalls on both sides, mainly selling consumables: talismans, pills, dried food, simple magical implements, bandages, and ointments. The selection wasn't large, but everyone was buying something.

Further in is the residential area. Several rows of stone houses and wooden sheds are scattered on the gentle slope, some with cloth banners hanging at the door, with words such as "Buying Spirit Herbs" and "Selling Monster Materials".

There weren't many people, but there were quite a few as well. I estimated there were about a hundred cultivators active in this area, ranging in cultivation level from the early to the late stages of Qi Refining.

Qu Bo stopped at the entrance.

"The shop is in the third row on the east side, and there's a sign that says 'Wang Family' on the door. You guys go and settle in first, I have some things to take care of."

Then Qu Bo took out a few folded pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them to Li Yuan and Lao Sun.

"This is a portrait of the leader of the treacherous cultivators."

Li Yuan took them, unfolded them, and glanced at them. There wasn't one, but five. Each one depicted a different face, some old, some young, some fat, some thin.

"This person can disguise himself; he's used at least these different faces."

Qu Bo's tone was indifferent.

"When you're working in the shop, pay attention and remember anything that matches up, but don't alert them."

Li Yuan folded the paper and put it into his storage bag.

Without saying much, Qu Bo turned and walked westward down the gentle slope.

Li Yuan and Lao Sun walked eastward along the dirt road.

When we reached the second row of stone houses, two untrained monks were squatting next to a rock by the roadside, talking.

"...Have you heard of the Spirit Essence Fruit?"

A short, stout rogue cultivator lowered his voice and gestured to his companion.

"It's not inside the secret realm, it's outside the secret realm. In the mountains to the north, someone said they discovered the aura of the Spirit Essence Fruit in a valley."

His companion scoffed.

"Spirit Essence Fruit? That thing is the main ingredient for Foundation Establishment Pills. If it were even available, it would have been snapped up by the major sects long ago. How could it possibly be our turn?"

"That's not how it works," the short, stout rogue cultivator waved his hand.

"That mountain range is teeming with demonic beasts, including several second-tier ones. Ordinary people wouldn't dare venture deeper. Besides, nobody knows exactly where the Spirit Essence Fruit grows, and large sects can't possibly search the entire mountainside. What if some lucky rogue cultivator happens to stumble upon it?"

His companion didn't refute him further, but his expression clearly showed disbelief.

The voices of the two rogue cultivators gradually faded into the distance.

Li Yuan walked past them without stopping.

Spirit Essence Fruit. Located in the mountains outside the secret realm.

The steward said the leader of the bandit cultivators might be looking for the Spirit Essence Fruit. The rogue cultivators here are also spreading the news about the Spirit Essence Fruit.