Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Over the next few days, the outer perimeter of the secret realm remained largely unchanged.

The number of independent practitioners coming and going, and the faces at the stalls changed several times, but the liveliness remained undiminished.

Every day, people spend ten spirit stones to enter the secret realm to try their luck, and every day, people come out of the secret realm, some empty-handed and some full of treasures.

Li Yuan continued to run his shop selling talismans as usual, refined elixirs in the evening, and cultivated himself at night.

News travels fast in settlements. When independent cultivators gather together, they can't stop talking, and someone always brings up what's happening in the secret realm.

When Li Yuan went out to buy materials, he could often hear a few words when he passed by the stall area.

"...The guy surnamed Zhou who went in yesterday is back, carrying a hundred-year-old Crimson Sun Ginseng, worth at least two hundred spirit stones. He's really lucky."

"Good luck? He risked his life. I heard he ran into a top-tier first-level demonic beast and it took him ages to shake it off."

"Have you seen that rogue cultivator next door wearing a straw hat? He went in the day before yesterday and hasn't come out yet."

"If it hasn't come out in three days, then there's no need to wait any longer."

"I heard that the day before yesterday, a guy at the seventh level of Qi Refining went in to try and steal someone's stuff, but he got killed instead. Serves him right."

"Who knows if it was a real counterattack? What if he launched a sneak attack? Dead men tell no tales."

Li Yuan listened for a few moments, then left without stopping, bought the materials, and returned to the shop.

The secret realm is a giant sieve; many people go in, but less than half come out unscathed.

The rest either died in the mouths of monsters or at the hands of their fellow monsters. Occasionally, someone would be incredibly lucky and bring out something valuable, becoming rich overnight.

That morning, Li Yuan was drawing talismans in his shop when the curtain at the door was lifted.

A middle-aged monk wearing a gray-blue robe walked in.

He wore a gray-blue robe with a dark-patterned belt tied around his waist, the buckle of which was engraved with a simplified design.

The Li family's clothing.

The newcomer made no attempt to conceal his identity or dress up, openly wearing the Li family's clothes. He had a dignified appearance, was around forty years old, with a short beard on his chin, and a kind expression, not like someone who had come to cause trouble.

Cultivation level: Qi Refining Level 7.

After entering the shop, he first glanced around at the talisman samples hanging on the wall, then turned to Li Yuan behind the counter and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Fellow Daoist, I am Li Tong, from the External Affairs Hall of the Li Family."

He introduced himself.

Li Yuan put down the talisman brush, nodded, and neither returned the greeting nor spoke.

Li Tong didn't mind, smiled, and took two steps towards the counter.

"I heard that the talismans in this shop are of good quality, especially the Rejuvenation Talisman and the Vajra Talisman, which have a very good reputation among independent cultivators. I came here today specifically to take a look."

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Li Yuan for a moment, then he tilted his head, gently sensing the fluctuations of spiritual energy emanating from him.

Li Yuan's divine soul was powerful, and he could clearly sense fluctuations, which was much stronger than that of ordinary cultivators, even approaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

Li Tong's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she frowned, revealing a hint of doubt.

But he didn't ask any further questions. He withdrew his senses and glanced again in the direction of the inner room.

Old Sun was refining pills inside. The heat from the furnace seeped out from the crack in the door, carrying a faint medicinal fragrance.

Li Tong's senses swept into the inner room again before withdrawing.

This time, the doubts were even more pronounced.

Li Tong suppressed his doubts and looked at Li Yuan again, his tone unchanged: "Let me be frank, I'm not here to buy talismans."

"I heard that you two are from the outer circle of the Wang family?"

Li Yuan did not deny it.

"You two should be aware of the current situation with the Wang family."

Li Tong shrugged, speaking in a flat tone, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"After Wang Qu died, the Wang family's power here was greatly diminished. To be honest, it's a bit of a pity that you two are still here."

"The Li family has been recruiting skilled cultivators, whether they are making talismans or refining pills. The compensation is no less than what the Wang family offers. If you are interested, you can learn about the conditions first, and there is no rush to make a decision."

Old Sun heard the noise.

He came out of the inner room, his hands still covered in medicine powder.

He glanced at Li Tong's clothes, then at Li Yuan, saying nothing, but seemed to be deep in thought.

Before Li Yuan could speak, footsteps could be heard outside.

The curtain was lifted, and Wang Lu walked in.

His gaze fell on Li Tong as soon as he entered the room. His face was expressionless, but he didn't stop walking and went straight to the counter to stand.

When Li Tong saw Wang Lu, his smile faded, and he cupped his hands in greeting: "Fellow Daoist Wang."

Wang Lu ignored him.

Li Tong wasn't embarrassed. He nodded to Li Yuan and Old Sun, saying, "Fellow Daoists, please consider it. I welcome you anytime."

After saying that, he turned and left the shop, the curtain swaying behind him twice.

Wang Lu watched him walk away before turning his head back.

"How many times have the Li family members come here?"

"It's my first time," Li Yuan said.

Wang Lu hummed in agreement, said nothing more, and found a stool to sit down.

"Let me tell you about the shop beforehand."

Wang Lu took a thin piece of paper from his sleeve and placed it on the counter.

"After Qu Bo's accident, the business here has been temporarily left unattended. The higher-ups' instruction is that the shop can continue operating, and you and Lao Sun can keep the spirit stones you earn; you don't need to hand them over."

Old Sun raised an eyebrow.

"When will it be restored?" Li Yuan asked.

"Let's wait for reinforcements to arrive."

Wang Lu leaned back in his chair, sounding somewhat tired, "It will probably take a while longer."

"We can't spare any manpower to send here right now. With Uncle Qu gone, the entire outer perimeter is missing a top-tier combatant at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and many arrangements have to be readjusted."

He paused for a moment.

"Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot make a move; this is a rule of the Yuan Yang Sect, and no one dares to break it. Therefore, late-stage Qi Refining experts are the ceiling. Qu Bo's strength was top-tier even among late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and now he's gone..."

Wang Lu shook his head before he finished speaking.

"You two stay here for now. Don't go outside the outer perimeter of the secret realm if you can avoid it. I saw the Li family members outside. They wouldn't dare to make a move here, but it's hard to say once they're thirty miles away."

"And you?" Li Yuan asked.

"I need to go back to Qinghe Market and bring back the intelligence from here." Wang Lu stood up, pushed the stool back to its original position, and said, "Use the communication talisman to contact me if anything happens."

After Wang Lu left, the shop became quiet.

Old Sun stood at the doorway of the inner room, rubbing the medicinal powder on his hands.

"All the spirit stones are ours?"

"Um."

"Alright then." Old Sun turned and went back into the inner room, where the alchemy furnace was still burning.

Life went on as usual.

During the day, they made and sold talismans; in the evening, it was time to refine elixirs. Old Sun refined his Demon Essence Elixir in front of the main furnace, while Li Yuan used the secondary furnace to refine Qi-replenishing Elixir.

The formula for the Qi-replenishing pill has been practiced for some time now. The technique is stable, and the success rate of the pill is around 60%, occasionally reaching 70%.

That evening, Li Yuan sat in front of the secondary furnace and put the last batch of medicinal herbs into it.

The stove lid vibrated slightly, and the aroma of medicine seeped out from the gaps.

Li Yuan slowly withdrew his spiritual power and lifted the furnace lid.

Four Qi-replenishing pills lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace, their color uniform and their surfaces smooth and glossy. Four pills were produced from six portions of medicinal materials, a success rate of nearly 70%.

The semi-transparent text jumped briefly below the field of vision.

[First-Tier Alchemy - Beginner (8/200)]

I've gotten the hang of it.

From complete novice to expert, once this hurdle is overcome, the most noticeable change is the transformation of perception of the medicinal power circulating within the alchemy furnace from "vague" to clear. Previously, many opportunities were grasped by feeling, but now one can clearly perceive where the medicinal power converges, when to add more heat, and when to stop.

The condition for perpetuating one's alchemical insights is to become proficient in alchemy.

You're just getting started; there's still one more stage to go.

No rush. Alchemy isn't the main focus right now. The main things to improve are cultivation and talisman-making skills.

Li Yuan got up, returned to his room, and continued his cultivation.