Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Early the next morning, Li Yuan set off back to the outer perimeter of the secret realm.

The agreement made with Master He Dan has not yet been fulfilled.

The settlement hadn't changed much since I left. The stalls were still the same, the dirt road was still the same, and the pace of the wandering cultivators coming and going was still about the same.

The door of Wang's shop was open, and Old Sun was dozing behind the counter, while the residual heat from the alchemy furnace wafted out from the inner room.

Li Yuan's entrance woke Old Sun.

"You're back?" Old Sun rubbed his eyes.

"Yes. The contract is dissolved."

Old Sun paused for a moment, then nodded: "All done."

There were no further words. Old Sun was originally a rogue cultivator, so he naturally didn't have a good impression of contracts. He wasn't surprised that Li Yuan terminated the contract.

"What about the shop?" Old Sun asked.

"Keep it running as usual. I'll make talismans elsewhere, and we'll split the spirit stones we earn."

Li Yuan said, "The Wang family won't interfere here for now; we'll deal with it once their reinforcements arrive. I'm currently a rogue cultivator, but the cooperation with the Talisman Hall is still in place, just with less favorable conditions."

Old Sun hummed in agreement and didn't ask any more questions.

Li Yuan stayed in the room behind the shop for a while, then went out to find the patrol officer of the settlement.

The patrol officers on the outskirts of the secret realm were dispatched by the Yuanyang Sect and were responsible for maintaining order, registering residents, and collecting rent.

There are two types of dwellings in the settlement: one is a shack that is first-come, first-served and free of charge but in poor condition; the other is a formally registered courtyard that requires monthly payment of spirit stones and is protected by the restrictions of the Yuan Yang Sect.

Previously, Li Yuan lived in a room behind Wang's shop, which was considered Wang's territory. Now that the contract has been terminated, it's not appropriate for him to continue living in Wang's shop; he'll have to move out sooner or later.

The patrol officer's post was located in a stone house at the southern entrance of the settlement. A young outer disciple of the Yuan Yang Sect, around twenty years old, sat inside, with a registration book and a wooden box for collecting spirit stones in front of him.

"Rent a courtyard?" The disciple looked up at Li Yuan. "There are some available. There are two more rooms in the third row on the east side, five spirit stones a month, with basic enchantments. There are also some on the west side near the entrance to the secret realm, eight spirit stones a month, with better enchantments."

"To the east."

Five spirit stones a month isn't expensive.

Li Yuan paid two months' rent and received an access token and a key.

The courtyard is not large, with a main house and a side house, surrounded by gray stone walls and wooden doors.

Inside the main room was a bed, a table, and a chair. The side room was empty and could be used as a storeroom or alchemy room. There was a faint spiritual energy fluctuation on the wall, a basic restriction set up by the Yuan Yang Sect, which could prevent cultivators below the mid-stage of Qi Refining from forcibly entering.

Li Yuan moved his luggage over, and then moved the materials and tools for making talismans from Wang's shop to the new courtyard. The alchemy furnace was too heavy, so he left it at the shop for now and would use it when he needed to refine elixirs.

After settling in, Li Yuan closed the courtyard gate, spread out the talisman paper, and continued to draw and refine divine talismans.

Master He Dan's first batch of orders has been completed, but there are still three more batches to go. Thirty-five orders every ten days—the pace cannot be interrupted.

The next day, when Li Yuan went out to buy spirit ink, he noticed that there were more people in the settlement.

He is not a rogue cultivator, but a disciple of the Yuan Yang Sect.

Three young cultivators dressed in the gray-white robes of the Yuan Yang Sect were wandering around the settlement. Their cultivation levels were not high, around the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining, but their demeanor was clearly different from that of rogue cultivators, and their walking posture carried the disciplined air unique to disciples of a sect.

They didn't linger in the stall area, but instead walked around the edge of the settlement, as if they were inspecting or observing something.

In addition to these three, the number of Yuan Yang Sect disciples at the entrance to the secret realm has increased from two to four.

The number of people in the settlement has increased significantly compared to the previous few days. Newly built sheds have extended along both sides of the dirt road, and some independent practitioners have simply laid out a cloth on the roadside to set up stalls.

Li Yuan glanced at it but didn't look at it much.

The Yuan Yang Sect's increased manpower might be related to the situation inside the secret realm, or it could simply be a routine tightening of controls. Either way, it has little to do with him.

Back in the courtyard, he closed the door and continued making talismans.

The Refining Spirit Talisman is a high-grade first-tier talisman, requiring precise control of spiritual power and stable output of divine soul energy for each stroke. Before mastering the art of talisman making, drawing a Refining Spirit Talisman requires complete concentration; there can be no distraction whatsoever, and even the slightest deviation will ruin the entire talisman.

But in the last few days, Li Yuan has clearly sensed a change.

The feeling of the talisman brush landing on the talisman paper became smoother and smoother. The speed, depth, and direction of the spiritual energy seeping into the paper along the tip of the brush no longer needed to be deliberately adjusted. It was as if the fingers had memorized all the paths, and as long as the first stroke was made, the rest would naturally follow.

The connection between the runes has changed from "requiring careful alignment" to "natural interlocking". The direction, turns, and convergence of the spiritual ink on the talisman paper are all just right.

That evening, after Li Yuan finished drawing the last Refining Spirit Talisman of the day, a subtle but clear insight spread from his fingertips throughout his body the moment he put down his brush.

It's like a thin film has been punctured.

The relationship between spiritual power and talisman paper undergoes a qualitative change during talisman making. Previously, it was about control, with spiritual power obeying the will and following the incantation step by step.

Now it's about guidance; the spiritual energy knows where to go, and all it needs is a gentle push.

[First-Order Talisman Making Technique - Mastery (1/3200)]

Great success.

Li Yuan put down the talisman brush. This wasn't a game over; it was a recommendation for the treasure book, "Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes."

I moved my fingers around a bit.

The most noticeable change after mastering the skill is the success rate, which has now reached 70-80%.

A higher success rate means that the same amount of materials can produce more finished products.

The amount of materials given by Master He was estimated based on a success rate of 50% to 60%, which was 35 sheets in 10 days, for a total of 65 sheets.

The success rate is now over 70%. Master He Dan will not check the extra finished products and the materials saved one by one.

He wanted thirty-five qualified Spirit Refining Talismans, as long as the quantity and quality met the requirements.

Li Yuan arranged the refined spirit talismans he had drawn on the table into a stack; their quality was slightly better than the previous ones. The runes were more even and fine, the spiritual energy was more concentrated, and the overall spiritual energy density of the talismans was also higher.

He put the extra talismans and spirit ink into his storage bag, along with the ones he had accumulated before.

Little by little, over several batches, you can save a considerable amount of materials. Whether you use these materials yourself or sell them for spirit stones, it's a win-win situation.

Li Yuan tidied the table, sat on the bed, and began cultivating by circulating the Spirit Guiding Technique.

The Blood Coagulation Pill's dual cultivation effect of spirit and blood allows spiritual power and blood to circulate simultaneously; the Spirit Gathering Pill's spiritual essence condensation increases cultivation speed by 50%; and the Breakthrough Pill's spiritual power refinement further increases spiritual power enhancement speed by 20%.

With multiple enhancements, the increase in spiritual power brought about by each cycle of the celestial sphere is quite considerable.

Ten days later, Li Yuan took thirty-five Refining Spirit Talismans to Alchemist He's courtyard.

The barrier recognized the wooden sign, the gap opened, and Li Yuan pushed the door open and went in.

The courtyard was much the same as when I last visited: the stone table and benches, the wooden box in the corner, and the aroma of medicine wafting from the main house entrance. Master He was still sitting in that bamboo chair, holding a white porcelain teacup, seemingly never having moved from his spot.

Li Yuan placed the cloth bag containing the talismans on the stone table, untied the straps, and neatly stacked the thirty-five Refining Spirit Talismans.

Master He put down his teacup, reached into the stack, pulled out a few sheets, and held them up to look at them.

With a gentle swipe of his finger across the surface of the talisman, spiritual energy seeped into the runes to examine its internal structure.

After looking at three of them, Master He put the talismans back in the stack and glanced at Li Yuan.

"Did they terminate the contract with the Wang family?"

Li Yuan was not surprised that he knew about this.

"It's solved."

"Very well." Master He picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone indifferent, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today, "so as not to be entangled on both sides."

He randomly picked two more talismans from the stack, examined the details of the runes, and nodded.

"The quality is better than the previous batch."

This is not just polite talk. After mastering the art of talisman making, the precision of the runes and the density of spiritual energy in the Divine Refining Talisman have both reached a new level, and an expert can see the difference at a glance.

Master He carefully put away the talisman, leaned back in his chair, and rested his hands on the armrests.

"Based on this quality, we can make another batch of the Breakthrough Pill that we previously advanced you to, and that will settle the debt."

Li Yuan nodded.

The Breakthrough Pill is quite valuable; according to the original quality standard, it would have required four batches of Refining Spirit Talismans to compensate for it. Now that the quality has been improved, three batches are enough, and the remaining batch can be considered the final payment.

"The materials are over there." Master He gestured with his chin toward the wooden box in the corner.

Li Yuan walked over, opened the wooden box, and checked the types and quantities of materials. Talisman paper, spirit ink, spirit-guiding sand, and soul-stabilizing powder—the same configuration as before, and the quality was still half a grade better than what was available on the market.

Just as I was about to lift the wooden crate, I heard a soft sound behind me.

Something flew in an arc through the air toward Li Yuan.

Li Yuan reached out and caught it.

One pill.

It is about the size of a thumb, light brown in color, with a dull surface and no flowing patterns. Its condition is average.

No semi-transparent text appeared.

No entry.

Li Yuan glanced at the pill in his palm. It was an ordinary cultivation aid pill with weak spiritual energy fluctuations, the kind of common medicine that cost a dozen or so spirit stones a bottle in the market.

It can improve one's cultivation level to some extent, but the effect is limited.

"The Qi Gathering Pill is an extra."

Master He's voice came from behind, "Change the requirements for this batch: thirty sheets a week. Once this batch of contracts is finished, the deal is done. I have to go."

Thirty sheets a week, which is faster than the previous pace of thirty-five sheets in ten days. That's an average of a little over four sheets a day. Considering Da Cheng's success rate, he needs to draw five to six sheets a day to maintain output. The workload is considerable, but not impossible.

"Okay." Li Yuan put the Qi Gathering Pill into his storage bag and picked up the wooden box.

Master He Dan did not speak again and picked up his teacup again.

Li Yuan put the wooden box into his storage bag, left the courtyard, and closed the restraints behind him again.

Back in his rented courtyard, Li Yuan put down the wooden box and checked the materials.

Whether it was intentional or simply because he was too lazy to recalculate, it's hard to say. But the result is the same: the extra materials belong to Li Yuan himself.

Li Yuan spread out the talisman paper, dipped his brush in ink, and began to draw the first one.

Thirty sheets a week.

Not difficult.